Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August 1st

Raihan is half asleep on his bean bag chair when the buzzing of his phone startles him back awake. Flygon, who is sprawled across his lap, is also disturbed, letting out an indignant chirp. He sighs deeply and chooses to ignore it, reaching down to scratch Flygon's neck instead. They rumble happily and relax again, satisfied with their trainer's decision to continue resting.

Unfortunately, that decision would not last long. Two minutes later, Raihan's phone buzzes again, and he groans before reluctantly sitting up. Flygon grumbles and lifts their neck enough for their trainer to stand. Navigating the room by the light of his multi-monitor streaming set up, he picks his phone up off of his bedside table to see a message from the last person he expected to hear from at eleven p.m. on a Thursday night.

You have two new notifications from: Leon 2

Raihan rubs his eyes and blinks away his grogginess, making sure that he was reading the text bubble on his lock screen right. Yeah, no, that is definitely a text from Leon. From his personal phone, too. What in the-

Raihan sighs and pulls his phone off of the charger, sitting down on the edge of his bed before opening the messages.

hey

are you there

yeah whats up

Leon 2 is typing...

Raihan stares at his screen, a feeling of unease slowly worming its way under his skin. Then, Leon stops typing.

?u okay

A minute passes. Then two. Raihan resists the urge to just call Leon, but he knows that he usually takes a bit to formulate what he wants to say. Raihan knows to be patient.

I'd rather not have to be patient when I'm half asleep at 11 o' clock, though, Raihan grumbles internally. Instead of pressing Leon any more, he opens Instagram and scrolls for a bit. Clips from his and Leon's battle in the Champion Cup a few weeks ago are still circulating, and Raihan checks the comments under a few of them. They're all fairly standard, as far as comments go- mostly supportive and admiring with a few hate comments from idiots who have no idea what they're talking about (Turtonator is not a fire-rock type, and sending them out against Rillaboom was absolutely the correct choice). After reading a particularly nasty comment about how annoying it was that Leon kept winning (he's literally just doing his job, you asshole), Raihan decides he's had enough and switches back to his chat with Leon.

Still no response.

Raihan groans. "Flygon, I think something's off," he mutters to his partner, who warbles softly in reply. "I haven't seen him since the Cup and then he texts me out of the blue at 11 at night? He's like, never up this late unless he has to be."

Flygon chitters quietly, only sounding mildly interested. Raihan continues regardless. "I'm worried about him. He seemed off during the Cup. He seemed... I don't know, anxious isn't the right word, he's always anxious, but something close to that? Scared, maybe? Of what, though? It definitely wasn't me."

Flygon lets out a small huff of agreement.

"And the hug, too, what the hell was that about? He hasn't hugged me like that before ever, not even when we were little. He was like, holding on for dear life, and he never told me why. It's weird. I mean-" Raihan sighs. "I don't know. He's just been weird. Weirder than usual, I guess."

Flygon seems to sense their trainer's distress and whines, craning their neck upward to study Raihan. He scoots across his bed, puts his phone in the pockets of his shorts, and offers them a hand, and they gently press their head into it, a low rumble emitting from their chest. "It's alright, it's probably nothing. I really hope it's nothing, and he just wants to chat or something."

Flygon nods and presses their head further into Raihan's hand, who responds by scritching the slightly rough, scaly skin on the top of their head. "We'll go flying tomorrow. Let you stretch your wings some. Sound good?"

They chirp enthusiastically, tail raising into the air in excitement. "Good 'mon," Raihan smiles. "I probably need it too. I'm tired of all this damn pre-Opening Ceremony paperwork. It's a whole two months away and challengers don't even come by the gym until May, I don't get why Rose insists on having all of us do our paperwork ahead of time. It's so that he can decide budgets, apparently, but I don't buy it. Don't know why he has that power in the first place. Stupid rich prick."

Flygon snorts with a similar amount of disdain, and Raihan chuckles. "I bet you understand more human words than I think. Or maybe you can just tell by my emotions. Maybe both," he sighs, reaching out to scratch the membrane of their wing. "Don't know what I'd do without you."

Raihan's phone buzzes again. He practically tears it out of his pocket, and Leon's reply makes his stomach drop.

i need your help

"Fuck, Flygon, this is definitely not nothing," Raihan curses under his breath as he frantically types out a reply. Flygon whines and shuffles closer to their trainer, resting their head on the bed. "He never asks for help, what the-"

dude whats up r u okay

i mean yes absolutely i will help but whats going on

Leon 2 is typing...

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, come on, Leon, type faster," Raihan hisses at his phone as his mind races. Is he out and not safe, is he lost somewhere, what if he's-

i need out

?of what

talk to me leon

 r u safe right now

yeah

out of my job

im quitting

Raihan blinks, unsure he read that right. Flygon clicks nervously as he whispers shakily. "...What?"

i cant do this anymore

and i can request to terminate my contract through court once i turn 22

and i need a lawyer that isnt under macro cosmos because they would rat me out immediately

so i was wondering if you had any recommendations or advice on finding good lawyers who will not get me in trouble

"Holy fuck," Raihan whispers, shock pulsing in his veins. "This isn't real."

yeah i can do that but like

what happened

why now

Leon 2 is typing...

"He's quitting? That's insane, that's-" Flygon butts their head against their trainer's arm, and Raihan takes a deep breath. "I know, I know. It's probably a good thing-" Messages continue to pop up on the screen.

its just too much

i dont want all of it anymore

and if that means i cant have any of it thats okay

im just so tired

and i need out

and the worst part is that rose is gonna be so fucking pissed

i have no idea what he'll try to do

but i cant do this anymore

"Arceus, he sounds miserable," Raihan whispers, to which Flygon tries to shove their head under his elbow, trying to comfort their trainer. "It's alright, Flygon. I'm just worried about him. He's right, Rose is gonna lose his shit when he finds out. I just want to make sure he's safe. His birthday isn't until close to the end of the month."

okay

do u like

need a place to stay

no

its three more weeks

i can make it three more weeks

i just need to talk to a lawyer so i can get the papers the second i turn 22

what about like after everything

oh

uh

i dont think so

i'll just go back to postwick

see hop

okay

i can probably get my contract lawyer to help u out

but id have to explain everything to her

?is that okay

yeah thats fine

where should i send u her email

not to ur work email i presume

yeah no definitely not

uuuh honestly just write it down and i'll swing by soon to grab it

make up some excuse to visit hammerlocke

less digital evidence there is the better

i dont know how much they have access to

"Gods, I hate how nervous he sounds," Raihan hisses. "It's not, like, natural, for him, he tries to present himself as so invincible. He's sort of implied before that living at Rose Tower isn't all it's made out to be, but I always thought it was weird, and-" Raihan shudders. "I don't like how much control Rose and Oleana have over him. It's kind of creepy. Maybe it's worse than I thought."

Flygon warbles sympathetically in assent. Raihan sighs and rubs his eyes before typing a reply.

did something happen

like with rose or oleana or smth

Leon 2 is typing...

"He's a grown ass adult, he doesn't need to be told what to do 24/7," Raihan grumbles. "When he was younger, fine, we all needed someone to help us get through the Gym Challenge when we were younger, and then he had to navigate having the title at ten, so I guess it's fair because he was a child, but even then, Rose has always been sort of possessive. Being protective, I guess, but it hasn't changed at all since he was ten. Maybe it's gotten worse. Maybe it really is worse than I thought." Dread pools in Raihan's stomach. "How much have I missed?"

Leon's reply pops up on the screen

not really

nothing like big i guess

im just tired of it all

so no

"I don't buy that," Raihan frowns. "He's being weird." Flygon chirps in agreement again.

its all fine

im gonna handle it

i'll let you know when im gonna come by hammerlocke

thank you so much

Raihan resists the urge to scream. "No, tell me what happened, don't just end the conversation," he growls, grinding his teeth together. He takes a deep breath. "I shouldn't press him anymore, though. He would've told me already if he wanted to. But something definitely happened, I'm sure of it."

okay keep me posted

and its np

be safe

i will

"Maybe I should call Sonia," Raihan mutters. "See if she knows anything. Maybe he already talked to her about whatever happened."

Flygon rests their head in Raihan's lap as he switches apps to call his old friend. The line rings once, twice, three times...

"What the hell are you doing up?" Sonia yawns into the phone, sounding disgruntled.

"Do you know if anything's been going on with Leon?" Raihan answers her question with his own, too worried to bother with pleasantries.

"No hello, cool, got it," Sonia sighs. There's a sound like ruffling, maybe her sitting up in bed. "No, I don't know, he hasn't texted me in like, a week. Why? Did he text you?"

"Shit," Raihan curses, rubbing his free hand on his other forearm anxiously. "He's being weird. I don't wanna say too much because I honestly don't know half of what's going on yet, but he's just-" he sighs. "He's being weird."

"Weird is pretty standard for Leon," Sonia points out. 

"No, like, bad weird. Like being vague and avoidant when something is clearly wrong weird. He seemed scared when I talked to him."

That alarms Sonia as well. "Scared?" She asks, voice rising in concern.

"Yeah. It's unnerving, he's usually good at hiding it, but not now. It's kind of freaking me out."

Sonia lets out a sigh that morphs into a yawn. "I'll check in on him in the morning, see if something's off. I believe you, but maybe he just had a bad day."

"It's not that, Sonia."

"Then what is it?"

"I can't really tell you," Raihan hisses. "Again, I don't really know what's going on. He's gonna visit Hammerlocke because he needs something from me, and I'll see if I can get him to tell me what's going on then, but it's kind of something big." Kind of is an understatement.

"Okay, well, if that works out let me know. I'll text you tomorrow if I hear from him. But seriously, go to bed. It's like midnight, and I'm sure you have shit to do tomorrow," Sonia says, a bit of annoyance lacing her voice. "I'm going back to bed."

"Sorry for waking you up, I'm just worried," Raihan apologizes. "I can't shake the feeling that something really is wrong with him."

Sonia shrugs. "Not much we can do about it at the moment. And don't worry, you didn't wake me, Yamper did. Little stinker decided that whenever I get a phone call and I'm asleep he has to start licking me to get me to wake up. I need to wash my face," she mutters.

Raihan chuckles. "Thank the little guy for me. I'll see you."

"See you," Sonia replies before hanging up.

Raihan sighs and flops backwards onto his bed, staring up at the high ceiling. "I don't like this one bit, Flygon."

Flygon chitters and scrabbles up onto the bed, craning their head over Raihan. He frowns. "You know you're too big for the bed."

They chirp in protest and narrow their eyes a bit, as if to say no, I'm not!

Raihan sighs again. "Whatever. Not like I can stop you. You're basically the biggest Yamper ever. C'mere," Raihan pats the space next to him, scooting over a bit to give his partner ample space. Flygon chirps gleefully and flounders a bit on the unstable surface before flopping down next to their trainer, tail tapping the blankets happily.

"World's biggest Yamper," Raihan chuckles and shakes his head, patting his Pokemon on the head. Raihan then pulls up his chat with Leon again to review it. As he stares at his phone, Flygon burrows under a stray blanket on top of the covers and curls up beneath it, dozing off in a matter of minutes.

not really

nothing like big i guess

im just tired of it all

so no

its all fine

im gonna handle it

That's so weird for him, Raihan thinks, staring at the texts, hoping that something about it will make him understand what Leon was really thinking when he sent them. What qualifies as nothing big? What does he have to handle?

Stifling a sigh, Raihan rolls over to plug his phone back in, leaving it on his bedside table. Sonia will get back to me. Hopefully she'll figure something out.

Raihan pats Flygon on the head one last time before getting a blanket of his own, laying down on his back, closing his eyes, and dozing off to sleep.

Chapter Text

August 1st, Three Hours Earlier

They turn down another winding street. A pink door. That gym trainer told me to look for a pink door. Somewhere down this way...

What if she doesn't recognize me? Or doesn't know where Hop is? They twirl the gray drawstrings of their hoodie in their fingers, resisting the urge to pull on them or pick at their nails. Arceus, I really should've memorized her phone number too. I'd kill to be able to call her and ask for her address. Or directions. There should be a payphone somewhere around here, maybe I should try calling Hop again.

Their Lampent floats over their shoulder, casting the already dimly-lit street in soft purple light. It's already fairly late, so not many people are out right now, and they're not sure the kind of people who would be out at 9 p.m. in Spikemuth are the kind of people they'd want to run into. They keep their head down and try not to attract too much attention. They've had years of practice at that- trying to disappear.

And then I actually did. Look at me go.

Two posters plastered on a nearby catch their eye. Both are promotional posters for the Gym Challenge, one featuring Leon and the other featuring Chairman Rose. Both are torn at the edges and vandalized, the word 'LIAR' scrawled across the faces of both men in bright red spray paint.

They sigh. Fair enough. Marnie did tell me that Rose pulling Spikemuth Gym's funding is a pretty big reason the town has declined. That and the factory on Route 9 polluting the bay and the ground. Generalized anger towards Macro Cosmos as a whole feels justified. More than justified, honestly.

They pass a few more closed storefronts and apartments before Lampent stops and whooshes quietly, alerting their trainer.

"Hm?" They stop and turn back to look at their Pokemon, who is bobbing slowly in the air and staring intently at them. "Lampent, what's up?"

Their small yellow eyes close and open again. Someone coughs nearby. The human turns towards the sound. A tall figure is hunched over a trash can on the side of the road, coughing and spluttering violently. Their whole body shakes.

That's not good. They hesitate, but opt to say something. "Excuse me? Are you... alright?"

The person's head snaps up, and they see blood dripping from the edge of the other person's mouth. They take a nervous step back. They're sick, they realize. Really, really sick if Lampent noticed them.

The person coughs again, wiping the blood from their face, before they suck air in through their teeth. "I'm-" They try to speak, but their voice is low and gravelly and weak, and it seems to give out on them.

"You need to go to a hospital," they tell the stranger. They have a big winter coat on and trousers that look thick and stained with something dark- dirt or oil, maybe. "You're very sick."

The stranger shakes their head, eyes weary. "No... money..." They manage to wheeze out. They look the younger person up and down. "Who..?"

"Finn," they introduce themself. "My Lampent, they noticed you- you need medical attention. Is there anyone who can help you? Can I... can I do anything for you?"

The stranger shakes their head. "No helping... little time... before..."

"You're dying," Finn breathes, rubbing their forearms with their hands.

The stranger nods.

"I'm sorry," Finn whispers, biting back tears. They're a fucking stranger, Finn, why are you so damn emotional, they hiss internally. "I- I have water, would that help?"

The stranger shrugs. Finn pulls their backpack off the pulls their half-full bottle off the side of it, offering it to the stranger. "Keep it."

The stranger smiles before coughing again, staggering over to Finn to take the bottle. They pour some of the contents into their mouth, coughing again after they swallow. "Not contagious," they reassure Finn with a wry chuckle- or, an attempt at one.

"Good to know," Finn nods. "But keep the bottle anyway, I'll find another if I really need one. I'm actually looking for someone- well, er, you probably know him. Piers? The Gym Leader? I need to see him, and one of the Gym Trainers told me that his house had a pink door and was somewhere around here. I'm- I'm pretty lost, though, any chance you know which direction to go?"

The stranger nods. They point further down the street. "Four alleys... down to the-" they cough into the crook of their elbow. They sniff deeply before grimacing and continuing. "Right."

"Thank you so much," Finn replies. "I hope... I hope you get better."

The stranger shakes their head.

"I know," Finn sighs. "I hope you get better anyway."

The stranger smiles. "You... kind."

Finn shakes their head. "Just human. Lampent, let's go," they call to their Pokemon. Lampent floats over to Finn's shoulder. They smile at the stranger one last time before walking past them. "Thank you again."

The stranger nods as Finn walks past, starting to count the alleys they pass. I probably should've thought twice before having Lampent out, they think, sighing. I wanted a light source, because neon signs and shitty street lamps aren't enough to keep me from getting mugged. Not that I have much for anyone to steal, but still. Whatever. I'm almost there, anyway.

Finn turns into the fourth alley on their right, and right at the very end of the cramped space, they see it. The bright pink door.

I'm gonna say that's it. Finn steps over trash bags left out on the street and stray cardboard boxes before stepping up to the door. They return Lampent to their Pokeball and stare at the door, clenching their fists. Well, this is it. Fuck, I'm scared. Just do it, Finn, just do it.

So they do. They reach up and rap on the door five times and shove their hand in their pocket, holding their breath. They listen for movement behind the door, and there's rustling, and footsteps, and then the door swings open, and-

Finn nearly yelps in shock. Hop?

It's him. Maybe two or three inches taller than when they last saw them, hair still cut the same, the same worn denim jacket clinging to his skinny, lanky frame, but still- it's undeniably the first human friend that Finn ever made. He stares at them for a moment and then blinks, eyebrows furrowing. Finn reaches up and pulls their hood down so he can see their face more clearly.

Recognition sparks in his eyes. "Gloria?!"

February, Two Years Earlier

Gloria staggers into the room. I know immediately that something is wrong. She's been crying.

I stand and go to her. Marnie's head snaps up. "Gloria? What-"

"Ma- Ma just called," she says, fingers curling tightly around her phone. "My- my p-parents..." She trails off, staring at the floor, tears gathering in her eyes.

"What?" I say, shaking her shoulders, hoping that I don't sound too demanding. Panic leaks into my voice against my will. "What about your parents?"

"They got custody back," she whispers, voice small and scared.

"What?" Marnie snaps, standing too. "When? How?"

"I don't know," Gloria manages before devolving into sobs and dropping her phone. It clatters onto the tile floor. I hold out my arms and she hugs me. I don't know if it's shock or how tightly she's holding me, but it's hard to breathe. Gloria's voice, muffled by my shoulder, is barely audible. "Th-they did."

I rub her back, mind racing. "O-okay, well, what does that mean? Like, what happens now?" I'm really hoping the answer isn't what I think it'll be.

"It means I have to go back," she replies, voice shaky. I wince. That's no good. That's worse than no good.

"Oh my gods, when?" Marnie comes over to us and joins the hug. "How long do you have?"

Gloria shakes her head and pulls away. Her voice wobbles. "Ma said they're flying in tomorrow. Then..."

It takes a moment for what she just said to register. "Tomorrow?!" I yelp in shock. "You have to leave tomorrow? What about the Gym Challenge?"

Gloria wipes her eyes. "I'm done. It's over."

"Can't they let you stay?" I ask hopefully. "Just until the Cup?"

Gloria shakes her head again. "They won't let me, Hop, you know that. I- I have to pack," she untangles herself from me and Marnie, heading for her backpack.

"Hey, wait," Marnie grabs her wrist and stops her. "Just... just wait, yeah? We'll help you pack later, I just... I don't know."

"I don't either," Gloria whispers. "I thought I'd never have to see them again, I never- how the hell did they convince the court after what I told them they did, why-" She stops and brings her palms to her eyes. "Why can't they just leave me alone-"

Marnie pulls her back into a hug as she starts to sob again, and I see Marnie staring up at the ceiling and blinking rapidly. I blink too, standing frozen watching my two best friends hug and cry like the world is ending. The world is ending. Gloria's, at least.

August 1st, Now

Finn winces. "Yeah."

"Oh my gods, shouldn't you be in Sinnoh?" Hop gapes at them. "What happened to your hair? When- how-"

Finn cuts him off with a hug. Hop hugs back without hesitation. Happy tears pool in Finn's eyes. I'm finally home.

"Gloria, what happened?" Hop breathes, looking down at them. Finn flinches upon hearing their deadname. He's definitely taller than me now, they notice as they pull away and have to tilt their head upwards to meet his eyes.

"A lot," they reply, sucking air in through their teeth and shoving their hands in their pockets. "What about you? Why are you in Spikemuth? I went to your house and your Mum said she hadn't heard from you in months."

He sighs. "Yeah. How about you come in? Marnie'll be over the moon when she sees you."

Finn smiles and follows him into a small foyer space, stairs to the right and a hallway leading into what looks like a kitchen on the left. Footsteps above them and Marnie's voice calls down the stairs. "Who is it, Hop?"

"Come down and see!" He shouts back up, grinning ear to ear. The footsteps grow louder. Finn notices a small shoe rack by the door and takes their boots off and places them next to it. They look back up to see a sleepy looking Morpeko come onto the landing of the stairs, who blinks before continuing down the stairs curiously. They scamper up to Finn and take one sniff at their pant leg before chittering gleefully, standing upright and hugging their leg.

Finn laughs and reaches down to pick them up. "Hey buddy! I missed you too."

Morpeko clings to Finn's shirt and chitters again. Marnie then comes onto landing of the stairs and stares at Finn for a moment before having a much calmer reaction than Hop. "Woah, Glo? Where have you been?"

Finn winces again. Morpeko stops chittering and frowns, sensing their discomfort. "Actually-"

"Gloria?" Piers calls from the kitchen before coming into the hall to see the commotion. "Shit, it 's you. Nice haircut."

Finn smiles. They're welcoming enough. I mean, I did just show up with no warning after two years. "Yeah, I've, uh- I've got a lot to explain," they say, setting Morpeko back down. Marnie comes the rest of the way down the stairs and gives Finn a quick hug before pulling them along into the kitchen and small living room. She flops into the slightly torn faded blue chair before gesturing for her friends to sit.

"If you kiddos don't need anythin', Ima step out," Piers says, hanging back by the hallway.

"Do you want anything? Water?" Hop asks, taking a seat on the couch next to Finn. They shake their head.

"I'm good, but thank you." Morpeko hops up onto the couch with them and settles into Finn's lap. They smile and scratch their head.

"Bro, you can stay if you want," Marnie says to Piers. "It's your house."

He shrugs. "Not really any o' my business. You kiddos get caught up. Holler 'f ya need somethin'."

"Will do," Marnie nods. Piers disappears into the hallway. Marnie turns her attention to Finn. "So, I'm guessin' you've got a story to tell."

They sigh and nod. "It's... it's a lot. The short version is I ran away, snuck onto a cargo ship here, and then traveled the rest of the way on foot. I was looking for you," they turn to Hop. "You weren't home and you Mum said she hadn't seen you for like, six months, so I figured I'd try to find Marnie instead. Didn't think I'd find you both in the same place, though."

"Yeah, I, uh, also ran away," Hop admits, rubbing his head. "Mum did not want me in her house, and I honestly didn't want to be there either. I've been here for almost a year."

"I... I also have something else to tell you guys," Finn inhales shakily. What if they yell like Mother and Father did, what if they call me stupid, what if-

"What's up, Glo?" Marnie prompts gently. Finn winces again.

"That's just it, actually," they start slowly, searching for the right words.  "I... my... it's Finn now. My name."

That is the most roundabout way I could've said that. Arceus, Finn.

"Oh, shit, really?" Hop asks. Finn nods. "I didn't know, I'm sorry-"

He's not mad at all, Finn lets out a sigh of relief as Hop starts to apologize before cutting him off. "No, it's okay, I just wanted to get to that before I explained anything else. I use they/them pronouns now, too."

"Cool," Marnie says. Morpeko seems to tire of Finn's lap and crawls over to Hop, who welcomes the small Pokemon with belly rubs. "Thanks for lettin' us know."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed something was up when I saw your hair," Hop glances away sheepishly. "The way you described your parents didn't make it seem like they were super chill about how you dressed n' stuff. I guess I should've said something earlier, my bad."

"They didn't take it well," Finn rolls their eyes. "Said I was lying, or stupid, or just doing it for attention." That wasn't the half of it, but they decided to omit the nastier details. "I cut my hair after I left. Asked some store clerk for a pair of scissors, went to the bathroom, just chopped my ponytail off and worked from there. He looked pretty startled when I returned his scissors," Finn chuckles, reaching up to rub their messy, haphazard hair, bits sticking up at odd angles from cowlicks that used to be strangled into perfect ponytails and flattened with hairspray. They chase unpleasant memories from their head. "Whatever. It doesn't really matter. I like my hair now. It's a little messy, but messy is fine. I'm sick of being perfect, anyway."

"I'd help you cut it more, 'f you want," Marnie offers. "I've kept Hop's weird bangs the same for nearly a year, so I feel like I'm qualified."

"What!" Hop objects with a fake gasp of outrage. "Uh, my bangs are not weird. They're very normal. You have like, half of your hairline shaved into spikes."

"An' it looks good," she retorts, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out. "Another reason I'm qualified."

Finn stifles a laugh as they watch their friends tease each other. Gods, I missed them. "I'm good, but thank you," they tell Marnie with a grateful smile. "If I change my mind, I'll let you know. And," they glance at Hop, letting amusement fill their voice. "I am afraid your bangs are a little strange. If I hadn't been starved for  normal human contact when I moved to Postwick, I probably would've avoided you."

"Oh, please," Hop rolls his eyes and scratches Morpeko behind the ears. "I would've made friends with you sooner or later. And, again, my bangs are not weird! They're cool."

"You look like Leon," Finn says matter-of-factly before sighing. "How is he, by the way?"

Hop seems to freeze, going stiff. Marnie sucks air in through her teeth. Finn blinks. Did I say something wrong? "What?"

"I, uh..." Hop speaks slowly and quietly. "I don't talk to Lee anymore."

"Really?!" Finn sits bolt upright, startled. "What happened?"

"We had a fight," Hop explains, still keeping his eyes fixed on Morpeko. "The summer after you left. I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Oh," Finn blinks, a little stunned. "Okay. Sorry, I didn't know."

He shrugs. "It's whatever."

It's definitely not whatever, but I guess I can't expect him to open up after I've been gone for two years, Finn sighs internally. They decide to switch to a topic that they know Hop will like.

"How did the rest of your Gym Challenge go? After I left?" Finn glances at Marnie. "Yours too."

"Got all eight badges, lost to Raihan in the finals," Marnie sighs. "He came at me hard. I didn' expect it. His Flygon took out half o' my team."

"I actually quit," Hop says, surprising Finn again. "I got all eight badges too, but just never checked into Wyndon Stadium. I decided that I didn't want the title."

"Why?" They ask, caught off guard once again. "You told me that you'd had your heart set on it for years."

"I just... I don't know," he shrugs helplessly. "I just realized that I didn't want everyone watching me all the time, or have to talk to people all the time, or deal with strict schedules and... just... everything. All the time. I don't want that."

How much has he changed in the last two years? Finn stares at the boy who made them realize life was more than suffering, suddenly scared. What if what I've been trying to come back to is gone? Is he the same person? Is Marnie the same person? What happened to them? How much have I missed?

"Finn?" Marnie snaps them out of their thoughts. "You alright?"

"Just... a little jarred," they admit. "So much has changed since I've been gone, I just... I don't know. I don't know what I expected."

Hop's eyes flash with hurt. "Well, you were gone for two years. And you've changed too."

"We've all grown," Marnie says firmly. "There's nothin' wrong with that."

"I wasn't saying that there was, I just- I'm surprised, that's all," Finn scrambles to defuse the situation. "I missed a lot, you're right, I just- I wanted to come back and have things be the way the used to be for us. It's- it's the best thing I've ever had," they finish quietly, feeling their throat close up.

There's an uncomfortable pause. Then, Hop gently picks Morpeko up off of his lap and sets them on the couch before standing up. "I'm... I'm gonna see if Piers needs anything."

"Hop, I-" Finn reaches for their friend, unsure of what to say. Hop doesn't stop or look back, but Finn recognizes the way his head hangs slightly- they know he's upset. They stop and don't press him further as he walks out of the room.

A cold, hard wave of unpleasant emotions hits Finn like a punch to the gut, and they crumple forward on the couch, pressing their palms against their eyes and resting their elbows on their knees. "Fuck," they hiss, voice wobbly.

"Hey, 's alright," Marnie consoles them, moving from the chair to the couch while making sure Morpeko still has ample space. However, they choose to jump off the couch instead and totter towards the hallway where Hop disappeared. "He's... he's been through a lot while you were gone."

"I bet," Finn laughs bitterly. "I don't know the half of it, but fuck am I stupid to think I could just show up after two years and-"

"Stop," Marnie cuts them off by placing a hand on their shoulder, a stern edge to her voice. "'S not your fault. He's happy you're back, he's jus' overwhelmed."

"I get that, I just don't know what to do," Finn sighs and wipes their eyes. Marnie pulls a tissue out of the tissue box on the stained wooden coffee table and offers it to them. They smile gratefully and wipe their eyes before blowing their nose. "Thanks."

"Jus' give him some time. He'll be back to his old self before you know it," Marnie reassures Finn. "Tomorrow, I bet. Piers'll talk to him. They get right along, those two."

"Glad to hear it," Finn smiles, feeling slightly better. "Sorry for... this," they wave their hands around vaguely before pulling them close to their chest and rubbing their left palm with their right thumb. "Showing up unannounced and all. I haven't had a phone in two years. I tried calling Hop from payphones n' stuff because I managed to memorize his number, but he never picked up- I forgot your number too."

"'S alright, really," Marnie shrugs. "I get it. Hop showed up with no notice, too. Piers is gonna have to get a second bunk bed."

Finn blinks. "You think he'll let me stay?"

"Not like you've got anywhere else to go," Marnie points out. "Besides, Piers is a big softie once you get t'know him. He already likes you from stories Hop and I have told, so I'm sure he'll be happy t' properly meet you."

"Are you sure?"

"Finn. Do you have anywhere else to be?" Marnie asks seriously, looking into Finn's eyes.

They shake their head.

"Then you're staying," she states, folding her arms. "I'll talk to Piers later, but I'm like, one-thousand-percent sure he won't have a problem with it," she scoffs. "If he does, he'll have me to deal with, and probably Hop too. You can crash on the couch for tonight, an' we'll get somethin' more permanent when we get the chance."

"Thank you," Finn whispers, relief threatening to overwhelm them. After eight months of non-stop traveling and sleeping in alleys, Pokecenters, and homeless shelters, the thought of having a safe, stable home is enough to bring tears to their eyes once again. Marnie notices their trembling and offers a hand to them, which they take. They intertwine fingers, and Finn rests their head on Marnie's shoulder, relaxing fully for what might be the first time in years knowing that everything might turn out all right.

"Thank you," they whisper again. "Thank you so much."

Marnie smiles and hands them another tissue, and they both chuckle a little bit. Finn takes it, wiping their eyes before resting their free hand in their lap, relieved beyond words.

If anywhere is home, this is it.

Chapter Text

August 1st, Two Hours Later

Hop sits alone on the floor in the bedroom he shares with Marnie, staring at the papers and music sheets scattered about the floor around him. A well-loved acoustic guitar sits to his left, and he plucks one of the strings every so often while thinking- a habit he picked up from Piers. He frowns over the paper covered in scribbles resting on knee, pen hovering just over the paper.

"Havin' trouble again?"

Hop yelps in surprise and drops his pen, having been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Piers come up the stairs. He picks up his pen, turns around to see Piers in long dark pink pajama bottoms and a white tank top, and sighs. "Yeah."

"Mate, you're thinkin' about 't too much. Jus' do 't," Piers walks the rest of the way into the room, takes a seat on the rug near Hop, and slides the guitar towards him more. "Show me what you've got."

Hop reaches out, hand hovering over the neck of the guitar. He pauses before pulling the guitar into his lap and pulling a guitar pick out of his pocket. He hesitates again, glancing at Piers nervously. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Do 't."

Hop sighs before strumming the strings gently. The sound that comes out is wrong- disjointed and not at all like he pictured it. He sees Piers wince. Hop groans before adjusting the tuning key for the second string, testing the sound that it makes until he thinks it's about right. He tries again.

Twiiiiiingg

Hop winces too this time. Too high, too high, what- He loosens both the first and second string before trying a third time.

Twooooong

Hop nearly groans aloud. "I can't do it," he looks at Piers helplessly. "It's too high, then too low, and then it still sounds wrong, and I can't-"

"Stop that," Piers cuts Hop off. "The guitar ain't the problem, 's 't?"

Hop doesn't meet Piers' eyes. He sighs and scoots a little closer to Hop and gently takes the guitar from him and sets it on the floor.

"Finn's a nice kid," Piers says, clearly trying to coax some sort of explanation out of Hop.

"Yeah," he responds lamely.

Piers sighs, giving up on being indirect and instead opting for bluntness. "So why are ya so upset that they're here?"

Hop's head snaps up. "I'm not upset that they're back."

"Really?" Piers raises an eyebrow. "Then why've ya been up here for two hours 'stead o' down there with 'em?"

Hop stares at the floor guiltily and remains silent. He doesn't know. He should be thrilled to have his best friend back after two years, but instead he feels... resentful? Bitter? Whatever the strange tightness in his throat is, it's leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"They're waitin' for you," Piers continues. "So what's the hol' up?"

"I don't know," Hop says quietly. "I'm upset, but I don't know why. I'm happy Finn's back, I'm just..." He trails off, unable to find the words.

"Can I take a guess?" Piers asks. Hop nods. "I think you're upset 'cause they left, not 'cause they're back. Ya never worked through those feelings, an' now they've got nowhere to go."

"Maybe," Hop replies. That would make sense for how many times he's been left over the years- but maybe Finn is different. Finn was always different.

September 24th, Three Years Ago

Gloria steps into the living room, reaching for her backpack and hat on the couch. "You ready?"

I grin, standing and slinging my own bag over one of my shoulders. "'Course!"

Wooloo bleats excitedly, hopping off the couch and circling Gloria. She laughs and reaches down to pat their head gently. She looks back up at me as I start heading for the door. "We should have plenty of time to get to Wedgehurst before his train-"

I yelp as my foot catches the edge of the small carpet around the coffee table. I feel myself tip forwards and flail my arms, searching for something to stop my fall. My left arm finds the couch at an odd angle, my shoulder twisting painfully, and my right arm finds one of the mugs on the coffee table, flinging it forwards onto the hardwood floor. It shatters.

"What was that?!" I hear Mum's shout, harsh and demanding, echo around the house. I flinch. Gloria darts towards me, helps me sit up, and goes to collect the pieces of porcelain scattered in the puddle of cold tea on the floor. Stomps grow closer and closer, and Mum spins around the corner to see the broken mug and me sitting on the floor. Her face twists in anger. "What did you do?!"

"It was me, I'm sorry," Gloria says hurriedly, before I can even get a word in, looking up at Mum as she fishes for the remnants of the mug with her hands. "I was putting my backpack on and wasn't paying attention- I hit the mug and he tripped- OW!"

Gloria yanks her hand backwards, gasping in pain. A shard of porcelain sticks out of her palm, blood dripping down to her wrist.

"Oh goodness, are you okay?" Mum's anger vanishes and she hurries over to Gloria. She gasps when she sees her wound. "I'll fix you right up- just stay here. I'll be right back, dear."

Gloria nods and winces, raising her hand above her head, palm up. Once Mum is out of the room, I scoot over to her. "What are you doing?" I hiss. "Are you okay?"

"Shut up," Gloria whispers, eyes fixed on the floor as the lumps the porcelain shards into a pile.

"What?!"

"I said, shut up," she hisses, shooting me a nervous glance. "Do you want her to be pissed?"

Mum comes back into the room, bandages and gauze in hand. She shoos me away from Gloria and kneels next to her, holding out a hand. "Here, give me your hand."

I watch as Mum pulls the shard out of Gloria's palm and wraps it, processing what just happened. She pats it gently when she's done. "There. Don't worry about the floor, I'll handle it after you go."

"Thank you," Gloria smiles, flexing her fingers gingerly. "I appreciate it."

"Of course, dear. Anything for such a kind young lady. You two better get going, hm?"

And we're out the door and walking down Route One before I know it. We walk in silence, Wooloo trailing behind us.

"You didn't have to do that," I say quietly.

Gloria shrugs. "Not a big deal. I'd rather get hurt than see you take the blame for an accident."

Now

"I don't know. Finn- Finn was the first person to ever really stand up for me and then- they were just gone, and everything went so wrong so fast." Hop plucks at a guitar string. "And now I can stand up for myself, and I don't know how to fit them back into my life. They're so... different, I guess. And not because they changed their name and hair and pronouns," Hop adds as Piers frowns. "They're like... all defensive."

"You need to give 'em time to come out o' their shell again," Piers pats Hop on the back. "I think they're jus' scared."

"Probably," Hop sighs. "You're probably right. I'm just not used to them being so... guarded, I guess. It's strange."

"From what I heard, you weren't exactly an open book yourself," Piers points out, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, I know," Hop groans. "Everything that happened is just so complicated. I wouldn't even know where to start, and I don't really want to talk about what happened with Lee anyway."

"You don't think 's complicated for Finn too?" Piers gives Hop a pointed stare.

"No, no, I just-" Hop waves his hands and tries to defend himself, but Piers cuts him off.

"You're thinkin' about 't too much, mate. Same with that," Piers points at the guitar. "Get outta your head and jus' do it. Or you're gonna lose 'em again."

Hop doesn't respond to that, shame burning on his cheeks. He wants to talk to Finn, he really does, he just doesn't know how to go about it. His friendship with Finn hasn't ever been this tense before, and he doesn't want to make it worse, and he doesn't want to pry if they don't want to talk about what happened to them.

But Piers is right. The longer he waits, the worse everything will get, he knows that. He wants Finn to feel safe- he knows that's not something they got back in Sinnoh. So he swallows a retort and sighs. "Okay."

"Good," Piers pats Hop on the back again. "Now, pick that guitar back up an' show me what you've got."

Hop does. And as he spends an hour or two with Piers, just talking and playing guitar and entertaining Morpeko whenever they wander upstairs, he finds that the tightness in his throat eases. And, he finally manages to tune his guitar right before he goes to bed.

August 2nd, After Dinner

Hop walks back downstairs to see Piers hunched over the kitchen table, old laptop computer open and papers strewn around him. His nose is wrinkled and his top lip twitches upwards. 

"What's wrong?" Hop asks, going to him and catching a glimpse of his computer screen before Piers slams it shut. Bank accounts?

"'S nothin' for you to be worryin' about," Piers mutters, but Hop can still see the worry on his face.

His heart sinks. "It's money, isn't it?"

"I said," Piers hisses, giving Hop a pointed stare. "'S nothin' for you to be worryin' about. Go somewhere else."

"I can get a job," Hop offers. "Or help with, I don't know, whatever you-"

"I'm not havin' you get a job," Piers says firmly. "You're sixteen."

"Almost seventeen!"

"The kind o' work that's available 'round here isn't really the kind o' work you wanna get into, Hop," Piers sighs, rubbing his temples and looking weary. "Besides, I- I can handle it, it's jus' gonna be a pain in the ass."

"Then let me get a job," Hop offers again, a little desperate. "Or let Marnie get a job, at least let me do something for-"

"No," Piers cuts him off again. "That's final. You're here 'cause I want you here, Hop, not 'cause you're a burden. You do not have to do anythin' to repay me. Money ain't something I want you worryin' about. I'm gonna handle it. Promise."

"What if whatever you're planning doesn't work?"

"It fuckin' better, after all that I'm gonna do to make it work," Piers growls. "Go on, get outta here. Finn's out on the fire escape if you wanna talk to 'em."

"But-"

"Go," Piers says in a tone that leaves little room for argument. Hop sighs in defeat and walks towards the front door, slipping sneakers on before stepping outside and looking up.

Finn is already staring back down at him, squinting in the darkness. "Who is it?"

"Just me," Hop calls back. "Can I come up?"

"...Yeah."

Hop grabs the bottom rung of the hanging fire escape ladder and hauls himself upward, then heads up two flights of stairs to find Finn bundled up in their hoodie with their Lampent hovering a little above the railing. They don't look at him, fixated on twirling their drawstrings. "Hi."

"Hi," Hop replies, sitting down on the metal platform next to them. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just... I don't know, tired, I guess," they sigh, glancing up at Lampent. "Just kind of hanging out with Lampent."

"How'd you meet them?" Hop asks, genuinely curious. "Lampent aren't native to Sinnoh, are they?"

Finn shakes their head and smiles. "No, they're not. Er... well, you know how Lampent look for people who are close to death?"

Hop blinks, a little apprehensive. "Yeah?"

"The cargo ship that I managed to sneak onto sailed to the Crown Tundra, not Hulbury like I had hoped," they explain, running their drawstrings through their fingers. "I wasn't dressed for the cold, and I got lost in a cave, and... well, I didn't think I was gonna make it."

Hop inhales sharply. "They saved your life?"

Finn nods, smiling up at Lampent before gesturing for them to come closer. They whirr softly before floating down and landing right in Finn's hands. "Mhm. Led some locals to me, and they took back to Freezington. Managed to scrape up enough money for a Taxi to Postwick by doing odd jobs for the locals."

"Wow," Hop breathes, reaching out tentatively towards Lampent. "Hi there."

They blink at him slowly with small, yellow eyes before trilling softly before gently tapping one of Hop's finger with a thin metal arm. Hop smiles and glances at Finn, whose eyes are still fixed on Lampent, their brow furrowed slightly.

"I'm sorry," Hop blurts without thinking, the stress of the past few days finally bubbling over. He tries to say something else, but his throat goes dry. Hop resists the urge to jump off of the fire escape.

Finn sighs and hangs their head. "I'm sorry too."

"No, you- you didn't do anything wrong, I just-" Hop buries his face in his hands and groans. "Everything has just been so weird, and different, and I don't want it to be."

"I know," Finn agrees quietly, voice taut and carefully controlled. "We're both different. I feel like you- you aren't telling me things. Which is weird. Not that you have to, we were just so close and-"

"I get it. I have that feeling, too," he looks at Finn earnestly. "You're so... guarded."

They grimace. "My parents. It got worse. That's all."

"Can I... ask?"

Finn shrugs. "It was mostly just me trying to come out. They... they did a lot of different things. Bad things. Got me what they called 'therapy'. Turns out it was the bad kind. They also tried to get me diagnosed with whatever mental illness they could use it against me in court- make my testimony unreliable or whatever. I don't know. I never heard back about anything, so I guess it wasn't anything that they could use. Either way, my 'therapist'", Finn does air quotes and snorts, "was awful- maybe worse than Mother and Father. Kept going on about how I needed to 'rediscover my womanhood'." They roll their eyes before folding their arms and shuddering. "He was creepy, too. Kept getting too close for comfort. He always offered me things to eat or drink, and I always said no out of spite, but..." Finn trails off, shutting down slowly. Hop's stomach drops.

"But what?" He asks quietly, scared of the answer.

Finn holds their breath for a moment before hunching forward more and hugging their chest. "There was one time... Mother and Father were starving me, and I was just so hungry and tired and... and..." Finn's voice gets lower and softer as they speak, fear seeping into their tone. "I don't remember what happened after. I just remember waking up behind the building. I..." Finn is trembling now, and Hop reaches out slowly to place a hand on their shoulder. "I think he drugged me. I think he... he..."

"Finn, you don't have to talk about it," Hop says gently, but Finn shakes their head and wipes their eyes.

"I need to tell someone," they whisper. "Someone who'll believe me."

"Finn, it's okay-"

"No. Listen. I just-" Finn takes a deep, shuddering, breath."I need to say it. Okay?"

Hop nods slowly. Finn looks down at Lampent and pats their metal top, resting their hand there. Lampent warbles quietly, sounding worried.

"I woke up behind the dumpster in the alley," Finn whispers, eyes wide and watering. "There was a blanket over me, and bruises that weren't there before. Everything hurt, I don't know what the hell he did to me, but gods, I just- I felt so shitty. I had to sneak home in the blanket, I don't know where my clothes went, and Father caught me trying to crawl in through a window. He didn't believe me. He said whatever happened to me was my fault, and that I was a whore. Mother told me she heard the yelling later and told me the same thing Father did." Finn's words spill out of their mouth almost faster than Hop can comprehend them. "It was my fault. Whatever it was. I didn't say no, I didn't fight, I was asking for it, that the therapist knew what was best for me. They didn't care as long as I went back to being their perfect daughter. I don't think it happened more than once, I never took anything from him after that and I ran away two months later. I just..." Finn sighs deeply, finally trailing off into silence. Tears are rolling down their cheeks, and they clench their fists beside Lampent, who looks up that them anxiously.

"Oh my gods, Finn, I..." Hop can hardly breathe, trembling in shock. I can't even imagine what they've been through."I'm so sorry, Finn. That's... that's terrible. Worse than terrible, I don't... how could your parents even say that? How is that guy even a therapist? There's just so... so many things wrong with that, gods."

"I know," Finn sniffles. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to have to know about that, I just... I wanted to tell you because I need someone to believe me."

"I do." Hop nods seriously. "I absolutely believe you, Finn, I swear. Your parents are assholes and that therapist should have an extremely violent encounter with a pissed-off Gyarados. What happened wasn't your fault, okay?"

"I know, I just-" Finn's voice breaks, and they have to wipe their eyes and take a deep breath before they continue. "I'm just glad I don't remember it. I had nightmares a lot after it happened, but I don't know anything for sure. I didn't get pregnant, either. Gods, Mother and Father would've killed me."

"Finn, it never should've happened in the first place," Hop whispers, feeling his own eyes start to water, voice rising in anger. "You don't have to find silver linings when everything sucks. You shouldn't have to be grateful when what happened to you was so terrible. I mean, I know it could've been worse, but it's so bad already, what he did, and-"

Finn cuts Hop off and curls up into a ball, full on sobbing now. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

Hop recoils, surprised by their reaction. Did I say something wrong? "Finn, I'm not mad at you," he whispers, gently tapping one of their hands. "I wouldn't ever be mad at anyone for that, I just- you don't have to try and downplay the bad things for me," he sighs. "I want to know what happened. I want to know so I can try to help."

"There's just-" Finn's voice is low and raspy, and they take a deep breath. "There's so much. The last two years have been hell, Hop, honest to Arceus."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Hop scoots a little closer to his old friend, hesitant to touch them but wanting to offer them comfort. They had always loved hugs, but he wasn't going to try and give them one without their permission knowing what he knew now. "You're safe now. It's okay. Nobody is gonna hurt you while me and Mar are here, okay?"

Finn nods, sniffles, and leans over to rest their body against Hop. He notices that there's a startling amount of space between the fabric of their hoodie and their body. Hop's heart aches and he nearly swears aloud. Gods. Fuck. Finn is so sad and hurt and- and skinny, what the fuck did their parents do to them? It's not fair, they've never done anything to deserve it. They're- they're just a kid. They're just like me. Except their reality has been the shit nobody talks about. Gods.

They sit together in silence for a but after that. Despite knowing the pain that Finn has been through, Hop feels slightly reassured. He can tell that a weight has been lifted off of them just from the way their eyes glow slightly when they look up at the night sky. He hopes that they feel better too.

Lampent's soft purple glow illuminates both of their faces as they cradle each other's weary hearts.

Chapter Text

August 7th

Raihan groans upon hearing his alarm, blindly slaps his bedside table until he manages to hit the snooze button on his phone, and rolls over and goes back to sleep. He gets about ten more minutes until a very hungry Flygon headbutts his door, jolting him awake again.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbles into his sheets, sitting up slowly and scooting to the edge of his bed. He grabs his phone as he stands and yawns as he opens the door to his room. Flygon chitters demandingly, and he rolls his eyes.

"Get a move on. I'll be right there," he tells them, to which they plod off down the castle hall. Raihan ducks back inside his room to grab a hoodie and take a swig of his water bottle before setting out for the training room.

Living in the castle certainly had its perks. For one, Raihan's commute to work was no longer than five minutes, and as a little bit of a history nerd, he thought it was pretty damn cool to live in a castle that had been standing for hundreds of years. Sure, repairs had been made, but the more historical parts of the castle remained intact due to their careful preservation. Raihan couldn't imagine living anywhere else- he had lived here his whole life, after all. His mothers had both worked in the castle, Ma as the former Gym Leader and the Mum as a historian and archivist. Mum passed away when he was little, and Ma fully retired once Raihan could run the gym on his own, which was around the time he turned seventeen. She lives with her sister in Unova now, doing work for the Pokemon League over there every so often. She doesn't visit all that frequently, but she calls enough to keep tabs on her son and make sure all was well with 'her Gym', as she jokingly calls it.

Speaking of the Gym, the budgeting meeting is today, Raihan nearly groans aloud. He checks his calendar to verify the time. Four. Whatever. That's not too bad. I have time to relax some before I have to deal with Rose.

Raihan continues down the halls, making a mental list of what he needed to do before the meeting. Feed the Pokemon, check in on the Gym Trainers, make sure the meeting room is clean, probably the press conference room too, thank the custodians, make sure Leon's 'gift' is ready...

He'd figured that handing Leon a piece of paper without a proper explanation would look fairly suspicious, so he'd gotten a box of pastries from the nearby Battle Cafe and hidden the note with his lawyer's email address in there before wrapping it. He figured that would make for a decent cover up and was small enough for Leon to shove in a bag and keep hidden until he could open it privately. Hopefully Leon would be able to handle the rest himself.

Stepping into the large space that served as an indoor training room for his Pokemon,  Raihan checks his phone for any notifications. Deciding that none of them are worth immediate attention, he greets his team and fills their bowls with Pokefood and berries before Flygon tackles him out of impatience. Sitting down on one of the benches when he's done, he pulls his phone back out and scrolls for a bit while his Pokemon eat. Then he gets a new notification.

Nessa

you ready to deal with the pompous bastard today

Raihan snorts in amusement. The Hulbury Gym Leader was a friend of Raihan's as opposed to an acquaintance like many of the other Gym Leaders, and had been since the Gym Challenge they had shared with Leon and Sonia. They bonded throughout the years over battling, fashion, and hating their boss. He types out a weary reply.

please dont remind me

im trying to ignore it 4 as long as possible

same

is everyone coming this year?

Raihan squints at his phone as he tries to recall who responded to the invite. Uh...

i think melony is the only one coming 4 circhester and then piers didnt respond to the rsvp like normal

so basically yeah

im already on the train and bored as hell

i swear to lugia if he tries to cut my funding again this year i will have drednaw bite his legs off

u wouldnt have to deal with him if u were in stuck in jail

which honestly sounds better than going to this meeting

dont tempt meeeeeeee

ughhhhhhhh

Raihan chuckles. As much as he wants to have a conversation with his friend, he has lots of things to get in order before the Gym Leaders start arriving.

ive got some housekeeping to do here but dont die on the train

see u when u get here

fine fine ill go bother sonia instead

say hi to her for me

will do

August 7th, 3:28 PM

Raihan stands in the entrance hall of Hammerlocke Stadium, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other Gym Leaders and the League representatives. He stares at the ceiling, checks his phone, glances at the red carpet and his shoes, and checks his phone again. I'm surprised at least someone isn't here by now. Standard procedure is to show up at three-thirty, but the League reps never come until four, so I guess folks want to save themselves some time. I don't get why most of them even have to be here anyway, Oleana always does the talking. If we could get rid of Rose and the army of Macro Cosmos and League staff he brings with him, I bet these meetings would be a lot faster. Wishful thinking, I guess.

A shorter figure walks confidently into the entrance hall. Bright violet eyes watch Raihan cautiously. "Good afternoon," Bede greets Raihan curtly.

Raihan dips his head to the Ballonlea Gym Leader. "Good afternoon, Bede. Will Ms. Opal be joining us?" Although Bede was technically the Gym Leader, Raihan knew Opal still owned the fairy-type Gym and handled matters that weren't related to battling in addition to spectating battles and advising her mentee. Bede had come a long way in the past few years with the help of her guidance, and Raihan always suspected he was more fond of his mentor than he let on.

"Ms. Opal sent me in her stead," Bede snaps coldly. "I am perfectly capable of attending official League meetings on my own. She sends her regards."

Raihan bites his tongue to keep himself from retorting. I don't think he's gotten any mellower, even with Opal's guidance, though. "That was kind of her. I'll reach out to her later. Do you know the way to the meeting room?"

"Yes, thank you," Bede replies before brushing past Raihan. He sighs and rubs his eyes. I have a feeling this meeting is going to go poorly. 

A few minutes later, two friendlier faces appear. Milo and Kabu seem to be mid-conversation when they enter the entrance hall, and Raihan raises a hand in greeting to them both.

"Afternoon, Raihan!" Milo grins and rests his hands on his hips. Although much shorter than Raihan, Milo's stature would make him as (if not more) intimidating as the Hammerlocke Gym Leader- if it weren't for his gentle freckled face and cheery demeanor. Kabu, however, is more serious while remaining courteous, which Raihan appreciates after his tense encounter with Bede. He shakes Raihan's hands and dips his head in greeting, remaining silent. Both men don't stick around to chat with Raihan, and disappear further into the castle.

Melony arrives next. She greets Raihan with a small wave which he returns before asking how his mother is doing, which is a kind gesture. Melony and his mother were good friends while his mother was still Hammerlocke Gym Leader. Raihan in turns asks about Gordie, and Melony responds with a small laugh.

"Oh, you know how he is," she rolls her eyes lightheartedly and smiles. "Too focused on training to come to meetings. He finds the financial side of things to be quite boring, so I let him out of it this year. It's my Gym year anyway, so none of this really affects him. I'll make him come next year, though," she chuckles. "I'll see you in there."

The Stow-On-Side Gym Leaders arrive next, Allister staying close to Bea as they enter the castle. Neither of them are the talkative type, so Raihan only sees them both of them briefly before they head for the meeting room.

Nessa arrives around three-forty, out of breath and looking frazzled. "Sorry," she says, gulping in air. "Got caught up in a crowd. Having to wear our uniforms to these meetings doesn't make it easy to stay conspicuous."

Raihan sighs sympathetically. "I get it, don't worry. The rest of the Gym Leaders are here already, but nobody from the League or Macro Cosmos has shown yet."

Nessa snorts as she and Raihan turn to head for the meeting room. "Typical."

"They say it's because they're 'busy', but I'm pretty sure I saw Rose eating in one of those fancy upscale restaurants on an outing after one of these meetings once," Raihan rolls his eyes. "I guess he just likes to waste our time."

"No kidding," Nessa mutters. "Who got here first? Opal?"

"Bede, actually," Raihan says, chuckling as surprise lights Nessa's face. "I know, I know. He said Opal sent him. He seems to be in a chilly mood today though, so don't poke the Bewear."

"I can't imagine he's excited to attend a meeting with the guy who disowned him," Nessa points out. Raihan shrugs in agreement.

"Fair enough. I'm just hoping this is over quickly so I can take Flygon out," Raihan says, glancing at the doors to the meeting room as they come into sight."I've been flying them every day but they're still restless."

"My team has been a bit hyperactive recently too," Nessa frowns. "That's strange."

"Probably just post-Champion Cup energy that hasn't fizzled out yet," Raihan sighs. "It's probably a good thing for you, you've only got two months until you get challengers."

"I guess. It's just a little off-putting, though. Whatever," she shakes her head and places a hand on the door handle. "Shall we?"

"You first," Raihan nods, and Nessa pushes the door open. Raihan follows her into the meeting room, where the Gym Leaders are already sat at their respective seats at the long, plain table. Raihan takes his seat two seats down from the head of the table with Melony being his closest neighbor, the empty seat between them being reserved for Piers. Raihan had debated removing his chair altogether, but left it in case Piers did ever show up. Besides, he sort of liked the symbolic meaning that it had.

This Meeting, Three Years Before

"My city is crumblin' t' pieces," Piers hisses, voice filled with loathing. "My people are starvin' on the streets they've lived on their whole lives, and you're cutting my fundin' again just 'cause there isn't a Power Spot in Spikemuth?!"

"Unfortunately, without the ability to Dynamax Pokemon, Spikemuth cannot accommodate the kind of battles the League wishes to promote," Oleana says, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice. "That combined your denial to build a proper stadium-"

"I am not demolishin' twelve blocks of apartments to build a massive steel eyesore," Piers snaps, but Oleana continues over him.

"-Has resulted in this decision. Spikemuth Gym's funding will continue to be docked fifty percent every year you do not comply with the League's standards."

There's a moment of stunned silence. I blink. Fifty percent?! Did I hear that right?

"Are you fuckin' serious?!" Piers explodes, standing and slamming his hands on the table. "Do you have any idea how much my city relies on that fundin'?! It goes t' homeless shelters, soup kitchens, the Arceus-damned Pokemon Centers, and you're cuttin' it by fifty fuckin' percent?!"

"That is the final decision, yes," Oleana replies coolly. "Unless you'd like to build a stadium and allow Macro Cosmos to install an artificial Power Spot."

"You can't be serious," Piers says, tone shifting from anger to dismay. He stares at Rose. "You're jokin'." When Rose doesn't respond, he explodes again. "The Gym is all we have in Spikemuth! We don't have anythin' else- we can't farm, we don't have mines, and we can't fish because your factory is pollutin' our bay! You're killin' us!"

"That is more than enough, young man," Rose finally loses his patience and stands, staring Piers down. "The League has tolerated your insolence for long enough. These are the consequences."

"This is bullshit, all o' it," Piers seethes, backing away from the table. "I'm not gonna grovel at your feet for some fuckin' fundin'. You're a real asshole, I hope you know that. You're killin' my people for no good reason, and when you get what's comin' to you, I will laugh in your face and piss on your grave," he walks for the door and flips Rose off before he flings the door open and storms out. "Pompous bastard!"

Nobody speaks for at least thirty seconds. The uncomfortable silence stretches onwards as it feels like everyone in the room tries to not breathe. I glance at Rose, and while he looks calm, the darkness in his eyes and his clenched fists tell me that he's furious. Finally, Oleana smooths her hair back and regains her composure. 

"Well. Any other questions?"

Now

Raihan had wanted to flip Rose off and call him a prick more times than he could count, but 'pompous bastard' had to be the best insult for Rose that he'd heard. He'd never say it aloud because his funding would absolutely get cut too, but he respected Piers for what he did that day. He had even offered to give him a portion of his own funding, to which Piers said that he didn't want any of Rose's money, and that Raihan needed every dollar anyway. He was right. Maintaining Hammerlocke Castle wasn't cheap- the museum within it was Hammerlocke's main attraction outside of the Gym. Many civilians lived there, and many more used its many courtyards as social spaces. Of course, some areas were off limits to civilians, such as the Macro Cosmos Power Plant and the endless winding tunnels beneath the castle. Raihan was too tall to fit in many of them, so he had never fully explored them all.

The Gym Leaders (minus Bede) chat politely, catching up with one another. This was one of the rare occasions where they were all together and had nothing better to do than just talk. Melony is thrilled to announce that one of her daughters had given birth to a healthy baby and she had become a grandmother, and Milo proudly proclaims that Turffield is ready for harvest season. Nessa talks about how grateful she was that there were no major storms over the summer and that the weather seemed to get tamer and tamer every year. Kabu is in the middle of telling a story about one of his brothers in Hoenn when the League representatives and Macro Cosmos officials finally arrive.

The room falls silent as Rose, Oleana, Leon, and six other League and Macro Cosmos staff file in. Rose takes his seat at the head of the table, and Leon takes his seat next to Raihan. "Hi," he whispers, giving Raihan a little smile.

He seems... okay? Raihan returns the smile as he studies Leon's face for any signs of distress. He seems a little tense, but that's about it. He's holding it together pretty good, then.

Once everyone is settled, Oleana speaks. "Good afternoon. Thank you for coming. The League appreciates your continued support and cooperation," she drones, not sounding genuine in the slightest. It still amazes me how she manages to sound so bored all the time, Raihan thinks as she continues to talk, presenting some data about profits and ticket sales from last year. He stifles a yawn. It certainly doesn't make listening to her any easier, though.

"Before we begin," Oleana continues, "I'd like to address the..." her eyes flit to Bede, who already looks like he's ready to leap across the table and strangle her. "Deviations from required attendance."

"I am the Ballonlea Gym Leader," Bede bristles. "If you have a problem with my presence, Ms. Frost, you can take it up with Ms. Opal. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear that you don't approve of her pupil."

Raihan thinks that he might've imagined it, but he could've sworn that he saw one of Oleana's eyes twitch. She inhales sharply before turning to glare at Melony, who meets her gaze evenly.

"Gordie is helping his sister with her new child," she states clearly. "It was a last minute decision, so I apologize for not being able to communicate it before the meeting."

Good excuse, Raihan gives her a tiny smile. She winks back.

"And I'm assuming that we've received no word from Mr. Morrison," Oleana glances at Raihan. He shakes his head. She releases a tiny, restrained sigh. "Very well. I suppose we should begin." She withdraws a piece of paper from a folder that she brought in and begins reading from it. "The Gyms that will experience changes to their funding this year are as follows: Hulbury, Motostoke, Ballonlea, Circhester..."

Not Hammerlocke, not Hammerlocke, not Hammerlocke-

"...Spikemuth, and Hammerlocke." Oleana finishes.

Fuck, Raihan hisses internally, clenching his jaw. Well, she hasn't said if they're cutting it or increasing it yet, but I don't remember the last time they increased my funding. Getting it cut isn't ideal- we'd be fine, but it'd still be a headache. And it depends on by how much, too.

"Upon careful consideration, the League has decided to provide a ten percent increase for Motostoke and Circhester," Oleana glances at Kabu and Melony. "Hulbury and Ballonlea will have their funding reduced by five percent, Spikemuth by fifty, and Hammerlocke by twenty-five."

Twenty-five percent?! Raihan nearly chokes and sits bolt upright out of shock. Oleana gives him a pointed glare.

Rose finally speaks."Is there an issue, Mr. Kairimi?"

Raihan recognizes the warning in his question. He swallows and blinks, gathering his courage. "I- I think I'd like to know why my funding is being cut by twenty-five percent," he says, trying to keep the anger growing in his chest out of his voice. Five or ten I could've dealt with, but twenty-five is definitely a problem. 

"No challengers reached Hammerlocke Gym last year," Oleana says flatly. "There were no matches to produce profit, and the League has decided that Hammerlocke's funding will reflect that."

"I can't control whether challengers reach my Gym or not," Raihan retorts. He understands Bede's urge to jump across the table and strangle Oleana now. "And my Gym is the largest, I used at least eighty percent of my funding last year just for maintenance." I actually pay my custodians above minimum wage, unlike you pricks.

"Perhaps you should discuss the difficulty of your colleagues' Gyms with them, then," Oleana replies.

"The Gym Challenge is meant to be difficult," Kabu cuts in, folding his arms. "If we adjust the difficulty of our Gyms to be easier, it is a disservice to both us and the challengers."

"I agree," Nessa says with a nod of her head. "The difficulty of the Gyms in Galar is part of what makes the Gym Challenge here so special. The challengers who make it to the Champion Cup have undeniably earned it, and if we make our Gyms easier, we take that away from them."

There are murmurs of agreement and small nods around the table, even from Bede. Oleana opens her mouth to speak, but Rose ends up talking instead. "We understand your concerns, Mr. Vang and Ms. Wells, but the League simply cannot justify providing continued funding to a Gym that fails to produce profit. If you have further concerns, Mr. Kairimi," Rose turns to Raihan, "perhaps we can resolve them privately."

You just crossed a line, buddy, Raihan's rage flares. "If you're referring to your request to allow Macro Cosmos employees to access the tunnels beneath the castle for Arceus knows what, my answer is still absolutely not," he growls, clenching his fists.

"The tunnels would be used for transportation and storage," Rose replies. "But yes, that may-"

"Those tunnels are a safety hazard," Raihan cuts Rose off, voice rising in anger. "They are unstable and their use would endanger the people working in them."

"The risks of the tunnels are-"

Suddenly, the door to the room swings open, interrupting Rose. In the doorway stands Piers, wearing an oversized black hoodie and pink sweats. The dark circles under his eyes seem more pronounced than usual.

"Oh, for Arceus' sake," Raihan hears Bede mutter under his breath. Piers walks to the end of the table closest to the door and stands, staring down Rose and Oleana.

Raihan sees Leon stiffen in his seat. This is not good.

"Mr. Morrison," Rose says, sounding a little too polite. "How kind of you to join us."

"Stuff it," Piers snaps, shoving his hands in his pockets. "'M not here to entertain you. You know why 'm here."

Rose scoffs incredulously, and Piers' expression somehow twists to hold more loathing. "You need to reinstate my funding," he growls. "I've got trainers t' pay and three mouths t' feed. Do you wanna know the rate o' homelessness in Spikemuth?"

"Please, do enlighten us," Oleana retorts.

"Thirty-six percent," he snarls. "A third of my people are starvin' on the streets jus' 'cause I won't let you build a fuckin' stadium. You've already hurt us enough, an' I'm done lettin' you push us around. Reinstate Spikemuth's fundin'. Now."

"Or?" Rose challenges, tilting his head to one side.

"Or we storm Wyndon's streets," Piers snaps right back. "'F you think 'm a pain, wait until you get a load o' the rest o' us."

"Are you threatening violence, Mr. Morrison?" Rose sounds completely unfazed, tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"I will do whatever it takes to feed my people," Piers hisses before sweeping his gaze over everyone else in the room. "That man has more than enough money to feed ev'ry hungry person in this region. He's makin' the decision to let my city starve 'cause he's got a problem with me. What's stoppin' him from doin' the same thing to the rest of you?"

To everyone's surprise, Bede speaks. "He's got a point."

"Quiet," Oleana hisses, glaring at him.

"You don't control me anymore," Bede spits, pushing his chair back and standing. "I don't give two shits what you think!"

"Woah, woah, easy," Leon stands as well, trying to defuse the situation. He holds his palms out towards Bede. "We don't have to get defensive. I'm sure there's a compromise that we can all agree on," he says, glancing at Rose nervously.

He's scared, Raihan realizes, seeing how Leon's hands are trembling ever so slightly. This isn't good for him. He's trying to keep things from going south. "Maybe we could-"

"No," Piers cuts Raihan off, voice dropping dangerously low. "He reinstates my fundin' or we riot in Wyndon. Your choice," Piers stares at Rose.

Rose stares back, darkness flickering in his eyes. His calm expression falters for a moment, and he takes a deep breath before speaking again. "There will be no changes to your funding unless you comply-"

"Fine!" Piers shouts. "Fuck you! My city crumbles, yours does too!"

And without another word, he turns and storms out of the meeting room.

"Why this year, of all the years," Bede hisses quietly, rubbing his temples and flopping back into his chair.

Rose scoffs again. "Outrageous." He then gives Leon a pointed stare. "Handle it."

Leon blinks, alarmed. He glances at Raihan before stepping away from the table and darting out the door.

Fuck, Raihan hisses internally. This is definitely not how I wanted today to go. 

"Are there any other concerns?" Rose hisses scornfully, looking down the table at the group of very uncomfortable Gym Leaders. Nobody speaks. "Then we're done here. Let it be known that any other outbursts will be dealt with through disciplinary action. We will reconvene at the beginning of September to discuss the Opening Ceremony."

And without any kind of formal farewell, Rose heads for the door, Oleana gathering her things before following. The rest of the League representatives and Macro Cosmos officials filter out behind them. Raihan sees at least three angry stares fixed on the back of their heads as they leave.

Once the door is shut, the Gym Leaders seem to breathe a collective sigh of relief. "Goodness gracious," Melony mutters, while Nessa just buries her face in her hands. Both Bea and Kabu stare blankly into space, and Allister hangs his head. Bede stares at the floor with enough venom to kill someone.

"Everyone alright?" Raihan asks tentatively.

"It's all bullshit," Bede hisses. "Piers is right."

"He is," Raihan sighs. "But there's not a whole lot we can do without endangering our own cities." I really, really want to punch Rose in the face, though.

"I still don't understand Piers' reluctance to build a proper Stadium. It seems unreasonable," Kabu says, slowly getting to his feet. "He would benefit from it."

"It goes deeper than just the Stadium issue, I'm afraid," Milo sighs, standing as well. "Macro Cosmos put an end to Spikemuth's glory days with the development of Dynamax bands, and Piers has had to watch his home decay around him as he grew up. It's unfortunate, but Raihan's right- Rose will cut our funding if we do anything to help him."

"It is dishonorable to let those in need suffer when you have the means to help them," Bea says. Allister nods in agreement as she continues. "Rose has held far too much power for far too long."

"He has, but we can't do anything about it," Nessa groans. "And just when I thought this year might turn out fine, too."

"I'm leaving," Bede announces suddenly. "I need to consult Ms. Opal. Let's hope the September meeting is nowhere near as disastrous as this one," he snorts before slipping out the door.

"We all need to return to our cities," Kabu states. "To adjust our plans. I look forward to seeing you in September," he dips his head in respect. "Travel safely."

Murmurs of appreciation sound around the table, and the Gym Leaders slowly begin to gather themselves and leave. Raihan is the last out of the room, flicking the lights off behind him with a weary sigh. I don't know if that could've gone any worse than it did.

Bidding farewell to the Gym Leaders in front of him, Raihan turns to head deeper into the castle as opposed to out of it. He's about to pull out his phone to text Leon when a figure up ahead catches his eye.

Bede? The Ballonlea Gym Leader looks anxious, even from a distance. He catches sight of Raihan and begins to walk faster towards him.

Raihan blinks in confusion. "Hey, are you-"

"Don't," Bede hisses, just barely loud enough to be audible. "They're following me."

"What?" Raihan frowns down at Bede, still confused. Then, down the same hallway that Bede walked down, two Macro Cosmos staff members round the corner. Raihan can't exactly tell because of how far away they are and their sunglasses obscuring their eyes, but he thinks one of their faces twists in agitation.

Something is definitely going on. The sinking feeling in Raihan's gut morphs into anger. "Come on," he whispers, beckoning for Bede to follow him. "Walk with me."

I don't know what these goons want with Bede, but I doubt it's anything good. I've got to get him out of here. Raihan decides to take Bede to the eastern tower of the castle and letting Flygon give him a ride down to a flying taxi stop. Hopefully he'd be fine from there. Maybe not the most inconspicuous way of getting Bede out of the castle, but the definitely the most efficient way, and one that didn't involve stuffing Bede in a closet for Arceus knows how long until those Macro Cosmos workers went away.

"I went in a circle twice," Bede says quietly, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. "They've been following me since I left the meeting room. They're trying too hard to not be suspicious."

Raihan glances back at the Macro Cosmos workers, who suddenly stop and pretend to be very, very interested in the ceiling. 

At least they're not very bright, Raihan stifles a snort. Makes it easier to shake them.

"I've got a plan," Raihan replies. "Just keep following me."

Bede nods, and the pair continues through the castle, making their way for the eastern tower. Raihan pulls out his phone on the way, sending Leon a text on his personal phone.

any chance u can meet me in the eastern tower

yeah

be there in 5

At least I shouldn't have to worry too much about that, Raihan sighs in relief. Bede gives him a bit of a strange look, but doesn't say anything.

Raihan heads into the base of the eastern tower and begins climbing stairs. As Bede follows, Raihan can hear him becoming more and more out of breath.

Bede finally huffs out a complaint about halfway up the tower. "Why... does... your... plan... involve... so... many... stairs," he hisses, glaring up at Raihan.

"Would you have rather I stuffed you in a closet until they went away?" Raihan snaps back. He hears the sound of faint footsteps. "Come on, we have to keep going."

Once they reach the top of the tower, Raihan pulls Flygon's Pokeball out of his pocket and releases them. They shake their wings out when they realize they're about to fly, and they chirp excitedly.

"Any chance you can fly him to a flying taxi stop?" Raihan asks, reaching out to scratch Flygon's head and gesturing at Bede. Flygon nods and waddles over to Bede, evaluating him with a sniff before crouch down and allowing him to climb on their back.

"I... I don't know how to fly them," Bede says, glancing at Raihan uncertainly. "And heights aren't exactly my favorite."

"You're in good hands, don't worry," he reassures him. "Just climb on their back and hold on around their neck. They know where they're going."

Flygon's tail thumps against the ground. Raihan can tell that they're eager to get going. Bede still looks hesitant, but sighs before climbing on and situating himself. Flygon straightens up before spreading their wings, while Bede braces himself. "I'll kill you if I fall," he hisses, squeezing his eyes shut.

Raihan snorts. "You'll be fine. Be safe." He gives Flygon a small nod, and they take off and start descending towards the city. Bede curses quietly under his breath, but Raihan can't catch exactly what he says over the wind.

I hope he'll be alright. Raihan sighs and puts his hands in his pockets as he watches Bede and Flygon get smaller and smaller before eventually vanishing into the city. But something is definitely wrong- there's no reason for those Macro Cosmos workers to be following him. I doubt I could ever bring it up, though. Damn. 

The door to the tower swings open behind Raihan. Startled, he turns to find Leon, out of breath and with his hands on his knees, leaning against the doorway.

"Hey," Raihan says, reaching into his other pocket to pull out the box of sweets with his lawyer's email tucked away inside of it. "Here."

"Thanks," Leon replies breathlessly, reaching out to take the box and smiling. "You didn't have to do that for me."

"Oh, uh, Sonia actually sent it," Raihan says quickly, trying to ignore his face flushing. "Your, uh... thing is in there."

"Thank you," Leon says quietly. "I... um... I'll keep you posted, I guess."

There's a tense, awkward silence. What the fuck am I supposed to say here? How are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything else? 

"Good... good luck," is what comes out instead. "I'm here if you..."

Leon looks up at Raihan, and the fear in his eyes is what makes Raihan trail off. He looks terrified.

"People quit their jobs all the time," he mutters, staring down at the pastry box. "I don't get why I'm so stressed."

"It's a big deal for you," Raihan replies, taking a step towards Leon. "You're absolutely right, Rose is going to be pissed. It's okay to be scared."

"I... I don't..." Leon's grip tightens around the box, and he takes a deep breath before he speaks again. "I don't want him to be mad. I know he's not a good person, I know he's going to hate me for it, but I really, really don't want him to, Raihan." His voice is small and taut and shaky, almost like he's on the verge of tears. He looks up at Raihan, eyes wide. "Is that wrong?"

Fuck. Rose is such an asshole for doing this to him. "No," Raihan responds quietly, resting a hand on one of Leon's shoulders and rubbing it gently. "He basically raised you, Leon. You're not wrong for not wanting to make him mad. It's how you've survived the last twelve years."

Leon nods silently, looking back down at the box. Then, he pulls Raihan into a tight hug before letting out a huge sigh.

It's like he's holding on for dear life again, Raihan thinks before hugging back gently. "You're gonna be alright, Leon."

"Are you sure?" He asks quietly, voice muffled by Raihan's jacket.

"Yeah," Raihan replies, holding him close. "I promise."

Chapter Text

September 30th, Thirteen Years Ago

Sonia laughs, talking with some adult and twirling her hair. I try to look up and see who it is, but the lights are too bright, and I can't. I'm too small.

I'm too small.

It's so, so loud. The buzzing in my head and chest and fingers starts. It hurts. My throat closes up. I flex and clench my fingers into fists, over and over, trying to time my breathing with it, and that helps a little, but it's still too loud.

I'm too young.

"Bathroom," I manage to croak out before turning away and trying to navigate a sea of people. I keep bumping into people's legs. I think a few of them try to talk to me, but I manage to slip away before they can grab my wrist or my shoulder. My jacket feels too tight. I yank at my collar to stop it from choking me.

My face is hot by the time I find the glass doors that lead into a bigger hallway. Two men in League Staff uniforms stand nearby, talking with each other and not paying attention to me. I tug at the door. It doesn't budge.

I'm too weak.

I try pushing. That works, and I make a small crack that's big enough for me to slide through. The door thumps shut quietly behind me, and all of the noise gets a lot quieter.

I stumble down the hall. There's nobody back here. It's just me. It's quiet. I feel a little better. I heave a sigh of relief. I keep flexing and clenching my fingers, but the buzzing isn't as bad now that there's less noise, so I slow down some. My knuckles ache.

I still want to find a bathroom. My face feels sticky. I wander down the hall, looking for bathroom signs. There are panels on the  walls, but the glare from the too-bright lights keeps me from reading what they say.

An adult would know where the bathroom is, but I'm not going back to the main hall. There's gotta be someone somewhere back here. I keep walking, turning down different hallways, until I'm eventually in a part of Motostoke Stadium that doesn't have red carpet or screens on the walls and high ceilings. The floors are gray and the walls are lighter gray, and there's not a lot on the walls. There's just doors with more of those panels I can't read. It's calmer, but a little too calm. I think I'm really, really lost.

I swallow nervously and rub my eyes, trying to keep the tears away. Crying never helps when I'm lost, but walking more does (sometimes), so I just keep doing that. I walk, and walk, and walk more, until my feet hurt and I'm absolutely sure that I'm lost. Then I hear laughing.

I look down the hall where it's coming from. "Hello?"

Nobody answers. Maybe I imagined it.

Of course I imagined it. That's what I do. The buzzing gets worse. I clench my hands into fists and hold them there, fingernails digging into my palms as I set out walking again, resisting the urge to just run. Run as fast and as far as I could, and then maybe my bad thoughts wouldn't be able to catch up. My head is always in the clouds, and I never pay attention, and now I'm lost again and there's nobody around to help me, and Sonia was right that I'm too little to do anything-

The sound comes again, but different this time. I'm not imagining it! "Hello?!"

There's no reply again, but I can hear something in the hall to my right. I turn down the hall and start walking. The sound gets louder. There's definitely people. 

There's a door on my right that the sound is coming from. It sounds like more than one person, more than two, maybe even more than three. They're all talking, but I can't hear what they're saying. I press my ear against the door. It's cold.

"...current assets are losing value..."

I don't know what they're talking about, but it's definitely an adult. I reach up and knock on the door before taking a step back. The voices go quiet, then I hear harsh tapping. The door swings open, and I can see a long table with a couple empty seats.

It's a very tall woman with long brown hair and a lab coat. She blocks the door and squints down at me with little green eyes. Her face scrunches up, and she looks back into the room. "It's a child."

"Well, handle it," a different voice says.

She sighs before looking down at me. She's wearing very tall shoes. "Who are you? Why are you back here?"

"I- I was just looking for the bathroom, and then I got lost, and-"

"Do you think this is funny?" She snaps. She sounds mad. "This is a very important meeting, and you're interrupting it."

I want to shrink all the way into my jacket and vanish. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Arceus, Oleana," the other voice mutters. The woman steps back, and I hear more footsteps. A man steps into the doorway. He's shorter, so I can actually see his face a little better. He's wearing a gray suit and a red tie. His beard is strange.

"Young man, what is your name?" He looks down at me, but differently than the woman. He doesn't seem mad, but adults are confusing.

"Leon," I say slowly, torn between wanting to watch his face to see if he gets mad and not wanting to make eye contact at all. "Leon Ambrose."

The man smiles reassuringly. "Hello, Leon Ambrose. My name is Rose Cosmos."

As in, the Rose Cosmos?! I take a step back, startled, and get a better look at his face. I recognize it now- it's all over the promotional posters for the League Challenge. "You're the Chairman?!"

He nods, chuckling a little bit. My jaw hangs open for a moment before I realize what I've done and start to panic. "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything-" I think he tries to get a word in, but all the air in my lungs is spilling out into words without much thought behind it, and I can't stop it. "I'm sorry, I really did just get lost, because it was too loud in the main hall and I wanted to find somewhere quieter and then I was looking for a bathroom so I could wash my face-"

The Chairman blinks, looking a little startled himself. "Young man-"

"And I get lost a lot, and I got lost here, and I just wandered around looking for an adult to help me, and I found this door and- Gods, I'm really, really sorry, please don't be mad."

I gulp in air after emptying my lungs entirely, chest burning. I wring my hands together and look up at the Chairman anxiously. What if he remembers me next year when I come to the Opening Ceremony, what if he won't let me be a challenger, what if-

"Young man, I am not angry in the slightest," the Chairman says calmly, shaking his head. "No, no, in fact, our meeting was almost over. You didn't interrupt anything."

Relief washes over me. "Really?"

"Really. Now, tell me, young man, are you a new challenger this year?"

I wince and sigh, suddenly reminded of the fact that I have to go home without my only friend. "No. My best friend is- see, she's Professor Magnolia's granddaughter, and got her endorsement from her, but the professor won't give me an endorsement because she says I'm too young. But I really want to be!" I look up at the Chairman earnestly. "I want to be a challenger so, so bad. I want to see all of Galar, and meet so many people, and I want to be Champion one day, even better than Mr. Mustard. But there's nobody else who'll give me an endorsement, and my Mum can't afford to send me to Trainer's school to get one there, so... I guess I have to wait until next year." Or whenever Professor Magnolia will give me an endorsement. Which might not be for even longer.

The Chairman nods sympathetically. "I see. That is quite unfortunate. Although..." He trails off, and looks at me a little funny. I can't really tell what he's thinking. Then, he nods to himself. "I suppose we ought to get you back to the main hall. There are restrooms available there. Follow me."

"What?!" Oleana hisses. "Sir, any number of League Staff could escort him-"

The Chairman raises a hand to her. "Ms. Frost, please go conclude the meeting. This young man's safety is more important than finances. I want to see to it that he finds his way to where he needs to go myself."

Her face twists into a scowl, and her eyes flit between me and the Chairman. "What are you doing?"

The Chairman waves her away with his hand in response. She scoffs softly and turns back into the room, door closing behind her.

The Chairman rolls his eyes. "You'll have to forgive my secretary's manners," he huffs, setting out down the hall at a brisk pace. I follow him."She's not too fond of children."

"No, it's okay," I shrug. "Lots of adults don't like me that much. They say I talk too much and get distracted too easily."

"How old are you, young man?" The Chairman asks suddenly.

"I just turned ten, Mr. Chairman," I say. "My birthday is at the end of August."

"I see," he nods. "What you just mentioned is perfectly natural for someone of your age- anyone who says otherwise has never met a ten year old. Pay them no mind, they are small minded people." He smiles at me again. "You seem like a very energetic and dedicated young man to me."

"Really?" I feel my eyes light up. I don't remember the last time any of my teachers praised me. "Wow, thank you. You're a very nice adult."

He chuckles. "I have to be. I have to work with many, many different people. Cordiality is a skill you will learn in time. Now, young man, where are you from?"

"Postwick!"

The Chairman blinks and frowns. "Pardon?"

Shoot, I forgot manners. Mum always says I'm impolite. I repeat myself, careful to make sure my tone sounds respectful. I can't really tell the difference, words just come out how they come out for me, but Mum's told me that I sound bored when I talk to adults. "I'm from Postwick, Mr. Chairman, sir."

"Forgive me, but I'm afraid I've never heard of Postwick," he glances down at me, looking apologetic. "And no need for formalities, Rose is just fine."

Weird. Maybe he doesn't care about manners like other adults do? "Okay... Postwick is south of Wedgehurst, but north of the Slumbering Weald and the Crowntip Mountains. It's real little, not many people live there. And we're all spread out, too. Mum says it's sort of like Turffield, but a lot smaller."

"I see. That sounds quite nice." Mr. Rose smiles. "Thank you for explaining, young man. Tell me some more about yourself- you're quite unlike other children I've met."

I look up at him. He can tell I'm different, but he's not mad about it? Why? I stop walking. "Mr. Rose, may I ask a question?"

He stops and turns to look at me. "Why, of course."

"You're very different than other adults. You don't seem to mind that I'm... different." I rock from my toes to my heels, which my teachers hate. "Why?"

He chuckles. "You're quite perceptive, young man. I did recognize that you are different than other children- you are entirely unique. Many adults will tell you that that is a weakness, but I believe it is a strength. You are an extraordinary child, and I am very lucky to have met you today."

"Do you really believe that?" 

"Sincerely, my boy. You are a very, very special young man." Mr. Rose crouches down to look me in the eyes. His brow is furrowed and he stares at me intently. "Leon, I have been debating endorsing a young trainer for the Gym Challenge and taking them under my wing, for a very long time. How would you like for that young trainer to be you?"

His words don't register for a moment, but when they do, a squeak of shock escapes me. I blink several times in astonishment. I can't contain the feeling, and start clenching my hands again. "Me?! You want to endorse me?!"

Mr. Rose seems amused by my surprise, chuckling softly and nodding. "Yes! You are ambitious and perhaps a bit sensitive, but full of potential all the same. I sense that you have a great future, young man, and I would like to help guide you towards that future. I have a feeling, a very, very strong feeling..."

Slowly, he reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder. He looks so, so happy. I stare at him with wide, bewildered eyes, trying to figure out if he's lying to me. Adults do do that sometimes. But... why would he be so nice if he's trying to lie to me? And I asked him, and he said he meant everything he said. Hope flutters in my chest. Does... does he really believe in me?

"You and I," Mr. Rose says, looking at me with wide eyes filled with awe and excitement, like he's made the greatest discovery in the world. "You and I are going to do great things together."

August 7th, Twenty-Six Minutes Ago

"Outrageous," Rose scoffs. His eyes fix on Leon, anger glittering quietly in sickly pale green irises. "Handle it," he snaps.

Leon back away from the table, panic thrumming through his bones. He gives Raihan a quick, apologetic glance before bolting for the door. Once he's sure it's shut behind him, he calls out to Piers, who hasn't bothered to look back to see who followed him. "Piers!"

He winces. He sounds like a cornered Wimpod- scared, small, weak. This is the worst possible time. The worst possible time. Oh gods.

"Do not fuckin' start with me, Leon Ambrose," Piers hisses, threat clear in his voice. But Leon can't afford to let this happen, so tries anyway.

"Piers, please, just wait a second-" He jogs to catch up to Piers, who turns around and snarls with enough ferocity to make Leon flinch backwards.

"You are such a fuckin' prick!" His teeth are bared in a venomous scowl, vitriol dripping from every word. "You are such a fuckin' lapdog, Leon, an' you would be on my side if you knew what was really goin' on. You are an asshole who would rather let people starve than stand up to Rose, an' I can't get you to fuckin' care. I can't get anyone in that room to care that my people, my kids, are fuckin' starving. So don't even start, 'cause I don't wanna hear a word out o' your mouth."

Leon balks for a moment before taking a deep breath. I don't know if I've ever seen him this angry, but I can't let him do this now. "Piers, please, just- just listen for a second-"

Piers steps forward and seizes Leon by the collar of his shirt. Leon instinctively grabs Piers' wrists, trying to pull him off and back away. He tries not to think about how small Piers' wrists are, how the bones dig into the flesh of his palms. "Piers, wait-"

"Hop was right about you," Piers growls, fingers wrapped tightly in the fabric of Leon's shirt. "You are jus' a piece o' shit."

Leon freezes, heart stopping. He hasn't heard anyone so much as mention his little brother in months. "...What was that about Hop?"

"Oh, so now you give a shit," Piers scoffs. "I ain't tellin' you anythin'. You deserve to rot-"

"I know!" The cry forces itself from Leon's throat without his permission. "I know I'm an asshole, I know I'm terrible, and I'm so, so sorry about what's happening, but Piers, please-" Leon runs out of air in his lungs and heaves in a shuddering gasp. "Please just wait and listen. Two minutes, please."

Piers releases Leon and shoves him away. "What are you gonna say? You gonna try to get me to go back in there an' apologize?"

"No," Leon says, shaking his head. "Rose is an asshole, you're right. He doesn't deserve it. But..." How vague can I be and still convince him to try and manage for another month? "But something is going to happen, and I might be able to help you, but I need you to wait until September, because I can't until then, and-"

Piers laughs bitterly. "Hell no. D' you know how many people can starve in a month? More than you'd like to think 'bout, I bet."

"Piers, I promise that I can help you," Leon holds his hands out to Piers, palms up. "I will do everything that I can to help you, but I can't do anything until September." Until I actually manage to break my contract.

"There isn't any waitin'. We've suffered enough." Piers crosses his arms. "If you cared enough to actually help Spikemuth, you'd do it now."

"I..." He's absolutely right, Leon winces. I should do something, but I can't yet, not yet, not until I'm out. Not until August 28th. "I'm sorry. I'm an asshole, and I'm useless, and I know that. But please just- just put off coming to Wyndon until September. You need time to organize anyway, and I know I have no right to ask you to after everything you've been through, and everything Spikemuth's been through, but please." "Pissing off Rose any more puts me in so, so much danger," is what Leon wants to say, but can't, knowing that someone is always listening. "I can't even justify trying to save my own ass, people have died in Spikemuth, but I have to try anyway. I can ruin Rose once I'm out, but I can't yet."

"Fuck you, Leon Ambrose," Piers spits, eyes bright with hatred. "You know exactly what's goin' on, and you're lettin' it happen because you don't have to deal with the fallout. You don't know what it's like to see kids starvin' on the streets, to see people sick in hospitals wishin' to die so they don't have to deal with the debt, to see dead Nickit and Zigzagoon in dumpsters and back alleys 'cause even the garbage is not enough to feed them, there is not enough food to feed the fuckin' scavengers. I have two teenage kids and me living in a one bedroom apartment, and a third kid just came to me half starved from across the world, and I can't fuckin' turn them away, and now I have to watch them starve too." Piers stops to take a shaky breath and rub the hinges of his jaw before continuing. "So I have decided to make it everyone's problem, so that maybe, on the odd fuckin' chance that someone with a scrap of a heart listens, my kids won't starve. And it's sure as hell not gonna be you. So leave me the fuck alone." Piers turns away and starts walking down the hall, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Leon knows he shouldn't press Piers, he knows he's angry, he knows he's lost any chance of reasoning with him (if he even had one to begin with), but he asks anyway. He's too worried not to. "When was the last time you heard from Hop?"

"Die in a ditch, Leon Ambrose," Piers flips him off without even looking back. "Never talk to me again."

"Is he okay, at least?" Leon tries again. I haven't heard of him since last summer, I just want to know if he's okay. I don't care if he hates me, I just want to know if he's alive.

When Piers doesn't respond, the ball of dread that's been sitting in Leon's chest for months threatens to overwhelm him. "Piers?!"

But Piers turns a corner, and is gone.

And tears that Leon has been fighting to bury for weeks finally come. He sprints to where he thinks the nearest bathroom is, and is by some miracle correct, and by a second miracle the bathroom is empty. He seizes a fistful of too-scratchy paper towels and bolts for the stall, locking the door behind him before leaning against the wall and crying as quietly as he can. Choking back the sobs that claw at his throat hurts, it makes his head pound and his chest ache, but it's better than running the risk of someone hearing him. The Unbeatable Champion crying in some bathroom in Hammerlocke Castle like a child would not blow over well with the press. It definitely didn't align with his whole 'being perfect' thing.

He knew it was unhealthy. He hated it, he really, really did, and he'd give anything to be a normal person for just one day. No pressure to be perfect, nobody being mad at him for being to good at his job or not good enough at his job, nobody looking at him like some hero when he felt like the biggest fraud in the world. Not because he wasn't perfect, but because he didn't feel perfect, and everyone expected him to be perfect, and he has been lying to their faces for more than a decade. Not only that, he'd neglected his little brother in order to do so, and now he hadn't heard from him in two years.

Piers was right. I do deserve to rot.

A tiny, choked gasp echoes through the bathroom, loud, too loud for Leon to be comfortable. He takes another deep breath through his nose and clenches his fists until they shake and his knuckles crack, before exhaling slowly and flexing his fingers outwards, feeling the skin between his fingers and on the inside of his knuckles stretch. Another breath. Then another. The ache in his chest begins to subside. There. That's better.

When the Champion Cup had come and gone and nothing had changed and Rose had just gotten... angrier, the anxiety that Leon had been able to ignore for the last twelve years started to blare an alarm in his head. He didn't know exactly what set it off, but he knew he wasn't safe, not anymore. He wasn't sure he ever had been, but he had to worry about getting out first before doing any reflection. So, he was trading everything he still had to get out.

Well... maybe not everything... Leon sighs and sets himself fully back on his feet before having a realization. Oh, shit, I need his lawyer's email still.

He pulls his personal phone out of his pocket, and, by a third miracle, a text notification from Raihan was already on the screen. Leon smiles and shakes his head as he opens it. Not a miracle. He's just like that.

Raihan

any chance u can meet me in the eastern tower

I... think I know how to get there from here... Leon squints at the ceiling, trying to conjure some semblance of a mental map. He sighs. Whatever. I'll figure it out.

He sends Raihan a quick reply before heading out of the bathroom.

yeah

be there in 5

August 7th, 10:15 PM

Leon had always felt a little claustrophobic in Flying Taxis- he much preferred to fly with Charizard, the endless sky at his fingertips and the freedom to flip and dive and stop for a rest at his leisure. Besides, the cabins of the Taxis were small, much too small to be comfortable. There was never enough leg room for Leon unless he rested his legs on the seat, and, well, Oleana was occupying that space at the moment, so that wasn't an option.

Her presence made the suffocating nature of the Taxis worse. There was nothing about Oleana that Leon thought was offensive, and she was pleasant enough to him, but something about her demeanor made him feel constantly judged. He didn't know if it was because she was always direct (which Leon honestly appreciated), or that she was somehow always watching her surroundings without looking like she was watching. It also probably didn't help that her expression was constantly calm, which made her seem like she had everything under control (like she always did) and she wasn't stressed about anything in the slightest. Leon wasn't very good at deciphering facial expressions, but for other people, they had certain tells for emotions. Sonia always twirled her hair when she was thinking or anxious, and Hop always bobbed his head back and forth when he was bored, like he was listening to music in his head. Shot glasses being out in Rose's office meant that something had upset him, and the more that were out the worse it was. There were things, little things, that people did that Leon could read instead of their faces to tell how they were feeling, but Oleana didn't have any. It was unnerving how emotionless she always was.

In the twelve years that he had known her, Leon had only seen Oleana visibly upset twice. And he wasn't even sure that either of them had actually happened. His memory after he turned twelve got fuzzy. Everything blurred together- he wasn't ever doing anything different. Just Champion things.

Leon glances over at Oleana. Her eyes are fixed on the computer that sits in her lap as she types something. She seems fairly absorbed in whatever she's doing, but Leon knows better than to think that she's ignoring him. She never had.

His hand hesitated as it reached for the phone in his pocket. I know she's paying attention, but the text is so small. Even if she did see something, I don't think she'd rat me out. She's seen some of my major fuck ups, and none of those ever seemed to make it back to Rose. And I really, really want to go to bed when we get back to the Tower...

Deciding that the risk was low enough, Leon pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens his email. He starts a new draft and types in the address that he had memorized from the small slip of paper tucked underneath one of the meringues in the box of sweets that Raihan had gave him.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: What Am I Doing With My Life

Hello. This is the very strange email that Raihan (hopefully) told you to expect. This is all going to sound absurd, but please just hear me out. I need a good lawyer's help, because I honestly have very little idea of what I'm about to get into.

The person sending you this email is Leon Ambrose. Yes, I am being entirely serious. This is a personal email account that I use very little, and the only one that isn't monitored by Macro Cosmos. The reason I'm reaching out to you is because I'm aware of the law that states that anyone 22 or older can request to terminate their contract through court. I turn 22 in exactly three weeks, and want to do just that. I'd rather get into the reasons why in person, but let's just say that it is extremely complicated for now. Lots of different things have led me to this decision, but I'm very, very sure that I need out of this job.

Why can't I just resign? To put it simply, Rose would never let me. Champions have to notify the League Board if they're resigning and my current contract very explicitly states that I am to hold the title until someone else beats me or I turn 25, whichever comes first. I signed it a bit after I turned twelve, and didn't really understand what I was getting into at the time. My family didn't have the money to hire a proper lawyer, so we missed a lot of the fine print. Rose would not allow me to resign because of my current contract with the League and Macro Cosmos, so I need to break it, and I need a lawyer that will not immediately tell on me to help me do it.

I understand that this is absolutely insane. I wish I was crazy, and maybe I am, a little bit, but I can't do this anymore. Please let me know if you're available to meet before August 28th so I can get all of the paperwork I need in order to start court-ordered leave as soon as I turn 22. Raihan said that you were his lawyer too, and he recommended you when I asked him where I could go for help. If you want proof of my identity, I completely understand- I'm more than happy to give you anything that will get you to take my case. I definitely think that it's possible to terminate my contract with evidence I can give you, but

Leon stops typing as something occurs to him. Would... would Oleana take my side? In court? Maybe she wants out too?

He shoots her another glance, but her eyes don't leave her computer. Leon stifles a sigh. I don't know. That's too much of a risk. I just can't shake the feeling that there's something worse going on with her than I know. I barely know anything about her outside of what she does for work- I don't know where she's from, if she has family. I get being private, but she's never mentioned anything at all. Even if I did ask her if she wanted to leave, would she have anywhere to go? Can I involve her in this without putting her in danger?

He decides against mentioning Oleana, ending the sentence after 'evidence I can give you'. Leon glances at her again to make sure she's still mostly absorbed in her work before continuing his email.

Please do not show this email to anybody, especially not anyone affiliated with Macro Cosmos. Nobody has no idea I'm planning to terminate my contract at the moment, and I want to keep it that way, at least until I get a court date. If you don't want to risk this case, I understand- just please let me know so I can try to find another lawyer.

Thank you so much. Hopefully I'll see you soon.

Sincerely,

Leon Ambrose

Leon proofreads the email twice, fixes a few spelling errors, and takes a deep breath before hitting send. Once he's sure it's gone through, he puts the phone on airplane mode and shoves it into his pocket, fighting the urge to clench his hands, tap his foot against the cabin floor, fuss with his hair, do something to ease the tension in his chest.  But he knows Oleana doesn't miss those kinds of things, and doesn't want her to know that something is bothering. So, he sets his jaw and stares out the cabin window, where icy mountains begin to melt away into chilly rolling hills peppered with patches of forest. He can see the bright smog of Wyndon on the horizon, clouds reflecting the city's light back down on it to make it seem like the entire city had a glowing aura. In the center of it all was Rose Tower and Wyndon Stadium, both probably contributing to the light pollution significantly more than any other buildings or lights.

Leon rests his forehead against the glass of the window and closes his eyes. He's not sure if its the biting cold on the skin of his face that he can feel even through his thick, unruly hair, or if he was just dreading returning to Rose Tower, but a chill runs down his spine, leaving a persistent feeling of unease that kept him awake for the rest of the taxi ride despite his exhaustion.

The brightest places never had very many corners to hide in.

August 8th, 12:04 AM

The response comes only after Leon has collapsed into bed. He doesn't check his personal phone until he wakes up the next morning, but it's there, quietly waiting for him.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: What Am I Doing With My Life

Mr. Ambrose,

I never expected to receive an email like this. I suppose there's a first time for everything.

I can meet with you next Monday, the 12th. I'll communicate the time and place through our mutual friend, just so that you can't waste my time if you are a scammer. If that is the case, I promise you that you've chosen the wrong person to try to scam, and that I will absolutely use these emails to find you. I would highly recommend you reply and back out if you aren't who you say you are, unless you would like to face legal repercussions.

If I receive no reply, I'll assume that I'll see you on the 12th. Stay safe until then.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ortiz

(Sent from my ApplinPhone)

Chapter Text

August 8th, Early Morning

Marnie is awoken by the sound of the window creaking open. Pre-dawn light makes the room just barely bright enough to see around, and she sits up and squints at the figure that's just slipped out onto the fire escape. She sees the silhouette of someone with skinny arms and wild strands of long hair barely wrangled into the ponytail.

The fuck is he doin' up this early? Marnie rubs her eyes and slides out of bed, pulling one of the blankets off of the comforter to wrap it around her shoulders. She pushes the window open and steps through it onto the metal grate floor. The morning chill seems to wind its way through the fabric of her blanket and her clothes and through her skin, finally settling deep in her bones.

"You're up early," Piers says, glancing back at her.

Marnie shrugs. "You are too. Where've you been?"

"Just out," Piers sighs. "Borin' business stuff. Tryin' to make sure we've got food on the table."

Marnie winces. She knows her brother has already been skipping meals to make sure her and Hop have enough to eat, she's seen how his clothes have gotten baggier and baggier. Now that Finn is here, there's another mouth to feed, and that means less food to go around for everyone. "When was the last time you had a bite to eat?"

Piers looks out down the alley so that his sister can't see his face, and answers her question with his own. "How's your blood sugar?"

"I feel fine," Marnie replies, stepping towards the railing to stand beside her brother. "You've gotta eat somethin', bro. You're skinny enough as it 's."

Piers shakes his head. "You lot are still growin'. I'll manage. Don't you worry 'bout me." He gives his sister a little smile, but Marnie can tell that it's hollow. She can see the worry in his eyes. She opens her mouth to say something, but Piers changes the subject suddenly. "I'm not gonna be 'round a whole lot for the next few days. You three should take a trip."

Marnie blinks, taken aback. "Huh?"

"I'll get someone to take you to Circhester. Jus' get a taxi to wherever's cheapest from there, I s'pose. Stow-On-Side, maybe."

"Bro, what are you talkin' about?" Marnie frowns, confused. "What's goin' on?"

Piers sighs and hangs his head. "Nothin' that you need to worry 'bout, okay?"

"'S somethin' wrong?"

"No," Piers says, a little too sharply. "No, nothin's wrong. Not any more than usual. I jus'... There's a lot goin' on, and it's gonna get busy 'round here real quick. I don't want you three gettin' wrapped up in it."

"Bro-"

"Sis, go inside," Piers groans, rubbing the hinges of his jaw. "Go get some breakfast. And make sure Morpeko's fed, I don't want them eatin' the leftovers from last night 'cause they're hungry."

Marnie hesitates before sighing and accepting that Piers doesn't want to talk. "Whatever's goin' on, you better tell me when we get back," she says, turning to open the window.

"You'll know, sis," Piers chuckles a little bit. "Promise."

Marnie rolls her eyes. Don't know why he's gotta be so damn vague. Whatever. She slips back inside and creeps down the stairs, surprised to find Hop already in the kitchen. He glances at Marnie, shutting the faucet off after filling an ice tray. "Morning."

"Mornin'," Marnie mutters, going to the fridge to pull out her blood sugar monitor and insulin pen.

"What were you and Piers talking about?" He asks curiously, carefully carrying the ice tray back to the freezer to not spill any water. "He didn't get back until an hour or two ago, I don't think. Where was he?"

"The fuck if I know," Marnie mutters, pricking her finger and pressing the small drop of blood that wells up onto a small strip before inserting it into the reader. 110. Prob'ly need to eat somethin'. "He's bein' vague and doesn't want us here for the next few days. Said we should take a trip, so start thinkin' about what you wanna take."

"What?" Hop closes the freezer and frowns. "That's strange. I talked to him a bit ago, and I think he's worried about money some, especially now that Finn's here. I offered to get a job, but he said he would handle it. I dunno." He sighs and sits down at the kitchen table, watching Marnie grab a bag of fruit gummies off of the shelf. "I wanna do somethin' for him, but he said he won't let me work."

"You know how he 's," Marnie huffs as she sits across from Hop. "I swear he'll jump off a buildin' before he lets us do anythin' to help him. Stubborn idiot."

"You got it from him, I guess," Hop teases. Marnie seizes a nearby page of folded up sheet music and hurls it at Hop, who smacks it away and snickers. "So, where are we going?"

"Circhester first, he said. Then wherever was cheapest. He suggested Stow-On-Side." Marnie grumbles as she stuffs a fistful of gummies in her mouth. "I don't really wanna go anywhere, but he's not gonna take no for an answer. It might be nice to see if there's anything for cheap at the market, anyways. Did you feed Morpeko by any chance?"

Hop nods. "Nearly tore my leg off while I was doing it, but went right back to sleep after." He glances over to the armchair, where Morpeko is curled up peacefully, ears drooping and snoring quietly.

Marnie smiles. "You and Finn seem to be doin' better."

Hop nods again. "Yeah. I think we're good now. I still haven't told them about Lee, but they said I didn't have to tell them if don't want to. I will at some point I think, it's just..." He sighs and hangs his head a little. "It's still a sore subject, I guess."

"It's been a year and a half," Marnie point out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he mutters. "I'm sort of debating calling him for his birthday this year."

"When 's it?"

"The twenty-eighth," Hop replies. "I don't know. I'm thinking about it too much, I think."

January, Two Years Ago

"Hey, Marnie!"

I jump, startled. Uh oh. I turn towards the sound of heavy footsteps and the voice, and see Gloria jogging towards me. I breathe a tiny, internal sigh of relief. "Hey, Glo. Everythin' alright?"

She groans before coming to a stop in front of me. She winds the drawstrings of her hoodie around her hands, pulling on them anxiously. "Have you seen Hop at all?"

"No, I haven't." Gloria curses quietly under her breath. What's wrong with her? "Why?"

"I'm trying to find him," she replies, glancing around the street. "He's really upset- I don't know if you know him, but there's this real asshole of a challenger who got endorsed by the Chairman-"

"Bede," the name slips from my lips in a low growl, anger flaring in my chest. I can almost hear the prick's voice mocking me. 'You and your little entourage are pathetic. Filthy Spikemuth scum.'

"Yeah, him," Gloria mutters. "Him and Hop had a battle, and Hop lost, but Bede said some shit that got to his head, I think. He won't talk to me, and he won't talk to Lee,  and I'm trying to find him to try and help him out, and-" Gloria grits her teeth. "Arceus, I am going to fucking smite Bede the next time I see him."

I feel better knowing that someone else hates Bede as much as I do. "I'll help you look for Hop. Do you-"

I'm cut off by a distant rumbling, then by the sound of a roar. Gloria flinches and whips around, searching for the source of the noise.

A glint of light high in the sky catches my eyes. "Look," I murmur, pointing up to the tallest tower of Hammerlocke Castle. Pink light flits around it, sparkling and buzzing with energy. Gloria and I watch as the light is pulled towards the spire and disappears from view.

"The fuck are they doing in that Power Plant?" Gloria grumbles. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."

"I don't think it's normal," I agree, nodding my head. "Do you wanna go check it out?"

Gloria's eyes light up and she opens her mouth, but then she deflates and looks down at the ground. "I should keep looking for Hop."

"If he's runnin' from you, I don't think he's ready to talk yet," I point out. "Plus, I wouldn't mind gettin' to see what's goin' on at the castle. Piss Rose off with my presence if he happens to be there. Plus, we might run into Bede."

Gloria pulls at her drawstrings. "Ugh. Um... I think I'll pass. You should go, though. Take some members of Team Yell. Catch me up later."

I frown. "You alright?"

Gloria shrugs. "I don't really want to draw attention to myself, honestly. I know you're fine with it, there's just... there's something strange about Chairman Rose. It's a gut feeling, I don't actually have any evidence, but..." Gloria shifts on their feet, looking uncomfortable. "He's like, too nice. I mean, he's a rich greedy asshole, yeah, but he's trying too hard to be a normal of a guy instead of a rich greedy asshole. I don't know how to describe it, I just... I think he just reminds me of my parents too much. Either way, I'd rather avoid him if I can. But go investigate! Piss him off!" Gloria waves and starts to walk past me. "I fully support."

I smile at her. "Thanks. See you...?"

"In Stow-On-Side next, probably. Stay safe!" She calls over her shoulder, picking up her pace. I wave at her as she jogs away before turning down the street and heading towards Hammerlocke Castle. Time to go figure out what Macro Cosmos is up to.

Now

"Good morning," Finn announces their presence as they come down the stairs, yawning. Lampent floats behind them, warbling quietly.

"Mornin'" Marnie and Hop respond simultaneously. Hop glances at Marnie, giving her a little nod.

"Hey, I know you like, jus' got here, but Piers says he wants us to take a trip," Marnie says casually, trying not to alarm Finn. It does not work. Finn freezes, going rigid. Lampent's flame flares a little bit, and they blink at their trainer.

"I- I didn't realize I had done something wrong, I'm sorry-" 

Hop jumps in to reassure them. "Finn, it's got nothing to do with you, we promise. You didn't do anything wrong."

Marnie nods. "I honestly don't even know what the hell this 's about. Piers jus' said the city's gonna be busy and he doesn't want us gettin' wrapped up in it, whatever it 's." She folds her arms and scoffs. "He said he'd tell me when we get back."

Finn relaxes a bit, but not entirely. Marnie can see the tension that lingers in their shoulders. "That's... strange."

"Tell me 'bout it," Marnie mutters indignantly. 

"I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe he just needs some space to think," Hop offers. "Either way, the sooner we leave for Stow-On-Side, the better." He smiles and stands. "Anybody need help packing?"

August 8th, Five And A Half Hours Later

"Thank you!" Hop calls up to the Corviknight's trainer as the Flying Taxi lifts off again, heading for its next destination. Finn echoes him and waves, using their other hand to shield their eyes from the sun. Marnie grumbles about the heat and pulls her leather jacket off, stuffing it in her backpack. Dust settles around the trio as they get their bearings and take in their surroundings, finally having arrived in Stow-On-Side after a quick trip on a fishing boat across Route 9 and a four hour flight from Circhester to the western side of Galar. It was only early afternoon, and the lunch rush was just starting to die down before the Stow-On-Side's daily siesta.

"It's a lot hotter than I remember," Finn admits, rolling up the sleeves of their hoodie. They look over Marnie's shoulder to check the temperature on her phone. "Thirty four degrees. Arceus."

"I mean, the last time you were here, it was the middle of winter," Hop points out. "The last time we were all here, I think."

Marnie nods. "We should find somewhere t' set up camp. Route 6, maybe. The Glimwood Tangle'll be too humid for comfort right now."

"There's actually a camping area for Trainers by the Gym," Hop says, fishing his phone out of his one of his backpack's pockets to pull up a map of the city. "I stayed during the Gym Challenge. It was pretty nice... there it is," he points it out on the map before plugging in directions. "It says a fifteen minute walk. You two up for it?"

Marnie glances at Finn, who shrugs. "I'm just doing whatever you guys are doing. Lead the way."

The route the trio takes passes along the outskirts of the main part of the city and the market before cutting towards the Stow-On-Side Gym. The light panels set into the are devoid of color during the summer, similar to all of the other gyms, but Hop mentions that it's Allister's turn to lead the gym this upcoming year, and that the lights should turn purple sometime mid-September. The Gym towers over Marnie, Finn, and Hop as they pass it, the giant steel stadium casting a comparatively small shadow in the early afternoon sun. Not a single cloud is visible in the sky, the unyielding light of the sun promising an equally scorching afternoon compared to the temperature now. The trio eventually comes to a large fenced off area of cliffs and caves, a small stall with a sign that reads 'CHALLENGER CAMPING GROUNDS' and bulletin board stationed at the gate. Large orange rocks and scruffy, hardy trees also dot the landscape, providing further shelter from the sun and heat. Marnie splits off to read the bulletin board while Hop and Finn go to the stall to sign in. Flyers and notices are pinned to it haphazardly and on top of one another, but a particularly new one that's dead center on the board catches Marnie's eye.

[~]

STOW-ON-SIDE OPEN GYM

WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS IN AUGUST

3 - 8 PM

NO FEE

FOOD, WATER, AND POKEMON SERVICES PROVIDED

[~]

That might not be a bad idea, Marnie rereads the flyer to make sure she has the information right. Free food and water 's definitely a good thing. And I think it's a Thursday...

"Anything interesting?" Finn calls over to Marnie as Hop fills out some kind of paperwork. There's nobody at the stall, as the siesta is mandatory for all businesses, lasting from one to two. Sometimes I wish there was as much Paldean influence in Spikemuth as there is in Stow-On-Side, Marnie thinks, biting back a yawn. Midday naps sound real nice.

"There's Open Gym tomorrow," Marnie responds. "At three. Free food 'n stuff too. Might not be a bad idea to check 't out."

"Sounds good to me. Hop?" Finn glances at Hop, who sets the papers down on the stall's table.

"We're good to head in," he announces, readjusting his backpack's strap across his chest. "What was that about an Open Gym?"

Finn gives him a quick recap, and he nods enthusiastically. "Nice! We should definitely go. My team's been a bit restless lately, and you can try your hand at battling again," he smiles at Finn, who glances down at the ground.

"I don't know if it'd be the same without everyone," they sigh, beginning to rock on their feet. "You don't have any clue about what happened to Inteleon, do you? Or Espeon, Luxray, and Morelull?"

Hop shakes his head. "You said you left them in your box, but when I checked, they were gone. I don't know what happened to them."

Marnie sees Finn's face crumple into despair, and she walks to them and places a gentle hand on their shoulder. "We'll find 'em. Or they'll find us. Pokemon have a tendency t' do that."

Hop nods in agreement. "Especially when they're close with you. I've lost count of how many times Dubwool wandered off when they were still a Wooloo, only to saunter in the garden gate days later like nothing happened. Don't worry about it. Maybe Ms. Lario knows what happened to them?"

Finn perks up at the mention of their foster mother. "Maybe! I tried stopping by while I was still in Postwick, but she wasn't there. The house looked completely deserted, honestly. Not a single Budew in the garden."

"She visits her sisters and their kids in Paldea in the summer," Hop explains. "I wasn't home when she left, but she usually leaves in May and comes back in August. She's probably back in Postwick by now." Hop glances at Marnie. "You think we have enough money for a detour?"

Marnie shakes her head. "No, but trains out 'f Motostoke are pretty easy t' sneak onto. We can probably get by 'til the Wild Area station, and if I book the tickets today, we might be able t' afford three from there t' Wedgehurst." Finn's eyes light up. "I'll do some lookin' tonight. But food is gonna get pretty scarce 'til we get to Moto, and I gotta eat to keep my blood sugar up, which means less for you two, which I don't like."

Finn shrugs. "Ximena will insist we eat four courses per meal anyway. I can last."

"Me too," Hop chimes in. "And Finn's right, Ms. Lario never lets anyone leave her house hungry. We'll manage. Not like there's a whole lot back in Spikemuth anyway."

"I'd feel guilty for eatin' while you two go hungry," Marnie admits, crossing her arms. "It feels greedy."

"You'd literally die if you didn't," Hop points out. "That's not greedy."

Finn nudges Marnie's arm gently, taking the opportunity to comfort her as she'd done to them. "It's alright, Mar. Nothing to do about it. We'll be fine." They offer her a smile, and Marnie thinks it's the first one they've seen that has actually reached Finn's eyes. "Promise."

"Alright then," Marnie sighs. "I'll get tickets. I want t' get out 'f this damn heat, though."

"Say less," Hop grins and turns to enter the camp ground. "Tent time!"

August 8th, 11:28 PM

Marnie's brow furrows as she scrolls through ticket listings, sitting among the haphazard bed of three sleeping bags that Hop and Finn had set up in their tent as Marnie went into the city to get water from a Pokecenter. A small solar powered lamp sits in the corner, emitting a warm, orange light. The trio's bags rest near the door, and there's not space for much else. Marnie filters by date, then by price. The ones of the thirteenth are cheap, but I don't know if we have enough food to last that long...

"Mar?"

Finn is staring up at Marnie, whose face is mostly lit by the glare of her phone. "It's late, you should sleep," they say, concern evident in their voice.

Marnie sighs. "I've still gotta get tickets. They're cheaper further out, but I'm-"

"Worried about food," Finn finishes for them.

They know me too well, Marnie mutters internally. "Yeah," she admits, setting her phone down in her lap.

Finn sits up and shifts closer to her. "It's gonna be okay, Mar, I promise. I got pretty good at swiping food while I was traveling on my own. We'll manage. Or we don't have to go."

"No," Marnie retorts, a little harshly. Finn flinches, and Marnie notices. "Sorry. I jus'... you deserve t' see your foster mum. It's been two years. You must miss her."

Finn sighs and rubs the back of their neck. "Yeah. She'll probably have some answers for me, too." They groan and tilt their head backwards, looking up at the canvas ceiling of the tent. "I feel bad that we're making a huge detour for me, though. I don't think I'm used to being around people who actually care about what I want yet," they snort bitterly.

Marnie chuckles. "Well, I feel like shit for havin' t' eat while you two starve, so we're even." Finn rolls their eyes, but Marnie sees a little smile pulling the corners of their lips up. "D' you-"

Hop, who is asleep on the other side of Finn, snores softly and rolls over, interrupting Marnie. Finn smothers a giggle. "He's been out like a light since seven," Marnie remarks, more conscious of her volume now. "I don't know how he does 't."

Finn snickers quietly. "It's the traveling. Believe me, he was so bad on the way to Moto for the Opening Ceremony. I basically had to drag him out of his tent to wake him up. Wouldn't sit still once he was up, but he sleeps like the dead. It's funny."

"Pfft." Marnie shakes her head in amusement before picking up her phone again. Finn shifts closer to her again, looking over her shoulder. Marnie tries to ignore the fact that the hand they're using to prop themselves up is very, very close to hers.

There's a lull is conversation, leading to a comfortable silence. Marnie continues to look through tickets while Finn repositions themselves to actually rest their chin on her shoulder. Marnie blinks, a little startled, before offering Finn one of her hands without really thinking about it. After a moment's hesitation, Finn takes it, rubbing their thumb on the back of her hand, a delicate, reassuring gesture. Marnie can feel the calluses on their fingers, but despite the rough texture, their touch is soft.

This is... strange, Marnie thinks, glancing down at Finn's hand in hers. Strange but good, I think. It feels normal.

She feels obligated to fill the silence to show Finn that she's comfortable, so Marnie asks a question that has been patiently waiting to be answered. "Why Finn?"

Finn blinks. "Huh?"

"For your name. Why Finn?"

"Oh. Uh..." Finn glances away nervously, pulls away a little bit. Disappointment flickers in Marnie's chest for a moment, but it's quickly forgotten in the wake of embarrassment.

"If it's personal, you don't have t' tell me, I jus'-" Marnie says quickly, too quickly. Her cheeks burn. "I was curious. But if it's not somethin' you wanna talk about, we don't have to."

"No, no, it's not that it's personal, it's just... it's a little embarrassing, honestly," Finn sighs. "And telling people how I got my name hasn't gone well so far."

"Well, let's fix that," Marnie says, setting her phone down again to put her other hand on Finn's. "How'd you get your name, Finn?"

Finn smiles, a hint of pink in their cheeks. "Well... I guess I should start with Ximena. She loves Paldean telenovelas, she told me they're her way of staying close to her home region while she's in Galar. They were always on, even if she wasn't watching them. There was this one, I forget exactly what it was called, but it's about this guy who runs away from his home and terrible parents and arranged marriage to find the life of his dreams. He steals a boat and he sails around the world and makes some friends, and when he gets to Paldea, he meets this girl who doesn't want to go through with her arranged marriage, so they fall in love and get married and sail off into the sunset or whatever, but whatever it's called, it was Ximena's favorite. She watched it at least, like, ten times a week. And it wasn't short, either, like it was three and a half hours. Anyways, the guy's name was Finnegan. Or Finnick, or Finneas, or something with Finn in it, but either way, I liked the name Finn, and I thought it fit, 'cause I really, really wanted to run away and come back to Galar, and find you and Hop again, so... yeah. I got my name from some stupid, goofy telenovela. It's silly."

"I don't think it's silly," Marnie replies. "Piers named me after some historian, I think. An' Hop, is, well, Hop." She shrugs. "All names are silly, if you ask me. They're jus' words, anyway. An' your old name was kind of clunky, too. Made you sound like a pretentious asshole."

"Eugh," Finn shudders. "Yeah. I mean, my parents are, so that makes sense. I'd rather my name be silly than pretentious."

"I agree," Marnie nods. "Anyways, I like 't. It sounds strong." She pauses, then: "Like you."

Finn smiles, sighing softly and resting their head on Marnie's shoulder. "Thank you. You're the first person to say that, you know."

"You bein' strong?"

"No," Finn replies, voice quiet. "That my name is nice."

Marnie shrugs with one shoulder, not wanting to disturb Finn. "Eh. I'm bein' honest."

"I know. But still," they sigh deeply, and Marnie feels some tension leave their hand. "Thank you."

The pair goes quiet again. Marnie eventually finds tickets she's happy with, buys them, and lays down. Finn, who is somehow dozing off on her shoulder, wakes up enough to settle themselves in the space next to Marnie, pressing themselves into her side.

Marnie reaches over to turn out the lamp before making herself comfortable next to Finn, who is already fully asleep, breathing slow, steady, and peaceful. She looks at them for a moment in the darkness, only closing her eyes when she's sure there are no wrinkles of tension between their eyebrows.

Despite how cold it is outside of the flimsy tent walls, Marnie is warm the whole night.

Chapter Text

August 9th, 4:27 PM

"Sandaconda, Brutal Swing!"

Sandaconda huffs in acknowledgement, lunges for the opposing Gym Trainer's Phantump, and seizes them in her jaws. The Phantump chirps in surprise as Sandaconda flips them upwards, teeth glowing an ominous red. Sandaconda brings the Phantump crashing to the ground and releases them, rolling away and preparing for the next attack.

Hop tenses, waiting for the Phantump to right themselves, but instead, they lay on the ground, murmuring softly. Both Hop and the Gym Trainer recognize that the battle is over, and Hop jogs out onto the battlefield to congratulate Sandaconda and to check on the Phantump. Phantump's trainer comes over as well, checking to make sure they aren't seriously injured before patting them gently and returning them to their Pokeball. They look down at Hop as he kneels down to scratch Sandaconda's snout and check on the damage she took during the battle.

"Congrats," the Gym Trainer murmurs. "I'm glad to see you battling again."

The words take a moment to register. Hop looks up at the Gym Trainer. "Oh. Er... thank you. Did I battle you?"

The Trainer nods. "Your challenge was two years ago, right? Or was it three?"

"Two," Hop replies, giving Sandaconda one last pat before returning her to her Pokeball and straightening up. "Feels like forever ago." He extends a hand, a gesture of sportsmanship, and the Gym Trainer takes it and shakes it.

"You thinkin' about going again this year?"

Hop shakes his head. "Nope. Did once already, didn't I?"

Clapping and laughter attracts Hop's attention to where Finn and Lampent are congratulating Marnie, Liepard, and Morpeko on their win against a different Gym Trainer. "I've gotta run. Thanks for the battle, mate."

The Trainer shrugs. "It's my job. Make sure you get some water sometime soon."

"Will do." Hop nods and starts to head towards Marnie and Finn. "Thanks again, mate!"

He makes his way to Finn, Marnie, and their Pokemon, slipping between groups of trainers on the sidelines of the Stow-On-Side battlefield. A small crowd watches the four battles happening at once on the divided field, but their size is nowhere near close to the Stadium's full capacity. Steel beams and metal plating cast long shadows onto the deep purple turf, and despite the fact that the afternoon is slowly transitioning into evening, the sun is still scorchingly hot.

"Hey!" He greets his friends and comes to a halt next to the bench Finn sits on, Morpeko immediately scampering towards him and chittering happily. He laughs and gives Marnie and Liepard a small nod. "Your battle go alright?"

She nods. "No sweat." Hop raises an eyebrow at the sweat stains on her sleeve, and Marnie rolls her eyes. "It's hot. You don't look much better yourself."

Hop glances down at himself, seeing the small ring of darkened fabric around his collar. "Fair enough."

Finn snickers. Marnie pats Liepard between his ears, and his hooked tail bobs happily. "Liepard pulled off a Snarl jus' in time to take out the Cursola before another Ancient Power landed. Already got two omni-boosts from it."

"Two is rare," Hop remarks, recalling what he knows about the move. "Isn't it around ten percent per move?"

Marnie nods. "Think so. I wasn't happy with it, I'll tell you that. Didn't end up matterin', though." She smiles down at Liepard. "Wayta go."

Liepard mrrows triumphantly, puffing out his chest a bit. He sits and begins licking the dust out of his fur while Morpeko jumps up on the bench to greet Lampent. Marnie sighs deeply. "Alright, I think I've had enough battlin' for one day. I've gotta get Morpeko looked at too. You sure you don't wanna give it a shot, Finn?"

They shake their head. "I'm alright, really. Lampent seems a little lazy today." They glance at Lampent, who is drifting above the bench, dozing in the shade. Finn flips the drawstings of their hoodie between their fingers, wrapping them in the cord, unwinding them, and repeating. "Any chance you guys know where the food-"

A low, distant rumble cuts Finn off. The conversation of the trainers around them lulls into a startled silence as the ground begins to tremble. Lampent jolts awake, Morpeko totters on the edge of the bench, and Liepard darts forward to catch them as they slip off the edge. The metal of the Stadium groans softly. Then, both the sound and the trembling fade, and the chatter returns as quickly as left, louder now and cut through with exclamations of surprise.

"What was that?!" Finn asks, scanning the stadium.

"Another earthquake," Marnie murmurs, frowning.

"What's wrong with an earthquake?" Finn tilts their head to the side, looking confused.

"Well, one earthquake wouldn't be so bad," Hop replies, sighing heavily. "This is the first one this month, I think, but there's been tons recently."

"Didn't it start with that one two years ago, the one in December?" Marnie asks Hop, wrinkling her nose in thought. "When we first got to Hammerlocke?"

"No, that was just something being tested in the Power Plant," Hop shakes his head before rolling his eyes. "Allegedly. I'd be willing to bet the Power Plant has something to do with the earthquakes, but there's not really a clear pattern besides the fact that the epicenter for all of them is in Hammerlocke. But they're getting a lot more frequent. The first one that was recorded as an earthquake was the summer after you left, and then I think we had two or three the rest of the year. More the next, and this year has been crazy. There were four last month." He sighs, flopping down on the bench next to Finn. "They're never anything major, just a few seconds, but it's just strange. Maybe I'll swing by Sonia's while we're in Wedgehurst, ask her what she thinks of them. Rose has gotta be doing something shady."

"When is he not?" Marnie scoffs, rolling her eyes. She recalls Liepard into his Pokeball and gathers Morpeko in her arms. "I'm goin' t' the Pokemon Service Kiosk for Morpeko, do you want me t' take yours too, Hop?"

He nods. "If you wouldn't mind, that'd be great." He hands her Sandaconda's Pokeball. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'll be back." Marnie gives her friends a small wave before vanishing into the crowd, Pokeballs in hand.

"You looked like you were having fun out there," Finn says quietly, looking at Lampent as they float down into their lap.

"Yeah! It's nice to be able to just mess around with battling, y'know?" Hop lets out another sigh, leaning his head back against the wall. "No pressure, no stress, just getting to try stuff out and see what works and what doesn't. Besides, my team has been pretty restless lately, so it's good to let them get their energy out, y'know?"

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Finn says, smiling. "I'm guessing that's why you didn't go through with the Championship?"

Hop nods. "Yeah, pretty much. I just... I don't know, I didn't like it. Too many eyes on me. Freaked me out a little bit." He pauses, debates on whether he should tell Finn this story or not, and decides that it won't hurt anything now. He lowers his voice and leans towards them a little bit. "That and, well..."

Early Morning, Late May, Two Years Ago

I should probably work with Corviknight and Pincurchin today, I think to myself as I near the locker rooms of Hammerlocke Stadium. Or maybe Cinderace, get them warmed up so we can work on Pyro Ball's accuracy once the Gym Trainers get here at nine...

I stifle a yawn and readjust my bag on my shoulder before pushing to door open to the locker room, surprised to find that the lights are already on. I was looking forward to a quiet morning, working on battle strategies with my Pokemon alone, but who I find watching me almost a little too expectantly from the other side of the locker room puts an end to that idea and replaces it with a cold pool of dread in my stomach.

"Mr. Chairman," I blurt without thinking, too startled to really comprehend what's happening. "You... I... um..."

Chairman Rose doesn't say anything, doesn't even move, he just watches as I fumble over my words. His face looks cold and angry without its usual overly-jovial smile. He stands in front of the door into the tunnel that leads onto the battlefield, which means he's blocking my way, which means that- gods, I don't even know, but why is he here?

"You're... up early," I say slowly, straightening my posture, pushing my shoulders back a little bit, remembering what Piers told me. Don't let him intimidate you.

And just like that, it's like I'm talking to a completely different person. "Ah, well, the work never ends, does it?" Chairman Rose smiles and chuckles, shaking his head a little bit. "I could say the same about you."

"I'm just using the field for practice, I have permission from Raihan," I say hastily, hoping that he's here because he saw me come in and thought I wasn't allowed, not for any other reason. Gods, what in the- this is so weird, why is he-

"Oh, don't worry, you're not in trouble," the Chairman waves his hand in the air and rolls his eyes, like he's trying to blow away a bothersome piece of dust. "I was merely curious. It's reassuring to know that you're just as dedicated to your training as your older brother."

I want to ask him how he knew I would be here because I never talked to anyone but Raihan about it, but I decide on a different question instead. "Is Lee here?"

That would certainly explain some things. Maybe there's just some meeting that I didn't know about, and Lee just got lost on the way, and Chairman Rose is just here waiting for him. Maybe this isn't as strange as it looks.

"Oh, I'm afraid not," Chairman Rose shakes his head. "He's in Wyndon for the next few weeks, preparing for the Champion Cup. No, no, I came here to speak to you, Hop. Just for a chat between the two of us." He smiles at me, and I hope that I don't look as alarmed as I feel.

"Oh, uh, well, I do only have so much time on the field before Raihan needs it," I try to deflect, taking a small step back towards the door. "Is there any chance we could do this some other time?"

"Mr. Kairimi is taking a trip to Stow-On-Side today, I'm certain he won't have a problem with you staying a bit later to compensate for our little chat," Chairman Rose says in a tone that makes it very clear he's not open to objections. I put a hand in one of my jacket pockets and clench my fist, trying to appear as calm as possible. How does he know that Raihan's away today?

"I guess," I say, shrugging. "I hope you don't mind if I put my stuff away, though," I glance at him as I walk towards the lockers, careful not to turn my back to him.

"Not at all," he nods. "Please, do whatever you need. You see, I've been reminiscing quite a lot recently about your brother's younger years. You look very similar to how he did when he was your age, did you know that?"

"Mum mentions that plenty, yes," I reply, setting my bag down on the bench in front of the lockers and opening it, rummaging inside it for my Pokeballs. I think I did a decent job of keeping the resentment out of my voice, but I'm not sure, because Chairman Rose sighs before continuing.

"Ah, well, I suppose she has favored him over you, yes?" He shakes his head. "Quite unfortunate. You have talent all of your own, although you and your brother do share your good-natured enthusiasm. It's quite refreshing to see Challengers participate in the Gym Challenge just for the sake of battling and not for... other purposes."

You're being very, very careful about keeping Marnie and Piers' names out of your mouth, I think, resisting the urge to glare at him. "Well, battling is so personal that it's difficult to separate yourself from it. I mean, I think announcers have called me 'Leon's Little Brother' more than they've actually called me Hop." I roll my eyes, keeping one eye on the Chairman. "I'm sure those other purposes are personal too."

"Hmm. I suppose," he says, sounding not at all convinced. "Regardless, I believe that you are a very special young man with incredible talent, and I think it's very likely that you could be our next Champion. In fact, I've bet on it."

I turn to look at him and raise an eyebrow. "Mr. Chairman, I don't think betting against someone you endorsed is appropriate."

"Perhaps not," he chuckles, although I think I see a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. "But Leon does seem nervous for this year's Cup. I think he knows that you are a force to be reckoned with."

What do you want from me? What do you want me to say? I stare at him for a moment before I reply, choosing my words carefully. "I appreciate that, Mr. Chairman, but as I'm sure you know, I do have competition."

"Who? The Spikemuth girl? The Gym Leaders?" He scoffs. "No, they stand no chance against you. Perhaps that other friend of yours would have, had she stayed in Galar to finish the Gym Challenge, but I suppose we'll never know. Either way, young man, I'm sure you know that the role of Champion comes with many responsibilities, and having someone to guide you in your decisions as Champion is invaluable, especially when you're new to the position."

"Mr. Chairman." I look him dead in the eyes, already knowing what he's trying to say. "I'm perfectly capable of making well-educated and thoughtful decisions about my actions, and I'm certain that if I become Champion, and only if, that I will be more than equipped enough to handle the position on my own. Thank you for your offer, but my answer is no. Even if I do end up needing guidance, Lee has ten years of experience with the job and has already told me that he'd be happy to help me whenever."

Chairman Rose chuckles. "You're quite observant, but I'm afraid that you haven't finished listening to what I have to say. I'm sure you'll be interested in this next part."

I bite back a sigh and begin to hang what I don't need in a locker. Doesn't give up easily, I'll give him that. "What, then?"

"You see, accepting my guidance would not only provide insight into how the League itself works, but it would also give you a great deal of... how shall I put this..." His eyes wander up to the ceiling as he takes a few steps towards me. "Influence."

I close the locker door, maybe a little too harshly, and turn around to keep him squarely in sight. "And?"

"I understand that you are friends with the younger of the Morrison siblings, but I do also recall you being quite close to that other girl, the one who returned to Sinnoh after acquiring her fifth Gym Badge," Chairman Rose says, watching me carefully. The way he's speaking unsettles me, it's like he's trying to get in my head. "Well, it happens to be that your friend Gloria comes from a very influential, very prosperous family. Are you familiar with Iron Island, Hop?"

"I can't say that I am, Mr. Chairman."

"It's a small island off the western coast of Sinnoh, just an hour or two out to sea from Eterna City," Chairman Rose continues. "Gloria's family owns the island- named it after themselves, actually- and also owns much of Sinnoh's mining industry. As it turns out, Macro Cosmos and the Irons' business are frequent trade partners."

"Mr. Chairman, I don't see what this has to do with me," I interject. "I really should start my training, so if you would excuse-"

"I'm not done," Chairman Rose says firmly, holding up a hand. Is it just me, or does he look a little angry? "If you were to work with me as your brother does, I'm sure that Gloria's return to Galar could be arranged. After all," he raises an eyebrow and smiles, looking amused. "It seems like you were quite fond of her."

I recoil, taking a step back and nearly falling onto the bench. What in the- what?! Why is he even thinking about- gods, no- that's not-

It takes me a moment to recover from my discomfort. I tamp it down just enough to look Chairman Rose in the eye again. I just need to get him to leave me alone. "Not in the way you're insinuating, no. Look, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the offer, really, but my answer is still no. I can't in good conscience work with someone who profits off of children and is willing to offer serious jobs to fourteen year olds." Or ten year olds, I think to myself, trying to smother the anger that grows in my chest. "If you restore Spikemuth's funding, then maybe we can talk, but right now, I'm not interested."

Something dark flickers in Chairman Rose's eyes, but he closes them and lets out a long sigh before I can figure out what it is. "I see Mr. Morrison has told you about the League Board's decision to reduce his funding. It is an unfortunate situation, but perhaps you will understand more when you are older. Perhaps I've overestimated you. Either way," he comes over to me and pats my shoulder, and I do my best not to flinch. "Best of luck in the Champion Cup. I look forward to your performance."

And with that, he turns and walks out of the room, leaving me with lots of new questions and no good answers.

Now

"It was so strange," Hop says, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "It didn't end up mattering, because I dropped out. Anyways, I didn't feel ready for the responsibilities that would've come with it if I did win then, and I still don't think I'd be ready now. I don't know how the hell Lee did it at ten."

"He didn't," Finn snorts. "Rose did. I didn't know that Macro Cosmos traded with SinnohWrought, but it makes sense- he needs metal to build shit, and my parents have plenty of it." Finn shudders. "The more I think about it, the more Rose seems like my father, and that is definitely not a good thing."

Hop grimaces. "Yeah."

"Gods, that is so, so weird," Finn hisses, wrapping their arms around their chest. "That's so creepy. How did he even- I don't, eugh." They shudder. "Yeah. No. There's definitely something wrong with him. He's always seemed a little overly friendly."

"It explains why he was so interested in the two of us too, I guess," Hop murmurs, staring a Lampent, who is looking anxiously up at Finn. "Well, besides the fact that Lee endorsed us. Family ties. And, well, he's probably looking for a new Champion. Someone else to profit off of." He rolls his eyes. "It doesn't sit right with me that Lee still works for him, but whatever. His choice, I guess. Do you-"

And for the second time today, a low rumbling sounds throughout the Stadium, leaving the crowd confused and startled. It sounds different, though, and is accompanied by a low whistle.

"Another earthquake?" Finn glances at Hop, eyebrows furrowed. Lampent chirps in fear before returning to their Pokeball voluntarily. Finn blinks in surprise at their empty lap.

"That's not an earthquake," Hop breathes, feeling his stomach sink. He looks up as sees that the sky is no longer bright and clear- dark, red-tinged storm clouds swirl and eddy low over the Stadium. The wind rises from a whistle into a low howl, and Hop gets to his feet and grabs Cinderace's Pokeball out of his pocket. 

"You need to get inside," Hop tells Finn, watching as other trainers begin to recognize what this is and crowd towards the tunnel that leads off the field. He can feel the wind picking up and sees small bolts of red lighting crackle in the clouds above them.

Finn stands, eyes wide and panicked. "Hop, what's going-"

A thundering screech cuts them off and echoes around the Stadium. Finn flinches and covers their ears, ducking their head. They try to say something, but Hop can't hear them as he sees the red glow on the far side of the field, blood going cold. 

"Get inside!" He yells over his shoulder before darting into the crowd of people and trying to move against the tide, like an Arrokuda swimming upstream. People scream and shout as they narrowly dodge him, full out sprinting for the tunnel now. A shadow begins to grow at an unnaturally high speed, cloaked in a red glow, shuddering and shaking the ground as they shoulder their enlarged body. A metallic whine splits the air, like two massive knives being scraped against one another, and two gargantuan, slitted eyes stare down at Hop from the guards on the hilts of a Doublade's swords. The crowd has mostly thinned at this point, but Hop can just barely see the moment Bea calls for her Pangoro to use Night Slash as she and Allister plunge into battle. Allister's Gengar vanishes into thin air in the blink of an eye before reappearing far overhead and charging up a Shadow Ball and firing it at the Doublade. Both attacks land at the same time, but the Doublade doesn't seem to take any damage, pivoting midair to loom over at Bea and Allister, blades glittering menacingly.

Hop starts to full out sprint toward the pair, fingers tightening around the Pokeball in his hand before he hurls it towards the Doublade with all his might. "Cinderace, Pyro Ball!"

Cinderace materializes midair and takes a moment to take in their surroundings before summoning a ball of fire next to their feet, flipping midair and punting it straight towards the Doublade. The Doublade shifts and swings one of their swords towards the Pyro Ball, slicing it clean in half. The two semi-spheres of light stall in the air for a moment before exploding, raining smoke downards.

Hop skids to a halt next to Bea and Allister. "What's the plan?" He shouts over Doublade's near deafening rumble. The ground gives a violent tremor, and all three of them are nearly thrown off of their feet.

"Cinderace and Gengar will distract them with speed," Bea calls back, arms tense and close to her chest in a fighting stance. Hop notices that Allister's light purple irises glow faintly in the pitch black eye sockets of his mask, and Hop knows that both Gym Leaders have decided that they aren't holding back in the slightest.  "Pangoro will do most of the heavy hitting. Aim for the eyes!"

Hop nods in understanding, jolting when he hears the telltale whistling of something cutting the air. He looks back to the Doublade just in time to see them slash low to the ground in a sweeping motion, aiming for both Pangoro and Cinderace now that they've landed.

"Dodge it!" Hop and Bea scream simultaneously.

Cinderace leaps over the blade with ease, but Pangoro isn't so lucky. The force of the blow sends them flying into the air, crashing to the ground a few moments later. When the dust clears, Pangoro is struggling to get to their feet in a crater twice their size, supporting themselves with their arms. Red lighting from the Doublade's blow fizzles in the air around them.

Hop hears Bea curse under her breath and she reaches for two Pokeballs on her side. She recalls Pangoro and sends out a Hawlucha.

"Change of plans," she calls to Allister and Hop. "Don't get hit. Hawlucha, Flying Press!"

"Cinderace, use Bounce, then Pyro Ball again!" Hop shouts. Allister gives a command that Hop can't hear but Gengar has no trouble interpreting and executing. Cinderace and Hawlucha spring into the air, both landing on one of Doublade's swords while Gengar sends a Shadow Ball whizzing upwards and right past Doublade's eyes as a distraction. They tilt upwards and watch at the Shadow Ball fizzles out and don't see Hawlucha and Cinderace aiming for their eyes until it's too late. Both back contact and the Doublade wails, a long, ear-scraping screech, and Cinderace rebounds off the Doublade upwards and sends a Pyro Ball crashing down onto the top of one of their hilts. The Doublade continues to wail as it careens towards the ground and the tips of their swords gouge scars into the turf. Enough dust and smoke is kicked up and flows outwards from the Doublade hitting the ground and the Pyro Ball connecting that the Doublade is clouded from view completely. Hop breathes a sigh of relief as Cinderace and Hawlucha land on the ground safely and Genger hovers down to float near them. Thank goodness.

But the battle isn't over.

The ground lurches violently once, then twice, then a third time, faster and faster. Hop barely manages to stay on his feet, but Allister stumbles and is caught by Bea, whose eyebrows are furrowed in frustration. Gengar swoops down and throws Hawlucha into the air so they don't have to worry about falling, but Cinderace teeters and flails their arms as they're thrown off balance. Then, out of the massive cloud of dust and smoke, a huge metal spike emerges, easily the size of a building, erupting from the ground. Another  follows right in front of it, then another, all aiming for and rapidly approaching, Hop realizes as fear bolts through him, Cinderace.

"Jump on it to dodge it, Cinderace!" He screams, knowing that it's unlikely that his partner will be able to withstand the damage from a Max Steelspike. Cinderace springs upward just as the ground beneath their feet begins to split, and it's too late. The metal makes contact and sends Cinderace flying even higher into the air, red lightning wracking through their body, and Hop hears them cry out. Allister gives Gengar another command, and Gengar darts towards Cinderace and catches them before they hit the ground, They then float back over to Hop and set Cinderace gently on the ground beside him before turning and firing a Dark Pulse at the Doublade and vanishing.

"Shit," Hop hisses, kneeling down next to his partner and taking out their Pokeball, trying to come up with a new strategy. Corviknight can fly and that would keep them from getting hit for the most part, but Dubwool would be able to hit Doublade for more-

Cinderace chitters and raises a paw as Hop goes to recall them into their Pokeball. They sit up and slowly get to their feet, determination burning in their eyes despite wincing all the while.

"Are you sure?" Hop asks, still worried. "I don't want you getting properly injured."

Cinderace nods and huffs, ears twitching and flattening. They shake their arms out before darting back into battle, summoning another Pyro Ball and launching it at Doublade, who looks significantly worse for wear. Hawlucha has just finished landing another Flying Press, and Gengar fires off another Dark Pulse before picking up Hawlucha and soaring into the air. Doublade doesn't immediately retaliate, another sign that they're struggling. Maybe if I send out Corviknight too, we can end this before- 

"HEYYYYY!"

Hop turns towards the sound immediately, recognizing the voice. Finn stands alone, no Pokemon at their side, no one to help them fight, but still waving their arms above their head and screaming at the top of their lungs. The Doublade screeches again and turns towards them, pink eyes glowing wildly.

"HEYYY! OVER HERE!" Finn's voice draws the attention of Bea and Allister too, just barely rising above the din of battle, the hum of the Dynamax Energy in the air, and Doublade's low hissing. "COME AND GET ME!"

The Doublade raises a sword high, clearly readying to bring it down onto Finn. Panic jolts through Hop, sending his heart rate skyrocketing. "Finn!" He screams, stumbling towards them, legs refusing to cooperate out of shock. "What are you-!"

The Doublade roars, shaking the ground. Finn fumbles for something in their pockets and glances up, the shadow of Doublade's sword looming over them. Hop trips over something and falls to his knees, catching himself with his hands. Lampent can't fight this Doublade, they're going to get hurt, oh my gods, Finn-

But Finn pulls out a Great Ball, not the normal Pokeball that belongs to Lampent. They hurl it into the air just as the Doublade slashes downwards. Hop sees Finn shout a command, but he can't hear it over the roaring of blood in his ears or Doublade's roaring, he can't tell which.

The sword comes all the way down, right on top of where Finn is. A huge cloud of dust blows outwards. Hop shields his eyes as his heart stutters to a halt.

The Doublade doesn't draw their sword back, seemingly frozen in place. Something red glimmers deep within the cloud of dust. More lighting?

As the dust settles, the first thing that Hop sees is a small green glow that has somehow stopped Doublade's sword. A long, thin arm with a fin on it comes next, and a shoulder connected to a body after that. Most of the figure is in shadow, but Hop can see their red and yellow underbelly and long, thick, lizard-like tail. They're tall and bipedal, standing on short legs with sharp claws. A strange shape sticks out of their back, not quite a fin but not quite wings, and their back arches gracefully into a flat head with oval horns on the sides of it. A yellow five pointed star adorns the tip of their nose, and jagged teeth gnash beneath it.

The figure roars and lashes their tail, clearing more dust and finally fully revealing the scene. Finn crouches on the ground, arms covering their head, as an absolutely massive Garchomp holds a glowing green claw- Dragon Claw, some part of Hop's mind recognizes the move- and the full weight of Doublade's sword just feet above their head. 

They're okay, Hop melts into the ground in relief. Not dead. I didn't lose them less than two weeks after getting them back.

Finn comes to their senses and darts off to their left, out of the line of Doublade's sword. They call out to Garchomp. "Crunch!"

Garchomp, who is still holding the Doublade's sword with Dragon Claw, takes one step to the side, activates Crunch to turn grow their teeth into vicious orange spikes, and clamps them down onto the edge of the sword. The Doublade screeches in pain and pulls their sword upwards, but Garchomp hangs on by just their jaw and is yanked into the air along with the blade. Garchomp releases the Doublade high in the air, being flung upwards due to the momentum of the swing. Hop sees fire flicker around their mouth.

This is our chance, Hop realizes. "Pyro Ball!"

Bea and Allister catch on, each giving their Pokemon commands to use Flying Press and Shadow Ball respectively. A scarlet plume of flame erupts from Garchomp's mouth, and the Flamethrower connects the same instant the other three do.

A huge explosion shakes the earth, lightning crackling around Doublade as they wail. The red glow of Dynamax begins to dissipate and Doublade's body shudders back down to its normal size, no taller than Hop's legs. They clatter to the ground, completely defeated and unconscious, and the mighty storm overhead clears away, leaving only a sunny sky. If it weren't for the disastrous damage to the battlefield itself, it would be like nothing ever happened.

Hop, Bea, and Allister seem to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Finn, on the other hand, scrambles to their feet and runs for Garchomp, eyes wide and chest heaving for air.

Hop gets to his feet as well, darting to Cinderace. They're breathing heavily and have some nasty scrapes on their side signaling the damage they took, but don't show any signs of serious or permanent injury. They look to Hop and nod before beginning to hobble over to Allister's Gengar and Bea's Hawlucha, who are both being approached by their own trainers.

Hop then turns and runs for Finn, who seems to be trying to talk to Garchomp. They wave their hands to try and get the massive creature's attention as they sweep their head from side to side, surveying their surroundings. A golden iris set in a black void of an eye catches on Hop as he approaches, and Garchomp leans forward, snarling and baring their teeth.

"No, no!" Finn's voice rises in distress. "It's okay, I promise, Garchomp-" They whip their head around and stare at Hop desperately. "Stay back, just-"

Hop slows to a halt a few meters away from Finn and Garchomp as the latter's snarl grows into an angry roar. They let their mouth gape open, showing all of their teeth, and Hop notices that they're missing a few. In fact, Hop notices a lot of things about this Garchomp now that he's much closer to them- the old scars that criss-cross their scaled body, the nicks in the fins on their arms and tail, and, most notably, the fin on their back missing half of itself, ending in a rough line instead of it's natural point.

"Garchomp, easy, easy," Finn says, reaching up to grab Garchomp's neck and pulling it downwards. Garchomp continues to growl, swinging their head around to bring their right eye close to Finn's face. "Easy, easy, there you go," Finn soothes them and rubs their neck, murmuring softly. "It's okay. I know, I know, but it's okay."

Garchomp's growl grows quieter as they lower themselves fully towards the ground, digging the singular claws on the end of both of their arms into the turf. They tilt the right side of their face towards Hop to watch him carefully, still showing their teeth. Finn crouches down next to them and sets one of their arms on the top of Garchomp's head, beckoning Hop forward with the other. "It's okay. He's a friend. He's safe. You're safe." They glance at Hop. "Come here."

Hop approaches slowly and steadily, careful not to make any sudden movements. Up close it becomes apparent just how massive they are- easily three times the size of Finn and probably twice the size of the average human adult. Hop's whole head could probably fit in their mouth with room to spare. They could snap my neck as easily as breathing.

Finn rubs the top of Garchomp's head near their nose, over the top two points of the yellow star marking. "Easy. Easy." They hold out their other hand, palm up, and Hop sets his own hand in theirs. The slowly bring it towards Garchomp's nose. They huff deeply and raise their head a little, still only displaying the right side of it, observing Hop warily. Garchomp comes a bit closer to Hop, yellow eye peering at him suspiciously as they make a low creaky clicking noise. They then sniff at Hop's face, and he does his best not to flinch at Garchomp's every movement. Their breathing is loud and heavy and Hop can see the four razor sharp serrated teeth that bite over their bottom jaw. Why do Dragon Types have such huge teeth, gods, what the-

Garchomp gives one last sniff before letting out a small snort and gently bumping the tip of their head into Hop's forehead. A surprised giggle escapes Hop, but Garchomp doesn't seem to mind, and draws back and unfurls to their full height, towering over Hop and Finn.

"Wow," Hop breathes in awe, watching Garchomp swing their head around once more to get a better look at their surroundings. "I didn't know you had a Garchomp."

"He's technically not mine," Finn says quietly. "He's my father's, but I took him when I ran away."

Hop's breath catches in his throat as he realizes that Garchomp's left eye has a deep scar over it. Where a second glittering golden iris should be, the socket is empty and screwed shut. 

"Your father's?" Hop echoes, anger slowly creeping over him as he pieces together what this Garchomp has likely been through.

"Unfortunately," Finn grimaces as they reply. "Father used him to keep mine workers in line years ago, I think. Maybe battling. I'm not sure. But he lost most of his back fin in a fight followed by a cave in, around the time I was three or four. Father decided he was useless because he couldn't fly properly, and started using him for pit fights to make money off of him. That's how he lost his eye." Finn sighs. "Father's kept him for years even though he eventually refused to fight because he looks intimidating enough to ward away anyone stupid enough to wander on his land." They roll their eyes. "He made some comments on how he saved money on security because of Garchomp. But he's never been treated well and, I don't know, I couldn't just leave him. I want him to not be miserable. He always looked so sad outside and alone. Father also mentioned finding a replacement for him because he was getting 'too old', but I don't think he's much older than me."

"That's awful," Hop whispers. He sees confusion flicker in Finn's eyes and scrambles to clarify. "Not you taking him with you when you ran away, what your father did. Nobody should treat any living creature like that, Pokemon or human."

Finn shrugs. "It's my father. It's not really surprising."

"You shouldn't have to think of your father that way either," Hop growls, his tone rising in anger. "It's not fair."

"I know," Finn lets out a defeated sigh. "But he won't change, and wishing that he will won't make him change either. Besides," Finn smiles at Hop. "I have a better family here."

Bea and Allister approach, having recalled their Pokemon. Cinderace pads up to Garchomp carefully and allows themselves to be inspected by him. Garchomp seems to approve of them but doesn't seem particularly interested, huffing and beginning to wander away from them instead.

Bea offers a hand to Hop. "Thanks for Cinderace's help. We appreciate it."

Hop takes Bea's hand and shakes it, smiling. "No problem. Glad we got everything sorted out before anyone got hurt."

Allister takes a step forward, his irises no longer glowing inside the eye sockets of his mask. He offers a hand to Finn. "I... remember you..."

Finn stiffens, eyes going wide. Hop winces. Shoot. I guess I didn't think about that.

"Strong trainer..." Allister mumbles, looking up at Finn. "Different now... but still strong.... thank you..."

Bea tilts her head to the side. "You do look familiar. What was your name?"

"Finn," they reply, swallowing thickly. "My name is Finn. Now, at least. I challenged you two years ago," they glance at Allister. "I remember our battle. I fought with Drizzile, Eevee, and Luxio."

Allister nods. "Good battle... lots of fun... again, sometime?"

Finn smiles. "Maybe. We're just passing through, and I don't have any of them with me right now. Just a Lampent and Garchomp. Speaking of-" they turn and cup their hands to their mouth. "Hey, Garchomp!"

Garchomp snaps their gaze to Finn in an instant, jaw hanging open slightly in curiosity.

"We should get you fixed up!" Finn calls. "Come on!"

Garchomp gives an eager roar in response. Hop recalls Cinderace to their Pokeball as Finn chuckles, pulling out Garchomp's Pokeball as well.

Footsteps echo onto the battlefield. Bea, Allister, Hop, and Finn all turn towards the sound to see Marnie barrel out of the tunnel that leads onto the battlefield, skid to a halt, and survey the scene in shock.

"What the fuck happened?"

Half An Hour Later

"That's so strange," Marnie mutters, sitting at a small table in the lobby of Stow-On-Side Stadium with Bea, Hop, and Finn. The lobby itself is largely empty, a few trainers making small talk with the secretaries and a few others standing and chatting nearby, but most have left since the battlefield is now unusable. Marnie, Hop, Finn, and Bea are waiting for their Pokemon to be taken care of after they had dropped them off at the stadium's Pokemon Service Kiosk, and the latter three had just finished telling Marnie what had happened with the Doublade. "And there was no trainer? None at all?"

Hop shakes his head. "None. And Doublade tried to attack Finn outright, which is something Dynamax Pokemon don't usually do. They don't see humans as a threat, just Pokemon."

"So either something about Finn is different, or this Doublade was another Overloading Incident," Bea grumbles, staring at the ground. "The turf will take at least a week to repair, which means there can't be Open Gym next week."

"Nobody got hurt, which is the most important thing, I think," Finn says. "You said something about an Overloading Incident- what is that?"

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you about those either," Hop blinks, trying to recall what he knows about them. "Overloading Incidents are usually rare, but they've been happening more and more recently. Sort of like the earthquakes. Do you remember how Dynamaxing works?"

Finn shakes their head. "It's all too science-y for me. All I know is that Wishing Stars make Pokemon Dynamax, and that's why they're in Dynamax Bands." Their eyes flit to the white, blue, and red band on Bea's wrist briefly. "Past that, I don't know anything."

"Okay, well, Wishing Stars are from outer space," Hop begins. "Off of one huge meteorite, we think. They emit Galar Particles, which Pokemon absorb in order to Dynamax. Dynamax Pokemon then radiate Dynamax Energy, which is what the Power Plant in Hammerlocke utilizes. Overloading Incidents happen when there's too many Galar Particles for a Pokemon's body to absorb safely, so they're particularly powerful and prone to being extra aggressive. The red lighting is a sign of that too, I think. Research into Overloading Incidents is still pretty new, and not too many people are looking into it." Hop sighs. "They're getting to be a real problem, too."

Bea nods in agreement. "There was one in the Wild Area a bit south of Hammerlocke not too long ago. A Tyrantiar, I think. They made the whole city take shelter- something about the sandstorm the Tyrantitar was kicking up and where they were headed. They knocked over the stone arch in the Dusty Bowl."

"Really?" Marnie raises her eyebrows. "Isn't 't, like, huge?"

Bea nods again, more seriously this time. "It was. Not anymore. The Tyranitar crushed it in half. If the Doublade had escaped the stadium, all of Stow-On-Side would have been in danger." She clenches her fists. "These can't be natural. Pokemon have never done this before."

"It's not natural, it can't be," Hop crosses his arms and frowns. "From what I remember from Professor Magnolia, Galar Particles are usually good at dispersing themselves so they aren't too clustered up or dense. But something is drawing them to Pokemon more than they should. We just need to figure out what."

"Maybe it's the earthquakes," Finn offers. "You said the epicenters of all of them are in Hammerlocke, where the Power Plant is. What if whatever's happening in the Power Plant that's causing the earthquakes is also causing Overloading Incidents?"

"Now that you mention it," Bea's head snaps to Finn. "The earthquake here did precede the Overloading Incident. It could be the earthquakes- although, I'm not sure what connection it has to the Power Plant."

"Well, think about it," Hop says. "The earthquakes have only been getting more frequent since that first one where they were allegedly testing something in the Power Plant. It's the same thing with Overloading Incidents, they've been more frequent too. I don't know exactly how the Power Plant works, but I know that both Galar Particles and Dynamax Energy is involved. It's pretty likely that the Power Plant, earthquakes, and Overloading Incidents are all connected."

"Rose is doin' somethin' shady," Marnie hisses. "That's gotta be it."

"So we've got to figure out what it is," Finn nods.

Hop blinks. "We?"

"If Overloading Incidents are putting people and Pokemon in danger, we have to figure out what's causing them in order to stop them," Finn says, pulling on their hoodie drawstrings. "The Power Plant feels like as good a place to start as any. I don't love the idea of walking into danger, but if everything is only going to get worse, which it seems like it will, what choice do we have?"

"Plus, if we can find somethin' seriously shady, maybe folks'll actually take a closer look at Rose and see that he's not as benevolent as he seems," Marnie adds. "Seems like a good way to kill two Pidgey with one stone. Stop the Overloading Incidents and kick Rose's ass while we're at it."

Hop snorts. "I can't say you're wrong. I guess we should do some investigating, then."

"I would caution you against trying to walk into the Power Plant with no plan," Bea cuts in. "I'm sure it's designed so people who aren't meant to be in there can't get in. Do not get arrested, and do not be stupid. But I can't say that I wouldn't like the Overloading Incidents to stop. And the earthquakes, for that matter. There's been some significant structural damage in Stow-On-Side alone- I'm sure more crowded cities are worse."

"We'll be careful," Hop promises. Allister catches his eye, approaching the table with several Pokeballs in his arms. The Ghost-Type Gym Leader sets his load on the table before distributing Pokeballs to their owners, receiving small thank you's from each of them. He does Finn last, handing them Garchomp's Great Ball before pulling a small object out of his pocket.

"For you," he says, offering it to Finn. It's an irregular oval, bent slightly in the middle and the color of the night sky and seems to be just as deep- going from a deep purple near the edges to a violet so deep it looks like it's actively sucking in the light around it. "A Dusk Stone... to evolve Lampent..." He sets it in their hand gently. "If... you want..."

Finn's eyes light up. "Really? Thank you, you don't have to do that. I'm sure you use Dusk Stones frequently for your Ghost Types."

Allister shakes his head. "It's a thank you... for helping..."

Finn smiles. "Thank you. I'll be sure to give it back if Lampent doesn't want it."

Allister nods. Bea gets to her feet. "We should get going. Make sure everyone's cleared out and repair what we can to the pitch today." Allister nods again and gives the group a little wave before turning and walking away. Bea gives everyone a nod of respect. "Thank you for your help again. Safe travels."

She turns and follows Allister further into the Stadium, leaving Finn, Hop, and Marnie alone at the table.

"So, we've gotta figure out what's going on in the Power Plant, right?" Marnie says. "Where do we start that's not the Power Plant itself?"

"Well, we should ask around," Finn replies, brow furrowing in thought. "Maybe see if Raihan knows anything? Or any of the other Gym Leaders? We just need somebody who has been in the Power Plant, maybe we can figure something out from there."

"Yeah, but anyone who's been down there is a Macro Cosmos employee, and none of 'em will tell us shit," Marnie grumbles. "We need like, an ex-employee or somethin'. Someone who also has a grudge against Rose, preferably."

The realization hits Hop like a smack in the face. Of course. "Shit!"

Both Marnie and Finn look at him, startled. "What?" Finn asks.

"We do know an ex-Macro Cosmos employee who hates Rose!" Hop says, getting to his feet. Then, he realizes exactly who that employee is, and can't stop himself from groaning aloud and flopping back into his chair. "Shiiiiit."

"What?! Who?!" Marnie demands. Then, more warily: "Why do you look so annoyed?"

"Because he's a massive prick and hates my guts," Hop mutters. He heaves a weary sigh. "Any chance we can fit a visit to Ballonlea into our trip?"

Chapter Text

September 14th, One Year Ago

Outgoing Transmission: 23:02.87

Audio as follows:

"-The tone, please record your message."

*beep*

"...Hey, Hop. Hope you've had... Oh, what the hell."

I snap my head up to stare at the monitor. I know that voice.

"I don't know what I'm doing, bud. I don't know if you're even getting this, I just-"

Leon sighs deeply. There's a long pause filled with labored breathing before he continues.

"I just want to know you're out there. Somewhere. Doing okay. I doubt you're still at home, because you're independent and stubborn and Mum treats you like shit anyway, but you could be dead in a ditch somewhere and I wouldn't-"

A slow, shaky inhale cuts off the sentence, followed by a choked sob and a sniff.

"I wouldn't know. And I'm sorry. I keep thinking about how I used to promise that I would always be there for you, always defend you, always protect you no matter what. And I keep thinking about how much I fucked up, how I was never there, I never helped you with Mum, I never really understood how much you hurt- how much I hurt you- and I still don't. And I'm so, so sorry, Hop. I know an apology doesn't really matter after everything that I said, but I want you to know anyway. I'm really, really sorry."

Another long pause. Quieter this time, like he's thinking. When he speaks again, he's whispering.

"And I think you were right. About Rose. And I know you're right about me. And I can't tell you you're not. I know you're going to tell me when you didn't need any more space, and I know you probably wont ever listen to this, but please, if you do, just- just let me know you're alive, yeah? Because people disappear. A lot. And it freaks me out. And I just wanna know that you're doing okay. And if you're not, and you need someone, I swear on Charizard's life that I will drop everything and come and help you as soon as you give me the word. I know that probably doesn't mean a lot coming from me, and I know you probably won't believe me, but I really, really mean it."

One last pause. A deep, shaky breath.

"Happy birthday, Hoppip. I hope sixteen is good to you. Call if you need anything. I love you."

Transmission End

I stare at the glow of the monitor for a while after the transmission ends, watching as the communications log continues to tick by, my blue-light induced headache throbbing dully in my head. Then, slowly, I highlight the transmission, audio and transcript, make a copy, add it to my locked folder, and delete the original file entirely.

I do not breathe a word about it to anyone.

I do not think about it again until that August.

August 12th, 9:51 AM

Leon checks the text from Raihan one last time to make sure he's at the right address. The heat radiates through Motostoke's cement streets and brick walls and seems to decide that inside of his hoodie is the right place to settle. The fabric sticks to his arms and shoulders too much, and his hair is uncomfortably stuffed into his hood and hat. He hates how little his skin can breathe in this outfit, but he doesn't have any other good ways to remain conspicuous in public besides dressing in sweats and keeping his head down. Thankfully, nobody seems to have noticed him today. 

After verifying the address one last time, he sighs and looks up at the sign that hangs from the canopy. Wichminster Offices and Cafe. Yeah, this is right. Gods, I really, really hope this is right.

He takes a deep breath before pushing open the door. A small bell above his head chimes, signaling his arrival. The lobby is an area with two desks, one with coffee machines and stoves and tea kettles scattered about on and around it, and the other much more professional and tidy, with a simple monitor and keyboard sitting atop it. A large chalkboard above the first reads 'CAFE', and a small, digital screen above the latter reading 'CHECK-IN'. He approaches the woman at the check in desk as he removes his sunglasses and hood, trying not to appear nervous despite his heart pounding in his chest.

She glances up from her computer, black hair streaked with gray cut to a short bob. "We're closed," she says in a tight voice, eyes squinting in annoyance.

Leon's mouth goes dry. Oh gods. This must be the wrong place. I got lost. Shit, shit-

"Edith!" Someone hollers from behind Leon. He turns to see another woman, who bears a striking resemblance to who must be Edith, with a stained rag slung over her shoulder and her mostly gray hair pulled into a haphazard, messy bun. "Jen's expecting someone." Her eyes land on Leon. "Are you here to see Jen, dear?"

"Jen?" He echoes, confused. "Oh, Jennifer. Jennifer Ortiz. Yes, yes, I'm here to see Ms. Ortiz. It's a, um..." He swallows nervously. "Something legal. That I can't talk about yet."

Edith scoffs. "She shouldn't have scheduled someone outside of normal hours. They come in and interrupt my work. My quiet mornings." She glares at the other woman. "Mostly quiet mornings."

"Edith, I dropped one glass this morning," the other woman rolls her eyes before smiling at Leon. "Pay my sister no mind, dear. She's just in a bad mood. You said you're here to see Jen?"

Leon nods. "I'm in the right place, right?"

"You certainly are! Her office is just up those stairs, second door on the right," she points to a stairwell in the back corner of the lobby. "Mr. Darciff isn't in yet- his door will be locked, so don't worry about getting lost. Care for a cup of tea before you go?"

Leon breathes a quiet sigh of relief, both at knowing he's in the right spot and that he doesn't have to navigate several halls to find Ms. Ortiz's office. "No thank you, but that's very kind. Thank you for the directions."

"Of course, dear. You're in good hands. Ms. Ortiz doesn't see young folks all that often, but I hope nothing is too seriously wrong." She smiles again. A machine beeps behind her, and she jumps before going to it and pushing a few buttons. She turns back to Leon and sighs. "She said to send you up whenever you got here, so head in whenever you're ready. If you need anything from me and Edith, you just let us know." She raises a hand to shield her mouth from Edith's view and whispers. "Although, I can help you with just about anything and you won't have to deal with her."

"I heard that!" Edith snaps. Leon flinches, feeling awkward stuck between the sisters' bickering. "Evelyn, quit wasting the customer's time." She gives Leon a pointed stare. "Go on. Ms. Ortiz should be ready for you."

He nods in response, walking quickly to the stairwell. As he begins to climb the first flight of stairs, he hears Evelyn heave a sigh. "No need to scare 'em off."

The second floor of the building is a vastly different environment from the first, with intricate red wallpaper and ornate wooden trim decorating the halls. Old, faded paintings hang at even intervals, some of Pokemon, some of people, some of landscapes. A small plaque next to the first door on the right reads 'Mr. Daniel Darciff, Attorney At Law', and the second reads 'Ms. Jennifer Ortiz, Attorney At Law'. He pauses at the second door briefly before knocking, knowing that the more he waits the more nervous he'll get.

A voice sounds through the door. "One moment, please!"

Leon hears shuffling, then hurried footsteps, then-

The door swings open. Ms. Ortiz is a fairly ordinary looking woman- about Leon's height, dark skin and tightly curled hair braided along her scalp and then pulled into a puff at the top of her head, dressed in a simple but formal iridescent black blouse with dark green pants and low heels- but the glitter in her eye and the way she keeps her shoulders back as she looks him up and down tells Leon that she is more than meets the eye. She steps back after a moment, beckoning Leon inside silently.

Leon's nerves, which he had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring up to the point, begin to spiral out of control as he enters Ms. Ortiz's office. Holy fuck, I am insane, I must be crazy, what am I doing?! Why am I in an attorney's office?!

Ms. Ortiz extends a hand. The gesture snaps Leon back into awareness. He meets new people all the time- Just think of her as someone new. Not your attorney. Not the person who is going to help you quit your job of twelve years.

Leon clears his throat, puts on a smile, and shakes Ms. Ortiz's hand. "Hi, sorry. Just a bit overwhelmed."

"I gathered that," Ms. Ortiz replies, her eyebrows twitching upwards in amusement. "Did Edith give you trouble?"

"Not really," Leon shakes his head. "Although she didn't seem all that happy with me."

Ms. Ortiz sighs, now sounding more irritated. "Was she bickering with Evelyn again?"

"...Maybe just a little," Leon says quietly. Ms. Ortiz rolls her eyes.

"I told them to stop doing that in front of clients, but she is one stubborn old woman." Ms. Ortiz hangs her head slightly. "I love her to pieces, though. Best secretary I've had. Ever."

"She did seem efficient," Leon offers. "I can definitely appreciate that."

Ms. Ortiz nods. "That's the way she is. I don't think she or Evelyn would've recognized you, but if they did, they know not to say anything. Don't worry." She turns and walks over to her desk, pulling one of the chairs in front of it out slightly. "You're welcome to sit or stand, whichever you prefer."

"I'll stand- thank you, though." There is no way I could sit still right now.

Ms. Ortiz pulls a small device off of her desk that about the size of a lighter. "Before we get started, I'd like to explain some things. First of all, there are two different ways to be monitored inside of this room: this recorder," Ms. Ortiz holds the device up, "which alters the audio so that your privacy is protected but does not record video, and the facility's cameras." She points at a small black box with a little red light glowing inside of it stationed in the corner of the room. "Edith has access to the video versions of the recording on those and watches a live feed to guarantee my safety when meeting with clients, but is subject to legal consequences if she ever shares them except for evidence in court- not that she ever would. I have access to both video and audio, and I am also subject to legal consequences if I share them outside of court, and I would lose my license. The smaller recorder is for my convenience- I do take notes during conversations, but it is helpful to be able to replay minor details that might help me figure out a course of action rather than have to reach out to you nearly constantly to verify details. But if you aren't comfortable with me recording, it stays away. Questions about any of that?"

Leon shakes his head. "I'm fine with the recording- honestly, if you could contact me as little as possible, that would be great. I'm not entirely sure what kind of technology Macro Cosmos has to detect emails and phone calls and such, but I'd rather not take any chances."

"Understood," Ms. Ortiz nods seriously before pressing a button on the recorder and setting it back on her desk. "We'll start with formal introductions, although they're a bit redundant at this point. My name is Jennifer Ortiz. I work mostly in contractual and corporate law. I have thirteen years of training, four of those being at school in Unova and the rest practicing law here. Please state your name and date of birth."

"Leon Ambrose, August 28th, 3004," Leon replies. "I don't think I've properly thanked you yet for seeing me- I know that this is crazy, I just-" Leon stops himself and sighs. "We can get into it later. But thank you, again. Really."

"Not a problem. Let's talk about the law that you referred to in your email." Ms. Ortiz pulls a notepad with notes scribbled on it off of her desk and reads from it. "Article six of the Protection For Employees Act states that anyone over the age of twenty-two can request to terminate their contract through a court in certain situations where they do not have the agency to terminate their contract on their own or believe they would put themselves or others in danger if they did so, so long as they have evidence of some kind of mistreatment." She glances up at Leon. "To clarify, this is the law you were referring to, correct? A verbal yes or no for these next few questions is fine."

"Yes."

"Do you believe that you are unable to terminate your contract without legal assistance and protection, or that you would put yourself or others in danger by doing so?"

"Yes."

"Do you have concrete evidence of mistreatment by your employer, whether that be to yourself or others?"

Leon hesitates. I think it's pretty concrete. "...Yes."

"In your email, you specified that your current contract would end whenever you lost to a Challenger in the Champion Cup or when you turn twenty-five. Is this correct?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Ms. Ortiz nods and scribbles something on the notepad. "These are just some general questions to help me understand your current position. Where is your current residence?"

"Rose Tower- there are living spaces on the upper floors for high ranking employees," Leon explains. "The people who live there generally choose to stay at the tower because its more convenient than going home, and it's technically legal for Macro Cosmos to provide housing so long as everyone has another official residence to fall back on. I've... I've done some research already, to be honest."

Ms. Ortiz nods. "You're correct. That's also under the PFEA, the intention behind it being that employers cannot threaten their employees with homelessness. If you live at Rose Tower, where is your other official residence?"

"My childhood home in Postwick. It's..." Leon trails off, something cold settling in his stomach. The address. Why have I forgotten the address? 

Ms. Ortiz sees Leon frown. "Is everything alright?"

"I've..." Leon blinks, tears threatening to come already His voice quivers. "I haven't been home in so long that I've..." He can't bring himself to say it, to admit that he's forgotten the place where he was still a child.

Ms. Ortiz sets her notepad down slowly, voice quieter now. "Mr. Ambrose?"

Leon doesn't respond, only stares at the floor. What is wrong with me? What kind of son forgets his own address? Where his mother lives? Where someone should go if they need to find his family? If something happened? Have I really not been home for so long that I've forgotten my own address?

Ms. Ortiz sighs. "You should come sit, Mr. Ambrose." She pulls the chair that she had moved previously further out, and then sits in the other chair.

Guilt seems to cling to Leon's skin as he moves towards the chair slowly, regret and shame weighing him down. When he finally sits, Ms. Ortiz has a concerned look on her face. "Mr. Ambrose, what's the matter?"

"I don't know my home address," Leon finally manages in a whisper that's barely audible. He can feel his hands shaking. The buzzing in his head and chest is getting louder.  "I haven't been home in- in years at this point, probably." He hangs his head and wipes his eyes. "I'm sorry, this is just... This isn't easy for me."

Ms. Ortiz processes for a moment before replying, sitting in the guilty silence. "Mr. Ambrose," she finally says, voice gentle. "I am not a stranger to emotionally charged court battles. My goal is to help you in getting what you need while keeping you as safe as possible. Tell me, Mr. Ambrose, are you safe?"

There it is. The worst question. The truth.

Something tears at Leon's ribs from inside his lungs, sharp and serrated and vicious. His jaw shakes as he opens his mouth and manages to admit what he's known for longer than he's realized. "No."

There's a long, long silence. Leon stares at his trembling hands, trying to stay quiet. Squeezing his eyes shut to hold back the tears, swallowing to smother the sobs that try to worm their way out of his throat. The buzzing gets a little dimmer in the silence, but the heat in his head and behind his eyes only gets worse. He hates feeling like this, he doesn't want do feel like this, he's never wanted this. 

Suddenly, Leon feels cardboard in his hands. He opens his eyes to see the blurry shape of a tissue box, and Ms. Ortiz's hand pulling away.

The silent gesture of permission is what finally breaks the dam. Tears rush down Leon's cheeks as he leans over and rests his forehead on the top of the tissue box, sobs and shudders tumbling from his throat. All he can think about is the people he's disappointed- Hop, Sonia, Raihan, Piers, the rest of the Gym leaders, his mother- and how no matter what he did, nothing would ever bring back the time he had wasted. He'd spent over half his life trying to please someone who couldn't ever be satisfied, and he needed it to stop. He needed the expectations, the constant feeling of being watched, the endless, warring guilt, the cameras, the flashing lights, the fame, the fear, he needed it to stop.

"Mr. Ambrose," Ms. Ortiz begins quietly, voice no longer carrying its professional edge. "You told me in your email that Mr. Cosmos wouldn't let you quit. Is he the reason you're scared?"

Leon manages a shaky nod. "He's- he's been angry," he whispers, voice trembling.

"At you?"

"I don't know." He truly didn't, all he knew was that he couldn't remember the last time he had been in Rose's office and there weren't shot glasses on the small table near his desk. He remembered that Rose had been muttering under his breath almost constantly, not making as much eye contact, clenching his fists more. Leon didn't remember the last time Rose had smiled- but even if he did, would it have been a real one?

The answer was probably no. He didn't know if any of the smiles had ever been real. Looking back on everything, he didn't know if Rose had ever meant anything he said. And that was terrifying.

"Has..." Ms. Ortiz hesitates. "Forgive me for being frank, but... has Mr. Cosmos ever harmed you physically?"

Leon squeezes his eyes shut. "Once. He was drunk."

"What happened?"

"It was late and I couldn't sleep because I was worried about something, so I went up to his office to see if I could talk to him." It was so dark in the halls. "He was passed out on his desk, and I woke him up." I was so, so scared. "He started yelling and shoved me, and I fell backwards onto some kind of glass- I don't know if it was a bottle or some kind of wine glass- but it broke and stabbed me in the back." It hurt so much. "Oleana heard me screaming and came up to see what was going on, and took me to the medical facility in Rose Tower." That was one of the times I saw her upset. She was so angry. "Rose had a long talk with me the next morning about not going into his office unless he explicitly told me to, but he did apologize for what happened." 

"I am deeply sorry, my boy. If I had been in my right mind, I never would have done such a thing."

Ms. Ortiz nods. "When was this?"

Leon shakes his head. "Years ago. I don't remember exactly when, but I remember being small. I was thirteen or fourteen, maybe."

"Wait," Ms. Ortiz suddenly sounds more concerned. "Were you living at Rose Tower then?"

Leon winces. "I mean, not for long periods of time. I spent most of my time traveling and training, and still do. It's just that Wyndon and Postwick are far from each other, and Rose never liked me going home for long. Y'see, my mother... she's not the best parent. My dad up and left little before Hop was born, and she never really recovered. She didn't work for a long, long time after Hop was born, and didn't do a whole lot to take care of him either. It was never on purpose, at least I don't think it was, but she just... she never really tried. I was better taken care of at Rose Tower than I was at home."

Ms. Ortiz furrows her eyebrows. "Tell me about your relationship with Mr. Cosmos."

Leon heaves a deep sigh. "It's... it's complicated."

Ms. Ortiz shrugs. "I have you scheduled for three hours."

"I don't even know, it's just-" Leon sits back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling. Popcorn ceilings. This building must be old. "I mean, he's been a part of my life since I was ten." He remembers Raihan's words. "Him and Oleana, they basically raised me. Mum certainly wasn't. Whenever I needed something, I went to him and he handled it. He was the adult I went to if I needed help. He made me feel important, like I mattered. He cared about me-" Leon stops and winces. "Most of the time, I think."

"What about Oleana?"

"Oh, she hated me for the first year," Leon chuckles a little bit. "She did a pretty good job at hiding it then, but looking back on it now, she really did not want me around. Things got better once I became Champion, mostly because I think she realized I was there to stay, and it's... mostly fine, now. She always kept me at a distance but always made sure I was safe. We aren't close because, well, she's not exactly an emotional person, but she taught me a lot."

"Like what?" Ms. Ortiz presses.

"I don't know, little things. How to tie a tie, how to be polite at banquets, how to keep my head up all the time, how to act in front of cameras. How to be careful. I didn't like her a whole lot when I was younger, especially since she never gave me special treatment like nearly everyone else did, but looking back on it I can see how much she helped me. She never treated me any differently from anyone else. To her, I was just the same as any other kid. A chatty nuisance," Leon snorts. "I've honestly probably spent more time with her than Rose. He was always busy with something and didn't have a lot of time for me as I got older- she probably didn't either, but I don't think Rose trusted anyone else enough to take care of me on their own." Leon thinks back to the nights after endless days of handshakes and smiles and posing for cameras when Oleana would let him sit in the corner of her office and just be. He never talked a whole lot after those days, mostly because he was exhausted, but even when he did, she had always held a quiet, short conversation with him. Never anything too personal, never anything too serious, but enough to make him feel like he wasn't alone. Enough to make him a little bit comfortable.

It was funny what he remembered. It wasn't the trophies, or the crowds, or the interviews or conferences or meetings- it was always the quiet things. The way she had never gotten rid of the chair in her office that she would let him sit in.

He didn't know what kind of place it came from. Oleana certainly wasn't an emotional woman, but Leon knew that, at some point,  she had cared enough to decide to keep the chair, and that's what mattered.

"So all of this," Ms. Ortiz gestures broadly into the air. "It's personal for you."

Leon nods wearily. "Very."

"Are they like parents to you?"

Leon shifts uncomfortably, the answer being closer to yes than he liked thinking about. "I mean, I don't know. I think that any ten year old who didn't really see his mum and never really had a dad would admire the people who took care of him as much as any normal kid would admire their parents. They've been more present than my mum ever has been, and that-" Leon's voice falters and he sighs. "That's something I can't really underestimate the impact of. They always encouraged me to be independent, so as I got older I relied on them less and less emotionally, but I can't say that I never wished that they were my real parents, especially when I was younger. As I've gotten older I've come to realize more and more that some of what they did definitely wasn't okay, and that's- that's a whole different thing to try and work through and-" Leon groans and buries his face in his hands. "It's complicated. The short answer is not anymore."

"I see. Thank you for explaining. I understand your situation better now." Ms. Ortiz stands, goes behind her desk, and opens a drawer before placing another box of tissues on her desk. "I keep a drawer full of them, so use as many as you want. This all must be very overwhelming for you."

"Thank you," Leon sighs, wiping his eyes and sniffling. "I- I appreciate this, really. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Would you rather do what I believe will be the difficult parts of this now, or would you like to take a break?" Ms. Ortiz asks, taking her seat across from Leon once again.

"I'd..." Leon rubs his eyes to try and ease the burning behind them. He's tired, but doesn't want to have to get upset again. "I'd rather get it over with, to be honest," he smiles weakly. 

Ms. Ortiz nods. "Very well. Simple answers for these next questions are fine- we don't need to dwell on the emotions that come with them. Law, unfortunately, doesn't care very much about feelings, but I suppose that's what keeps it largely fair." She picks up a notepad and pen from her desk and begins reading down a list, marking Leon's answers as she goes. "This first one is redundant, but I'm going to ask anyway- who, legally, is your employer?"

"Rose Cosmos," Leon answers.

"Has your employer ever threatened you and/or the people you care about to get you to do something?

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Myself, my little brother, Sonia Magnolia, and Raihan Kairimi, to my knowledge."

"Has your employer ever required for you to do something that you did not want to do as a 'personal favor' or by blackmailing you?"

"Yes."

"Has your employer ever demanded things from you outside of your legal working hours, refusing to take no for an answer?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever felt unsafe due to the actions and/or words of your employer?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever been made to feel like you are worthless, a waste of space, or an annoyance to your employer due to their words and/or actions?"

"Yes."

"Has your employer ever required you to share personal information with them that you were not comfortable telling them?"

"Yes."

"Has your employer ever withheld your pay?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Does your employer have or has ever had access to your personal assets?"

"Probably."

"Has your employer ever groomed you or anyone else at your workplace and made you feel as if you would be unable to speak up about it?"

A small pause. "Yes."

"Has your employer ever made comments about your body that have made you uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

"Has your employer ever made unwanted sexual advances towards you?"

"No." I do have some suspicions about other people though, Leon thinks, suppressing a shudder.

"Does your employer have a criminal record?"

"I don't think so."

"Has your employer ever committed tax fraud?"

Leon snorts. "Probably."

"To your knowledge, has your employer committed a crime and gotten away with it?"

"I don't know anything exactly, but it's not unlikely."

"Has your employer ever violated labor laws?"

"Yes."

"Is your employer overly obsessed with their business and/or employees, so much so that they do not have a personal life outside of work?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Ms. Ortiz nods and sighs, still scribbling on her notepad. "There are still a few more questions that I would like to ask, but we most certainly have a very strong case already, Mr. Ambrose." Ms. Ortiz rubs her eyes as she sets the notepad back on her desk. "If nothing else, this absolutely garner major attention from the media, which will encourage others to speak out if they have had similar experiences. Mr. Cosmos and Macro Cosmos' abrupt success has always astonished me, but I'm certain that you cannot be the only one who has had this experience. You are not alone, Mr. Ambrose."

"I almost wish I was," Leon mutters. "I don't like complaining about my life, because so many people have it so, so much worse than I do." He stares at the floor, guilt threatening to crush him, throat tightening again as tears well up in his eyes once more. "Is it wrong?"

"Is what wrong, Mr. Ambrose?" Ms. Ortiz asks gently, sensing Leon's upset.

"To want out? When my life has been so perfect? When people wish more than anything to have what I have?" Leon glances at his trembling hands. "To hate something that I should be grateful for?"

Ms. Ortiz shakes her head. "You deserve autonomy, Mr. Ambrose. Everyone does. Your predicament and role as Champion is unique- as far as I know, Champions in every other region are the head of that region's Pokemon League. The structure of the Gym Challenge here in Galar is different, but I still don't see a reason why you aren't in charge of it, especially since you're legally an adult. Those with power never seem too inclined to surrender it, though." Ms. Ortiz sighs. "Regardless, I have very little doubt that the courts will deny your plea. We'll have one more meeting before your birthday, and then I should be able to get a court date and orders to you soon after that. If all goes well, you should be able to serve Mr. Cosmos the papers and go on court-mandated leave as soon as you turn twenty two. Do you have any further questions or concerns?"

Leon feels like he might melt into the floor out of relief. "No. That sounds amazing- this has been amazing, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Ms. Ortiz shakes her head. "It is my job, Mr. Ambrose. Oh, and don't worry about fees, we can discuss that after the hearing- although I doubt it'll be an issue for you anyway."

Leon rubs the back of his head. "I don't think so." Suddenly, being reminded of money, Leon realizes that he should tell Ms. Ortiz one more thing. "Wait, there's something else I should tell you."

Ms. Ortiz listens closely as Leon explains what happened at the meeting with the Gym Leaders five days prior- Oleana's hostility, the absurd deductions in funding, Piers' interruption and threat to riot in Wyndon. 

"I asked him to wait and told him I could help him in September, but I don't he's going to," Leon wrings his hands nervously. "I'm worried for Spikemuth's safety- Rose might take it upon himself to retaliate, or worse, strike first. Anyone protesting wouldn't be safe, Piers included, and I'm worried Rose would be even more furious if I left and he had to deal with protesters on the streets all at once. He's obsessed with keeping a good reputation, and this would probably ruin him- not that I'm opposed to that, but I'm worried about what it could drive him to do."

Ms. Ortiz nods seriously. "That makes sense. What he's doing with the funding for the Gyms certainly can't be legal, but I'll have to look into it and see how exactly he's doing it. Thank you for making me aware- there's certainly something to be done with this information. Unfortunately, until Rose does something explicitly illegal and gets reported and arrested for it, though, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do in the meantime. We'll simply have to wait until your birthday."

Leon sighs. "I understand. Besides, Piers has been fighting tooth and nail for years to stop Rose, and he hasn't really been able to make any real changes. I'm sure there's been some kind of interference."

"That won't happen here, Mr. Ambrose," Ms. Ortiz assures Leon. "I won't allow it. The law is behind you- and so am I," she extends a hand for a final handshake, which Leon accepts after standing.

"Thank you again," Leon says quietly, hoping that he sounds as grateful as he feels. "Really."

"Thank you, Mr. Ambrose," Ms. Ortiz replies. "For being so open about your experiences. Please, stay safe. If an emergency arises between now and our next meeting, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'll be in touch."

August 12th, 10:24 PM

Raihan stares at his phone screen in the dark, the little cursor in the text box blinking at him expectantly. He starts to type, doesn't end up liking how the message sounds, and growls in frustration as he deletes it.

How the hell do I even start this conversation? He's so stressed, I probably shouldn't even be bothering him. But I want to know if his meeting with Jenny went okay. Ugh.

Flygon chirps in annoyance and swats at Raihan with their tail. The beast has still insisted on sleeping in Raihan's bed with him, probably sensing their trainer's anxiousness.

"Leave me alone!" He swats back at them in the gloom, missing and flailing at open air instead. Flygon hisses and starts to move, but Raihan can't see what they're doing until he feels them flop onto his back.

"Ack! No, get off!" Raihan swats at Flygon again but is unable to reach, and surrenders and groans into the mattress. "I promise I'll go to bed soon, I'm just... I'm just worried."

Flygon huffs, not convinced. Raihan winces as they readjust, back legs digging painfully into his back. 

"If I just do it and go to bed, will you get off of me?" Raihan asks, voice muffled by blankets and the difficulty in breathing with a green dragon twice his size laying on top of him. Flygon chirps and nods, and Raihan grumbles and finally settles on something simple to send to Leon.

hey, howd it go

Leon's reply is almost instant, like he'd been waiting for Raihan to text him. Raihan wonders if Leon thinks about him as often as Raihan thinks about him, but is quickly distracted and nearly overwhelmed with relief.

really good, actually

ms ortiz is great

said that i have a strong case and will probably be able to get the papers before my birthday, so i can give them to rose asap

Raihan lets out a massive sigh of relief, but immediately regrets it when he has to struggle to get the air back. He tries to shift beneath Flygon to get more comfortable, but it's no use, and Flygon chitters a protest.

"Okay, okay, give me a minute!" Raihan mutters back, typing a reply.

thats jenny for u, she's really experienced

ur gonna be fine, lee

you're in good hands

There's more of a pause before Leon replies this time, but it makes Raihan smile.

its actually starting to feel like it, which is a nice change of pace

thank you for helping me, i couldnt have done it without you :)

What Raihan wants to reply with is 'anything to get you away from the pompous bastard', but he opts for something else instead.

np dude

im gonna head to bed because flygon is literally sitting on top of me to try and get me to turn my phone off and i may be suffocating lol

u should go to bed soon too

youve got a lot on ur plate

lol

pat em on the head for me

and i will

gn

Leon starts to type something else, but seems to decide against it and stops. Raihan sighs, sends one final message and turns his phone off.

will do

sleep good

"Now get off me, you bloody Mamoswine!" Raihan swats at Flygon again once his phone is off and they concede, sliding off of Raihan and back into the small nest of blankets that they've constructed over the past two weeks or so. Raihan sits up to plug his phone in and brush his teeth before heading back to bed, and just as he's starting to doze off...

Flygon's head suddenly snaps up. There's a whirlwind of movement, and suddenly Flygon is smacking Raihan with their trail, chittering frantically and whipping their head around.

"Oh my gods, Flygon, what is it?" Raihan groans and slides out of bed to turn the lights on. He blinks rapidly as his eyes adjust, watching as Flygon turns this way and that, almost like they're searching for something.

"Hey, calm down, there's nothing in here," Raihan says, alarmed by his partner's sudden distress. Flygon doesn't pay Raihan any notice and hops off of the bed instead, beginning to paw at the floor and whine, glancing up and Raihan every few seconds.

He goes to them and tries to grab their head and pat it to calm them down, but they pull away a let out a fearful screech. Raihan draws back, fully awake now. They're trying to warn me about something. "Flygon, what's-"

Raihan is cut off as the floor heaves upwards, suddenly and violently, sending Raihan toppling to the ground. He yelps as his jaw hits the carpet painfully hard. Flygon screeches again and darts towards Raihan, covering him with their body to protect him as dust begins to rain from the ceiling. The earthquake lasts for about ten seconds, shaking the castle to its foundations. Raihan hears things clatter to the floor- his phone and water bottle, things in the hall, things off of his desk, and is scared for a moment that the roof might actually cave in. Then, the rumbling subsides, leaving an unnerving silence in its wake.

Flygon slides off of Raihan once again, sniffing at their trainer to make sure he's okay. When they're satisfied, they help a disoriented Raihan to his feet, who is cursing quietly under his breath.

"Son of a-" He grits his teeth and rubs his head, now certain that he won't be sleeping tonight between the headache and the assessment of the castle's condition that he'll have to complete as soon as possible to make sure everywhere is safe. Perks of living in a thousand year old castle- the place basically falls apart if you don't fix things as soon as they break.

Raihan grumbles and grabs his phone, sees that he still has service and is immensely grateful, and immediately starts sending texts to his trusted contractors, electricians, and plumbers- this earthquake was long and severe enough to cause some damage to internal systems that Raihan had little expertise in evaluating. When he's done with that, he begins to clean up his room and make a plan for the rest of the night. I'll check the kitchens and civilian facilities first, then the towers to make sure they're not about to fall, then the lower halls to make sure none of the foundation in severely damaged...

When he's done, he turns to Flygon, who has been trailing at his feet the whole time, helping their trainer by picking up what they can with their small arms and jaw. Raihan smiles and scratches them on their neck as he takes some papers that fell off his desk from them. "Thank you. And thank you for trying to warn me and protecting me."

Flygon chirps happily and wags their tail, bopping Raihan's head gently with theirs. Raihan laughs before sighing and collecting what he'll need for the rest of the night and heading for the door. "Wanna come with?" He offers, glancing back at Flygon. They squeal in excitement and bound towards the door, and Raihan barely has enough time to open the door and get out of the way to avoid them crashing into him. He rolls his eyes before beginning to traverse the halls, heading for the kitchens, phone in hand to make any necessary calls.

He pulls up his records of the earthquakes and frowns. This had been the fifth earthquake this month, the fifth in twelve days. Each one had been stronger and longer than the last, and they seemed to be getting more frequent, too. Raihan grimaces as he adds a new row in the chart for today's, entering the date and time and leaving an open space for level to fill in later. He continues to walk down the hall at a brisk pace, replying to texts and emails as they begin to flood in- responses from the contractors, emails from concerned residents, weather alerts (I already know there's been an earthquake, thank you very much)- all before Flygon suddenly grabs the bottom of his shirt and pulls him to a halt.

"Flygon, what?" Raihan turns to his partner, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice, knowing that they're trying to alert him to something. They don't make any noise in response, just point their nose upwards and stare at something Raihan can't see. Raihan is confused for a moment, about to ask for more clarification, when he hears it and stops.

There's a low, mournful wailing echoing quietly down from the ceiling, so quietly that Raihan wouldn't have heard it if Flygon hadn't stopped him and made him be quiet. He looks at Flygon and gestures towards their back, and they crouch down, inviting their trainer to climb aboard. Flygon and Raihan fly up towards the high ceiling, up towards the noise. Raihan expects to find some Pokemon stuck in the rafters, as that's not an uncommon occurrence with halls as huge as they are in the castle, but he doesn't find anything out of the ordinary. He directs Flygon to follow the sound, and they fly a bit towards the ceiling and stop to hover, so close that Raihan could reach up and touch the old brick with his hands.

Raihan doesn't so much as breathe as he listens to the wailing, trying to figure out what direction it's coming from. Then, he realizes that the sound is emanating from a vent, small and camouflaged with dark paint and nestled into a small alcove in the ceiling. He listens as whatever is making the noise continues to wail, but it doesn't sound like any person or Pokemon that he knows. The pitch is strange and squealing, high and low at the same time, and there's also a low snarling behind it, something that Dragon-types usually do when they're in pain or feel threatened. But there's also a slightly musical quality to it- it's like there's little wind chimes laced into the sound. There's also the underlying noise of harsh clacking and scraping- maybe rocks hitting one another?

Raihan is still trying to decipher the sound when it begins to fade. He jumps when he realizes what's happening, pulling out his phone to try and record, but by the time he's ready he can't hear it anymore. He waits for a few moments more to see if the sound will come back, but it doesn't. Whatever was wailing has fallen silent.

Raihan sighs and directs Flygon back down to the ground, wracking his brain for anywhere he might've have heard that sound before, but he's completely drawing a blank. He growls in frustration as he climbs off of Flygon, who stares at him worriedly.

"I don't know what that was, Flygon, but I don't think it was good," he murmurs, patting his partner on the head. "Whatever that was, it sounded like it was upset, or maybe in pain. But I've never heard a cry like that before..." He trails off before sighing and rubbing his eyes. "This and the earthquakes. Everything has been so strange recently. And you won't calm down either," he glances at Flygon. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Flygon chitters worriedly and butts their head into Raihan's chest. He sighs again and pats their neck. "It'll be alright. I'll figure it out soon. In the meantime, we've got a castle to check on. Let me know if you notice anything else out of the ordinary."

Flygon nods and sets out down the hall, glancing back every so often to check that their trainer is still close behind them. As they make their way through the halls, Raihan can't manage to shake the feeling that something is wrong.

Five earthquakes in twelve days. That strange wailing. Flygon hasn't seemed to be relaxed in weeks. Nessa mentioned her Pokemon were restless at the meeting too- is that the same thing? What is going on? He decides to send Nessa a text, explaining what happened- the wailing, Flygon's nerves- to try and see if he could get any answers, but he knows he probably won't get a response until morning. He sighs again and tries to control his anxious mind. I'm sure it'll be fine. Something strange with the weather, maybe. Maybe Flygon is just on edge because I'm on edge. Maybe all we heard was the castle shifting.

Or maybe I'm missing something. Because there's no way that this can be natural. There's no way that the castle would sound like wind chimes. Raihan swallows, suddenly feeling very nervous. Maybe something is wrong- something is really, really, wrong.

Chapter Text

August 12th, 11:04 PM

There’s a gentle knock on the door. “We have visitors.”

Bede blinks and sits up, rubbing the weight from his eyelids. “It’s late,” he grumbles loudly so Ms. Opal can hear.

“I’m afraid this cannot wait, unless you’d like to have an unpleasant surprise in the morning,” she replies ominously, although Bede can hear a bit of amusement in her voice, just enough to know that something isn’t seriously wrong.

Bede groans and slides out of bed, stepping into a slipper and grabbing one of his crutches before pulling a thin hoodie onto his shoulders. He carefully cracks the door open and creeps into the hall so as to not disturb any of his Pokemon, who are sound asleep in their beds. Ms. Opal is already halfway down the hall, walker scraping against the old wooden floors and purple rugs. Bede follows her to the front door, stifling his yawns and stretching in an attempt to get some blood flowing and distract himself from his annoyance. She wouldn’t bother me this late if it weren’t important, and if these visitors happen to come with a surprise training session, I would rather handle it now than at the ass crack of dawn.

Ms. Opal waves a shaky hand at the door. “Go on. Welcome our guests inside.”

Bede frowns as he places his hand on the doorknob. “Ms. Opal, why are these guests here at eleven?”

“I believe they need a place to stay,” she replies simply.  “Only for a day or two, though, so nothing for you to fret about.”

Bede sighs. “And why are they here?”

“If my intuition is correct, they require your assistance.” She gives her mentee a mischievous smile. “Although, I am a crazy old woman, so it's entirely possible that I am wrong.”

Bede rolls his eyes. “Ms. Opal, we both know your intuition is startlingly accurate. You’re not called Ballonlea’s Wizard for nothing.”

Ms. Opal smiles at me. “Well then. Let’s see. Open the door.”

Bede takes a deep breath and pulls the door open, ready to face whatever waits on the other side. He’s expecting someone to battle with or compete with in some convoluted challenge Ms. Opal has concocted, but instead, he sees maybe the last person he expects to be outside his home at eleven p.m. on a Monday.

When Bede sees those familiar golden eyes staring back, fear springs to life deep in his chest and memories that he wishes he could forget flood his mind. He decides that he is definitely not ready for that and slams the door shut again before Hop can get a word in.

Bede hears chattering and shushing on the other side of the door as he stumbles away from it, nearly losing his grip on his crutch and falling. He stares, appalled, at Ms. Opal, who studies him curiously. There are two other voices besides Hop’s- one sounds worried and tired, the other sounds angry, both unnervingly familiar.

“Hey, uh, I know this is strange, but I need a favor, mate,” Hop calls through the door. “Mind letting us in?”

Bede looks at Ms. Opal desperately, choosing to mouth his next words instead of speaking them in case he can’t control his tone. 'What in the world is he doing here?'

Ms. Opal nods at the door again. “Find out.” She turns away and heads back down the hall. “I am going back to bed.”

Bede grits his teeth to muffle a growl before seizing the door and swinging it open, immediately put on guard. He stares right back at Hop this time. He looks older, but the same. “What?” The older boy huffs, rolling his shoulders back.

“Friendly as ever, aren’t you?” One of the other voices snaps. Bede squints into the misty gloom behind Hop to find Marnie staring daggers at him from the shadows, and someone else who he doesn't immediately recognize who looks like they’re trying to hide behind her. Bede tilts his head and takes another step into the doorway, trying to get a better look at them.

“Marnie, chill out, please,” Hop glances back at her and hisses before looking back at Bede earnestly. “We’re in a bit of a predicament, and could really use your help.”

“We,” Marnie scoffs, venom in her voice as it dips low and takes on more of a Spikemuth accent. Hop whips around to give her a look.

Bede remembers Ms. Opal’s words and her expectant gaze. He knows immediately what he is supposed to do and is tempted to run back to his room and scream into a pillow for hours instead. “Look,” he starts, rubbing his eyes. “It’s late. Whatever you need, it can wait until morning. I’m guessing you need a place to stay.”

Hop takes a little step back, startled. “How… did you know?”

Bede steps back and begrudgingly gestures for him to come inside. “Ms. Opal said so. Come on. There’s spare beds on the second floor, enough for all three of you.”

Hop steps inside and sighs, shoulders immediately relaxing. “Thanks a ton, mate. I promise we’ll explain in the morning.”

Hop’s companions follow him inside, sticking close to one another. Bede rolls his eyes. They’re nervous, he realizes. They won’t pull anything. “Whatever.” He turns to point. “Stairs are back there, bathroom’s between the two bedrooms. Don’t be noisy, Ms. Opal needs her rest.”

Hop nods as he takes his shoes off. “You got it, mate. See you in the morning.”

Bede studies the group as they pass to go upstairs. They look tired and frankly don’t smell very good, so he guesses that they’ve been traveling, and from the orange sand on their shoes he guesses from Stow-On-Side at least. Hop looks nervous, shifting from one foot to the other while he waits for Marnie and his other friend. Marnie won’t meet Bede’s eyes and keeps her mouth firmly shut, jaw clenched. I doubt she has much nice to say. The other person looks to be about Hop’s age, maybe a year younger, and they have dark circles under their eyes and huddle in a thick hoodie and sweatpants despite the humidity. They run cold, I guess. They’re the last to follow Hop and Marnie upstairs, meeting Bede’s eyes briefly and giving him a little nod before turning and darting after their friends. In the brief moment that Bede could see their face clearly, he realizes that he’s definitely seen their face before, but he can’t put his finger on where.

Whatever, he grumbles internally as he locks the front door and turns the lights off, beginning to head back to his room. I’ll figure it out when I’ve had some rest. Hop ought to have a damn good explanation as to what the hell he’s doing here in the morning.

August 13th, 5:30 AM

Bede's morning starts the same way it has for the last two years. His alarm goes off at 5:30, he hits snooze twice before finally getting out of bed at 5:45, hops around his room to get dressed and brush his teeth, doesn't bother with putting his prosthetic on, and grabs his crutches to head out to the kitchen. He makes tea and breakfast for himself before starting to make waffles for Ms. Opal.

It's around 6:30 when the similarities come to an end.

Marnie stumbles into the kitchen, still half asleep. Bede tries to keep his head down and ignore her, but she seems insistent on talking. She stands by the table and stares at him until they finally make eye contact.

"Have anythin' to eat?" She mutters, and indignant scowl on her face.

"Why?" Bede asks, carefully spooning more batter into the waffle maker. "It's too early for breakfast."

"Then why the hell are you up?" She snaps accusingly, eyes narrowing.

"I'm making waffles for Ms. Opal," Bede replies smoothly, trying to keep his tone under control. "You can have some after her."

"I have t' eat now."

"Why are you so damn impatient?" Bede hisses, whipping around to glare at Marnie. "Half an hour is all I need."

"I've got low blood sugar," she growls, glaring daggers back at Bede. "Gotta eat somethin'."

"You don't have to be a bitch about it." Bede rolls his eyes and points at the cookie jar by the sink. "Have those."

Marnie stomps over to the cookie jar and seizes the whole thing, turns on her heels, and marches out of the kitchen, muttering profanities under her breath the whole time. "Not worth my fuckin' breath. High n' mighty prick."

"You're welcome," Bede snaps over his shoulder after her. There's no reply.

If she had just told me, I wouldn't have asked, Bede thinks as he turns back to the waffle maker. I get why she hates me, but it's been two years, and it's not like I work for Rose anymore. Whatever. Being angry probably runs in the family or something. Piers is never in a good mood.

Ms. Opal emerges from her room fully dressed around seven, as per usual. By then, Bede has already plated her breakfast and is working on breakfast for Hop and his friends. Part of him is tempted to burn Marnie's waffles on purpose, but he refrains since Ms. Opal is in the room and would know he would be doing it on purpose. Ms. Opal eats her breakfast in silence before sighing and pushing her empty plate away from her.

"Thank you, child. You never fail to make them the way I like," she smiles and dabs at her mouth with a napkin. "Although, why are you upset?"

Bede stiffens and takes a deep breath. I'll never get used to that. "Our guests are rude."

"Are they?" Ms. Opal raises an eyebrow. "Or  are they simply repaying poor treatment?"

"Both," Bede grumbles. "It's been two years. Whatever their problem is, they need to let it go."

"Perhaps being more friendly would help," Ms. Opal offers, beckoning for her mentee to sit. Bede rolls his eyes and obliges.

"I've been perfectly pleasant," he grumbles as he leans his crutch against the table and takes a seat. 

Ms. Opal raises an eyebrow but says nothing. Bede sighs and drops his forehead to rest it on the table. He hears Ms. Opal's restrained sigh.

"Child, why is this so upsetting for you?" She asks gently, tapping the table with her fingers.

"I don't want to see them," Bede grumbles into the worn wood, because that's the only answer he can come up with. "I don't want them to be here. They don't belong here."

"Why?" Ms. Opal prompts, clearly trying to coax some sort of explanation out of Bede.

"I don't know, it's just-" Bede grits his teeth and growls into annoyance. "They all hate me."

"Do they, now?" Ms. Opal sounds surprised. "Why do they hate you?"

"Because I was an ass."

"Elaborate, please."

"What is there to elaborate on?" Bede snaps, lifting his head. "Marnie's been looking at me like she wishes I was a Blipbig she could crush, Hop only wants to talk because he needs something, and that other kid won't even look at me. Who the hell are they, anyway?"

Ms. Opal studies Bede for a moment before glancing up at the ceiling. "Perhaps you should ask them."

Bede is about to retort, but then he hears footsteps above them. He stands and grabs his crutch and goes to sulk in the corner so that there are three free chairs. Less than a minute later, Hop, Marnie, and their friend come down the stairs and creep into the kitchen apprehensively, the friend eyeing Bede like he's a Tyranitar about to bite their head off.

"Come and join us," Ms. Opal waves them all into the kitchen. "Bede, get them plates, please." Bede turns away from the group, already feeling Marnie's gaze burning on the back of his head.

"Thank you for having us," Hop says quickly, too quickly. Still nervous. Never changes, that one. "We have a favor to ask."

"Nothing that can't wait until after breakfast, I hope," Ms. Opal responds. "Please, sit down. You must be weary from your travels."

"It's been a little tough, but we've coped," Hop admits. "A trek through the Glimwood Tangle isn't anything we haven't done before."

"It was much easier when it wasn't thirty-five an' humid, though" Marnie grumbles.

Ms. Opal barks a laugh. "I suppose. How you young ones manage, I'll never know. Tell me, what have you been doing since your Gym Challenges?"

While Bede is somewhat interested in what Hop and Marnie have been up to, the sound of their small talk with Ms. Opal is quickly drowned out by the nagging feeling of how familiar the fourth person at the table looks. He keeps sneaking glances at them as he puts the plates of waffles onto the table and starts reheating some of the tea from earlier that morning, but they keep their head down, poking at their waffles with their fork. Not a big breakfast person, maybe? They're small, but look far older than they should, Bede returns to his corner and examines them carefully. It's like they're trying to hide in their hoodie, the way they're hunched over. Like they don't want to be noticed. They're pale, too- strange for this late in the summer if they're from around here- and they must be, if they- he? she? can't tell, they haven't said a word yet- but if they're from around here, they'd be a bit tanner unless they hid inside all day. They've got some serious eye bags, too. They glance up for a moment, see Bede looking at them, and nearly choke on the bite of waffle they have in their mouth. Bede can't keep his eyebrows from furrowing. The hell? 

Something about the alarm on their face is also strangely familiar. Bede grabs his crutch and walks to the opposite side of the table from them to grab Ms. Opal's tea cup to refill it, watching them carefully as he does. He can see them sweating, fidgeting nervously with their hands, staring at their lap. They don't look up. They almost look like they're holding their breath. They only have freckles on their nose and upper cheeks, so faint that- that they-

They look like they could be dust.

Bede doesn't believe it until he sees the streaks of hazel in their eyes. Sunbeams.

It hits him like a boulder to the head because she was there. She saw it. It's her. It's always her, because she was there, and she's always there.

This time, Bede actually does drop his crutch, and he nearly drops Ms. Opal's teacup too. "Gloria?"

Late January, Two Years Ago

He remembers the day like you remember a particularly realistic dream. Fuzzily, seeing bits and pieces of it in your mind like you're looking at something under water, and not being quite sure if it actually happened or not.

For every day for the rest of his life, Bede will know that it happened. He will know because every morning he will wake up and still be missing his left leg. Because he has to wear a prosthetic that's too small for him and that presses on his scars painfully to look normal. Because it took him months of therapy to learn how to walk with a metal leg. Because where bone and muscle and tendons should be beneath his left thigh, there is empty space and phantom pain.

It itches constantly. A nagging reminder of his biggest mistakes. Of blindly following authority. Of not caring what happened, so long as he felt valued. Of the fear that came along with that.

It's funny, because it gets better when he's happier. When Ms. Opal is around. When he's battling or spending time with his Pokemon. It gets worse when he has to wear the prosthetic. When he sees the shade of magenta that he wore like a medal of honor. When he has to see anyone he knew before. He tries not to acknowledge the pain, but it's like it's linked to his mood.

Ms. Opal always did say he was magical.

He remembers the sound of the boulders scraping together, of looking up and expecting thunderclouds and seeing something much darker instead. He remembers running and tripping and the rocky dirt scraping his palm open as it hit the ground. The next thing he remembers is lying face down, splayed out like a Staryu, not being able to move. He doesn't remember the pain, but he remembers himself screaming- quick, desperate cries between gasps for air. He remembers the way the dust clogged his lungs and bored into his eyes like tiny daggers. He remembers not being able to hear anything but his own screams and the suffocating silence that was as thick as the dust in the air. He remembers thinking that he was dying, and being terrified in this primal, visceral way that he hasn't felt since.

He wished that he would die every day after that. He wished that the boulder had landed on his torso or head instead. He wished that he tripped earlier. He wished that he just hadn't ran at all.

And the next thing he remembers is Gloria's face. Covered in dust, dark green and hazel eyes frantically darting over him in the haze. He remembers thinking the little streaks of hazel in her eyes looked like sunbeams in a forest. He remembers that some part of his brain, completely detached from the present moment, thought that her eyes were pretty, and that he would like to have eyes like that instead of his own strange violet irises. He also remembers that another part of his brain, the part that was screaming along with everything else, was angry that those eyes might be the last thing he ever saw. He remembers Gloria screaming too, words that he doesn't remember, and then he remembers ginger hair with little plastic heart clips in it, which he now knows was Professor Magnolia's granddaughter. He remembers staring at Gloria's face, throat sore from screaming, and watching as tears cut little paths through the dust on her cheeks. He remembers realizing that the splotches on her nose and the bottom of her eyes weren't dust- they were freckles, faint and barely darker than her skin and mottled onto her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

He doesn't remember anything after that. Besides waking up in a hospital gown without a leg and knowing that it had happened.

But he remembers Gloria. And her forest eyes. And her dusty freckles. And how she was there when it happened, and how she was there again when he was picked up from the hospital, staring at him through the car window, eye bags dark and heavy.

Now

"Their name is Finn," Marnie snarls at Bede, eyes flaring with rage. "An' if you've got a problem with that, you're goin' t' go through-"

"Woah! Woah, don't be so fucking hostile!" Bede cuts her off and hops backwards on his right foot, crouching down and picking up his crutch. "How the hell was I supposed to know?"

"Be a real prick about it, an' we'll see what happens-" Marnie starts, standing up before Finn cuts her off.

"Mar, stop, please," they raise their voice a bit to make themselves heard. Marnie huffs and sits back down, and Finn looks Bede in the eye for the first time. "My name is Finn now. I'm not a girl, and I don't think I'm a boy. I'm using they/them pronouns for now. Any questions?"

"None at all, child," Ms. Opal responds. "Bede?"

He swallows nervously, extremely aware of the very real possibility of Marnie breaking his nose if he says anything she deems incorrect. "N-No. Not at all. I just- I didn't know, and I didn't recognize you until now." He swallows again and clenches his eyes shut. Fuck. I feel like an asshole all over again. "Sorry."

There's no response for a moment. Bede holds his breath. Then, a tiny, muffled snort of amusement.

Bede opens his eyes. "What?"

Hop is grinning like he's just won the lottery. "I've never heard you apologize for anything before, that's all."

Bede feels his cheeks burn. Arceus. They all still think I'm an ass. Good going, Bede, you're really improving that image by deadnaming their friend. "Well, I haven't done anything to you thats required apologizing until now, so that's why."

A different kind of silence settles over the table- the kind that makes the air thick and that is louder than any scream. Bede immediately wants to punch himself in the face as soon as the words come out of his mouth, but from the way Marnie's face looks, Bede thinks she might beat him to it. What the hell am I doing?!

I just- this isn't working. I need to get out of here. "I- Uh- Excuse me." Bede dips his head in the general direction of the table and moves out of the kitchen as quickly as he can, heading for the front door. His eyes are burning. Why do I ruin everything? Why am I such an ass?

Nobody calls after him as the door swings shut.

It's not hot out yet, but it is extremely humid. It's early enough so that there's still to be fog and dew on the grass and mushrooms. Despite the stifling humidity, the air outside the cottage somehow feels less suffocating than inside the cottage, and Bede decides to put as much distance between him and Marnie as possible in the hopes that by the time she's found him, she's cooled off a bit and will only yell at him instead of smashing his face in. He leaves Ballonlea and vanishes into the thick of the Glimwood Tangle, the foliage and eerie multicolor glow of the luminescent giant mushrooms quickly swallowing him. He taps them gently as he passes to shed glowing spores and leave a trail for him to follow back later. After about ten minutes of struggling to maneuver his crutch through the dense undergrowth and nearly twisting his ankle on gnarled tree roots multiple times, Bede finds a particularly large blue mushroom growing out of a huge fallen tree trunk with ample space beneath it for shelter, and decides that it's a good a place as any to hide. He crouches down and slides underneath the mushroom, settling himself and his crutch on the ground before staring up at the underside of the mushroom and the spores gently drifting away from it and trying very, very hard not to cry. He's successful. For the most part.

He doesn't know how long passes, but he spends most of his morning under that mushroom, staring as glowing spores float and fade around him. Then, when he's starting to entertain the idea of foraging for some food instead of going back to the cottage, he hears the distinctive rustling of something large moving through the foliage.

He expects Hop, since he remembers him as a bit of a bleeding heart. Maybe Ms. Opal with one of her pokemon to guide her. But it's Finn's head that emerges from the bushes, looking tired and a little nervous. They're still in their sweatshirt, sweating as they trample closer to Bede's mushroom. Bede keeps his head down and tries to stay still, but he knows Finn has spotted him when he hears a heavy sigh and the footsteps stop.

Then, their voice sounds quietly overhead. "Mind if I join you?"

Bede hesitates. He doesn't really want to talk to them, but they do have a paper bag in their hands, and he is starting to get hungry. So, he swallows his pride and mumbles half-heartedly. "Sure."

Finn crouches down, settles themselves underneath the mushroom, and hands Bede the paper bag. "Ms. Opal told me to give this to you when I found you."

He takes the bag and opens it. Inside, two neatly sliced sandwiches are wrapped in napkins, clearly prepared with care (Ms. Opal had even taken the time to slice them diagonally into triangles, the superior slicing method). He takes one of the sandwich halves out of the bag and inspects it. Honey and peanut butter.

Bede sighs gratefully and takes a bite, immediately feeling like Ms. Opal is sitting under the mushroom with him and Finn too, maintaining her silence and little smile, eyes glowing with knowledge that he could never fathom. She never asked questions, just let him talk. That was something that was new to him.

"She send you out here to drag me back?" Bede grumbles, voice muffled by the sandwich. Finn shifts uncomfortably, fingers tangling in the drawstrings of their hoodie. Bede notices the little pendants on the end of them, black metal pulled into tiny flat rhombuses.

"She just wanted me to find you," they reply. "She was very insistent on me going. Hop offered, but she told him no and pulled that bag out of the pantry and handed it to me instead. What kind of sandwich is it?"

"Honey and peanut butter," Bede replies. "I'm surprised Hop wanted to come and find me."

Finn blinks and shuffled their feet closer to them. "Y'know, it might help if you weren't... prickly."

Bede scoffs. "Please. Both of your friends hate me, and I'm surprised you don't. Is it pity?"

"For your information, no," Finn rolls their eyes. "And it'd be pretty hard to get me to hate you, the bar is pretty damn high. And Marnie and Hop don't hate you."

Bede gives them an incredulous look, even stopping chewing to curl up his lip. Finn's mouth is half open and their gaze is averted away from them. 

"Hop doesn't hate you," Finn amends. "Marnie hates Macro Cosmos. And she's paranoid, which I can't really blame her for. Can you?"

Bede remembers how much rage was in Piers' eyes when he confronted Rose, how sharp the outline of his shoulders was even beneath the oversized black hoodie he wore. "No," he concedes. "What's happening to Spikemuth is wrong. But I'm not part of the problem anymore."

"It might help if you weren't a dick for her being defensive," Finn mutters. "And if you didn't slam doors in Hop's face."

"That was a reflex," Bede retorts. "And I guess Marnie told you about this morning. I gave her the damn cookies, didn't I?"

Something flares in Finn's forest eyes. "You act like you don't want us here."

"I didn't ask for you to show up unannounced," Bede hisses back, gritting his teeth. "It's rude."

"What's rude is you hating us for showing up and needing your help," Finn snaps. "I thought it would feed that ego of yours, but I guess we're too annoying for that."

"I don't fucking hate you!" Bede snarls, his fingers digging into his sandwich. "Why do you think that?"

"Because you act like it!" Finn shouts. They straighten up and let go of their drawstrings, hands tensing angrily. Then, realizing that they've yelled, they deflate and hug their knees to their chest. "Sorry. You... you act like you hate us. And I guess I get it if you do, I just... I don't know, I thought you would have let it go by now. You seem so much better, I just thought you would have moved on."

"I am better," Bede says after a moment of silence. "I have moved on." The phantom pain gets worse, and he has to pull at the grass with his free hand to satisfy the urge to scratch at the leg that isn't there.

"I'm glad," Finn replies, a genuine smile on their face. They look at Bede. "You don't have eye bags anymore."

"I can't say the same about you," Bede says quietly. "You look worse, if anything." Finn curls into themselves a little more, and Bede suddenly feels guilty and scrambles to recover. "I mean, not like, the hair or anything, but you- you look tired."

Finn snorts. "Thanks. I am. I'm... I'm getting better. I'm working on it."

Something in the air shifts. The air doesn't crackle with tension like it did before Finn finally yelled at Bede, but they look more exhausted than anyone ever should now.

"Can I..." Bede trails off, not wanting to pry too much. "Can I ask where you went? I spent two months in juvenile detention and then you weren't on TV for the Gym Challenge anymore. When I tried looking, it just seemed like you had vanished."

Finn sighs and stares at the ground. "I had to go live with my parents in Sinnoh again. They lied to the psychiatrists and told them I had hallucinations and didn't know what was real and what wasn't. The short version of it is that it sucked, so I ran away. There was more to it than that, but I don't really want to talk about it."

"Ugh. Yeah, fair enough," Bede mutters. "That's kind of crazy."

Finn doesn't reply, still staring at the ground. They seem like they're lost in thought. Is that my fault? Should I have not brought it up?

Against his better judgement, Bede decides that Finn is trustworthy enough to know what he wants to tell them, and he sort of feels like he should give them something in return for explaining where they went. "Can I tell you something?"

Finn doesn't say anything, but they stop staring at the ground and glance at Bede instead, eyes blank.

I'll take that as a yes. "It's about the mural. Why I tried to- well, I did destroy it, so why I destroyed it, I guess."

Finn blinks. "Okay?"

"I... I get if you don't believe me, because I don't have any way to prove it, but Oleana told me to." When Finn doesn't react to what should be new information, Bede starts rambling, a little desperate for someone besides Ms. Opal to understand. "She told me to destroy the mural. I don't know if you ever really knew this, but my whole job while I worked for Macro Cosmos was to collect Wishing Stars and give them to Oleana. She said she needed them for something in the Power Plant, and that it was extremely important. And I never- I never had anything before that job, so I was desperate to keep it and to be the best at it so that they couldn't get rid of me, so when Oleana told me that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of Wishing Stars behind that mural, I- I don't know, I felt like I had to get them. I had to impress her so that she couldn't get rid of me. And she said it might impress Rose, too, and you know how much of a suck up I was. She gave me Rose's Copperajah and got me a Flying Taxi ticket to Stow-On-Side, and I was scared, but I- I just felt like I had to. And I did." Bede knows he could stop talking now, but for some reason, he doesn't. Finn is still listening, looking more attentive now. "And it really screwed me. Nobody believed me when I told them what happened, and Oleana lied to cover her own ass. She said she never told me to destroy anything, and that I had stolen Copperajah instead of her giving them to me. So they put me in juvenile detention for two months after I got out of the hospital and then had to do community service for a year. Ms. Opal saw me while I was emptying trash cans in Hammerlocke and literally asked to adopt me on the spot. I thought she was trying to pull a prank on me, but she showed up the next day with paperwork. Told me she had pulled some strings. Offered me her mentorship as part of the deal. I told her she was crazy and turned her down, but she kept visiting me. For no good reason. And now..." Bede realizes that he's tearing up and rubs his eyes furiously. "Now I'm here."

Finn looks a little overwhelmed, blinking rapidly with their eyebrows furrowed. Something sour flickers in their eyes, and fear and embarrassment immediately threatens to drag the tears out of Bede's eyes. He looks back down at his sandwich, waiting for Finn to laugh, for them to get up and walk away, or for them to nod along and smile pityingly.

But they don't. Instead, they whisper the words that Bede would have given his other leg to hear any police officer say to him.

"I believe you."

Bede doesn't realize he was holding tension in his shoulders until it melts away. He sighs in relief, hanging his head. 

"Oleana was always kind of a bitch, anyway," Finn mutters after a small pause. Bede barks an unexpected laugh that echoes through the trees. He sees Finn smile, and they keep talking. "I mean, it's like she doesn't have a soul and she decided to make it everyone else's problem."

"Literally!" Bede exclaims, sitting upright and fighting back tears of laughter. "I never saw her smile ever- I swear she hates everything and everyone. She really hated me, she was extra foul when I was around. No idea why. Literally all I ever did was what she told me."

"Why the hell does she even still work, anyway?" Finn asks, their face screwing up. "She's been Rose's assistant for as long as anyone can remember, from what I've heard, and she absolutely has enough money to retire. From the way she acts, there's no way she actually enjoys her job."

"Spite, probably," Bede rolls his eyes. "I'm just glad I don't have to work for her ever again. Ms. Opal takes better care of me than she ever did. Here," he reaches into the paper bag and offers Finn a half of one of his sandwiches. "As an apology for being an ass. Two years ago and now. And for realizing that Oleana is a massive bitch."

Finn chuckles and takes the sandwich. "Thanks. You're forgiven." They take a bite and their eyes widen. "Arceus, this is amazing. You said peanut butter and honey?"

Bede nods. "Ms. Opal loves them too. She uses honey in just about all of her recipes- pies, salads, sandwiches," he gestures to the only part of the sandwich that Finn hasn't already devoured. "Visitors are surprised that we don't keep Combee with how much honey is in our pantry."

"I need to get a jar when we pass back through Stow-On-Side," Finn mumbles, shoving the last few bites in their mouth. "I have something new on my list of things I would take if I got trapped in the Distortion World."

Bede snorts. "You and Ms. Opal. Me too, probably."

"We can all share," Finn jokes. "Ms. Opal can bring honey, you can bring peanut butter, I can bring bread, and we can all have a picnic and tea with Giratina."

"Sounds like a plan," Bede grins. "Thanks for... not being an asshole at me, I guess. I know I deserve it."

"Look, if there's one thing I've learned since I've gotten back to Galar, it's that people can change a whole lot in two years. Myself included." Finn shrugs. "Who's to say that you haven't too? And besides, you never seemed like you were happy when I knew you during the Gym Challenge. You definitely seem happier now."

"I am," Bede admits, eyes gazing up the blue mushroom above them. "I'm the happiest I've ever been, even if I'm missing a leg now. Maybe destroying the mural was a blessing in disguise."

"Life has a funny way of screwing you over before things get better," Finn agrees. "We're both happier now. That's a good thing no matter what."

Bede nods. "Also, uh... on the topic of people changing..."

Finn blinks and looks at him curiously. "What?"

"Okay, if this is a stupid question, just tell me to shut up, but... how did you, like... know that you weren't a girl?"

"Oh." Finn sounds surprised, voice pitching up an octave or two. They cough and look away, fingers returning to fiddling with their drawstrings. "I don't know, I- I just... It's hard to describe. I don't know exactly when I figured it out, I just... I just sort of knew? I always wished that I hadn't been born a girl, but the older I got I never really wanted to be a boy, so I just- I just found my middle ground, I guess," they snort. "I don't know. That's my answer. I know that probably wasn't a great explanation, sorry."

"No, it's fine, I was just-" Bede feels his face flush with heat. Gods, I have got to stop making them feel embarrassed. "I was just curious. I won't ask any more questions now, I promise."

Finn shrugs and slouches a little bit. "You're alright. I just don't have many answers, that's all."

"Do you want more of the sandwiches?" Bede asks, offering as a consolation. It works- Finn's face lights up and they tear another sandwich half out of the bag and take a huge bite, letting out a blissful sigh as they chew. Bede snickers and shakes his head before finishing off his first half and then eating a second, leaving the bag empty.

They eat in silence for a bit, Finn finishing much faster than Bede. When he finally finishes, Finn crawls out from underneath the mushroom and stands. "You ready to go back?"

"Sure," Bede sighs, grabbing the paper bag and stuffing the leftover napkins in it before dragging his crutch behind him as he shimmies out from underneath the mushroom. After handing the trash to Finn and a quick pistol squat, Bede is back on his foot and crutch, and him and Finn set off back towards the cottage.

"Just a heads up, you probably aren't going to like the favor we have to ask," Finn says, letting Bede lead the way.

He shrugs. "As long as it's not going to get us killed, I'll probably be fine with it."

One Hour Later

"Are you crazy?! Absolutely not!"

Hop holds out his hands pleadingly, trying to negotiate with Bede while his Rapidash, Finn's Lampent, Hop's Dubwool, and Marnie's Morpeko chatter excitedly to one another in the yard around the cottage. Marnie stands a bit behind Hop, glowering at Bede, while Ms. Opal and Finn chat a ways off.

"Mate, just let me explain-"

"It doesn't matter!" Bede yelps, taking a few steps back. "I am not sneaking you down into the Power Plant! Even I've never been down there, I told you that I have no idea what's going on!"

"What about the tunnels?" Marnie asks, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Have you ever been in those?"

"Yes, but- but-" Bede stammers, trying to remember what Raihan said about the tunnels underneath Hammerlocke Castle. "They're dangerous, and unstable, and extremely old, and do you really want to be in old rickety tunnels close to what you think is causing earthquakes?!"

Marnie rolls her eyes. "Please. If they've been there for centuries, they're not goin' to fail now. It's not like they're natural tunnels on the brink of cavin' in."

"I swear you have a fucking death wish," Bede hisses, looking at Marnie incredulously. "So you told me that you want to investigate the Power Plant because  you think something that's happening down there is causing overloading incidents, which you also think are linked to increasingly intense earthquakes, and now you're telling me you want to investigate the Power Plant by going in centuries-old tunnels to bypass Macro Cosmos security?! Are you fucking insane?!"

Hop sighs, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Look, mate, it's not like we have many other options. We can talk to Raihan and see if he knows anything, but I doubt he knows more than you do, which means that the only way we're going to figure anything out is through going down there ourselves. I know it's not ideal, but-"

Bede cuts Hop off with a snarl as Finn and Ms. Opal approach to see what the commotion is. "'Not ideal'?! You're going to get yourself disappeared or killed, and you say that's 'not ideal'?! No fucking shit!"

Hop groans and turns to Finn and Ms. Opal. "Help me out here, please."

"Child, you're a professional Gym Leader. You face much more danger battling than in some old tunnels," Ms. Opal points out.

"If any guards find us, we are fucked," Bede hisses, clenching his fists. "They'll disappear us because we were snooping. They were already trying to disappear me at the Gym Leader meeting last week, and trying to break into the Power Plant is basically turning ourselves in on a silver platter."

"Wait, wait," Finn shakes their head, looking confused. "What do you mean by 'disappear?'"

"It's Oleana's way of getting rid of people she doesn't like," Bede grumbles, glancing at the ground. "She reassigns them somewhere far away, and then nobody hears from them ever again. Most employees say it's just a rumor, but no high ranking employee besides her and Rose have held their position for more than a year or two before getting reassigned. I looked into it- turns out employee logs for Macro Cosmos are basically public if you know where to look- and it's kind of terrifying. People report their family members or friends missing, but nobody ever gets back to them. I'm surprised that wasn't what happened to me."

"That has to be illegal," Finn shudders. "And they're just, like, gone? Vanished? Why doesn't she just fire them instead?"

"It's easier to make people disappear than to fire them. It'd look bad if Oleana just kept laying people off for no reason." Bede rolls his eyes. "And nothing is illegal if you have enough money, which Macro Cosmos absolutely does."

"Damn right," Marnie hisses with a scowl. Everyone turns to look at her. "What? I might hate him, but that doesn't mean I can't agree with him," she retorts, glaring at Bede.

"Either way, I'm not sneaking you down into the Power Plant. It's a death wish, and I frankly have enough to worry about here," Bede scoffs. "Why you thought I would, I have no idea." Something occurs to him, and he turns to Hop. "Why don't you just ask your brother? He's basically Rose's favorite person, I'm sure he's been in the Power Plant plenty of times."

Hop flinches and his face twists with emotions that Bede has never seen from him before- anger, bitterness, maybe even some grief?- before it reverts back to a startlingly neutral expression for Hop. He's trying to mask whatever that was. "Lee and I aren't really on speaking terms at the moment," Hop responds curtly. "And even if we were, he wouldn't have time to take us anywhere."

"And you think I do?" Bede raises an eyebrow.

"You should go, child," Ms. Opal interjects. "You haven't traveled in far too long. Some fresh air will be good for you."

Bede gapes at her, mouth open wider than a Golbat. "Ms. Opal, you can't possibly be serious. How are you going to prepare the Gym on your own?"

Ms. Opal waves a hand dismissively. "I'll remind you that I've been running this Gym on my own since I was your age. And I have Gym Trainers to put to work if I cannot complete a task on my own."

"Ms. Opal, you can't expect to do that with your health-" Bede tries to object, but Ms. Opal cuts him off.

"That's more than enough. You will aid these travelers on their journey. I expect you to keep them in line. Besides, their group is rather lacking some pink," Ms. Opal grimaces slightly as her gaze skims over Hop, Finn, and Marnie. "I'm sure your presence will be mightily helpful. Consider it pre-season training." She gives Bede a toothy grin. "Now, inside you go to pack your travel bag."

Bede stands frozen in place for a moment, still wide eyed in shock. "B-b-but-"

"Go on," Ms. Opal shoos him away, and he takes a little step back, still not quite believing what he's hearing. "Get to packing, child. I'll book you four a taxi back to Stow-On-Side for tonight," she gives Hop a knowing glance, and Hop nods. Nobody but Bede seems to notice. He gapes at his mentor for a moment more before stiffening up and stomping inside, teeth gritted and fists clenched the whole way. Finn lets out a smothered giggle.

"He's not happy about this," they snicker, glancing at Hop.

"He'll be fine," Ms. Opal rolls her eyes. "Simply being dramatic. I'm certain this will be good for him. He needs more friends besides me." She smiles at Finn, Marnie, and Hop. "Pay him no mind if he is stubborn. I know it's not easy, but he truly doesn't mean any of it."

Finn shrugs. "I think we know. It's just kind of awkward."

"And he was still a bitch a me this mornin'," Marnie grumbles.

"He doesn't take too kindly to reminders of his past, that's all. He truly is a remarkable child once you get to know him. I like to think that I've mellowed him out a bit," Ms. Opal gazes at the doorway where Bede disappeared fondly. "Ah, well. I suppose that's yet to be seen. I digress. You three are welcome to take whatever food and supplies you'd like on your journeys, I have more than I need here." A mischievous twinkle comes to life in her eyes. "Also, please do shower before you go. Hygiene is imperative to living a long life such as mine."

Hop laughs sheepishly and rubs the back of his head. "We'll get on that, Ms. Opal. Thank you very much for having us."

"Of course," she dips her head and begins to make her way towards the cottage. "It's my pleasure. Now, I'm going to-"

Something purple and black streaks towards Ms. Opal and Finn cries out. "Lampent!"

Before anyone can move, Lampent is hovering over Ms. Opal, warbling frenetically and spinning, looking at Finn and then back to Ms. Opal. Finn rushes over to Lampent and pulls them down into a hug, comforting their Pokemon. Rapidash, Morpeko, and Dubwool all come over to see what the fuss is.

"Lampent, calm down, it's okay," Finn soothes, patting their metal top gently with one hand and holding them against their chest with the other. "It's alright, it's okay..."

Lampent gradually settles, and Ms. Opal blinks, looking genuinely startled. "Goodness me. What was that about?"

Lampent whooshes something at Ms. Opal in a low tone, quiet enough to be their equivalent of a whisper. Finn frowns down at their Pokemon, not quite understanding what they're trying to communicate, while Ms. Opal listens intently and nods after a moment.

"Yes, yes, I know. It's nothing for you to be concerned about, though," she says, reaching out to hold one of Lampent's metal tendrils with a shaky hand. "All is well."

Lampent's tendril curls around Ms. Opal's fingers before letting go. She smiles at them sweetly before turning to go back inside. "Excuse me."

Hop, Finn, and Marnie are left alone outside, all exchanging puzzled glances. Finn releases Lampent and they float back over to the rest of the Pokemon, warbling quietly to them.

"That was..." Hop pauses for a moment, searching for the right word. "Strange."

"Lampent being upset isn't good," Finn murmurs, watching their partner worriedly. "I'm not sure what that was about, though."

"We can worry 'bout it later," Marnie says, poking Finn's shoulder. "You need a shower."

Finn rolls their eyes and heads for the cottage. "Alright, okay. I'll come find you guys when I'm done."

Hop nods. "We'll start packing in the meantime. Be ready to leave by dinner, and maybe take a nap if you get time. The ride to Hammerlocke will probably keep us up late."

Marnie groans and pulls at her pigtails. "I am not lookin' forward to a five hour taxi ride with Bede of all people."

August 13th, 7 PM

Hop, Finn, Marnie, and now Bede stand on the steps of Ms. Opal's cottage, bidding her farewell. Bede is less than happy to be leaving, but has warmed up to the idea of traveling a bit more, and feels a little responsible for the younger teenagers' safety. Ms. Opal would kill me if I let anything happen to them.

"Thank you again, Ms. Opal!" Hop waves and gives her a big grin. "We'll bring Bede back safe and sound, don't worry."

"So long as he doesn't piss me off too much," Marnie grumbles. Hop and Finn roll their eyes, but Ms. Opal chuckles.

"I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior," Ms. Opal replies, smiling at Bede. He gives her a small nod in response. "Oh, come here, child," she beckons him for a hug. After a moment of hesitation, Bede sets his pack down and walks back to Ms. Opal, prosthetic leg only visible in the small gap between his pants and his socks. Ms. Opal pulls him into a tight hug, and while Bede doesn't hug back quite as tight, it's because he's concerned for her fragile ribs.

For about ninety, she certainly still has some strength about her, Bede thinks, struggling to breathe in his mentor's grip.

Then, Opal releases him and rests her hands on Bede's shoulders. "Thank you, child. You never cease to amaze me."

Bede rolls his eyes. "Yes, Ms. Opal, I'll be careful. Are you sure I can manage all on your own?"

Ms. Opal scoffs with fake hurt. "That's no way to speak to your elders. Such disrespect." Her eyes have the same twinkle about them that they always do, the mischievous glint that somehow gives her face so much more life than you would expect from someone her age. She pats Bede's shoulders before finally letting go. Bede steps back, and she shoos him away playfully. "Now, off with you four, or you're going to miss the taxi."

Bede smiles and nods. "Thank you, Ms. Opal. I'll return soon."

"I know, child, I know. Off with you!"

Hop and Marnie set off towards Ballonlea Gym, the taxi's pick up location, glancing over their shoulders to see Finn waiting for Bede to follow. He grabs his pack and pulls it onto his back before setting off with Finn at his side and waving behind him at his mentor. "Goodbye, Ms. Opal! I'll see you soon!"

Ms. Opal waves back, smiling as she watches him go. "Farewell, child! Be safe!"

She watches as the four kids make their way down the path towards the Gym, chattering amongst themselves. When they finally round a corner and are no longer in sight, Ms. Opal sighs and whispers one final message before turning to go back inside.

"Never forget that you are loved, child. Be well."

Chapter Text

August 14th, 11:46 PM

Finn readjusts in cramped taxi so they can look out the window as it begins to descend. The orange cliffs that surround Stow-On-Side look eerily dark in the near-midnight gloom, paler streaks looking more like old, yellowing bones than natural deposits of lighter soil. Bede is snoring quietly to their left, head slumped against the window and knees tucked close to his chest, while Hop hovers over Marnie's shoulder to watch a phone screen that Finn can't really see from where they're sitting to their right. Finn sighs and loops their drawstrings around their fingers as the group creeps closer and closer, trees and buildings starting to look detailed and real rather than strangely arranged amorphous blobs in the gloom. Lantern light from the streets of central Stow-On-Side flickers as people flit to and from night market stalls. No wonder they have a siesta every day. So many people are up so late. And it has to be a lot nicer out when the sun isn't trying to burn everything to a crisp.

The taxi wobbles precariously, and Bede jolts awake as his head thumps against the window particularly hard. He groans and stretches with the limited space that he has (although, between the bags taking up the floor space and him being sandwiched between the wall and Finn, he ends up smacking his hands against the front wall of the taxi) before rubbing his eyes and looking blearily out the window. "Why are we stopping in Stow-On-Side?"

Finn blinks, the thought not having occurred to them until it was said aloud. "Stopping for the night, maybe?"

Hop speaks up. "Actually, I wanted to look into something here really quick before we went to Hammerlocke. Ms. Opal told me that we should check out the statues."

Bede stiffens. "Why?" He demands, voice sharp and mouth twisted into an agitated scowl.

Finn rubs their temples, even more confused. "What problem do you have with the Diglett statues?"

"Not those statues," Hop shakes his head. "The ones that were behind the mural."

"Oh. Right." Finn's face burns with embarrassment as Bede scoffs and shifts so he's facing away from the rest of the group. How the hell did I forget about that?

They don't exactly remember the day Bede destroyed Stow-On-Side's mural (which was pretty underwhelming for Sonia's standards, as she never failed to declare every time it was brought up prior to its destruction), but they think that's probably for the best. Finn remembers what led up to it, battling Bede, and then after that most of their recollection is fuzzy, and they're okay with that. Their brain has taken the liberty of burying most of those memories, and whenever they go digging, the first things they find are flashes of blood and black and white uniforms swarming everywhere, so they generally don't probe further into that corner of their brain. 

Hop notices Bede's sour expression and tries to console him. "Don't worry, mate. Shouldn't take more than an hour to two. Just wanna see if I can find anything interesting."

"Whatever," Bede grumbles. "As long as I'm not involved and you don't get yourself killed, I don't care."

The taxi slows before thumping to a gentle halt, and before Finn can even sit up properly to get their things and get out, Marnie has already flung the door wide open and is out of the taxi with her bag and phone in hand, trying to get a proper signal. Bede is out not much longer after her, although he struggles a bit more to get out of the taxi with the foot of his prosthetic leg catching on the door frame. He curses under his breath as he nearly loses his balance, but recovers and grabs his bag before stepping away from the taxi. Hop gives Finn a weary glance before grabbing his own bag and sliding out the same way Marnie went, and Finn follows, pulling their bag out of the taxi after their feet are safely on the ground.

"How long do you kids need?" The cabbie calls down to the group, already checking their phone for other jobs to do in the meantime.

"Maybe an hour or two," Hop calls back up. "We'll definitely be done before morning, so come and find us if we're not back by then."

"Got it, kid. I'm gonna run to the city- be back in forty, probably. Meet you kids back here."

"No problem," Hop waves to the cabbie as they climb back on top of their Corviknight. "Thanks a ton, mate."

After the taxi takes off, Finn takes in their surroundings. Stow-On-Side Stadium looms over the four kids, exterior lights humming quietly with no particular color yet- the Gym Leader for this year's Gym Challenge has yet to be announced, although the turf was a deep purple when Hop, Finn, and Marnie were inside the Stadium for the open gym. The streetlights do a good enough job of lighting the courtyard and surrounding area to make Finn feel comfortable enough to stray away from Hop and Marnie for a moment to take a look at the bulletin board posted outside the Gym. A fresh looking notice hangs in the dead center of the board, which reads 'STADIUM CLOSED FOR REPAIRS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE' in bolded red lettering. Finn lets out a weary sigh, reminded of what they're heading to Hammerlocke to do. The sooner we figure this out, the better.

"So what's your plan, anyway?" Bede snaps, pulling Finn's attention back to their friends. "Waltz up to the statues in the middle of the night and take some pictures?"

"Not quite," Hop grins as he replies, the same grin that he gave Finn before he had asked them to go into a Max Raid Den for the first time, the grin that meant he was going to to something dangerous and probably a little stupid.

Marnie catches onto this as well. "Gods, if you get us arrested, I'm goin' t' kill you."

"You don't have to come with," he shrugs, readjusting his bag over his shoulders. "But I think you're gonna wanna see what we're gonna find."

"What are you looking for?" Finn asks, tilting their head to the side.

Hop's grin somehow manages to get wider. "Ms. Opal said that there was something important behind the statues- caverns with old texts, catacombs, maybe- and Ms. Opal isn't wrong about anything. She knows what we're trying to do and wouldn't mention something unless it was worthwhile."

"What is it with you and tunnels?" Bede groans, exasperation dripping from his voice. "First the Power Plant, now this." He shakes his head. "You have a death wish, little boy."

Finn sees Hop flinch before freezing, and wonders for a moment why. Then, they remember where they had heard that nickname for the first time, and a familiar defensiveness springs to life deep in their chest.

September 30th, Two Years Ago

"I'm so excited, I can't stand still!" Hop whispers to Gloria, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "What number should I pick? Lots of people do their birthday, but I think that's boring. It needs to be something cool! Something people remember easily!"

Gloria winces at the harsh sound of someone laughing nearby before taking a side step out of line to look at an endless string of people, young and old, stretching on for what feels like forever. The check-in desk is barely visible through the line and the crowd around it. "I think you'll have plenty of time to think on it," Gloria replies, stomach churning at the thought of having to be around all of these people for so long, of having to walk onto Motostoke Stadium's pitch and have her name and number be announced to a Stadium filled with people watching, cheering, expecting things from her.

Hop cranes his neck to look over Gloria's shoulder. "Gods, you're right. How many people are registering right now, even? Registration has been open since the end of August, right?"

"Maybe they're all like us, and had to travel to get here," Gloria responds, pointing at a group trainers in navy blue uniforms with bright orange trim chatting nearby, all holding fresh challenger uniforms. "Look, I think they're from Hammerlocke."

"I bet those kids are from Ballonlea," Hop points at two children who look a little younger than him and Gloria, both wearing pastel pink and baby blue. "I think it's a popular custom to wear your city's colors to the Opening Ceremony. Gym pride and all." Hop sighs. "We don't have any colors to wear."

"The closest to us is Motostoke, but I don't love red," Gloria wrinkles her nose and nods. "You're right." Then, her eyes catch on a trainer with white hair wearing a magenta coat with some symbol plastered on the back. "Oh, do you think they're from Spikemuth? Aren't their colors bright pink and black?"

"And white," Hop adds, head swiveling around to look for the person Gloria is looking at. "Where? I don't see any dark pink."

Finn points, and Hop squints at the trainer, who is walking out of the crowd of people around the check-in desk, chin high and a scowl on their face. "I mean, maybe. They look strange enough to be from Spikemuth."

"And grumpy enough," Gloria mutters as the trainer comes closer, heading for the exit. "Didn't you say that people from Spikemuth were always in a foul mood?"

"Yeah," Hop mutters, eyeing the stranger warily as they approach him and Gloria. "Mum says it's something in the water, but it has to be more than that. I dunno."

Hop turns his back to the stranger, and Gloria does the same out of habit of copying whatever her friend does. She scans the crowd, looking for anyone who looks particularly interesting, but it's hard to pick anyone out as unique among the sea of clashing colors, green and blue and orange and black and red all fighting with each other to take up the most space. There is, however, an almost starling absence of bright pink. "Weird. It seems like-"

Hop cuts Gloria off with a yelp, suddenly staggering into her. Gloria stumbles forward, nearly tripping and falling onto the floor, before whipping around, face burning with embarrassment and anger. What the hell?!

But Hop isn't looking at her. He's turned to gawk at the stranger that him and Gloria had just been talking about. "Mate, what-"

"Do shut up," the stranger snarls right back. "I'm far more important than you, and have better places to be than here listening to you natter on at me."

Did they hear what we said?! Gloria's stomach drops. We didn't mean it to be rude, but they're acting like a real prick-

"Woah, mate, chill," Hop holds out his hands. "What's the problem?"

"Please," the stranger scoffs. "I don't have to explain myself to a little boy like you."

Gloria blinks, taken aback by the insult. This stranger looked older than her and Hop, maybe seventeen or eighteen, but Hop wasn't really small, certainly not little. He was taller than Gloria was by an inch or two, although his build was a bit thinner. Maybe in comparison, Hop would look a little small next to this hostile new person, but Gloria always thought that he was a pretty standard size for his age- at least, closer to the standard than Gloria.

Hop visibly shrinks as the stranger shifts their weight towards him. "Mate, I'm fourteen. I'm not-"

"You look ten," the stranger cuts Hop off, bright purple eyes looking down at Hop like he's roadkill. "Why don't you scurry home to your mummy and quit pestering me?"

Hop clenches his fists. "You started it," he snaps, taking a step towards the stranger. "I was just standing in line and you nearly pushed me over."

"You should have gotten out of my way," the stranger rolls their eyes before glancing down at a gold watch that's far too big for their wrist. "Whatever. I'm wasting time. You're not worth my breath."

And with that the stranger turns and stomps away, chest puffed out and nose so high in the air that anyone their height could see into their nostrils. They look ridiculous.

Hop takes another step forward, fists at his sides, shoulders tensed. Gloria recognizes that he's about to go after the stranger and puts a hand on his shoulder to tug him back into line, trying to ignore the stares that they're both getting. "Just leave them be. Not worth it."

"What in the gods' names was their problem?" Hop huffs, crossing his arms indignantly but stepping back into line. "Acting like they're better than the rest of us, and for what?"

"I don't know," Gloria sighs. "Hopefully they're not all they talk themselves up to be and get beaten out of the Challenge pretty early so we don't have to see them again."

"I hope so," Hop agrees with a sigh of his own, before shaking the tension out of his hands and shoulders. "Ugh. Anyways, what do you think of the number forty?"

Now

"I do not have a death wish," Hop snaps, suddenly defensive as well. "It's you who seems to have a problem with everything I do. Ms. Opal wouldn't have told me to come here unless she thought it was a good idea, and she wouldn't be letting us go to Hammerlocke if she didn't think it was a good idea. You don't have to come. But I'm trying to figure out what the hell is going on, because this isn't normal."

And with that, he turns and huffs off towards the stairs that lead up to the statues.

Marnie shoots Bede a death glare, the only acknowledgement she's given him since the group had gotten in the taxi, and follows right behind Hop, whispering something to him that Finn can't hear. Bede's shoulders slump as he lowers his gaze to the ground.

He deserves a second chance. Ms. Opal said he doesn't like reminders of his past- that's what we are to him. Be patient. Finn swallows their urge to defend Hop and lets out a deep sigh instead.

"Are you coming with or staying here?" They ask Bede. He startles and looks up at Finn before letting out a sigh of his own.

"I'm going," he grumbles, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I need to apologize. And make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"The second one is my job, don't worry," Finn responds, heading towards the stairs. "Come on, let's catch up."

By the time Finn and Bede catch up to Hop and Marnie, Marnie has already cleared the fence that blocks the path from fully reaching the terrace in front of the statues, and Hop is halfway up it, clutching at the thick metal wire.

It looks a bit short to be a fence for security, Finn notices, watching as Hop swings his legs over the top of the fence and lands safely on the other side. It's only about my height. It looks more like a fence that someone would put around their yard than a fence that's meant to keep people out.

Bede walks right up to the fence, and instead of beginning to climb it, he slides a small bar to the side at the point where two sections meet and gives one of them a small push. It swings open with a small creak.

Finn smothers a laugh, while Hop just looks a bit surprised. Marnie glares at Bede again, who rolls his eyes and steps through the opening. "That wasn't necessary."

"I keep forgetting that things are mostly free in Stow-On-Side," Hop murmurs sheepishly as Bede walks past him. "Sorry, mate."

Bede stops and looks back at him, mouth open like he's about to snap some snarky retort. Then, he closes his mouth and takes a deep breath. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you that."

Hop smiles, and just like that, the tension in the air is gone. Even Marnie seems to soften. Finn breathes a tiny sigh of relief. Thank Arceus.

"All good. I know I'm impulsive," Hop chuckles before turning towards the stairs that lead up to the top terrace. "I'm used to hearing about it, don't worry. Let's get a move on."

Hop leads the group up the stairs, with Marnie now trailing a bit behind. Finn inhales sharply as the tops of the statues begin to peek over the top of the stairs. I forgot how... how big they were.

Big certainly doesn't do it justice- the statues are larger than life. The hall itself that holds them could feasibly fit a standard Stadium inside of it and still have room to spare above it. Bricks that are at least a story high and wide hold the elegant arched roof of the cavern up, clearly ancient but built out of the same dull orange stone as the cliffside. The statues themselves are a different story, though. The two massive Pokemon near the front of the mountain interior, meant to represent the weapons that fought off the Darkest Day three thousand years ago, mostly resemble some sort of canine Pokemon, although they haven't been identified by name yet. The one that crouches low to the ground (with low being completely relative; just the paws of the Pokemon alone are Finn's height and then some) holds a barred shield in it's mouth that blocks most of it from view from the front and, unlike the bricks on the walls, is closer to red than orange. The other Pokemon statue holds a long and elegant sword in its jaws, its frighteningly sharp teeth clamped around the handle carved in meticulous detail. This Pokemon is mostly blue, although both it and the other Pokemon have gray muzzles, legs, and underbellies, with black claws on their paws. Behind them, two humanoid figures tower over them, both carved completely from gray stone. They're meant to represent the original Galarian kings who made an alliance with the weapons that vanquished the Darkest Day. The humans look roughly identical- they both wear long robes, layered capes, beaded necklaces, and incredibly detailed crowns. Their only facial features consist of square noses that arch up into their brows with small (again, small being relative) dents carved into their face where their eyes would be. Each of them have their hands folded together in front of their chests, gazing out over the Pokemons' heads and off into the distance. Even further and even higher behind them, a pointed stone arch is carved into the back wall of the cavern, the spiral sigil hanging where the two sides meet just barely illuminated by the lights within the cave that have been placed there now that the statues are an exhibit rather than hidden away from the rest of the world. The roof of the cave above the entire display is not visible, reaching so high within the cliffside that the lights near the cavern floor cannot reach it.

It is truly awe-inspiring.

"Arceus," Finn breathes as the group approaches the yawning entrance of the cavern, marveling at the size and detail of it all. How long did it take to carve the individual pieces of fur onto the Pokemon? Their teeth and the insides of their mouths? The wrinkles in the robes and capes of the kings? The outlines of each individual jewel in their crowns? How the hell is that sword so long and still held up by just the handle? "My neck hurts from looking up."

"I forgot how huge it was," Bede whispers, voice quaking.

"Me too," Marnie admits quietly.

Hop, however, wastes no time heading towards the small path that leads into the cavern and around the statues, pulling his backpack off and beginning to dig in it as he walks. His eagerness jolts his friends out of their awe, and the three of them follow him into the cave.

"So, what exactly are we looking for again?" Finn asks, eyes still wide open as they take in their surroundings.

Hop pulls a small notebook and a pen out of his backpack and puts it back on before continuing to lead his friends deeper into the enormous cave. "Anything that looks like a door, or anything out of the ordinary. Oh, and any Ancient Galarian you see. I want to take pictures to see if I can manage to translate it at all."

Bede furrows his eyebrows. "And how are we meant to know what Ancient Galarian looks like?"

Hop stops, scans the immediate area, and points at the slope raised dais the statues stand on and that the path within the cave runs around. "That."

Finn looks to where he's pointing, but doesn't see anything. They frown and squint, taking a closer look at the rock, before realizing that the strange lines and dots that are carved into the dais aren't decoration- they're letters, each line large enough for Finn for put their hand inside of.

"Most of the texts that we have now on the Darkest Day are actually ancient one, and they've just been translated into Modern Galarian," Hop explains. "I'm worried that everything that's been going on now- the earthquakes, the overloading incidents- it's all related to the Darkest Day somehow. I'm worried it could happen again."

"Woah, woah, slow down," Bede shakes his head and holds his hands up, coming to a halt. "The Darkest Day, as in, the massive storm that nearly destroyed the entire region? That's only a legend."

"But why would a legend have massive statues dedicated to it?" Hop asks, gesturing at their surroundings. "Think about it. Sonia looked into it a lot over the course of our Gym Challenge, trying to find out if the legend had any truth to it. Three thousand years is a long, long time- long enough for history to be distorted or forgotten entirely. But almost all historical monuments in Galar have some connection to the Darkest Day: the tapestries is the Hammerlocke vault, the Hero's Bath in Circhester, and now this. It's all connected, and if the heroes back then stopped it, there has to be away to prevent it, too."

"But we're not ancient heroes," Bede snaps. "The heroes back then were kings. I'm a little over nineteen, and the rest of you are what, sixteen? Seventeen?" He shakes his head. "We don't even know if it's going to happen all over again. The storm of the Darkest Day was vanquished, and there's no reason why it would come back."

"This 's the first I'm hearin' of this Darkest Day stuff," Marnie interjects. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

Hop sighs and hangs his head. "I didn't want to worry you guys. And I don't even know if the Darkest Day and the overloading incidents are even related, I just- I have a bad feeling. Something isn't right."

Something gnaws at Finn somewhere between their lungs and their stomach. He's right, something isn't right. Something is definitely wrong, but I don't know if it's just because something has always been wrong in Galar or if it's actually to do with the overloading incidents. But from how bad Sonia made the Darkest Day sound, I don't want to take any risks. We need to rule it out, or we need to get a lot more serious about our investigating and tell someone fast.

"There's no harm in looking," Finn says. "Sonia told me that the Darkest Day killed thousands of people, and if it's coming again, we have to find someway to prevent it. Even if it's not that, the overloading incidents are still dangerous, and people could get hurt."

Hop nods. "I know it sounds crazy, but when I told Ms. Opal that we were looking i to the overloading incidents, she told me to look here: statues that have to do with the history of the Darkest Day. I don't know how Ms. Opal knows things, but she's usually not wrong."

Bede sighs. "You're right," he concedes. "She has some sort of way to know what's going to happen before it does. Gods if I know how, or why she's always right, but it freaks me out." Bede shudders. "If she thinks the Darkest Day is coming again, it probably is."

"And that's why we need to see if there's any kind of way to prevent it," Hop nods. "So if you see any Ancient Galarian, write it down or take a picture. I'll translate it later and see what we get out of it."

"Wait, if how to translate Ancient Galarian is common knowledge, wouldn't all of this have been translated already?" Finn asks, pointing at the writing on the dais. "Shouldn't we look for that other cave that Ms. Opal told you was here? The one behind the statues?"

"Well, it's not really common knowledge, but yeah," Hop says, clicking his pen anxiously. "I think Sonia has the translations somewhere, but there isn't an official way to translate it yet. I want to take pictures of it all just in case there's something she missed. I'm gonna ask her when we go to Wedgehurst." Bede opens his mouth, but Hop guesses what he's thinking. "And no, you don't have to come with us for that if you want to go back to Ballonlea."

Bede rolls his eyes. "We'll see."

Hop tears two pieces of paper out of his notebook and hands one to Bede and Finn each, while Marnie pulls out her phone and opens the camera and pulls extra colored pens out of her bag. Bede takes the pink one without hesitation. Each person takes one side of the rectangular dais to examine, and when the four regroup, they each have four unique lines of Ancient Galarian after Hop copies down Marnie's photos.

"This looks so strange," Bede mutters, examining the compiled pieces of paper over Hop's shoulder.

"Look, these two have the same word in them," Marnie points at the same string of four symbols in both Bede and Finn's lines.

"That symbol just looks too big to be just one, don't you think?" Finn studies a symbol that takes up three times as much space as any of the other ones.

"I think that's just a connected symbol," Hop murmurs. "I'm rusty, but I think that's 'ing', and I think the squares are the letter E."

"Is this one a different vowel, then?" Bede points at a square with a dot inside of it.

"No, I don't think so..." Hop's eyebrows furrow in thought. "E is a square, and I think U is the one that looks like the greater than symbol, and I'm pretty sure A looks like a backwards L?" He sighs in defeat. "I have no idea what the rest of them are. Sonia would know."

"It's more than I know," Finn offers in an attempt to console him. "And we'll figure it out, don't worry. We should look for a way to get behind the statues since Ms. Opal said there was something important back there."

"You're right," Hop says, gathering the papers and his backpack. "I have no idea how to get back there, but just keep an eye out, I guess. Don't press on any walls too hard- I don't know how stable all of these statues are."

Marnie nods. "Lead the way, Mister History."

The group heads for the back wall of the cavern, behind the statues of the kings. With careful feet, they step over the rope blocking off the actual exhibit from the path and head towards the arch. Marnie rolls her ankle in a small dip and curses, resorting to pulling out her phone and turning the flashlight on as the group continues into the gloom. Since the wall itself is so huge, they decide to split up into groups of two. Finn, Bede, and Lampent end up searching the center of the back wall, and after a few minutes, find something strange beneath the spiral symbol high above their head.

It's more Ancient Galarian, they realize, pressing their fingers into the rock, feeling the grooves of the dots and lines. But it's so much smaller now. Bede doesn't seem to notice before Finn gestures for Lampent to come nearer. 

"Hey, I found more Ancient Galarian!" Finn calls in the direction they know Hop and Marnie are in. The shadow of a head pokes out from behind a natural rock formation.

"One second!" Hop calls back. Two shadowy figures carefully make their way over to Finn and Bede with Marnie's flashlight as their guide.

"'T's tiny," Marnie murmurs as she and Hop get close enough to see the text.

"Compared to the stuff under the statue, for sure," Hop agrees, pulling out his notebook once again and starting to copy the text. "There's 'ing' again... oh, and the three lines on top of each other are a dash, I know that." After a few moments, Hop finishes writing, and puts his notebook away. "This line is a lot longer than the other four."

"I dunno if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Marnie mutters.

"I feel like I've seen this line," Hop says, looking at the symbols a little closer. "No idea where, though."

Finn looks at it a little closer too, and then it clicks. "Oh! I think this is what's on that little plaque by the tapestries in the Hammerlocke Vault- the one that Sonia said was super ominous."

Hop swallows nervously. "I think you're right. That... that should say 'Heed our warnings - or meet our fates', then."

"Heed our warnings - or meet our fates," Finn echoes, shuddering as a chill runs up their spine. "The original kings didn't die because of the Darkest Day, right?"

Hop shakes his head. "I think the 'meet our fates' part is referring to the Darkest Day itself, which means the 'heed our warnings' part is about how to prevent it."

"It doesn't make that any less creepy, though," Marnie says with a grimace. "We didn't find any kind of tunnel or door."

"There's probably something around here if the text is here," Hop mutters, scanning the wall.

That's when Finn notices the tiny groove running down the middle of the line, so small they thought it was a crack at first, and the small indent at about shoulder level beside it. They stare at it for a moment before bracing themselves and reaching out to dust off the groove and indent, and end up revealing a tiny slit in the wall, too vertical and perfect to be natural, that runs from about as high as Finn can reach all the way down to the floor.

"What the..." Bede hisses as he realizes what he's seeing.

"That's a door if I've ever seen one," Hop reaches out and presses his finger into the indent and clearly anticipating some kind of entrance to appear. Finn's stomach drops. What if it's a trap-

Nothing happens.

His nose wrinkles. "Huh."

"There's a second one," Marnie points out. "On the other side of the door."

Finn reaches out and presses their own finger into the indent, and that's when something rumbles loudly. Startled, they rip their finger back, and Hop does the same.

They blink, surprised at the lack of pain. Guess it's not a trap.

"Maybe we have to hold it?" Finn suggests. Hop nods, and both place their fingers back onto what must be buttons in the rock. 

The rumbling starts up again, growing louder and louder until it morphs into scraping, and then the slit between the symbols starts growing. It opens, wider and wider, like a mouth opening to devour a meal, before finally thudding to a halt. Complete and utter darkness stares back at Finn as they look into the tunnel, which slopes downwards and leads further into the mountain.

"Arceus, this is creepy," they hiss, pulling their finger back. "That looks like-"

The door slams shut with a thunderous crack. Shock fizzles through Finn, leaving their fingers tingling and their arms shaking. Everyone lets out a yelp or scream of alarm. Finn takes several steps back from the door and stumbles into Marnie, who steadies them.

"Easy," she murmurs, resting a hand on their shoulder.

"I wasn't expecting that," they shudder. "That's a death trap."

Bede looks especially pale in Lampent's purple light. "Damn right it is."

"Two people have to hold it," Hop deduces, putting a hand on the door again. He glances at Finn, eyes full of exhilaration from their discovery. "Wanna do something stupid?"

Despite their best efforts, a grin splits Finn's face. They hear Marnie and Bede groan simultaneously behind them.

Hop turns to look back at Bede and Marnie. "I'm guessing neither of you want to go down there."

"No," they respond simultaneously again. Finn stifles a snort. Maybe they'd get along if Mar didn't hate him. I'll talk to her about that.

"Here you are, then," he gestures at the buttons, grinning.

Bede hesitates for a moment before letting out a longer, more exasperated groan and marching up to the button. "Ughhhhhh. Fine. Don't you dare get yourself killed," he jabs a finger at Hop's chest before turning to Finn. "Don't let him get himself killed."

"What?!" Hop protests, holding his hands up innocently. "Why no warning for them?"

"They're not impulsive," Bede snaps back. "They don't want to go into ominous ancient tunnels that have the words 'Heed our warnings - or meet our fates' scrawled across the door."

"I mean, if it's to find out what's..." Finn starts, voice dying when they see the look on Bede's face. "We'll be very careful," they offer with their most convincing smile.

Marnie sighs and walks up to the other button. "Whatever. Jus' get a move on. If you're not back in an hour, I'm sendin' a Pokemon in t' look for you."

"Yes ma'am," Hop mock salutes Marnie as she rolls her eyes and presses the button. Bede grits his teeth and does the same, and the door slowly opens again.

Finn takes a deep breath as the darkness seems to creep out of the tunnel towards them. I am not going to die in a cave in the dark. I am not going to die in a cave in the dark. I am not going to-

"Coming, Finn?" Hop's voice snaps them out of their thoughts. They brace themselves and step into the tunnel, beckoning for Lampent to follow.

Hop leads Finn down the tunnel, both of their shadows flickering and warping with each step. Finn does their best to swallow their nervousness about being in a cave, but can't help noticing the way the air is cold and still, the way dust billows outward after every step they take, the way they're enclosed underground by solid rock. I am not going to die in a cave in the dark, I am not going to die in a cave in the dark...

Lampent stops and whooshes softly, noticing their trainer's anxiousness. Hop stops as well, glancing back to see what's going on. Finn stares at the ground, seeing their own hands shake as their chest and throat begin to tighten. I don't want to die in a cave in the dark, Arceus, please don't let me die in a cold dark cave, please don't let me, please, please...

Lampent taps gently on their trainer's trembling hands with one of their metal tendrils, catching their attention. Finn looks at the purple firelight within their glass and takes a deep breath. Lampent is with me. Lampent won't let me die.

"You okay?" Hop asks, tilting his head.

"Yeah," Finn exhales heavily. "Being in a cold dark cave again is freaking me out a little bit."

Hop's eyes widen. "Shit, I totally forgot- you can go back if you want-"

"No," Finn cuts him off, determined to face their fears now. "It's fine. And Lampent is with me. I will not die in a cave in the dark."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Finn nods. Hop sighs. "Okay. Let me know if you want to take a break or go back. It's not a problem at all, seriously."

"Don't worry," Finn smiles, grabbing one of Lampent's arms in their hand. "I'll be okay."

Hop smiles back and walks a bit closer to Finn when they continue onwards. I will not die in a cave in the dark, Finn repeats in their head. I will not die in a cave in the dark. I will not die in a cave in the dark.

And before they know it, the tunnel starts to widen, Lampent's light begins to reach a little further, until the walls fall away into nothingness, leaving Hop and Finn standing in what must be an absolutely massive cavern, flocking to Lampent's light like Mothims flock to street lamps.

"I wish we had Marnie's flashlight," Hop mutters ruefully. "Probably should've thought of that."

"I didn't think there would be another massive cave either," Finn replies. "We can just follow a wall."

The pair follows Lampent back the way they came, finding one of the walls of the tunnel and sticking close to it. They travel along a curve for a long time- the room must be some kind of big circle- before Finn's fingertips catch on unnatural, deliberate dents again.

"More Ancient Galarian," they say, tapping the indents. "And it's big again."

"Can you see the start of the line?" Hop asks, pulling his notebook out of his backpack again.

Finn squints into the darkness. "No." They take a step back from the wall, and notice more Ancient Galarian above the first line. "Look," they point up at it.

"Shit," Hop hisses. "That's gonna be a pain to read. I think there's more above that, too," he squints and groans. "Gods, I really wish we had more light."

The idea hits Finn like a smack in the face. How did I not remember sooner? "Hey, Lampent," they call their Pokemon closer to them as the start to dig in their bag for their present from Allister. They rummage blindly until their fingers catch on something smooth and cold, and they pull the Dusk Stone out of their bag. They glance at their partner. "Do you think it's time?"

Lampent regards the deep purple stone for a moment, having gone still. Then, they drift a little closer to it, reaching an arm out towards it and looking at Finn.

"Do you want to evolve right now?" Finn asks them, showing them the stone. "If you want to wait, you can."

Lampent whirrs excitedly, starting to spin in anticipation. Finn laughs and holds the Dusk Stone out to them. "Alright, alright. Whenever you're ready."

Lampent wooshes eagerly before stopping their spinning and reaching out to touch the Dusk Stone with both hands. The moment they make contact, their body turns a brilliant, shining blue, illuminating even more of the cave around them. Their purple glow is lost as the Dusk Stone seems to vanish, and streams of blue energy circle Lampent as they evolve. Their current arms get longer and split and their body becomes rounder, the piece of metal that covered the top of their head like the top of a lamppost morphs down onto their body. Then, in a final flourish of shimmering blue, light particles explode outwards from Lampent to reveal their new form- a Chandelure.

Chandelure pauses for a moment, taking in their new body, before whirring in glee and spinning rapidly in the air. They now have five flames instead of just the one; One rests within the glass of their main body and reaches out the top of it, and four more rest on the tendrils of their ornate arms. Their new light more than illuminates the full text and most of the surrounding cavern.

"Good idea," Hop breathes, watching as Chandelure ascends in the air, still spinning happily. "I didn't think of that."

"I honestly forgot I had the Dusk Stone," Finn responds, taking in their partner in awe. Their cries have a higher pitch behind them now, but are also more broken up, closer to whirring and chirping than wooshing like it was before. They're so much bigger now, too. They might be able to carry me and still fly. I'll test that later.

"Mind going a bit higher, Chandelure?" Hop calls up to them, pen and notebook ready. They oblige with another happy whirr. Once Hop can see the start of the text, he begins to copy, pen scratching carefully onto paper.

With nothing better to do, Finn turns around to get a better look at the cavern, which they can now see is a perfectly round dome with a flat floor made up of bricks that seem to come together in the middle of the room. While not quite as large as the cave with the statues, it's still big enough to make Finn feel very, very small. Intricate clouds and lightning bolts are engraved into the rest of the walls and ceiling, forming a spiral that crawls upwards towards the very top of the ceiling and morphs into what looks like... a star? A hand? Why is it pointy and jagged at the tips? What are the five little diamonds in the middle?

Finn notices that the cave slopes downwards again in the middle, so they walk towards the center to try and see what they can find. It gets a bit darker as they move away from Chandelure's light, but they press on regardless, curious about what the darkness holds.

Suddenly, the floor dips, and Finn trips and falls. They yelp in surprise as they crash to the ground, and Hop immediately stops writing. "Finn?!"

"I'm okay!" They call back, checking their body for injuries. Besides minor scrapes on their knee and forearms from catching themselves, they're unscathed. "Just tripped!"

Finn begins to get to their feet, but stops dead when they realize what they tripped on. There's a huge gash in the ground, wide enough for Finn to lay their forearm in along with it and long enough to stretch out of sight back into the darkness. There are two more of the same gashes evenly spaced from the first that follow the same curve. Finn's blood seems to run cold. Claw marks.

They stand fully, stopping and looking around more. They notice another set of claw marks a decent distance away, just barely visible in the gloom. There are scratches in the stone all around them, with little craters with small holes in them here and there. Finn has seen enough battlefields to know what this is. This looks like the aftermath of a Pokemon battle. And a difficult one, at that.

"Hop, when you're done, come here," they call to their friend. Hop finishes his writing and calls Chandelure down to lead him over to Finn, and his eyes widen when he sees what Finn tripped on in full light. "Those belong to some massive claws."

Finn nods. "Something happened here," they say, gesturing around at the battlefield, which they can see more clearly thanks to Chandelure's glow. At the very center of the room, there's a large dent that dips into the ground like some kind of bowl, with a radius about the size of a Steelix. There's a concentrated amount of scrapes and claw marks near the edges of the bowl. "Some Pokemon fought each other."

"And it wasn't pretty, by the looks of it," Hop grimaces, scanning the landscape of scrapes and craters. His gaze catches on something, and he freezes.

Finn steps towards where he's looking, and that's when they see it too. A small imprint on the stone that's almost rectangular but rounded at the edges and curved in on one side. "Chandelure," they beckon their Pokemon, and once they see it in better light, it's undeniable.

"That's a footprint," Finn breathes.

"There's more," Hop points, voice shaking. "This wasn't just a Pokemon battle, there were trainers."

"And it has to be recent, too," Finn murmurs, walking towards the footprint to look at it closer on trembling legs. "And it's too big to be mine or yours."

"How would anyone have gotten down here?" Hop asks incredulously. "Who would've-"

Whooooooorrd

Hop stops talking. Finn freezes.

"Did you hear that?" Finn whispers.

"Yeah," Hop breathes back.

Loooooaaarrd

"That's not Chandelure," Finn exhales, taking a few steps back to be close to Hop and Chandelure.

Hop doesn't respond. He inches closer to Finn before making a small, strangled noise and elbowing Finn. They whip around, already knowing that he's seen something, and nearly scream.

Two figures, just barely humanoid, waver at the very edges of Chandelure's purple glow. They seem to be melting out of the shadows, taking shape as they move slowly towards Hop and Finn. After they fully materialize, two more figures, both being quadruped, begin to follow them.

Heed our warnings...

Two distinct voices echo in Finn's ears. Low snarling is barely audible beneath them.

Hop snaps to his senses. He grabs Finn's wrist and starts running for the tunnel. "Let's go!"

Finn stumbles before finding their footing and sprints after Hop, Chandelure following them closely. Their heart hammers in their ears. I WILL NOT DIE IN A CAVE IN THE DARK, I WILL NOT DIE IN A CAVE IN THE DARK, I WILL NOT.

Or meet... the voices continue as the tunnel entrance comes into sight.

"They're not happy!" Finn yelps as the snarling in their ears grows louder. Why does it sound like they're right behind us?

They don't dare turn around to see how close the figures are. They bolt into the tunnel right behind Hop, scrambling half blind up the incline back towards fresh air, legs beginning to burn and lungs beginning to scream.

Our fates...

Hop and Finn burst back out into the cavern with the statues, Chandelure right on their heels. They screech to a halt before turning to see if they've been followed. Bede and Marnie stare at them like they've lost their minds.

"Close it!" Hop shouts, panic evident in his voice.

Both Bede and Marnie jerk their hands off of the buttons like they're hot stovetops and the door snaps shut, the sound echoing through the cavern.

Hop and Finn wheeze and pant while Bede and Marnie gawk at their friends. After a few moments of silence, Marnie is the first one to speak.

"What the fuck happened?!"

August 15th, 1:07 AM

"Gods," Bede whispers as Hop finishes his story, cramped side by side in the flying taxi on the way to Hammerlocke while Marnie and Finn sleep, heads resting on each other.

"I swear it was real, mate," Hop hisses. "It was insane. Finn saw them too."

"I believe you, I just- this is..."

"Crazy?" Hop offers.

"Almost unbelievable," Bede sighs quietly. "I can't believe you got out of there unscathed."

"I know," Hop replies, chuckling a little. "One more good story to tell, I guess. People don't have to believe stories."

"They should more often," Bede murmurs without thinking. Hop winces.

Guilt wells up within Bede again. "I owe you a proper apology," he admits, hanging his head. "For two years ago and now. I shouldn't have-"

"Mate, stop," Hop cuts him off, raising a hand. "You're fine, really. We all did some shit back then we wish we could take back."

"I called you worthless," Bede's voice finally cracks under the crushing weight of his shame. He buries his head in his hands, trying to hide the way his eyes are starting to burn. "I said you were a waste of space because I saw you as competition. You had- you had everything I wanted."

This stops Hop. When he doesn't reply, Bede feels a desperate need to fill the silence, to explain himself. "You had friends, a family, confidence, real, real confidence. Everyone paid attention to you because you were Leon's little brother, and I was angry because I wanted the attention. I wanted people to notice me, to like me, to cheer for me. I hated you. For the longest time. Without ever really stopping to think about why. And that's not-" Bede sniffs and sits up to look Hop in the eyes. "That's not okay. And I'm really sorry, mate."

Hop meets Bede's gaze, golden eyes wide and sad. "I hated you too. We're even."

"I'm sorry," Bede whispers again.

"I'm sorry too," Hop whispers back.

There's more silence, but Bede doesn't feel as obligated to fill it anymore. It feels less expectant, less empty.

A few minutes pass. The two boys stare in different directions.

"You had everything I wanted back then, too," Hop says eventually. "I wanted to be important like you were. I wanted to be needed by someone."

Bede scoffs. "I was never needed."

"Oleana needed you," Hop replies.

Bede shakes his head. "Oleana is the one who decided to get rid of me."

Hop opens and closes his mouth, puzzle pieces falling together in his head. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I always wondered how you got your hands on Rose's Copperajah."

"She stole it for me," Bede explains. "Nobody believed me when I said it was her plan to destroy the mural, not mine."

"I'm pretty sure she hates Lee, too, if that makes you feel any better," Hop sighs. "She's... strange."

"She hates everyone, I think," Bede shrugs. "She's just a bitch."

Hop blinks, eyebrows furrowing. His eyes gloss over and he starts to fidget with his pen and notebook, which are in his lap. Bede realizes he's putting something together, but doesn't know what it is this time.

"What?" He asks after a minute or two.

"Do you... do you think she's like us?" Hop looks as Bede, voice quiet and trembling.

"What do you mean?"

Hop swallows, looking down at his hands, eyes full of some emotion Bede can't pinpoint. "Do you think she just hates what she doesn't have?"

Nineteen Years Ago

"It's dangerous," I say, trying to keep my fear out of my voice.

"But?"

I flinch. He is expecting me to handle this thing, this beast that I know nothing about and just saw kill at least thirty different men and their partner Pokemon.

How am I meant to handle this? There is no handling. There is no erasing what he has done.

But he does not want me to erase it.

He wants me to hide it.

And I am good at that.

That is why he hired me.

"But..." I bite back a sigh. "It might work."

Chapter Text

Two Years Ago

"You aren't listening to me! Nothing has ever been okay!"

He yelled.

I've never heard him yell before.

"None of this is okay! It's been right in front of you this whole time, Lee, and you can't be bothered to do anything about it?!"

My throat has gone dry, and the words claw their way out in a low croak. I reach for his shoulder. "Wait, it's not-"

"Don't talk to me like that!" He snaps. "I'm not a child! I raised myself, you know! And I did just fine without you!"

I feel like I've been stabbed in the stomach. "I- I don't-"

"I'm leaving. I'm tired, and I can't deal with this right now."

"What?! To go where? You just got here, you-"

"Why do you want to know?" He cuts me off again. His face looks strange. "You've never cared enough to come with me before."

I stare at him blankly. The golden eyes that stare back are dull, devoid of excitement.

I do not recognize my little brother like this.

"Don't bother following me again, yeah?" He says, turning his back to me. "I need some space."

I know I should say something. I should do something. I should make him stay, I should go with him, I should sit down and talk this out with him until I know what's wrong and how I can fix it.

But I don't.

And I don't think I want to know what's wrong.

August 15th, 2:50 AM

Leon jolts awake, chest heaving for air.

His stomach feels the same way it does right after Charizard makes a particularly steep dive with him on her back. The same way it feels when someone looks at him for rocking on his feet. The same way it feels when Rose's voice drops into a dangerous, vicious hiss.

It feels like he's been dropped off a cliff. Every. Single. Time.

Hop's words ring in his head, the way his voice was high and wavering, the way his eyes were scrunched up like he was on the verge of tears. 

"And I did just fine without you!"

Almost robotically, Leon sits up in bed, looking around his room for something to distract himself from knowing that he won't be going back to sleep tonight.

His eyes catch on his bottom desk drawer. He stares at it for a moment, debating whether he should open it or not.

He picks up his phone instead. Opens the brief email he received last night from Ms. Ortiz.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Following Up

Mr. Ambrose,

Please come see me as soon as you can. I have something for you. You know where to find me.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ortiz

(Sent from my ApplinPhone)

Tomorrow, Leon promises himself. I'll find a way to get to her tomorrow. I'm running out of time. Fourteen days now. Wait. He checks the time. Thirteen. Thirteen days until the twenty-eighth. Thirteen days until I'm twenty-two.

Thirteen days until my life is ripped apart.

He grits his teeth and practically throws his phone to the end of his bed. He can feel his heart beating quickly, too quickly. For some reason, the blood in his arteries starts to feel like creeping vines, crawling out across his body, constricting his muscles, his organs, his brain, his-

I can't stay here, Leon thinks, standing up, continuing the thought aloud. "I need to do something."

So he gets up, grabs a jacket, and heads for the door out his room.

My room.

He stops and looks back. Gray walls, the bed in the corner, the bedside table next to it, the dresser on the wall next to it, the floor-to-ceiling window that his desk faces. White tile flooring. Light fixtures embedded into the ceiling. A bathroom connected to the room opposite to the entrance.

It feels more like a prison cell now.

Leon remembers the first time Rose had offered him a room at the Tower for the night, how important he felt. He was so excited when he had first seen it- it was massive, easily the size of the entire bottom floor of his house in Postwick. Patterned deep purple carpet, a personal kitchen (he could hardly cook anything, Raihan and Sonia had made all of the curry they had shared when they were camping during their journey), a bed so large he could roll several times in any direction and still have room to splay his arms out. He had loved it at first, but the more times he stayed the night, the more he felt like the room was too big, too lavish, too overwhelming. He had always been self-conscious of how much room he took up, partially because of how often he ran into the corners of tables and door frames, but also because of the endless ways reporters described his presence on the pitch as 'commanding' and 'bold' and 'larger than life'.

He found, as he grew up, that the more attention he received, the more room he took up, the more confusing everything got. He couldn't tell truths from lies, he couldn't read people at all or he read into their words too much, he couldn't go anywhere without being noticed. The more he realized that he felt like his childhood had ended. The more he realized something was wrong with him.

He never figured out what.

Oleana had finally realized that he'd been sleeping on the floor of his bathroom, which was still huge for bathroom standards but for some reason felt quieter than the rest of his room for some reason. The pristine tile of the bathroom floor had been so much more comfortable than his bed with so much cushioning that it nearly swallowed him whole every time he laid down. She asked him if he had wanted a different room, and when he had nodded meekly, she arranged it without asking any questions. No 'What's wrong with this room?' or 'Why are you so ungrateful?', just a quick email and a few pages of paperwork, and the following night he had slept in this room- smaller, less vibrant, less luxurious, but calmer.

Better.

I should go find Oleana, he thinks as he steps into the hall. Not having any kind of meaningful conversation sounds really good right now.

He sets off towards her office, his feet knowing where to go despite his horrid sense of direction. It was muscle memory, something he didn't even have to think about, the seven minute walk being something that let him detach his mind from his body to seek comfort in a happier memory.

July 25th, 9:02 PM

I knock on the door and hold my breath.

"Just a sec!" Raihan's voice calls back, a small grunt and footsteps muffled by the metal before the door swings open.

Raihan looks down at me, breathing still a little quick from the exhilaration of battle. Neither of us speak. It can't have been any more than ten minutes since we've gotten off the pitch. He's still a little sweaty, still covered in dust from Gigalith's sandstorm, still in his dragon-type uniform and signature zip-up hoodie. Something about his face is wrong, though- his jaw is set too tightly. His teal eyes don't twinkle like normal.

Out of the twelve Champion Cup Final matches I've had, eleven of those have against Raihan. The twelfth being the year he bowed out from the finals because of his mother's death, leaving Piers to challenge me.

I won. And have won. Every single time.

It's terrifying. And incredible. And devastating. And intoxicating. And so, so much fun. All at the same time.

"Leon?" His voice snaps me back to reality. I blink. He's frowning. "You're staring."

I open my mouth to speak, but words don't come out. My throat is tight, too tight.

Then, everything comes crashing onto me at once. The buzzing in my head and chest hits me with the force of a tidal wave. I immediately clench my eyes shut to try and hold the pressure behind them back. My legs feel weak, and for a moment, I'm worried I might pass out.

"Leon?" I hear Raihan's voice faintly, like he's talking to me all the way from the other side of the pitch. "Hello? Is it cold up there in the clouds?"

I still can't reply. I take one step forward, rubbing my eyes and shaking my head, trying to convey that something is wrong. Everything is wrong.

"You look pale," Raihan murmurs. "Leon, what's-"

Raihan's hand touches down gently on my shoulder, and I don't really realize what my body does until I open my eyes and all I can see is navy fabric. I've practically thrown myself into Raihan, arms wrapped around his torso as tight as a vise grip. He smells like sand and sweat and deodorant and sitrus berry laundry detergent. The fabric of his hoodie is worn, soft because of the outer layers of fabric that have rubbed into fuzz. He's warm, but not in an overwhelming way. Just... just warm.

Then, the panic sets in. What the hell am I doing?!

I'm about to pull away when Raihan very slowly, very carefully wraps one arm over my shoulders and uses it to pull me into the locker room, and uses his free hand to close the door before rubbing my back with it. "Hey, it's okay, you're okay," he whispers soothingly. I start to hear him a little better. "You're okay. You're alright."

Somehow, I manage to bite back the sobs ripping at my throat and lungs and the storm of tears behind my eyes. Somehow, the buzzing eases, just a little bit, just enough for me to take some deep breaths. But I do not let go. My arms do not loosen. I do not stop trembling.

"Just breathe, Leon," Raihan keeps talking, his voice a lighthouse for my mind stranded and lost at sea, guiding me back to something solid. "Just breathe. You're alright."

I shake my head as vigorously as I can with my face buried in his hoodie. I am not alright. I need help. I hate this, I hate this, I hate-

"Do you want to sit down?" Raihan asks, interrupting my train of thought before it gets too out of hand. 

I curl my fingers into his back and shake my head again. I need this to stay like this forever. I need it to be quiet and warm and calm like this forever.

Raihan doesn't say anything. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't demand that I tell him what is wrong. He just breathes deep breaths and holds me and lets me stay. There's something oddly comforting about his heartbeat, something grounding about it. I stand there clinging to him until the buzzing starts to settle just enough for me to not need to cling to Raihan like a child Kangaskhan clinging to their parent. Slowly, my fingers loosen, my arms relax, and I peel myself away from Raihan. Leftover static electricity from rubbing my head against his hoodie pulls at my hair, and I manage a sound that sounds enough like a laugh as I pat my hair back down.

When I look up at Raihan, his eyes are a whirlwind of emotions- concern, fear, surprise, happiness, maybe?- and a tiny, restrained frown pulls the corners of his lips down. "Leon, are you okay? What's going on?"

My mind is so overwhelmed with all of the things it wants to say that it does not form a sentence for me to speak. So I do the only other thing I can think to do: I raise a shaking, flat hand to my chin, touch my fingertips to it, and move it down and away from my face- thank you. 

It takes a moment for Raihan to understand, but after recognition flickers in his eyes he smiles and sighs. "It's no problem. We can talk later, yeah?"

I nod, relieved that Raihan still seems to understand that talking when I'm upset only makes things worse. He knows something's wrong, and he's worried, but he's giving me space to figure out what I'm feeling before trying to have a conversation about it.

He's the only person who does that.

I give him a little wave and back slowly out the door, knowing that I need to get myself in check before all of the exhausting celebrations that will surely take place tonight. I need to talk to Rose, and Oleana, and the press, and get more photos taken, and officially accept the trophy again, and...

My mind is quickly consumed by everything that I know that I have to do tonight, and somewhere along the line, the thought of following up with Raihan is lost in the rush of everything else.

August 15th, 2:57 AM

Leon knocks on the door to Oleana's office gently, quietly, trying to convey that he doesn't mean to be a bother.

There's no response.

Leon waits for two minutes, sighs, and knocks again, a little more forcefully this time. She might've fallen asleep at her desk again, she needs to-

To Leon's surprise, the door creaks open. He blinks, taking a moment to decide what to do next.

"Hello?" He calls in a whisper, pushing on the door a little more and sticking his head into the windowless room.

Oleana's chair is empty, but the three monitors surrounding it still illuminate the room in a ghastly pale blue light. Leon's chair still sits in the corner. The entire office looks much messier than usual- papers scattered here, old coffee cups there- which is strange, since Oleana never lets her office get too cluttered. Either way, Leon knows better than to stick around or snoop, so he backs out of the room and closes the door, pulling it all the way shut.

He exhales heavily. Now what? I could go look for her, but odds are I'll end up getting lost, and then it'll be more of a bother to have someone come find me. I don't think anyone but the on-site medical staff and the security guards are still here at this hour, and I don't know anyone well enough to go and distract myself by talking to them, so that leaves...

Rose.

I shouldn't bother him, is the first thought that jumps into Leon's mind. He's busy.

Then, he stops, and really thinks about what he just told himself. He's busy? Why the hell would he be busy at this hour? If anything, he's working on paperwork in his office, or he's sleeping. I won't bother him if he's doing the latter, but checking his office probably won't hurt. Worst case scenario is he tells me to go back to bed, and I'm not thirteen anymore. I can stay up as late as I'd like.

Leon winces at how childishly defiant he sounds before reprimanding himself internally again. I need practice at not doing what he says. I'm literally about to quit. He's absolutely going to tell me that I have to stay, and I have to be able to tell him no. It's one word. I don't have to explain myself. I just have to say no.

How hard could it be?

Deep down, he knows that it will be the hardest thing he will ever do.

And when he starts walking, something else deep down, some instinctual fear, whispers to him. Don't you remember what happened the last time you bothered him in the middle of the night?

Sometime, Around Nine Years Ago

I stumble through the halls, right hand on the wall and left hand wrapped around my shuddering chest. I know the way. It's close. I know it's close. Please, gods, let it be close.

The wall begins to curve inwards beneath my fingers, and my heart leaps in my throat. Did I do it? Please say I did it, I hate the dark, it's too cold, I quicken my pace, almost jogging now, socks cushioning the sound of my frantic footsteps. I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared-

Light dawns up ahead. I let out a shaky sigh of relief, walking up to the frosted glass doors and pushing one open just enough to squeeze through.

Leon does not remember much of what happens next, except this:

Rose is seated when he first comes in. He does not look up until Leon pokes one of his arms. When he looks up at Leon, his eyes are cloudy and his face is angry. His upper lip is pulled up into a sneer the way it does whenever he's incredibly annoyed.

Leon counts three shot glasses on the tea table, and two more on Rose's desk. There is also an empty bottle on the tea table. He does not read the label, he doesn't have to to know that it's alcohol. The room reeks of it and something sickeningly sweeter. Something more acrid. When Leon throws up right before an important match two weeks later, he will realize what he smelled then was vomit.

Leon remembers asking Rose something, and him mumbling something back. He couldn't hear what Rose had said, so he had asked him to repeat himself.

The next thing Leon remembers after that is Rose towering over him, hands curled into fists at his sides.

Then, Leon remembers the feeling of falling backward, the pain of something sharp digging deep into the space between his shoulder blades, and screaming.

The next thing he remembers is more yelling, from Oleana now. She is furious, screaming while pointing between Leon and Rose. He does not remember exactly what she said; he hears the words 'how dare' and 'child' and 'what were you thinking'. Whatever else she said was lost in the daze of Leon's pain, but Rose is gone after she's done yelling.

Everything goes fuzzy for a while after that, he remembers limping to the on site medical clinic with Oleana's help, being treated, and sleeping in a small room with white everything and scratchy blankets. When he wakes up the next morning, she is still there, having fallen asleep in the chair next to his bed.

The next few days blur together, a mess of too-loud beeping monitors and fluorescent lights and pain. When Leon is finally released from the clinic, the first thing he does is go flying with Charizard. When she has to land because Leon won't stop crying, she comforts him and wraps her wings around him, keeping him safe and warm in a tiny cocoon of orange and teal.

The next time Leon goes into Rose's office, it is because Rose has called him there. It is the middle of the day. And Rose is sober.

I enter his office, trying not to breathe. He isn't slumped over on his desk this time. He sits with his back to me on the small couch in front of the tea table. He hears the door slide shut and looks back, smiling despite how is eyebrows are furrowed. "Ah, Leon. Come here, my boy, come sit."

I creep towards him slowly, heart hammering in my chest. Something in my head screams at me to stay away, to run, to not go near him.

But it's just Rose. It's just the man that does his best to keep me safe. It's just the man who praises me endlessly. It's not some monster, not the kind of person that my brain would react to like this.

Something is wrong with me.

I sit down on the couch, looking around his office in the silence. Everything is clean, neat, and polished the way it should be. There are no glasses anywhere that I can see. The rug beneath the tea table has been replaced- I can tell despite it being identical because there's a tag sticking out at the corner that wasn't there before.

"I called you up here because I wanted to discuss the little incident that happened last week," Rose starts slowly. I can feel his gaze burning into the side of my face as I stare down at my shoes. "Accidents do happen, unfortunately, and I wanted to apologize for you seeing me in that state and for you being harmed. Tell me, how are you feeling?"

"I'm better," I respond automatically, still not looking up. "I feel better."

"What did-" Rose's voice falters, and he clears his throat. "What did the doctors say?"

I wince. I don't really want to talk about it, but Rose is clearly upset, and I don't want to make that worse by being difficult. "They said that I'll be fine. The stitches they used are absorbable, so I don't have to get them removed. All of the wounds were pretty clean, and even then they disinfected them, so I shouldn't have to worry about getting sick. They said to not to do anything too strenuous for two weeks, and then after that I can do however much I want as tolerated. I go back next week for them to check on me, but after that, I should be fine."

I hear Rose sigh. "Hm."

I worry that I've upset him more. "I-I feel fine, really," I stammer, trying to sound convincing. "My back isn't even sore. The doctors did an amazing job."

"I see," Rose responds quietly. "That's good."

He sounds a little happier now. I sigh in relief. That's good. Maybe he'll let me leave now.

Instead, he places a hand on my shoulder. I try not to flinch. "My boy, look at me," Rose murmurs.

I steel myself and glance up. His eyebrows are still furrowed, and he's not smiling anymore. My stomach drops. Oh, gods, I've said something wrong. What have I-

"I am deeply sorry, my boy," Rose sighs sadly. "If I had been in my right mind, I never would have done such a thing."

"No, I'm sorry," I reply quickly. "I shouldn't have bothered you so late, or woken you up, I just couldn't sleep and was worried about-"

Rose raises his other hand. I fall silent. "Now, that's certainly not acceptable. Of course, you are not at fault here, but perhaps this could have been avoided had you not been up here unauthorized, yes? Go find Ms. Frost the next time you cannot sleep, just to prevent this from occurring again."

I nod. "Of course."

He smiles and pats my shoulder before standing. "Splendid. Now, we have much to discuss about your schedule over the next few months. Would you like to see what's planned?"

August 15th, 3:02 AM

Leon rips himself out of the memory. That's enough, he scolds himself. He was drunk. It won't happen again. He's not like that, not anymore.

The wall curves beneath Leon's right hand. He looks up and sees light further down the hallway. As he approaches the door to Rose's office, he can hear two voices talking. That's strange. It's the middle of the night, who could he be meeting with right now?

Leon knocks, and the voices fall silent for a moment. Then, he hears movement, and footsteps, and it's not Rose who opens the door- it's Oleana.

"What are you doing?" She asks him flatly, eye bags more pronounced than usual.

"Who is it?" Rose's voice booms from within the room, a little too loud, a little too happy for three AM. Oleana's face shifts from boredom to weariness as she pulls the door open all the way, beckoning Leon into the room.

The first thing that Leon sees is a dazzling amount of light glinting off of various glasses- bottles, champagne glasses, shot glasses, flutes- and the papers scattered on the tea table beneath them. Rose sits on the far side of the table, some golden liquid swirling in the glass he holds in his right hand. Leon glances at Oleana, who responds with a little shrug, as if to say what do you want me to do?

Leon follows Oleana to the table, and she starts collecting the papers beneath the glasses and stuffing them in a folder unceremoniously. He sees red ink, graphs that spike and drop sharply, tables with large numbers, incoherent scribbling, and diagrams of strange orbs and machines.

"What are those?" Leon asks, tilting his head at the papers, eyes catching on a sketch of something that looks alien- spines, huge claws, an angular ribcage with a small ball inside of it.

"It's none of your concern," Oleana hisses through gritted teeth, grabbing the papers faster. Her face is taut with something along the lines of annoyance.

Rose snorts. "Not yet."

Both Oleana and Leon's eyes snap to Rose instantly, Oleana giving him a vicious glare while Leon stares at him, confused.

"What do you-" He starts, but Rose waves him off and looks away.

"Don't worry about it, my boy. Sit!" He beckons at the chairs surrounding the tea table. "Come and sit!"

Leon shifts uncomfortably on his feet. On one hand, he doesn't really want to stay here, not when the smell of alcohol lingers in the air. On the other hand, telling Rose no while he is probably drunk will only make him angry, and Leon doesn't want that. So, he picks a chair a decent ways away from Rose and sits. Oleana finishes shoving the papers into the folder and sits back down on the couch, pinching the bridge of her nose.

She mutters something underneath her breath that Leon doesn't hear before looking up at him, face neutral. "What do you need?"

"I- I just couldn't sleep, that's all," Leon responds quietly, glancing between Rose and Oleana. "Is something wrong?"

Oleana opens her mouth to speak, but Rose cuts her off. "No, not at all. Sleepless nights are far too common for us, aren't they?"

Leon sees one of Oleana's eyes twitch. "Sure."

"Either way," Rose drawls, words starting to slur together. "We have much to discuss."

Leon hesitates before speaking again, knowing very well that despite how happy Rose seems right now, he could switch to furious in a split second. He proceeds with as much caution as he can muster. "...About what?"

"The Power Plant," he replies, taking a sip of his drink. "Your new role. My reti-"

"That's enough," Oleana snaps, standing suddenly. She walks over to him, snatches the glass out of his hand, and sets it on the tea table with a harsh clink. "This is not a conversation to have while you are drunk off your ass," she snarls, muscles in her face twitching as she struggles to keep her face neutral. "If you really want to tell him about the Power Plant, you can tell him when you're sober. But right now, it is late, and this conversation is not productive." She takes a deep breath, grabs the folder of papers, and walks stiffly towards the door. "Leon, I'd like your help in my office for a few minutes, if you wouldn't mind."

Leon breathes a tiny sigh of relief before getting up and walking after her, leaving Rose stammering incredulously in his seat. Leon glances back once as he passes through the door to see Rose grumbling and reaching for his glass again. He lets the door shut before following Oleana down the hall towards the stairs.

"Thanks for giving me an out," Leon says quietly as he catches up to her. "What did you need?"

Oleana sets her jaw. "It's nothing. You can go back to bed," she replies, not looking at Leon.

"I wasn't lying when I said I couldn't sleep," Leon mutters, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. It's like I'm ten all over again every time I talk to her- she's always so dismissive.

"Then find somewhere else to be," Oleana hisses, fingers curling tighter around the folder. "I don't have time for distractions at the moment, I still have work to do."

Leon stops walking, appalled. "At this hour?"

He sees a vein pop up on her forehead briefly before she takes another breath and turns to stare at Leon, light green gaze boring into him. "I have not slept in three days. I do not have time to rest. And I certainly do not have time for you. Go. To. Bed."

"Woah, no, slow down," Leon says, more concerned than upset by her visible annoyance. "Why haven't you slept in three days? Have you been eating?"

She snorts. "If I don't have time to sleep, you think I have time to eat?"

Leon balks at her words, staring at her incredulously. "What is so important that you can't rest? What impossible project are you trying to complete now?"

Oleana does not reply right away, eyes glazing over for just a moment. Then, so quickly that Leon thinks he might have imagined it, it is replaced with cold, thinly veiled fury. "You do not understand what is at stake here. This is none of your business right now."

"No business deal is more important than your health," Leon retorts, growing a little impatient. I shouldn't have to tell a grown woman to take care of herself- but she's disregarded her own health before. This isn't really surprising. "You need rest, Oleana."

"Leave me alone," she mutters, turning her back to Leon. "A bloody nuisance, you are."

She's going to collapse if she keeps this up. Leon refuses to let her do this, so he follows her, trying to plead. He reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Oleana, you can't possibly-"

"Do not TOUCH ME!" Oleana roars the instant Leon's fingers touch her shoulder, whipping around and slapping his hand away. Leon immediately takes several steps back. I've just crossed a line.

Oleana's usual composure has completely vanished; her expression now isn't much different from that of some cornered, injured beast. Her eyes are wide, fixed on Leon, and her entire frame shudders as she heaves breaths in and out rapidly. Her eyebrows are angled downwards, her nose is wrinkled, and her mouth is pulled into some combination of a scowl and a sneer. Her entire body is tensed with the poise of a Seviper about to strike. Leon feels very, very small compared to her now, as she towers over him in a rage that has never been directed at him.

She glares down at Leon for a few moments more, him cowering away from her and holding his hands out placatingly. Then, something Leon can't identify flickers in and out of her vision, and she gradually calms, taking a few steps back and clutching the folder at her side tightly.

Then, without another word, she turns around and sets off at a brisk pace down the hall, not turning to look back.

Something about that, having Oleana's fury targeting him for the first time, shuts Leon down completely. His blood feels like concrete as he barely manages to drag himself back to his room- thick, heavy, a little sharp- and he collapses onto his bed to moment he gets there, too emotionally and physically exhausted to process any of what just happened.

Thirteen more days, he thinks to himself, staring at the gray ceiling and praying to any god listening that he'll make it. Thirteen days after twelve years. How hard could it be?

August 15th, 6:29 PM

After he wasn't able to get away from Rose Tower for the day, being assigned meetings unexpectedly and having to take over a panel with his branding team he had admittedly forgotten about, Leon decides to send Charizard to Motostoke with a note to pick up whatever Ms. Ortiz has for him. She returns right on schedule, not having the same proclivity for getting lost as her trainer. A small black case is wrapped in her jaws as she lands, no larger than a small book. Leon takes the case, thanks her, and flies to a remote forest grove a few miles west of the outskirts of Wyndon to read the contents privately. Charizard nestles next to him in the foliage and roots beneath a tree as he opens the case with shaking hands.

There are four things in the box: a small padlock, a pen with black ink, and two different sets of papers, each held together by a paperclip. The first one that Leon opens is some long legal form consisting mainly of charts, some boxes in them filled with text, some checked with pencil, and some left empty. There is a space for his signature at the bottom. The second one is a letter from Ms. Ortiz, reading as follows:

~ From The Desk of Attorney Jennifer M. Ortiz ~

Mr. Ambrose,

This container holds the first of two sets of paperwork that you will have to read through and sign in order to invoke protection by the law. This form reviews what claims you make against your employer, which I have taken the liberty of filling with pencil in based off of our discussion earlier this week. Please fill in the form with pen to confirm what you intend to seek protection under PFEA for. Then, sign it and send it back to me as soon as you can. I will submit it to a court for review, and if they believe your situation calls for mandated leave and investigation (which I am nearly certain it will, and if it does not, I will sue Mr. Cosmos personally for staff endangerment and blackmail), they will return legal documentation to me that you may present to Mr. Cosmos to notify him of this and begin your court-mandated leave. You will have to sign these documents to confirm your intent, and Mr. Cosmos should sign them as well in order to consent to investigation. Frankly, I doubt he will, and this will elicit action from the police, so I suggest you present him with the papers and leave as quickly as possible after that. Find somewhere safe to stay and do not contact anyone affiliated with Macro Cosmos until the initial uproar dies down, and then contact me so we can discuss what will happen next. The most important thing for you to note is that while you may receive the second round of papers before you legally turn twenty-two, you may not sign them without a witness or before 12:00 AM on the twenty-eighth. That witness cannot be me, and I suspect nobody else at Rose Tower can be trusted with this, so you will have to find some way to create and access evidence of you signing the papers at age twenty-two with a sound mind. I believe a video recording with some evidence of the time and date will suffice, despite the lack of a witness. Any violation of these requirements will result in an annulment of your plea. If you have further questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact me. These types of pleas usually take much longer to go through if they are submitted from the same person more than once, so completing the process correctly the first time is critical for your safety.

Furthermore, this container holds a small padlock to lock this box in order to keep these documents safe. The code is 959. 

In addition, if you send Charizard to deliver these documents back to me, please send a list of things she enjoys to eat with her so that I can reward her for her hard work.

Finally, of course, stay safe. You know how to find me if an emergency arises.

Sincerely,

Jen

Leon reads the letter through four times, having to stop and rest multiple times due to his eyes watering and blurring his vision. Charizard curls her tail protectively around her trainer even in her sleep, having dozed off next to him. Her rumbling snores sound like a giant Liepard purring.

Leon exhales shakily, picks up the pen, and reviews the legal document. After he reads through the initial paragraph explaining what the document is, the questions in the charts are the exact same questions Ms. Ortiz asked him during their meeting, and her preliminary responses are spot on. He writes over them in pen before finding himself on the last page, with three blank lines beneath a line of text and two final line at the bottom of the page with 'Employee's Name (Printed)' and 'Employee's Signature' beneath them. The line above the three blank ones is a prompt that makes Leon want to rip the entire form apart, because there is no way he can explain that with three lines of space to write in.

Cite one specific example of your employer's misconduct.

There are endless things that Leon could write- from the emotional abuse, to the gaslighting, to the isolation, to sheer ridiculousness of his initial contract. It's like asking me to find a needle in the world's biggest hay bale without poking myself.

Leon sighs through gritted teeth. Overthinking this just wastes time, these papers have to get back to Ms. Ortiz as soon as possible. What's the first thing that I remember that he did wrong?

Thinking back to when he was ten, Leon remembers signing his contract. He was sitting in some sterile room with his mother, Rose, Oleana, and too many members of Macro Cosmos staff to count. All important people, all very, very rich, all very well dressed, all looking at Leon like they were sizing up their next meal. But there was one thing that he remembered that was definitely, definitely wrong.

There was no lawyer there.

Nobody was there to read through his contract and help him understand what he was really getting himself into- his mother read it enough to understand that she would be largely relieved of the responsibility of caring for her older son, and nobody else was going to actually read the whole thirty pages. Leon could hardly get through chapter books at that time, as his training had left little room for proper education, and he had no idea what half of the words on the first page had even meant. When he had asked for help, it had been Rose who had explained everything to him, and not once had a proper lawyer ever been consulted on Leon's behalf.

So, in response to the prompt, Leon writes this:

During contract negotiation, he did not provide me with a lawyer or other impartial capable adult to help me understand what the contract meant. I was ten.

The last three words are shakier than the rest because of how much they hurt to write. Leon remembers feeling so small, so insignificant despite being the new pride and joy of the Galar region, and it was because he was ten. He had a job meant for responsible adults, and he was ten. He was a kid. And he lost his childhood because he was forced to fill a role he didn't truly understand before he was ready. And that was the thing that hurt the most, Leon realized, sitting there in the forest with Charizard, staring at what he'd just written and trying desperately to wipe the tears off of his cheeks before they fell onto the paper. Not that he would lose his glory, or that Rose would hate him, or that he might never battle in the League again, but that he had missed out on his chance to be a kid. A normal, ten year-old kid whose biggest worries were what he would have for dinner and how long he could stay out before dark. A big brother, a friend, someone kind and funny and there when people needed him, not off at some photoshoot or meet and greet or interview.

Hop. Oh my gods, Hop. The thought of Leon's little brother, the one he had held just hours after birth, the one he had learned how to make formula for when his mother became inconsolable, the one he had seen take his first steps, heard his first words, taught how to ride a bike, was enough to break Leon entirely. He devolves into loud, body-wracking sobs as he buries his face in his hands. Charizard wakes up and whines softly, and Leon hugs her neck and presses his forehead into the warmth of her scales. The little brother he had helped catch his first pokemon, a scrawny, messy Wooloo who was treated like royalty by their new trainer and whose wool was cleaned, brushed, and decorated with fresh flowers daily, the little brother he had watched fade into a tiny blot in the distance as the train carried him further and further away from home, the little brother he had heard screaming louder than everyone else from the stands when he finally claimed his first trophy. The little brother who texted him before every match as soon as he got a phone to wish him good luck, the little brother that always leapt past the bottom section of the stairs and into Leon's arms whenever he came home for holidays, and the little brother who called him when he stopped being able to come home for those holidays. The little brother he had seen grow for nearly fifteen years, become a brilliant trainer in his own right with all the courage and confidence to do things Leon never had the strength to do, and the conviction that nothing else mattered more than being kind. The little brother that had yelled at him, that was right, that knew he was, and that hadn't spoken to Leon in two years. The little brother that Leon missed so much it hurt, so much that guilt and grief clawed and kicked and bit at the inside of his ribs every time he thought about him, the little brother that Leon regretted driving away more than anything else. The little brother that he would kill to know just if he was okay, because he knew that people disappeared when they made Rose mad, and he had been so incredibly brave to do just that. 

Leon's baby brother.

It is hours before Leon stops crying. It is hours after that when he finally gets a call from Oleana- he's needed back at Rose Tower. With trembling hands and an impossibly heavy heart, Leon prints and signs his name at the bottom of the tear-wrinkled paper, locks it and everything else back in the box, gives it to Charizard, and sends her on her way with a single thought in mind.

I'm coming home soon, Hoppip. Please be there when I do.

Chapter Text

August 16th, 10:47 PM

Flygon refuses to let Raihan sleep.

"Flygonnnn," he groans from underneath a pillow as they scratch at the door to his bedroom, pace frenetically around his bed, lash their tail and rattle their antennae. "What in the world is it nowwww?"

Suddenly, the blankets are whisked off of him, and Raihan barely manages to untangle himself in time to keep himself from being dragged off the bed. Flygon holds the edge of his covers in between their teeth, clicking quietly. Raihan heaves a sigh before raising the pillow over his head just enough to see them, and they stare back at their trainer intently.

"I know, I know," he mutters, burying his face in the mattress. "Something is wrong."

I cannot catch a break to save my life. Overseeing and dealing with the necessary repairs to a significant amount of the electrical wiring on the eastern side of the castle over the past four days had been completely and utterly draining, both for Raihan and the bank account he kept for castle maintenance. Between that and spending the entirety of his day today handling an overloading incident right outside of Hammerlocke's walls and the subsequent ecological fallout, Raihan was exhausted. He had a hundred odd aquatic Pokemon that needed a temporary place to live until the Lake of Outrage refilled to an acceptable level, and those were just the ones that lived near the surface- surely the change in water level and temperature and light was disrupting natural behaviors among the aquatic Pokemon in the depths of the lake, but that was a headache for a different day. That was a headache for someone besides Raihan right now. And now Flygon refuses to let him sleep, when he desperately, desperately needs rest. And he knows it's because it's something important, but he really does not want to get out of bed.

He feels Flygon bump his shoulder with their snout. "Five more minutes," he grumbles, the weight above his eyelids too much to them to carry, feeling himself slowly slip from consciousness to that warm, fuzzy place between sleeping and waking. Maybe I can just get a quick power nap...

Raihan hears Flygon huff in annoyance distantly, and then-

He is abruptly pulled from his bed. Flygon has had enough and has simply opted to grab Raihan by the scruff (well, the back of his tank top) and drag him to wherever they need to go. Raihan yelps in surprise, snapping out of his doze, knees colliding with the floor before he can do much to stop it. "Flygon!" He twists and turns, but their teeth are solidly fastened in the fabric of his tank top, and they definitely aren't letting go. "You brute! You have to drop me so I can open the bloody door!"

In response, Flygon rears their head to swing their trainer towards the door, and releases the back of his shirt, sending his careening into to wood face first. They stare at Raihan as he struggles to pull himself to his feet after impact, clicking quietly.

"Fangs and fire, you can't give me five minutes?" Raihan swears under his breath and opens the door begrudgingly, stepping out into the hallway. Once Flygon follows, he turns to them and puts his hands on his hips. "If it's so damn important, I need you to carry me."

Flygon's clicking grows into a snarl and they lash their tail, baring their teeth. Raihan flinches, realizing that he's being an ass. They're trying to help. I know it's important. Gods, Raihan.

"Sorry, sorry," he reaches out to scratch Flygon on the head, and they immediately relax. They snuffle at his hand and then his face, chittering worriedly.

"I'm just really fuckin' tired, Fly," Raihan mutters, rubbing his eyes and hanging his head. He heaves another sigh and looks up. "Okay. Lead the way."

Instead of turning and heading down the hall, Flygon widens their stance and crouches down a bit. Raihan recognizes this as them telling him to get on, but he shakes his head. "I'm fine, really. I can walk."

Flygon huffs and their nose twitches a bit, as if to say we both know you might collapse before we get there. Raihan sighs a third time, but relents and climbs onto their back, nestling himself between their wings and wrapping his arms around their neck. Flygon straightens up and starts moving, now silent.

Raihan lets his head rest against Flygon's back, allowing himself to doze off again. He remains dimly aware of his surroundings- the sound of Flygon's breathing, the change in light in his eyelids, the gradual shift from dusty castle air to air that smells a bit cleaner, a bit more polished. He recognizes the lingering smell of rust remover even while he's half asleep, the smell oddly comforting because it reminds him of the long afternoons when his mother would restore old artifacts and let him admire them with the the wide teal eyes they shared when she was done. He doesn't know how long it takes, but when Flygon stops moving and shakes Raihan awake, it feels far too soon.

Raihan opens his eyes, blinking away the bleary visual fuzz to see the wide double doors of the castle library, adorned with metal bracing and humongous rings for handles. Some old inscription is carved into the middle of the doors, right where they meet. He knows it's something along the lines of knowledge and wisdom, but he's too tired to dig it out of his brain. He pushes the door open, grateful that the library is open around the clock. Raihan grabs one of the electronic lamps by the door on his way in, turning it on and watching as Flygon leaps into the air and soars around the library. If it was any other Pokemon, Raihan would never let them fly so close to the towering bookshelves and  ancient documents, but he knows that they know this library as well as he does and are absolutely capable of navigating it in the dark.

"Did you just bring me here so you could fly around because of the high ceilings?" Raihan calls up to them teasingly. He gets a mischievous chirp in response. He rolls his eyes, but a smile still creeps across his face. "Alright, well, whenever you decide to tell me what's up, come and find me."

Raihan makes his way over to a computer and turns it on, pulling up Pokepedia. If Flygon was going to keep him awake, he was going to make use of the extra time. His hands hover over the keyboard for a moment. Uh... probably just Pokemon cries, and then I go from there.

He enters 'pokemon cries' into the search bar and is immediately overwhelmed by the length of the list that pops up. He blinks at the screen for a moment, rethinking his strategy. Shit. Um- the- the wailing had like, snarling in it, right? That's a dragon-type Pokemon thing, so what about-

The list that pops up when Raihan enters 'dragon type pokemon cries' into the search bar is still large, but not paralyzingly overwhelming. He sighs and starts scrolling through it, trying to recall exactly what the cry sounded like. Really wish there was like, a website for this.

Raihan's hand freezes on the mouse. He nearly facepalms, but catches himself, because smacking himself in the forehead will probably only make his exhaustion-induced headache worse. Of course there's a fucking website for this, it's the fucking Internet. Not sure why I thought combing through every single fucking Pokemon cry was the most efficient way to do this. Gods.

Raihan grits his teeth and opens a new browser tab, typing 'pokemon cry identifier' in and clicking on the first link that comes up. The website has a light blue background and a large red microphone button in the middle, and the text underneath it reads 'Record Cry Here'.

Shit. I don't know how well I can mimic that. Raihan glances around the library. What the hell can I use to like, try and recreate that?

"Hey, Flygon! C'mere!" He calls up into the vast overhead area, not exactly sure where Flygon is in the gloom. He hears his voice echo a few times, and then the sound of wingbeats getting closer. He looks around for some rocks while Flygon flies over to the computer to try and replicate the scraping sounds, but only ends up finding a small loose stone by kicking it out of the cobbled floor. He snorts in annoyance as he picks it up and returns to the computer, where Flygon is waiting. Where are couple rocks in a massive ancient castle when you need 'em?

"Okay, I have to like, replicate the wailing we heard Monday, remember?" He sets the stone down next to the computer and reaches out to scratch Flygon's chin. "Do you remember what it sounded like?"

Flygon nods and tilts their head at the computer curiously, the glow of the screen reflected in the red shields around their eyes. "Do you think you can do that? As best as you can?"

Flygon chirps affirmatively. Raihan grabs a hardcover book with a particularly thick cover off of a nearby table in one hand, and grabs the small rock with the other. Well, it's not perfect, but it's the best I can do on short notice. 

"Okay, ready?" Raihan asks Flygon, readying the book and the rock. "On three. One, two, three-"

Raihan clicks the record button and quickly rubs the rock and the book together, making a scraping noise that isn't exactly like the one in the wailing, is somewhat close and better than nothing. Flygon lets out a low, sustained howl with a bit of growling, which is a much better mimicry than Raihan's scraping. When they stop, Raihan stops the recording, and watches the computer screen earnestly while a small loading symbol appears.

A few moments later, multiple results pop up on the screen. Raihan's heart jumps in excitement. He clicks on the first one, labeled 'Cyclizar'.

The cry echoes through the library. It's not right- too much stutter, too much change inflection. The start of it isn't right, either, it has some strange clicking sound that wasn't in the wailing. Hm. Okay. Next one, Skeledirge.

That one isn't right either. It's too long with not enough background noise, no snarling, no scraping. Ugh. Who's next?

The next result surprises Raihan. Reshiram!? Yeah, right. Like I have some ancient dragon under my castle. He plays the cry anyway, knowing it won't be what he's looking for. It's surprisingly close, but definitely not it. There is a snarling noise in it, but the inflection is still wrong. Huh. Maybe I should try more dragon fire types? Are there more of those?

Raihan is about to search for more dragon fire types when Flygon suddenly breaks away from him and the computer, chittering excitedly. They bound towards the window, buzzing their wings happily, tail high in the air. Raihan's stomach drops to his feet. There's only one person Flygon would be that excited to see.

And if Leon is here, something has gone very, very wrong.

Raihan abandons the computer instantly, running after Flygon with the lamp in hand. He sees a figure in the window, hands pulling at the ledge to it from the outside, glancing behind him to see if anyone is watching. Raihan's heart hammers in his chest. What's wrong with Lee, what happened, what's going on-

The figure manages to wrench the window open and slip through it into the library. Flygon chirps gleefully, immediately starting to fuss over the figure, who yelps in surprise and starts laughing quietly in the darkness. Raihan gets closer with the light, the glow gradually revealing-

Raihan freezes, staring.

It's not Leon, even though golden eyes framed by violet hair stare back at him.

It's Hop.

Ten Years Ago

Lee can't sit still on the train. He fidgets and keeps looking out the window, eyes wide and searching. He jumps every time the conductor makes an announcement over the intercom. He checks his phone at least every thirty seconds, probably more frequently.

None of it is conducive to napping.

I know Lee well enough to know that it's just nerves. He's just excited. But I'm exhausted from traveling- all the noise and people and new places and smells and just- just everything, it's so overwhelming. I hadn't ever left Hammerlocke before last year's Gym Challenge, but even then, I knew what I was meant to do and where I was going. All I know now is that I'm going to Postwick with Lee to see his family. I've never been to Wedgehurst, or Postwick, or anywhere further south of Motostoke. I don't know what I'm even meant to do- not having many friends before the Gym Challenge means I haven't ever slept over at anyone else's house, especially not for three days straight. What if I say something wrong and offended Lee's mum? What if I'm rude and don't realize it? What if I can't sleep? There are so many things that I can't predict, can't control, and I hated it.

"Attention all passengers," the conductor crackles over the intercom. "We will arrive at Wedgehurst Station shortly. This train will no longer be in service after this stop. All passengers must disembark. For any passengers traveling to the Crown Tundra, that train will arrive on Track Four at roughly 6:30 pm this evening. Thank you for riding with Macro Cosmos Rail. Safe travels."

Before the announcement is over, Lee has jumped up from his seat and is gathering his things, practically vibrating in excitement. He bounces on the balls of his feet as he checks his backpack for the third time to make sure he had everything before pulling it onto his shoulders and turning to look at me. "We're almost there!"

I stifle a sigh and stand, still sad I didn't manage to nap at all. I grab my own backpack and follow Lee to the nearest door, where we're the first people up and waiting. The train begins to slow a few minutes later, and what few other passengers there are start to stand and collect their things.

It takes a few more minutes for the train to finally roll into the station and stop, and about another minute for the doors to open. The conductor makes some announcement over the intercom, but I don't catch any more than the first few words, because Lee has already grabbed me by the wrist and practically dragged me off the train, starting to run towards the exit of the train station. I yelp in surprise as I stumble, startled by the sudden movement. "Lee, wait!"

"Come on, Rai!" He calls over his shoulder, laughing. "Bet you can't beat me!"

Oh, challenge accepted. "I bet you'll get lost!"

Lee stops and turns to give me a mischievous grin. "Not here, mate."

And just like that, he's out the door, with me scrambling to keep up. By the time I'm out of the station too, Lee is already across a little stone bridge over the creek in from of the station. I sprint after him, fighting to urge to get Flygon out and fly after him instead, but I still have no idea where I'm going. Lee glances over his shoulder a couple times to make sure I'm still behind him.

We run for about five minutes, running past other dirt roads and fields of crops and flocks of wild Wooloo, before the path curves to the right, then Lee takes a harsh left down a road with a couple little cottages and a brick house. I'm panting like an Arcanine that's just run twenty kilometers by the time I finally catch up to Lee, but he doesn't seem to be out of breath at all. He's waiting by the front door of the brick house, beaming at me. "I beat you!"

I roll my eyes as I struggle to straighten up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, country boy," I shoot back between breaths. "I'm just out of shape. It's not like I do any running in Hammerlocke."

Lee snickers and sticks his tongue out at me, and I respond by giving him a friendly shove. His snickering devolves into laughter, and he's throwing me satisfied smirks as he reaches up to knock on the door. About thirty seconds later, a woman answers and smiles down at us.

This woman has to be Lee's mum. She's short, shorter than both of my moms, but she has the same warm brown skin as Lee does. She has purple hair too, although it's a lot darker and I can see some of it starting to gray in the front. She looks old despite not having a whole lot of wrinkles, and I can't help but wonder what about her makes her look so... weathered.

"Hi Mum!" Lee chirps, giving her a huge grin. "I'm home!"

"I can see that," she murmurs, reaching out to pat his head fondly. Her voice is low and quiet and sweet, and has a slight twang to it, like one of her vocal cords has been switched out for a guitar string. It's oddly comforting. She glances at me and smiles. Her eyes are gold too, but they're a lot paler than Lee's. "How about you and your friend come inside? I'm sure you're both tired after traveling."

Lee beckons me inside after him and he drops his bag at the door. I copy him, not knowing whether I should properly introduce myself or wait and see what happens.

Lee glances at the stairs. "Mum, is Ho-"

"LEE!!!" A high pitched voice squeals in excitement. I turn towards the sound to see a kid who looks almost exactly like Lee except he has shorter hair and is much smaller bounding down the stairs.

Lee's face lights up brighter than I've ever seen it, even brighter than when he won the Champion Cup again this year. "Hop!"

Hop leaps off of the stairs and towards Lee at least two or three steps up, and my heart drops. I start to dart towards him, but Lee beats me to it, catching Hop in his arms with practiced ease, fussing over his little brother and swinging him around, both of them laughing and hugging each other tight enough to take my arms hurt just looking at them.

"That's enough, boys," Lee's mom chides, and Lee finally sets Hop down in a fit of laughter. Hop jumps up towards his brother again, but his mom snaps at him. "Hop. Enough."

"He's just excited, Mum," Lee giggles, ruffling Hop's hair affectionately. "Don't worry about it."

I don't miss how Lee's mom wrinkles her nose, but my attention is quickly brought back to Hop's energetic chattering. "You're home! You're finally home!" He waves his arms around faster than I can process the movements and what they might mean. "You've gotta see how big Wooloo is now! So fluffy! Mum's makin' me keep 'em outside now!"

"Really?" Lee's smile somehow keeps getting bigger, despite me thinking it's physically impossible to look any happier. "That's amazing! It's because you take such good care of them."

Hop puffs his chest out. "I do everything you told me to! And I always give 'em looooads of cuddles. It's the best."

Lee ruffles Hop's hair again. "You're the best, Hoppip." He glances at me before turning back to Hop. "Hey, there's someone I want you-"

"Omigosh, can I say hi to Charizard?! How is she?" Hop cuts his big brother off with a barrage of questions and wraps hims arms around his brother's torso. "Has she gotten bigger too? Did you have her learn any cool new moves? Am I too big for her to carry when she flies yet?"

I smother a giggle. I didn't think anyone could get more energetic than Lee, but this kid's got him beat. Lee's eyes twinkle with amusement as he gently reins his brother in. "You can say hi to Char later, and she and Wooloo can have a playdate. But right now, there's someone really important I want you to meet."

"Who?" Hop blinks up at Lee with huge honey gold eyes. Lee smiles and points in my direction. Hop turns to stare at me, eyes going almost comically wide and jaw going slack in some emotion I can't read.

For a second, I nearly panic. Lee said Hop would love me, but what if he hates me for being his brother's biggest rival? How am I going to explain myself if he asks me why I'm so mean on the telly? Gods, what was I thinking?

Then, in a blur of motion, Hop untangles himself from his brother and scurries up to me, chattering with almost as much excitement as he did when he first saw Lee. "You're Raihan! I know you! I'd know you anywhere! You-" Hop stops to catch his breath and points between me and Leon. "You're super strong! Well, not as strong as Lee, but still super strong!"

The comment stings more than I expect. I know he doesn't mean it to be hurtful, but after losing to Lee two years in a row in the Finals, I almost wish he said he hated me instead.

"You're like, second best! After Lee, of course!" Hop continues. "You're so cool! And so tall! Can I be as tall as you one day?"

I swallow my pride. He's a kid. What did Lee say? Five? Six? He doesn't know what he's saying. I take a deep breath before speaking and crouch down a little bit so that Hop, with all of the energy of a Rapidash, doesn't have to keep taking steps back to look up at me. I give him a little wave. "Thanks, little dude. And I'm sure you'll get a whole lot bigger when you get older." He is... unusually small for his age.

Hop giggles. "I'm gonna be the Champion one day, just like Lee! And then I'll be first best, Lee'll be second best, and you can be third best. Deal?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. Your big brother might have to settle for third best after next year."

Hop gasps, gaping at me like I've just said something incredibly offensive. "Nuh-uh! Lee'll always be the bestest." He pauses, glancing back at his big brother. "Or, second bestest, I guess. Once I'm bigger."

"That's enough about that 'bestest' nonsense," Lee's mum calls from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. How about you go get unpacked, Leon?"

Lee nods and grabs his backpack, sprinting up the stairs without another word. Hop scurries after him like a Ducklett following their mother Swanna, and I'm left standing alone in the foyer. I stand there for a moment, waiting for someone to remember I'm here, before nervously stepping into the kitchen.

Lee's mom is cooking something that smells so delicious I nearly wander over and grab the stirring spoon to taste it. Then, I remember that I'm not at home, and I clear my throat nervously. "Um..."

Lee's mom starts, turning to look at me. "Oh. I forgot you were here, dear. How long are you staying with us?"

"Just until Sunday," I reply quietly. "But I can-"

"You can sleep on the couch, then," she cuts me off mid sentence. "I suspect most of our beds will be too small for you anyway. Try not to make too much noise in the morning or at night, the little one keeps me up enough as it is. Run along, now."

I blink at her, dumbfounded. I back out of the room slowly, trying to figure out who 'the little one' is. It can't be Lee, can it? He's a tad bit old to be called little one, isn't he? Does she mean Wooloo? Or Hop?

I grab my backpack from where it lies by the door and walk to the right of the stairs, where a couch definitely big enough to accommodate for my unnaturally long legs is tucked against the far wall of the room. There's a fireplace and a telly and bookcases filled with pictures of Lee- him in his uniform, him holding medals and trophies, action shots of him mid-battle, hold shaking hands with Chairman Rose- and Lee's two Champion trophies.

Something that I won't realize until I come back here six years later is that there are no pictures of Hop on those bookcases. There are no pictures of him anywhere in the house, really.

The next day, Lee and Hop and I take a trip to Professor Magnolia's lab. I get to introduce myself to her properly despite having seen her a couple times around the castle, and she serves us tea and dotes on Hop and Lee just as much as she dotes on Sonia. Lee (to Hop's complete and utter delight) lets Charizard out in the backyard, and runs through some pretty basic training procedures with her to show Hop. I decide to bring Flygon out too, and they start a play fight with Charizard. The are two tussling on the ground, snorting and baring their teeth playfully, when Flygon rolls a little too close to Hop and whacks him with her tail in the head as she gets up.

Everyone's reaction is instant the second Hop is knocked to the ground, even the Pokemon's. Charizard snarls a fierce warning, low and threatening and nowhere near playful anymore. Flygon chirps in surprise and chatters anxiously as she turns to Hop, snuffling at him as he begins to cry on the ground. Lee crosses the yard with unnatural speed and seriousness, immediately soothing his little brother and checking to see if he's hurt. Sonia runs inside to get Professor Magnolia. I run to Flygon, pulling them away from Hop and Leon. They huff and whine nervously, eyes wide and antennae drooped. 

"Hey, I know you didn't do it on purpose," I wrap an arm around their long neck, focused on soothing them. I would try to check on Hop, but I know Lee has it handled, and crowding around a five year old that just got smacked in the face would only overwhelm him more. "You just have to be careful, okay? Hop is really little, and it's easy for you to hurt him on accident."

Charizard lumbers over to us, and Flygon hangs their head in apology. Charizard watches them with narrowed eyes as Lee helps Hop to his feet, no longer crying and just sniffling. I don't see any visible damage to his face or head, which is a relief.

"Is he alright?" I ask Lee quietly.

He nods. "The fall scared him more than it hurt him, I think. He'll be okay."

Hop mumbles something that neither of us hear, and Lee ducks down a little more, wiping tears off of his brother's cheeks as he gently asks him to repeat himself. Hop's voice is loud enough for me to catch this time. "I not little."

Lee barks a laugh, loud and infectious. Soon enough, Hop is giggling too, and I'm smothering my own laughter. "Hoppip, of course you're not little," Lee ruffles his brother's hair. "You're very strong and brave. How about we go inside so Professor Magnolia can make sure you're okay and we can all have pecha berry juice?"

Hop shakes his head furiously. "No! I fine!" He wanders closer to me and Flygon, looking up at them with those golden eyes that are open comically wide again. "Fly... gan?"

"Flygon," Lee corrects him gently. "Flygon is Raihan's partner. You've seen them in our battles, huh?"

Hop nods, reaching up towards Flygon's face. "Flygon's big! And strong!"

I release Flygon and watch them lean down and approach Hop cautiously. Hop grabs at their face gently and pulls them closer, and Flygon sniffs Hop's face. They're still checking if he's okay.

Then, Hop leans forward and bonks his forehead against Flygon's nose. "There," he grins. "We're even now!"

Flygon pauses for a moment, looking surprised. Then, they lick Hop's forehead gently, and I nearly fall over out of shock. Hop giggles and headbutts them back, and before I know it, my massive dragon of a partner has a little boy less than a quarter of their size on their back and is parading around the yard, Charizard close on their tails.

Lee comes up behind me. "Sorry," he mumbles.

I nearly fall over again. "Lee, what? Flygon was the one who hurt him, whether it was accident or not."

"I should've told him to be more careful," Lee replies, shaking his head. "To give them more space. I forget how rowdy they are and how tiny he is."

"Lee, it's not a big deal. If anything, I should've told Fly to be more careful. It was an accident, but nobody's hurt, and it's all okay. See?" I watch as Flygon rounds on Charizard and Hop whoops an encouragement as they blow a tiny puff on smoke into Charizard's face before turning tail and running. Charizard sneezes flames before giving chase. "Besides, Flygon adores him now."

"Is that what the lick was?" He asks curiously.

I nod. "Fly only does that to me and my moms. I think they consider them family now. You might have to fight my Flygon for custody of your little brother."

"Yeah, over Charizard's dead body," Lee snorts, but he seems a little more at ease now. I breathe a tiny, discreet sigh of relief as I watch Lee relax and Hop shout gleefully as Flygon and Charizard play. Professor Magnolia and Sonia come back outside a moment later, but they start snickering as soon as they hear Hop screaming 'CHARRRRRRGE!!!' at the top of his little lungs, and we all clap for Hop and Flygon when Charizard falls over, playing dead.

Hop jumps off of Flygon and runs over to me, eyes shining with excitement. "That was super fun! Can I do it again?!"

I leave the next evening. Flygon is a bit upset to have to leave Hop, but I think they're anxious to get back to the city. Hop, however, clings to me as I pack my things, wrapping his entire body around my ankle and insisting I can't leave. But the time I'm done, he's started crying, and Lee appears almost instantly at the sound, unraveling his little brother from around my leg and carrying him as I put my backpack on and try my best not to feel extremely guilty. By the door, Lee tells Hop to say goodbye.

"N-Nnnooooo!" He wails, stuttering and shaking as his tiny body is wracked by sobs. "I d-don't wannaaaa!"

Lee looks down at his little brother helplessly. "Hoppip, Raihan has to go home too. I know you don't want him to leave, but-"

"He has to stayyyyyy!" Hop's voice pitches higher, and I wince. After a moment's hesitation, I reach out and ruffle his hair like I've seen Lee do at least fifty times over the last three days. He stops wailing and blinks at me, eyelashes heavy with tears.

"I'll be back soon, little dude," I smile and try to pull my hand back, but Hop grabs it, his tiny fingers wrapping around my own. "You keep getting bigger in the meantime, yeah?"

"You... you promise you'll come back?" Hop sniffles.

I nod. "Promise. Flygon'll probably drag me back here anyway."

Hop giggles and wipes his eyes. "They're real strong."

"I know," I chuckle, gently pulling my hand away. He lets it go. I grin and give him a big thumbs up. "Don't worry, little dude. You always can count on me."

Now

He's so big, is the first thought that comes into Raihan's mind as he see Leon's not-so-little little brother. The last time he remembers seeing him in person was when Raihan had accompanied him to Hammerlocke Central Station to make sure he got on his train to White Hill, and Raihan knows that this isn't the same boy he saw then. This boy is not the boy that clung to Raihan's legs and begged him not to leave as a five year old. This boy is not the boy that Raihan had watched spiral in grief and confusion after losing his best friend at fourteen. This boy is not the boy that had defeated Raihan at his Gym two years ago with enough strength to absolutely blow him away, nor was this the boy that had laid down his chance to do the one thing he had sworn to do for nearly a decade. This boy was different. Lee would absolutely lose it if he saw him. 

"...Hop?" Raihan breathes, wondering if he's having a hallucination because of how tired he is. Then, Hop averts his eyes towards Flygon and sighs heavily.

"I probably should've expected you here once I saw Fly, huh?" He murmurs, scratching Flygon's chin as they chitter happily. "I was gonna come talk to you tomorrow anyway, so I guess this works." Hop glances back at Raihan and his expression sours. "You look..."

"Terrible?" Raihan offers. Hop nods slowly. Raihan snorts in response. "Yeah. It's been one hell of a week, little dude."

"Sorry 'bout that," Hop rubs the back of his head. Raihan finally notices the small, worn notebook in his other hand, and wonders what's inside of it. "I heard about the overloading incident earlier today. Well, we didn't hear about it, we just heard it, but we're all fine."

Raihan blinks, confused. "We?"

Hop's face flits through surprise, embarrassment, and panic as he stammers through his next few sentences. "Oh! Eh- ehm- yeah, just- just me and some friends. We've been traveling together for a bit, and we're just stopping in Hammerlocke before heading to Wedgehurst. I- uh- I needed to see you. We. I guess. Mostly just me."

Why is he being so vague? What has he gotten himself into? Raihan folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. "What friends?"

Hop groans and tilts his head back, the sound echoing around the library. "Look, I'm not doin' anything shady, okay? They're all people you know. Promise. We're getting off topic." I'm not sure there was a topic to begin with, Raihan thinks to himself, but Hop keeps going before he can get a word in. "Look, the point is, I need your help."

This is... very strange. But he wouldn't come to me unless he really needed to, I know that much. "Alright, little dude. I'm not agreeing, but tell me what's up, and we'll see what I can do for you."

"Thanks, Rai," Hop grins and shifts his weight. "Mind if we sit? I've been walking for a bit."

"Sure," Raihan grabs the lamp and heads back to a table near the computer he was using. "But you've got some explaining to do."

After a brief chat about why Hop came into the library through the window (he assumed the library was closed, which led to the question of why he didn't check the door, and Raihan got the answer he was expecting- he forgot where it was) and how he should not do that unless he wants to get himself arrested, Hop apologizes to Raihan before pulling out his notebook, opening it, and spreading the papers that fall out across the table. Symbols that Raihan recognizes are scribbled on the papers in different handwritings and different color pens, and Raihan feels like he's definitely seen at least one of the strings of symbols before.

"Okay, look," Hop starts with a deep breath. "I know it sounds crazy, but you know the statues in Stow-On-Side? The ones that were behind the mural?" Raihan nods, half listening and half starting to translate some of the symbols (the ones he recognizes, at least) in his head. "Me and my friends made a pit stop there on the way here from Ballonlea, and we found a cavern behind the statues. And not just like, open air, but a secret cavern. There was a secret door and everything. And I know these lines of Ancient Galarian-" Hop gestures at the four lines in different handwritings- "these have already been mostly translated. But that secret cavern had more text, and I've already looked everywhere I can think of, but I can't find translations for it anywhere. So that's one thing I need help with. Number two is I wanted to get into the vault to take a look at the text there again, just to make sure I'm not missing anything. And number three is about-"

"Slow down," Raihan shakes his head, already lost. "Okay. One, yes, I can help you translate the new text, although it might not be perfect. Two, the vault is open for showing tomorrow afternoon anyway, so you can just go then. And... what was three?"

"Three is me asking you if you knew anything about what happens in the Power Plant," Hop responds quietly. "I've got some theories, and none of them mean anything good, but I've got to try and untangle this mess before anything else goes wrong."

"Gods, kid, that's- that's ominous," Raihan mutters, rubbing his eyes. "Okay. Power Plant. Um..." Raihan scrapes the far reaches of his mind for any information about the Power Plant, but doesn't come up with anything Hop probably doesn't know. "It finished construction eighteen years ago. Macro Cosmos runs the place. The only ways in and out are the elevator in the castle foyer and emergency stairs to one of the castle basements. A lot of it is connected to the tunnels beneath the castle, but those aren't safe and Mr. Prickface won't listen to me about that-"

"Mr. Prickface?" Hop cuts in, stifling a laugh.

"Rose has been getting on my last nerves recently," Raihan grumbles. "Well, forever, really, but especially the past few months. He cut my funding for this year by twenty-five percent, did you know that?"

Hop blinks. "Is that a lot? Like, I know it's a quarter, but how much-"

"A lot," Raihan hisses through gritted teeth. "More than me and my team can afford. Tens of millions of Pokedollars at least. Too much, is the short answer. It's too much." Raihan groans and gets himself back on topic. "I digress. Macro Cosmos runs the Power Plant and uses it to power most major Macro Cosmos facilities and at least half of the power in residential buildings in Hammerlocke alone. I know the percentage is even higher in Wyndon, but I don't have exact numbers. It converts Galar Particles into Dynamax Energy, and that's what can be converted into proper electricity. Or maybe it's vice versa. I honestly don't know. I've never been down there."

"You haven't?" Hop sounds a little alarmed.

Raihan rolls his eyes. "Nope. I'm not permitted. Macro Cosmos employees only, and you've got to have some special badge, too. No clue who goes down there besides Rose and Oleana, but it's mostly Oleana. I see her the most on the cameras."

"Are there cameras in the Power Plant?" Hop asks, flipping to a blank sheet of paper and scribbling notes furiously.

"Technically yes, but not ones I can access," Raihan sighs. "Those cameras connect to a separate surveillance system that, again, only Macro Cosmos employees have access to. I've got the cameras in the foyer to see who goes up and down the elevator, but nothing beyond that."

"Fucking- rggggghhhhh," Hop hisses under his breath, gripping his pen so tight his knuckles are white. "You really can't see anything of what's going on down there?"

Raihan shakes his head. "Nope. It's annoying, but it's the way it's been since the plant was built, and I can't really afford to bother Rose anymore. Not that I could afford the cameras I'd have to put down there if I wanted to see anything anyway," he snorts bitterly.

"That's... infuriating," Hop grumbles, plunking his head onto the table in defeat. "I'm not sure what to do with that."

"Sorry, little dude. Not much I can do about it," Raihan shrugs. "Why's it so important, anyways?"

"I think there's a connection between overloading incidents and the Power Plant, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. Oh, and the earthquakes. I'm pretty sure those are all coming from the Power Plant."

"I honestly wouldn't be that surprised," Raihan hisses. "Rose seems dead set on making my life as difficult as possible, and with the shit he's done to Spikemuth, I wouldn't put it past him to deliberately cause earthquakes under my castle. But the overloading incidents?" Raihan shakes his head. "I don't think that's related to the plant. It's been running for nearly twenty years, and the overloading incidents are more recent. It doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, I didn't think about that," Hop mutters, flipping through his notebook. "But the earthquakes seem to precede overloading incidents, so I think they have... some kind of connection, at least."

Raihan shakes his head again. "You're losing me here, kid. There have been overloading incidents without earthquakes, and vice versa. I think we've just had a lot of unlucky coincidences over the past month or two."

"There's another possibility," Hop blurts, flipping back to the pages with Ancient Galarian written on them. "And I don't think it's super likely, but I want to rule it out. Y'know the Darkest Day?"

"You're asking a man who lives in an ancient castle whose mother was a historian if he knows what the Darkest Day is?" Raihan shoots back, raising an eyebrow. "You wound me, little dude."

Hop rolls his eyes. "So, yes. Okay, well, I think, and I'm not even that sure, but I think that everything that's been going on- the overloading incidents, the earthquakes- it could mean that the Darkest Day is coming back again."

Raihan sits bolts upright in his seat. "What?!"

"I said I think!" Hop raises his hands defensively. "I'm not sure. It's- it's all connected, I think, the Ancient Galarian, the overloading incidents, the earthquakes, I think it's all connected to the Darkest Day. We know the Ancient Galarian is, at the very least. I still need to translate the new text I found, I feel like that would make all of this just- just a little clearer." Hop groans and drags his hands down his face. "I know it's crazy. I just- I need to rule it out."

"Then let's get to translating," Raihan replies, standing and heading towards the bookshelves. "I know there's a physical copy of an Ancient Galarian dictionary somewhere in here, I just have to find it. Wait here."

Raihan returns after a few minutes with a thick black tome in his hands. Despite how gently he handles it, the book still thuds heavily onto the table, and Raihan sees Hop wince. When Raihan starts to sit back down and pull some of Hop's notes towards him to start translating, Hop stops him.

"Wait, could you teach me how to translate instead of just doing it for me?" He asks nervously. "I want to be able to do it on my own. In case we find more."

Raihan grins. Can't say I'm not surprised. He's always been curious. "Sure," he responds, beckoning Hop over. "Pull up a chair, little dude."

Hop rolls his eyes but picks up his chair to move it over to Raihan's side of the table regardless. "You're never gonna stop calling me that, are you?"

"Not unless you ever tell me to, no."

Hop pauses for a moment before sitting, and Raihan's worried he's upset him. Then, Hop shrugs and sits down. "Eh. It's fine. So these symbols were on the statues," he says, pointing at a small stack of paper, "and those were on the wall inside of the secret cavern..."

It takes about half an hour for Raihan to talk through the basics of Ancient Galarian with Hop and another half hour after that for the two of them together to translate all of the text. What they uncover is confusing and definitely not completely accurate, but ominous all the same.

"Now under the mountains," Hop reads the first line before pausing on the second, "this word here is blood, but the rest of the line doesn't really make sense- rests the heart of... the... su..." He trails off, glancing at Raihan. "That's not right, is it?"

"That word is 'storm'," Raihan replies, tapping the string of letters. "The line after that is 'In a fathomless bed'. And then it's-"

"Heed our warnings- or meet our fates." Hop speaks the last line aloud, finishing Raihan's sentence for him. "Gods. And the other lines?"

Raihan takes a deep breath. "This line says 'If all hearts must beat'- this one is 'Do not walk the verge', then there's 'Do not deny the power', and this one in pink is 'Those lacking must be purged'. Real cheery stuff."

Hop takes a deep breath and buries his face in his hands. "This is not good."

"I mean, it doesn't have to mean anything, really," Raihan offers, trying to comfort Hop, whose shoulders sag and hair looks like a Rookidee tried to make a nest in it. "Sure, it's connected to the Darkest Day somehow, but none of this indicates that it's coming back."

Hop raises his head slowly, eyes wide with fear. "Raihan, when me and F- me and my friend," he corrects before continuing, "were in that secret cavern, there was like this- this big bowl in the ground in the middle, and I mean huge, like-" he waves his hands around in the air. "A dynamax Pokemon could probably have sat in it, and there were claw marks and foot prints and-"

"Slow down, little dude," Raihan cuts Hop off as his voice begins to rise in panic. "You're freaking me out."

"If that cavern was the fathomless bed, the heart of the storm was resting there, and whatever it was, it was gone, Raihan," Hop whispers. "It was gone and there were signs of a struggle. A battle. Something- someone, somehow, they- they took the heart of the storm."

For a moment, Raihan feels all of the terror he sees in Hop's eyes. For a moment, his mind is racing too, but then logic kicks in and what Hop is saying stops making sense. "Hop, if that secret cavern had just been discovered by you and your friends, nobody else could have been down there to take the 'heart of the storm', whatever it is. And there wasn't even access to the main cave with the statues until two years ago anyway, when Bede destroyed the mural. None of this- none of this makes sense, Hop. I'm sorry."

He sighs, slumping in his seat. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it doesn't make sense." He stares at the papers scattered about the table before heaving a big sigh and beginning to collect them. "I don't know. We're going to Wedgehurst to visit Sonia next, so maybe she'll know something that we don't. Either way," Hop stands and grabs his notebook and papers, giving Raihan a weary smile, "the both of us need sleep. Especially you."

Raihan snorts. "That's if Fly will actually let me. They practically dragged me here. I think they knew you were coming."

Hop glances under the table, where Flygon is curled up tightly and sleeping. "Pokemon are weird like that." He reaches down to scratch the top of their head between their antennae, to which Flygon rumbles happily in their sleep. "I'm gonna get going. My friends are probably wondering where I am."

"You've been very vague about who these people are," Raihan points out.

Hop sighs again, looking away. "It's just... complicated. One of them's Marnie, if it makes you feel any better."

Raihan nods. "A little bit. Knowing you're not wandering around with total strangers is good. How many of you are there?"

"Just four of us, and our Pokemon," Hop replies, heading for the window. "We're trying to figure out how to stop the overloading incidents."

"That would certainly clear up that headache for me," Raihan mutters, getting up and following after Hop. "Are you... going out through the window too?"

"It'll be easier for me to retrace my steps that way," Hop says sheepishly. "It's been a bit since I've been in Hammerlocke."

Raihan rolls his eyes. "I thought you had a better sense of direction than your brother."

"I do!" Hop protests, raising his hands defensively. "I'm just really, really tired. And the city isn't easy to navigate at night when I can't see shit."

"I can walk you back if you want," Raihan offers. And then I'd get to meet the other two people you're traveling with to make sure they're not putting you in danger.

Hop shakes his head as he reaches the window, and Raihan resists the urge to press him further about who these people are and why he's being so damn vague. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Besides, you look like you need a week of sleep."

Raihan snorts. "I do. Gods, I really, really do."

Hop snickers and opens the window, shifting his weight to jump up onto the sill. Then, he freezes, and slowly turns to look back at Raihan. "Hey, can I... can I ask you something?"

"What's up, little dude?"

"So, I don't know if you talk to Lee at all still, but- I just-" Hop heaves a deep, deep sigh. "If you do, do me a favor and don't tell him I was here, yeah?"

Raihan freezes too. On one hand, he knows Lee is worried sick about his little brother and misses him desperately, but in the other hand, Raihan knows that Hop doesn't ask for favors unless he really, really needs something. But he also knows that Hop and Lee had a fight and that they haven't really spoken since, and he doesn't know the details because Lee wouldn't tell him after the fight happened and he hasn't seen Hop in over two years. What do I do here? I'm betraying someone's trust either way, but... I really, really don't want to lie to Lee. But I also want Hop to know that he can trust me regardless of his situation with his brother. Gods. 

"That's... uh..." Raihan starts talking without really having any clue of what he wants to say after seeing Hop stare at him nervously. "I... I don't really know what to say to that, Hop."

Hop flinches and shrinks towards the window. "If you have to tell him, can you at least give me a couple days to get out of Hammerlocke first?"

"Kid, I..." Raihan sighs in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose as he makes up his mind. Sorry, Lee. "I won't tell him unless I have to, okay?"

Hop eyes Raihan cautiously. "You promise?"

Raihan winces. "Yeah. I promise, little dude."

Hop snorts and rolls his eyes, but a smile returns to his face regardless. "Thanks, Raihan. I'll see you, yeah?"

And with that, Hop turns and slips out the window, navigating around bushes and trees in the dark as he heads away from the library. Before he slips out of sight, he glances back and gives Raihan a little wave. Raihan waves back, but he doesn't know if Hop sees it before he disappears around a corner and into the city.

Raihan stares out the window for a few moments before finally closing it and heading back towards the table, waking Flygon, turning off the computer, returning the lamp he was using, and leaving the library altogether. Hop was right. I need to sleep for a week.

When Raihan finally collapses into bed, Flygon curls up beside him, giving him permission to finally sleep. He's out like a light the second he closes his eyes, and he sleeps so heavily that night that he does not wake up when there's another earthquake a bit before dawn.

Sometime, Somewhere

"Look at them," I murmur.

"Look at them," my beast echoes.

"So small."

"So small."

"So young."

"So young."

"So defenseless."

"So defenseless."

"We must warn them," I say. My beast howls in agreement.

My counterpart nods. "We must. Too much is at stake." Their beast howls as well.

Their eyes search the darkness, panicked and terrified. They whisper to each other, trembling.

We step into the light.

Heed our warnings...

They begin to run.

Or meet...

They reach the end of the tunnel.

Our fates...

Chapter Text

August 17th, 6:48 AM

Finn wakes to the sound of fire cracking and the smell of something cooking. They sit up slowly, blinking repeatedly to ease their grogginess. They're camping in one of the larger public parks in Hammerlocke, tucked away in a peaceful little grove of trees and rocks. Despite being surrounded by nature, Finn can hear the distant honking of cars and the hustle and bustle of a city slowly waking to meet the new day.

They get onto their hands and knees slowly, careful not to disturb Marnie as they scoot away from her towards the door of the tent. She and Finn had taken the first turn on watch last night, letting the boys get some much needed rest. Even though Bede was older than the three of them, he clearly was not as accustomed to traveling anywhere on foot. The group had spent the night after they had gotten off of their Taxi from Ballonlea finding a place to stay in Hammerlocke and sleeping for most of the morning and some of the afternoon once they had gotten settled, and the day after that had been spent gathering some food (Finn and Marnie had gone dumpster diving, and Finn could absolutely still feel the leftover grime on their hands despite having showered at a gym afterwards) and planning their next steps from there. The food that Opal had provided them with was definitely helpful, but Finn knew that Marnie was trying to reserve as much of her insulin as possible, which meant that while the rest of them could afford to skip a meal or two and save some food, Marnie had to have small snacks frequently to keep her blood sugar from going too low while not eating too much and having her blood sugar spike too high. The delicate balance act that Marnie had to deal with constantly, especially with her dwindling supply of sugary snacks, was wearing her thin. She had been snapping at people more frequently or spending most of her time sleeping, only waking to eat, use the bathroom, or be on watch. Finn could tell that she was exhausted, both literally and from always hovering on the border of her blood sugar being too low.

The group's Pokemon were thankfully not a major problem- Opal had given them plenty of Pokemon food before they had left, all they had to do was find a quiet spot to let them out. Finn only had Chandelure and Garchomp, and while Hop had a team of five- Cinderace, Dubwool, Pinchurchin, Corviknight, and Sandaconda- only Cinderace, Corviknight, and Dubwool were big eaters, and Dubwool was more than content to eat grass. Marnie's Morpeko had been very patient about getting food (Finn thanked Arceus every time Morpeko saw anyone else eating and did not immediately go feral and inhale whatever was being consumed), and Grimmsnarl didn't eat a whole lot in the first place, but Toxicroak, Liepard, and Scrafty all needed a proper meal at least once a day. Bede had left most of his Pokemon with Opal but had brought along his Rapidash and Hatterene, and neither of them ate too much either, Rapidash being happy to eat grass like Dubwool and Hatterene sharing Grimmsnarl's proclivity for just not being hungry all that often. Bede had informed them all that fairy types often got their sustenance from emotional energy rather than food, which Finn thought was both interesting and convenient.

Finn had initially been hesitant to introduce Garchomp to any other new people or Pokemon, but he had actually adjusted surprisingly well, and while he wasn't exactly affectionate with anyone other than Finn (and even then, affectionate was a stretch- it was closer to protectiveness towards them rather than affection), he hadn't snapped at anyone either, which Finn considered a win. He always stuck close to Finn whenever he was out of his Pokeball, not doing much to engage with his environment other than watching, and Finn knew that pressuring him to do so would be unfair. Just like people, Pokemon need time to recover from things too.

Finn quietly unzips the tent door and slips out into the clearing, where Bede is making breakfast. Some sort of meat that looked closer to scraps than any real cut and some berries thrown in a pot together, and four carefully proportioned cups of oatmeal off to the side. Better than nothing.

"Good morning," Bede nods to Finn as they stand up fully and stretch, feeling their back crack in multiple places. "Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes. The meat is taking longer than I thought."

"Where did we even get that, anyway?"

"Found it in the box that Opal gave us. It was canned- I think it's fish of some kind, but it doesn't smell like it." Bede shrugs. "It's protein."

"Fair enough," Finn sighs. "Everything quiet this morning?"

Bede nods. "A couple people were doing morning jogs on some of the paths off that way, but besides that, quiet as a Blipbug."

"Pretty much the same for me and Mar," Finn replies, sitting down near the fire and feeling the warmth sink into their bones. "We wanted to do some stargazing, but it was cloudy, and there probably would have been too much light pollution anyway.

Bede stares at Finn for a moment, clearly turning a thought over in his head. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you two... like... a thing?"

"A thing?" Finn echoes, confused. That could mean literally anything. Then, they realize what Bede is asking. "Oh! No, not-" they cough, feeling more than the heat of the fire on their face. "Not ye- not right now. No." Gods, I really hope it's not that obvious. I don't- I don't even know how to think about her, and we have bigger problems right now anyway. Maybe when everything is settled, sure, but definitely not now. Not yet. "No. Not- not a thing. We aren't."

Bede stares at Finn for a moment more before shrugging. "If you say so."

Finn is about to respond when the zipper to the tent door opens again, and Hop crawls out, hair rumpled and eyes still bleary from sleep. "I smell food," he mumbles, yawning.

"Ten minutes," Bede replies, glancing up at Hop. "Oatmeal and mystery meat with berry compote."

"Thank gods," Hop sighs, flopping down on the grass next to Finn. "I'm starving."

"We need more food," Bede mutters. "What we have left isn't going to be enough for the four of us and our Pokemon for two more days."

"Please do not make me go dumpster diving again," Finn groans. "It was awful and we barely found anything anyway."

"I'm not saying that," Bede snaps back before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "What I'm saying is we need more food. It might be time to try stealing some things."

"That's a little easier," Finn concedes. "I can do that."

"So can I," Bede replies. "There's a big chain department store on the southern side of the city- some branch of Macro Cosmos with shitty security. I'll head there this afternoon, see if I can grab anything."

"I can go with you," Hop offers. "I'm bad at sneaking around, but I can definitely carry stuff."

Bede shakes his head. "I'm not risking getting you arrested. If I get caught, Opal will bail me out, but you don't have anyone who can do that for you." Hop visibly winces, and Bede immediately looks guilty. "Thank you for offering, though."

"No problem, mate," Hop sighs. "I just don't love feeling useless."

Finn shakes their head. "You aren't useless. How's the research coming along?"

"Oh. I- Uh." Hop blinks rapidly and looks away, trying too hard to act normal. "It's going good. Made a little progress. N'... stuff."

Finn lets Hop sit in his nervous silence for a moment, face skeptical. "Hop, what happened?"

"Ugh, okay, fine," he groans, burying his face in his hands. "I may.... or may not have..." Hop takes a deep breath, and then words start tumbling out of his mouth faster than Finn can comprehend them. "I snuck off watch to go check the Hammerlocke Castle Library last night but ran into Raihan and now he know's I'm here but he helped me translate the new text and all of it means bad bad things."

Finn sits bolt upright, now fully awake. "What?!"

"I'm sorry!" Hop raises his hands defensively. "I was just bored and felt stuck and figured I might as well make use of the time I'm awake. And I left Dubwool, and they would have woken you if anything had happened."

"That's not the point!" Finn hisses back, voice rising, mind racing through everything that could've happened. "You can't just go off on your own without telling us? What if you got lost? Or worse, someone caught you? Especially in Hammerlocke Castle! The place is crawling with Macro Cosmos employees! Did Giratina possess you?! What the hell, Hop?!"

Bede inhales sharply and looks at Finn. "Calm down. Food is ready."

That's when Marnie emerges from the tent. She yawns and walks over to the group, where Bede glances between Hop and Finn as Hop hangs his head and Finn twists their fingers into their drawstrings viciously, glowering. "What now?"

"Breakfast," Bede replies evenly, adding meat and fruit to the bowls of oatmeal. "These two are fighting because Hop snuck off to do research last night."

"You were literally the one who called him impulsive!" Finn snaps. "You can't seriously be on his side!"

"Gods, I am not saying that I'm fine with what he did," Bede grits his teeth and hisses. "But we're all on the same side here, and you're being an ass right now."

"Quit 't, both o' you," Marnie growls, snatching a bowl and starting to eat. "Finn, go take a walk. Do somethin'. Sittin' here isn't gonna make you feel any better."

They're treating me like some upset child, Finn seethes internally, winding their drawstrings tighter around their fingers. "I am fine," they retort. "I do not need to take a walk, I just need- I don't know, I need to eat," they grumble, grabbing their own bowl. "I need to know what's going on before you just run off and do things," they glance at Hop. "If you had woken me up, I probably would've gone with you."

"I didn't want that, though," Hop replies quietly, still staring at the ground. "I can do things on my own. I'm not helpless."

Finn flinches. "I- I didn't mean it that way, I just- I don't want you to go alone in case anything happens. I don't want you to get hurt." I don't want to lose you again.

Bede snorts and rolls his eyes. "If you haven't noticed, both of you," he points his spoon at Finn and Hop, "are prone do doing dumb shit and have managed to come out unscathed every time. You happen to think it through more, and Hop does it because his brain moves too fast for his own good."

Hop's head finally snaps up. "My brain moves at a perfectly normal speed-"

"Shut your gob, it absolutely does not," Marnie cuts off Hop's protest. "You're both freakin' out over nothin'. Just eat some breakfast and then we'll talk about stuff after, yeah?"

Finn concedes with a sigh and proceeds to shove a bite of oatmeal in their mouth (which is a textural nightmare, but they swallow anyway because they know that it might be the only proper meal they get today), and the silence that hangs over the group as they sit around the campfire and eat is tense. Hop finishes first and goes back into the tent for a moment, then returns with his notebook. Once everyone is done eating, he waves them all over.

"Look, I'm sorry for running off, but it was absolutely worth it," Hop starts, glancing at Finn nervously. "Raihan helped me translate the text that we do have, and he told me that the vault is open for showing today, so I can go check there. In the meantime, this is what we have." He opens his notebook to pages where there's Ancient Galarian on the left and the modern alphabet is on the right, pointing at lines as he recites them. "This is what was on the statues. Lots of Ancient Galarian texts that we have now have structure pretty similar to poems, so I just wrote it out in ABCB rhyme scheme and it makes pretty good sense. Look," he points to the first five lines on each page. The translation section reads:

If all hearts must beat

Those lacking must be purged

Do not deny the power

Do not walk the verge

Heed our warnings - or meet our fates.

"I'm not exactly sure what any of it means, but the 'do not deny the power' bit absolutely sounds like a warning." Hop mutters. "Maybe not denying the power of the Darkest Day, or something along those lines."

"The first two lines don't make sense without each other," Bede points out. "So whoever wrote this text is warning us to get rid of... hearts that don't beat?"

"No clue how that's connected to the Darkest Day either," Hop sighs. "Either way, it's a complete verse, which the other one isn't." He then points at the next stanza down, where the second line is missing in the translated section.

Now under the mountains

---- ---- the blood -- the ---- (???)

Rests the heart of the storm

In a fathomless bed

Heed our warnings - or meet our fates.

"We tried doing letter by letter translation, but what we got didn't make sense," Hop admits, rubbing the back of his head. "The first word translates to 'died', but the last word translates to 'dead', and it didn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. The important bit here, I think, is the heart of the storm resting in the fathomless bed."

"If it was written in a cave, I'd be willing to bet that the 'fathomless bed' was meant to be referring to the secret cavern," Finn mutters, glancing at Hop. "Do you think... the heart of the storm..."

"Is missing," Hop nods. "There wasn't anything there."

"Besides signs o' a struggle," Marnie adds, eyes dark. "So the heart o' the storm is missin'."

"And there's too much that that could mean," Hop groans. "I think going to the vault today will help, but I'm still stuck."

Bede shrugs. "It still all sounds crazy, but there's something to it. It is progress," he mutters begrudgingly, folding his arms. "Even if it is just a little bit."

A smile creeps across Hop's face. "You just don't like admitting when I'm right."

"I can't compliment you without you gloating about it," Bede snaps, glaring at Hop. "I'm trying to not be an ass."

"And you're making progress!" Hop says, eyes glittering with amusement and mischief. "Even if it is just a little bit." He mimics Bede's tone on the last two words, and Finn has to smother laughter because of how perfectly on point it is. 

"Thanks, mate," Bede scoffs. "A real riot, you are."

"You're just easy to poke fun at, that's all," Hop teases. "Hard not to when you still sound snootier than a fluffed up Furfrou."

"Insufferable, the lot of you," Bede rolls his eyes, but Finn sees the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in a smile regardless.

"'F you two are done jabberin', I'n gonna go back to bed," Marnie says, standing. "Slept like shit last night. Blood sugar keeps dippin' too low."

Something about how defeated she sounds makes Finn's chest ache. "Is there anything I- we can do?" They ask, standing and following Marnie back over to the tent. "Specific foods we should look for?"

"Anythin' with a lotta sugar," Marnie replies. "Carbs, too. Especially if it's got refined grains or been processed a lot. Sodas, shitty mass produced pastries, candy, stuff like that. Probably not the best in the long run, but I need it right now since we aren't eatin' a whole lot else." She shrugs. "Don't go crazy lookin' for 'em, just nab 'em if you manage to come across 'em, yeah?"

Finn nods, taking mental notes. "We'll work on it."

"Thanks," Marnie replies flatly, eyes flitting down to the ground. "'M... gonna go back to sleep."

She turns and crawls back into the tent, zipping the door flap shut behind her. Finn stifles a sigh and returns back to the campfire, which Bede is working on putting out while Hop stares at his notebook more.

"None of what she needs is going be easy to come by," Bede says quietly as Finn approaches. "We need more food in general, but none of what I'm going steal at that department store will help her much besides making her less hungry."

Finn turns the list that Marnie gave them over in their head. Sugar, carbs, refined or processed. Soda, pastries, candy. They try to think of where they could get any of that easily, and an old, fuzzy memory creeps out of the back of their brain. Tired green eyes, the sound of rain, the glow of a computer screen, the taste of apple and cinnamon.

"Please don't choke on something. Where are your parents?"

Bede sees Finn's eyes light up. "What?"

"I think I know a place," they reply, already trying to remember where that cafe was. "It mostly depends on if someone is in the city or not."

Hop glances up from his notes. "Who?"

"Oh, I have absolutely no idea," Finn shrugs. "But if she's here, there's a cafe that should be unlocked during the night, and that means enough baked goods to feed us for a week. Who has the map of the city?"

2:27 AM, Mid-June

I'm curled up beneath the awning of some expensive antique store, trying my best to look like I'm asleep so nobody will bother me. Knees tucked up to my chest, face nestled in my arms on top of that. My bag rests beside me.

The last thing I ate was... some rotten berries from a dumpster, I think. And that was... yesterday? The day before? I would kill to have proper camping gear, a bag that wasn't falling apart, pants with pockets, anything. Anything so I could collect what I needed and make myself a proper meal.

The pangs in my stomach claw upwards towards my lungs, and I inhale shakily. My stomach isn't used to rotten food- most people in Postwick or Wedgehurst were kind enough to give me something that's generally considered edible, and I was able to snag some spare fish out of docked boats in Hulbury and have Lampent cook them, but that's not really an option here. I know there are kitchens in the castle that I might be able to grab some prepackaged stuff from, but part of me doesn't want to run the risk of getting caught by Gym Trainers, or worse, Macro Cosmos employees. It's hard to justify trying something so risky when I'm so close to Spikemuth when I might be able to get by on scraps here and there. Most of the land around Spikemuth is pretty barren, though, so foraging won't be easy. I'll have to take food with me.

The harsh clacking of heels on stone is what tears me out of my thoughts. I open my eyes slightly, just enough to see properly out into the rainy gloom. The street is dead quiet besides the sound of rainfall and the footsteps of someone across the street, hurrying down the sidewalk while holding something that looks like a binder over their head. The street isn't very well lit, so I can't see them too clearly, but I can tell from their way their steps are hurried that they want to get out of the rain. Strange.

I watch as the person crosses the road at the intersection a ways to my right, and then enters the cafe on the corner. As an idea forms, I grab my bag and haul myself to my feet, sticking close to the walls of the buildings. Maybe a cafe owner would take some pity on me and give me some spare baked goods from yesterday. Or I could offer to help them with their baking this morning in exchange for some food or money. Either way, even if they don't want me there, I can just slip out before they call the police.

As I approach the building, I notice something odd. The store owner hasn't turned the lights on at all, at least not any lights that are visible through the huge bow windows on the front of the building. Maybe I just can't see the kitchen lights from here.

I creep closer, approaching the intersection. I check for cars down both streets, listening for the hiss of wheels in the rain, but it's perfectly safe to cross. I cut across the intersection diagonally, feeling rain pelt into my shoulders and hood. Well, I haven't been dry in days anyway. I swear the rain here never lets up.

I finally reach the entrance to the cafe, and I peek into the windows, looking for where that person went. Off to the side in some booth, they sit facing away from me, hunched over papers and a glowing laptop. I frown and glance around the rest of the cafe to find nothing but darkness. Okay, well, maybe they're just doing finances, or something. I don't know. Adults are boring. I glance around the street one final time to make sure the street is empty, and then I push the door open very slowly, very gently.

I've almost managed to slip into the cafe entirely when a bell rings over my head, chiming cheerfully at my arrival, almost like it's happy to see me. I freeze.

The person in the booth stands immediately, seizing something on the table and raising it over their head, poised to throw it if danger arises. "Who's there?!"

I take a deep breath and step all the way into the cafe, letting the door close behind me. No backing out now. "I was wondering if you wanted help?"

This seems to catch the person by surprise. Their arm lowers. "...Help?"

"With baking," I say quickly, voice high and shaky. "Or like dishes, or anything, I just need some food or some money if you have anything to sp-"

"I'm not the owner," the person cuts me off, setting the object in their hand down. In the glow of their computer screen, I can see it's a bottle of syrup. "I'm just working."

My throat goes dry, and I swallow to get my voice back. "...Oh."

The person doesn't reply, but they tap a few buttons on their computer, and the screen's brightness increases to the point that I can actually see their face. They have pale skin and sharp green eyes, and long light brown hair that falls to around the middle of their back. Their outfit is a bit strange- a red blouse and black pencil skirt with stockings underneath, with a long white jacket overtop and heels so high that they absolutely cannot be comfortable to walk in. Their face is unnervingly emotionless besides from the detached curiosity glowing in their eyes.

Do I know this person? Their face is oddly familiar, but my memories are foggy from hunger and I can't quite place it. They stare at me too, hand still lingering by the bottle of syrup.

"Who are you?" They ask, tilting their head slightly.

There's no way I'm ever going to see this person again. I should just... I should leave. "I'm just... I'm just passing through. It's- it's nothing. Sorry for bothering you," I say, taking a step back towards the door.

"Wait."

Something about the way they say it makes me stop. It's a little louder, sharp, direct, and the tone makes it clear that they fully expect me to stay. I don't know if this person has any kind of authority, but they did just see me break into a cafe, so I don't really want to displease them and risk getting the cops called on me. So I take a deep breath and stop, taking my hand off of the door.

The person regards me carefully. "If you do not tell anyone I was here, I will not tell anyone if you take anything."

My eyes catch on the various pastries in the display case, and on cue, my stomach starts to rumble. I think that's my answer. "It's not like I know who you are anyway," I snort, making a beeline for the food. "I don't really care."

As I step through the gate that leads behind the counter, the person's thin eyebrows furrow. "You don't know who I am?"

I shake my head, mostly focused on the sheer amount of food in the display case. "Not a clue. Unless you'd like to introduce yourself."

They shake their head. "No, but I'd like to know who you are. Most children in Hammerlocke do not break into cafes at two AM."

"I've gotta get food somehow," I shrug. "The door was unlocked, and all of this looks way better than anything else I've eaten in the last few months. Plus, I didn't even have to go dumpster diving." I glance at the stranger. "And I'm not sure you're meant to be in here either."

They wave a hand in the air dismissively. "I pay the owner to keep it unlocked at night whenever I'm in the city. It is somewhere quiet and private to work."

I grab an apple tart and stuff half of it in my mouth in one bite and nearly moan aloud. It's flaky and buttery and soft and a bit crunchy, all while the mashed up apples and cinnamon melt in my mouth. "Arceus," I mutter before stuffing the other half in my mouth. "That is so good."

The stranger's nose wrinkles. "Please don't choke on something."

I roll my eyes before reaching for the nearest pastry- a muffin with seeds sprinkled on top. When I promptly devour that in three bites, the stranger sighs. "Where are your parents?"

I try my best not to flinch. "Dead," I reply with my practiced lie. Dead to me, at least.

"Where are you staying, then?"

"I'm between houses at the moment," I lie again, but decide to tack on a truth at the end. "Traveling to Spikemuth. I have some friends there."

"Hmm." The stranger hums and sits back down. "I grew up in Spikemuth."

"Oh yeah?" I ask before taking a bite of something else- something similar to the apple tart but with a different fruit and maybe some cream cheese. "Well, congrats on getting out, then. Not a great place to live at the moment."

The stranger does not reply. I look up at them to find that they're staring out one of the windows, carefully restrained emotion leaking onto their face despite their best efforts. They look like they're... sad.

Then I realize why this person- this woman- looks so familiar. Despite not having her brown eyes or perfectly styled black hair, the way this woman moves and talks is so, so unnervingly similar to Mother, and also similar to some of the women I met at the shelter in Hulbury. The way her shoulders sag when nobody is looking, the quiet, impossibly heavy grief that shows in tiny flickers, the way her lips twitch upwards to keep herself from frowning too obviously. The eye bags that are expertly hidden with foundation and mascara, concealing things that part of me regrets never asking about. I also notice that she doesn't have a wedding ring on. I stop eating.

There is something more than exhaustion to those eye bags. There are things behind those eyes that I can't fathom. Women who have been wronged, suffered for it, and subjected to all forms of torture- it's easy to see them when you've grown up around one.

When you... were... one.

The woman glances back at me. "You're staring," she comments, the tiniest hint on amusement in her voice.

"You just-" I blink, trying to shake off my sudden realization. "I'm sorry, you just- you..." I don't want to say 'you look like my Mother', so I opt for something that I'd wish I'd said before I left instead. "You look tired."

The woman snorts. "I absolutely am."

"Why are you working at two AM?"

She shrugs wearily, shoulders sagging further in resignation. "I don't have another option."

"That doesn't..." I stare at her, then at her computer and the papers stacked neatly on the table around her. "That doesn't seem right."

The woman just shakes her head. "Believe me, I know."

I grab a paper bag and start stuffing anything my hands catch on into it- bagels, entire loaves of bread, more pastries, even some proper desserts like cream puffs and eclairs. "Then why are you working?"

"Because I have to."

"Why?"

"Because it is important," she hisses, rubbing her temples. "It is so unbelievably important that I figure this out."

I fold my arms. So important that you have to be working at two AM? "What is it, then?"

"Nothing a child would understand," she sighs. "Nothing that is... nothing that you could help with."

I snort as I grab the last three apple tarts and shove them in the paper bag. "Try me, lady."

"You... you absolutely would not understand," she insists, although she sounds a bit less sure of herself. "It's advanced engineering, capacitance, energy conversion, nothing that-"

I fold the top of the bag over and shove it in another paper bag so I don't risk the first bag breaking. "That's not really what I meant. If you're working at two AM, you clearly have bigger problems than whatever you're working on."

She freezes, hands hovering over her keyboard. She's got that distant look in her eyes, the one that I've seen Mother with countless times. Who is this woman? What's happened to her?

I set my bag of food on top of the display case slowly and keep my eyes down. "Look, I don't... I don't know if this is my place, really, but I've... I've seen some shit, yeah? And I don't know you, but..." I take a deep breath and pull at my drawstrings, wincing as the little metal ends dig into the raw skin around my fingernails. "From one stranger to another, if you need some help, I don't... I'm not really in a rush. And I know where some shelters are if you need them, or if you need someone to go with you to a hospital, or- or- I don't even know, I just..." I don't really have any other options to offer her after that, so I trail off awkwardly and end my ramble unceremoniously. "I just... want to help."

There's a long, long pause, a pause that's too long to mean anything good. I'm too scared to look up, to see her hands clenched into angry fists, to see the annoyance and frustration in the creases between her eyebrows. I've talked for too long, stupid stupid stupid, you know adults don't ever listen to you, you know they think you're weird or crazy or both, you're too emotional, you filthy little liar, waste of space, you mistake-

"Children. So naive," the stranger murmurs. My head snaps up. She's rested her chin on her hands and is staring wistfully at the ceiling with clouded eyes, the clearest expression of genuine emotion I've seen from her yet. "So altruistic. So kind." She lets out a deep, heavy sigh, like she's releasing a weight that she's carried for a long, long time. "I miss that. Being young. Being kind. But those days are long behind me." She glances at me, green eyes clearer now. "You're strong. Have a long life ahead of you. Don't waste it tolerating bullshit from people who don't care about you, y' hear?"

I'm too stunned by her response (and also in the sudden shift in the way she speaks- I can hear the tiniest bit of a Spikemuth accent in her voice now) to do anything but nod slowly. She nods back approvingly.

"Now go on, get out 'f here. I've got work to do, and while you're pleasant company, I won't get anything done with you here."

She turns back to her computer screen and papers, and I walk around to the front of the display case, grab my bag of pastries and trying my best to keep the paper from crinkling too much, and slip out of the cafe without looking back, shoving the bag under my sweatshirt to keep it dry. Instead of going back to the awning I was under earlier, I find a covered alley to duck into and spend some time eating there instead. When I'm done, my stomach still hurts, but less out of hunger and more out of overeating. I clutch the bag and whatever is left in it, and let myself doze off.

When I wake, it is still dark out, but dawn's light is just barely starting to tip-toe over the horizon. I creep back towards the cafe to see if the owner is there yet, to see if they need any help, but when the door creaks open and the bell rings again, the shop is silent. I glance around and see the faint glow of a light coming from a door behind the counter, probably leading to the kitchen.

The woman is still here, too. Asleep on the table with one of her hands still on her keyboard. She never stopped working.

I leave my last apple tart on the table next to her before heading east.

August 18th, 12:02 AM

It takes Finn a while to find that cafe again, especially since they don't really remember a whole lot from the few weeks they were in Hammerlocke on the way to Spikemuth- hunger made their brain too foggy to focus on much other than finding their next meal and staying hidden. They had studied the city's map for most of the day, and had come up with a list of places to check once it got dark. They had left camp after both Bede and Hop had returned, Bede with not a whole lot to show for his excursion and Hop with his head buried in his notebook. Finn had kept their head down and hood up as they traversed the city, slipping past strangers who didn't seem to notice them at all. 

The first cafe they had checked was empty and closed, and didn't look familiar. The second one had a large 'CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS' sign plastered across the front window, and the third had been open but too crowded and also not familiar.

The fourth, however, was the right one.

They had been walking for close to three hours, making intermittent stops to rifle through dumpsters (despite how little they wanted to), when they had finally come to the little intersection that they didn't initially recognize without the rain. Then, they had glanced up at the awning above them, and everything had clicked into place.

Finn darts across the intersection after checking for cars and stops right in front of the doors of the cafe, sending a quick prayer to whatever gods are watching before pushing on the door gently.

It creaks open.

Finn nearly swears in relief. They push the door the rest of the way open, bell jingling over their head. They scan the dark cafe, and-

She's here again.

The stranger blinks at them, the outline of her face just barely visible in the dim glow of her computer. "You... you came back."

There's a second meaning to that, Finn knows it as soon as the words come out of her mouth. Not 'you're back', or 'why are you here again', just 'you came back'. 

The stranger seems to realize this too, and she clears her throat before raising the brightness on her computer and standing. "I mean- you- you are here again. And so am I." She stops for a moment, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Have you been watching me?"

Finn can't even respond to the accusation because of how awful the stranger looks now. Her eye bags are darker, her hands tremble even when resting, her voice is raspy- she looks like she hasn't slept in the two months since I last saw her.

"You have a tendency for staring," the stranger snaps after a few seconds. Finn flinches and rubs their eyes.

"S-sorry," Finn whispers, taking a deep breath before walking over to the gate that leads behind the counter again. "You just- you startled me, that's all," they lie, hoping to placate the stranger a bit.

It does not work. "You can say I look wretched," she snarls, sitting back down harshly. "I know I do."

Finn winces again, grabbing a paper bag. "I... wasn't going to say that. You look worse, that's all."

The stranger does not respond and sighs heavily. "The past two months have been... strange."

Finn busies themselves with the checking the calorie counts of the pastries in the display case. More calories probably means more sugar... right? I have no idea how this works. Arceus.

"Did you ever make it to Spikemuth?"

The stranger's question snaps Finn out of their thoughts. "Oh, uhm- yeah, yeah, I did." They straighten up a bit to look at the stranger. "I found the friends I was looking for, and now we're doing a bit of traveling."

"How was the city?"

Finn shrugs. "About the same as I remember. Run down. Folks aren't doing great there, but... y'know that's- that's what happens when nobody can make a living, I guess."

"Aha," the stranger sits up a little more, a tiny bit of triumphant light glowing in her eyes now. "So you have been to Galar before."

Finn nearly drops their bag, suddenly very, very nervous about being recognized by this stranger. "Pardon?"

"Saying Spikemuth is the same as you remember implies that you have been to Galar prior to the last two months," the stranger looks Finn dead in the eyes. "So you have a background here."

Finn swallows, hoping that they don't look as scared as they feel. "I... I guess you could say that, yeah."

"But you do not have a distinct accent, either," the stranger muses aloud. "You swear to Arceus, so you are likely from another region or you are religious, potentially both." She raises an eyebrow. "So where are you from? Sinnoh? Unova?"

Arceus, what in the- how does she do that? "I'd rather not say," Finn replies, trying to keep their voice level. "I'd prefer to stay a stranger to you."

"You must know who I am by now," the stranger says a little incredulously. "If you were in Spikemuth recently, especially with what's happened-"

This is ridiculous. We'll be out of Hammerlocke in no time- this is- this is pointless. "Lady, look," Finn grits their teeth. "I don't know who you are, and I don't really give a shit, either. Why are you asking me all of these questions? Can two people not be complete strangers to each other?" 

The stranger regards Finn carefully for a moment. "I... I thought I had dreamt you, that first night."

Finn snorts and crosses their arms. "I'm real, lady. Promise."

"You just... you seem familiar somehow, and I just..." She trails off and rubs her temples. "I haven't slept in days."

"I can tell," Finn mutters under their breath. If the stranger hears their comment, she doesn't respond to it.

"I hadn't slept in a while then either, and I thought I was- I don't know, hallucinating or something," she continues. "I thought maybe the blue light had finally gotten to my head, or the red light, or the warning sirens, or maybe it was all of it, I just-" The stranger's face finally crumples, her carefully controlled mask slipping off entirely to reveal utter exhaustion and panicked desperation. "You were kind. You were kind not because you knew who I was or because you wanted something from me, you just asked if I needed help and that-" she sighs and buries her face in her hands. "It seemed too good to be true. To be real."

Arceus, okay, lady, talk to your therapist about this, not a sixteen year old, Finn grumbles internally. Externally, they start grabbing pastries and dropping them in the bag. "It still sounds like you need help."

"I can't," she responds, almost immediately. "I can't, I can't, I can't, there's too much at stake, there's too much to lose," she whispers, fear creeping into her voice. "If I stop now, if I step back, nobody will be able to control it, and it'll- it'll bloody implode."

Finn is a bit skeptical (surely whatever business deal or project she's working on can't implode, she must be saying that in the figurative sense) but opts for honesty regardless. "I can't help you unless you want to be helped."

The stranger shakes her head and stands again. "No, no, I don't need help," she mutters, fingernails with chipping polish on them scratching the soft wood of the table. "I have never needed help. I built it on my own."

Finn bites back a sigh. I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about, but she's clearly upset. "Look. I'm not sticking around in Hammerlocke for a whole lot longer, and I don't think I'm coming back. If you want help, now's the time."

"You said you've seen some things," she stranger says suddenly, flopping down in her seat, defeated. "You've been hurt before."

Finn glances away from her. I don't know where this is going, but I don't think I like it. "I... I guess."

"People have hurt you."

Finn sighs, still confused and apprehensive. "Lady, I'm sorry, but what-"

"Yes or no?" She cuts Finn off, voice rising a bit.

May as well say it. I'm never gonna see her again, so it doesn't matter. "Yeah. Yes. My parents."

"You said they were dead?" The stranger says, her voice wavering a bit.

"Yes," Finn lies back. I swear to Arceus, if she accuses me of killing them, I'm going to walk out of this cafe-

"Do you grieve?" She asks quietly.

Finn blinks, not quite comprehending the question. "Sorry?"

"Do you grieve them? Do you-" Her voice finally breaks, and she has to stop and take a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Do you grieve them even though they hurt you?"

Finn's brain seems to short circuit. Survival always took precedence over anything else for them, and emotions were often not all that conducive to survival, especially unpleasant ones. Grief- grief for their family, for how deeply they had been wronged, for how long it had taken them to realize that- was not a helpful emotion. Other things had been more important. Like where their next meal was coming from. Like getting back to Hop and Marnie.

But now that they had their real family back, and Bede as another unexpected form of- I don't know, support? Comfort? Arceus- Finn had been able to focus on things other than just surviving, more than suffering, and that meant their emotions, good, bad, and ugly, were all crawling up from the depths of their chest where they had carefully kept them under lock and key for months. 

And that meant processing them. And that was something largely alien to Finn.

Telling Hop about what had happened with Dr. Foster had definitely made them feel better, and getting to talk to Bede had helped some too. But they hadn't really thought about their parents- that was different. That was more complicated. That meant dissecting most of their life- their background, what had happened with Victor, getting placed into foster care- and finding ways to cope with the fact that the people who were meant to love and care for them more than anyone else in the world simply just didn't. 

Finn sets the bag down and hesitates for a while before finally saying something. "I... I don't think I do, to be honest. I grieve about what happened, and what could've been, but I think-" Finn stops, correcting themselves. "I know I made the right choice by leaving home. My parents cared more about me as an object than me as a person, and that's not something I could have fixed or changed. They didn't want to be helped. I grieve because of that, but I don't- I don't grieve my parents specifically, I don't think. There's more that goes into that, I think, but I haven't really had the chance to unpack that yet. Does that help?"

The stranger remains silent for a long moment. Then, she sighs and lets her shoulders slump. "Yes. That helps. Thank you. Grieving isn't easy, is it?" She pauses for a moment. "Especially when the person you're grieving has been gone for twenty years."

"No," Finn agrees quietly. "It's not."

The two stare at each other in the darkness. In the quiet. In understanding.

"I'm sorry," Finn whispers.

"You have no clue what's coming," the stranger breathes, suddenly tense again. "The world is going to end."

Finn freezes. "...What?"

"You heard me," she says, a little louder this time, hands trembling. "The world is going to end. It's been getting stronger for years, and I can't control it anymore."

This... this has to be some cruel trick of fate, Finn takes a shaky step back. This lady says the world is going to end, we're looking into the Darkest Day because of the earthquakes and overloading incidents, but those can't- it has to be a coincidence-

"I'm going to stop it or die trying," she continues, voice rising in panic with each word. "I will not witness the end of the world. I refuse."

Finn grabs their bag of pastries and starts for the door. "Look, lady, you aren't- you need help, and I can't help you with..." Finn pauses, feeling tremors crawl up their own arms out of fear or hunger or both. "With this. You need to see a doctor. A- A psychiatrist that can actually do their job, not- not me."

She shakes her head, getting to her feet. "No, no, nobody would listen to me. Nobody would believe me- I'm- people wouldn't believe me." She hisses, digging her fingers into her arms as she folds them and hunches over. "And I can still- I can still control it some, there's no sense in..." she trails off, pale green gaze wandering past Finn and out the windows behind them. "There's no sense in asking for help if everything is still fine. Maybe something will change. Maybe I'll be able to fix it."

Finn watches as the frantic light seems to die out of the stranger's eyes and is replaced with cold, heavy resignation. That's what she looked like when I first met her.

"Go on," she takes a deep breath and straightens up. "Go home. Forget this conversation. Everything is fine."

Finn's heart seems to splinter in their chest as they grip the bag of pastries tighter. I can't help her unless she wants to be helped. "Okay, lady. Just..." Finn glances at her one last time before turning away. "Just think about it, y'know? Sometimes people surprise you."

They hope that she'll respond, that she'll follow them, that she'll do something, but the door swings shut behind Finn and nothing changes. They wish something would change.

Finn sets off back towards their friends. They leave no apple tarts behind this time.

Chapter Text

August 19th, 11:49 AM

Finn quietly unzips the door of the tent, creeping in to gently shake Marnie awake. “Mar, lunch is ready.”

“Mmmph?” Marnie grunts something incomprehensible before sitting up slowly. “What?”

“Lunch is ready,” Finn repeats, reaching out to rub her shoulder. “C’mon, you gotta eat.”

Marnie blinks a few times, now looking fully alert. Her eyes fall to where Finn’s hand lingers on her shoulder, eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Finn immediately panics and yanks it back, trying and failing to not look flustered. 

“Just- eh- just come out when you’re ready!” Finn says, making sure they sound cheerful. “Gotta, y’know, keep- keep that blood sugar up!”

They squirm their way out of the tent before Marnie can respond, resisting the urge to facepalm. Finn, are you serious? What are you doing? You have absolutely no clue how to do this, and there’s too much going on, and you’re being crazy because she probably doesn’t even think about you that way, and it’s been less than a month since you got her back, and you are out of your Arceus-damned mind.

Bede looks up from his bowl of curry, a tiny smirk creeping across his face. “Was it hot in there?”

Finn furrows their eyebrows. “No, it was-” That’s when they see the mischievous glint in Bede’s violet eyes. “You little-! No! Arceus, stop-” They groan and grab their curry, sitting down across the fire from him. “You have got to stop. I told you it’s not like that.”

Bede looks skeptical, but shrugs and goes back to eating. “Whatever you say, tomato berry.”

“Wha- I- I do not look like a toma-” Finn starts to splutter before Hop comes into the clearing, a paper bag of what is presumably more food in his hands. Finn falls silent, and Hop shifts on his feet uncomfortably.

“I- uh- I got those berries from the Wild Area,” he mutters, setting the bag down next to Bede. He points at one of the bowls. “Is that for me?”

Bede nods and Hop grins in response. “Thanks, mate. Not sure where you learned to cook like this, but it’s great.”

Bede snorts. “Ms. Opal. You have absolutely no idea of what qualifies as ‘training’ in her eyes. If a Pokemon can be involved, she’s breathing down my neck the whole time, making sure I’m ‘building meaningful bonds’ with them.” He rolls his eyes, but despite the subtle annoyance in his tone, he has a smile on his face. “At least I know she cares.”

“Cheers to that, mate,” Hop nods, grabbing his bowl. He glances between Finn and Bede and Marnie (who is slowly emerging from the tent), before taking a little step back. “I’m- I’m gonna go eat by that little pond, ‘kay?”

Bede shrugs again. “Knock yourself out.”

Hop turns tail and walks away just as Marnie reaches the campfire. She sits down next to Finn, and the three of them watch Hop go in an uncomfortable silence. Finn winces. He’s still upset.

Marnie grabs her bowl and rubs her eyes. “You need t’ talk t’ him.”

“I will!” Finn raises their hands defensively when Marnie shoots them a glare. “I will, I swear, I just- I don’t know how .”

“He’s your best friend. You’re overthinkin’ it.” Marnie points out, stuffing a bite of curry in her mouth and looking down at the bowl, eyes glittering with surprise. “Well I’ll be damned,” she mutters under her breath. She looks up at Bede. “You made this?”

Bede throws his hands up in the air. “You think I never learned how to cook?”

Marnie scoffs. “No, I didn’t, actually. Guess you’re still full o’ surprises.”

Finn winces. Despite having spent multiple days together, Marnie and Bede still haven’t warmed up to each other in the slightest- in fact, they’ve only been getting more and more passive aggressive whenever the other is in the vicinity. Finn and Hop had been doing a decent job at preventing fights before they started- making sure that Marnie didn’t go right before or after Bede for watch at night and vice versa- and with the pastries Finn had gotten from the cafe, Marnie was much less cranky from not feeling like absolute shit all the time, but now that Finn and Hop had had a fight…

Tensions were somehow running higher. Solve one problem, make three more, Finn laments in their head. I wish they’d just not be so hostile.

“Gods,” Bede huffs, standing up. “When you’ve decided to stop being a prick, let me know.”

“You expect me t’ trust you?” Marnie snarls, hand tightening around her spoon. “After all o’ the shit you did?”

“I’d at least like a little bit of gratitude for making your meals for the last four days, Princess,” Bede shoots right back. “Again, maybe not being an absolute prick would be nice, too.”

“You want me to show you what bein’ a prick is?” Marnie challenges, standing as well. “You wanna fuckin’ know?! ”

“Mar, please stop yelling,” Finn grabs her hand. “You’re gonna-”

“Piss off,” Bede hisses, turning to walk away. “Don’t be a prick when I come back, yeah?”

“Runnin’ off with your tail between yer legs, are ya?” Marnie crosses her arms. “Get outta here, Maccie scum.”

Finn sees Bede stiffen, and they tense up themselves. They’re gonna tear each other apart if I don’t stop them.

Bede turns around slowly, face red, eyes dark, hands clenched into fists at his sides. “What did you call me?” He growls, voice dangerously low.

“Maccie. Scum.” Marnie hisses back, teeth gritted. “Did'ja hear me this time?”

Bede looks for a second like he’s about to retort, and Finn is about to jump  up to keep Marnie from strangling him, when he sighs deeply and closes his eyes. A long moment passes, and Bede shoulders slowly relax as he continues to take deep breaths. His face returns to a normal shade, and when he opens his eyes, they’re purposefully vacant. Finn can see how guarded he is. “You’re angry. Fine. I get it,” he mutters, still carefully controlling his breathing. “I’m the adult here. I’m not going to fight you on this. When you’re ready to have a real conversation about this, or focus your anger into something productive, let me know.” He turns around again and starts to walk away. “Until then, don’t fucking talk to me.”

Bede walks out of the clearing, and Marnie and Finn are left by a crackling campfire that feels far too loud.

Finally, Marnie grumbles and sits back down, a string of curses on her breath. “Little fuckin’... prick, thinks he’s… high n’ mighty bitch-”

“Mar, chill,” Finn says clearly. “He hasn’t done anything to you.”

“He hasn’t- what?! The fuck d’ you mean?!” She hisses, rounding on Finn. “You’ve just suddenly forgotten how much ‘f an asshole he was?”

“Was, Mar, he was.” Finn sighs. “People change.”

She scoffs. “Spoiled pricks like him don’t. That’s bullshit.”

Finn recoils, wounded. They blink at Marnie for a moment, waiting for her to realize how wrong what she just said was. When there’s no apology or acknowledgement, Finn sets their bowl down with shaking hands and gets to their feet, suddenly not hungry anymore.

Marnie only notices they’ve moved after they’re halfway across the clearing. She calls out to them, confused. “Finn?”

Finn fights desperately to bite back tears, to keep their breathing steady, to calm their shaking nerves, but the terrible pain clawing at their ribs and throat from the inside is too much. “I changed,” they croak. “I’m bullshitting this, then?”

Marnie’s eyes widen in horror. “Wait, that’s not-”

“You just-” Finn’s voice breaks, and they cough, wiping their eyes. “You just need to cool off. Eat. Spend some time with Morpeko. I- I’m gonna-” Finn blinks rapidly, making up an excuse to leave on the spot. “I’m gonna go talk to Hop.”

“Finn, wait!” Marnie calls after Finn as they turn and speed out of the clearing, pace shifting from a speedwalk to a jog to a full on sprint as the urge to cry becomes uncontrollable. They don’t hear anyone following them through the foliage of the forest in the park.

Finn nearly crashes into a tree as their vision blurs, and that’s when they run out of breath entirely. They wheeze and come to a staggering halt, chest burning and head pounding. Arceus, why do I feel like this, why is everything so overwhelming, what am I even- what am I even feeling? Am I mad? Am I sad? Both? Why is this so confusing?! Why does it feel like my body hates me?!

Finn’s legs give out, and a flash of red nearly blinds them, and before they know it, they’re draped over Garchomp, sobbing into his scales. He rumbles softly, steadily, like some strange, draconic purr.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Finn whispers to him between sharp inhales, lying to themselves aloud in hopes to keep him calm. “I’m fine, I swear Garchomp, I just-”

Garchomp cuts them off by lowering himself to the ground slowly, bringing Finn down with him. They clutch at his scales and broken fin, knees hitting the ground as Garchomp cranes his neck to look at them, golden eye glittering with worry.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Finn whispers again, more desperate this time, voice higher. “I’m okay, I promise, please don’t worry.”

Garchomp huffs and shifts his body, curling his tail around Finn protectively. Just like he did in Roaring-Sea Caves. 

The memory hits them like a train. Icy gravel, the numbness in their hands and feet, the chill penetrating their skin so viciously it felt like needles. The darkness of the cave, the distant smell of salt and the dampness in the air, the glow of Garchomp’s single eye. The way that he had started shivering too, but never went back in his Pokeball despite Finn begging him to, staying to share the little warmth he could offer. The heavy weight of his tail on top of them, the way frost had started forming on his scales, the way his breathing slowed to a dangerous pace. The way Finn’s hands and face and feet went numb, the way their clothes started to feel like they burned on their skin. The ice crystals on their eyelashes. And the fear in their head that was screaming for them to get up, to move, to find someone, anyone, to do absolutely anything , and then not being able to move a single muscle. The sheer terror that they had felt in some distant part of their brain.

Finn nearly screams. They clutch to Garchomp fiercely as they feel their breathing quicken and their thoughts spiral out of control. I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m- I- I- I can’t breathe, why can’t face feels funny, tingly, blood is on fire, why do I feel where am I what help help HELP HELP-

Garchomp whines and nuzzles at Finn’s face, but they’re too overwhelmed to feel it. They’re too lost in the whirlwind of their thoughts, the drowning, visceral emotions choking the air from their lungs and setting their mind ablaze. They don’t feel it when Garchomp moves, straightens up, grabs the back of their hoodie with gentle jaws, supports their weight with thin arms and careful claws, and shakes their body with his steps. They don’t feel their legs swinging limply, or their head lolling forward, or anything, really, besides their heart beating far too fast and their lungs struggling to keep up through airways strangled by- by- what am I what IS this need to NEED to can’t, I can’t, why why WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY-

“Finn?” A familiar voice asks, distant but clear enough to cut through the storm of everything in Finn’s head and chest. “Oh my gods, Finn, are you okay?”

Knives pierce Finn’s shoulders and they cry out, hands moving up to pull them out without them registering it. Their fingers don’t slice on metal, or slip on ice, or scrape on stone, but they tangle in- in-

Wool.

Finn focuses on the shaky sensation in their hands, rubbing the coarse mess of fibers that somehow melds into something soft in their palms, something warm, something safe. Wool meant safety.

The voice speaks to Finn softly, calming and just as soothing as the wool in their hands. “Breathe, Finn, that’s it, I’m here, I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re okay. Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here, Finn, you’re okay.”

Their thoughts begin to slow. Wool wool wool wool soft thin fluffy knotted safe wool, wool is, wool is quiet, wool is rough but the good kind, wool is dense, wool is thick, wool is safe, wool belongs to Wooloo, Wooloo are herd Pokemon. A group of Wooloo is called a flock. Wooloo stick together. Wooloo know how to survive. Wooloo stay warm, even in the snow. Wooloo protect each other. Wooloo take care of each other. Wool keeps Wooloo safe. Wooloo, the sheep Pokemon…

“Finn?” The voice (which Finn now recognizes as Hop’s, they would know it anywhere) quietly coaxes Finn’s body to a calmer state, letting them get back into enough control to consciously slow their breathing, to slow their thoughts, to pull themselves out of the ocean of emotions that was drowning them.

Their vision slowly returns, black haze dancing in front of them before receding to their peripheral vision. They’re sitting on their shins, legs tucked under them, facing Hop, whose hands are on their shoulders. The wool that Finn feels is the inner lining of his jacket, the wool that pokes out around the cuffs of his sleeves and his collar. Hop’s eyes are closed, his eyebrows furrowed, a sign of him thinking through something very thoroughly.

Somehow, focusing on the imperfections in his face, the wrinkles between his eyebrows, the way his eyelashes are longer in specific spots on his bottom eyelid, the way his hair tangles into itself and falls against his forehead in rounded spikes- it’s calming. Seeing their best friend’s face, knowing he’s right next to them, seeing all of the tiny details that they know are there, knowing that he’s here, that means they’re safe. Hop is Finn’s flock.

Their voice is ragged, but talking helps loosen their airways a bit. “...H-Hop?”

“Finn?” His eyes snap open, searching Finn’s face. “Finn, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” they stammer, wiping their eyes with one of their hands. “How- how did I…” They blink rapidly and look around, not recognizing the area around them. It’s clearer than the area around their camp- shrubs and wildflowers dot the landscape rather than densely packed trees and foliage. Finn can hear the sloshing of water somewhere nearby. “Where…”

“It’s just the pond in the park,” Hop replies, understanding despite Finn never forming a proper question. “I was eating and then I heard loud footsteps and growling, and when I turned around Garchomp was here, carrying you, and you were like, freaking out.” Hop loosens his grip on Finn’s shoulders. “I didn’t know what to do, I just- I-”

“I’m sorry,” Finn says almost immediately, a wave of guilt crashing over them. Arceus, I am such a mess, I made him worry, I can’t believe-

“No! No, gods, Finn, don’t apologize, it’s okay ,” Hop shakes their shoulders gently. “It’s okay. What happened? What’s wrong?”

“I… I don’t…” Finn sniffles and takes a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t even know, Hop, I don’t even know why I’m feeling like this.” Finn chokes back another sob. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I thought I was getting better.”

“Hey, just breathe, you’re okay,” Hop mutters. He glances around and readjusts himself so that he’s crouching in front of Finn. “How about we go sit on the bench, yeah? That way you don’t hurt your knees anymore.”

Finn glances down and sees little dark spots slowly growing on their pants over their knees, and they wince as they try to move and stand. Hop helps them up, moving to their side and looping an arm around their shoulders, taking slow, steady steps to support Finn’s legs and body. On the way over to the bench, which faces the pond, Finn sees that Garchomp is watching carefully from a distance, keeping their eye on Hop as he helps them onto the bench.

“There you go,” Hop sits down next to them, watching Finn carefully. “What- uh- what happened, I guess?”

Finn thinks through what they remember slowly. “After you left, Marnie came out to get her food, and she and Bede started fighting. She- she called him Maccie scum.”

Hop winces. “Ouch. ‘M guessing he didn’t take that well.”

Finn shakes their head. “He got really mad, like, face red, fists clenched, everything. But he didn’t say anything back, just kind of told her to leave him alone and walked away, and good for him, honestly, I- I don’t think I could’ve done that. But- but then Mar started talking about how he was such an asshole and… she said that spoiled pricks like him didn’t change.”

Hop understands immediately. His eyes soften in sympathy. “Oh, Finn.”

“And she didn’t even like, apologize or anything,” Finn continues, throat tightening again. “I got up and started walking away, and she didn’t apologize for it, just- just said that I needed to wait. And I just started running, and I- I guess I just panicked for no reason, and-” Finn sniffs again. “Yeah.”

Hop doesn’t speak for a long time, just turns to look out at the lake. He brought Dubwool with him, apparently, because they’re approaching Garchomp curiously near the pond, bleating softly. Garchomp turns to them and huffs in response, and Dubwool starts trotting over to him. 

“I… I like to think that everyone’s a good person, y’know?” Hop starts, fidgeting with his hands. “I like to think that everyone means well. But over the last three years I… I’ve come to learn that there are people who just… don’t want to be good people. They don’t care, really. And I think those people don’t care because they don’t care about other people, they care about money or business or something else more. And that’s not really something we can do anything about.” Hop sighs. “But I- I know that most people care about other people more than anything else in the world. And those are the good people, I think.” He rubs the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly. “I know, I’m rambling, I’m just- ‘M thinking out loud. The things that people care about can change. People can go from caring about one person to another, or go from caring about something to someone. And I think that happens plenty. That’s- that’s what happened with Bede, I think. The way he talks about Opal now- it’s crazy, it’s like he’s-”

“It’s like he’s a different person entirely,” Finn agrees.

“Yeah! And I think that’s the caring, that’s what makes someone who they are. I care about you, and Marnie, and Bede now, believe it or not. I care about my Pokemon. I care about Pokemon in general, y’know? It doesn’t matter where you come from, really, or who your family is, or how much money you have, it’s… it’s what you care about. And that changes. And that means people change. And that’s- normal, really, I think that’s about one of the most normal things that can happen. You… I don’t really know if you ever cared about your family, really, but you care about us now,” Hop glances at Finn nervously. “You never cared that Ms. Lario didn’t have some big house like your parents did, you cared that she was nice to you. You care about me and Marnie and Bede, and that means you’ve changed. And that’s okay. Who you were before you changed doesn’t make you a bad person now. You ran away. You chose us. You chose to change. And that makes you brave, I think.”

Finn sighs and shakes their head. “I ran because I was scared, really. I don’t think that makes me brave.”

Hop shrugs. “We can disagree on that. Either way, you changed because you chose to. People have to choose what to care about, and you chose us. Bede chose Opal. He chose to change too.”

“People have to choose to change,” Finn mutters, thinking back to the stranger at the cafe. You can’t help someone unless they want to be helped.

Hop nods. “Exactly. And Marnie cares about Spikemuth. Marnie cares about her brother. And what she’s gone through for her whole life means that she’s going to choose to protect them every time, y’know? Because she cares about them. Not to say that she doesn’t care about us, but she just… I dunno, it’s how she is. And I can’t blame her for it.”

“I can’t either,” Finn agrees quietly.

“She won’t care about Bede unless she chooses to, and that’s not something we can do anything about,” Hop sighs. “It’s not something we can change. And that’s… not really our problem. It doesn’t make Marnie a bad person, it just means she’s defensive and… and has some opinions about people that we don’t always agree with. And it doesn’t mean she gets to be an asshole, believe me, I’ll talk to her about that, it just means that she doesn’t like the people who have hurt the people she cares about. And that includes Bede. But she’s wrong about him, and she’s wrong about you. People do change, Finn.” Hop takes a deep breath and smiles at them. “You’re living proof of that.”

Finn thinks for a long moment. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” they concede. “I just… I don’t want to be thought of as just some spoiled kid, y’know? I was, but I’m not anymore, and it’s not like I wish I had it back. I’m… I’m not that person anymore.”

Hop nods. “You’re not. You’re not your father’s daughter.” He stops. “Shit, sorry, er- father’s child. That’s my bad.”

Coming from anyone else, that would have stung. But coming from Hop, Finn knows how he meant it. “No, it’s okay. You’re right. I’m not my father’s daughter. I’m not Gloria Irons anymore. I’m Finn… I don’t know. Lario, I guess.”

“Ms. Lario might scream when she sees you,” Hop elbows them playfully. “She’s gonna freak out. I bet you twenty bucks she cries happy tears.”

“Pfft, maybe,” Finn smiles, the smell of Paldean baked goods and the sound of carefree laughter making their heart ache. “I miss her. I… I hope she’s not like my parents. About, like, me… me being Finn now.”

Hop shakes his head. “She won’t be, I swear. I know she won’t be.”

Finn raises an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“You’re not the only person she knows who changed like you did,” he shrugs. “I won’t say who, but… y’know. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

Oh, thank Arceus, Finn nearly melts in relief right there on the bench. “That’s… that’s really fucking good to hear.”

Hop laughs. “I bet.”

There’s a long, comfortable silence. Hop and Finn watch as Dubwool finally approaches Garchomp fully, and Garchomp gently lowers his head to theirs. Dubwool trots in a circle around him, and the two laugh as Garchomp turns to face them before dropping onto all fours and smacking their tail against the ground, growling playfully. Dubwool bleats happily and bounds away towards the water, hooves splashing in the shallows of the pond. Garchomp follows and proceeds to absolutely soak Dubwool with a single swish of his tail.

“Pffft,” Finn snickers as Dubwool charges at Garchomp and leaps into the water right in front of him. Their splash barely reaches Garchomp’s chest. “This feels a little unfair.”

“They’re playing with Garchomp like how they played with Inteleon at the lake by Professor Magnolia’s house,” Hop remarks, grinning. “When they were a Wooloo and a Sobble.”

“I remember that! Dubwool ran over to you right after and got you absolutely soaked,” Finn teases, poking his arm. “You looked like a wet Skitty.”

“I did not!” Hop protests, giving Finn a little shove. “It’s not my fault wool takes absolutely forever to dry.”

“You should’ve thought about that.”

“How was I meant to know that they were going to tackle me?!”

Finn snickers and rolls their eyes. “Alright, alright, that’s fair.”

Hop sighs dramatically. “You wound me.”

“Shut up!” Finn shoves him, laughing. “You’re a dork.”

“Whatever you say,” Hop’s eyes sparkle mischievously. “Cap’n. ”

“Wow, you haven’t called me that in years,” Finn mutters, getting to their feet. “Just for that, I think you deserve to get soaked. Hey, Dubwool!” They call out to Dubwool, who is almost swimming at this point. Their head snaps up, tilting in Finn’s direction. “Hop needs a hug!”

“What?!” Hop jumps up, alarmed. “No, I don’t! Dubwool, stay there!”

It’s already too late. Finn almost starts crying all over again as Dubwool heaves themselves out of the water at charges at Hop and he starts running, desperately trying to keep his jacket dry. By the time Hop finally slips and Dubwool manages to tackle him, drenching him with water from their coat, Finn is doubled over and wheezing. Garchomp lumbers out of the water and over to them, snuffling at them worriedly. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Finn waves them off, laughing so hard their stomach hurts. “Arceus, you should’ve seen your face!” They tease, walking over to Hop, who is stuck squarely underneath Dubwool and trying very hard not to laugh too. “You were all like-” Finn tries their best to imitate him despite their laughter. “Uwah!”

“Oh, stuff it, you!” Hop seizes a handful of grass and hurls it at Finn, which is rather unsuccessful given that he can’t sit up to reach them or get a decent throw. Finn laughs harder, until they hear Hop speak again. 

“Dubwool, go give Finn a hug.”

Finn yelps and bolts right away, but it's useless. Dubwool tackles them almost instantly, and Finn’s clothes are soaked the second they come into contact with Dubwool’s wool. They groan as they hear Hop laughing, swatting at Dubwool’s face gently to get them off of them. “Alright, you crazy little thing. Off!”

Dubwool obliges and bleats triumphantly as Finn gets to their feet. Finn takes off their sweatshirt and shakes it out, spraying water everywhere. They walk back over to the bench, where Hop is doing the same thing with his own jacket before draping it over the bench to dry in the sun. As Finn hangs their sweatshirt on the back of the bench, Hop elbows them to get their attention.

“I bet I can climb that tree faster than you,” he whispers, pointing towards a tall maple on the other side of the pond.

“Oh, you wish you could!” Finn takes off before Hop can get another word in.

“Hey, that’s a headstart! No fair!”

The two spend most of the afternoon exploring the park and having friendly competitions, climbing trees and racing and splashing each other with water from the pond and playing with their Pokemon, just like they used to in Postwick. For a couple hours, Finn forgets about what Marnie said, how dire everything might actually be, and how upset they were, and they can tell Hop does too. When they finally return to the bench to collect their jackets a few hours later (Hop’s is still practically soaked), Finn realizes that they had forgotten that they were meant to talk to him.

“Hey, Hop?”

Hop blinks, looking a little alarmed in the shift in Finn’s tone. “What’s up, mate?”

“I’m sorry,” they say, looking down at the ground. “For how I freaked out at you yesterday morning. I shouldn’t have. I know you can take care of yourself, and I know you’re really worried about… everything, really.” They sigh. “I was worried about what might happen if we got separated again, but that doesn’t mean I should’ve reacted the way I did.”

Hop pauses for a moment before shrugging. “It’s alright, Finn, really. I probably should stop doing things without really thinking them through, but I think we both know that’s something that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.” Finn snorts and Hop swats at their arm, to which they dart back and snicker. “Either way, thank you. I appreciate it.”

Finn feels the tension in their shoulders vanish. “Of course.”

Hop yawns and stretches, squeezing his eyes shut. “Now, I’m exhausted. How ‘bout we head back and see what we’ve got for dinner? I bet if we made a meal for Bede and Marnie, it’d cheer them both up.”

Finn’s eyes light up. “I’ve got just the thing. Do we have peanut butter and honey?”

August 8th, 9:27 AM

I watch Donna’s boat turn into a tiny dot on the horizon, then vanish behind an iceberg. I wait for her to return before heading back into the city to find Tobi.

I check the Gym first. If there’s anywhere she’d be, it’d be there. As expected, I see him from a distance- wearing an old, torn-up and patched trench coat on her almost ridiculously-broad shoulders all the time makes her pretty easy to recognize (well, that, and the fact that he’s missing half of his right arm).He’s brushing out Zorua’s pelt, sitting on the steps up to the tiny raised slab of concrete that we call our stage. She looks up at me and sees right through the careful composure I’ve been maintaining on sight.

“The hell ‘appened t’ you?” He raises an eyebrow. “Did someone die?”

I wince. Maybe in three weeks. “I… I may ‘ave gone to the budgetin’ meetin’ in Hammerlocke yesterday.”

She groans. “Piers, you didn’t .”

“Don’t sound so disappointed yet, ‘t gets worse,” I mutter. “I may ‘ave also made some threats that I… don’t really know ‘ow to follow through on.”

He groans again, so loud this time that Zorua barks in annoyance and jumps off her lap. She also buries her face in her hands, sounding about as exasperated as he can get. “The hell did you do?!”

“...Threatened a riot. In Wyndon.”

His eyes snap wide open to gawk at me. “You didn’t.”

“Ab-so-lute-ly did,” I reply, stifling a sigh of my own. “And ‘f we don’t make a move first, Rose will. I don’t… I can’t let ‘im bring the fight to us again, Tobes, we… we both know what ‘appened last time.”

Even though neither one of us say anything aloud, I know we’re both thinking of the laundromat. My parents. Uncle Martin.

…Fire.

Tobi takes a deep breath. “You need help, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Well then,” Tobi grins, his exasperation and pensiveness replaced with her usual mischievous, chaotic energy. “I’d say ‘t’s time for a Team Yell meetin'.”

August 9th, 11:02 AM

We meet at my place the next day. Tobi and Tommy arrive first, both still in their work tees, Tobi in her apron and Tommy in a baseball cap with fraying cursive lettering. Viv practically breaks my door down next in full makeup and leather, double-wing eyeliner flawless as per usual and one half of her head freshly buzzed for the occasion. A few minutes later, Motaz greets us all quietly, his signature flannel wrapped around his waist due to the summer heat. I get up to go and lock the doors, and when I return, Motaz has curled up next to Tommy on my couch, Viv is still pacing the room, and Tobi is absorbed with something on her phone while sitting in the padded blue chair.

“Thanks for comin’, folks,” I start, trying to keep my voice level. “I needed t’ talk to you about-”

“PIE! Where is my lil’ electric friend?” Viv demands, stooping down to look under the couch. “I can’t find Mo-Mo anywhere!”

I stifle a sigh. “The kids are off on a trip at the mo’. That means no Morpeko.”

Tobi’s head snaps to me. “You didn’t tell me that. When’d they leave?”

“Yesterday mornin’, but that’s not-”

“No Mo-Mo AND no Mar?” Viv shouts, throwing her hands up. “Why am I even here?!”

“Viv, you’re yellin’,” Motaz tells her gently.

“Well, we are Team Yell after all!” Viv shouts again, jabbing a finger at Motaz. “We gotta yell for somethin’!”

“This is serious, please,” Tobi groans. “Piersy fucked up big time and now we’re in deep shit.”

I fold my arms and frown at him. “You seemed awfully excited when I told you ‘n the first place.”

“Oh, I am. I’m just makin’ ‘em listen to you.” Tobi winks. “Continue, Piersy.”

“You still are not allowed t’ call me that ‘n public,” I mutter in her direction before rolling my eyes. “Alright, alright. Listen up, kiddos.”

“Hey, I’m twenty,” Tommy protests. “Hardly a kiddo.”

“Shut it,” I snap, patience wearing thin. “I went to the budgetin’ meetin’ in Hammerlocke two days ago. Tried t’ do some negotiatin’.”

That gets everyone’s attention right away. Hope sparks in Viv, Tommy, and Motaz’s eyes, and I feel awful snuffing it out. “Don’t get yer hopes up. He said no to restorin’ fundin’. Obviously.”

Viv flops onto the couch text to Tommy and Motaz, taking up half the couch as she sprawls her arms out. “Maccie twat.”

“He is the original,” Tobi grumbles in agreement.

“Durin’ negotiations, though, I may ‘ave… threatened to riot in Wyndon.”

Viv, Tommy, and Motaz jump up immediately. Their voices overlap and I don’t quite catch all of what they’re saying, but I do catch Viv’s enthusiastic “HELL YEAH!” and Motaz’s “Are you crazy?!”

“Settle down!” Tobi’s voice climbs over the clamor. “All o’ you!” The three settle back onto the couch reluctantly, Viv bouncing in excitement, Motaz looking worried, and Tommy looking… surprisingly serious. “Let ‘im finish,” Tobi growls once they’re seated, nodding at me.

“I’m not sure why I did it, t’ be honest,” I sigh. Picking through my feelings to try and pinpoint why in all of the gods’ names I thought it would be a good idea to threaten someone with a riot is something I do not have time for right now. “I’m tired o’ his shit. I’m tired o’ all of us livin’ like shit. I’m tired o’ seein’ people sufferin’. And insulin is an ungodly price, not t’ mention food an’ keeping the water n’ lights runnin’ an’ everythin’ else. But either way, we’re stuck with it now, ‘cause we all know damn well if we don’t take the fight to Rose, he will absolutely bring it to us. So.” I sit down on the rickety coffee table and rub my jaw. “Any ideas?”

Viv grins. “Hell yeah, Pie. I like yer spirit. What kind o’ riot are we plannin’?”

“The kind where we don’t leave until we get what we want,” Tobi replies. “We honestly can’t afford to not ‘ave that fundin’ any longer. We need a shit ton of supplies, though, an’ that’s a headache I can’t fix until we know how many people are goin’ to Wyndon,” she sighs. “An’ that’s gonna take a couple days to figure out, at least.”

“Why not call for a meetin’ at city hall?” Tommy proposes. “Plenty o’ people go to those for the few handouts the mayor’s got, and I think word’d spread decently fast.”

“Not a bad idea, Tomster!” Viv reaches over Motaz to ruffle his hair. “You handle that, Tobi- yer real good with all that peoplely-talkin’ stuff. What else do we gotta worry about in the meantime?”

“Shelter,” Tobi responds immediately, flipping up fingers on his left hand as he counts off things to worry about. “Transportation, too- how the hell we’re all gonna even get to Wyndon is beyond me. Food, water, communication dependin’ on how big the group is, medics in case the Maccies decide to go violent on us, which-” she snorts. “Let’s be honest, we’re gonna need medics. All of that for humans and Pokemon.”

“I can talk to Umma and Khal for shelter,” Motaz offers. “The repair shop has got loads of junk lyin’ around, I’m sure they’d be willin’ to spare some of it.”

“Marshie can be our medic!” Viv exclaims. “That one’s easy. She’s been pissed about the state o’ things for ages, she’ll jump at the chance to get involved.”

“And Storme might be a good place to start for transportation, since he owns the bike shop,” Tommy says, looking at me. “Although… he might need some convincin’.”

“Oof, yeah,” Viv agrees. “He’s a tough nut to crack.”

“I’ll talk to him,” I sigh, already dreading the conversation with the young shopkeeper. “Tobes, when will you schedule the meetin’ at city hall for?”

“A few days from now, prob’ly,” she replies. “Let word about the meetin’ make it’s rounds so we get a good turn out. If you all can get your talkin’ to folks done before then, that’d be good. People’ll be more willin’ to help us out if they know we’re thinkin’ this through.”

“You’re all… surprisingly calm about this, though,” I cut in, eyeing Viv, Tommy, and Motaz. “Well, nevermind, not you, Viv.” She chuckles in response. “But you two are bein’ real chill.”

“Oh, Umma’s gonna kill me,” Motaz shrugs. “She doesn’t want me gettin’ in trouble, but you’re right, Piers. If we don’t take the trouble to Rose, he’s gonna bring it here. It’s already here, really, but it’s gonna get worse, and then everyone’ll be in trouble.” He sighs and grabs Tommy’s hand. “I’d rather go and get in some trouble outside o’ home than let the people I care about get into trouble at home. That’s why I joined Team Yell in the first place.”

“Aww, babe,” Tommy coos, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. “You’re really good at this sentimental stuff.”

“Blame Umma,” Motaz mutters in reply, but I don’t miss the way his face flushes.

“Y’all are such cuties,” Viv announces loud enough for the neighbors to hear. I stifle a chuckle as I see Tobi shaking his head at the corner of my vision.

“I’m absolutely on board, just to be clear,” Tommy gets the group back on topic. “I’m just worried about someone getting hurt.” 

“It’s not out o’ the question, I get that,” Tobi sighs. “You don’t have to go to Wyndon unless you want to- it’s entirely voluntary.”

“Woah, back up,” Tommy shakes his head and chuckles. “I’m absolutely going to Wyndon. There’s no way in hell you’re starting a riot and leaving me out of it.”

“Aw, darn!” Viv slaps her knee sarcastically. “Who could’ve seen that coming?”

“That being said, though,” Tommy continues after shooting Viv a playful glare, “I want safety to be a priority. We’ll have the medics, but we shouldn’t need them. No one gets left behind, no one gets killed, or worse, disappeared. Got it?”

Tobi and I nod seriously in unison. “O’ course,” Tobi replies. “We go to Wyndon with twenty people, all twenty come home. We go to Wyndon with two-hundred people, all two-hundred come home.”

“Once we get our fundin’ back, o’ course,” I add. “Nobody in Wyndon gets hurt, but we also have t’ fight for home.”

“That too,” Tobi assents. “But that’s something to worry about after we get to Wyndon.”

“Right on! I’m gonna go talk to Marshie, then!” Viv stands and pumps her fist in the air. “It’s fuckin’ riot time!”

Everyone else cheers and whoops, and they all file out the door to go get their jobs done, looking more energized than I’ve seen them in years. Despite how excited everyone seems to be, I can’t ignore the dread crawling in my stomach. What in the world have I gotten us into?

August 9th, 9:44 PM

That night, I duck under the garage door that leads to Storme’s bike shop, rapping on the metal as I stand to announce my presence. The young mechanic runs his shop out of an old, converted warehouse, having bought it for dirt cheap since its original condition was… not pretty. A lot less pretty than a lot of buildings around here. And that’s really sayin’ somethin’.

Something metal rattles far into the warehouse before clattering against the concrete floor. “Who is it?”

“Piers!”

“Come on in, mate!”

I pick my way through the maze of metal and vehicles that is Storme’s shop, the piles of spare materials and scraps of old cars and bikes casting long shadows across the floor, being lit only by the old, warm orange bulbs that are flickering gently as they hang from the ceiling from chains and old wiring that Storme made himself. When I eventually approach the noise all the way, Storme is lost deep underneath some rusted, vintage car. The metal casing has been pulled off the car entirely and is hanging at about my eye level by more chains, and while the rest of the car is technically in one piece, it’s also off the ground, raised up by car jacks and with Storme’s jeans and faded sneakers poking out from underneath.

I clear my throat, hoping I don’t seem awkward. Storme has always been nice to me, but he’s been angry with me for a while for not making peace with Macro Cosmos. I’d like to see him deal with Rose for multiple hours at a time without ripping his throat out. I’d bet he couldn’t last two.

“Hold up,” Storme mutters, wriggling out from underneath the tons of metal he’s been under for what’s probably been a few hours. His shoulder-length wolf cut is as messy as  Zigzagoon’s mane and his white muscle shirt is closer to gray because of all of the oil and grease stains that it’s collected over the years. I offer him a hand to help him up, which he takes gratefully and pulls himself onto his feet. He sighs deeply, clearly tired from his day’s work, and he leans back onto the skeleton of the car and folds his arms. “What can I do you for, Morrison?”

“I came t’ ask for a favor,” I sigh, knowing that Storme won't like this but there’s no point in beating around the bush.

I’m right. Storme’s eyes darken. “What do you want?”

“I went t’ the budgeting meeting yesterday.”

Storme’s entire demeanor shifts, eyes widening and filling with quiet hope. They stand up a little straighter, shoulders slumping less. “And?”

“I’m still not lettin’ him build the Stadium,” I say quickly. Storme curses under his breath and leans back onto the car. “But I’m tryin’ to get our fundin’ back. It’s… it’s jus’ not really in the way I intended.”

Storme glares at me. “What the hell did you do?”

“I tried t’ negotiate.”

“ Piers. What does that mean?”

“...I threatened a riot.”

“WHAT?!” Storme explodes, suddenly very close to my face despite the fact that I’m at least thirty centimeters taller than him. “That is the OPPOSITE of getting our funding back! You’re fucking crazy!”

I hold my hands out, maintaining my space. “Storme, hold on just a mo’, you’ve gotta understa-”

“Understand?” He hisses, eyes glittering with frustration. “You’re too caught up in all of this shit to let the past go and leave the mess with the Maccies alone! You don’t care about Spikemuth, you care about your gods damned power fantasy!”

I flinch at the ferocity in his words before anger coils deep in my chest when what he said registers. “It’s not shit , Storme, and you know that. It’s personal.”

“There’s no fucking evidence! The laundromat is gone , and you needed an explanation, and you blamed it on the Maccies because it was the easiest. It was just a fire, Piers, you’ve blown it out of proportion.”

That, combined with everything else I’ve dealt with in the past few days, makes me snap. “I saw it, Storme! Fire doesn’t flash white! Fire doesn’t shake the ground!”

“Even if it was a bomb, does it even matter? Face it- your parents are dead, Piers, and making the Maccies’ lives hell isn’t going to bring them back.”

“It’s not about THEM!” I roar back, finally having lost it. “It’s about the KIDS!”

Storme backs down a bit. “The hell are you talking about?”

I take a shaky breath as I recognize that my hands are trembling. “This isn’t about revenge, Storme. It’s about makin’ Spikemuth better . For all o’ us .” I rub my jaw. “Look, you know ‘m not good at all this… word… shit, that’s Tobi’s job. But I jus’…” I take a few steps back and lean against the nearest table. “I can’t watch kids go hungry anymore. I can’t watch my kids stress over money that we don’t have. It’s not right, and you know it isn’t. If the Maccies had wanted to help us, help our kids, make peace- they would have given us our fundin’ back already . There’s no reason for them not to, and Rose is just bein’- he’s being a fucking twat, and I can’t stop him. He’s hurtin’ us on purpose, Storme.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such a dogwash Gym Leader, he’d like you more,” he grumbles back, leaning against the car again.

“How many challengers have gotten their seventh Gym Badge in the last three years?” I snap, already knowing the answer off the top of my head.

“It’s…” Storme thinks hard. “It’s just been one, hasn’t it?”

I nod. “Hop. He doesn’t not like me ‘cause I’m not a good Gym Leader- we both know I’m damn good at what I do. He doesn’t like me ‘cause I won’t let him make more money - I won’t Dynamax my Pokemon during battles, so I don’t need a Power Spot, which means he can’t build one along with an ugly ass Stadium. We do things our way, and he doesn’t like that.”

“Why can’t you just let him build the Stadium anyway?” Storme grumbles. “He’d leave us alone.”

I shake my head. “You know that’s not true. The Maccies have been ruinin’ Spikemuth for decades, poisonin’ our bay, disappearin’ our people. Nobody wants to come and do business here ‘cause everythin’s in bad shape, and the Maccies have made us look like stubborn, ungrateful brats when we’re just doin’ things our own way.”

“Why did you threaten a riot, though?” Storme groans, exasperated. “All that’s doing is pissing him off.”

“I…” I hesitate before opting not to tell Storme I was just trying to say something that would scare Rose. “It’s time to actually do somethin’ about everythin’ the Maccies have been doin’, instead of just takin’ it and tryin’ to manage. Even if it does jus’ piss him off, maybe it’ll make ‘im give us our fundin’ jus’ to get us out of Wyndon, or maybe the people in Wyndon will gt annoyed enough at us to get Rose to give us our fundin’ back so we’ll leave. Either way, Spikemuth can’t stay like this forever, and nothin’s gonna change unless we make it happen. And that’s why I came to talk to you. It’s ‘cause I need your help.”

Storme’s expression gives nothing away, guarded and cold. “Go on.”

I can’t help but feel a little hopeful. “If we’re riotin’ in Wyndon, we need a way to get a pretty big number o’ people there along with all of our supplies. You’ve… you’ve got the bikes for it.”

Storme thinks for a long moment that feels like hours. Finally, he sighs and turns back to his car. “You know I don’t usually trust your judgement, but you might be right this time,’ he grumbles. “Get a number back to me, and we’ll see. No promises, though.”

As long as it’s not a no, I’ll take it. “Thanks, mate. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves me away and grabs a wrench from the ground. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

“You got it,” I say, unable to stop a grin from creeping across my face. “I’ll get back t’ you soon.”

I leave the garage and head home to crash on my couch. There’s not a whole lot of food left in the house- I let the kids take most of it, not that we had much to begin with- so I just grab a blanket from upstairs and flop onto the couch. Tomorrow I’ve got to talk to Tobes again, and check in with the rest of Team Yell.

It’s sure as hell not perfect, but it’s a start.

August 10th, 9:31 AM

I check in with Team Yell the next morning, with the exception of Tobi. There are already flyers for a city-wide meeting at town hall in two days scattered around the city, so I’m assuming everything went well on his end. I stop by Viv’s place, but end up running into Clara instead. When I ask her where her aunt is, she tells me that she’s gone to Marsh’s. I thank her and leave her be, and head to the repair shop to find Motaz next.

Nerdeen greets me at the door, her thick padded gloves and al amira both covered in soot. “Piers, habibi! How are you?”

“Hey, Ner,” I smile as she pulls me into a fierce hug, arms wrapped so tight around my chest that I’m worried she might break a rib. Carrying all her welding equipment around for years has made her stronger than most. I cough. “Is- is Motaz here?”

“I’m afraid not,” she shakes her head. “He woke up very early this morning and went out. Said he was getting breakfast with Tommy. I can tell him you stopped by, if you’d like?”

He’d probably go to Tobi’s restaurant if he wanted to see Tommy. “That’s alright. I’ll catch up with him later. You need anythin’?”

“No, no, but thank you for asking!” Nerdeen beams at me before her eyes catch on something in my face, and her smile falters. “Habibi, are you okay? You look so tired.”

I stifle a sigh and try to keep my tone light. “I’ll manage, Ner, you know that. Always have.”

She reaches up to place a gloved hand on my shoulder. “You can ask for help from us, you know that. What is it? Does your sister need more insulin? Are you feeling ill?”

“It’s none of that, Ner. I’m fine, really, thank you for offerin’.” I pat her hand, and she draws it back, still looking worried. “Things are jus’ gettin’ busy, y’know? Gettin’ back into challenge season.”

She nods. “We do need some new visitors. Maybe we’ll get more funding this year?”

I wince. “I hope so. I’m tryin’ to make it happen.” And I really hope it works out.

“Don’t stress so much, habibi,” Nerdeen puts her hands on her hips and smiles. “Things always have a way of working themselves out for you. It’s a special blessing you have.”

“I need all the blessings I can get,” I mutter under my breath. “Thank you, Ner. I’ll try. See you around, yeah?”

She waves to me as I go. I head for Tobi’s restaurant, and as I expected, Tommy and Motaz are sitting in a booth and chatting animatedly, Tommy waving his hands around in the air. Tobi stands behind the bar, cleaning glasses. The rest of the restaurant is empty, which isn’t surprising either, unfortunately.

Tobi glances up at me as I walk in. “You here for a drink?” She teases, raising an eyebrow.

“You know damn well I don’t do alcohol,” I grumble, sliding onto a seat at the bar. I wave to Tommy and Motaz, who greet me back before returning to their conversation. 

“I saw the flyers,” I say, hooking my finger through the charm on my choker. “Good work.”

Tobi shrugs. “When the person with the alcohol calls a meetin’, people are pretty quick to say they’ll be there. Still gotta get a speech sorted out, but otherwise, we’re set.”

“I talked t’ Storme last night.”

“And?”

“Honestly?” I shrug. “It could’ve gone way worse. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t say no. Went to see Viv this mornin’, but Clara said she was out talkin’ to Marsh.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Tobi replies, setting down the glass he’d been cleaning and picking up another one that looks plenty clean already. It’s an old habit of hers- cleaning when there’s nothing else for him to do. “I’m more worried about leaving Nina and Nellie alone when we go to Wyndon.”

“You’re worried about them, o’ all people?” I snort. “Tobes, they’d kill anyone who looked at ‘em wrong, you know that. They’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I just…” She sighs. “I dunno, I don’t love the idea of leaving them alone. Laundromat incident and all.”

“I’ve… I’ve been thinking about that too,” I admit quietly. “What happens if Rose decides to retaliate back at home rather than in Wyndon. I… I don’t know if he’d take it that far, honestly.”

Tobi freezes before setting down the glass he’s holding very slowly. “...What?”

“Look, don’t get me wrong, he’s an ass, we both know that,” I raise my hands defensively. “But if we’re actively riotin’ in Wyndon over the Maccies’ treatment of Spikemuth, I don’t… I don’t think he’d pull something here. It’d look suspicious.”

“I don’t know how much he cares about that, Piers,” Tobi responds quietly. “He’s been disappearing people for years. I don’t want that to happen to Nina and Nellie.”

“Maybe I have too much faith,” I grumble, rolling my eyes. “Whatever. It’s not like we can’t not go to Wyndon. Speaking of,” I glance at Motaz. “What are those two up to?”

“Motaz hasn’t talked to his mum or Mahmoud yet,” Tobi sighs. “He’s nervous about what they’ll say, or if they’ll try to keep him from going. Tommy… doesn’t really have anything to do at the moment, I don’t think.”

“Yo, Tommy!” I call over to him.

“Yeah?”

“Mind spendin’ some time with Storme before the meetin’? Put ‘im in a good mood for me?”

Tommy grins. “On it.”

“Problem solved,” I mutter, turning back to Tobi. “Jus’ give Motaz some time. Stopped by the repair shop this mornin’ and Nerdeen seemed to be in a good mood, so maybe she’ll be on board.”

“She’d burn the world down to keep Motaz safe,” Tobi says, still sounding worried.

“That’s the energy we need,” I shoot back.

Tobi rubs her eyes. “Maybe. How about you go check in on Viv and Marsh? Or you could help me write the speech for the meetin’.”

“Viv and Marsh,” I reply immediately, standing up.

Tobi chuckles. “For a performer, you’re-”

“Awfully bad a public speakin’, I know ,” I say pointedly, glaring at him. “You never let me hear the end of it. I’m tellin’ ya, singin’ and talkin’ are different.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Tobi reaches over the bar to give me a friendly punch on the arm. “You want somethin’ to eat on the way?”

August 10th, 12:06 PM

Marsh is immediately on board, as expected. Viv is thoroughly enthusiastic about this, and offers to spend her day helping them, and since I have nothing better to do, I help out too. Viv and I spend our day lugging around heavy boxes that Marsh can’t and doing stuff on our feet while Marsh treats patients. It’s early afternoon when Marsh tells us to stop and come spend time with a patient. 

When the three of us pull the curtain to a tiny alcove aside, someone pale and wheezing lies on a makeshift bed made of cardboard and blankets on the ground. I wince as Marsh crouches down next to them and they don’t respond at all, too lost in stupor to realize what’s going on. The sickly gleam in their eyes is unnerving, and there’s a strange machine hooked up to the person’s nostrils. I don’t want to know what the dark stains on their clothes and the blankets around them are.

For once, Viv is quiet.

Marsh sits down all the way, carefully unhooking their mechanical mask from around their ears and letting it dangle around their neck. “Dying,” she croaks, voice raspy like always. “Not alone.”

I hesitate for a moment before going to sit next to Marsh and the dying stranger, thinking of fire, and thinking of the pearly white bones that I found under rubble and ash afterwards. “Not alone,” I echo in a low whisper.

Viv sits down too. “No one deserves to be alone. What happened to them?”

“Sick,” Marsh replies. “Lungs. Coughing bl-” her voice breaks and turns into a harsh wheeze, and she grabs their mask and breathes deeply through it for about thirty seconds. “Coughing blood,” she continues. “Not contagious, but can’t help. Nothing…” Marsh clenches her fists and grits her teeth. “Nothing I can do.”

“It’s okay, Marshie,” Viv says, reaching behind me to pat her on her shoulder. “You did what you could. How… how long do you think…?”

“Today,” Marsh replies grimly. “Very soon. Not alone.”

I nod again. “Not alone.”

We sit in silence for a while. Marsh puts her mask back on, and her wheezing returns to more steady breaths. The patient’s breathing, on the other hand, only seems to grow more labored. I glance at Marsh, but she has her eyes closed. I close mine too.

For maybe about ten more minutes, I think about how one day, this will happen to me, and listen to the sound of four people breathing in my own little darkness.

Then it turns to three.

I hear movement, and I open my eyes to see Marsh holding the person’s wrist to check for a pulse. After a long moment, she sighs deeply, and closes the person’s eyes before covering them with a blanket.

Viv quietly gets up to leave. Marsh gets up as well, and beckons for me to follow. She leads me out of her shelter and down streets, until we’re on the outskirts of Spikemuth and much closer to the ocean. She heads down a rocky path through the shriveled grass that runs along a cliffside, and I follow her until we reach a tiny alcove tucked into the cliff.

It’s absolutely stunning.

The grass is actually green. There are flowers. And healthy trees. With berries on them. Even though it’s a cloudy, dreary day, the sound of the sea nearby and the way the wind rustles the greenery steals the breath from my lungs. I haven’t seen this many healthy plants near Spikemuth in… in years. In my whole life, maybe.

Marsh heads over to a barrel that’s tucked under one of the trees and pulls a rusty shovel out of it. She walks over to a specific patch of grass and drags the edge of the shovel in lines, creating a long rectangle in the grass. Then, she looks up at me and holds the shovel out to me with one hand and points at the ground with the other.

I nod and go to take the shovel from her and start digging. Marsh walks back up the path. As I try to dig up the grass as gently as I can, trying to preserve the grass, I notice dozens of hand-sized stones neatly nestled into the grass, all of them in lines. I take a closer look at the nearest one, and the only thing that I see on it is a string of numbers scratched haphazardly into the surface. Seven, three, one, three, zero, two… it’s… it’s a date. July 31st, 3025. They’re… they’re death dates.

I close my eyes and crouch down in the grave I’m digging, struggling to keep my emotions in check. I cannot break down. I do not have time to break down. I have to stay focused. I have things to do. Come on, Piers.

After a few minutes of careful breathing, I feel the heat behind my eyes recede. I stand and continue digging. Maybe half an hour later, Marsh returns with Viv, who is pulling a small cart behind her. There’s a bundle of blankets with something solid beneath them in it.

We bury the patient in silence, Viv and I doing most of the heavy lifting while Marsh returns to the barrel and pulls out a stone and a knife. By the time Viv and I are done, Marsh is too, and they part the grass to place the stone with the date engraved in it near the top of the hole. Viv grabs a couple trinkets from the cart, scraps of colorful cloth, colored stones, shiny pieces of little scrap metal with marker designs scribbled onto them, and places them carefully around the stone.

“Better than nothin’,” she mutters as she finishes, straightening up.

The three of us grieve for a stranger in heavy silence.

I am reminded of why I am doing this.

We go home.

August 11th, 7:58 PM

I don’t go to the city hall meeting. After Tobi hears about what happened, she tells me to take the day off, which I don’t argue with. He stops by with Tommy and Viv afterwards with shitty homemade tea, but that and the news she brings is enough to cheer me up.

“People were thrilled,” he whispers, voice shaking with disbelief. “I knew some people would want to, but so many more showed up than I thought. Hundreds, Piers, hundreds of people are ready to drop everything and go to Wyndon to fight for our lives.”

“It was amazing!” Viv adds, pacing the room, the grin on her face so wide I’m worried about her mouth drying out. “So many people were cheering! Tons of people were on board!”

“Glad to hear it,” I say, feeling genuine relief. “Good to know that folks are with us.”

Tobi nods. “I drafted some volunteer sheets and left them all on the bulletin board- I’m pretty sure most of them were filled out before we even left. Word’s goin’ around quick.” She grins. “Which means, it’s time to mobilize our people.”

“For the most kick-ass riot EVER!” Viv cheers, and that gets another smile out of me.

Tobi creates a colossal list of things to do, along with a schedule. “If everything goes to plan, we should reach Wyndon between the twenty-fourth and the twenty-sixth. Of course, that all depends on whether we have Storme’s bikes, and if we don’t get slowed down in White Hills, or- well, there’s too much that’s up in the air right now. We’ll figure it out. We’ve got the people for a real, proper riot. That might’ve been our biggest hurdle, and we’re over it. We just need a plan of where specifically. Which means I need maps, and accurate ones.”

I already know where he’s going with this. “Sounds like it’s time to talk to Nina and Penelope, then.”

August 11th, 10:12 PM

“A riot?!” Penelope gasps, blue eyes going wide. “Without us?!”

Nina rolls her eyes and huffs, the ends of her headscarf slipping off of her shoulders as she reaches over to grab her wife’s wrist. “Love.”

“I mean it!”

Tobi chuckles. “Mums, we just need a map of Wyndon. A few, if you’ve got more than one.”

“We’ll make it happen,” Nina promises, smiling sweetly. “Anythin’ else we can help you kids with?”

“We’ll see,” Tobi sighs. “We’ve gotta get a proper team together first. It’s just Team Yell and Marsh at the moment, and I’ve got a million other things to get different people to handle.”

“What’re you still strugglin’ with?” Penelope asks. “Maybe we know some folks who could help you out.”

“The only big piece that’s missing right now is how we’re gonna get food,” Tobi replies wearily. “I have absolutely no one in mind for that, and we need food for the way there. We could probably manage to get some stuff once we’re in Wyndon, I don’t think any of us are above property destruction or stealin’ shit, especially if it’s from the Maccies, but I can’t take people knowing they might starve on the way there.”

Penelope and Nina think of a long moment. “You know, the food bank chefs might be willing to help,” Penelope finally says. “Peyton is the head chef, and they’re a big softie once you get to know them. Never turns away anyone in need.”

“That’s… a good lead,” Tobi mutters, pulling a scrap of paper out of his pocket and scribbling the name onto it. “Thank you, Nellie.”

“Walk us through everything,” Nina says firmly. “We’ll help you organize.”

“What?” Tobi’s eyebrows shoot up. “Mums, you can’t come to Wyndon with us-”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t help you here,” Penelope cuts in. “We aren’t useless old ladies, you know.”

“I- I-” Tobi stammers through a few more excuses, but they all get shut down. She ends up having to walk through all of the details that he has figured out with his mothers, and they offer him some useful feedback. Before we leave to go check the bulletin board, Nina offers us one last piece of advice.

“Loves, you should figure out things you can use to cover your faces,” she murmurs to us in the doorway. “Rose might know who’s rioting, but he shouldn’t be able to know who to target if he decides that he wants to make arrests, or worse.”

“Also a good idea,” Tobi nods. “I’ll add that to the list of things people should bring for themselves.”

“Also…” Nina glances at me. “Remember that old trunk that you have, Piers?” I nod and she smiles. “Maybe open that up and see what’s in there. Your mother left them for you, and I think you’ll find them useful. And you’d get to take a piece of her with you to Wyndon.”

I hesitate. That trunk was one of the few things that survived the fire, and I haven’t opened it in all the years that I’ve had it, even when it moved with me from Penelope and Nina’s place to my own apartment. “I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

Nina smiles. “Alright, love. Come here, both of you.” She pulls me and Tobi into a hug. “She’d be proud of you both. Both Mari and Akira. And Martin. You’ve grown so much.”

I hug back and fight to stop more tears before they come. My voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. “Thanks, Nina.”

August 12th, 1:45 AM

I can’t sleep. Which isn’t very surprising.

I keep the trunk in the corner of the living room, and since I’ve been sleeping on the couch, I can’t lay down without feeling like it’s staring at me. Old charred wood and creaky hinges consume my thoughts, and I finally decide to get up and do it.

I can’t figure out how to do it at first. I can see hinges, and I can see handles, but the lid won’t budge no matter how hard I pull on it. It takes me a while to find that latches on the side, and they’re stiff from disuse. When I finally pry them open and lift the lid again, the wood sticks for a moment before finally giving.

It’s full of old cloth and old sewing kits, all from my mother. I find more and more unfinished pieces as I pull things out, a patch missing half of a border here, undone embroidery on a skirt there, old knitting with the needles still tangled in the yarn. All of them feel like they’re judging me, like they’re angry at me for disturbing them, especially when they know that I’ll never be able to make them whole. The woman who could have is long gone.

Near the bottom, there’s an old plastic bag filled with black cloth. I pull it out and examine the fabric, unsure of what they’re meant to be until a slip of paper falls out of one of them.

It’s old and crumpled and has water stains around the edges, but the handwriting and designs are unmistakably my mother’s. Several full face masks are outlined, each unique and intricate. The one beneath my father’s name has patterned gold stripes beneath the eyes and space for a top knot in the back. My uncle’s has little feathers stitched on his, along with metal spikes running along the top and sides in the outline of a Corviknight’s helmet. Nina and Penelope each have their own as well, Nina’s with colorful spirals and flowers and Penelope’s with little clock hands and gears around the eyes. These are all gorgeous. Why did Ma never make these?

I keep pulling more masks out of the bag. There’s maybe half a dozen that look mostly complete, including one that catches my eye. It’s black and white with with a vertical pattern that looks a lot like an Obstagoon’s coat. There’s a slit in the top for hair and silver detailing around the neck. I check the paper, but don’t see the design anywhere. I look inside the mask to see if there’s a tag anywhere, and the writing on the small slip of paper carefully stitched to the back of the neck finally makes me break down and cry, because she left it for- 

Piers. 

In her perfect, even handwriting.

She left something for me.

It’s overwhelming, knowing that this may be the only one of my mother’s belongings that survived the fire and was meant for me specifically. The mask would have been too big for me at nine, which means she made it for me to grow into. Having a piece of her, of the woman that cared for me and Tobi and Mar, that sang while she sewed, that would spend hours hunched over ripped seams and holes in my clothes, patching them up for me so I could wear them, it’s like she’s still looking out for me. Like she promised she always would. 

I understand then what the masks were for. In the months before the laundromat was destroyed, more and more people were going missing, and it was targeted. Those who vanished were all people who were protesting the construction of the factory and the destruction of several roads leading to Hammerlocke from Spikemuth in order to do so. My parents were among those people. My uncle was. Penelope and Nina were too. The masks were for them when they went out, so if the wrong people were looking for them, they wouldn’t be able to recognize them. They would be safe.

And she made one for me, too. For when I got older, and in case the Maccies decided to use her children against her when we got older. There’s another mask, largely blank except for a few silver and light pink stars scattered around the eyes, and the tag in that one has Marnie’s name in it. She made one for her, too.

I know immediately that I have to take mine to Wyndon. It’ll be like having a piece of her with me, protecting me, like Nina said. I don’t feel right about giving my father’s or uncle’s away to someone else, but there are a few more blank masks and some unused designs on the back of the little slip of paper. I can ask for Nina and Penelope’s permission, and I’m guessing one if not both of theirs will end up going to Tobes, and if she gets both, he’ll give one to Tommy. I look at which designs Tobi and I could reasonably do with the materials we have and how many blank masks I have leftover, and a plan starts to form.

August 12th - 19th

The next week passes in a blur of preparation. Storme agrees to lend us his bikes on the condition that he comes to Wyndon to maintain them properly, and Tobi gets in touch with Peyton to get food and water sorted out. Motaz and Tommy talk to Nerdeen and Motaz’s uncle Mahmoud, and while both of them need a bit of convincing, both of them agree to go. Marsh introduces us to her mentee, Laurel, at an organization meeting, and it’s agreed that both of them will come to Wyndon with us. Clara insists on coming despite only being nineteen, demanding that she and her aunt not be separated and arguing that she can handle caring for injured Pokemon, and nobody argues with her. After a lot of strategizing, late night talks, sewing, frantic resource gathering, and registering all six hundred and twenty-eight people who are able and willing to travel to Wyndon, we agree to leave on the nineteenth, hoping to reach Wyndon by the twenty-fourth. Our roles are also officially declared- Tobi and I will be leading all of the active protests, along with Motaz and Viv, who will record and photograph for evidence and be media liaisons, and Laurel as our field medic. Nerdeen and Storme will stay at the encampment to maintain our shelter and equipment, while Mahmoud will make sure we have proper radio communication along with loudspeakers and microphones. Peyton will lead a team of chefs in making sure everyone is fed and has water, and Marsh will set up a medical tent in case anyone gets seriously injured or ill. Clara will have a similar tent for Pokemon care along with some of her volunteer friends from the Pokecenter. All in all, Tobi has covered everything on his initial list flawlessly, and taken care of other problems that have come up along the way.

In Tobi’s spare time (which isn’t much), we work on making masks for as many people as we can. We make sure to give people in leadership positions unique and notable designs- Tobi gets Nina’s colorful mask, while Tommy gets Penelope’s clockwork one. We fashion one that looks like it has tree branches on it for Marsh, and Laurel gets clusters of laurel leaves on theirs (they add studs on their own to match their thigh-high decorated boots, which I think is a nice touch). Nerdeen gets fireworks on hers, per her request, and Storme gets one that’s patterned like a bike helmet. Mahmoud gets one with secret pockets and red stripes, and his nephew opts for dark pink stars and teeth along the jaw. Clara wants flowers and Beautifly wings on hers, which takes a while but is worth it for her thrilled reaction, and adds a pawprint from her partner Nickit in white paint. Viv then gets the idea for talon prints from her Salazzle from that, and also paints purple poison bubbles onto hers. Peyton just asks for one that’s simple, so Tobi adds very serious, bushy eyebrows to mimic theirs in real life, which Peyton finds amusing. We also add big red patches to Marsh, Laurel, and Clara’s masks, and hand them out to anyone else who’s some kind of medic. Tobi and I refit our own so that they’re more comfortable and add extra padding on the inside in case we get in a fight, which, knowing us, is pretty likely if things start heading south.

Finally, the nineteenth arrives, and we gather at the remnants of the laundromat. Tobi chose the spot because most folks know where it used to be, and it’s pretty close to the Gym, but I think he also did it because of our history there. My parents’ history.

Before I leave my apartment, I go upstairs and take in Mar’s room for a while. I try to memorize her things, the posters on the wall, the pictures stacked up on her bedside table, the way her jewelry is carefully arranged in her homemade jewelry box. I look at Hop’s guitar, my family’s guitar, the one that I learned to play on, the messy scribbles of notes on music sheets haphazardly stacked next to it, his spare pair of sneakers, the little box he keeps under his bunk that I’ve never seen him open but know is from his house in Postwick. Finn didn’t leave any evidence that they were ever here besides being in the picture on top of Marnie’s stack and a carefully made bed left in their wake. Will this all be gone when I come back from Wyndon? …If I come back? Will Mar come home to nobody, or will she come home to nothing at all?

I don’t know. I hope not, but I can’t lie to myself and say she won’t. Because I can’t be sure.

Gods. This is insane.

I walk over to the stack of photos and look at the most recent one. Hop is holding the camera with one hand and grinning, crinkles around his shut eyes. Mar and Finn are holding hands, and while Finn is smiling more subtly than Hop, the corners of their mouth are definitely pulled up in a genuine smile regardless. They look more relieved than anything else. Mar is poking her cheek with her free hand, and while she isn’t smiling, she’s definitely happy too. She’s never been very expressive except for when she’s angry, but I know what she looks like when she’s happy after raising her, and she’s definitely happy too. They’re all leaning in towards one another, Finn in the middle with Mar on their right and Hop on their left. Morpeko is just barely in the photo next to Mar, mouth wide open and big tooth bared in a happy smile. The date written on the bottom of the photo shows that it was taken on the seventh. 

I hesitate before sliding the picture in my pocket. I’ll bring it back when I get home. If I’m taking a piece of Mum with me, I want to take a piece of Mar, too. My finger hooks through my choker charm, reminded of how it used to be a ring that connected the strap to my father’s favorite messenger bag. And I’ve got a piece of Pops, too. 

I take a deep breath and scan the room one last time. I decide to leave it as it is. 

I turn off the electricity and water before I leave. I slide my old traveling backpack onto my shoulders, studs and chains rattling familiarly. I know that the mask is carefully tucked away in that original plastic bag in the big pocket, along with my empty water bottle and my old sleeping bag, among other things that I’ll need for the foreseeable future.

A strange mix of dread and excitement bubbles in my chest as I lock my front door, not quite anticipation but the whispers of a deep, deep fear that this will all go horribly wrong, along with faith that everything will work out, like Nerdeen said. It’s a special blessing you have. I head to the laundromat ruins, picture crinkling in my pocket, mask heavy in my backpack, and choker close around my throat. 

August 20th, 1:38 AM

Marnie throws another glance over her shoulder, heart hammering in her chest. Stop freaking out, Mar. Nobody is following you.

She creeps closer to the secret tunnel, knees bent so much that she’s practically shuffling along the ground on her toes with her knees tucked up to her chest. Her hands graze the well manicured grass of Hammerlocke Castle’s outer gardens, fingers barely touching the cold soil beneath. She keeps her head down, her breathing level, her body steady, knowing full well that if she’s caught now, she could absolutely get disappeared. I have to know what’s going on. I have to. We haven’t figured out anything while we’ve been here, and I can’t just sit at camp doing nothing anymore.  

Finally, Marnie reaches the wall of the castle and the group of dense shrubs- and more importantly, the tiny, discreet gap between the foliage and the navy bricks. Pressing herself against the stone before she stands up all the way, she scans her surroundings thoroughly one last time before starting to inch along the wall, slowly disappearing behind the bushes.

Cr-cr-crkrk

Marnie freezes, panic surging through her, blood going cold. 

But the noise stops. And Marnie relaxes. It was me. It was just me.

She takes a deep breath before slipping all the way behind the bushes. Close to the wall, a small hole has been chipped into the bricks, the ground sloping down into it steeply. It’s just barely big enough for Marnie to squeeze through without her backpack on, and she shimmies down into it before pulling her backpack down behind her.

She slides carefully down the steep decline slowly, keeping one hand on the ground to stop her in case she starts to slip. Once the ground levels out, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and turns the flashlight on, scanning the darkness ahead of her to find it as empty as ever, thankfully. She takes a deep breath, heaving dust and stale air in and out of her lungs. Okay. Here we go. 

She heads down the secret tunnel, keeping mental track of the time. It shouldn’t take me any more than ten minutes to get all the way down there. Then I’ll take pictures, hang out for a bit to see if anyone is here, and be back to camp before anyone knows I’m gone. If Hop can sneak away without getting noticed, I sure as hell can too. 

But she’s wrong. Someone sneaks into the tunnel behind Marnie, waiting until they can’t hear her footsteps to carefully pick their way down the slope, feet slipping into footholds they know like the back of their hand. They keep one hand on the wall, feeling it curve and straighten and curve again exactly how they memorized it. They start catching up to Marnie as she gets closer and closer to where they know she’s going, and when they can fully see her flashlight up ahead and knows she’s too consumed in making sure that she stays quiet, they dart towards her.

Hands seize Marnie before she can comprehend what is happening, one clamping over her mouth and the other wrapping around her shoulders, holding her in place as a voice hisses angrily in her ear.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

Chapter Text

Two Mays Ago

I dart up to the door, Wooloo on my heels. It opens before I get a chance to knock.

"Did you get approved?!" I ask, not wasting any time.

Ms. Lario grins and holds up an official looking letter. "What do you think, solecito?"

I seize the letter with trembling hands, scanning the first line frantically. Please, please, please-

Stoutland's Care Foster Agency would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to you for your- yes!

"YES!" I shout much louder than I intend to and shake the paper in the air. Ms. Lario laughs as I turn to Wooloo, who looks confused as to what the fuss is about. "Wooloo, someone new is coming to Postwick!"

"They changed who I was fostering to a girl about your age, too," Ms. Lario taps my arm and points at the letter. "Look."

Gloria Irons, huh. "Do you know anything else about her?"

Ms. Lario shakes her head. "She's from Sinnoh and she's thirteen, but that's about it. The agency was oddly secretive. Said something about the legal matters being messy. They said she should be coming sometime next week, and that they'll give me a call sometime in the next few days once everything gets sorted out." Ms. Lario winks. "I'll keep you posted. I'm sure she'll want a friend when she gets here."

The Following Wednesday

I'm upstairs rereading old magazines again when I hear the doorbell ring. I perk up immediately. Is Gloria here?

My heart jumps into my throat as I hear Ma greet Ms. Lario. "Ximena, how are you?"

I rush to the stairs and down onto the landing just as Ms. Lario starts to respond. "Hello, Aurora. I was wondering if-" She stops when she sees me. I wonder why she looks so tired. "Hola, Hop."

"Is she here?!" 

Ms. Lario winces. "Sí, but-"

I cheer and leap down the rest of the stairs to get my shoes on. "Great! I can-"

"Hop, no," Ms. Lario hisses. My stomach drops and I freeze.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask, voice shaking. Ma throws me a glare, but I'm too focused on how Ms. Lario's eyes are darker than usual to feel any sort of way about it.

"No, solecito, it's just..." Ms. Lario trails off and glances at Ma. "Can I take him outside for a moment?"

Ma shrugs and turns back into the living room. I take that as a yes. Ms. Lario beckons be outside, and I close the door gently behind me, still standing on our doormat so my socks don't get too dirty. "What's wrong?"

Ms. Lario lets out a deep sigh. "Nothing is wrong, solecito. Things are just more complicated than I expected."

"What does that mean?" I ask, stomach sinking.

"You can't meet Gloria yet," Ms. Lario says quietly. I feel something in my chest crumple. "I'm sorry, solecito, but she's tired and overwhelmed and scared of new people. She needs time to settle in before you can meet her."

I try my best to not look too crestfallen, even though I don't know how much more disappointed I could be. "It's... it's okay. I understand."

I must not be doing a great job, because Ms. Lario tries to console me. "I'll bring her over here as soon as she's ready, okay?" She places a hand on my shoulder. "I promise, solecito. I know you want to make a friend."

I swallow and try harder to sound happier, praying that the reason my eyes feel funny is the pollen and not the tears that definitely are not getting out right now. "It's fine, really. Moving somewhere new must be a lot. Let her have all the time she needs, yeah?"

Ms. Lario smiles, looking a bit more relieved now. Good. "Thank you, solecito. I'll be in touch, okay?"

A Few Days Later

"I'm glad your mum let you come to the lab, Hoppip," Sonia ruffles my hair as she passes by with a stack of papers. "You know we appreciate the help."

"Mm." I'm too absorbed in my own thoughts to give her a proper answer. Why is it taking so long? I asked if something was wrong, and she said no! Why can't I just have one friend?!

Sonia sets the papers down next to me abruptly. "What's eating at you?"

I sit bolt upright, startled. "What?"

Sonia pulls up a chair and sits next to me. "What'd your mum do this time?"

I blink, still confused, and repeat myself. "What?"

"Did she let you come here or are you just out of the house for the day?" Sonia asks gently. "You're not in trouble, Hop. Do you need to spend the night with Gran aga-"

Oh. My face must've looked weird. "No! No, gods, Sonia, it's nothing to do with Ma. Did I-" I wrack my brain and realize that I didn't. "Shoot, I never told you about Ms. Lario, did I?"

Sonia tilts her head; I can see relief in her eyes alongside curiosity. "What about her?"

"She's fostering someone new, and she's supposed to be my age, and she promised that I could meet her when she got to Postwick, but-" I run out of air and sigh deeply. "Ms. Lario came by on Wednesday and told me that I can't meet her yet. She's too overwhelmed."

"That doesn't sound like Ms. Lario," Sonia murmurs. "It must be serious then."

"I know, I know," I fold my arms and use them as a pillow to rest my head on the table, looking away from Sonia. "I told her that it wasn't a big deal but I just... I want a friend, y'know?"

There's a long silence from Sonia, and I realize how what I've just said must sound to her. I sit up again as panic washes over me. "Shoot, Sonia, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Suddenly, she yanks me towards her, and I realize that she's hugging me fiercely after a moment of my face being buried in her shoulder. I readjust so I can breathe, but I don't pull away.

When Sonia speaks, her voice is low and hoarse. "I'm sorry, Hoppip. I know you must've been excited."

"Sonia, it really doesn't matter," I try to shrug, but how tightly Sonia has her arms wrapped around my torso makes the attempt futile. "If she needs time to adjust, I'm not going to butt in. It'd be impolite."

"You're right," I feel Sonia nod. "But that doesn't mean you can't be upset, Hoppip. You- you deserve to have someone your age to be your friend. You must be lonely."

I wince, doing my best to hold back tears and being mostly successful. "...Yeah," I reply, trying to keep my voice from wavering. "But it's okay, I'm used to it."

Sonia hugs me tighter. "You shouldn't have to be."

By some blessing, I do not cry. In front of her.

About A Week Later

"She might not say much," Ms. Lario warns me, standing in the doorway with one hand still firmly on the doorknob. "Just be patient, please."

"I will, I promise! I just wanna say hello!"

"And don't go in her room. That's her space."

"I won't!"

"And try not to be too loud."

"I will! Won't? Will? I dunno." I clasp my hands together in front of my chest as I shake the confusion out of my head. "I'll be really good, I promise!"

Ms. Lario glances back insides and then back to me nervously before finally, finally letting me in. I step through the door slowly, scanning the areas I can see. When I don't see anyone, I crouch down to take my shoes off, but Ms. Lario stops me.

"Just a quick hello, okay? It's getting late."

I don't let my shoulders slump as I nod and stand back up. Ms. Lario leads me towards the living room.

"Gloria, your vecino is here," she announces. "Look."

There's a girl sitting on Ms. Lario's couch, watching something on a tablet. I know she's my age, but she looks a lot smaller than me- she's basically swimming in that sweater, gods. She looks scared. Should I say something? Should I let her talk first? Do I look scared?

"Hi," I blurt without really thinking. I wince as my voice cracks. Yikes. "I'm- I'm Hop."

Gloria looks at me. She keeps the rest of her body perfectly still, back straight as a board. She looks at me for a moment with guarded green eyes. They sort of look like Sonia's, but darker. "Hello," she responds quietly. "My name's Gloria." A little bundle of light blue and black fur beside her that I didn't notice before moves, and careful red eyes peer at me. "This is Shinx."

"Woah," I marvel at the tiny creature as they unravel themselves and creeps towards me, round ears pressed back and face low to the couch as they approach. "I've never seen one in real life! Can I say hello?"

Gloria regards me carefully for a moment, like she's thinking through what might happen depending on how she responds. Then, she shakes her head. "She doesn't do well with new people. Shinx, come here," Gloria murmurs, and Shinx freezes before backing towards her trainer slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on me. 

"Aw, that's okay. My Wooloo was like that for a while at first," I crouch a little bit to be closer to eye level with Shinx and smile at her. She responds with a little hiss and a bare of her teeth, which is more cute than intimidating. "They adored me, but had to warm up to basically everyone else. How long have you had her?"

"A few months," Gloria replies, petting Shinx between her ears in an attempt to soothe her. "She was a birthday gift for me and..." Gloria trails off abruptly and seems to shrink. The light in her eyes dies and is replaced with something colder, darker. "She was a birthday gift. For someone else."

I see Ms. Lario stiffen. "Hop, I think it's time for you to go."

"Did I-" My heart starts pounding. No, no, no, I can't have screwed this up. This is my first chance at a real friend that I've had in years, and I can't have screwed up already. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Ximena is right," Gloria whispers. "You should go."

"I- I don't-" Ms. Lario grabs my arm and starts to pull me back towards the door. "I'm sorry!" I call desperately as I'm led away. "I hope we can still be friends!"

Two Days Later

I'm watering the shrubs when I hear Ms. Lario call out to me. "Solecito!"

I look over towards the sound to see Ms. Lario coming down the path towards my house, followed closely by Gloria. I've been avoiding Ms. Lario and her since I first embarrassed myself meeting Gloria, and now it seems like it's finally time for me to apologize properly.

I take a deep breath as they approach. "Good morning!"

"Buenos días, Hop!" Ms. Lario glances at Gloria, who is picking at her nails. She taps them gently on the shoulder.

"Good morning," she mumbles.

She just needs to get used to me. Like Shinx does. Like Wooloo did with everyone else. I take another deep breath. "Hi, Gloria. I'm... I'm sorry about-"

"Solecito, don't apologize." Ms. Lario cuts me off. "It's nothing for you to be sorry for about. No preocupes, vale?"

"What does that mean?" Gloria asks, still quiet but more interested now.

Ms. Lario smiles at Gloria. "Don't worry, okay?"

Gloria recoils. "I wasn't worried about anything, I just-" She deflates. "Okay."

"Eh? Mija, que- Oh!" Ms. Lario starts laughing. "Mija, no, 'no preocupes, vale' means 'don't worry, okay'! I wasn't ignoring your question."

"Oh." Gloria brightens up a bit. "Okay. Sorry."

"Mija, no necesitas- aye, dioses mios," Ms. Lario mutters under her breath. "I need to remainder to speak in Galarian more."

"Remainder is what's left over after something, Ms. Lario," I remind her gently, knowing she gets Galarian words mixed up a lot. "Remember is not forgetting something."

"MIER..." Ms. Lario starts to swear, but stops herself at the last second. "...Coles. Miercoles."

I snicker, and I see Gloria crack a smile. I feel a little better.

"Gloria, do you want to meet Wooloo?" I ask, thinking offering might be a good way to apologize without actually apologizing. "They're real friendly."

"Aren't Wooloo dirty?" Gloria wrinkles her nose. "I'm not supposed to get dirty."

I try my best not to look at her funny. She's living in Postwick, for gods' sakes! It's dirty here! "I- I guess they are," I concede. "But they're really fluffy and soft too! And their wool lasts for ages. It's amazing."

Ms. Lario nods in agreement. "Hop's Wooloo is very well behaved. They won't hurt you."

Gloria looks hesitant, but I can tell her curiosity is getting the better of her. "Are... are you sure?"

"Yeah! You don't even have to touch them or anything if you don't want to." I turn to call toward the backyard. "Wooloo! C'mere!"

I hear cheerful bleating, and then a few seconds later, Wooloo trots around the corner of the house and wanders up to me, sitting down and looking up at me curiously. I see them glance at Gloria, but they know not to make a move towards anyone new unless I tell them to.

Gloria examines Wooloo from a distance, watching as Wooloo stands up and circles my legs, snuffling at my shoes and legs. I reach down and ruffle their coat between their horns, and they press back into the touch, bleating happily.

"They're... smaller than I thought," she murmurs quietly. "They look bigger when they're out in the fields."

"They look so strange when they're sheared," I reply, laughing a little and looking down at Wooloo's thick coat. "The wool grows back really quick, though, so they don't look too bad for too long." I glance back up at Gloria, and I can see something close to longing flickering in her eyes. "You can say hello!"

Gloria draws back quickly. "No, no, that's okay, I don't want to bother them. They look happy."

"They'd be happier to meet someone new!" I reply. "They're better with new people than they used to be, I promise."

Gloria looks torn- she's staring at Wooloo in a way that makes it seem like she's trying to be discreet, but it's not working. Her fingers keep twitching forward. That's... strange for her, I think? She usually seems very controlled.

"Go ahead, mija," Ms. Lario encourages her. "It'll be okay."

Gloria glances back at her, takes one last deep breath, before crouching down slowly, sitting on her heels with her knees to her chest. She definitely knows how to interact with Pokemon, I think as she slowly extends her arms and offers the back of one hand to Wooloo. Same eye level, scent introduction first- she's definitely been taught how to make Pokemon comfortable.

I tap Wooloo gently to give them permission to greet Gloria, and they huff happily and plod forward.

"Hi there," Gloria whispers as they approach and start to sniff at her knuckles, familiarizing themselves with her. "It's okay, come here."

Wooloo's tiny stubby tail that's barely visible through their coat is a whirr of motion, wagging rapidly. They rumble in approval before giving Gloria's hand a friendly headbutt. Gloria makes a little noise of surprise and her eyes go wide. Wooloo starts to nuzzle her hand and another smile cracks along her face. She reaches out with her other hand and pats their wool gently. Her eyes light up. "Wow."

I laugh at the awe on her face as she buries her other hand in Wooloo's wool, almost despite herself. "Amazing, huh?"

"They're so soft," Gloria murmurs. "They look really well taken care of."

That's a compliment! My heart soars. I'm doing something right!

"How long have you had them?" Gloria asks quietly, leaning forward so her weight is now balanced between her knees and her toes. Wooloo takes this as an invitation to get closer and plops their front hooves on Gloria's knees, craning their neck upwards to snuffle at her face, all while Gloria looks like she's trying to not smile too hard.

"Oh, years," I shrug. "Lee helped me catch 'em before he left for his Gym Challenge, so nine or ten years now."

"That's so neat," Gloria responds, now focusing more on scratching Wooloo behind their ears than keeping herself from grinning. She looks so much more comfortable now that Wooloo is around. It's easy to tell she loves Pokemon.

"You're the cutest, aren't you?" She says to Wooloo, and they bleat loudly in agreement. Gloria makes a little, smothered sound as her shoulders shake, and for a second I'm worried that she's upset again, and then I realize that she's trying not to laugh. Wooloo is absolutely thrilled to be getting so much attention from someone new, and it's not long before Gloria is sitting completely on the ground with Wooloo in her arms, grinning ear to ear. Ms. Lario looks relieved. I sit down in the grass too, still keeping my distance. Gloria eventually glances up at me, scanning my face quickly, looking for... something. I'm not sure what. Whatever it is, she seems to relax a little more, rocking from side to side whenever Wooloo presses closer. I watch her carefully for any signs of distress, but she looks much happier than she did when I first met her. Huh. She really, really likes Pokemon. I sort of remember Lee doing that rocking thing too- either when he was really happy or upset. She looks happy to me right now.

Gloria pauses and fumbles in the pocket of her sweater for a moment, and then I hear the distinctive click of a Pokeball opening. Shinx materializes in the flash of blue on Gloria's shoulder and immediately starts bristling and hissing, again, looking more cute than menacing. But from the way her tail is tucked between her legs and the way her paws are shaking, I can tell she's scared.

Gloria jumps right into soothing her. "Hey, hey, it's okay, see?" She says in a low, calm tone. "They're friendly, you can say hi."

Wooloo recognizes that Shinx is anxious and backs off a bit, staying as still as a statue while Shinx shifts closer to sniff at Wooloo's face. After a moment, she draws back onto Gloria's shoulder and observes the area around us, limbs more steady and tail raised curiously now. Then, she leaps deftly off Gloria's shoulder and starts to explore, sniffing at flowers and patches of grass. She eventually wanders up to me, and Gloria freezes, eyes fixed on Shinx. I hold my breath and do my best to stay completely still and pray that my pounding heart won't startle Shinx if she can hear it.

Shinx sniffs at one of my knees for a long moment, sitting down to do so. Then, she glances at Gloria, slowly places one paw on my knee, and tilts her head ever so slighting to the right, ears pricked.

Gloria seems understand. She nods, and Shinx turns back to me. She places her second front paw on my knee, and I very slowly move a hand so she can sniff it. Instead of sniffing, she rubs her head against it, climbing all the way into my lap and clambering her way up my jacket. I cough in surprise, but Shinx is undeterred, and I wince as tiny claws prick my scalp as she heaves herself onto the top of my head before sitting down. Gloria giggles when her tail smacks me in the face.

"She likes you," Gloria declares, smiling ear to ear. "That's good."

I make sure to keep my head very still while I talk. "I'm glad. She's very curious."

Gloria nods in agreement. "She just has to do things on her own time. That's why we get along so well, I think."

Sometime That Summer

Gloria sprints ahead of me, tearing through the long grass with Shinx at her side. "Can't catch me!"

"That's what you think!" I call from behind her. I know I can't outrun her, but maybe if I sneak up on her...

I crouch down in the tall grass and beckon for Wooloo to follow me. They watch on pretty quick, and soon enough, we're creeping through the grass as quietly as a Blipbug.

After a few minutes, I hear Gloria's voice calling my name. "Hop? Hoooooop?"

She's getting closer! I hold my breath and get closer to the ground. Come on, come on...

"Hop?" Her voice is practically over top of me now. I can hear her making her way through the tall grass, accompanied by a smaller swishing for Shinx. "Hop, where are you?"

Just... a little... closer...

A shadow flickers over me. I see Gloria standing no more than a meter away, eyes scanning the field. She's picking at her nails again. "Hop? Are- are you hiding? Can you come out, please?"

I inch closer.

"Hop?" Gloria's voice rises, head darting side to side. "Hop?! Where did you go?"

It's at that moment I stand and tap her shoulder before she can react. "You're it!" I take off, sprinting until my legs burn and my lungs are empty.

But Gloria isn't right behind me when I slow to a halt. I quickly realize that something is wrong. I sprint back the way I came, even faster this time, and nearly trample over Gloria, who is sitting in the grass clutching Shinx to her chest like a lifeline. Wooloo bleats nervously as they circle her, only getting louder when they nudge her and get no response. She's rocking back and forth, face buried in the fur on top of Shinx's head, making these odd, strangled wheezing sounds. She's not breathing right.

"Woah, hey, Gloria, breathe," I crouch down in front of her trembling form, guilt washing over me. "I'm sorry, I'm here, it's okay..."

We spend a while in the grass like that, Gloria fighting for control over her breathing and me sitting in front of her, talking her through it. At one point, one of her hands switches from clutching at Shinx to reaching out for Wooloo, and they end up lying on the ground next to Gloria while she pets them. When she starts to breathe normally again, I start asking questions quietly, the same way Sonia taught me to if I ever see anyone in distress.

"Are you hurt physically?"

Gloria shakes her head. 

"Is something wrong?"

She nods.

"Did... did I scare you?"

A slower nod, accompanied by a choked sob.

I wince. Shoot. And just when I thought we were starting to be friends. "I'm sorry, Gloria. I really didn't mean to. I won't do it again, okay?"

She nods slowly again. Eventually, she releases Shinx, who just curls up in her lap as she slowly relaxes. Wooloo readjusts themselves to rest their head on Gloria's leg.

"You left," she says in a hoarse whisper. "You left."

I freeze. The way she says it makes me understand exactly what it feels like, because I've wanted to say it that way for years. No more exploring the woods. No more second toothbrush in the bathroom. No more mess in the living room. No more sleepovers across the hall, or sneaking downstairs at eleven, or falling asleep next to someone I know I'm safe with. Just empty space, empty rooms, empty people.

"Gloria, I'm sorry," I croak, voice suddenly thick and gravelly. "I won't leave you. I would never. I swear."

"You came back," Gloria whispers after a moment of silence.

"Of course," I say back, offering her a shaky smile. "That's what friends do."

Gloria is different after that day. Gloria gets more different after every day that passes from then on.

We spend entire days exploring the woods and the fields, meeting the different flocks of Wooloo, bunkering down for hours just to watch rare Pokemon like Butterfree or Orbeetle fly by. Gloria cracks more jokes, smiles more, even starts full on laughing after playing in the rain one day.

I remember she was hesitant at first. "I don't want to get dirty! You're crazy!"

"It's fun, I promise!" I was already pulling her out the door, no raincoat on, already thinking about what we might find. "There'll be cool water types out! And we can stomp around in puddles!"

"How will it be fun?" She protested, pulling back into the house as raindrops hit her arm. "We'll get dirty and wet and messy! Again, it's crazy!"

"The funnest things are crazy!" I laugh, stepping back and throwing out my arms. "Come on, we're gonna miss out on all the cool Pokemon!"

I know she can't argue with that. She ducks back inside for a second and remerges with rain boots on, pulling up the hood on her sweater as she steps outside. I can see Shinx's Pokeball in her pocket. "Alright, dork," she shakes out her arms and glances up at the sky. "Where to first?"

I take her to one of the many creeks running through the hills, and I step in without hesitation. The water is about up to my ankles with the extra water from the rain. I crouch down in the water, scoop my hand in, and fling water at Gloria. She gasps in mock hurt.

"Oh, you're getting it now!"

We chase each other around the creek, slipping in mud and getting absolutely soaked. There's a moment when Gloria trips and falls face first into the muddy riverside that I'm worried she might be upset, but she actually starts laughing instead, louder than I've ever heard.

"Oh my Arceus, we were never allowed to do this in Sinnoh," she giggles, sitting up and grabbing a chunk of mud and lobbing it at me. I duck just in time. "This is amazing."

"Told you!" I grin. "Come on, the ponds in the woods'll be overflowing my now, and we'll get to see all the fish Pokemon!"

There are days where Gloria doesn't do much talking. There are days where she doesn't want to go out at all. There are days where she sleeps all day and Ms. Lario has eye bags. But she gets better. I see her eat full meals instead of just a few bites. Her shoulders don't seem so heavy all the time. She gets her hair cut shorter, and she doesn't stop smiling about it for hours. Both Shinx and Wooloo start following her around like Ducklett in a line, and I can almost see her come out of her guarded, carefully controlled shell. She talks too fast like me sometimes, and when she says things that don't make sense, I understand somehow. She rocks and rubs the sleeves of her sweater and pulls at the drawstrings more and more, tapping her feet on the ground like she's running in place when she gets excited. Her nail beds are mostly healed by the start of August.

When we finally manage to climb the old oak tree in the middle of the abandoned pasture, Gloria declares that we've taken over the enemy pirate ship. I call her Captain, and the nickname sticks. Ma lets her come to our house more and more, and she doesn't seem freaked out when she learns about Lee. We watch old tapes of his battles and analyze them together, and she brings up a lot of things I hadn't notice before, even though I've watched every single one of Lee's battles dozens of times. I tell her about the Gym Challenge, and how I really want to do it this year. I'm absolutely thrilled when she says she wants to go.

"I don't know how long I'll be in Galar," she says in between bites of popcorn. "I want to make the most of it! Plus, I always wanted to do the Gym Circuit back in Sinnoh. I was just never allowed."

Ms. Lario agrees after a bit of convincing (mostly Gloria's pleading), but makes us promise that we'll stick together no matter what and we'll come home if we get tired.

"And you have to be careful!" She adds before we can respond. "Ten cuidado, muchas personas son malas a chicos como tuyos."

"We will!" Gloria says. "Please, Mama, I promise we'll be really careful. I'll call you everyday. I'll do anything-"

"Goodness, mija, I just want you to be safe, si?" Ms. Lario cuts Gloria off. "It can be very scary out there. But I support you no matter what. If you go and change your mind, don't be afraid to come home. But if you want to do it, do it, mija. Eres increible, si?"

Gloria nods and smiles. "Si."

I'm with Gloria for most of that summer. At some point, a little voice in my brain wonders if the reason I want to spend so much time with her is because I like like her, but I eventually dismiss it as a possibility. She feels like the sister I never had, and I don't want that to change. Plus, marrying my theoretical sister would be weird. And illegal, I think. I eventually stop thinking about it until Sonia brings it up, mostly out of curiosity, but I shut it down quickly.

"It's not like that," I shake my head, trying not to feel embarrassed. "She's like a sister. She's my best friend." My only human friend.

"Gotcha," Sonia says, ruffling my hair. "Glad you've finally found someone to get into shenanigans with you. Me n' Lee were like that, back in the day."

"Ugh, you're old."

And things stay perfect like that for a few months. It's just us four- Gloria, Shinx, Wooloo, and I- spending our days exactly how we want to. Gloria is worried about time for a while, and we get in a bit of an argument about it, but we agree on specific times for leaving our houses, lunch, dinner, and then going home, and that solves the issue. Gloria is much more comfortable with a schedule, which isn't something I'm used to, but willing to adjust to to make both of our lives easier. I don't mind it that much.

That summer was the best summer of my life.

When Gloria gets taken from us in February, we revisit our promise to always come back for one another. When Finn arrives in Spikemuth a year and a half later, there's one late night before we leave where we stay up late watching old match replays like we used to.

In the quiet glow of Piers' ancient TV, Finn looks at me and grins. I ask them what's so funny, and they shrug.

"It's just funny, I think," they say.

"What?"

"We kept our promise."

Chapter Text

August 20th, 1:40 AM

Marnie screams. Her entire body immediately goes into fight mode, jamming her elbows backwards, trying to bite the hand over her mouth, hands and nails grappling onto her attacker's arms and scratching and pulling. Nobody is going to hear me scream down here, it's a fucking Maccie, I'm getting disappeared, and Finn still thinks I'm an ass-

"Ow!" The person yelps and wheezes as Marnie's elbow connects with their ribs. "Ow! Ow, holy-" The person tries to back away but insists on holding their hand over Marnie's mouth. "Fu- stop! Marnie, it's me!"

Marnie finally wrestles herself free of her attacker (mostly because they decide to let her go before losing an eye), and whips around to see-

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?!" She screeches, blinding rage making her abandon caution. "Why in the 'ell are you down here?!"

Bede winces and doesn't meet her eyes. "Lower your voice, please. I don't know if there are other people down here or not, but I don't want to find out."

"Low- l- What?!" Marnie stammers through a response, still shaking from adrenaline. "You sneak up behind me an' attack me, an' you expect me t' lower my voice?!"

When Bede pauses too long at a loss for words, Marnie interprets this as him refusing to respond. In a snap of rage, she slaps him right across the face.

Bede stumbles backwards as she makes contact, Marnie's hand stinging from the impact. For a second, neither of them move. Their shuddering breathing echoes down the tunnel.

Then, Bede straightens up and rolls his shoulders back. He looks... remarkably calm.

"Are you done yet?" His question, despite being whispered, sounds so much louder with the echo. So... tired.

"What?"

"Are you going to keep treating me like a bloody punching bag, or have you had enough?"

Marnie blinks, still comprehending. "Wh... what?"

Bede scoffs and folds his arms. "I seriously don't know what you want from me. I get that you hate me, but you seem insistent on destroying me from the inside out when we have bigger problems."

A little puff of air is all it takes for Marnie's anger to snap back to life. You do not get to scoff at me, Maccie. "What do you think I'm doin' here? Goin' fo' a hike?" She retorts. "You think I'm jus' gonna sit at camp and not get shit done?"

"And be this reckless?" Bede hisses, gesturing at the tunnel around them. "This is something Hop would do, not you."

"Ha! 'T's still funny that you act like you know 'im," Marnie snarls. "That you act like you care."

"I do," Bede replies evenly. "I do know him, and I do care. He's my friend. So is Finn."

"Yeah, yeah, performance o' the year, scumbag," Marnie waves him off dismissively. "Tell me one thing about each o' 'em. Then maybe I'll believe you."

Bede stares at her for a moment, then takes a deep breath before starting to talk. "Both of them are kind. Kinder than they should be. I know that Hop is terrified of never amounting to anything because he has such massive shoes to fill. Finn is scared of losing everything they've ever cared about all over again. And both of them need you. Hop is the glue and Finn is his best friend, but you're the voice of reason. You're the rock. You feel bad for needing things because you're stubborn and prideful and a little bit full of yourself, but I'm like that too. And that's why we don't get along- that and you still hate me, which I get, because I do too. Either way, I know that both of them would fall apart without you, which is why you're fucking insane for doing this. If you got disappeared, they would lose it. Hell, Piers would lose it, and he'd murder Rose and Oleana himself for it. So stop trying to be a bloody martyr. It's not worth it."

Marnie recoils. How the hell does he know this much? How much have I missed? She takes a deep breath and picks up her phone, shining the flashlight at Bede. "W-well... fine, sure, you care about 'em. But you're wrong about me. I don't need t' prove myself, or be some hero, or a martyr. That's jus' you, scumbag."

Bede snorts. "Sure, Princess. Either way, can you please not try to kill me for an hour or two? We've got a Power Plant to investigate."

Marnie barks a laugh and turns around, setting off down the tunnel. "We? In your dreams."

A firm hand lands on her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Marnie."

She glances back to see Bede just behind her, purple eyes wide and fearful. "They need you," he whispers. "And you can't do this alone."

Marnie rolls her eyes. "You don't know half the shit I've done on my own."

"You won't do this alone," Bede rephrases. "Like it or not, I'm going with you. I told Opal I'd keep all of you out of trouble, and that includes you too."

"Fine, jus' get offa me," Marnie snarls, smacking his hand off her shoulder. "Don't touch me again."

Bede bites back a sigh and rubs his eyes before responding. "Okay. Yeah. Whatever. Let's get this over with."

"Y'know, I think I'd like you more if you weren't such a prick," Marnie scowls at him as she starts walking. I don't want him here. I'm not fragile. I don't need his help.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual," Bede growls in response, walking next to her down the tunnel. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Down," Marnie shoots back, still scowling. I hate this. I don't want to have to deal with him, fuckin' gods.

Bede shoulders slump. "Close enough. And I get you want me to go away, but I'm not, so you may as well save your breath."

"Fine."

"...Okay."

Two Years Ago

"Sis, you're allowed to be a prick right back to folks who are pricks at you. You don't gotta feel guilty 'bout it."

"I know, I know," I mutter back into my phone. "I jus'... I dunno, bro. He's like, a year older than me, I think."

"Even if he's young, he's plenty capable of hurtin' you. If you want him to back off, you gotta be a prick, y'know? That's the only way they leave us alone."

Because being a prick at Rose has made him leave us alone, I grumble internally. "Yeah, yeah."

"Give 'em hell, sis. They deserve it."

Also Two Years Ago

"You will never amount to anything," she snarls, looming over me, eyes like sharp chips of jade. "Thank you for your contributions thus far. But this is not under your jurisdiction."

"I- I just want to help-"

"You can be of service by being quiet," she cuts me off. "Now get out."

She whisks back into the Power Plant with the pouch of Wishing Stars in her hands, slamming the door shut behind her. I flinch.

I sit against the door for hours, no where else to go.

She never comes out. No one does.

Last June

I glance over Ms. Opal's shoulder, eyes catching on the headline of the paper she's reading.

NO CHALLENGERS RECEIVE 7TH GYM BADGE

"Huh," I pause and pivot on my crutch, scanning the article. "Piers gets better every year, it seems like."

Ms. Opal shakes her head. "It wasn't the elder Morrison that stopped the challengers."

I raise an eyebrow. "A Gym Trainer?"

Ms. Opal chuckles. "In a way, I suppose. They're certainly digging their heels in. I wonder..."

She trails off, but now I'm curious. "What?"

"Ah. Don't mind me, child," Ms. Opal sets the paper down on her lap and takes a sip of her tea. "Continue on."

She Doesn't Quite Remember

Everything blurs together. One second she's sitting with Piers and Tobi, and the next they're shouting and running around. Piers shoves her in a closet with a backpack before they leave.

It's dark and dusty for a long time, but it's not quiet. She hears screaming outside. She hears loud, mechanical whirring and roaring. She doesn't understand.

Piers and Tobi come home with broken bones and black eyes. Marnie has eaten all but two packs of gummies in the backpack when the closet door finally opens. Piers immediately drops to his knees and pulls her into a fierce hug, holding her to his shuddering chest.

It's quiet in Spikemuth for a long, long time after that. 

Candles get lit by pictures. People cry. She's too young to really understand what had happened, the implications of the fact that three blocks had been completely crushed, and the grief that swallowed the city and never let go.

Now

Heavy breathing echoes down the tunnel and into the darkness. It can't have been any more than a few minutes.

And Marnie is already about ready to slap Bede across the face again.

"Could you be any louder?" She hisses back at him, gritting her teeth. "You may as well be 'n Exploud."

"You try walking around without a real leg, see how you like it," Bede retorts. "I'm trying to be quiet."

"Trying isn't enough," Marnie growls. "Do 't."

"Bloody-" Bede cuts himself off. "We don't have time for this. Keep walking."

Marnie rolls her eyes. We'd better be close- I don't think I can take much more of this.

The tunnel keeps winding down, and down, and down, and it gets smaller and smaller as they go. By the time they arrive at their destination, the ceiling is so low that both Marnie and Bede are doubled over as they wind through a maze of stalagmites. A low hum is audible nearby.

As the pair turns a corner, a small figment of light illuminates the tunnel in front of them. Marnie turns off her phone flashlight before settling herself between the stalagmites around the opening and peering through. It's just barely large enough to stick a finger through and doesn't provide much visibility, but sound carries down from the upper layers of the plant almost perfectly. Marnie had spent multiple nights here after she had seen Finn in Hammerlocke and saw the strange light around the spire, and she had caught some conversations. Unfortunately, she didn't understand half of what was being said. All these bloody Maccies talk to damn fancy with their big words. Just talk like normal people. Gods.

Bede winces as his prosthetic makes a rattling sound as he drags it across the stone floor to get comfortable. Marnie glares at him, and he throws up one of his hands and huffs. Marnie shushes him and looks back out the crack.

There isn't a whole lot to see, unfortunately. Around the stalagmites concealing the opening on the other side, Marnie can see half of some strange glass cylinder. It seems like a huge lightbulb, something thin glowing within it and radiating heat that Marnie can feel from meters away. But Marnie can't see anything else, which is extremely frustrating when she's trying to figure out what the fuck is going on here.

After a few minutes of sitting and observing, Bede shifts. His prosthetic scrapes against the ground. Marnie finally snaps again.

"Stop fuckin' movin'!" She hisses, reaching over to smack his arm. He swats her hand away.

"Leave me alone! Gods!" Bede folds his arms and leans away from her. "Nothing's happening!"

Unable to articulate words due to how angry she is at this point, Marnie stammers and stutters through incoherent syllables before taking a deep breath in. I am so, so close to not having to deal with the motherfucker anymore, she reminds herself. Just don't kill him, and he'll leave soon. Soon. He has to leave soon. Gods, please let him leave soon.

Marnie turns back to the opening and listens, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. The electrical humming is still there, accompanied by the occasional sigh of machinery and the clacking of what must be stones shifting from vibrations. After a minute or two, Marnie recognizes that the humming is actually a rhythm. Two long, drawn out sounds with a slight pause between each, even in volume and tone.

Whhhhhhhhz

Shhhhhhhhk

Whhhhhhhhz

Shhhhhhhhk

Marnie listens more intently, and is surprised to find tiny imperfections the more she listens. Piers raised her with music, and she can recognize the songs of nature and the steady rhythms of natural processes wherever she goes. Nature had always been more and more musical, more and more symphonic the more the listened. Even machines, even people, they all had subtle little rhythms. Hop always clicked his pen at close to 2/4 time, although when he hot stressed, it always switched to a faster time signature. Finn, however, almost always breathed fourteen times every minute while they were sleeping. She had noticed it on the nights she couldn't sleep and had counted the number of times that their chest had risen and fallen, and then it occurred to her how even it was. They didn't snore, which also helped, but they were always even, measured breaths, like they were still controlling it in their sleep. It became second nature for her to notice things like that as she grew older. But no matter what, everything natural had always been one big harmony.

This was not that.

This was discordant. This wasn't the sound of machinery, certainly not any machinery that was running properly. The changes were to the lengths of the sounds- they always ran slightly longer or slightly shorter than Marnie expected, throwing off the rhythm entirely. The pauses weren't even. The humming sounded stranger and stranger the more she listened, more and more out of place. It was uncomfortable to the point that it was almost painful.

Then, she entire tunnel shakes. 

Marnie claps a hand over her mouth to muffle a scream, heartbeat roaring in her ears. It's an earthquake, it's going to collapse, I'm going to get us killed-

But Bede looks... calm. A little surprised, maybe, but not scared. And that fact makes Marnie feel a tiny bit better, because she knows Bede would be absolutely livid if it was an earthquake.

The shaking is subtle, steady- not uneven or random like earthquakes are. A low roar accompanies it, also too constant to be a natural occurrence. It's machinery.

As the roar and the shaking both stop suddenly, Marnie realizes what that must've been.

Someone opened the door to the Plant.

She lurches forward and presses her ear against the crack, desperate for any sound, any kind of clue as to who it is and what is going on. I hate the bastard, but please let it be Rose, please let it be him, please let something be happening and please let me get to know what he's pla-

Harsh clicking sounds echo down from above.

Heels. Women's heels.

Not Rose.

Marnie curses internally. That would've been too fuckin' perfect, wouldn't it? I'm not lucky enough for that shit. Who the hell is it now? Why the fuck- She cuts her own train of thought off. Focus, Marnie. Come on. Get something out of this. I can't have dealt with Bede like this for nothing.

And by some blessing, the person above them starts to talk.

"I ought to get a damned exorcist," the woman hisses, the drawl of it echoing all the way down the cavern clearly. The voice isn't immediately familiar to Marnie, but it does seem... unique. Something about it pulls cobwebs off olds memories, starts dusting them so they're visible enough to grasp, but Marnie is more intent on listening than remembering right now.

"Bloody ghosts," the woman continues. "Twice that one, now. Same spot. Same face. It's bullshit, it has to be, I can not afford to lose my mind." Her voice shakes violently as she heaves shuddering breaths in between words. "Nothing can distract me, not even- not even ghosts. Not even kind ghosts. They cannot."

A long pause. Marnie holds her breath.

"What do you think?" The question is quiet, the tone softer now, less angry, closer to mournful than anything else. Some clacks quietly- teeth chattering. "I must already be crazy, truly, I- I still can't believe you're real," she whispers the last word, voice quivering with fear. There's so much raw emotion- panic, fear, despair, near hysteria- in her sentences that Marnie winces every time she says something new. "You've killed, and you're going to kill more if I cannot keep you under control. How he expects me to control an angry god, I don't know. I- I can't, there is no way this works for longer than another month. There is just no way. I would have found it by now."

Another pause, this one with the woman's words still hanging in the air.

There's a small thump and echo, like something hitting metal. "And he still won't listen," she continues, voice louder now, angrier. "I've shown him everything, everything, and he still-" Words morph into a cry of rage and frustration. "Twenty years! Twenty bloody years! And he does not listen!"

Another thumb and echo, this one accompanied by a tiny crack. The woman hisses in pain, sucking air through her teeth. "Bloody- fucking- shit-"

About thirty seconds pass, filled with shaky breaths and sniffles. "No," the woman croaks. "Enough. Enough. I cannot give up. Twenty years, and it has been spite, spite that has kept me alive, kept me here, and I am not abandoning it. I- I have nothing to go back to, and this- this has to be better than nothing. It has to be."

She pauses again to take a long, deep breath.

"You will see freedom over my dead body," she says, voice low and hoarse. "And if I am dead, the rest of the world dying will not be my problem."

It is quiet for a while after that. The woman is still there, Marnie can still hear her moving around, but she doesn't speak loud enough for her to hear anymore. She murmurs to herself, strings of syllables that Marnie can't catch. Her heels click on the floor as she moves, and eventually, they fade away. The door to the Plant begins to roar closed, and when it does, there is no more sound besides the humming and the clacking that was there before.

It's almost like nothing happened. Marnie holds her breath to listen, and she notices something new. Almost.

The humming is different. The length is still unpredictable, it's still odd and strange and wrong, but the tone of it is different. It's pitched higher by the tiniest amount- barely audible, so similar it has to be less than a half step, but Marnie notices. And it being higher only makes it twenty times worse to listen to. It's worse than nails on a chalkboard, the loudest of Pokemon screeches, clashing notes playing together, all of it all at once, it's so, so much worse. Something about it makes a heavy, heavy feeling of unease worm under Marnie's stomach. She feels a little nauseous. Everything about this is wrong.

Without thinking about it any more, Marnie seizes Bede's wrist and starts dragging him down the tunnel, back towards fresh air, away from that- that awful sound.

"What the-" Bede yelps as he's thrown against the floor, narrowly missing a stalagmite and getting a face full of dust. "Ack! Marnie, what the-" He snatches his wrist back and gets to his feet, but Marnie does not wait for him. She's already around the corner by the time he starts to follow. "Hello?! Marnie, what the fuck is your problem?!"

"Shut the fuck up!" She shouts back. "I'm fuckin' tired o' your ass! Just fuckin' walk!"

She storms up the tunnel without looking back, turning her flashlight back on. She hears scrabbling and cursing behind her, which means Bede is following. Gods, I should fuckin' leave him here. Prick. What's my problem- he's my problem, bloody Maccie scum. Put me in a piss poor mood. Fuckin' hell.

She's about halfway up the tunnel when Bede grabs her by the shoulder and yanks her back, sounding more concerned than angry. "What is wrong with you?!"

Marnie stumbles into him before shoving him away, sending him careening into the wall. He hisses in pain, but Marnie doesn't care. She doesn't not have the patience to care anymore.

"Leave me alone!" Marnie balls her hands into fists as she screeches at the top of her lungs. "You are a prick an' a complete ass an' pathetic and I'm fuckin' tired o' dealin' with you! We aren't friends, stop actin' like you care 'bout me!"

Bede leans heavily against the wall, gritting his teeth and squinting as Marnie shines the flashlight directly at him. "Calm down and stop yelling."

"No! You're a fuckin' disgrace, you know that? You keep tryin' t' convince everyone you've changed, that you're not a complete ass now, but I know exactly what you are," Marnie snarls, taking a step toward him. "I know exactly what you are 'cause you called me ev'ry name under the sun fo' six months, said my city was a waste o' space when you've nev'r had a bad day in your life. You are spoiled an' selfish an' the same scum you were the day I met you. You don't get t' act like you care after everything you did! You don't get t' act like you care 'bout us when you still treat me like a child! I've lived through worse than you!"

Bede hesitates for a moment, the anger in his eyes faltering. "I- I'm not-"

"You keep treatin' me, treatin' us, like we're fuckin' helpless when we all practically raised ourselves!" Marnie continues, everything she's been carefully suppressing for the last week. "You have no idea what our lives have been like, an' you keep tryna act like you care, like you understand us, when you don't." Marnie spits. "You don't understand us, you nev'r have, and you nev'r will. You should be rottin' in jail like you deserve!"

The last sentence seems to echo louder than necessary. Bede stares at Marnie, eyes wide. Marnie heaving is air, trying to calm her pounding heart after screaming for so long. Her throat feels raw and her hands are shaking. Both of them are still standing there frozen by the time the echo fades.

Something in Bede's eyes slowly crumples in on itself, and he slides down the wall and onto the floor. "Yeah," he croaks. "I mean, you're right about a lot of that.

"I'm not gonna argue with you about who lived through worse. That's not productive. Opal taught me that everyone's own battles are the hardest things they'll ever face, and you can't compare that shit. And I-" he stops, glancing up at Marnie. "I get that you hate me. I'm not mad at you for that. I get that, really, I would hate my guts too if I were you.

"I'm not good at making friends. I'm rude when I try to be funny and overly blunt and standoffish and, well, an ass, and the only person who's ever had enough patience to put up with me is Opal. I know I'm difficult. I know I'm not easy to get along with. I'm trying to work on it. Being vulnerable isn't easy, but Opal says that being vulnerable is strong, and she's right about that. That's what lets you bond with people. That's why Hop and Finn are so close. And I wish I had something like that.

"I- I don't do this ever. I thought I had my life figured out. Be the Gym Leader, take care of Opal, prove to Rose and Oleana that they were wrong about me. Easy, right?" He chuckles a little bit- empty, hoarse, sad. "And then you show up. You and Hop and Finn. And this has been a- a royal mess, I'll tell you that, but it's also been fun. I- I don't have fun in Ballonlea, not like this. Not with anyone but Opal, and that's different. But it's been a blast, even though we're trying to stop what is probably the end of the world, given-" Bede waves a hand back down the tunnel, in the direction of the Plant. "That. And I- I'm acting like I care because I do, and I don't- I don't like saying that out loud. I don't know why. But I care, and I care a lot, and I'm trying to make up for all of the shit I did. And I know it'll probably never be enough. But I want to try. I'm treating you like this because I care. Not because I don't think you can fend for yourself or be independent, but because I don't want you to have to. Because I definitely know what that feels like, and it sucks. But you'd rather be angry at me than do anything productive and that's- that's not okay. That's how I was after the mural, after the hospital, and that doesn't get you anywhere. And you're- you're allowed to be angry, but you can't let it dictate everything you do, because then you end up hurting other people. I understand that now."

Marnie thinks of Finn's face and winces.

"I- I just want to help," Bede sighs and finishes rambling. "That's all I've ever wanted to do."

Marnie wants to yell at him again, but after that, she can't. Fuckin' hell. She processes for a moment, letting the silence hang between them. She knows that he's right, and she hates it, but she also knows that he's right about her being angry.

So, instead of doing anything else, she sits down across from him with a huff. He blinks at her, looking a little surprised.

Marnie thinks for a while before saying anything. I've been letting my memories of him cloud my judgement of him now. People change, I know that. Finn changed. He can change too, and he has, I think. I just didn't want to see it.

"Look," she starts with a heavy sigh. "I've... prob'ly been a bit harsh. An' you've- you've been more patient with me than I've been with you. An' that's... not r'lly okay. Not when you're jus' tryna help, and I've been tryna ignore that 'cause I don't like you. And that's not fair, y' follow?"

Bede gives her a tiny nod.

"So, you're right, about me bein' angry. I am angry. I- I always have been angry, 'cause I've always had a reason t' be angry. Spikemuth's been fallin' apart fo' longer than I can remember, and I don't know how my bro handles it as well as he does. I mean, our parents died because of a fire, and that fire wasn't an accident. He saw it. I would've lost my bloody mind by now."

"Gods," Bede mutters. 

"Yeah. But he- he sort o' treats me the same way you do, he tries t' take care o' me even though he knows I can do 't on my own. An' that's not me sayin' you're like a brother to me, 'cause you're not, an' I don't say sappy shit like that t' anyone but Finn an' Hop anyways. But I- I know that you've been tryin', an' I've been ignorin' that on purpose, an' that's not okay."

"Is that an apology?" One of Bede's eyebrows twitches upwards.

"No," Marnie responds. "It's me sayin' I was wrong."

He snorts. "Are those not the same thing?"

"Stuff 't, I'm not done," Marnie snaps. "The point is- I will try not t' bite your head off every time you do somethin' nice fo' me from now on. I will shut the fuck up and say thank you, because you- you don't deserve t' be treated like that. And 'm the same way where I don't like t' say that I care, even when I do." She hesitates again before sighing and muttering under her breath. "And, fo' what it's worth, jail is bullshit anyway."

Bede snorts. "Thanks, Princess. Can we call it even?"

Marnie rolls her eyes but stands and extends a hand down to him anyway. "In your dreams, scumbag."

Bede snickers and pulls himself up. When Marnie lets go and he tries to take a step forward, he winces and leans back against the wall. "Shit."

"What?"

"Rolled my ankle. The- the real one."

That was probably me, Marnie thinks guiltily. She sighs and offers Bede an arm. He hesitates for a moment before shifting off the wall and wrapping his right arm around her shoulders to support himself, and they start making their way up the tunnel.

"Thanks," Bede whispers after a few moments.

"I could still drop you," Marnie smirks, tone light. "Don't get used t' it."

An Hour Later

Both Finn and Hop are awake by the time Marnie and Bede get back to the park. Finn is practically besides themself- pacing around the campfire while Hop stares into the orange glow worriedly, feet tapping the ground rapidly. When Marnie and Bede emerge out of the bushes, Finn bolts at Marnie and pulls her into a fierce hug, ripping her away from Bede.

"Where in the Distortion World have you been?!" They yell almost directly into Marnie's ears, fingers clutching at her jacket. "It's been hours! Do you have any idea-"

Marnie cuts them off by hugging back, resting her head on their shoulder. "I'm sorry," she murmurs quietly, too quietly for anyone else to hear. "I shouldn't have gone off without telling you. I know you've been scared. An' I shouldn't have said what I did. You were right." Marnie draws back, glancing at Bede, who Hop and rushed over to support to keep him from falling over. "People do change."

Finn hesitates before slowly letting Marnie go, pulling back to look at her. "It's okay, I- I just..." They trail off and heave a deep breath in before glancing between Bede and Marnie. "Where were you two?"

Bede snorts. "Well, when I got back to camp after taking a long ass walk, nobody was here. I figured you two-" he gestures at Finn and Hop, "were together, so I decided to find Marnie and make sure she wasn't doing anything rash. Hatterene helped me track her because she was so angry and scared- they could sense you from miles away. Anyways, I caught up with her as she got onto castle grounds, and-"

"I snuck into the tunnels 'neath the castle," Marnie cuts him off, wanting to tell the story herself. "I knew 'bout one that was open from the outside and went all the way down t' the Power Plant, and it's got a little hole in the wall that you can see and hear through. I wanted t' get some information-"

"Which was stupid and dangerous-" Bede interjects, but Marnie keeps talking over him.

"And then that idiot decided t' try and scare me half t' death-"

"And you slapped me, which I honestly deserved-"

"And then we went down t' the Plant and caught some crazy lady talkin' 'bout ghosts and the end o' the world-"

Bede snorts. "You can say that again."

"And then we came back," Marnie finishes. "So, pretty successful, I think."

"And we finally have confirmation that Oleana is off her rocker," Bede adds. "That'll make it easier to get the police to believe me the next time she frames me for something."

Hop and Finn freezes at the mention of Rose's assistant, while Marnie snaps her head over to Bede. "Since when was this about her?"

"Huh?" Bede frowns and folds his arms. "The fuck are you on about, Princess?"

Marnie stares at him for a moment before realizing what he's implying. "Wait-"

"You seriously didn't recognize her voice?" Bede raises an eyebrow. "That was her. In the Plant. Rambling like a maniac."

Marnie remembers how Bede had gone rigid in the corner of her eye when that voice had started to filter through the crack in the wall, and realizes why now. "I- Wh- You're not fuckin' with me, are you? You're sure it was her?"

Bede snorts. "I think I'd know what she sounded like, she was the one that ordered me around for months on end." Bede rolls his eyes before his expression shifts from annoyance to something grimmer. "I've... never heard her like that before, though. Never... scared."

"That... definitely changes things," Hop murmurs. "If Oleana is freaked out, something is seriously wrong."

"What did she say she was tryin' to control?" Marnie turns to Bede. "Somethin' about some god?"

"An angry god," Bede corrects, limping over to the fire and sitting down. Hop follows, helping him along. "And Rose won't listen to her about it, I guess."

"I- I thought they got along," Marnie stammers, grabbing Finn's hand and pulling them over to the fire with her. "I mean, they've been workin' together fo'-"

Bede cuts her off with a shake of his head. "Oleana's at Rose's throat practically all the time, at least while I was..." he swallows and sighs. "They don't. Get along, that is. I'm pretty sure Oleana does most of the work but doesn't get any credit, and she's livid about it. She's not a happy person, that's for sure."

"I don't get why she wouldn't have quit if she hated Rose, though. I mean-" Hop frowns and grabs his notebook, starting to scribble things down. "If she's done most of Macro Cosmos' work, why couldn't she run her own company?"

Bede shakes his head again. "She doesn't have the status. Grew up in Spikemuth, I think. People only know about her because Rose took her under his wing." He wrinkles his nose. "I don't think anybody really knows why, though."

"How d' you know this?" Marnie asks, sitting down. "Did someone tell you?"

Bede shakes his head a third time. "Read it in a magazine a while back," he shrugs. "She doesn't do interviews often, so the publication made a big deal about it. I don't think it ended up being very popular, though."

"That's so strange," Hop mutters. "She always came off as- I- I dunno, she just seems bored all the time. I didn't think she really had to do anything other than paperwork."

"Me too," Marnie agrees. "And somethin' is definitely wrong if she's losin' it."

Hop glances at Bede again. "Did she say anyth-"

"She's the tall lady, right?"

The group turns to look at Finn, who has been very quiet during the whole conversation. Their fingers are tangled in their drawstrings, and they're staring at the ground.

"Oleana. She's tall, right?" They repeat, still not looking up. "Tall and pale? Green eyes?"

Bede squints at them. "Uh... yeah. Why?"

Finn goes pale. "I- I saw her."

Nobody else seems to follow. "What?" Marnie prompts them gently.

"I- I saw her. When I went to get the pastries from that cafe. And before I got to Spikemuth, too. Same place," their words start coming faster. "I thought she was the owner the first time, and I needed food and money and-"

"Finn, slow down-" Hop tries to calm them, but they shake their head and keep talking.

"She said she wouldn't tell anyone I took anything if I didn't tell anyone she was there. I didn't recognize her then, but- I- That was her," they whisper. "She was scared, and exhausted, and upset, and I thought she- she needed help, so I offered to take her to a shelter or a hospital, and she said no, and then when I saw her again a few days ago she- she started talking about how she thought she had hallucinated me, and how she didn't need my help with anything, and then she told me to leave. Two months, maybe three months inbetween? I- I don't know, I-" they look up at Hop, eyes wide and terrified. "I would've told you sooner, I swear, I just- I didn't know it was her and-"

"Hey, stop, it's okay," Marnie says, pulling them close without really thinking about it. "We trust you. Quit talkin' like that."

"Did she say anything about, like, a god or somethin'?" Hop asks gently. "Anything ominous?"

"She-" Finn inhales shakily. Marnie can feel their ribs shuddering against her own. "She said the world was going to end."

Their words hang over the group like a guillotine as they stare at Finn in stunned silence. Finally, Bede groans loudly and flops backwards onto the ground, staring up at the sky. "Bloody hell. We're fucked."

Hop rubs his eyes. "I need to sleep."

"We all do," Marnie replies. "It's nearly four, and the train for Moto leaves at five later today. We're all exhausted."

Bede sits up. "Princess is right. We aren't going to figure out what to do next while we can't think straight, that's a bad idea."

Hop sighs but stands. "Yeah, yeah. Alright. We can all talk more in the morning, yeah?"

The group comes to a quick agreement and quickly prepares for bed, Finn volunteering for watch first. Marnie crawls into her sleeping bag and is asleep the second her head hits the pillow, utterly exhausted from all of what they've discovered.

August 20th, 11:40 AM

Bede is the last to wake up of the four of them, and emerges from his tent to find Marnie, Finn, and Hop trying to disassemble their own tent. Well, Hop is wresting with the structural rods, Finn is staring at the instructions, and Marnie is shaking her head and watching from the remnants of the campfire, where she's eating an apple tart that Finn got from the cafe. Bede snorts as Hop narrowly dodges getting hit in the face with a rod he had just let go of.

"Mate, there's a button," he calls over to him. Hop blinks, inspects the rods, and lets out a little triumphant cry.

"Haha!" The rod finally retracts, and Hop goes about getting the other rods down to travel size. "Thanks! It's been a bit since I've been properly camping."

"Clearly," Bede mutters, rolling his eyes and joining Marnie by the campfire. She breaks off a piece of the tart and offers it to him, which he accepts.

Finn glances over at them. "Now that we're all awake, can we agree on a new rule, please?"

Hop stops and tilts his head curiously while Bede and Marnie glance at each other. I have a feeling I already know what this is about, Marnie thinks as she nods.

"Can we agree that nobody gets to go off on their own anymore without telling anyone where they're going?" Finn looks between Hop and Bede. "It's getting too dangerous, and I- I don't want to lose anyone."

Marnie winces. That's... that's fair, actually. This is more urgent than we really thought, and we're messing with things way out of our league.

Bede rolls his eyes and agrees begrudingly. "Alright, alright."

Hop nods and smiles before going back to deconstructing the tent. "'Course, Finn."

Marnie sighs before grumbling. "Yeah, got it. That... that was stupid o' me, I know."

"I'm not mad," Finn clarifies quickly. "We just can't get separated at this point. Bede said that Macro Cosmos disappears anyone they don't like, and trying to figure out whatever's actually going on in the Power Plant will probably get us on that list. Even though I think all of you are already on it but me." They sigh. "But yeah, no- no getting disappeared. None of you are allowed to do that."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Hop calls from inside the tent. Finn rolls their eyes but smiles regardless. When Hop emerges, he hits one last button on a rod on his way out, and the entire tent collapses behind him. "There."

"Perfect," Marnie and Bede snort in unison. Finn laughs before getting up to help Hop collect the rods and leftover tarps.

"We should go over what we know," Bede declares as he finishes his piece of the apple tart. "Just so that we're all on the same page."

Marnie nods. "That makes sense. Mister History?"

"Hm?" Hop glances at Marnie. "You sure you want me to talk first?"

"You understand the most 'bout all of the ancient legend stuff," she points out. "That feels like a decent place t' start."

"Let me grab my notebook," Hop mutters, darting over to his backpack. Finn has just finished pulled all of the rods into a pile and is grabbing the tent's travel bag.

"Okay," Hop announces. "Here's what I've got:

"The Darkest Day was some big ancient storm that made Pokemon get huge and go on rampages, which basically destroyed the region. It was stopped by two heroes and the sword and shield Pokemon. Ancient historians wrote texts recording the Darkest Day and warning future generations how to avoid it, and that's what I'm working on translating. Two chunks are done so far, I'm having trouble with the four I got from visiting the vault. What we do know is the 'hearts that don't beat must be purged' section and the 'heart of the storm in the bed' section. Do I need to go over those?"

Everyone shakes their heads. Hop continues.

"Great. We don't really know what the first one means in the context of today besides, y'know, be wary. The second one could be talking about the cavern we found under the Stow-On-Side statues, but we don't really have any confirmation. The 'fathomless bed' could be just about anywhere. If we do think it's Stow-On-Side, though, the 'the heart of the storm' is missing, which is a very, very bad thing, since I'm guessing that it's what caused the Darkest Day in the first place. We need to find it and make sure it's not about to like, explode, I guess. I dunno."

"The Darkest Day relates to the Overloading Incidents because they both have something to do with Dynamax," Finn jumps in where Hop ends off. "Overloading Incidents happen when there's like, too many particles in the air, so Pokemon can't absorb them properly and end up Dynamaxing and freaking out. The Darkest Day made Pokemon get big and also freak out, so I'm guessing that the Darkest Day was some kind of mass Overloading Incident? Or multiple happening at the same time?" They glance at Hop. "Does that seem like a reasonable assumption?"

He nods. "Pretty sound, I think."

"Anyways, both Overloading Incidents and the Darkest Day need to be prevented from happening again because of the danger they pose to both humans and Pokemon," Finn continues. "Which is where the Power Plant comes in. The Power Plant is run by Macro Cosmos and uses the same... does it?" They look to Hop again. "Does it use the same stuff that makes Pokemon Dynamax to make energy?"

Hop screws up his face. "Imma be honest, I've got no clue. I think the Plant uses the stuff Pokemon put off after they Dynamax, but I might be wrong."

"Well, we can definitely say that the Power Plant and Dynamax have some kind of connection." Finn sighs and rubs their eyes. "I hate science. Anyways. We think the Power Plant is causing Overloading Incidents because it causes earthquakes, which usually precede or coincide with Overloading Incidents. Heavy emphasis is usually."

"We're jumping to a lot of conclusions," Bede mutters, folding his arms. "I'm not saying you're wrong, it's just that this is all crazy."

"Shut your gob an' let 'em talk," Marnie snaps, smacking his arm.

"I... I'm still sort of failing to see where the Darkest Day and the Power Plant connect, though," Finn murmurs. "Besides the fact that the Power Plant relies on Dynamax stuff and Overloading Incidents- mini Darkest Days? Maybe?- are probably caused by it. That connection doesn't feel... I don't know, feasible enough. Like, yeah, it works, but only if you squint."

Hop groans. "I know. I keep thinking about it. I'm thinking that if the Darkest Day was a series of major Overloading Incidents, it happened because there were a lot of the particle things in the air, yeah? So the heart of the storm thing makes it so that all of those particles are there because it causes the Darkest Day... I think." He shakes his head. "I feel like I'm just spouting nonsense at this point."

"It's okay," Finn consoles him with a smile. "We'll figure it out. Sonia will definitely be able to help."

"Speaking of, we've got to finish packing the tent," Hop says, but Marnie doesn't really hear him. Her phone is buzzing in her pocket, repeatedly and steadily. She frowns and pulls it out, looking at who's calling her. She doesn't recognize the number, so she hits decline and slides it back into her pocket. Spam, probably.

But her phone starts buzzing again just as soon as it's out of sight. Marnie sighs and pulls it out again to find the same number on the screen. She rolls her eyes and hits accept, putting the phone to her ear. Whoever it is won't leave me alone until I pick up. "'Ello?"

"Hello?" The voice on the other end is unfamiliar, soft and light but a little shaky. "Is this Marnie Morrison?"

The hell?! "Uh... who is this?"

"My name is Annette Grena. I'm a Gym Trainer at the Ballonlea Gym. This is the phone number for... important matters regarding Bede that Ms. Opal gave me for while he was away. Is he with you at the moment?"

"Uh..." Marnie glances at Bede, who is watching Hop and Finn struggle to cram the rods and tarps of the tent into the travel bag. She takes a deep breath, still trying to recover after being caught off guard. "Why do you need him?"

"I... I'm afraid it's an important personal matter. I'll have to speak to him directly," Annette replies, tone quivering nervously.

Marnie frowns. "Hold on jus' a sec," she replies, dropping the phone away from her ear. "Hey, scumbag!"

"What?" Bede responds, not looking at her. "Princess, how many kids do you think it takes to pack up a travel tent?"

Marnie rolls her eyes. "There's an Annette on the phone for you."

Bede's head immediately snaps to her. "Annette? Annette Grena?" He stands and approaches Marnie quickly. "What is it?" He asks, voice hushed as he frowns. "What does she want?"

Marnie shrugs and hand the phone to Bede. "Find out."

"Hello? Annette?" Bede talks into the phone quickly, quietly, turning away from Marnie. "Yes, it's me. What's-" Marnie sees his shoulders tense up as Annette replies. "Quit apologizing and tell me what's-" Bede snaps into the phone, starting to pace. "Is it a Pokemon? Was there an Overloading Incident at the Gym? In Ballonlea? Is someone-"

Bede freezes abruptly, his entire body going rigid. "What... what about her?" Bede whispers. Marnie can see the hand that's holding the phone trembling slightly. "Annette, what-" Marnie can only see a bit of his face, but all of the color seems to drain from it. He stares off into space for a moment or two, mouth hanging open like he's about to say something. Then, he closes his eyes. "I... I understand. I'll... be back. As soon as possible. Thank you."

With that, he hangs up the phone and lets his arms go limp. Marnie protests as her phone falls to the grass. 

"Careful! Phones ain't cheap, scumbag!" She reaches down to pick it up, but when she sees the expression on the small bit of Bede's face that she can see, she stops dead. "What?"

Bede turns to her slowly. "I..." He sniffles quietly, and that's when Marnie notices tears pooling in the corner of his violet eyes. "I... Opal..."

Marnie's stomach drops to somewhere past her feet, somewhere into the core of the planet. "What happened t' Opal, Bede?"

"S-s-sick," he stammers out before tears finally break free from his eyes and cut down his cheeks. He rubs them away. "Sick b-b-b-bad."

Marnie stares at him for a moment, at this Bede she doesn't recognize. A crying Bede, upset beyond words, beyond an emotion that could be put into words.

I saw that. I saw that the first time I saw someone die.

That realization immediately snaps Marnie into action. "Then you need t' go," she states, turning and walking quickly for his tent. "Let's get your tent down, an' we'll get you a taxi-"

"Wait, what?" Finn stops what they're doing, confused. "Bede's leaving? I thought-"

"Opal's sick," Marnie shoots back quickly, matter-of-factly, moving almost on autopilot. "He needs t' go back to Ballonlea. Now."

Those words take a moment to register with Finn and Hop, but when they do, both of them drop everything.

"What?!" Hop shouts. "Since when?!"

"Since now," Marnie snaps. "Are you going to help, or are you going to gawk at me while I get his shit together so he can leave?"

"No," Bede cuts in, voice low and cold. "No. I'll handle it. Those two couldn't bring my tent down without breaking it."

"Bede, we can help-" Finn protests, but Bede cuts them off.

"This isn't about you! Back off!" He snarls, storming over to his tent, suddenly full of anger. "I'll handle it myself! I don't need help!"

Hop looks like he's about to say something, but Marnie holds up a hand. She steps aside to allow Bede into his tent. She steps away as the sounds of frantic rummaging through backpacks and zippers being pulled on too hard filters out of the tent walls, and walks to Hop and Finn slowly.

"He's upset," she says quietly. "We can help him, but we can't get in his way. Neither o' you are allowed t' upset him more, got it?"

Hop and Finn look at each other, still stunned. When both them finally nod, Marnie lets out a small sigh. "Good. Hop, go empty out a bag we can spare an' refill Bede's water bottle. Finn, grab whatever leftover food we have that Opal gave us and pit it in that bag. I'm goin' t' get everything else that's his an' pack it up."

The three of them spring into action, doing exactly as Marnie has told them. By the time they're done, Bede has deconstructed his tent and has it in its travel bag, and is throwing his things together in a pile. Hatterene has come out of their Pokeball at some point and is following Bede around, helping move things and making soft, murmuring sounds at their trainer in an attempt to soothe him. Marnie can't tell if it works or not.

While she's calculating how much a flying taxi from Hammerlocke to Ballonlea will be, Bede releases his Rapidash and whispers something to him, to which Rapidash nods and settles down onto the ground. Bede hooks some kind of harness onto him, and then starts hooking his lighter bags to that harness.

When he catches Marnie frowning, he shakes his head. "Rapidash will be faster. He can navigate the Tangle."

Marnie nods. "Makes sense."

After everything, Bede is packed up and ready to go in about seven minutes. He glances back at Hop, Finn, and Marnie as he steps towards Rapidash, and stops.

Hop walks towards him slowly. He says something quietly that Marnie can't hear, and Bede shakes his head. Hop nods and pulls Bede into an awkward but genuine hug. 

"Thanks for taggin' along for a bit, mate," he says, a little louder this time. "Hope everything turns out alright."

Finn approaches Bede as Hop releases him, holding out a brown paper bag. "I- I made you sandwiches," they tell him, trying and failing to keep their voice from trembling and their bottom lip from quivering. "For the road."

Bede actually pulls them into a hug this time. Finn squeaks in surprise before hugging back, shoulders starting to shake. 

"I don't know what to say." Finn's voice is muffled, but Marnie can still tell how upset they are. "I'm- I'm not good at words when it's like this, I'm sorry."

Bede shakes his head. "Thank you anyway."

Marnie sighs. Guess it's my turn. She walks up to Bede and extends a hand to him. "Can't say I'll miss you, scumbag. But I didn't end up hating this as much as I thought."

Bede smiles, but she can tell it's hollow. "Thanks, Princess," he croaks, shaking her hand. "Go kick some Maccie ass for me."

Marnie nods. "Stay safe, Bede. I mean it."

Bede nods, finds Hatterene's Pokeball and recalls them, and turns back to Rapidash, hauling himself up onto his back. He looks down at his companions as he buries his hands in Rapidash's mane.

"Thank you," he manages. "I..."

Marnie shakes her head. "Get outta here. You've got places t' be."

Bede glances at her before nodding. "Yeah."

And with one last nod to his new friends and a pat on Rapidash's neck, he's gone.

August 20th, 8:30 AM

Leon yawns as the Flying Taxi that he's been watching get bigger and bigger in the sky finally starts to descend towards him. It's a miracle I didn't fall asleep standing here. I just have to make it through this conference. And this interview. And this... Gods.

Eight more days. One more week, Leon, come on.

As the Taxi finally touches down, he waves up to the Macro Cosmos cabbie before frowning as he notices the cabin is empty.

"Mate, isn't Oleana meant to be here too?" He calls up to them, confused at Oleana's absence. I mean, I'd skip this conference if I could too, it's all just scheduling for the Gym Challenge, but she doesn't do that.

It occurs to Leon then that he doesn't remember a time where Oleana had missed a meeting. That makes him worry more. Where is she?

"Didn't you hear?" The cabbie calls back down to him, taking off their goggles. "She's in the hospital."

And Leon feels like he's been dropped off a cliff. Again.

"What?!"

"Yeah, it's crazy," the cabbie responds, not recognizing the panic in Leon's voice. "Had some kind of nasty seizure, I heard. Someone found her-"

"What hospital?!" Leon demands, cutting the cabbie off, already releasing Charizard from her Pokeball.

"Uh, Hammerlocke Central, I think." The cabbie frowns. "I don't think it's a good ide-"

Leon is hardly onto Charizard's back when he gives her the command. "Go."

Charizard roars and takes flight, slicing through the air, careening south with her trainer clinging to her neck for dear life. 

Leon does not think about what he's doing until they're halfway to Hammerlocke. Why am I so worried about someone I'm going to abandon in eight days?

But his stomach does not stop plummeting. His heart does not stop racing. His body does not stop reacting, panicking, screaming at the fact that Oleana is in the bloody hospital.

And he knows that caring this much is only going to make what he's going to do in eight days so much more difficult.

Chapter Text

Behind Her Face And Above Her Throat

The glass is everywhere.

"W-wh..."

The tiny voice behind me grabs my attention. I turn and see a child- the child, golden eyes and violet hair and shaking hands and all. He stares up at me, trembling, eyes wide, breaths quick and shallow. He's still young, still too young to manage the tufts of his hair that stick out awkwardly, too young to understand what he's gotten himself into, too young to understand the colossal weight on his shoulders.

"What did you do?"

Seven eyes glow in the darkness behind him, indigo tendrils slowly creeping towards us, claws extending, maw open-

I realize too late. I take one step forward and the beast lunges, teeth closing over his head, claws puncturing his abdomen. There is no sound besides the cracking of bones.

I scream-

August 20th, 12:04 PM

"No!" 

The shriek claws through the cracks of the door, muffled but anguished and panicked all the same. Leon jumps out of his chair and bolts down the hall, looking for a nurse, any nurse. The first one he happens upon is just around the corner, clipboard in hand. She just barely darts out of the way before Leon runs into her.

"Awake," he says, pointing in the direction of Oleana's room. "She's awake."

The nurse nods and pulls out her radio, murmuring into it rapidly as she sets off down the hall at a brisk pace. Leon follows her, not wanting to get in her way but still worried, still panicking, still anxious. What if she hit her head too hard when she fell, what if the seizure messed with her head, what if-

The doctor holds up a hand to Leon as he tried to enter the room behind her. "I need to check a few things first. You'll be able to see her soon."

Leon nods and slumps back into his chair next to the door, resigned. He watches a few other nurses come and go, all of them glancing at him pitifully. I must look a mess.

After about ten minutes, the first nurse steps out again and taps Leon on the shoulder. "You can see her now," she tells him quietly.

Leon stands immediately and goes to enter as the nurse walks away, but his hand hovers over the handle. What the hell am I meant to say? What happened? How are you feeling? Are you okay? Why did you have a bloody seizure when nothing's ever been medically wrong with you before?

He takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the piercing fluorescent lights and the sterile halls around him. I'm... I can't be in a hospital. I'm not supposed to be in a hospital, things are always wrong in a hospital-

His panic digs up an unpleasant memory. His own forearm, burning, covered in warm, sticky liquid, his Honedge shrieking somewhere nearby, Charmeleon poking his face with her snout to try and get him to respond, black blotches in the sand beneath him, trying to hold the wound closed and screaming-

Stop. Stop it. Leon takes a deep, shaky breath, closes his eyes, and shoves the memory back into the recesses of his brain, the places he won't consciously let himself go. You- you have to be calm. You're calm. You're just- you're just in a hospital. He opens his eyes and stares at the door, willing himself to move. Come on, Lee, get on with it.

He finally lets himself in.

The room is quiet and a bit dark, standard for a hospital room- two beds with white sheets, a cream curtain separating them, but no inhabitants besides  Oleana. Midday sun filters in through a tiny, dirty window near the ceiling. It almost feels like more of a jail cell than a hospital room.

The moment he passes the curtain, Oleana groans. "Of course it's you."

The bitterness in her voice takes Leon aback, but not quite as much as seeing Oleana in a hospital bed. She looks so much worse than the last time he saw her- skin paler than usual, eyes more sunken in now, arms thinner. Half of the bed is tilted upwards so she's sitting up, and even in a hospital gown, she maintains her air of knowing, knowing exactly what to do, knowing exactly what Leon is doing, knowing exactly all of the things that Leon doesn't. Constantly calculating. Even now, she's looking at him like she's considering the probability that he'll say something foolish, and is completely ready to judge him for it.

Leon takes a deep breath and point at one of the chairs beside her bed. "Can... may I?"

"No," she responds immediately. "You have places you should be."

Leon folds his arms. "Do you really think I care about some bullshit meeting right now?"

"You always were too immature," Oleana hisses, glaring at Leon. "You've always been a problem. You're going to miss something important, and then it will be my fault-"

For once, Leon realizes exactly what this is, and responds accordingly. "Nothing is your fault right now- you're in the bloody hospital. And I'm an adult, I'll take responsibility for whatever I miss." Oleana stares at him for a moment, some emotion flickering in her eyes- guilt? anger? both?- before avoiding eye contact. "You are what matters to me right now- you've just had a seizure, Oleana, I want to know that you're okay."

"I'm alive, aren't I?" She mutters, glancing back at Leon.

He shakes his head. "Not the same thing."

She heaves an annoyed sigh. "I told him this would happen," she grumbles. Before Leon has time to ask what, she continues. "The doctors don't think it's something with my head. I am 'severely malnourished', allegedly, and they think it's mostly that. I don't have epilepsy or PNES- not that I know of, at least. I don't have any underlying medical condition that would have caused it."

"That's- that's good, yeah?" Leon offers, not quite sure what to say.

"I suppose," she mutters. "They needed me awake for consent to run tests. The nurse said they wouldn't get results for another day or two, which means-" Oleana stops very abruptly. Something shifts, less towards normal and more towards bad. The air almost seems to get heavier, thicker.

"Is... is something-"

"What day is it?" Oleana asks in a low monotone, eyes wide and filled with something that looks like fear. 

The realization hits Leon like a truck. He takes a step back. Fear. From Oleana. What- what's going-

"What day is it?" She hisses, swinging her legs out of bed and getting to her feet, hospital gown crinkling as she goes. She takes a few staggering steps towards Leon, to which he steps back more. "Tell me, Leon. Now."

Leon doesn't quite hear what she's saying- he's too aware of the fact that Oleana's entire body is trembling violently, legs shaking as they support her body, arms shivering as they keep her balance, torso shuddering as it heaves for air. His voice rises in alarm without him meaning it to. "Sit down, you're going to-"

"What DAY IS IT?!" Oleana roars, teeth bared in a wild snarl, eyebrows knitted into one another, veins popping out of her forehead and neck, her rage just as evident as her weakness. She's got that look about her again, like she's cornered-

"It's the 20th," a new voice calls from the doorway, calm with some insidious undertone that Leon knows all too well. He whips around to see Rose walking in, usual gray suit and red tie on, completely unperturbed about that fact that his secretary is now on her knees, retching violently, spit forming a small puddle on the floor. Leon tries to take a step towards her, to help her to her feet, to a trash can, to her bed, something, but he sees Rose raise a hand out of the corner of his eye and instinctively stops. I hate that I do that without thinking, Leon hisses internally, I hate that, I hate it I hate it I hate it.

Leon finally comes to his senses. "Nurse!"

Footsteps echo closer from the hall. Rose's face twists into a frown, but he says nothing. A few moments later, the first nurse rushes in and goes to Oleana immediately, shooing the men in the room out as she helps her up. "Out. Both of you."

Leon nods and takes a few steps for the door, but Rose doesn't move. "I'd like to speak to my secretary."

"You can later," the nurse shoots back, dragging some machine on wheels over to the bed, which Oleana is now sitting on the edge of. "She's not fit for visitors yet."

Rose opens his mouth to protest again, but Leon cuts him off. "It's fine. She needs rest. Can I speak to you in the hall, please?"

Rose glances between Oleana, Leon, and the nurse, expression souring before he turns and heads for the hall. "Very well."

Once Leon shuts the door, he immediately turns to Rose, desperately trying to keep the anger brewing in his chest from coming to a boil. "Where have you been?"

"Working," Rose replies evenly. "Have you been here?"

"For three hours," Leon hisses. "She only woke up a few minutes ago. Why-"

"This is... curious," Rose murmurs, not paying much attention to Leon. "I wonder... she doesn't have any underlying conditions, does she?"

Leon blinks. "No, but-"

"Perhaps it was stress, then?"

"I- I think-"

"I suppose they'll run tests and figure it out," Rose continues, still not looking at Leon, still seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Leon knows better than to believe that, though. "It's not a cause for concern. She must be ill someho-"

"She hasn't been eating," Leon finally cuts Rose off, tired of being interrupted. "She hasn't been eating, or sleeping, or taking care of herself, because she's so caught up in whatever y-" He catches himself and takes a deep breath. "Whatever she's working on."

Rose raises an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

"She- she told me," Leon says, hesitating slightly. "Last week. After I came up to your office in the middle of the night."

Something in Rose's eyes darkens. "Did she, now?"

Leon tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as his anger subsides. "She- is she working on something for the Power Plant? Is that what you were tal-"

"Enough," Rose hisses, cutting Leon off and making him flinch backwards. He takes a deep breath before continuing, regaining his composure. "This is something we can discuss later. Why are you still here instead of the scheduling meeting?"

Leon stares at him, somewhat stunned. "I- I'm worried? About Oleana?" Are you not?

Rose waves a hand in the air dismissively. "This is merely cause and effect, my boy- nothing to be concerned about. I've discussed her working habits with her before, but she is..." he trails off, searching for the right word as Leon practically gawks at him. "Stubborn, as I'm sure you know. She did not adhere to my instructions, and now she is here."

"Y-you can't be serious," Leon breathes. "She's just had a seizure. Something could be seriously wrong- she- if no one had found her, she could've been hurt worse, or- or-"

"Enough worrying," Rose says firmly. "You're being overly anxious. Oleana is fine. Nothing is wrong. Do you have any other serious concerns?"

Leon lets the silence stretch for what feels like years. He wants to scream, to shake Rose by the shoulders, to cry on the spot, to throw something, do something with everything inside of him, because what does he mean he's worrying too much? What does he mean she's fine? Nothing's wrong? She had a seizure! Does he understand that? Does he- does he care? How is he so calm? What is he thinking? What is wrong with you?!

"Good," Rose says, breaking the silence. Just then, the nurse comes out of Oleana's room, gives Leon and Rose a small nod, and heads down the hall, murmuring into her radio as she goes. Leon watches as she goes and notices how she keeps throwing concerned glances over her shoulder. Then, Leon realizes that his face is probably very freaked out right now, and that he should fix that.

"Now," Rose mutters, heaving a sigh. "I'm going to go speak with Ms. Frost. You have a conference in an hour, yes? Perhaps you should make your way towards that."

"It's at three," Leon says absentmindedly, not really registering what Rose has said until he steps towards the door. He darts forward and puts a hand on Rose's shoulder, trying to stop him. "The nurse said that she wasn't-"

Rose stops and gives Leon a look. There's no inherent emotion to it, no apparent message, no explanatory expression on his face, but the meaning is clear. It's a look that Leon knows well after twelve years.

Do not argue with me. I know more than you. I am an adult, you are not. You listen to me.

And again, Leon stops. Again, he hates that Rose can just... do that.

Leon slowly draws back, removing his hand from Rose's shoulder and taking a few tiny steps back. "Sor-"

Rose opens the door and disappears into the room.

In Her Room

"You're back."

"I didn't have anything to do."

A snort. "Count yourself lucky."

"I don't understand what you're concerned about."

"You're clueless. You haven't been bothered, and now it's too late to explain anything."

"Why are you so... tense?"

"...You shouldn't be asking me that."

"Why not?"

"You ought to know by now. After... everything."

A pause.

"I... I'm still not sure what you're insinuating."

"You're smart enough. Figure it out. You might be clueless, but we both know you're not stupid."

More silence. No eye contact.

"Now get out."

August 20th, 12:23 PM

Rose exits the room a minute or two later, seeming much angrier. Leon instinctively tenses in his chair as Rose paces a bit down the hall in the other direction, one hand rubbing his eyes, muttering under his breath. He stops and stares off into space for a few moments. Then, he goes alarmingly still. Leon's blood goes cold as Rose glances over at him, face cold and calculating. What is he thinking?

Rose gives a tiny chuckle and walks over to Leon. "The things that happen to people who don't listen are so... unfortunate," he murmurs, shaking his head. "Now," Rose says, placing a hand on Leon's shoulder. Leon tries very hard not to flinch. "You seem to need a break from this. How about you and I go get lunch somewhere, hm?"

Leon's heart sinks. That's the last thing I want to do right now. 

"I- I should probably go get ready for that conference, right?" Leon says as he stands and takes a few steps back, hoping the nervous edge to his voice isn't as obvious to Rose as it is to him. "Gotta- y'know, gotta make sure I'm-"

"Nonsense," Rose cuts him off again, this time in an overly cheerful tone that makes it clear he's not open to argument. "It's not even one, you said it was at three. You'll have plenty of time to prepare."

I really should not have said that, Leon grits his teeth and kicks himself internally. I can sit with him for twenty minutes just to appease him, and then I can fake a phone call or something. I don't know. I can't sit with a room with him for an hour right now, though, or I might actually throw something.

So Leon bites his tongue and nods, trying to keep his face neutral. "Okay."

And that's how, after an extremely uncomfortable period of time following Rose to the taxi station and the most awkward flying taxi ride known to man, Leon ends up sitting in an upscale restaurant feeling very underdressed compared to Rose, with a plate of steak and vegetables in front of him that he has absolutely no appetite for. In fact, it feels like he might throw up.

The restaurant is nice, really nice- dark wood tables, crystalline lighting fixtures, velvet and leather just about everywhere, ornate wallpaper and painted ceilings. It feels a bit like Ms. Ortiz's office, except there's much less natural light and much more expensive furniture and people everywhere. There's no windows in sight, no natural light anywhere, just yellow light twinkling off of too many reflective surfaces. The amount of velvet is a bit staggering and the opulence of it all is almost suffocating.

He stares at his plate, which he can feel the heat still emanating off of. Among the fierce war of emotions in his chest right now, Leon manages to pinpoint guilt, screaming at him for refusing to eat. You're wasting food, eat. You're wasting money, eat. You're wasting time, eat. You're a waste if you don't eat.

"Hm?"

Rose's voice startles Leon out if his spiral. He blinks and glances up at Rose. Shit. "Sorry, I spaced out."

Rose heaves a heavy sigh, laden with disappointment. He stops eating, fork and knife still in hand. "I asked you what you thought about the unfortunate situation with the Truscotts."

"Melony and Gordie? What-"

"The infant, Leon," Rose glares at Leon. "Melony's grandchild passed away yesterday."

There's the falling-off-a-cliff feeling again. "W-what?" Leon stammers, head reeling, eyes going wide. "That's horrible, what-"

"You haven't been paying attention," Rose growls, setting down his knife harshly. "I wasn't talking about that. In fact, that was entirely fabricated. You've had your head in the clouds for ten minutes."

Leon remains silent and stares down at his plate again. What am I meant to say to that? He's right.

"I will admit, I'm worried about you," Rose sighs again. Leon resists the urge to scream for the umpteenth time today. And not about Oleana?! "You haven't been quite yourself for a while now. Tell me, is something wrong?"

No, I'm just about to leave everything I've ever been used to so I can get away from you. Of course I'm fine. "No, no! Everything's fine. I've, uh-" Leon scrambles for an excuse. "I've just been feeling a bit under the weather recently, that's all."

Rose studies Leon curiously before continuing to eat. "That's unfortunate. Especially since your birthday is coming up soon, yes?"

Leon fights very, very hard to keep his face calm. Does he suspect anything?! Does he know?! What is he trying to tell me?!

"Next week, yeah," Leon says, heart hammering. "I- I haven't really thought about it, to be honest." Please let that have been convincing enough. Please let him not read any further into that.

"And you're turning thirty this year, yes?" Rose asks casually, looking back down at his plate just long enough to miss Leon's composure shattering completely. 

Thirty?! Leon feels his eyes bulge. He thinks I'm thirty?! 

Leon coughs, concealing his face in the crook of his elbow as he recovers control of his expression. Okay. Deep breath. Come on. Inhale, exhale. There we go. "I'm... I'm turning twenty-two."

Rose seems genuinely surprised by this, eyebrows twitching upwards. "Twenty-two?! Arceus, it feels like it should be more than that," he chuckles a bit. "Well, how are you feeling about that?"

Leon takes another deep breath. Fine. Totally normal. I am not going to start screaming. "Okay, I suppose. It's just another year." Just another year I would have to spend with you if I didn't break my contract now.

"You know, when I was twenty-two, I had just gotten to Motostoke for the first time," Rose muses, glancing down at his plate, stabbing at some vegetables particularly aggressively. "Hm. They put radishes in with the greens. I'm not rather fond of radishes."

Hop loves radishes, a voice in Leon's brain immediately whispers. He pushes it away. "I'm sure they'd give you some without radishes if you asked."

It was something about Leon's tone, his choice of words, or maybe Rose just decided to take offense, but Rose's demeanor shifts suddenly, his expression morphing from annoyance to anger. "Do not patronize me," he hisses, scowling. "I've tried to be pleasant to you today, and this is how you repay me?"

At this point, Leon starts to panic- full on, outward panic instead of barely contained, inward panic. He starts clenching his fists under the table to try to keep the buzzing in his chest at bay. "Wait, I- I didn't mean-"

"I'd like to remind you who gave you a seat at this table, the table," Rose growls under his breath, glaring daggers at Leon. "You do not demean me. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, I'm sorry-"

"And stop doing that Arceus-damned thing with your hands. You're twenty-two, not three."

How can he see that? The buzzing pitches up an octave. "O-Oka-"

"Now, you are going to explain this attitude, and you are going to be truthful." Rose takes a deep breath and picks up his knife again. "You may speak now."

Leon tries to keep himself from crying on the spot. He takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to ignore the nausea tightening his throat and making it more difficult to speak. The more ways he knows he can upset me, the more he has to use against me. I don't know what I can tell him that won't upset him, though- he's good at telling when I'm lying. Half truths, what half truths can I tell without making him angrier.

"I... I apologize," Leon starts slowly, thinking through what he's going to say. "I... I've been struggling a bit since the budgeting meeting- Piers got in my head, said that Hop-"

The moment Leon's little brother's name is out of his mouth, Rose's face shifts into some frozen, emotionless version of itself. and Leon knows that he's said something terribly wrong. Leon falls silent, not entirely consciously, but because he knows that the look Rose is giving him right now means that if he talks anymore, he's only going to make the storm to come worse.

"My boy," Rose says as he sets his silverware aside, voice dangerously low. "Let me ask you something. Do you want to be here?"

NO! "...Yes."

"Then let me advise you," Rose hisses severely, eyes dark and full of cold fury, "to let go of the remnants of your old life, especially since they have made it very clear that they do not care about you."

The buzzing in Leon's chest gets so, so much worse- it's now an entire hive of Beedrill viciously trying to sting their way out of his ribs from the inside. There's too much, I didn't want to make him mad, I wish I never said anything, don't say anything, please just stop, shut up shut up shut up-

Rose stands and moves towards Leon slowly and places a firm hand on his shoulder, nails digging into fabric. Then, he leans down so that he's right in Leon's ear. "I recommend that you remember what happens to people who do not listen," he snarls with enough venom to kill a Copperajah. Leon's blood turns to ice. The buzzing is too loud to think anymore.

Rose straightens up, takes a deep breath, and composes himself, his usual calm smile back on his face. "You should see a doctor if you feel ill. We can't have both you and Ms. Frost out of commission, can we?"

Leon doesn't quite feel it, but he shakes his head.

"Now, you ought to go prepare for that meeting, yes?"

He doesn't quite feel it, but he nods.

"Up with you."

He still doesn't quite feel it, but he stands.

"Go on."

Leon blinks, and suddenly he's in a forest on the ground, grass tickling his face, the rustling of leaves roaring in his ears. Charizard's scales are sharp and cold against his skin as she prods at his face with her snout, whining and growling anxiously, trying to get a response from her trainer.

Leon starts to hyperventilate.

The Same Time, Hammerlocke Castle

Raihan's phone rings.

He groans, reaches for it, and hits accept without looking at the number. It's probably a contractor for my pipes, thank gods, I need to get the plumbing in the basement fixed-

He realizes very quickly that it is not a contractor on the other side of the phone. In fact, he doesn't think it's a human at all.

Soft snarling that's very familiar crackles through the phone as Raihan puts it to his ear. He frowns, perplexed as he struggles to recall exactly where he's heard this sound before, this Pokemon's voice before.

"Grrraarh!"

It hits him like a truck.

"Charizard?" Raihan breathes. His mind immediately begins to race. How did Charizard get Lee's phone out? Why? Is something wrong, is that what she's trying to tell me?

Charizard responds with an affirmative roar, followed by whining and huffing. Raihan has a difficult time deciphering exactly what she's trying to convey, but he has a feeling it can't be good.

I need someone who understands Charizard- Flygon! Raihan stands and bolts out of his room, sprinting for the cafeteria where he knows Flygon is helping round up Nickit that broke into the castle to steal food after the last overloading incident. He bursts through the swinging doors out of breath, and his call for his partner is little more than a wheeze. "Fly!"

Flygon chirps curiously, craning their head from their perch atop one of the tables with a trembling Nickit caught underneath them. Despite there only being a few people in the room, Pokemon that trainers volunteered to help maintain the castle and the Nickit they're chasing are a cacophony of screeches, barks, hisses, and snarls. Several Boltund and a few other ferocious looking Pokemon are prowling around the room, catching Nickit and carrying them to humans to be taken care of and released properly. Nobody pays Raihan any mind as he recalls his partner from the fray and pulls them into the hall. On their way out, they puff a burst of air at the Nickit under the table they were just on, which startles them into a Salazzle's talons, who scoops them by the scruff immediately.

"Flygon, I need your help," Raihan says as soon as they're away from the noise. He puts the phone on speaker. "I need to know what Charizard is trying to tell me."

Flygon tilts their head inquisitively until they hear Charizard's more frantic snarling over the phone. They chitter back, tail lashing and wings twitching as they converse with their fellow Pokemon, communicating information in a way Raihan can't understand. After only a few moments, Flygon turns to Raihan and begins clicking frantically, antennae spreading outwards the way they do when Flygon is talking about Leon.

Raihan's stomach plummets. "What's wrong with Leon?"

Flygon whines and nudges and Raihan's heels with their nose, eyes wide.

"I need to go to him?"

Flygon nods and chitters at Raihan, higher in pitch and frequency this time. They take a few steps down the hall and glance back at their trainer.

Raihan understands immediately. "Take me to him."

Flygon darts off, leaving Raihan sprinting to keep up.

He Doesn't Know How Much Later

Leon doesn't know how long he's like that, but the next thing he knows is that, somehow, strong, steady arms are wrapped around him and a soothing voice is speaking in a low, hushed tone.

"Come on, Lee, I'm right here, it's okay, come back to me..."

Raihan, Leon recognizes the voice and immediately relaxes. He sinks into the arms that hold him, the warms next to him, the voice that speaks to him, because he knows it's safe. It's okay.

A tiny voice in Leon's head whispers, asking him what the hell he's doing, why he's this close to someone who he shouldn't care about. Leon is too tired to listen to it. He's too tired to even bother to try and ease himself back into his body.

"Please, Lee, say something," Riahan whispers. Leon distantly feels his shoulders being shaken. "Say something, anything, c'mon."

He's worried, Leon realizes slowly. I don't want him to worry about me. I have to do something.

So, despite not wanting to, Leon tentatively reaches out to extend control over his body.

The first thing he notices is that he's very, very sore. His chest aches with every breath, and he's not quite sure why, because he hasn't done any exercise recently, he knows that much.

Then he realizes that he's about to suffocate.

Panic claws Leon back to his senses before he's truly ready, and he heaves upwards and gasps for air like a Wailmer that's been underwater for years. He coughs and splutters and chokes as he gets enough air back into his lungs, and Raihan is beside him again, rubbing his back, still talking to him.

"Breathe, Lee, you're okay," Raihan murmurs, watching Leon carefully as his breathing slows to a normal pace. "Breathe. There you go."

It feels like thousands of drums are being hit in Leon's head all at once. He winces and brings a hand up to rub his temple as the pounding continues, throbbing against his skull. He sits up slowly. "Ow..."

"You're bleeding," Raihan mutters, moving Leon's hand away from his face and replacing it with his own, wiping away tears before pressing his thumb into a spot near the end of Leon's eyebrow. The rest of his fingers tangle in Leon's hair as he brushes it away to hold his face in his hands. "Lee, what in gods names happened to you?"

How am I meant to remember when he's looking at me like that? Leon blinks back a Raihan's wide teal eyes, his chest aching for a different reason now. Why does he look at me like that?

"I... I don't know," Leon stalls while he searches his brain for how he got here. His stomach plummets, more falling off a cliff. Words start spilling out. "I- I really don't know, I don't remember, why- why can't I remember-"

"Breathe, Lee," Raihan reminds him gently. "It's okay. You're okay."

"But I'm- but I'm not!" Leon protests, pushing him away. He sees the streak of blood running down Raihan's thumb onto his hand and suddenly feels very nauseous. "I don't- I don't remember how I got here, I don't remember how long it's been, or what- what I was doing, or-"

"Stop focusing on what you don't remember, Lee," Raihan cuts him off, grabbing him by the wrist with his clean hand. "It's only going to freak you out more. What do you remember?"

Leon stops abruptly. "The last thing I've got is... is leaving lunch with Rose, I think. Is it still Wednesday?"

Raihan nods and twines his fingers into Leon's. "It's about three. Why were you at lunch with Rose? Did he-" Raihan's eyes darken suddenly. "Did he do this to y-"

"No!" Leon recoils. "No, no, I just got overwhelmed, he didn't-"

"I'll smite him if he did," Raihan snarls, fingers tightening around Leon's hand. "I thought he had stopped laying hands on you, but if he hasn't, I'll-"

"He never hit me, Rai just-"

"Make sure he rots in hell, we-"

"Wait, please, I might've just-"

"Can tell Jenny, that ought to help-"

"STOP!" Leon cries, yanking his hand away. "Just stop, please, I- I need to figure this out, I need- I need-" Leon's voice breaks as tears start to roll down his face. "I need you to stop for two seconds and just let me think," he hisses. "I need to think."

Raihan freezes, body going rigid. "...Okay. I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No," Leon snaps. "No, it's fine, I just-" He realizes with a chill what Raihan has said to him. He looks at him slowly to see dismay in his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line the way they do when he's guilty.

Leon takes a deep breath.

"What do you mean you 'thought he had stopped'?"

Raihan looks away.

Something cracks in Leon's chest. "Raihan."

He's crying now too. "It... it was only four times that I saw, I think."

Four?! Leon wants to scream. Four times?! Of what?!

"You... you were thirteen the first time," he continues quietly. "You were staying the night with me and Mum, and I walked into your room and I saw it under your tank top. I could see bruises, fresh bruises, and scars, all on your back. Between your shoulder blades. The second time was maybe year later- during a practice battle, the wind blew your sleeves up and there were bruises on both of your shoulders. The third time was not long after that, you showed up to dinner at my place with marks on your forearm. And then a month after that, you showed up to a meeting with a black eye." Raihan finally glances up at Leon. "I- I tried talking to you about it, but you kept brushing it off, and then you got defensive and upset, and I didn't-" Raihan pauses to sigh. "...I didn't want to upset you."

"I..." Leon starts and stops, at a loss for words. "I don't..."

"You never remember," Raihan mutters, rubbing his eyes. "It's not your fault you don't, it has something to do with the trauma of it, I think, but I... I've been keeping an eye out for anything for as long as I can remember, but those are the only four times that I've seen."

Leon can't speak coherent sentences. The falling-off-a-cliff feeling has persisted since he had first realized he couldn't remember what had happened, and it only seems to get worse. "Why... why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried," Raihan growls, glaring at Leon through tears. "It's not really an over-the-phone kind of topic. I don't ever see you, and you always brushed me off when I said something. So I stopped trying."

Leon flinches, Raihan's indignant tone lashing into his ears. He let himself sit in then for a few seconds, turning them over in his mind. I don't ever see you. I stopped trying.

Raihan seems to realize that he's said something to upset Leon. He bites back a sigh. "Look, Lee, I... I didn't mean it that way, I-"

"No," Leon cuts him off, suddenly possessed by some growing emotion in his chest that starts to creep out into his limbs, heavy and hot. He can't tell if it's anger or guilt or- or- something I shouldn't be feeling. "You're right. You don't ever see me. You don't have to apologize for being upset about that. That's Rose's fault."

Raihan's shoulders relax a bit. "Yeah. It is."

"How- how much has he done that I've missed? That I just don't remember?" Leon asks. "I mean, I only remember him hitting me that once- well, the first time you were taking about, he pushed me onto some glasses and they broke- but I- I must've missed other things. What-" He looks at Raihan earnestly. "What else have I missed?"

Raihan's eyelids droop in what must be pity. "Do you really want to know, Lee?"

"Is it bad?"

"It's... a lot."

"I..." Leon takes a deep breath, trying to calm his frenzied nerves. "I know. But I know that I also need to know what. So that when I go to court, I'll have things to talk about."

Raihan shakes his head. "Lee, you should wait until after you're out. It'll make it easier to deal with him for another eight days."

"I need time to wrap my head around it."

Raihan sighs. "Look. If I tell you two things, is that fine for now?"

"Yes," Leon responds immediately, heart pounding in his chest. I need to know what he's done. I need to get angrier.

Raihan rubs his eyes. "Alright. I'll try to be gentle about it.

"The first thing is that he's always been trying to separate you from your family. He pulled Sonia aside multiple times during her challenge to tell her that all she was doing was holding you back- and I'd bet that he was the one to tell Bede to say the same thing to Hop get under his skin. He's never wanted you to have people besides him you could go to for support- he always wanted you isolated. That always freaked me out, that and how possessive he was."

That checks out, Leon concedes internally. I think I've always been conscious him being... protective, I just thought it was him caring. I know that's wrong now. Sonia never... she never told me.

"The second thing is that I know for a fact he pulled Hop aside and tried turn him against you, and I also know he tried to blackmail Hop into working for him by offering to bring Gloria back to Galar. Remember that kid? His friend?"

Green and hazel eyes, brown hair, and shy smiles flash through Leon's mind, along with the sound of Gloria's and Hop's laughter together, filled with glee. "Yeah. She was- gods, she and Hop were so close."

Raihan nods. "Yeah. Hop came to me the day after it happened and told me about it. He said he didn't know what to do, and when I couldn't give him an answer, he got angry and left for Wyndon."

"I... I wondered if he tried that, to be honest," Leon admits, recalling how his little brother had grown noticeably more closed off and quiet after Gloria left. "Rose- gods, I'll ruin Rose when I get out. I spent years protecting Hop, and it feels like everything that happened to him- everything is his fault. Everything that's ever been bad is because of him." Leon takes a shaky breath, tears welling up in his eyes. "Raihan, I- I'm scared he did something to Hop."

Raihan seems taken aback. "He- he would, but I don't... I don't know, part of me doesn't think he'd stoop that low."

Leon nods slowly, staring at the ground as tears start to leak down his face again. "I know, but I- I haven't heard from him. At all. Since the fight we had."

Raihan blinks, looking a little bit stunned. "Two years ago?"

"Yeah," Leon breathes shakily. "And I- I've tried, y'know? And I know he's mad at me, and I know I'm a shitty brother, but I've- I've reached out multiple times just asking if he was okay and safe, and he hasn't responded, and I get that he doesn't wanna talk, but he'd- he'd say something, right? He's not cruel like that. He's just not."

"He isn't," Raihan agrees after a pause. "He's not cruel. How are you trying to reach him?"

"I've called and texted," Leon chokes on a sob. "He could send anything back, anything, I- I'd kill for him to just pick up the phone and tell me he hates me, that I'm the worst, because at least I'd know he's okay. That he's alive."

"He might just not have his phone anymore," Raihan offers. "But Lee, listen-" he scoots colser of hands and knees and takes Leon's hands in his own and smiles. "I'd bet my life on the fact that he's okay. He's one strong little dude, y'know? We would know if something had happened to him- he's got people looking out for him."

"Does- does Piers know something?" Leon asks, searching Raihan's unusually calm face. When one of his eyebrows raises, he starts talking faster. "When Rose told me to go talk to him at the budgeting meeting- he said something about Hop, and I freaked out, and then he yelled at me some more, but that's not the point-"

"Slow down, Lee," Raihan murmurs. "You're gonna work yourself back into a panic."

Leon shakes his head vigorously. "No, no, I'm not, my brain is just moving too fast- I asked Piers to wait until September to start a riot, because I'm scared of what Rose will do if there's a riot and I vanish at the same time, but he didn't listen, and I'm scared that someone is going to get hurt or worse-"

"Stop," Raihan cuts him off fiercely. "None of what Piers is doing is anything you can control, okay? There's nothing you can do about it. He's been angry and scared for a long, long time, and he's gonna do something about it come hell or high water. You need to worry on you. Not Piers, not Hop, not me, you. Okay?"

Leon stops, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as it tightens. He takes a deep breath and clenches his hands. "Okay."

"Just breathe for now, okay? We can go from there. Follow my breathing."

Raihan takes a breath, long and slow. Leon does the same. He closes his eyes. He finds the rhythm quickly, but it's a long time before his heart slows and the buzzing that has been so loud he hasn't been able to register it quiets to nothing.

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale... exhale...

Inhale... exhale...

Inhale,

Inhale,

Exhale, 

Exhale,

Inhale...

Inhale...

Exhale...

Exhale...

Silence. Except breathing, of course.

Then:

Leon opens his eyes.

And sees Raihan looking right back at him, steady, calming, safe.

The weight of how much Leon grateful for Raihan hits him all at once. This boy, this man that he's known since he was ten, has stayed by his side throughout everything. Late night calls and texts, panic attacks, meltdowns, victories, grief, joy, everything. He's ears ready to listen, lungs offering advice, rhythm to keep him stable. He is everything. He means everything. 

Uh oh.

"Raihan?" Leon asks quietly, pulling away a little bit.

"Mm?"

"Why... why are you here?"

Raihan stares at Leon for a second, eyes blank. Then, he laughs.

Which Leon was definitely not expecting.

He doesn't expect to realize how much he's loves the sound, either. It's- it's almost unreal, loud and free and dulcet, full of joyful abandon.

Raihan reaches out and holds Leon's hands with his own. "Because I care," he replies simply, looking Leon in the eyes, smiling. "I care about you."

Leon's heart swells. He looks so happy. Even though I'm a complete mess.

Then, the voice whispers. How could he ever be happy with you?

The thing that cracked earlier splinters. He can't. He can't be happy with me. I'm a bother, I'm troublesome, I'm too much work.

He doesn't deserve that.

Leon stares down at their intertwined hands. They fit perfectly together.

Leon pulls away.

"Thank you," he whispers. "But you... you don't have to worry about me so much. You- you shouldn't."

Raihan looks like he's been struck. "Lee, wha-"

Leon stands. "Where's Charizard?"

Raihan stares at Leon for a moment, then points up. Flygon and Charizard are flying togther, doing flips and turns in the air, trying to outdo one another.

Leon whistles. Charizard roars and looks down at her trainer. When he beckons, she whines but follows instructions, diving down to land next to him.

"We'd better get to that meeting, huh?" He scratches her snout. 

He climbs on Charizards back and flies off before Raihan can say anything else. It's about two minutes into the flight that Charizard turns and blows a puff of smoke into Leon's face.

He coughs and splutters. "Quit it! It's... fine. It's fine. I'll handle it later. I have to go to that meeting- I can't afford to have Rose be any angrier with me. Go on, go!"

In The Room

"...What? What do you want?"

"This is rather... agitating."

"I've told you what's going to happen. I'm trying to stop it. You're the one being agitating. You won't listen."

"Do not smart me. You are on thin, thin ice, Fr-"

"Hilarious."

"You bitch-"

"He's going to be angry."

"Who?"

"When he finds out. He's going to be furious."

A snort. "Please."

"You underestimate him."

"He's pathetic."

A pause.

"He's scared. Scared beasts bite back. And he's going to rip your throat out."

Chapter Text

June, Two Years Ago

I sigh wearily and press the key card to the black box on the door. I just want to go to bed. I just want to go to bed. I don't want to think about anything anymore.

A little green light flashes, and the handle gives. I open the door and step into the hotel room, swinging my bag off of my shoulder and dropping it right next to the door. I turn the lights on.

And I get an extremely unwelcome surprise.

August 20th, 5:03 PM

"Hop!"

Hop jolts awake, startled by the urgency of whoever's speaking to him. As it turns out, it's Marnie, who is grabbing her things from the overhead bin of the train.

"C'mon, we're gettin' off."

Hop yawns and stretches, his hands knocking against the plastic ceiling above him. Finn is already up and waiting in the aisle with their backpack on, and Marnie is looking at him expectantly, a little bit impatiently. He sighs and grabs his own backpack from under his seat, stifling another yawn as he steps out into the aisle, following Finn and Marnie towards the cabin doors as the train squeals to a halt. Hop keeps his hood up and his head down all the while- even though he knows it's unlikely, he doesn't want anyone to recognize him, or, even worse, mention his resemblance to his brother. He notices as he follows them that Marnie and Finn have traded jackets at some point, Finn's oversized hoodie now comfortably on Marnie's shoulders while the sleeve's of Marnie's leather jacket hang at least a few inches past Finn's fingertips. It's still strange that they're the same size they were two years ago, maybe even smaller. It's ironic- Marnie and I have probably been better fed than them despite having a tighter budget. Anger burns deep in Hop's chest, slowly expanding like a flame consuming paper. I'll smite their parents one day.

It's at that moment that Finn glances back and sees the look on Hop's face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, you've had some serious restin' bitch face since Bede left," Marnie adds. "I get you miss him, but I didn't realize you two were that close."

Hop blinks. "No, it's- sorry, I've just been sleeping shitty lately, that's all. Where-" Hop glances around. "Where are we going?"

"Bathroom," Marnie replies, pointing in the direction that Finn has set off in. Motostoke Station is massive, although it feels a but more cramped than Hop remembers. The ceilings don't seem to stretch so high anymore, the brick walls don't seem quite as imposing, the people around him don't seem so... intimidating. Marnie beckons Hop as she follows Finn at a slower pace. "Walk with me."

Hop stifles a sigh and obliges. I told her she doesn't have to worry about me. It's fine.

"Is 't still the same shit, or...?" Marnie starts slowly, watching Hop's face carefully to gauge his reaction. "Don't gimme that face. Bro told me t' keep an eye on-"

"Piers was too worried about it," Hop cuts her off. "Besides, they're gone now, aren't they?"

Marnie stops and gawks at him for a moment. "Hop."

"What?!"

Marnie raises an eyebrow. "How d'you think Finn is gonna t' react 'f you wake up screamin' in the middle of the night?"

"I haven't had a night terror in a year!" Hop protests, but Marnie raises a hand to stop him.

"Look," she mutters, starting to walk again. "'M- 'm jus' worried 'bout you, yeah? And 'm worried 'bout Finn. Bede left so suddenly, and I know you have a... thing with people leavin'..."

"I am fine," Hop bristles. "It's just the old shit, okay? Getting lost, eyes everywhere." Doors with people behind them that I don't want to see. "I can handle it."

Marnie sighs. "If you feel like you can't, though, maybe talk 'bout it, yeah? I jus'- I don't want you havin' a night terror with Finn 'round. They'll prob'ly freak out, and then they'll have questions, and it'll jus' be uncomfortable for you."

"I know, I know," Hop shoves his hands in his pockets and glances at the almost filthy tile floor. "Thanks for looking out for me, really, but I'm- I'm fine, I swear."

Marnie nods. "I'm here if you aren't."

"I know."

"Finn is too."

"I know."

"And Bro, once we get home."

"I know, Marnie, gods. I appreciate it, really, I just don't wanna talk about it, okay?" Hop finally snaps and glares at her. "I've told you I've got it handled."

Marnie recoils. "Yeah, yeah, sorry," she mutters, avoiding Hop's gaze. "I'll- I'll leave you alone, yeah?"

Hop feels guilty almost immediately. "Wait, Marnie, I didn't-"

But she's already gone, disappeared into the crowd, on the way to the bathroom.

Hop heaves a sigh and heads over to the nearest pillar, sitting down on the floor and resting his back against it. He doesn't know if it's because he feels particularly lonely, or it's crowded, or it's that Finn isn't there with him, but the bad memories come without permission.

Still June, Still Two Years Ago

"...Mr. Chairman."

All he does is stare at me.

I reach for my bag, taking a step back. "I'm sorry, do I- do I have the wrong room, or something?"

"No," Rose replies lightly, smiling. "You don't. Come in."

I hesitate. On one hand, I could just turn around and ignore this headache, but on the other hand, having Rose angry right before the Champion Cup probably wont go well. So I straighten up and close the door behind me, praying this won't go as terribly as I worry it will.

"Mr. Chairman, why are you in my hotel room?"

Now

"Hop?"

He blinks. Finn is frowning down at him.

"Are you okay?" They ask, eyebrows knit together. "You seemed like you... spaced out."

Hop shakes his head. "Yeah. Yeah, no, I- sorry."

Finn's eyebrows furrow more. "Why are you apologizing?"

Hop opens his mouth to speak, but as he searches for words, nothing comes out. He sighs. "I- I've been feeling crummy. That's all."

"Because of Bede?"

"Sort of," he shrugs. "Marnie brought up my thing with people leaving, and now my head is going in circles, and now I'm thinking about other unpleasant things, and... yeah."

Finn sits down next to him. "Anything I can do?"

Hop shrugs again. Finn stares at him for a moment. "Tell me a happy story."

Hop wants to say that's silly, but he recognizes that Finn is trying to distract him, so he obliges. "...When Sonia was little, she was really bad at doing her hair. Her parents wouldn't teach her, either, and they wouldn't let her grow it out any more than a few inches. So when she went to live with the professor and started growing her hair out, it was always super messy. Lee always had really long hair- well, maybe not really long, but long for how small he was- and he said Sonia could practice on his hair whenever she wanted, and then he'd wear it to school."

Finn snorts, eyes bright with amusement. "Really?!"

"Yeah! It was funny, because it meant that Lee would go to school with lopsided braids or weird ponytails. When I asked him why, he said it made Sonia happy, and he didn't care about the way his hair looked because Mum wouldn't let him do a lot with his hair anyway. So me and Lee would go over to Professor Magnolia's house really early every day, Sonia would do Lee's hair, they would go to school and I would stay with the Professor until they came back in the afternoon, and then Lee and I would either go home in a few hours or really late. I don't remember why, but I do remember watching Sonia braid Lee's hair and wishing I had a friend that would do that kind of stuff for me." He glances over at Finn. "And I'm glad I have one, now."

Despite Hop intending to be nice, Finn seems to deflate a little bit. "I... I'm glad you and Mar are close."

Hop blinks, then hangs his head and laughs. "I meant you, dumbass!" He gives them a friendly shove.

"Oh! Pfft," Finn snorts again and devolves into laughter. "Sorry! I get it now, you big sap."

"What's so funny?" Marnie asks as she returns from the bathroom and approaches Finn and Hop, who are both still cracking up. 

"I'm trying to be nice and they won't let me!" Hop manages between giggles. Finn swats at him and he yelps in mock surprise.

"You didn't make it very obvious!" They huff with a smile on their face. "I'm dense, you know this, Arceus."

"I didn't think it was that bad!" Hop protests, only to receive another swat from Finn. He laughs and swats back, to which Finn flops over and sticks their tongue out, playing dead.

"Gods, you two act like you're eight," Marnie mutters. "C'mon, get off the floor. We've got a train to catch."

Twenty Minutes Later

As it turns out, when Marnie said "catch", she really meant "sneak onto", which Hop is very apprehensive about.

"Are you sure about this?" He hisses to Marnie, glancing nervously around the platform. "What happens if we get caught?"

"We won't," Marnie replies. "And quit lookin' so nervous, it's gonna tip people off."

"But what if-"

"It'll be fine, Hop, really," Finn cuts in. "I did this plenty on the way to Spikemuth and only got caught once, and that's because I was being stupid. We'll be okay. We just have to stay in the bathroom the whole time."

"How long is this train ride again?"

"About five hours," Marnie responds, crossing her arms.

Hop groans and hangs his head. "I don't wanna sit in a bathroom for five hoursssssss."

Finn snickers, but Marnie just huffs and rolls her eyes. "Do you want to get to Wedgehurst or not?"

Just then, the ground starts to rumble. For a second, Hop is worried it's an earthquake, but it's actually just the train coming into the station, signaling its arrival with the blare of its horn. Hop sees Finn flinch and cover their ears.

Marnie beckons Hop and Finn forward as the trains slows and stops, brakes squealing all the while. The doors open and people come flooding out, and after about thirty seconds, the travelers on the platform start shuffling towards the entrance.

"Remember what we talked about," Marnie hisses over her shoulder as she steps onto the train. "Stay close."

Hop keeps his head down, staring at Marnie's heels as they forge a confident path towards one end of the train and eventually step into a booth. She makes sure Hop and Finn get settled before setting off with her bags.

"So we just wait here?" Finn whispers, looking over at Hop.

He nods. "For a few minutes at a time. You can go first if you want, I know you're worried."

Finn shakes their head. "I know how to get out of it if I get caught. You don't. You should go first," they murmur before snorting quietly. "Plus, I think you're more anxious about this than me."

Hop heaves a sigh, trying to ignore the rapid pattering of his heart in his chest, the muscle fluttering frantically against his ribs like a caged Rookidee. "Okay."

The train starts to move, and a few minutes pass. Hop resorts to tapping his heel against the floor in pace of his heart, which Finn of course immediately notices. They elbow him gently. "It's gonna be fine, dork. People don't pay nearly as much attention to you as you think they do." They glance around before standing to let him out of the booth. "Go ahead. See you in a few."

Hop grabs his backpack and heaves it over his shoulders, gives Finn a (hopefully) confident smile to reassure them, and sets off in the same direction Marnie went. When he gets to the bathroom, he glances around before knocking to make sure nobody is watching him too carefully.

Marnie's voice, muffled by the door, isn't really audible, but she unlocks the door and looks through the crack in the door before letting Hop in.

He steps into the cramped space, pulls his bag around so it rests on his chest instead of his back, and closes the door behind him. Marnie has flipped the toilet seat down so someone can sit on it and has crammed herself into the corner on the floor next to it. Hop settles with his back to the wall that contains the plumbing for the tiny little sink tucked into an alcove above him.

"Everything alright?" Marnie asks. Hop nods. "Good. Finn shouldn't have any issues."

"I... they're gonna be worried about me for the entire ride," Hop sighs. "I got stuck in my head before they got back from the bathroom and now it's... it's weird."

"It's weird 'cause you aren't used to people besides me or Piers knowin' you well enough to tell when somethin's wrong," Marnie snorts. "Let them be worried. You need to talk to someone about the shit if you won't really tell me."

"It's over with now, there's no point-"

Marnie cuts him off. "If it's still buggin' you, it ain't over with. Talk t' them."

Hop doesn't have a reply for that. She's right. Talking to them has always made me feel better, I just... I don't want to worry them any more.

They sit in silence. And the memories return again.

That June, Again

There is no attempt at hiding the way he looks down at me, examining me carefully. I want to crawl under something and stay there forever, but I hold my ground. I can do this. I can do this.

"I wanted to talk to you again," Rose says slowly, taking a step towards me. I'm extremely conscious of the fact that I'm already against a wall. "You see, I think you and I got off on the wrong foot."

"Well, if we did, this surely isn't the way to fix it," I cut in, patience thin. I just wanted to go to sleep. What the hell does he want from me at this hour? "I can't help but feel like continuing to meet unexpectedly like this is... inappropriate."

Something flashes in his eyes- annoyance, anger, maybe- but he takes a deep breath and waves a hand dismissively. "You worry too much, my boy." I don't like the way he's talking to me. I really, really don't like this. Rose continues. "Now, listen, I'll make this very clear for you. You, Hop, have always come across as quite lonely to me- you were likely too young to remember, but the first time we met was when you were quite small." He gestures with his hand at what would have been my size as a toddler. "Your brother was returning to Wyndon with Ms. Frost and I, and you hung onto Leon's legs and begged to come with. Your mother scooped you up fairly quickly after that, but I remember thinking to myself just how much you resembled your brother, in both appearance and attitude. He'll never tell you this, but your brother found me at the Opening Ceremony and insisted that I give him an endorsement so he could stay with his friends."

I don't want to listen to him talk, just get to the point already. "Mr. Chairman-"

"You will let me speak," he hisses, face twisting in rage, then snapping right back to calm. My heart starts to pound against my ribs, blaring an alarm. Rose continues like nothing's happened. "I thought to myself, when you wrapped yourself around your brother's legs, that you and him were quite alike, because you refused to be separated from the people you wanted to be around. However, it occurred to me later that the key difference between you and your brother is that he got what he wanted and you simply... didn't."

Way to rub it in. Thanks.

"But this is what I'm offering you, Hop. You don't have to be lonely anymore." Rose holds his arms out wide. "You don't have to be in your brother's shadow, you don't need to suffer like this. If you come and work for me, you'll have your brother, your... best friend, and opportunities you never could have dreamed of. I believe that you have just as much potential as your brother, maybe even more. Don't you want to be somebody, Hop? To not be lonely anymore?"

Now, Again

There's a knock on the door.

Hop shakes himself from his thoughts and glances at Marnie. She nods, and Hop gets up to crack the door.

Finn's green eyes stare back at him, wide and fearful. His stomach drops. Something's wrong.

Someone wrenches the door open the rest of the way. Hop yelps in alarm and snatches his fingers back just in time to keep them from getting caught in the sliding door.

A very tall man in a conductor's cap and uniform glowers down at the three of them.

Uh oh.

The Second Week of July, Two Years Ago

I stare at my completed badge medallion. Nine months. Nine months of nonstop effort, new friendships, loss, my best memories. Everything I've ever wanted.

I feel like someone is watching me.

I'm too paranoid.

"There are certain... unfortunate accidents that could befall anyone."

Maybe I'm not paranoid enough.

I throw it away, stare at it gleaming at me from the bottom of the trash bag among crumpled napkins and water bottles.

I turn to walk away. I don't intend to look back.

The world has other plans.

"Hop!"

Ten Minutes Later

"You three are very lucky I'm choosing to let you go rather than turn you over to the police," the conductor hisses, arms crossed. "But you've caused me enough trouble as it is. You'd better not be caught like this again, understand?"

Hop and Finn grumble half-hearted affirmatives, but Marnie stays silent. Thankfully, the conductor seems satisfied. He points at the open door.

"Now, get off my train!"

And that's how the three of them end up stranded next to train tracks watching their only ticket to a warm meal speed away.

Finn breaks the silence by curling into a ball on the ground, covering their face with their hands. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get us caught, he came up to me and I just cracked, I can't stay calm-"

Hop recognizes the way their breathing quickens and knows that this could go badly if this continues. He immediately goes to them and crouches down next to them. "Breathe, Finn, it's okay. It's not your fault."

"I thought it'd be fine," Finn's voice cracks as they heave for air. "I said I'd be fine and I wasn't. I thought I was better-"

"And you are," Marnie cuts them off, sitting next to them and grabbing one of their hands. "You are better, Finn, but that shit ain't linear. Remember what I told you about Tobi? Bro's friend?"

Finn shakes their head. "That- that was different, that's medical-"

"Somethin' hurtin' in your brain is just as medical as losin' an arm," Marnie says forcefully. "Maybe even more so."

"But- it's- it's not my brain," Finn protests. "It's- something's wrong with my feelings, they're too much-"

"Finn. Finn Irons. Look at me," Marnie demands. She squeezes Finn's hand tighter. "Or Lario. Or whatever the hell, you don't know yet. There is nothin', and I need you to really listen to me when I say this, nothin' wrong with feelin' things the way you do. Is it different? Yes. But that doesn't mean it's wrong." Marnie shifts closer to Finn, whose breathing is gradually slowing. "The way you feel things makes you who you are, and that's- that's the person I- we-" Marnie gestures between herself and Hop- "love. So don't think that somethin's wrong with you, 'cause feelin' things doesn't make you weak."

"Since when did you become a big sap?" Hop teases.

"Oh, stuff it," Marnie swats at him over Finn's back. "Blame Bede."

Finn smiles. "I'm glad you don't hate him now."

"Oh, he's still a prick," Marnie rolls her eyes and folds her arms. "But I suppose he's tolerable."

"Oh, they're best friends now," Hop murmurs to Finn. Finn stifles a snort, and Marnie swats at Hop again, who darts away just in time and snickers.

"Anyways, Marnie is right," Hop says as he creeps back closer to Finn, keeping one eye on a glowering Marnie. "You're relearning to feel things after you've been hardwired not to for your whole life. That's scary. I get that, really, unlearning things you've always known really messes with your head. And it's not linear, Marnie's also right about that, too."

"As I tend to be," Marnie mutters under her breath. Finn rolls their eyes and elbows her playfully, smiling all the while.

"After- after my fight with Lee I had to relearn how to... I don't know, be a person," Hop continues. "I had to learn what I wanted all over again. Nothing... nothing's been the same since, but that doesn't mean things are bad, just... new. Scary."

"And that's okay," Marnie murmurs.

Finn doesn't seem to have anything to say to that for a bit. The group sits in silence. Finn leans into Marnie and looks down at their intertwined hands.

"What was it like?" They whisper.

"What was what like?" Marnie prompts gently.

"After everything," Finn murmurs. "After I left. What... what happened to you both? I still feel like you've barely told me anything and I- I missed so much. I missed you two so much," they sniffle and wipe their eyes with their free hand. "I- I know we're all different people now, but I want to know how you got there, y'know?"

"Yeah." Hop says, wrapping an arm around their shoulders. "We can do that. I can tell you what happened."

"Are you sure?" Finn's voice cracks again, wavering uncertainly.

"...Yeah. It's probably about time I properly told someone, anyway," Hop replies, glancing at Marnie. She gives him a little smile.

Finn nods slowly. "Okay."

"Before we do that, though, I'm..." Hop sighs, knowing that they've exhausted all other options. "I'm gonna call Sonia and have her come get us."

Marnie stiffens. "Hop, you don't have to do that."

He shrugs, resigned. "There's nothing else we can do. We're out of money and can't walk to Wedgehurst with the supplies we could find. It's... it's the easiest way to get out of this."

"But you don't wanna talk to her," Marnie says pointedly. "You didn't even wanna talk about her for the longest time."

"It's... it's because I owe her an apology," Hop admits, rubbing the back of his head. The words feel heavy, but he says them anyway. "I've been... running from her when I've known I need to apologize. It just scared me too much to go back. But I... I said some things I shouldn't have, and I need to apologize. And she can get us out of this. Better late than never, y'know?"

Marnie and Finn both nod. Marnie pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it to Hop.

"Good luck," she murmurs.

"Thanks."

6:37 PM, Wedgehurst

Sonia's phone rings just as she's putting her and her grandmother's plates in the sink.

Who could that be?

She yawns and picks up the phone, glancing at the caller ID. It's a string of numbers she doesn't recognize.

She frowns. Strange. Spam, maybe? Or someone who needs Gran and got my number somehow?

Sonia huffs and answers the call, a little annoyed that she's had to leave the dishes in the sink unwashed. "Hello?"

A familiar voice crackles through the phone, but Sonia can't quite put a finger on it. "...Hello? Who is this?"

"Who are you?" Sonia replies, raising an eyebrow.

The voice softens. "Sonia?"

"Yes, who is this?" Can this person not answer questions? Goodness. "Were you calling for the Professor?"

"No, I- er... Sonia, it's... it's Hop."

Shock fizzles through Sonia like lightning. "...Hoppip?"

"Yeah, it's... it's me."

"Whose phone are you using? Why don't I have their number?" Questions start tumbling about before Sonia really thinks about what she should say. "Are you okay? Where have you been, I haven't seen you-"

"Yeah, I- I know. I'm using Marnie's phone.  Look, we're... we were trying to come to Wedgehurst to come see you, but we ran into some trouble. Could you... could you come get us, please?"

Sonia's voice rises in alarm. "Hop, is someone hurt?"

"No! No, nobody's hurt, it's... it's just that we don't have any food. Or... or money. We... were kind of in some deep shit, I'll be honest."

How did you end up like this?! Sonia wants to scream into the phone, but she knows that's not what Hop is asking for right now. "Yes, I can come get you, Hoppip. I'll send a taxi. Where are you?"

"Uh... by the time the taxi gets here, we can probably be at that little outcropping overlooking Lake Miloch? Do you know where I'm talking about?"

"Yes. I'll go get a taxi now," Sonia says, standing and gathering things that she'll need for the ride. "I can bring you some food, should I-"

"That would be amazing, Sonia," Hop sighs. "Thank you, really, I- I appreciate you doing this. After... after what I said."

Sonia hesitates. She remembers the argument they had, the fact that that was the first time she'd ever heard Hop yell at anyone, how angry he was, and how she didn't understand why. She still doesn't understand why.

But she's not worried about something that happened a year ago.

"It's nothing, Hoppip, okay?" Sonia murmurs. "You need help and that's what I'm here for. I'm glad you called. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Sunny." The old nickname catches Sonia off guard, but it's not unwelcome.

She smiles. "Of course, Hoppip. Stay safe. I'll be there soon."

North Lake Miloch, 7:09 PM

Hop drops his backpack on the ground and sits down. They've come to a little clearing near the edge of the outcropping that overlooks Lake Miloch, the orange sky reflecting onto it and casting the water into a deep copper color. 

Finn heaves a sigh and does the same, curling up next to Hop. Marnie joins them shortly after. Nobody speaks, all three just stare out over the lake. Flocks of Corvisquire circle over the water waiting for Magikarp or Goldeen to poke their heads  out, the gentle breeze inching clouds across the darkening amber sky, the smell of fresh grass and summer tickling their noses.

"So..." Finn starts, breaking the silence. "Who wants to go first?"

Marnie and Hop both chuckle, and Hop straightens up. "I can go. I'm not really sure where to start, though... I told you about Rose trying to get to me in Hammerlocke, yeah?"

Finn nods. Marnie grimaces. Hop continues. "Okay, well, after that, I sort of had a fight with Raihan. When he got back from Stow-On-Side, I asked him what I should do, and he got real quiet. Said he didn't have anything to say, and that I had to think through it myself. I... I thought it was really weird, and I asked him if there was something he wasn't telling me. He said no, but not really in a way that sounded... genuine. I accused him of lying, and he just... didn't say anything. Wouldn't look at me. Stared at the wall. It was so weird. I didn't... I didn't really feel safe, so I left. And then Rose ambushed me again in Wyndon a few weeks later..."

June, Two Years Ago

"...Mr. Chairman," I start slowly, choosing my words as to not make him angry. "You already have my answer to your question. I don't think there's a need for this conversation."

Rose frowns. "Perhaps you aren't understanding me. I," he points at himself, then at me. "Would like you to work for me. And you're denying that?"

"With all due respect," with absolutely none at all, you creepy prick, I think to myself, "Yes. I... I'm grateful for the offer, but I don't... want it. I want to do things my own way."

Something darkens in the chairman's eyes. "No," he murmurs, rubbing his beard. "No, that won't do at all. My boy, I didn't take you for a fool, but I'm afraid that may be the case." He stares at me, and every nerve in my body screams at me to run after what he says next. "There is no... denying this, Hop. You will work for me."

I take a shaky breath. "...No. I won't."

His face twists into a scowl. "Insolent boy," he hisses. "You fail to see what you're refusing yourself. I'll give you one last chance to do this voluntarily, or..." He trails off and takes a step towards me, folding his hands behind his back.

"Or what?" I challenge, my voice coming out much more confident than I feel.

He keeps coming closer, and I step back to try and keep distance between myself and him until I'm pressed against the wall. He doesn't stop walking towards me, and before I can think to move, he is very, very close, one hand on my shoulder holding me against the wall. He speaks in what can't be any more than a whisper, but he's so close to my ear that I flinch away from the sound.

"Let me make one thing very clear for you, young man," he hisses. "There are certain... unfortunate accidents that could befall anyone. Including you. So I'll give you some time to think, and I'll come visit you again at the Champion Cup's opening ceremony." He backs away and pulls the door open. "I'll expect you'll have an answer for me then."

And he slams the door shut behind him.

Now

"Oh my Arceus," Finn breathes, gawking at Hop. "I always knew he was creepy and an asshole, but that's... that's borderline insane. He threatened you?"

"Yeah," Hop grimaces. "I thought about it, and I talked to Marnie and Piers, and I decided that I wasn't going to let him scare me into anything. But I didn't want to get disappeared, so I just-"

"Didn't go to the Opening Ceremony," Finn finishes for him, voice quiet and flat with shock. "Wow. Hop, that's... that's... Arceus, Rose is the worst."

Marnie snorts. "Damn right."

Hop nods. "I had my fight with Lee on my way out on Wyndon. He actually caught me throwing out my medallion the night before the Opening Ceremony..."

July, Again

I wince and turn around. Gods. He's the last person I wanted to run into right now.

Lee stands smiling a few meters from me. "Hey, bud! I've been looking for you all week."

I grit my teeth. I don't want to talk to him. "I bet."

He comes over and pulls me into a quick hug, leaving his hands on my shoulders when he pulls away. "Where have you been? You've still gotta register properly, y'know. Come on, let's go in and do it now," he starts pulling me towards the behemoth of a stadium, luminous panels emanating a deep pink and looming over us like some kind of guillotine. "We'll get you all sorted away. I'll admit bud, you gave me a bit of a scare, not-"

I pull away. "I can't register, Lee."

He stops and turns to me, puzzled. He frowns. "Why not?"

"I don't have my badge medallion."

"What?!" His eyes go wide. "What happened to it?!"

I take a deep breath. Rip the band-aid off, come on. "I... I threw it away."

Lee blinks. "...Come again?"

"I threw it away, Lee," I say, taking a step back as he slowly straightens up, processing what I've done. "I'm not registering."

"...What?" Lee breathes, voice shaking. "Hop, what- why- why are you doing this? This is what you've always wanted, this is- this is everything to you."

All of the fear in me condenses into anger, and I finally snap. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did."

Lee recoils. "...Hoppip, what-"

"Don't call me that," I hiss. "I'm not a child."

Lee hesitates again before shaking his head. "No, no, Hop, something is wrong. You're never like this. You're... you're just being impulsive, if we sit down and think about this-"

"So I'm impulsive?" I snarl, the sharp word that makes me feel like I'm stupid every time I hear it lodges deep in my gut and stays there, serrated edges and all. "I'm impulsive, and you're not impulsive for getting an endorsement from a man you've just met and vanishing for ten years?"

He just... stares at me. He doesn't say anything.

"Because you're so grown," I continue, the dam I've carefully constructed for a decade breaking. "Because you're so much older and so much smarter than me, you obviously know better. Because I'm just young and stupid and impulsive," I spit the word out like it burns me, because it feels like it does. Something in my chest is on fire.

"Hop, it's... it's complicated-"

"Is it?" I cut him off, not in the mood for excuses. "Is it really? Was it complicated every time you chose not to come home at the last minute? Was it complicated when you couldn't be there for my birthdays? When Ma was being horrible and kept me shut in my room for days on end?"

Still no response. Answer me!

"Was it?! Because it seems to me like you chose this over me every time. You chose being famous over being my big brother almost every single time. And I- I've tried for so long to be happy for you, to not be a bother, and I thought maybe you would notice me, maybe you would start caring, but you haven't."

"Wait, I do care..." Lee starts, but his voice dies in his throat the second he sees my face twist with an emotion I'm too angry to name.

"You care about this," I growl. "You care about being  Champion. You care about making Rose happy, even though he's a prick and hurting people on purpose. He's hurting my friends, Lee, the friends that have done more for me than you, on purpose."

Lee opens his mouth to say something, but I don't give him room to talk. "So I'm not doing this. I'm not buying into- into all of this, Lee, I'm not going to sit by and let my friends get hurt. I'm not going to turn into you, because you've been an asshole for ten years and I've been too blind to see it."

"I'm trying my best," Lee finally snaps back. "You don't understand how much pressure I'm under."

"I don't-?!" My voice rises in rage. "I don't understand?! Sure, I don't understand why you're an ass, or why you insist on being Rose's perfect little Champion, but I guess I'll never know, huh?!"

"I tried to help you!" Lee shouts too, voice cracking. "I tried, Hop, I swear, and I did, but this always has to come first. I have a duty to our region, and that's something that you don't understand because you're young. That always has to come first!"

"Who are you helping?!" I take a step towards him, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Who is it that you care so much about?! Because it's sure as hell not our region, or you would've stopped Rose from running Spikemuth into the ground years ago."

"That's different!"

"No, it's not! You aren't listening to me!" I scream. "Nothing has ever been okay!"

And that's when Lee finally backs down. He takes several steps back and seems to shrink into himself, putting his arms out like he's about to defend himself.

"None of this is okay!" I shout, voice hoarse from yelling now. "It's been right in front of you this whole time, Lee, and you can't be bothered to do anything about it?!"

He flinches before taking a deep breath and reaching for my shoulder. "Wait, it's not-"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Lee's tone of voice is right back to where it was at the beginning of the conversation. "I'm not a child! I raised myself, you know! And I did just fine without you!"

My adrenaline dies just as suddenly as it came, and I'm left breathless and a little dizzy on my feet. I blink rapidly to try and chase the fuzziness from my vision and the pounding from my head.

Lee snatches his hand back and stares at me like I'm some kind of alien. He starts to stammer something out after a few seconds of silence. "I- I don't-"

"I'm leaving," I sigh, turning away from him and trying very hard not to stumble. "I'm tired, and I can't deal with this right now."

"What?! To go where?" Lee protests. I hear footsteps behind me. "You just got here, you-"

Leave me alone! I whip around and glare at him. "Why do you want to know? You've never cared enough to come with me before."

Lee stares again. I meet his gaze- he looks scared. And sad.

I feel a little guilty. But not guilty enough to apologize.

Not yet.

"Don't bother following me again, yeah?" I say, turning around and starting to walk off. "I need some space."

Now

Finn grimaces. "Hop..."

"And maybe I was a little harsh, I don't know," Hop says quickly, trying to defend himself. "I was scared and upset and everything just kind of... came flooding out."

"If you ask me, he prob'ly needed the reality check," Marnie says quietly. "I'm still with you, Hop. He's not serving anyone but Rose."

"You... you realized he was probably groomed, right?" Finn says slowly. "Like I was?"

"What?!" Hop tenses. "Like- like with your therapist?"

"Wha- Oh! Oh, no, that's not-" Finn shakes their head quickly. "That's not what I meant. That... that wasn't really grooming, that was assault. Probably."

Marnie's eyebrows shoot up. Finn sees this and sighs. "Okay, okay, it's probably my turn anyway. When I got home, my parents were insistent that having the freedom I had here corrupted me somehow- made me 'unpure' or something, it was bullshit- so they got me this 'therapist'," they make air quotes with their hands, "who wasn't really a therapist, he was just someone that was meant to get in my head and get me back in the mindset my parents wanted. But Dr. Foster was... really, really creepy. He kept getting too close, and then he started offering me food, and my parents were starving me because of the, like, thirty pounds I gained while I was here." They roll their eyes. "Anyways, I, um... I took it one time, and I'm pretty sure he drugged me, because I woke up in the alley behind the building and I..." Finn glances down and finishes quietly. "I was naked."

Marnie stares for a moment, then pulls Finn into the fiercest hug Hop has ever seen her give. "You find me a picture of that bastard," she hisses, voice quaking with anger, "and I will find him and make him regret ever laying a hand on you."

Finn pats Marnie gently and pulls away. "I... I appreciate it, really, but I'd rather never have to see him again. I just... I don't know, I've thought about it a lot, and hurting him back wouldn't change anything. I don't think it'd make me feel any better. I want revenge, but I... I think I just want peace more, y'know?" They take Marnie's and Hop's hands and squeeze them. "I'm happy here. I don't want to change that."

Marnie deflates some but nods. "I... I don't understand, but I don't have to. It's your life."

Finn smiles, although their eyes are weary. "Thanks. Two months after... that, I took Garchomp and snuck onto a cargo ship heading for what I thought would be Hulbury but actually ended up being the Crown Tundra. I wasn't dressed for the cold, and I wandered around for a bit, because the dock workers chased me away from the port, and I stumbled into a cave and got lost. I... I was in bad shape for a second, but Chandelure found me and led some locals to me. I ended up living with two for a bit- it was this guy and his daughter, and they were really welcoming. They were... really loud, and a little strange, but they helped me get back on my feet and sent me off to Postwick in better shape than I'd been in since I first left Galar." They turn to Hop. "I couldn't find you or Ms. Lario when I got there, so I figured Spikemuth was the next best option," they say, glancing at Marnie. "I figured you'd know where he was."

"And you found both of is instead," Marnie snorts. "That's pretty good luck on your part."

Finn smiles and chuckles. "Yeah. But about Lee," they turn back to Hop. "He met Rose when he was...?"

"Ten," Hop replies.

Finn shakes their head. "He brought him up to be perfect, I bet. Isolated him from the people he cared about, made him dependent on him. I'd bet money that that's why he never came home- it's not because he didn't want to, but it's because Rose talked him out of it or wouldn't let him."

"It would make sense," Marnie murmurs. "He's always been creepy, but maybe it goes back farther than we thought."

"I... I don't know," Hop says, shifting uncomfortably. "Lee's not stupid, I feel like he would've recognized it if that's what was happening."

Finn shakes their head. "He's never known anything different, or at least doesn't remember it. That's what it was like with me. Remember how scared I was to get dirt on my clothes when I first got to Postwick?"

Hop nods. Finn sighs and continues. "It's 'cause my parents brought me up that way. Said I would embarrass them if I got all dirty like my brother did, and that I had to be a proper lady. They were always so obsessed with me being perfect, to the point of disregarding my health- starving me so I wouldn't gain 'too much' weight."

Hop nods, but something about what Finn said feels... off. He frowns. "Your brother? I thought you didn't have any siblings."

Finn freezes. Hop slowly shifts to face them, and he can see that their eyes are watering.

"I did," they croak. "I... I had a brother. His name was Victor. He died. That's... that's why I ended up in Galar in the first place."

Everything seems to click into place. Hop understands why they acted to strange, why they were so worried about him leaving when they first became friends. The way they always kept him close, the way they were willing to play-wrestle with him, the way they teased him like- like a brother.

"Why... why didn't you ever tell me?" Hop asks, voice cracking as he rubs Finn's hand. "I... I never knew."

They shake their head. "I... I didn't want you to think you were some kind of replacement," they say quietly. "And Ximena, she- she said I didn't have to talk about anything if I didn't want to. And I just... didn't want to think about it." They heave a sigh. "It just... never came up. I'm sorry."

"No! No, Finn, don't apologize," Hop scrambles to make them feel better. "It's okay. You're right, it never did come up. And that's private, that's not anything that you had to tell me. You didn't do anything wrong."

Finn gives him a small smile. "Thanks. I'm glad..." They trail off, unable to find the right words to describe what they're feeling.

Marnie rests her head on Finn's shoulder. "You're gettin' better everyday, Finn. Promise."

Hammerlocke Central Hospital, 9:38 PM

Oleana hisses as the pain in her wrist flares once again. She sets the pen down and curses under her breath. "Shitty bones..."

"Ms. Frost?" The nurse calls from the doorway. "It's late, you need to rest."

Rest, she thinks to herself, snorting. The world's about to end, and they're telling me to rest.

"I'll go to bed soon," she says to the nurse. "You may go."

The nurse lets out a sigh. "Very well. Good night."

Oleana stares at the shaky scratches that she's managed to etch into the paper of her hospital gown, just barely legible. She stares at the numbers, running calculations in her head. She comes to a devastating conclusion.

We're out of time.

Without me down in the Plant to manage the energy levels, to channel it away from... and, well, I doubt Rose has bothered with it. Not that he knows how it works. Idiot.

But if my numbers are right, we're well past the limit of what it can handle, which means we're past the point of no return.

Which means there's no more predicting what'll happen. I can probably keep levels low enough to prevent anything more drastic than what we've been seeing, but the longer I'm here, the worse everything will get.

Oleana glances at the small window. Small, yes, but just big enough.

The world could end within the week. I'm not going to sit by and let it happen.