Tomorrow arrives, and Michael—finally out of the hospital—is sent home to recover, where Max and Eugene await his return. Half an hour into their session, the doorbell rings. Kaiser's mother rushes over to answer it, and comes back with Adé in tow.

"Sorry I'm late," Adé says while scratching the back of his neck. "I was busy working on this." He holds out a bracelet of colorful braided thread, adorned with the pendant gem from the other day. "I know you don't really like anything showy or bothersome, so I tried to make it a bit easier to carry around. But I guess you won't like this either—"

Out of nowhere, Kaiser swipes the bracelet from him and slips it on. "I like it. Thanks." He cracks a tiny smile, which seems to coincide with the gem's shifting colors. Adé returns the gesture, his pendant mirroring that of the bracelet.

Raising a brow, Max glances at the baubles sported by the trio. "What's with the shiny? Is this some sort of new trend going around?"

"We bought these from a street vendor the other day," Eugene answers. "He claimed they have special powers or something, especially when worn by those with strong bonds. I doubt his credibility, but Adé bought them for us anyway. I think that divination stuff got into his head."

"Personally, I don't trust anyone that claims gems can give you superpowers, but to each his own." He leans back on his chair, inspecting the kids' jewelry, then asks, "Where did you find that guy, anyway?"

"Just outside the Tarot Cafe, I think."

Max gives a side glance. "Hm. Well, I guess I can give his stuff a closer look."

Adé laughs. "You're really worried 'bout lookin' trendy, arentcha?"

Max doesn't respond to the jest, a grim expression on his face—a reaction that strikes Kaiser as odd.

Somewhere in Inazuma Town, Timmy treks down the sidewalk, walking as fast as he can to the location sent to him via text. He stops in front of a popular clothing chain, where a tall figure with curly orange hair waits patiently, bobbing his head to the music on his mp3 player. When the figure spots him, he removes his earbuds and flashes a grin. "Tiny Tim, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I'd like it if you didn't call me that, Sam." His brows furrow. Even moreso than Max, he hates it when this man calls him by that nickname, as he came up with it in the first place. "Let's cut the small talk. You know why I'm here."

Sam nods. "Cus I owe you one, right? Yeah, I get that a lot. So, what's the occasion?"

Hesitant, Timmy replies, "Job interview. And just everything in general. I didn't bring a lot when I flew here, but since I'm going to be stuck here for a while, I might as well shop for some new clothes."

"Really? Cus you told me over the phone that you were shopping for Max. Changed your mind?"

"Oh, no. Max definitely needs a wardrobe upgrade. I just… Well, I have my reasons."

"Whatever you say, Tiny Tim." His words earn him a punch on the arm. "Well, excuse me, princess!"

They enter the store, a two-story establishment lined entirely with trendy-yet-affordable fashions of all sorts. Their motto is "Every style under one roof!" Timmy is blessed to be such close friends with Sam, as his own fashion sense is pretty much nonexistent. He is also blessed that Sam happens to not only know Max's tastes better, but is also equipped with an employee discount. But even with him nearby, a store this big can be overwhelming for a person so small. Sizing is also an issue, as much of the cooler-looking stuff hardly comes in his size, and even his friend would join in the mockery, showing off dresses and skirts for him to try. Despite all that, they manage to rack up an astounding collection.

Once finished with their search, they take their spoils to the register, headed by a handsome young man with mulberry hair. The employee's yellowish eyes glance at the two while checking out the mountain of clothing and flashes a smirk in Sam's direction. "Shopping for your kid here?"

The comment irritates Timmy, but Sam simply chuckles, seemingly unfazed. "Something like that. Doug, this is Timmy, an old friend of mine. We used to attend Raimon together."

"Raimon, eh? Didn't you have another friend that went there?"

"Yeah, you're probably thinking of Max. The three of us attended the football team. Come to think, you were on the team last year, too, right?"

Doug pauses before answering. "Yeah. I was in Raimon for a while, but I transferred to Lunar Sea Academy during my senior year."

"Right, I think I might've seen you guys while watching the Saint's Way tournament last year. That shit was crazy!"

"I guess you could say that."

Ticked off by the cashier's dismissive attitude, Timmy asks, "So why did you transfer, anyway?"

Doug stops briefly to glare at him. "That's none of your business."

"It's because of Fifth Sector, wasn't it? Don't bother hiding it; I heard it all from Max."

"So maybe I did factor that in. What's it matter to you?" Timmy, taken aback, tries to come up with a justification, only to find none. As he waited for the reply, Doug's hands worked on the remainder of the load, and has just finished by the time of his own response. "That'll be sixteen thousand Prestige. Cash or charge?"

Walking out of the store with bags in hand, the two of them start heading back to Max's abode. "Man, that whole thing was awkward," Sam says. "Like, what was your deal?"

His head hanging down in shame, Tim replies, "Sorry, Sam. It's just... I can't find myself to trust anyone who could betray Raimon like that."

"Says the brat that once betrayed Raimon." Another punch in the arm. "Shit! I guess I deserved that one."

"Damn right you did! Don't you remember what happened back then?"

"You mean when we got manipulated into siding against Mark? Of course I do! How can I forget that?"

"You seem awfully casual about it."

Sam stops in his tracks, and his tone suddenly takes a serious turn. "Timmy, I know how you feel. I regret the choices I made back then, but you know what? I learned to forgive myself and move on. Maybe you should, too."

They silently continue onward until they reach the front door. As Timmy unlocks the door, he mutters, "Sorry for snapping at you earlier."

Sam shrugs. "It's no skin off my back. Now, where'd you want me to put this?"

"Just leave it by the door, thanks."

"Um, okay, I guess." He sets the bags down. "Well, if you wanna talk, you got my number." With a casual wave, he turns and walks off.

Author's Note: Another day, another chapter. I apologize to keep everyone waiting for so long, especially considering the slow pacing of this story in general. To compensate for the lack of action, I brought in a new (for this story, anyway) character and made a callback to the climax of season two of the original series. About these two, I'm gonna have to admit to something: first, that Sam's characterization here (and any other piece of fanwork I make/will make featuring him) is pretty much entirely based on Alternate Character Interpretation (with a touch of inside jokes); second, that I have yet to watch the entire season in question or finish the game it's based on, so I may not have the best grasp on the Dark Emperors' motivations past "we have to get more power because... reasons!". Yeah, just wanted to get that out there.

I've been picking up on this story better than when I last uploaded, so be prepared for plenty more to come!