Author's note: Someone informed me that this chapter and the last one were broken into code, so hopefully this fixes it.

I wasn't sure how long I slept for. All I know was by the time I woke up; it was already dark. I couldn't see a single thing. I remembered being under the water, and I suddenly felt a panicked urge to breathe. I kicked my legs off the rock floor and resurfaced, taking in all the oxygen my lungs could take. It felt as though I had been holding my breath for hours straight.

In fact, that's probably what happened. Looking around, it was totally pitch black, only the dim moonlight provided any kind of sight to me. The clouds above were thick masses in the sky that blocked most of the moonlight, making it hard to see anything but hazy outlines of my environment.

It must still be nighttime, I mused. Too bad I couldn't sleep until morning.

I would go to sleep again… but I just did. With the rest I just got there was simply no way I could get myself to fall asleep again. Had a bit too much energy.

I looked up at the sky, watching the moonlight glowing and fading as clouds pass. I felt a strange longing to leave, fly up to the sky and see around me. Maybe all that mind training is making me start to appreciate going out more. Looking over to my side, I could see that the Lake Trio weren't here. Perhaps they had gone back to their respective lakes.

Now would be a good time to get some alone time and go out a bit. Thinking that, I closed my eyes and let my body transform. My legs and arms morphed as I felt my six fluffy tails merge into one, long, pink tail. I could feel my entire body changing to my will, sending warm shivers throughout. When the feeling stopped, I was already a mew. My 'true form'. To think, all this time, I had been living as a vulpix, not knowing what kind of power I stored.

I jumped and soared, my body feeling lighter than air, and flew out of Bleak Cove and into the cold night above the clouds. I wasn't sure what time it was; the moon was still pretty bright. It was probably around midnight, maybe later. Next time I should probably avoid napping so much.

Now that I was up in the sky, I was reminded of just how beautiful nature truly was. The lush forestry and the sound of nothing but small bug pokémon chirping, also the nice feel of cool night wind blowing past me. During my escape through the woods and jungles all I ever cared about was to run and die, not appreciating how I could have just lived a new life out here. And here I am, doing exactly that. Maybe I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I'm moving forward now. Things will change.

I decided to fly around for a bit, enjoy the night. I would turn invisible, but I don't know how yet, but I'm sure there wouldn't be anyone out here, plus it'd be hard to see a small figure in the dark sky. As I flew, my mind kept thinking. What kind of changes will happen now? What will my life be in the future? What will happen to me?

Suddenly I felt very cold inside. It was like my heart froze over. Thinking about how my life will be… Without Arthur, without Sam, without the clan, and possibly one day leaving the safety of Bleak Cove too… it was frightening. It made feel dread, uncertainty, and above all, loneliness.

Will I be… all alone in the future later?

Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe I was being a pessimist and already considering the worst outcome. Yet somehow, feeling that way, thinking that way, didn't seem abnormal. Or was it?

I slowed down, eventually stopping to nothing but a hover. The wind stopped blowing and the pokémon stopped buzzing and squeaking, creating an eerie silence, dead in the night. I floated down, gently landing my two feet on the ground and sitting on top of a large, mossy boulder. It made for uncomfortable sitting, but I didn't really care. I needed some time alone.

Maybe there's a chance Elise is awake? I was afraid I might be bothering her; it could be the middle of the night there, or maybe she could be doing something important… but if I never contact her, I'll never know. I should probably transform back first though. If Elise ever saw a Mew talking to her, she would most certainly flip.

After transforming back once more, I closed my eyes and focused, reaching out into her mind. Reaching out into her mind and calling her. It wasn't a process that you could easily describe, but it was as if I was signaling her mind that I was trying to contact her. Shortly after, I could feel some kind of pulse responding back in my head. When I opened my eyes, Elise was already there.

"Keith." She smiled, greeting me. She didn't appear irritated or sleepy, so that's a good sign.

"Heya, Elise," I smiled back, albeit a little worried. "I hope I wasn't interrupting you?"

"No, it's the evening here, so it's all right." I sighed in relieved. That means I was just a few hours ahead of her, 10 to 12 hours at most, I estimate. "So why did you call me?" She asked.

"Well, uh, I just wanted to talk, that's all." I replied rather absent-mindedly. Which made me feel horribly stupid a few seconds later.

"Oh, well, I haven't really thought of any new topics since last time…" Elise didn't seem prepared either —then again, should you be, for a simple conversation? "Mm, how are you doing?"

"To put it shortly, my, uh, trainer, is putting me through some training," I answered. It wasn't a complete lie, so it should suffice. Despite my… predicament, I didn't want to lie to Elise. I wanted to be honest to her, but my condition makes it hard.

"What kind of training?" Elise asked, clearly curious.

I gulped. I was afraid she would ask that but fortunately there's a much less complicated answer. "Well, my trainer is teaching me psychic-type moves." Technically correct, but different, nonetheless.

"Ah, I see, that's quite interesting." Elise smiled thoughtfully. "I bet you'll be able to be really powerful then." The way she said that… made me happy. It's not the usual kind of 'happy', but something else.

"W-well, my trainer's doing it pretty rough on me… It's more like a regiment honestly." I added.

"So, I guess you're gonna be doing psychic training for a few weeks then?"

"I assume so."

"Must be pretty tough," Elise sympathised with me. "By the way, what time is it over there?"

I froze for a second, not knowing how to answer since I don't know the time, so I quickly stated, "It's nighttime here." Elise didn't question it any further and simply nodded.

I sighed, looking longingly at the sky. The clouds have cleared up a bit and the moonlight shined dimly through the branches. The night was quiet and still, not a single noise around. It was creepy, but at the same time it was comforting. As I sat there, pondering, my mind drifted back to Arthur and everyone else. None of them ever left my mind. With my current situation, training intensively in Bleak Cove… It makes me wonder… what I even have for the future.

I knew what it meant. That I'd be doing this training for weeks, months, maybe even years. They see great potential in me, obviously. I should honestly be relieved that I found people to take care of me and my problems, but none of it was sitting right with me.

"Is something bothering you?" My mind snapped back to reality, looking at the ghostly shimmer of Elise sitting by me. "Sorry, but you looked deep in thought."

"No, I apologise, it's just…" My thoughts started drifting again, back to thinking about the future. "Erm… Can… Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you think it's silly that… I wish I was more; you know… normal? As in… not really being anyone special?" I asked quietly, looking down in shame knowing I shouldn't feel this way about my new powers. She stared at me and tilted her head to the side. When she didn't seem to understand, I cleared my throat and decided that it was ridiculous of me to have asked. "You know what, never mind, it was a stupid question."

"I don't find it silly." Her reply shocked me. I looked at her straight in the eye. "I'm assuming you don't want to be famous or important, right?"

I gave it some thought before nodding silently. "It's so stupid, honestly…" I said, turning my head down again. "I can't really explain it to you properly, but people would really give anything for the chance I got… I'm sure everyone would be happy to be in my position, but I… I don't really like it." Indeed, for me, the notion of being a mew seemed both like a blessing and a curse.

"Okay, so I don't know everything…" Elise conceded. "However, I think I can somewhat understand what you're going through."

"You do?" I mumbled the question, not looking up. "It's so different than what you think it is…" I muttered.

"Would you… like to talk about it?" She asked softly. I wasn't sure if I wanted to. Talking about it would reveal so much information. Information that might scare her. And I didn't want to scare her. The two of us merely sat in silence, not exchanging words, although I could feel her eyes watching me.

"L-look, I…" As I turned my head to look towards her, I realised that tears were forming in the corner of my eyes. I hurriedly wiped them away, but she must've noticed them.

"Wh-why are you crying?" She asked, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"It's just that… I wish I was just a normal vulpix. A normal vulpix who could be living a normal life like any vulpix living in the woods or living with a normal trainer under normal conditions… My life is anything but." Thinking all that made me start to tear up, my heart swelling with the feeling of grief and anxiety. "I'm worried… worried about m-me and my future…"

Elise looked worriedly at me for a few moments, unsure how to respond to the sight of a man crying before her. I mustered the strength to say the next few words. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't be pestering y-you with some d-dumb questions…" Without waiting for a response, I quickly shut the connection off.

I stared emptily into nowhere, my heart sinking, then plummeting as I realised what I had done. More tears came out of my eyes as I started wailing loudly. "Wh-why was I-I-I so st-stupid…" It was a mistake. A complete mistake. I shouldn't have tried to ask her. I shouldn't have tried to convene with her. My legs slumped and I laid sideways against the boulder, clutching my chest tightly.

Now… now I'm sure she'll never talk to me again… I already ruined everything…

I cried more and more, regretting everything. Regretting my mistakes. Regretting my decisions. Regretting my plans for the future. Regretting how I couldn't do anything right. Regretting the fact that, if only I had never asked her such a personal question, I wouldn't have tried to hide it and kept a normal, civil relationship with her…

Just then, I felt it. A light ringing noise in the back of my mind.

She's… contacting me again?

I let the connection turn back on and turned to face her. She looked worried sick. In fact, she must have thought she had done something wrong because she rapidly apologised to me, "K-Keith, wait, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to ask that…" She looked sad, confused, and very afraid. Afraid of me? No… she was afraid of herself. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to—"

"No, i-it's alright…!" I quickly comforted her, trying to pat her shoulder but my paws simply passed through her body. I nearly fell off the boulder because of that. "My problems are just… complicated… I wasn't sure how to tell it to you…" My ears perked as I heard a few sniffles from her. I could sense a deep sadness from her, but directed more towards herself rather than me. Was she feeling guilty about chasing me away? "Y-you don't have to feel guilty about earlier… I'm sorry. I lost myself."

Elise sniffled a few more times before smiling sadly. "It's okay… I was just afraid that I had frightened you or something…"

I shook my head. "If anyone should apologise, it should be me," I said, trying to sound formal-ish. "I… I shouldn't have asked you that question."

"Hey, you don't need to shy away from that…" She intervened. "We all have our problems we don't want to talk about. Sometimes we just want to turn away or run and leave it all behind. I can understand that."

I nodded solemnly, understanding her. I suddenly found it difficult to find another topic to talk about, after all that. However, she started the conversation again. "We don't have to talk about that anymore. Hey, you wanna talk about something else?" She encouraged with a small smile.

I gave a tiny nod, making attempts at small talk, like discussing more about her personal life and what Alola was like. I became fascinated by the sights there; it sounded like some sort of island paradise. The breezy weather, the beautiful flora, the tropical nuances… It definitely sounded like a dream retirement home spot. The way she described it made me want to live there. Maybe if I fly long enough, I could reach her and meet her in person.

After maybe half an hour of chatting, we settled down again. We both looked away for a while, unsure what to do. The thought of 'the talk earlier' still bothered my mind, gnawing at my heart. I didn't want to think about it too much. I should probably tell her to forget it too. "Hey, about earlier…" I began, catching her attention. "I'm sorry I talked like that, I… I was having some problems."

"It's okay," she comforted me. "It's a normal reaction. We… often panic in times when we have big problems." She looked right at me, eyes glinting under the glow of the moonlight. "You know, why don't you talk to me about it? Sometimes telling other people about it can really help."

I swallowed hard. I wasn't ready to share some of my darkest secrets with another person… even if I really did want to. "It's just that… it's not something that lightweight."

"Of course, it isn't," she shook her head indifferently. "But you have to start somewhere, right? If you wanna learn how to help yourselves, you have to allow yourself to search for help."

Her words rang true inside of me. As much as I hated to admit it… she was right. I wasn't gonna get better my crying, moaning, wailing every single day, hoping to Arceus that a miracle might pass. I have to act on it. I have… to start believing. Even just a little.

"…Do you… do you really want to hear about it…?" I asked nervously. She nodded immediately. Deep down, it didn't feel right to tell her. I've only met her for like two days and I'm already venting and ranting to her? But there was another part of me… that wished to tell someone and let go of these feelings. I looked at Elise. I could feel compassion emanate from her aura as I looked deep into her eyes. It was real. Genuine.

Much to my surprise, I let out a choked sob of happiness. My heart throbbed as feelings swirled in my chest. Wiping another tear, I started talking. "I can't give you all the details, but to put it simply… I've been struggling a lot. I've been trying to find who I really am. Something bad happened to me and I was tossed into this endless pit of despair. I broke down. Eventually, I didn't know what to do. So, I left all of my friends and family to protect both myself and them."

Elise looked rather confused — which was completely understandable, because my story sounded like a load of poppycock without context — but I couldn't tell her that. I'd be confessing to murdering Adam. However, she asked a different kind of question. "Does that mean you're not with your trainer anymore?"

I swallowed, knowing full well I did lie to her. "Y-yes… I'm sorry. It's… it's complicated. I would prefer if you don't ask about it now." Elise gave a small nod and I resumed my story. "Later on, one thing eventually led to another and I've lost sight of who I am. Things suddenly changed, and nothing was the same." I thought back to the moment I found out I was a mew and was forced to go into hiding. "I found a few people who promised they would be able to give me purpose, but…"

"Is it that you don't feel comfortable with this purpose?" Elise questioned.

I nodded in agreement. "Yes… I wish things had turned out differently. That's all about I can tell you."

Elise remained quiet for a minute before speaking. "Why don't you tell me the full story?" Elise insisted, frowning. "I get the picture, but I can't help you if you don't trust me."

Her words pierced my heart a bit, my body shuddering. To tell the truth, I wanted to tell her. Nonetheless, I can't, for if I was to tell her that, the situation would drastically change. "I… I just can't yet." I apologised weakly, my chest twisting. "N-not yet… I can't tell you now."

From the look in her eye, it was obvious she had been hoping for more, but she let out a resigned sigh and nodded sympathetically. "It's okay, I understand." Much to my surprise, she suddenly smiled. "In fact, I've had this talk with lots of other people too."

My ears twitched upon hearing that. "Y-you have?" I stuttered, astonished.

"Well, I was one of Lavent's first pokémon, hatched right out of an egg her mother gave her," Elise smiled sheepishly. "Shortly after I came along, we trained together, and she caught a lot of other pokémon. Most of them weren't really adjusted to indoor life, so I helped them out by asking and addressing the problems they had, whether it was the food, love with other neighbours' pokémon, or nervousness. I was like a counsellor." Elise laughed.

"I see… I had a friend who was sorta like that." Her words made me think back to Arthur, the glue of the group.

"I'm sure they were a great person too," Elise stated. "At the time, I didn't think the conversations we had would get so… deep and intense." Elise paused for a moment, a sad darkness in her eyes. "We talked a lot about what made us uncomfortable, how to solve them, and what we desire most. We confided in our darkest secrets and deepest desires. I eventually got used to it." She looked back at me, her smile back on her face. "So, I have no issue with you, a total stranger, talking to me about your problems."

I stared at her, dumbfounded. Was all of that really true? Judging by her perfectly pure eyes and my own psychic sensory powers, she was definitely honest. There was no lie. My instincts told me that there was nothing to be afraid of, yet there was a sense of doubt, somewhere deep inside my brain; the logical side. On the other hand, my heart was pounding, throbbing, threatening to leap out of my chest and into her embrace; the emotional side.

"I… I…" I blinked back the tears I was holding back. "Thank you for understanding… I-it has been a while since… someone last talked with me like that."

Elise simply gave a cheerful smile. "It's no problem. I won't force you to do anything. Just come talk to me whenever you're ready." Elise suddenly turned her head to the side, as if looking at something. "Oh, Lavent is calling me. It was nice to talk to you though." She gave me one last comforting smile before her shape dissolved into the air.

I stared at where she previously stood, then stared up at the sky, the moon shining through the clouds a bit brighter than before. For some reason, I started to smile. My heart was pulsing and brimming with joy. It was a feeling unlike anything I've ever felt before.

When we first met, I first thought she was more of a reserved, quiet girl type, who doesn't really interact much with other people, like a wallflower. Now, it's clear to me that she's the caring, affectionate type, who looks out for her friends and takes care of them when they need it. She's the type who would never abandon you, not even when you're at the bottom of the barrel, and would always try to be there for you whenever possible. She's the type… you would want to have as a true friend.

"She really is an amazing person…" I smiled warmly, thinking about her words. So, I have no issue with you, a total stranger, talking to me about your problems. When I heard that it was like… she melted an icy layer that I had never realized coated my heart. A candle that managed to penetrate through me. Strings that managed to tug at me. Such a bizarre emotion.

"I'm not really a good person…" I mumbled to myself as I shut my eyes. "But… I wanna show some of my good to her… even just a tiny bit…" With a sense of humbleness now seeded in me, I started daydreaming and quickly fell fast asleep…