I'm alive. Just busy. And the weather is getting nicer, so I'm out a lot more. Anyway, I've been feeling this story lately; thus the update. I'm still in the mood for it, but we'll see which one I update next. Although I want to finish Single By 30, I'm not in the mood to type 20K word chapters. My Word 2 doesn't give me those word count pressures. Enjoy!

Chapter 34

"Romeo! Romeo! Stop!" the girl pants out after running for a while. However, her green haired companion continues on, as if he never heard her. "Romeo!" She attempts to chase him down, but due to her fatigue, she clumsily stumbles to the ground. It's only then does he seem to realize how far behind she is from him.

Romeo had been lost in his own thoughts about how he continues to be second to Dillon. On top of that, Romeo has to deal with his bully Felix, and now Jane has seen everything. This is not how Romeo wanted to come off as, especially towards Dillon and Jane. Romeo just wants to hide. That's why he kept running. Running from his troubles.

Backtracking to Jane, Romeo extends a hand to help her stand. His heart is still racing from the encounter with Felix and the running. Amy had taken off in a different direction, and they haven't ran into her yet. Now that Romeo and Jane are still, they are thinking over the events from earlier. Jane is worried about Dillon. Although Amy has told Jane stories about the former delinquent, Jane can't help but be concerned. Will Dillon really be alright? Why did he have to throw that punch? Amy did mention that Dillon can have a temper.

"You should probably find Amy." Romeo's low voice causes Jane to focus on him.

"Uh. Right."

When Jane pulls out her pokenav, Romeo stops her from dying Amy's number. "She might be on a call with her parents. Just text her."

Nodding, Jane does just that. The girl wants to be by Dillon's side. She wants to help Amy get Dillon out of trouble, like all the times Dillon has helped her. "I hope they're okay."

"Yeah." Romeo awkwardly mutters. "Dillon can handle the police. They'll be fine." If Romeo knows anything about Dillon, it's that Dillon has had enough run-ins with the law for many lifetimes.

Despite fretting over her friends, Jane knows Amy and Dillon have each other. Another one of Jane's friends is right beside her, and his tone is telling her that he's upset. She feels guilty for focusing on her crush this whole time. What a terrible friend. Thus, Jane studies Romeo who is looking dejectedly at the ground. His shoulders are slumped while his brows are deeply furrowed.

"Romeo." Jane softly speaks his name. Seeing him flinch slightly lets her know that he hears her. "Did you wanna talk about it?"

"I'd rather not." Chuckles the boy with a fake smile. That smile isn't fooling anyone. Jane can only continue frowning at him.

"Felix is a bully."

"Jane, please." Romeo finally meets her eyes where she sees the desperateness in them. "I don't wanna talk about it." About Felix. Dillon. The police. None of it. Romeo just wants to be alone, but at the same time, he doesn't want Jane to leave him.

Being respectful, Jane lets the topic go. Whatever issues Felix and Romeo have, she'll let Romeo handle it. Compared to this morning's spat, Romeo was a lot more vocal towards Felix just now. Maybe Jane can trust that Romeo will hold his own against Felix. Just what does Felix have over Romeo that makes Romeo this timid? Yeah, Romeo hasn't beaten Felix in a contest yet, but that should just be motivation to Romeo. Not discouragement. What is going through Romeo's head?

"Okay. Then what do you want to talk about?" As much as Romeo wants to forget the evening's events, so does Jane. She can't just continue standing here in silence knowing her friends are dealing with the police. She needs a distraction. Anything. A conversation.

Letting out a relieved breath that Jane dropped the topic, Romeo glances up at the dark sky and shrugs. "I don't wanna talk." It's why he likes traveling alone. That way, he has ample time to self-reflect. All the time in the world for himself.

"Well, I need to do something." Jane replies. "Else I'm gonna worry myself sick over Dillon...and Amy." Suicune! Jane's cheeks heat up. How selfish can she sound just focusing on her crush?

Dillon. Romeo's brows furrow more. It's always Dillon to the rescue. Romeo hates it. Any time Romeo is upset and needs to clear his mind, he trains. Training calms him. Well, it distracts him, and the passing time causes him to calm down. "Let's train." Romeo then tosses out a pokeball for a Pokemon he's been trying to perfect some contest moves on.

Grateful for the idea, Jane is about to speak when she notices the Pokemon Romeo called out. It's a Pokemon she doesn't recall him having last time. Not his iconic Salamence or Houndoom. It's a Pokemon Jane has been trying to get herself lately. "When did you get an Espeon?"

Romeo continues scratching Espeon behind the ears. The psychic type can sense that Romeo is going through a lot of inner turmoil. "Two weeks ago." With Espeon being a new Pokemon of his, Romeo needs to get him up to the same level as his other Pokemon. "My mom gave me an Eevee after I won the Goldenrod City contest." His mom felt like it was a good reward once she found out he apologized to Jane.

"Wow!" Jane squats down to admire the beautiful Pokemon. Espeon is not shy at all, so he flaunts in front of Jane. Like trainer, like Pokemon. "I've always wanted an Espeon." gushes the girl.

Squatting down beside her, Romeo and Jane pet Espeon. Romeo is starting to forget about his troubles, something Jane has always been great at doing for him. She doesn't realize she does it, but her presence just calms him. The fact that she's intrigued by his Pokemon makes Romeo's heart beat faster. "You won't find any in the wild, so you might as well try to get an Eevee."

"I already have one."

Romeo blinks at her in surprise. "Since when?" It has been a few months since they last saw each other, so Romeo shouldn't be so shocked. This is Jane's first journey. She's still accumulating her team while Romeo's team is basically set. Any new Pokemon he gets now is rare.

"Amy's Eevee had an egg, and she gave it to me." That's the short story. Romeo was there when the whole Ketchums going in the past thing happened. He knows Amy left her Cyndaquil and Eevee at the daycare center. Jane pulls out a pokeball. "Her name is Nala." Out pops the silver Eevee, causing Romeo's eyes to open widely.

"You have a shiny Eevee!"

"Heh. Yeah." Jane sheepishly laughs. Everyone who sees her Eevee tells her that, especially Professor Elm. "But I don't care what color she is. Nala is always Nala." Nala leaps into Jane's arms to snuggle against her.

Espeon gazes up jealousy at her trainer. Romeo is rarely that touchy with them. Romeo's attention is on Jane's large smile. How can she always be so happy? How can someone like her be so infatuated with Dillon? "Does Nala want to evolve?"

"Yeah. We both want to get stronger, and she wants to evolve." Nala nods determinedly. Jumping down to the ground, Nala eyes up the annoyed Espeon. Espeon doesn't like sharing the spotlight. That's precisely why Romeo has Espeon on his team. Someone who loves standing out and will compete for the attention.

"Hm." Romeo pets Nala. "I heard that friendship is what makes an Eevee evolve into an Espeon."

"Really?" Jane has been trying to figure out stones. She attempted to use a sun stone, which did nothing. "But how does that work? Do we need to make a friendship pact?"

"I'm not really sure." Romeo admits. "But it should be intense friendship."

"How did Espeon evolve?" Since they're both unsure on the evolution details, they may as well investigate with Romeo's case.

The boy ponders for a bit, recalling events from weeks ago. "We won the Mahogany Town contest. It was the first contest I used Espeon for when she was an Eevee." After the contest, when Romeo had time to thank and debrief with his Pokemon, Eevee evolved.

"So it must've been the fact that you two won the contest together. The friendship was strong at that time." And the trust. Being a coordinator, Jane understands how important the relationship between Pokemon and trainer is in order to win. Romeo must've reached that amount of friendship with Espeon.

"I guess." Shrugs the boy. "But you won't be winning this contest."

Jane rolls her eyes, though she is glad his playfulness is returning. Compared to today's quiet Romeo, Jane can't believe she's missed the annoying arrogant version of him more. "I will beat you, Romeo! We've been training hard!"

"Ee!" Nala chimes in confidently. Espeon ignores the little Pokemon, irking Nala more. The whole time, Nala has been trying to be friendly with Espeon who is too arrogant to care.

Romeo waves off Jane's comment. "Let's think of another way to make your friendship closer." Not all Eevee's evolve from winning contests.

Jane agrees, despite her wanting to put Romeo in his place about constantly saying he will beat her. Recalling the time Dillon released Pika, only for Pika to come right back, Jane knows that is a true depiction of intense friendship between Pokemon and trainer. Ever since that day, Pika and Dillon's bond is closer than ever. It's like the unknown unspeakable air they had between them completely disappeared that day Dillon tried to release Pika. Jane is sure she and Nala need a relationship like that for Nala to evolve.

"What do you have in mind?" Jane asks.

Smirking, Romeo finally pats Espeon's head again. He's been sensing the mood from his Pokemon. "Let's battle." Hopefully, Jane still isn't that whole 'coordinators don't need to know how to battle' person anymore. When they separated after Goldenrod City, she seemed like she was taking Pokemon training more seriously, like the battling component. It is the reason she lost to him.

The girl returns a smirk of her own. Romeo is her rival. Her first rival. An arrogant boy who still hates her crush. Jane is always eager to compete against Romeo. Being around Romeo makes her a better trainer, and she gets excited. He always brings out the most competitive nature in her that she didn't know she had. "You're on. Are you up for it, Nala?"
"Vee!" Nala gets into a battling stance.

"Let's show them the true power of friendship, Espeon!" Espeon finally stands up, ready for battle. She can't wait to show this little Eevee up. That way, Espeon will get all the attention again.

Back in the city, a boy and girl walk out of a brightly lit building. The boy is rubbing his wrists in annoyance while the girl says, "Mom isn't mad at you."

Despite him not showing it, Dillon is very relieved. Being in a police station, flashbacks of his furious mother still haunt him. He knows he didn't necessarily do anything wrong this time, but he's still anxious. As if she's going to storm into the station and rip him a new one again. He's been at the station for a few hours now. One thing that Dillon still hates is the perks of being a Ketchum. He was fortunately able to be released without a legal adult coming to Blackthorn City.

"She wants you to call her." Amy adds when her brother still doesn't respond. Pika, along with the rest of Dillon's Pokemon, are still at the Pokemon Center. Only Dillon and his guardian would be able to legally get the Pokemon. Thus, Amy had to leave them. Pika is very worried.

Sighing, Dillon gazes up at the night sky. The witnesses at the Pokemon Center stated that Felix was being obnoxiously and verbally harassing Dillon's friends. Although Dillon should not have hit Felix, Felix did deserve it. Therefore, the officers managed to get Felix not to pursue a lawsuit. There's no way Felix could win against Ketchum lawyers, though Dillon wouldn't use any. Dillon is fully prepared to settle on his own. He hates using his family's name and money. All he wants is to be treated normally.

"It's late in Kanto. I'll call her tomorrow."

"She said she won't sleep until she hears your voice. Mom says you're terrible at calls." Notes Amy.

Groaning, Dillon continues walking towards the Pokemon Center. Of course he's terrible with calls. They're awkward. Why is his mom making this difficult for him? He just got out of jail. "I'll text her."

"Dillon, c'mon. It's for mom." Amy presses. Remembering her mother's slightly worried tone makes Amy want her brother to take this seriously.

Hoping to change the topic, Dillon notices they're missing a member of their group. "Where's Jane?"

Luckily for Dillon, Amy has the same attention span as their father. "Romeo ran off with her during the whole thing. I didn't see them." Amy had ran out first to call her parents. She never saw Jane or Romeo.

"We should find her. She must be worried." The pure innocent girl always sees the best in everyone. Dillon doesn't want to be a bad friend. He doesn't have the best track record, but he should at least have a good friendship with someone he's still traveling with.

Amy intentionally hasn't been contacting Jane. One, Amy was on calls with her parents and trying to get Dillon out of jail. Two, there is something going on between Felix and Romeo. Romeo's behavior this morning does worry Amy, despite her seeming like she was brushing it off. Right now, Romeo shouldn't be alone. If Amy told Jane Dillon was being released, Jane would drop everything to check up on her friends. There's no way Romeo would come because Romeo hates Dillon. "Romeo shouldn't be alone." Dillon understands what Amy means by that. Although Dillon has no idea why Romeo hates him, Dillon is glad that Romeo can at least confide in someone.

The two continue walking in silence. Not because Dillon is reflecting on his actions. He rarely reflects on his arrests. He's indifferent towards them. As they near the Pokemon Center, Dillon groans. There are a few cop cars outside. It's most likely officers trying to get everyone's statement. The altercation had many witnesses. Since Amy ran away before the police came, she avoided the interrogation. Maybe it's not a good idea to return just yet, though Dillon knows his Pokemon are worried about him.

"Wanna train?" He suggests, getting Amy's attention again.

She's kind of tired, especially after today's adventure. "You don't have your Pokemon?" Amy is pretty sure Dillon's Pokemon are worriedly in the center waiting for him.

Shrugging, the boy walks away to avoid any officers seeing them. "I can coach you then."

"Are you sure?" Amy runs up beside him excitedly. Although she and Dillon have trained together, he always had his own Pokemon to focus on. Now, she'll get his undivided attention. Amy has dreamed of being guided by her brother like this.

"Yeah. Clair is tough. I don't need you holding us back here."

Amy rolls her eyes. "I won't be the one holding us back, Dillon!" She's a lot stronger than ever. Compared to the start of their journey, Amy's confidence is soaring. To think, she used to have so much self-doubt, and she wanted to quit. Dillon and Jane have pushed her forward along with her rival, Derek. Amy wonders how Derek is doing. How many badges does he have? Where is he?

With his playful smile fading, Dillon recalls the words that irked him in the Pokemon Center. "Amy…"

"Hm?" The girl was too deep in thought about what she wants to show Dillon first.

"You know everything Felix said isn't true, right?"

Looking up at her brother who is avoiding her eyes, Amy smiles largely. Dillon doesn't show emotions much, but he cares in his own way. She's lucky to be one of few people Dillon cares for. "Yeah. Felix is just a bully. Bullies' opinions don't matter." The girl flexes a bicep. "Besides, we all know I'm very strong! Some day, I'm gonna be stronger than you and dad and mom!"

Chuckling, and glad that Amy isn't letting Felix's words affect her, Dillon ruffles her hair. "You can beat mom and dad, but you won't ever beat me." No way will he allow his younger sister to think she's better than him. He'll keep her somewhat humble.

"Really? Then I challenge you to a battle right now!"

Dillon sweatdrops. "I don't have my Pokemon." He reminds her as they near a clearing.

"Oh. Right." Amy sheepishly giggles. "Uh. Well, I challenge you to one tomorrow!"

Rolling his eyes, Dillon stops walking. "Sure, but you won't win." Even with him guiding her training tonight, Dillon is confident he can still beat Amy tomorrow. "Let's see what you've got."

In a different clearing, Jane is narrowly losing to Romeo. His Espeon is very strong, but Nala won't give up. All of Jane's Pokemon are very spunky. "Quick attack and then bite!"

"Stop her with Psychic!" Romeo has been using Psychic a lot this battle. However, Nala's powerful bite attack, along with the type advantage, is weakening Espeon.

"You know what to do this time, Nala!" Jane and Nala have learned from the last time Espeon used Psychic on them. Training with Dillon and Amy has allowed Jane to pick up a lot of details and notes for battling. She's nowhere near as strong as her friends, but Jane is a lot further than when she first started on her journey. If she had begun training seriously from the beginning, she's sure she'd be much stronger than she is now. Hindsight is 20/20.

Nala dodges the Psychic attack before landing a sharp bite on Espeon's neck. "Esp!" Espeon growls in pain, trying to throw off the little Eevee.

"Tackle her into the dirt!" Romeo attempts to get Espeon to rid herself of the Eevee.

"Hang on tight! We've got this!" Jane cheers on.

"Esp!" Espeon continues crying out in pain. She doesn't want to let Nala win, but the little Eevee is proving to be a worthy adversary. By the time Espeon manages to throw off Nala, Espeon is very weak. She attempts to recompose herself, though she's met by a hard quick attack to the side, which finally knocks her out.

Furrowing his brows, Romeo approaches Espeon. "Thanks, Espeon. We'll get them at the contest this weekend." He won't blame this loss on his shitty mood over Felix. Romeo doesn't want to give Felix that power. Moreover, Romeo doesn't like making excuses. Jane beat him fair and square. He'll use this loss as fuel to train more and beat her this weekend.

"Yes! You did it, Nala!" Jane runs over to her Eevee. Before she can hug Nala, Nala starts glowing a bright white hue. Jane gleefully jumps in the air with her hand on Romeo's shoulders. "She's evolving!"

"Wow." Romeo gasps quietly in amazement. Despite seeing his fair share of evolutions, he's always mesmerized by them. Plus, the fact that he's been helping Jane evolve her Eevee excites him to see the result. He didn't think it'd happen right away. That must mean Nala and Jane's friendship was very close to evolution.

"Uh. That's not an Espeon." Jane mutters in confusion. They did everything like Romeo said he did with his Eevee. How come this isn't an Espeon?

"What is it?" Romeo is also confused.

"Um?" Nala worriedly speaks. She doesn't like the look on Jane's face. Why isn't Jane happy? She evolved. "Umbreon?"

"Um...breon?" Jane whispers. Umbreon. That sounds familiar. "Nala evolved into an Umbreon!" The midnight black Pokemon with its bright blue rings.

"Oh. An Umbreon!" Romeo looks up the pokemon on his pokenav. "I wonder why you got an Umbreon instead of an Espeon. Maybe it's something with your friendship?"

Seeing both the Espeon and Umbreon in front of her, Jane is remembering some things from when she was younger and helping out the professor. Day and night. Eevee species. "Oh! I heard Eevees can evolve based on day and night too! Like how Hoothoots are active at night, and Pidgeys are active in the day. You said Espeon evolved after your morning contest! It was still daylight! And Nala just evolved now at night!"

"Yeah." Romeo is still reading the article on his pokenav, but everything Jane is saying is correct. Looking up at the grinning girl, he apologetically tells her, "I know you wanted an Espeon." He feels guilty. They should've done some research before evolving Nala. Now, it's too late unless Jane gets another Eevee.

Jane shakes her head while finally hugging the nervous Nala. "I don't care as long as it's Nala!" All Jane wants is Nala. Nala is her friend. Regardless of how Nala looks, Jane will always love her Pokemon.

Feeling the hug, Nala relaxes. She was anxious that Jane wouldn't like her because she isn't an Espeon. "Breon!" The Umbreon snuggles into Jane some more.

Groudon. Romeo's heart is beating really fast now. Some pretentious people Romeo know would have thrown Nala away. There are people who don't care about Pokemon feelings. They are selfish and want a collection. Nala may not be the Espeon Jane wanted, but Nala is exactly who Jane wants. Petting Espeon, Romeo whispers, "We'll get them this weekend."

He lost to Jane, which is fueling him to get stronger. Felix messed with Romeo and Romeo's friends today. Currently, Romeo feels like he's at his lowest point. There's only one way from here, and it's up. Although he's never beaten Felix in a contest before, Romeo won't let that deter him any longer. It's easier said than done, but the fact that Romeo has someone like Jane on his side, Romeo feels like he can do anything. Jane gives him strength. Her care and utmost support. It's enough.

Some time later, Jane and Romeo depart. They talked about their evolutions, let their Pokemon out to play, and shared contest stories. Romeo gave her some advice. When he's not irked by Dillon, or shy from Felix, or arrogant to Jane, he's very knowledgeable and insightful. Jane can see why he has so many fangirls, which he doesn't let get to his head. He finds his fangirls utterly annoying.

It's very late into the night now, and Romeo had gone off to his room on the other side of the Pokemon Center. He offered to walk Jane to her room, but Jane doesn't want to risk Romeo running into Dillon. That will just ruin the good mood everyone is in now. Jane had texted Amy earlier to find out Dillon had been released. Thus, Jane wanted to come back to the Center to check on her friends she hasn't seen in hours.

Opening the door, Jane lets out a relieved breath spotting the lights on, revealing Dillon at one of the desks. He's watching a video on his pokenav, which turns out to be of Clair's recent battle. Dillon knows he and Amy are challenging Clair early, and Clair is one of the strongest Johto gym leaders. People usually challenge her after they earn 6 badges. Thus, Dillon has been putting in a lot more work preparing for Clair. More work than he's ever done before, surprising even him.

Amy is currently knocked out on her bed due to the eventful day. She also was training rigorously tonight, so she's exhausted. Dillon gives Jane a small smile, glad that she's okay. "Hey, Jane."

Jane shuts the door quietly since she noticed Amy sleeping. Amy is a very heavy sleeper, but Jane has her manners. "Are you okay, Dillon?" The older girl is worried about her crush. The only time she wasn't worried about him was when she was battling and hanging out with Romeo. She feels slightly guilty about carefreely being with Romeo while Dillon was in jail.

"Yeah." Dillon nods. He turns off his pokenav for the night. A part of him was also awake to make sure Jane returned safely. If she didn't, he would track down Romeo. Fortunately, it didn't come down to that. "Are you okay?"

She nods. Despite the silence, it's not awkward. Jane is used to Dillon's silence. He rarely speaks, but his silence is comforting. Eventually, Jane says, "Nala evolved into an Umbreon."

"That's great." Dillon's smile grows, causing Jane's heart to beat faster. Dillon doesn't ever show emotions, especially smiles. Seeing it makes her realize just how special she is to him for him to show himself like this. "I knew you two were gonna figure out what to evolve her into."

"Heh. Thanks, Dillon." Jane shyly blushes. "Um. Sorry for leaving you. I really didn't want to."

The boy shrugs off the comment. "It's better you did. It'd be too messy if you guys got caught." Dillon doesn't want to hear from his mother about how he got his sister, cousin, and friend involved with the authorities. He heard enough of that last year when his friends got arrested in Cerulean City with him. Frowning because the thought of a certain bluenette crossed his mind, Dillon quickly turns to face his bed. "I'm gonna go to sleep. You should too."

Jane is too infatuated with her own fantasies of Dillon to notice his change in mood. Instead, she obediently nods before grabbing a change of clothes to shower into. All that running and battling has gotten her sweaty. "Good night, Dillon! I'm happy you're okay." She then runs out of the room before she can say anything she'll regret, leaving the boy to lay on his bed in deep thought.

He didn't hear a word Jane said just now. He's still fighting the painful memories of his Kanto friends. Friends he's not sure he still has. The more time they've spent apart, the less they've heard from each other. Their group chat has been empty for months. Dillon doesn't hear from either of them. The worst is from Aurora. Mew. That hurt thinking about her name. All he wants to do is fall asleep already, but his heart is tightening painfully.

Jane and Amy were very nice to Dillon after his release from police custody. Usually, Misty would berate Dillon, but he never learned his lesson from her tirades. Last year, Aurora was the one who set him straight. She'd reprimand him, and no matter how much he tried to ignore her, she would bring up the problem until he understood. She was utterly annoying...but he misses that annoyance. Johto really isn't the same. For the most part, it's a lot more boring than Kanto was. Therefore, Dillon has been giving himself excitement by beating the gym challenge.

When Jane returns from her shower, she thinks Dillon was waiting up for her. This causes her crush to deepen for him. Luckily, he managed to get the memories of his old friends out of his head by now, so he bids her good night as well. Soon, the two fall asleep after the eventful day. About a week later, after training and avoiding Felix while occasionally running into Romeo, the Blackthorn City contest begins.