Chapter Four: Fortitude

Blue stood at her starting line and watched as the Lucario opened its eyes and gracefully rose to its feet. "Hello."

"H-Hello," she croaked. "It is nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the Lucario intoned in her mind, and she got the sense that this one was a male. "You are…afraid?" he asked, his expression shifting to one of puzzlement. "May I ask why? And please; just think your answer. We do not need others listening in, do we?"

"I guess not," she admitted with a giggle. "I am jealous of Amour, since she is psychic. I wish I was psychic as well."

"My telepathy is limited," the Lucario informed her. "And I am not capable of weaponizing it."

"That is relief," Blue replied.

"What a charming manner of speech!" he exclaimed. "Are you from another region?"

"No. Kevin thinks it is because my name comes from old language. Well, my intended name, that is."

"How quaint," the jackal Pokémon replied with a smile and an approving nod. Just then, the warning whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the match. "If you would, please cast aside any fear you may have; it is unfounded, and…" he traced two arcs with his feet before locking his heels together. He then brought his paws together, left hand open over a right hand closed into a fist, and bowed slightly with his eyes lowered; a sign of trust and respect. "…I consider it an honor to face you, Steenee."

"The… The honor is mine," she replied, attempting to mime his hand gesture to show that the respect was mutual. "It is honor to face you as well."

The judging official strode up to perform the final check.

"Before we begin; may I know your name?" the Lucario asked as he assumed his ready position, a sideways stance with arms extended to the front and back. "I know your trainer-er, coach has given you one."

"My name is Blue. What is yours?"

A flicker of sadness crossed his face before he replied. "I do not have a name; I am just a Lucario."

"I disagree," she said, choosing to speak aloud; she wanted his trainer to hear what she had to say. "You are great varrior who should have name."

He smiled with a single nod, and she could feel him close the telepathic connection.

"And…BEGIN!"

The opposing trainer wasted no time: "Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

Blue quickly back-flipped, putting more space between herself and her opponent and giving herself enough room to dodge the anticipated ball of energy. She landed upright just as the Lucario finished condensing the energy.

"Hadodan!" he yelled, surprising her with his vocalization as he released the coalesced energy, giving her very little time to dodge, though she managed. Behind her, several trainers scrambled to safety as the sphere slammed into the wall in front of them.

While her opponent recovered from his attack, Blue took the opportunity to materialize several leaves and send them his way. He avoided most of them, but one grazed his arm, and he checked his wound before giving her an approving nod.

From the sidelines, Kevin leaned over to Amour. "He's a well-trained Pokémon, but Blue's gonna win it."

The Gothorita gave him a puzzled look. "What makes you think that?"

"Use Metal Claw!"

Kevin smirked at the near-perfect timing. "She can hear everything the other trainer is saying, so she knows what that Lucario's going to do at pretty much the same time it does. That, along with everything I've taught all of you about Pokémon and their attacks, gives her a huge advantage."

"Ah," she replied, then returned her attention to the field in time to see her comrade spin into her opponent, knocking the ninja Pokémon back several steps.

"NO!" the opposing trainer wailed, throwing his cap to the ground; while his Pokémon had managed to land a few hits on the shorter opponent, it was starting to look the worse for wear. "She shouldn't be hitting you like that! Use Counter!"

Blue simply smiled, and a light purple mist emanated from her petite form, temporarily obscuring the combatants from view. Within the cloud, the Lucario's muscles started to feel sluggish, and as the mist cleared he barely avoided a barrage of leaves from his agile opponent.

"Lucario, come take a potion!" his trainer ordered, and the jackal Pokémon complied, gratefully accepting the bottle and downing it in one gulp. He then spun, ready to accept the next attack…

…except it never came, and he blinked in surprise at the sight of his opponent standing at her start line, waiting for him.

"Damn, Blue," Kevin murmured, his chest swelling in pride. "That's honorable." At Amour's questioning look he explained, "It's generally accepted that when one of you gets a potion, the other's allowed a free attack; I guess it's to simulate battle outside of the arena, against wild Pokémon."

"Ah. I understand," Amour replied, watching her captain with greater admiration than before.

The crowd cheered and gasped as the two combatants traded blows; many of them had thought that the Steenee would have stood no chance against the Fighting/Steel Pokémon; after all, her best attacks would have done about half the damage it would have to other types, but everyone present could tell that she was, slowly but surely, wearing the Lucario down.

Said Lucario caught his breath while waiting for his next command and regarded his opponent with even more respect; while he was certainly one of the more powerful Pokémon, he realized that his opponent had one thing that he didn't, and that one thing was allowing her to effectively embarrass him – however unintentionally – in front of thousands of people: freedom.

He wanted that.

As Blue readied her next attack, the Lucario looked back to see his trainer in full panic, frantically tapping the buttons on his palmtop, presumably trying to figure out how to beat a Pokémon that he should have been able to handily defeat. He looked back to the sight of another whirlwind of leaves headed his way, and with the sound of his trainer's frustrated cries in his ears he closed his eyes and accepted the attack.

Blue felt a little sick as the blue-furred Pokémon collapsed to the ground, and to the surprise of the audience she hurried over with arms outstretched, intending to help him to his feet.

As she drew close, though, he managed to push himself up onto all fours and, sensing her intent as he saw her approach, allowed her to take his paw and help him to his feet. "I yield, Lady Blue; I cannot defeat you."

"Ve are not done!" she protested. "You are strong Lucario; you cannot qvit like this!"

He simply smiled and stepped away from her. "Lady Blue; I yield." As he had before their match, he quickly traced the two arcs with his feet, laid his left hand over his right fist, and bowed just as he turned to light and retreated into his Poke ball, leaving a dumbfounded Steenee staring at an empty spot in the field.

The announcer stared dumbly at the field for several seconds before remembering that he had a job to do. "A-And the winner is…Team Collectum!"

Kevin watched with pride as Blue and Amour accepted the first place trophy and accompanying prize. He'd really wanted Belch and Leviathan to be out for the celebration, but a promise was a promise so they rested safely in their Poke balls in the satchel at his waist. He smiled as the pair hurried over to him with their full arms.

"Ve did it!" Blue cried as she showed him the trophy along with the various trinkets.

"Good job, all of you," Kevin said, pride in their accomplishments nearly causing his chest to burst. "You all worked really hard for this."

"We would not have been able to do this if you had not taught us," Amour pointed out. "Thank you so much."

"Eh-heh," the young coach chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as the psychic Pokémon gazed up at him with bright eyes. "I really didn't do that much, Amour. I just gave you the tools; the four of you are the ones who used them really well."

"Coach Collectum, you need to give yourself more credit," a familiar voice interjected, and Kevin's goofy smile returned as professors Oak and Gottum approached. "Hey, Jim; does this sound fam-"

"Good lord; enough, Sam!" the junior scientist griped, though it appeared that his smile would not be going anywhere any time soon. "Good job all of you," he said, directing a deliberate gaze at Coach Collectum.

"Th-Thank you, sir," Kevin stammered. "All of them worked really hard; Blue especially, since she led the team."

"Ve all verked hard," Blue huffed as she put an arm around Amour. "I could not have done this alone."

"And Keveen gave us so much of his time to teach us…" Amour said, looking up at her favorite human again.

As the two Pokémon gushed over each other as well as their coach, Professor Oak noticed the expression on the Gothorita's face and somehow managed to nudge his fellow professor without anyone noticing. "You see it?" he murmured.

"Hard to miss," James replied with a thoughtful expression. "I can see why they wanted to talk with Kim."

"Do you want to handle this, then?"

James sighed. "She should be at the banquet room by now, but if she isn't, then…I'll figure something out."

"Works for me," the older professor grunted with a clap to his junior's back.

Team Collectum didn't feel much like winners at the post-tournament dinner; other than the Pokémon professors, everyone seemed to be avoiding the team. On top of that, Craig had had to leave shortly after the final match, so he couldn't be there to supply the morale support that Kevin desperately needed. "I'm sorry, son," he had said just before leaving. "I just got a call; one of my coworkers somehow messed up our contract, so I have to go and clean up after him." Needless to say, the young coach was experiencing mixed emotions.

"That was totally awesome, Blue!" Professor Kukui gushed as the Steenee tried to hide her reddened face behind her side-leaves. "And your 'mano a mano' against the Lucario?" He drove his fist into an open hand. "So…much…OWNAGE!"

"Geez Kai, calm down," his wife scolded as she held his arm; while her husband was usually pretty serious, he could still get worked up over a good match. She then turned her attention to the team. "Good job out there, Coach Collectum."

"Thank you, ma'am," Kevin blushed, "but I really didn't do-" A clearing of the throat distracted him from his thoughts, and he looked over to see Professors Oak and Gottum watching him, both with knowing gazes. "It…was a team effort," he finally managed. "Thank you."

"I won't say it this time, Jim," Oak said with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"You may as well have," James chuckled while shaking his head as, on his other side, Kimono smiled with a blush tinting her cheeks.

The meal was served, and Kevin still couldn't help but notice that distance the other teams were giving his; while he didn't really need their approval, it still hurt that Blue and her team weren't getting the acknowledgment they deserved.

"It is because they are afraid of me," Blue lamented quietly. "They are afraid that I might attack one of them."

Kevin looked to the professors, who nodded sadly. At first he thought to ask them for help, but then he remembered his position as a trainer and that it would be improper for him to ask for special favors from them; the professors had to be impartial, after all. He looked over at Blue and Amour, who were eating their meals more slowly than usual. His own heart was heavy as well; it was supposed to be a joyous and fun-filled time for everyone, but… He closed his eyes, racking his brain for some kind of solution to-

"Everyone, please listen to me…"

His eyes snapped open to find that Amour had made her way to the center of the room; many of the other trainers eyed her warily, which was understandable considering the Gothorita species' reputation as a 'manipulate Pokémon'. "I wish to talk about Mademoiselle Blue's actions."

There was some murmuring – including some comments regarding her accent – but someone finally said, "Let's hear it."

"Merci," she replied with a slight bow. "What happened was that the opposing trainer had taunted my Keveen about his mother, who had died a few years ago." Several gasps could be heard from the gathered trainers, but nothing was said. "Merci beaucoup. So when-"

"I vill take from here," Blue interrupted, hopping from behind her table to join her friend. Several trainers reached for their bags, but paused when Blue spoke again. "I am very sorry for the vay I acted out there. As Amour said, I vas very angry at the vay Kevin vas treated, but that does not mean that vhat I did vas good." She pointed to her coach. "Kevin is good boy who loves us very much and taught us how to talk and fight." She moved from pointing at Kevin to pointing at herself. "He did not teach me to attack trainers; I made bad choice, so blame falls on me. Please stop blaming Kevin for this Steenee's bad choice. Thank you for listening to me." With that, she took Amour by the hand, and the two of them headed back to their table to rejoin their beloved coach.

"Thanks, you two," Kevin said as they took their seats again; their words had warmed his heart, though he was still reeling a little from his initial surprise.

"Well said," Professor Oak said with a warm smile; next to him, the Gottums nodded their agreement. "It takes courage to admit one's mistakes, and you are to be commended for taking ownership of your choices."

Blue considered his words for a moment, then tugged on Kevin's sleeve. "Vhat does 'commended' mean?"

Kevin tried not to chuckle at her open, honest expression. "It's a good thing, Blue; it basically means 'praised'."

"Oh!" The Steenee quickly turned an excited gaze on the trio of professors plus former Gardevoir. "Thank you very much for your kind verds! I vill keep doing my best."

Kevin smiled at the exchange; he then felt a presence and looked up to find the very trainer that Blue had threatened standing before him. "Oh, hi."

"Hey," the other youth greeted. "Listen, uh…you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kevin replied smoothly. "I knew you were just throwing shade; I didn't mean for Blue to…do what she did."

"No, I get it, man." The trainer stuck out a hand. "Reggie Blake."

Kevin blinked somewhat stupidly before hurrying to his feet to shake the other boy's hand. "Kevin Ha-er, Collectum; nice to meet you."

"Yeah, same here." He released Kevin's hand to gesture to the Steenee sitting nearby. "Can I talk to her for a minute?"

Another stupid blink. "Well…I'd have to ask her. Blue?" Kevin tapped his teammate on the shoulder, diverting her attention from her conversation with the scientists. "Trainer Blake here was hoping that you'd be willing to talk to him."

She looked to the unexpected visitor, and her eyes widened and she hopped to her feet to stand on her chair. "I am very sorry for-"

"It's cool, it's cool," Reggie laughed, holding up his hands defensively. "Good job standing up for your train-er, coach, I mean."

Blue's mouth froze in an open position, but only briefly. "Th-Thank you," she replied, lowering herself back into her seat. It was then that she noticed that the other trainers were no longer murmuring amongst themselves but had, little by little, started to make their way over to the winner's table, apparently following Reggie's lead. "Kevin, they are…"

"Hm?" The young coach looked to where she was pointing, and his eyes widened at the mass of people approaching their table. "Whoa…"

From the side, Professor Oak and the Gottums smiled as Team Collectum happily interacted with the trainers…and in one case, a Lucario.

"Coach Collectum," James said as the crowd started to return to their respective tables, "would now be an acceptable time for Blue and Amour to talk with my wife?"

Kevin looked over at two eager expressions and smiled. "I'd say now would be an okay time."

The anxious Pokémon thanked him before following the former Gardevoir as she exited through one of the many sets of double doors leading out of the room. Kevin watched them leave until he felt a pressure on his shoulder, and he looked up into the smiling face of Professor Oak. "Would you be interested in talking with us?"

Kevin's brow furrowed, then his eyes widened. "You mean…?"

The older scientist chuckled and gestured to a different set of double doors than the ones that Kimono and Kevin's teammates had used. Kevin followed the two older men as they led him down a couple of hallways to another set of doors. "This way we can talk more privately," Professor Oak explained.

"S-Sure." Kevin wasn't sure what to think as he entered a large conference room, where several friendly and very familiar faces waited to talk with him.

"Please, sit," Kimono offered, gesturing to two plush chairs in the small yet cozy room. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Blue and Amour cautiously settled into the proffered seats. It wasn't that they were wary of their hostess; it was that there was simply no way for them to be comfortable, considering what they wanted to talk about. They turned their anxious gazes toward Kimono's serene expression. "You are very beautiful, Missis Kimono," Blue said before she could stop herself.

"Oh, my!" Kimono blushed, pleasantly surprised by the sudden compliment. "You're very kind!"

"Not at all, Madame," Amour followed up. "You have such grace, that…" She cast her gaze to her lap. "I must look hideous by comparison."

The Gottum matriarch smiled down at the two fidgeting Pokémon. "Each of us has our own beauty, but I can say with confidence that the two of you are extraordinarily cute." She angled her head. "But this is not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

"N-No, Madame." Amour knotted her hands repeatedly.

"Well," Kimono started thoughtfully, "before we begin, perhaps we should take a minute or two to get to know each other. After all, we've only spoken on the phone, and only for a couple of minutes."

"That is true," Blue agreed thoughtfully. She looked over at her friend. "Do you vant me to go first?"

"No, please," Amour insisted politely. "I think you are more affected by this."

Their discussion was interrupted by the melodious sound of Kimono's giggle. "How about I go first, and then we go from there?"

The two Pokémon looked at each other, then at Kimono, then nodded in unison.

Kimono smiled at their synchronized antics. "Well, as you know, I was a Gardevoir." She paused; usually people would ask a question or make a comment about her unique features, but the girls said nothing so she continued. "I was actually a Ralts when James found me." Her eyes lost focus and she smiled fondly at a memory. "He looked so stern when I first met him, but I could tell that he had a kind heart."

"Craig has kind heart, too," Blue blurted out before she could stop herself. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's quite all right," Kimono replied; if the interruption bothered her, it didn't show. "Did you want to talk about Craig now, or shall I continue?"

"Nyet, please…continue."

Kimono sighed happily as she returned to her memories. "He and Pierre – his Psyduck – took me home and introduced me to the other Pokémon. Life there was pretty normal – training, evolution to Kirlia, more training… Oh! He started teaching me human language after my Kirlia evolution." She giggled. "I understand now that there are many human languages, but I guess I still think of it as 'human language'. Old habits die hard, I guess," she finished with another pleasant-sounding giggle. Her smile then turned wistful. "And then my evolution to Gardevoir…"

The pair watched her sigh happily, her eyes unfocused, and Blue gathered enough courage to speak. "Is that vhen you…" she struggled for the right phrase, "…fell in love vith him?"

"Mm?" It took the older woman a moment to catch up. "Oh! I believe so; I tend to think that it was such a gradual process that I didn't realize that I was in love with him until I was in love with him." She giggled again, bringing smiles to the Pokémon's faces. "I'm sorry; that's the best way I can explain it."

"That is all right," Amour replied; then her expression turned thoughtful. "Blue and I have heard about the love a Pokémon has for its trainer, but…" she exchanged an uncertain glance with her friend. "But what Blue and I feel seems…different than what we hear about. Could we be feeling what you feel toward your husband?"

"It's…possible," Kimono said carefully, her expression one of sympathy. "It's…different for each person, so it can be hard to tell. All I know is that, in my case, all I could think about was pleasing James, about what I wanted to give him instead of what I wanted him to give me. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sen-" A gasp interrupted her expression of regret, and her eyes widened along with those of the two Pokémon. "Is something wrong?"

Both of her guests had their hands on their chests; were it not for the seriousness of the conversation she would have giggled at their synchronized movement. "That is…" Blue breathed. "That is vhat I feel vhen I think of Craig." She looked up at the former Gardevoir, her expression an interesting mixture of realization and panic. "Vhen I think of him, I think of his happy face vhen he eats my cooking or that sigh he makes vhen he looks at home that I have just cleaned. Vell, vith Amour, of course."

"Of course," Kimono agreed.

"And I think of Keveen, and his happy face when I bring him his tea," Amour said, somewhat recovered from her own shock. "He asks for nothing from me, but I would do anything he asked." She looked down to the knotted hands in her lap. "I wish he would ask for things from me; I would do them in a heartbeat."

Kimono swallowed hard as she realized that she was seeing herself what seemed like a lifetime ago, though it hadn't been more than a couple of years. Even though the emotions themselves may not have been as nuanced as she'd become accustomed to since her transformation, they were still very real. "Blue? Amour? I'm going to say this very carefully."

"Is something wrong?" the Steenee asked, sounding worried.

"No, I don't think so," Kimono replied with a dainty wave. "It's just that… If I'm wrong and you act on what I'm about to tell you, you could end up hurting those that you care about."

"Then ve vill be careful," Blue replied, exchanging a nod with her friend.

Kimono took a deep breath; she had to say this just right. "From what I understand of it, love is about wanting the best for another person regardless of what they do for you. It's…" she looked up, trying to find the right word. "It's self-sacrificing. James told me that in this one book he's read that true love will lay down its life for its friends. Does that make sense?"

"Putting others first…" Amour murmured thoughtfully.

"That's a great way of putting it," the older woman replied while nodding emphatically.

"So…" Blue thought for a moment, then gasped. "Vait! Does that mean that I love Craig like…like…"

"A husband?" Amour said, finishing her friend's thought.

"You cook for him, you clean for him…" Kimono said, counting on her fingers.

"And I vant to take avay his pain," Blue unintentionally interrupted, her eyes focused on nothing. "My poor Craig…"

Kimono smiled softly at the flustered Steenee. "I remember when I was a Gardevoir that my feelings were very…basic. They were real, but they become more nuanced after my transformation."

"So I vould have to become human to really love Craig?" Blue asked.

Kimono stared to answer, only to be interrupted as Amour burst into tears. "What am I supposed to do, then?" she wailed. "When I think of Keveen my heart feels like it will burst, but I cannot do anything about it?"

Kimono allowed sympathetic tears to well up as she carefully reached out to lay her hands on the Gothorita's shoulders. "Right now, all you can do is tell him how you feel." She sighed. "I don't know how he'll take it, but you need to tell him. Pokémon and their trainers are always supposed to be open to each other, right?"

"Ou-Oui," Amour sniffled. "But it is so…scary. What if he rejects me?"

"He'll probably be surprised," the former Gardevoir admitted, then giggled. "He might even run away at first. But in the end I believe that he'd come back to you to work things out." She smiled softly. "After all, I don't think you could love someone who was distant, right?"

"That is true," Amour giggled as she wiped her eyes.

Kimono's smile turned uncharacteristically impish. "Have you considered using your powers of manipulation on him?"

Indignation suddenly welled up in the Gothorita, and she turned angry eyes on her hostess. "How dare you… I would never do that!"

"I know, I know," Kimono said, raising a delicate hand. "I'm sorry; I just wanted to tease you a little bit. Oui's pretty sensitive to being teased about her psychic abilities as well, so I guess I should have known better. I'm really sorry."

"Oui?" Amour said, anger turning to confusion at the usage of the word.

"A Gothorita who lives with us," Kimono replied, then shifted awkwardly in her seat. "I think she felt the same way toward James as I did; I still feel bad about it when I think about it."

Blue and Amour looked at each other, neither of them sure what to say.

"But getting back on topic…" Kimono continued, straightening once again, "I think you – each of you – need to be honest with yourselves and with the other person and tell them how you feel."

"That sounds…scary," Blue admitted while holding her stomach; next to her, Amour nodded sympathetic agreement.

"It was scary for me as well," Kimono replied. "I even mega-evolved without a stone to show Jim my heart, and…" she giggled. "…he ran away."

"He vhat?" Blue couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"He apologized later," Kimono quickly added. "He felt really bad about it; he was just surprised by my confession and needed time to think."

Amour tried to imagine telling her favorite human about her feelings and ended up nodding. "Oui…I think I understand."

"Me too," Blue agreed. "And my poor Craig still misses his vife, and…"

"I don't envy you your situation," Kimono told the two of them, "and I'm really sorry that I can't help you more than this. At this point, all I can do is offer my ear when you need it."

"Thank you very much," Blue said as they followed Kimono as she got to her feet. "So ve may call you?"

"Any time…during the day, that is," Kimono added with a giggle. "Oh! One thing I should warn you about."

"Is something wrong?" Amour asked, unconsciously 'reading' the older woman's sudden anxiety.

Kimono sighed heavily, unable to meet the girls' gazes. "It hasn't been in the news that I've been aware of, but James has told me about trainers…abusing their Pokémon."

Any form of the word 'abuse' would send chills down the proverbial spine of any Pokémon, and the pair was no exception. "Vhat do you mean…'abusing'?" Blue asked.

Kimono sighed again. "Apparently due to my relationship with James, there are trainers who have been trying to turn their Pokémon into…" She visibly shuddered. "…romantic partners."

"Pokephiles…" Amour shuddered as well.

"While I don't think you need to worry about your coach or his dad doing anything like that to you, they might be aware of the abuse and may withdraw when you tell them because of that," Kimono informed them.

The news sobered the pair, though only temporarily. "Well, I love Keveen," Amour declared. "I will not let this keep me from telling him. If he's worried about this, then I will find a way to work it out."

"Agreed!" chirped Blue. "I vill keep taking care of Craig, and tell him vhen time is right."

Kimono smiled down at the pair. "Then you have my full support. I think you two will be just fine."

"…so Amour basically ended up as my 'starter' Pokémon," Kevin finished as he ate his meal along with the Pokémon professors. "A couple of years later – about a year after my mom died – Dad caught Blue while temporarily acting as Goro's trainer."

"Who's Goro?" Professor Rowan asked, pushing his plate aside to rest his elbows on the table. "I've not heard that name yet."

"He's my Machamp, sir," the young coach explained.

"A Machamp? That's pretty impressive," Sycamore remarked, then turned to the newest professor. "Hey, Jim; don't you have a Meloetta living with you?"

James had to finish his bite before he could answer. "Symphony, yes. Why?"

"A mythical Pokémon…" Professor Oak chuckled. "And he answers as though it's no big deal." He then looked from James to Kevin and back. "On an unrelated note, I'm starting to think that there's a connection between unusual training styles and unusual naming conventions," he remarked with another chuckle. "Coach Collectum; your Steenee and your Gothorita are named Blue and Amour respectively, correct?"

Kevin had to suppress a minor irritation at the suggestion of ownership, though he understood what the good doctor meant. "Yes, sir."

"Why those names in particular?" Kukui asked. "What's the connection?"

Kevin chuckled awkwardly. "They're both supposed to be the word 'love', but in other languages," he explained. "'Amour' was easy enough to pronounce, but I could never get Blue's name right, so it ended up being…" He waved his hands as he tried to find the right words. "…my best effort at saying it."

The group chuckled sympathetically. "Well, I think it's a lovely name," Professor Burnett said. "It rolls off the tongue nicely."

"Thank you, ma'am," Kevin blushed.

The appreciative chuckles that followed were interrupted by a knock at the door. "I'll get it," James offered as he rose from his chair. "It might be Kim and the girls." Kevin smiled at hearing his Pokémon being referred to more human-like as he watched his unofficial mentor open the door. "Ah, there you are!" the junior scientist exclaimed. "Come on in; I think we're about done interrogating your coach."

The trio of females entered the room on a cloud of giggles, and Kimono took her man's hand and let herself be led to the table as two anxious-looking Pokémon approached their coach. "You two look tired," Kevin remarked. "Did you want to head home?"

They both looked around at the table full of smiling professors until Blue spoke. "Ve can vait until you are done."

Kevin opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by a soft chuckle. "Coach Collectum; you should probably take your team home. They've had a busy day and need some rest."

"Yes, sir," the young man replied, sounding understandably disappointed.

"We old farts should probably be heading home ourselves," Rowan remarked, "and for roughly the same reason."

"Speak for yourself," Sycamore quipped with a smirk.

"To a point, I am," the older doctor retorted as Professor Oak stifled a yawn.

"Don't worry," Professor Kukui interjected with a smile and a wink. "It's not like we'll never meet again, right?"

Kevin smiled broadly at the older man's words. "I'm already looking forward to it, sir."

"That's the spirit!" Kukui said, adding a thumbs-up to the mix. "Take your team home and give them a break; they've earned it, right?"

"Definitely," Kevin replied while smiling down at half of Team Collectum. "Er, I mean yes, sir."

"Well!" Oak clapped before starting to his feet. "We shall see you at the next tournament, then!" He gestured to the door, where the cleanup team had just entered. "Jim, I'll see you tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yes, sir," James replied as his wife held his arm. "Eight A.M." He watched as the other professors left before turning to Kevin to stick out a hand. "It's been a real pleasure meeting you, Mr. Hart."

"Likewise, sir," Kevin replied, taking the older man's hand before it hit him. "Hey, how do you know my last name?"

James chuckled lightly at the sight of three pairs of widened eyes. "Wow, that question takes me back…" he said, exchanging a smile with his wife. "We professors have to know the true surnames of all trainers to protect their identities from fraud."

"Oh." Kevin took a moment to mull this over. "Well, thank you."

The group made their way to the exit, where they had to part ways. "Enjoy the rest of your day," Professor Gottum said, lifting a hand in farewell.

"Thank you, sir," Kevin replied. "You, too." With a wave he headed away with his team, toward the train station.

The couple watched the young coach leave, then James turned to his wife. "How did it go?"

"It's just as we thought," Kimono replied, sounding a little anxious. "I'm worried about how their confessions will go in light of recent…developments."

James sighed heavily as he watched the trio getting smaller in the distance; he knew that she was referring to the recent abuse cases. "Yeah, me too. Like you said, though; we'll just have to trust in the bonds between Pokémon and trainer. Well, coach in this case."

She said nothing in reply but took his arm, and the two of them headed quietly for home.

"Man, I'm beat!" Kevin puffed as he passed through the doorway to his home. "And I still have homework to do!"

"Poor Keveen," Amour giggled, though fatigue could be heard in her voice as well. "Would you like me to prepare some tea for you?"

"Naw, you've had a busy day, too," Kevin replied with a weary shake of his head. "If I need it bad enough, I'll make it myself. You two rest for now; thanks anyways." He started toward his room but paused at the entrance to the hall. "Do either of you need anything from me before I go, though?"

"I am fine, thank you," the Gothorita replied.

"I vill be fine," Blue said when he looked to her. "Ve will see you later." The young man nodded once before turning to plod down the hall to his room. No sooner had the door clicked shut than Blue turned to Amour, who had a determined look on her face as she looked to where her favorite human had gone. "You vill be preparing green tea?"

"Absolument," Amour replied with a voice full of resolve before spinning on her heel to head into the kitchen, and a moment later the familiar sounds of the kettle being placed on the stovetop along with the clicking sound of the gas lighter could be heard.

Since Craig wasn't home, Blue decided to head to the kitchen herself to see if she could help her friend out. As expected, her help wasn't needed as her friend prepared the tea with practiced movements, eventually pouring the hot water into a mug containing several tea packets. As she tried to leave with the tray containing the mug, however, Blue stopped her with a touch to her arm. "Good luck, drook," Blue said, using the word for 'friend' from a language she had never learned but somehow knew. "I have faith in you."

"Th-Thank you very much," Amour replied, her slight stutter being the only noticeable sign of nervousness. She left the kitchen and crossed the living room, eventually heading down the hall to stop in front her of favorite human's door. "K-Keveen?" she called, then winced at her self-consciousness. "Keveen?" she called again, more deliberate in her pronunciation. "I have prepared green tea for you; may I come in?"

"Come on in."

Amour drew a deep breath before slowly opening the door to Kevin's room. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, but she did her best to calm herself as she crossed the room to his desk, where he sat stretching his arms above his head. "You didn't have to, but thanks," he said, turning in his seat to accept the steaming mug. "I guess I needed the caffeine, after all."

She giggled behind a hand as she watched him take a sip of the hot beverage, and even though she had served him food many times before, she experienced a strange feeling at the sight of him consuming something that she had prepared for him.

He placed his mug on the desk and smiled at her. "Thanks for the trouble, Amour; I really appreciate it."

"You are welcome." She fidgeted awkwardly. "Keveen? There is something I have to say to you."

"Sure." Kevin bookmarked his schoolwork so he could give her his full attention. "What's up?"

She glanced repeatedly up at the top edge of his desk. "May…May I sit up there?"

He traced the line of her gaze, then blinked. "Um, sure." He pulled out the drawers to form the staircase for her; she hated being picked up and he had no problem with honoring her preference. "Come on up."

She gave him a grateful smile but said nothing as she ascended the makeshift stairs to the top of his desk, where she promptly knelt, sitting on her heels to face him. "Keveen? I have something to say to you."

"Yeah, you mentioned that," he said with a lopsided smile that caused her cheeks to color. "Does this have something to do with your talk with Professor Gottum's wife?"

Her face colored even more. "Ou-Oui, it does." She drew a deep breath. "Keveen; I think I love you."

He blinked a couple of times with a puzzled look. "Well, thanks; I love you, too. You're a very special friend to me, along with Blue and the others."

She shook her head as she huffed in exasperation. "You do not understand…" She took another deep breath, and as she reached out to draw his face to her she opened a connection between her mind and his, a type that she'd never before used. "I love you," she said, allowing months of suppressed feelings to pour through the connection as her lips made contact with his.

Kevin's poor brain froze at the sudden influx of emotions along with the sensation of her mouth against his, and he somehow knew that the feelings were hers, and that they were directed toward him, and he felt a warmth in his heart that he had never known before; feelings of acceptance, of nurturing, of compassion, of desire…a desire to be with him, to be his one-and-only, to-

He gasped as she abruptly broke both forms of contact, and by the time he had gathered his wits she was already running out the door, and he could hear the sounds of tears as she fled the room leaving him stunned, numb and, unexpectedly, a little lonely. "Wh-What the…?"

He was still numb with shock when his cell phone rang, but he managed to remember how to operate the electronic device. "H-Hello?" he managed, running his fingers through his hair in an effort to calm himself. "This is Kevin. Who's this, please?"

"Mister Hart?" came the voice from the other end. "This is Nurse Bailey, calling from Harland Medical Center."

"Good evening, nurse," Kevin replied, his courtesy routines having finally reinitialized. "If you're calling for my dad Craig, this isn't his number."

"Thank you for confirming your relationship."

A chill ran down the young man's spine. "Wh-What?"

"Mister Hart, I regret to inform you that your father has been hospitalized. Please come as soon as possible."