This chapter was updated/revised on October 27, 2019.
Prep
"I'm always gonna be
Your safe place to land
The ground beneath your feet
Like you never had."
Christian Burghardt
"I think Jocelyn and Benny are the last ones standing," Jay whispered.
"Little kids are better at hide-and-seek than we are," said June.
"We're little too…"
"You grew six inches over the last few months," Amber pointed out. "You're taller than me."
"And I'm bigger than all you little dudes," said Tamaki.
"Benny! Jocelyn! We surrender!" Anika called out.
The two eight-year-olds dropped from the air vents.
"No way, we looked there," Logan pouted.
"We moved around," Jocelyn explained with a giggle.
Flaafy and Benny's new Eevee Jackson jumped down next to them.
"Congratulations to you," Maya told the children.
"What's our prize?" Jocelyn asked brightly.
"You get to be it," Lily replied.
"That's no fun! I hate being it!"
"Flaa feeee!" Flaafy huffed.
"I kinda like being it," said Benny.
"Okay, then it's not so bad," Jocelyn replied.
"Fla."
Benny and Jocelyn started counting while the older kids searhed for hiding places.
"Let's hide together," Jay suggested as he and Amber ran down the second-floor hallway.
"Does Jocelyn know about the little storage closet hidden behind the huge custodial closet?" Amber asked.
"Probably not."
"Good. Let's go there."
The two of them ran into the custodial closet and went straight to the back. Very few people realized there was a smaller closet inside the bigger one. Jay shut the door behind them, but they quickly discovered that two other people had decided to settle there.
"Again? How come you know all the hiding places around here?" Amber asked.
"We like to explore," Soledad explained.
"Why are you always together. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?" Jay asked.
"That's none of your business."
"You and Amb are always together too," Tamaki pointed out.
"That's mostly because Amb isn't allowed to run around the Pallet House without a supervisor," Jay replied.
"You have it all wrong anyway, Tamaki. Amber loves Jezz," Soledad remarked.
"Not in a million years," Amber retorted.
"Yes, you do," everyone else responded.
"I mean, he's our squish," Jay clarified as Amber stared him down.
"What's a 'squish'?" Tamaki asked.
"It's Kanto slang. They are extra best friends who are going to be together forever because they love each other," Soledad explained. "Awwwwe."
"So, like a crush?" Tamaki questioned.
"It's more than a crush! It's a three-way love triangle between Jay, Amber, and Jezz!"
"That's an exaggeration…" Jay mumbled.
"Did you talk about this before?" Amber asked Jay and Soledad.
Soledad's face paled.
"I mean, I know that you are Jezz's little guardian angels, and I think it's sweet," she replied.
"Chill out," said Tamaki. "Your vibes are like, wacky and stuff. I don't remember relationships being this intense when I was eleven."
"Speaking of Jezz, I hope he is alright. You said he was sick. Did he explain?"
"No…sometimes he just gets overwhelmed," said Jay. He's had it rough; I think that's at least part of the reason he doesn't wanna play now."
"When we get to Alola though, it's gonna be so much fun. Then Jezz will feel better. After all, he sorta lives there, even if it hasn't been for very long," Amber responded. "He knows us, but…never mind."
"What?" Soledad and Tamaki asked.
"Never mind."
"C'mon, you can tell us," said Soledad. "We're your closest friends."
"I'm just sorta worried that…like, I realllly, realllly hope that Hauana and Perry don't back out of adopting him."
"What makes you think they would?"
"I accidentally overheard Jezz talking to Rita and Annastasia. He's stressed thinking that if it takes too long, they are just going to give up."
"It took a long time for me to get adopted too. Like, three years," said Tamaki.
"It's not like there's anything we can do about it…let's just drop it."
Almost thirty minutes passed and no one came to get them.
"I think we won," said Amber. "Someone, check."
Soledad stumbled out of the closet. The coast was clear, and she motioned for her friends to follow her. When they got to the lobby, they discovered that they were the only ones left undiscovered.
"Where'd you go?" Jocelyn asked. "We looked everywhere!"
"Fla fee Flaafy fla!"
"We aren't going to tell you," said Jay.
"Why not?" Jocelyn pouted.
The four preteens exchanged knowing glances.
"It's just a good place to escape to talk," said Soledad. "A place we'd prefer to keep private."
"I'll find it eventually," Jocelyn vowed.
"Find what?" Annastasia asked as she, Michio, and their MVPokémon entered the lobby.
"You're back! Mommy and Papa were starting to get worried."
"We had a little detour. We are both here now, and we wanted to do cake. So, if you want a piece…you better get to it before we do…"
The preteens excitedly gathered their things. Annastasia handed them umbrellas and they followed her across the street.
"We should bring a piece back for Jezz," Amber whispered to Jay.
"You read my mind," Jay replied.
XO
Everyone gathered in the Morgan's kitchen, the only exceptions being Jezz and his Pokémon. After singing happy birthday to June, Cilan sliced up the cake.
"What was your birthday wish?" Takeshi asked June.
"I can't tell you or else it won't come true," she responded.
"Please? I don't think that's true."
June looked around the room before facing Takeshi. She motioned for him to bring his face closer.
"I wished for the perfect year," she whispered. "No violence, no broken hearts, no pain…that is what I want. I want this to be the year that everyone's dreams come true."
Takeshi nodded. "I'll wish for that too."
XO
Day 4
Annastasia, Rita, and Jezz had spent nearly the entire day sitting in the lobby of the Pallet House making plans, setting reservations, and packing up various items in preparation for the trip to Alola. Though they still had almost a month to go, Annastasia had learned that the people in Alola typically signed up to do contests, gym battles, and trials far in advance. Annastasia also wanted to take this time to get to know Jezz better. They hardly knew each other yet she was expected to be his chief guardian for an upcoming three-to-five-month period. Luckily, the boy was around and willing to help her out. Rita was also around to lend a hand. Now the day was nearly through and the three of them decided to take a break for some pre-dinner snacking.
"Are you coming with us to Alola?" Jezz asked Rita as he dug into some of Meowth's homemade ramen.
"That's not up to me," she replied. "I'll probably be assigned to something here in Kanto."
"That is too bad. I think you are a very nice person. I want to be around you more."
"Awe, thank you. Did you hear that, A? Jezz thinks I'm a nice person. He loves me."
"That is sweet, Jezz. Rita is going to be a good ally to us, regardless of where she ends up these next few months," Annastasia replied. "She is a good resource. Remember to use us Jezz, we are here for you."
"I am very grateful for that…" he mumbled nervously.
"What's on your mind?" Rita asked.
"It is nothing."
"If it was nothing then you wouldn't have been shaky this whole afternoon."
"It is just that my Xatu has been acting rather cruel to me lately. I have been meaning to say something to one of you but I was always hesitant to bring it up."
"Xatu is being cruel?" Annastasia asked in astonishment. "Has it been doing more than giving you bad dreams?"
"Xatu has been giving nightmares every night, and sometimes he uses his Teleport to send me to different rooms in the hotel. It frightens me."
"I wonder why that would be. You obviously treat your Pokémon with a lot of respect and love."
"I wish Xatu would help me. I don't understand why he gives me such angst…I apologize for sharing with you my troubles."
"Don't be sorry, Jezz. I'll ask Maya to talk to him. I'm sure she'll be equally or perhaps even more articulate in a Pokémon conversation with your Xatu."
"I thought you could speak to Pokémon too, A," said Rita with a smirk.
"I can generally understand them, the way most Pokémon can understand human speech, but having a real meaningful conversation with them is near impossible. It is more like reading emotions and intentions for me than it is about memorizing particular sounds and tones."
"Well I think the two of you should talk to that Xatu together. Between you and Maya, I am sure you will sweeten him up."
"Annastasia, I will be very happy and eternally grateful if you would do such a thing for me," said Jezz, bowing.
"I hope it will work. I never worked with such a seemingly stubborn Pokémon before, unless you count Lucario and Sandshrew. But it's not like I had to train either of them," Annastasia replied.
"Are you humans talking about me?" a telepathic voice echoed.
"Where are you, you little rat?" Rita growled.
"Rita, there is no reason to be aggressive," Annastasia whispered. "Sandshrew, can you come out of hiding? We feel uncomfortable when you can see us but we can't see you."
The Sandshrew popped out from a pile of backpacks. It was eating some of the mochi her parents had made for the restaurant.
"Why are all these backpacks here?" it questioned.
"Those are the kids' backpacks," Annastasia answered. "We're filling them with basic equipment that I don't want to forget. Things like toothpaste, cellphone chargers, and emergency snacks."
"Humans sure are needy."
Annastasia pulled a sweet from its paw. "Those are for the customers. With the Pallet House being closed for several months last year, they really want to make a profit this year."
"Your family already has quite a bit of money. They want more?"
"One of the reasons her family still has a lot of money is because of this place," said Rita. "Stop stealing."
"It is fine to take some, but not fifty pieces a day," said Annastasia. "We're going to run out of money if you keep mochi-ing off of us."
"Sandshrew, perhaps you can acquire employment," Jezz suggested. "Then you can pay for the mochi and eat as much as you would like."
"Yeah, you want humans and Pokémon to participate in society as equals, so as our equal you should get a job to pay for your fair share," said Rita.
"My position is to advocate for my brethren, not to engage in human economic activity by acquiring currency," it retorted.
Jessie walked into the lobby from the bar. She sat down on the open seat next to them and rested her head on the table.
"Are you okay, Miss Jessie?" Jezz asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, kid," Jessie mumbled.
"Mama, do you need help with anything?" Annastasia asked.
"No, I have Rumika, Lucy, Meowth, and your dad helping me", she replied. "I just need a rest. For once I am glad happy hour is over. Now there are hardly any people at the bar and Meowth can handle it on his own."
"I bet you can't wait for Alola. You sure like you could use a break," said Rita.
"That is just what I need. A beach, an ocean, cocktails…I would die for any of those things right now," said Jessie.
"How about you go hang on the roof?" Annastasia suggested. "You didn't turn it into a paradise for nothing."
"It's too chilly out there. And besides, I can't take a break for too long. And I wanted to talk to you about something important, then I have to go check on the twins."
"You want to talk now?"
"If you don't mind."
"I suppose you mean privately."
"Yes."
"I am kinda in the middle of doing something here."
"We got this," Rita said as she patted Annastasia on the back. "Go talk with your mama."
"Okay…"
Annastasia and Jessie left the lobby while Jezz and Rita sat at the table and went over some of the Alolan Trial guidelines that they had printed out earlier. Jessie led Annastasia to the empty kitchen area.
"So, what's up?" Annastasia started.
"This is going to be a bit out of context, but I had some things that I have been meaning to discuss with you," Jessie began.
"I'm listening."
"It's about Prince Charming."
Annastasia groaned. "Okay, go on, get it over with."
"I need you to be careful with him. I know you have excellent character judgment skills, but sometimes people can be tricky."
"Where this is coming from?"
"It's been a long time coming. I just haven't had a chance to be alone with you. I suppose it started with your little announcement."
"What announcement?"
"About you two taking over the house in Silverville."
"Taking over? It's not a fort, Mom."
"You know what I mean. You've only been dating—or whatever you call it—for a short period of time."
"I get it, and I know what you mean, but things are different with us. We aren't like other people, you know that. Michio has no reason to trick me. And I trust him just as much as I trust any of my other friends, which is a lot."
"But Michio is more than just a friend if he decides that he's out, what are you going to do about it? I don't know if you would be okay with that."
"First of all, I can't focus on future possibilities. All we have is the present. Second, I hate the phrase 'just a friend'. What is more powerful than friendship?"
"Romance, lust, authority—"
"—none of those are as valuable to me as friendship. You know there is no romance or lust between us, and as far as authority goes, we're on even ground…if anything, I'm more powerful than he is."
"It's still my job to warn you. I didn't have anyone to warn me, and my love life wasn't so great until…just a few months before you came along."
"I appreciate the concern. I promise though that he is special. I absolutely believe that he is my person. I know it."
"See, that is what I am talking about. You hardly know him, but you expose so much of yourself to him."
"We're different. I'm not like you. I'm not like anyone you know. You can try to categorize me but you'll never be satisfied with my label."
"I don't want you to get hurt. Don't pretend that you haven't been hurt before."
"I know you mean well, mom. My other relationships…attempted relationships are more like it…I was never all that comfortable with them, not on a deep level. Remember the sixth and seventh grade? My entire teenage career? I tried so hard to relate to people my age but couldn't. And even though you insisted we were, Rita and I were never a thing. Because I wasn't in a committed relationship, I had to constantly defend myself from creepy people who were always trying to touch me. I cannot possibly compare Michio to any of them."
"Just keep an eye on your situation. Never forget: everyone lies."
"I know everybody lies sometimes, but that doesn't make everyone dangerous."
"I know you and I have many differences between us, and I get that you want a relationship different from mine. The way you connect to others is so different and I am I worry that you will be devastated if it doesn't work out. You spend so much time together, and there aren't many people in this world who will be willing to sacrifice their sex lives so that you could be comfortable."
"I never asked anyone to sacrifice anything and I never will. Trust me, mom, he is just as bent as I am and he told me multiple times that he is relieved to know that I am not going to demand anything from him."
"But what if he changes. Could you deal with that?"
"Of course. We probably will be like this for at least a while, if not forever, but if he changes then so will I; I can compromise."
"Can he compromise?"
"I don't know. The point is that it doesn't matter."
"You'd be surprised just how strong certain desires are. Please don't make the same mistakes I did. That is what I am really trying to say. Don't put all your trust into a person you just met."
"I'll be careful, as usual. I promise. Remember that I can read people. I can tell when they are troubled or worried, when they are unhappy or unsatisfied. It's like that with everyone I have ever met."
"Oh Princess, I know that. But you get hitched while you are in Alola I'm going to kill him."
"Not going to happen. Even if he asks me, I'd say no."
"You just said that he was 'your person'."
"I know that I will always want to be in his life. That doesn't mean I want to marry him."
'I always felt that way about James,' Jessie thought.
"Not all platonic love turns romantic," Annastasia added.
Jessie sighed; it was as if Annastasia knew exactly what she was thinking. She hated when that happened.
"I often wonder where the hell you came from…" Jessie murmured. "You're far wiser than I was at eighteen."
"You made all my mistakes for me; now I have less to screw up," Annastasia reasoned.
"You do whatever you want, I just don't want you to go too fast. I have always been concerned with you. I was always worried that someone would break you into a billion pieces because you have so much love and most people aren't capable of that. And I know that you would never force yourself to do thing you don't want to do, but at the same time I feel that other people won't appreciate that. I was afraid for a long time that no one would compromise or even for you even though you are the most amazing person in the world. Now I am worried that this arrangement won't work out and you wouldn't be able to bounce back."
Annastasia side-hugged her mother. "I was worried for a long time too. My whole life I wanted to connect with everyone else on as many levels as possible and I just couldn't do it."
"Well, you did a great job trying."
"Thanks. The thing about being asexual is that it only sucks if you are in it alone. If you accept it and find other people who accept it, then life is good. Then you don't have force yourself into relationships where there is the strong possibility of having it lead to isolation and shame. That is why I feel so good about this."
"I wish you could go back in time to the fourteen-year-old me and explain that…I'm sorry for being like this, all paranoid. You're the last person on the planet who needs advice from me."
"Hey, you've taught me more than you know. Now, I hope you can bring yourself and everyone else in our family to stop worrying about me all the time."
"Probably won't ever happen, but I'll work on it."
Jessie got up to leave, then she sat back down.
"I almost forgot, you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at ten," she told Annastasia. "Liz wants to give you a full checkup before you start driving. And she is probably going to talk to you about Michio. She is going to want to make sure you don't get Prince Charming sick too. She is probably going to give you the medicine that I take that makes me non-contagious. I think she is also talk to you about your 'medical future'."
"Why did you say 'medical future' in a weird tone?" Annastasia replied.
"You know, things you might want to protect yourself from."
"Like…?"
"You're too young to be a mother—a real mother. Take care of your siblings all you like, but if you start making your own now, your life will be over when the fun stuff is just getting started."
"My life wouldn't be 'over', but nonetheless, that's not in the plans. That's really not in the plans."
"You never know what might happen."
"I can control some things in my life."
There was so much more Jessie wanted to tell Annastasia.
"Just…Liz will probably tell you this too, but you need to be more careful than you realize," Jessie said hesitantly.
"I always look both ways before crossing the street," Annastasia replied.
"The—main—reason you and Jay are so far apart in age is because what I had to take to be noncommunicable takes years to work. I didn't want to put him at such a high risk for HIV. It's a bigger deal than you realize, Princess. There is so much more in life you could've done if it wasn't for what happened to us."
"Okay. I'll be safe, with everything I do. Swear."
"Speaking of which, I know you drove yourself down to that pier."
"Well…a bike was at stake."
"Mmhmm. Just don't drive again until Liz clears you, or else I'll find some way to punish you and/or Michio. I'll drive you to her office tomorrow. Jezz is coming with us too anyway. There's something wrong with that kid and I wanna know what it is before it spreads. He's always sick and I already got the Hales to agree so don't argue with me."
"I'm not arguing because I think it's a good idea too. Did you tell him about the appointment?"
"I'm counting on you to do that."
Annastasia sighed. "He isn't going to be happy about it. Jezz seems to be terrified of doctors. I don't know why though."
"I used to be afraid of doctors, but semi-recent experiences taught me to stop avoiding them."
"I know. Well, thanks for the talk. See ya later."
The two of them left the kitchen and headed back into the lobby. Jezz and Rita were talking while they put together a few First Aid kits for their journey.
"I have to go now. The twins aren't going to feed themselves," Jessie announced. "Good luck with whatever the he'll you're doing."
"Bye, Miss Jessie," said Jezz.
"Jessie without the 'miss' is fine," Jessie replied.
"Or Jess," Annastasia added. "She goes by that too."
"…Oh…I-I will call you 'Jessie'. Sorry, Mi—Jessie," Jezz stumbled.
After Jessie had walked away, Jezz turned to Rita and Annastasia.
"I thought Lily and Maya were in the house. I am quite surprised that they didn't offer to feed the babies for Jessie. It seems she is always doing it by herself," he said.
Rita laughed. "Oh, Jezz, they don't have the right equipment."
"Equipment? I don't understand."
"Breasts."
"What about them?"
"Did anyone ever give you the talk?"
"I don't understand what you mean by that."
Rita giggled. Annastasia elbowed her in the ribs and sighing, stood up.
"Rita, you give Jezz the talk while I go take my meds for the day," Annastasia requested. "Make sure you tell him everything."
"You can count on me," she replied with a little salute.
XO
Outside Jay was inspecting her car. Annastasia tapped his shoulder.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked.
"I'm just admiring this car," Jay dreamily replied. "Can I drive it?"
"When you get your license."
"Papa lets me drive."
"Only when he is with you."
"Please, A? I really wanna drive Amb and Jezz around. It'd be sooooo sweet."
"You're eleven."
"But Amb would love it."
"Amb already likes having fun with you; you're her number one squish, right?"
"Right, but…"
"But?"
"…But Jezz also likes her. I'm worried that she'll…"
"…Steal him away from you?"
"Yes, or that she'll replace me with him."
Jay's mood had dampened so impulsively that she didn't have one of her warm, Onēsan handy to tell him. She let Jay hug her, noting how much he'd grown as his head no longer naturally resigned to her stomach. She massaged his back and shoulders.
"You're seeing green," said Annastasia. "You're jealous of him."
"Of course, I am," Jay sniffed. "How could I not be?"
"Why?"
"He's interesting and skilled and smart and I'm just…Jay."
"Just Jay is great. Just Jay has nothing to worry about because he is also interesting and skilled and smart and irreplaceable. You, Amb, and Jezz get along better than any trio I've ever met. You balance each other out and even though you've only met recently, I can tell that the love among you is strong. That's special, Jay—keep that close to you."
Jay moved his head and sniffed away more tears. Annastasia have him one of the handkerchiefs she always had on her.
"O-okay," he mumbled.
"Good," Annastasia replied. "And most importantly…"
"…Yeah?"
"…Above all…"
"Yeah?"
"No matter what…"
"What?!"
"You are not allowed to drive my new car."
Jay groaned in disappointment. Tears earned him extra love, but not driving privileges; A was benevolent, but also allegiant in her morals, in this case, her morals being that eleven-year-olds must not drive her precious new vehicle.
"Isn't it technically Michio's new car?" Jay queried.
"We have joint custody," she replied.
"So, if he says yes, then—"
"—the decision must be unanimous."
"Awe, geeze, A, why not? I thought you could trust me."
"It's not about trust Jay, it's about skill. You can get hurt, hurt someone else, or both. You do not have the skills to drive this car flawlessly. When you reach that realm, then we'll revisit this discussion. For now, no car."
"Pleeease?"
"Nope. Besides, Amb hates it when you show off; driving my car around is one of the least-effective ways to impress her. As do the rest of us, Amb likes the emotional, innocent, naïve, simple, and happy version of Jay."
"I guesso…"
Annastasia studied his face. He smiled up at her now that the last of his tears had languished.
"You've changed a lot since last year," she commented.
"I know," Jay replied. "I'm not sure if I like it."
"I like it. Jay, you're a good person to be. Think of that whenever you're in doubt. Okie?"
"Okie."
"K, so I have to take my meds and bath Bleu. Wanna help?"
"I'm pretty sure you can take your meds without me."
"You know what I mean. I could use an extra hand; he was playing in the mud."
"No thank you and good luck!"
Jay dashed into The Pallet House.
"Thanks for offering to help with my muddy Altaria," she grumbled sarcastically as Jay scurried away.
XO
In the Next Chapter:
- Awkward questioning
- Is Jezz an alien?
- A not-so-wild Mienshao appears
XO
Trivia:
- The part of this chapter where Jezz is talking with Annastasia, Rita, and Jessie is retold from Jezz's perspective in 'Chapter #61: If I Could Tell You' of the last story in this series, The Journal.
- The lyrics at the beginning of this chapter are from the song 'Safe Place to Land' by Christian Burghardt. This song reminds me of Jezz's relationship with his new friends—particularly Annastasia, Rita, Jay, and Amber, but also, in Stand by You (the first major story in this series), this song has me thinking of Jessie and James' relationship, Ash and Misty's relationship, and Delia and Giovanni's relationship.
AN: Please, pleeease review if you can! I live off feedback. Lemme know what you like, don't like, and/or if anything is confusing:)