AN: This chapter was updated/revised on March 28, 2020.
Insider
"Some black birds soaring in the sky,
Barely a breath like our one last sight
Tell me that was you, saying goodbye."
Pink
Day 68
The day after the trio had returned to the bungalow, the group was informed that the Allamanda Contest was delayed for a week due to bad weather.
They were all staying at the Pallet House and using the teleporter to go back and forth between there and Alola. By now Jezz was on the route to recovery, and he, Rita, and Annastasia were sitting in the lobby of the hotel and talking about the upcoming contest.
"You are registered, so if you really want to, you can compete," said Annastasia. "You are great at these contests, and I am sure you had a routine already planned out. You have three days to prepare. Four, if you count the day of the funeral."
"You sound like you want me to do it," Jezz responded, trying to ignore the last part of her sentence.
"If you want. I felt it was my responsibility to let you know that it is an option for you. I am not going to punish you by making you stay home or anything like that and I think you have made a pretty good recovery already."
"I think you should do it. It seems like something you enjoy. I want to see you win," said Rita.
"I suppose I can try since I am registered," Jezz decided. "I will have a talk with my Pokémon, and if they want to do it, then I will."
Annastasia stood from her seat. "Sounds like a good plan. I'm going to go help my parents with the twins. See you later."
After Annastasia left the room, Jezz turned to Rita. "Annastasia is almost always taking care of Rose and Silver. I wonder why."
"She likes kids," Rita replied. "Or maybe she is afraid her parents are going to drop them or something."
"Oh my, you don't think that will actually happen, do you? Why would you think that?"
"I was just kidding. I don't think they have ever dropped a baby before."
"Oh yes, you were joking. I should have known."
"Do you think your Pokémon are going to want to do the contest?"
Jezz nodded. "Furfrou is very excited about it, and so is Chimecho. Originally, I had wanted Komala to help me with this routine, but he seems to love Rose. I think I am going to let Komala and Deerling stay with the twins. They bonded a lot already."
"Are you trading? I think Annastasia and Michio are going to take Plusle with them. You should probably take Minun, since they are related."
"Actually, they aren't related. They are friends who were adopted together."
"I still think you should take him."
"Zoruuuuu!" Rita's Pokémon agreed.
"Zorua likes that idea."
"I suppose a trade is a good idea," said Jezz. "I am going to miss them though. They are my most cuddly Pokémon."
"Plusle and Minun are sometimes cuddly. And you just have to tell your other Pokémon to step up their game."
Jezz stood up. "You are right. But right now, I need to take a nap. I am going to go to bed."
"Goodnight."
Rita waved him goodbye. He waved back then headed to the third floor of the hotel. His room was between Amber and Jay's, across from June and Cassandra's, and just a thirty-second trot from everyone else's.
He met June and Cassandra in the hall.
"Amber was looking for you," said June. "She says you never answered her text message. She, Takeshi, and Jay are shooting darts in Takeshi's room."
"They sounded worried," said Cassandra. "You should at least text one of them back."
"I will. Thank you," Jezz said with a bow.
The door to Takeshi's room was open, so Jezz walked in without a knock.
"You guys suck, like, really bad. Your last throw wasn't even close to the bullseye," Amber was ranting. "Jezz!"
"Hi," he responded.
"You never told us where you were going, and you didn't respond to our text. We were concerned," said Jay.
"I am sorry. Rita came by and then she, Annastasia, and I ended up talking for a long time about my future. I am so very sorry."
"It's okay," Amber said as she threw a dart. It landed an inch away from the bullseye. "What about your future?"
"I want to go to school. They think I would like to go to college one day. I think they are right."
"You actually like school?" Takeshi asked.
"Takeshi, he's a genius. Jezz would rather read and write than sleep and eat, plus he is good at everything," Jay gushed. "Speaking of which, I bet he can get a bullseye."
"No way."
Amber didn't say anything. She handed the dart to Jezz. Jezz stared at the dart between his fingers.
"Have you ever played this before?" Jay asked.
"No. What is a bullseye?" he inquired.
Amber laughed. "It's the center. The red-colored center."
"The point of the game is to hit the red dot in the middle. Whoever gets the closest to it wins. It's really hard though. Amber is the best out of all three of us, and she never even got a bullseye before," Takeshi added.
"Jezz would probably be good at this since he is very well-coordinated," said Jay. "Try it."
Jezz stepped to the spot where Amber was standing when she had thrown the dot. He stared at the spot and then threw the dart. It hit the board, and before anyone could look to see where it landed, the board had crashed to the ground.
"That was a forceful throw," Takeshi remarked as he patted Jezz on the back.
Amber and Jay had knelt where the board had landed. They lifted it up and discovered that the dart did indeed hit the bullseye, and they had trouble removing it from the spot.
"I can't believe you did that," Takeshi gawked.
"I hope I didn't break your board," Jezz said worriedly.
"It's fine, not broken. It was only just resting on the dresser here, not really secured to anything. I am not that surprised that it fell," said Jay.
"Good," Jezz breathed with relief. "I don't mean to be rude, but I was heading to my room to take a nap."
"I'll walk you there," Amber offered.
"…Okay…"
Jezz and Amber walked down the hall alone. Most of the other kids were at lunch, but Jezz wasn't hungry and Takeshi, Amber, and Jay had recently binged on junk food.
"I can stay with you if you want. I am sleepy too," Amber yawned.
"In my room? Alone? Just me and you?" Jezz questioned.
"Well, Pip is here."
"Pikachuuu," Pip squeaked before running down the hall and abandoning them.
"Never mind. It looks like it is just me and you. You can say 'no' if you want and I won't be upset. I was offering because I thought you would like that. But whatever."
"I would like you to stay, but perhaps you shouldn't," Jezz replied.
"Have a nice rest then."
Amber strode to her room while Jezz watched awkwardly. Once she was inside her room, he opened his own door. Half of his Pokémon were there waiting for him. Thankfully, Xatu did not appear to be one of them.
"Why am I such a weird kid?" Jezz asked the Pokémon.
"Villlleplume plume," Vileplume suggested.
"Delca," said Delcatty, shaking his head.
"Chiii," said Chimecho, hitting him with Heal Pulse.
"I wanted Amber to stay but instead I suggested that I didn't and now I don't want to go over there and explain everything," Jezz vented. "I always feel so calm and happy when they are around me. I wonder why I can ask for help when I need it."
"Deeee," Delcatty purred.
"Plu," Vileplume said delicately.
"Chimeee," Chimecho sang, providing more comfort.
Furfrou jumped on the bed, made three circles, then rested his body near the foot. The other Pokémon found comfortable places to lie while Jezz changed into his nightwear—new, soft, and comfortable pajamas that Annastasia had purchased for him the day before.
Jezz fell asleep quickly, something that had become a welcome reoccurrence since his return.
XO
The first part of the dream was pleasant; Jezz saw himself playing soccer on a team, with faces his dream-self recognized but his current, conscious-self did not. He saw himself celebrating his sixteenth birthday, and in addition to the sixteen candles on the cake, he also noticed some hair growing on his chin. That was an exciting thing to look forward to.
He also had a vision of an adult version of himself talking to a grown-up Jay.
Jezz noticed that he was in some kind of uniform, while Jay was still in sleepwear. He was drowsy, and he handed Jay a cup of tea. Then Jay went on a tangent about some amazing guy he met while Jezz stood there and silently rooted for his friend.
'I wonder what the point in showing me all this was,' Jezz thought once he reached half-asleep status. Xatu rarely showed him pleasant visions of the future, and Xatu wasn't in his room, or so he thought.
The scene changed.
Jezz could tell by the atmosphere that they were in Alola. On the front porch of what looked like the Morgan's bungalow, two women were arguing while several other adults watched on pitifully. It was Jay's mother arguing with a woman that looked nearly identical to her and Rumika. He assumed this was Jessiebelle, who according to Annastasia and company, was his biological mother.
Rumika, Annastasia, Lucy, Meowth, James, and a few people he didn't recognize stood off to the side, withholding from interfering.
"Legal or not, there is no way you are taking him," Jessie yelled at Jessiebelle.
"I can say the same to you. This is Alola, and we are going to play by Alola's rules," she retorted.
"He is from Kanto, not Alola. This is Team Rocket's jurisdiction, not the Kapule Klan's."
"But she is registered to live here in Alola. This is the location of her last residency."
"He is going to live with Annastasia, and he is going to never have to see your face again."
"Mom I—" Annastasia started.
"—No, Princess, let me handle this."
"Then I'm going to go check on him, make sure he actually can't hear any of you right now."
Annastasia disappeared. Jezz continued to watch the argument.
"I can't believe what you people have done to my child. My only child and you've convinced her that she is a freak? That she needs to take testosterone and wear boy's clothing and go by a different name? This sort of thing should be illegal," Jessiebelle cried.
Jezz winced, it hurt. Ever since Rita and Annastasia revealed who his mother was, he had the slightest hope that she would be accepting. He hoped that his father would be on his side, if they ever got around to figuring out who he was.
"Letting you go on probation should have been illegal," Rumika spoke up.
"No one is talking to you," Jessiebelle shot back.
"I am, sis. And you better listen. Annastasia is taking him home, and you will be lucky if she lets you call him on the phone. He is going to live the way he wants to live, not the way you want him to. Your daughter is gone, and she isn't coming back."
"She isn't dead, she is here. A person can't just cut their hair and switch their clothes to change genders. It doesn't work that way. She was born that way. And you can't let her do whatever she wants. She is like this because she lacked discipline."
Jezz found this interesting. He had been over-disciplined his entire life; this woman had no idea what she was talking about.
"You should go before I kill you," Jessie warned her.
"You are on probation anyway, and your time is up in an hour," Rumika reminded her. "If you don't get back to your cell on time you get another ten years…then again…"
Jessiebelle pointed to Jessie. "Your 'princess' lost him. She is only going to drive her away again."
Jezz felt a pang of all too familiar guilt. He had only once considered that Annastasia would be blamed for his temporary disappearance.
"Oh, and you aren't going to drive him away?" Jessie scoffed. "I am sure he would last less than one day with you."
"Annastasia isn't the reason he ran off," James pointed out.
"My daughter is a child, she didn't know any better," Jessiebelle replied. "It was your daughter's responsibility to make sure that she stayed safe, and she failed."
"This whole argument is pointless," Jessie finally announced.
Everyone left to go into the house. Jessiebelle was tempted to charge instead, but then she recalled that trespassing while on probation would add fifteen years to her already long sentence. Annastasia came out as everyone else was going in. She walked up to Jessiebelle, getting closer than anyone else had.
"If you let me take care of your baby, you will never have to worry about him again," Annastasia started. "His father took advantage of you, and I know that you know it. Neither you nor he are in a position to raise a child, especially one who is going to soon be facing those difficult teen years. I also know that deep down you want what is best for your child. You don't want him to have the same life you did. I promise we will give him a good life, and you can be part of it too, but not if you keep on using abusive language and insisting on taking him yourself."
"Fine," Jessiebelle surrendered. "You can have him. Do whatever it is you want. I finally stopped caring."
XO
Jezz sat up and calmly looked ahead. He wasn't at all surprised to find Xatu perched at the end of his bed.
"You must have been in your Pokéball when I came in and then came out of it when I fell asleep," Jezz figured.
"Xatttuuuu," he hummed.
"I am now officially afraid of you." Jezz roughly got out of bed, waking the cat, dog, and floating scarf at his feet. "I am scared. Of you. I am admitting it, right now. Is that what you wanted?"
"Xatu."
"I have no idea what you are saying, let us go find Logan. We can figure this out once and for all."
"Chi?" Chimecho said worriedly.
"Ru?" asked Furfrou.
The other Pokémon copied their tones, except Xatu.
"I love you all," said Jezz. "I can tell you are concerned and you just want me to relax and go to sleep"—the Pokémon nodded at this— "but I need a translator."
Jezz returned Xatu to his Pokéball.
He found Logan playing a game of chess with Squirt Gun in their room at the end of the hall.
"Sup," Logan said as Jezz and the Pokémon neared.
"Squirtle sqir," Squirt Gun greeted them.
"I was wondering if you could please help me," Jezz replied.
"Sure. What do you need help with?" Logan asked.
Jezz tossed Xatu's Pokéball. The bird begrudgingly exited then stared coldly at the people and Pokémon before it.
"I want you to translate Xatu so that I can understand," Jezz requested.
Logan noticed that Jezz was notably upset. His tone changed from playful and carefree to serious and sympathetic.
"I'll help you, no worries," he said.
Jezz bowed. "Thank you. I very much appreciate this. Xatu, please talk to me."
"Xatu tu Xatuuu tu," the bird asserted.
"He says he was only trying to help you, and that you always get upset for no reason," said Logan.
"Xatu, I don't like the dreams, they don't help me, and I do have a reason to be upset," Jezz listed. "They scare me, or they get me anxious or confused. I would rather sleep peacefully."
"Xa," he retorted.
"He doesn't care," Logan translated. "Hey Jezz, I think that Xatu has a point but he can't get it across. I can tell when he talks that he isn't very…"
"Xat Xatu."
"Yeah, that's right. Xatu isn't good at explaining himself."
"Xatu tu xa Xaaatuu xa."
"He is saying that he is sorry for sending you the fake future sights, but lately everything he has been showing you is right, and that is only trying to warn you about what is going to happen in your life."
"Okay, but can you not do it while I am asleep?" said Jezz. "Since you insist, maybe sometime during each day we can set aside a time and you show me the visions."
"Xuuuu," Xatu replied.
"He likes that idea," Logan affirmed.
"Thank you for helping us," Jezz replied, bowing to Logan. "This is going to help me. I should have come to you sooner."
"Talk to me whenever. See you later."
"Squirrttle!" Squirt Gun added.
"Yes. Later I will see you both," said Jezz.
Jezz his Pokémon walked to the lobby area. The bar was visible from there, and he noticed all the kids, plus Lily and Maya and some of their Pokémon, sitting there and having what looked like a root beer float. He walked over to them.
"Good evening," Jezz announced as he approached. "Is anyone sitting here on this last chair? Or I suppose I mean, is it okay if I sit here?"
"Of course, Oniisan. We were wondering about you," said Jocelyn. "Jay said you were taking a nap and I was worried you wouldn't wake up in time to sit with us. Please sit with us."
"Flaafy!" and "Bouns!" her Pokémon enthusiastically chanted.
"I would love to join you. It would be an honor," Jezz replied.
Cassandra was sitting on the end, and she pulled out the chair for him.
"Jay was just telling us that his mom was semi-complaining about how all of her children's friends are the offspring of her enemies," June giggled.
"I don't understand," Jezz responded. "I apologize."
"Don't apologize!"
"It's because Amber, June, Takeshi, Tamaki, Benny, Ani, Gracie, Soledad—they are all the sons and daughters of the 'twerps'," said Cassandra. "Rita, Mariana, and Lucas are N and White's kids, and she never liked N. Me, I am the daughter of her number one rival from Team Rocket, Michio is the son of the leader of the Kapule Klan, and you, you are the son of Jessiebelle. We are all one big club."
"Oh, that is funny," said Jezz, smiling at their inference. "Anika and Gracie, who are your parents?"
"Our mother, Marcela, got remarried to a man named Hau two years ago. They were both Alola twerps," Anika explained. "And you forgot about Nolan and Lexi."
"Oh right. Lexi's mother is an old contest rival of Jessie's, and while Nolan's mom is the daughter of an old friend, but she never liked Nolan's dad because he almost dropped Annastasia when she was a baby," Cassandra explained. "You learn something new every day, right? I know I did. I am glad I found you people."
"I am glad as well," said Jezz.
"I can make you a root beer float," Jay offered as he got up off his stool. "You are my right-hand man; it would be rude for me not to."
"Oh, that would be very nice Jay. Thank you!"
Amber leaned in to quickly whisper into Jay's ear. "I think he was more flattered by the 'right-hand man' comment than he was excited for the float."
"I think so too," he agreed.
"We were also talking about the contest. Rita said you might do it too," said Takeshi. "That would be cool, though Jocelyn, June, Anika, Benny, Maya, and Cassandra might not like too much. They are your rivals, and you are going to give them a challenge."
"I don't want to ruin this contest for anyone. I don't need to win. I know the Allamanda contest is a big event, and I would actually prefer if one of you takes the ribbon," Jezz responded.
Jocelyn frowned. "That's no fun!"
"Flaaaafy!" Flaafy booed.
"Bous!" Pinky scolded.
"You can always win the contest, then give your special ribbon to someone else," Soledad suggested. "That's allowed; I saw it in the handbook."
"But if you compete and win, I don't want to take your ribbon," Cassandra responded. "I want to win my own, and I think that if you win, you deserve to keep what you earn."
"I agree," said June.
"And me," Maya agreed.
Jezz nodded. "I understand. I am still not 100% sure if I even want to do it anyway."
Jay handed him his root beer float. "There is no pressure. If you decide last minute that you don't want to do it, no one is going to get upset about it. You do whatever feels right. I am also skipping out on this contest. I am not prepared at all, and neither are my Pokémon."
"That certainly takes some of the pressure off of me."
"How about we toast?" Maya suggested. "A toast to…to…"
"Amber, Jay, and Jezz's return," said June.
"To Jezz's official adoption!" Amber announced.
"To Benny's new Bugseon!" Jocelyn laughed.
"To me, because I rock," Lily smirked.
"And because you and May became our coaches in a time of crisis," June added.
They all laughed and then took turns clashing glasses with one another.
"We have to do this again when everyone is here," said Anika.
"Call me anytime," Soledad responded.
"Ani, Soledad, Gracie, Tamaki: what are you and the Geo-catchers going to do about the Mimikyu? Did you and Professor Rosedale discuss it?" Cassandra inquired.
"We did talk about it. Professor Rosedale decided that she is not going to do any research or experiments with Mimikyu, and she is going to urge other researchers and professors and the public to stop looking for her. Amber's Mimikyu doesn't want to be used. Mimikyu doesn't want to have a lot of attention put on her. She only wants friends," Soledad explained.
"It's a girl Mimikyu?"
"She is according to Professor Rosedale," Amber replied. "Sometimes people care about that…pronoun…stuff."
"Maybe she will become friends with Pip," said Gracie.
"That would be so cute!" Jocelyn exclaimed.
"I know, right?"
"Right!"
"Enemies to friends. A classic."
"What do you think?" June asked Amber. "Will it happen?"
"Mimikyu still doesn't like Pip," she responded. Mimikyu is jealous because everyone likes Pikachu but no one can even stand Mimikyu's true form because it is so….um…hideous…" Amber quietly mumbled the last part, just in case Mimikyu was nearby. "That Pikachu cloak is something it made. Underneath the cloak, there is darkness and apparently evil."
"Is Mimikyu really evil?" Benny queried.
"Well…kinda…Jezz can explain it best."
"It projects the aka lele, and that is evil," said Jezz. "Mimikyu has two sides, even in her true form. The reason most people only know about the dark side is because that is the side that Mimikyu reveals to the world the most. Mimikyu only does bad things when she is lonely and depressed. But when she has friends, she isn't so bad. She can do a lot of good in the world if you give her the chance."
'Like you,' Amber thought, nearly spilling it aloud. 'I hope that Jezz and Mimikyu value me enough to never go back to the way things were before.'
"Interesting," Cassandra replied. "Amb, I am glad you found Mimikyu. We will all be her friend."
The entire group nodded and/or 'ayed' in agreement.
"You are going to have to tell her that yourselves so that she knows for sure that it is true," Amber responded.
"We will. Won't worry about it," Cassandra assured her.
"Where is she anyway?" Gracie asked.
"I am not sure. I know she likes to people-watch, so she is probably watching someone around here, maybe even us," Amber replied.
After they finished their dessert, the group decided that it was time for a movie and then a casual soccer game, as per Jezz's request.
After his friends agreed to the plan, Jezz excitedly ran up the stairs and put on his old cleats. Since he hadn't grown much over the last few years, they fortunately still fit him well, especially since they had stretched out from all the long hours he had spent wearing the prized footwear. He was happy to have them in his life again because in addition to being one of his most useful possessions, it was a symbol of his growth. He had finally done what Rita always wanted him to do: he found friends, family, a home, and a dream.
XO
Day 72
Though Michio didn't know it, his mother had spent the last three days quietly observing him. It wasn't spying, she reasoned, because everywhere she only saw him in public, unless she was visiting him at the bungalow.
The older woman had become very protective of her now-adult son, subconsciously making up for all the times she didn't acknowledge him, didn't stand up for him, and didn't act as a mother should.
She was shocked to see Michio in public so often. Though he was noticeably distressed in crowded areas, which he tried to avoid, he seemed very content when he, Annastasia, Plusle, Peruva, Mienshao, Lil-G, and Bleu took their bikes down to the obscure beach near the bay. They sometimes went without the Pokémon, and twice they took the twins with them. Within three days they had gone five times, and though Keaka didn't watch them when they were alone, she knew that the two of them were enjoying themselves there and that they were probably lying in the sand, finally at peace.
On the fourth day since the trio's return, the day of the Hale's funeral, Keaka decided to attend. She was invited, even though she hardly knew the Hales, as she rarely associated with people outside of her circle. She knew Jezz was going to go, and if she was going to be active in her son's life, she figured she should at least let the young boy know that she was his ally. She came to the house first, as that was what the other attendees had planned to do.
"Keaka, you decided to come after all," Annastasia said warmly as she opened the door to the bungalow. "We weren't sure."
Keaka explained her reasoning for coming, and Annastasia was glad that she cared enough about her and Michio's new family to do that for Jezz. They entered the kitchen, where Jessie and James were cooking and serving rice pilafs, soba noodles, shrimp, and malasadas.
"I see you tried your hand at making some Hawaiian dishes. And Michio wouldn't eat them if it weren't well made," Keaka noted as she watched her son consume two malasadas in under thirty seconds.
"They aren't as bad as I thought they would be," Michio acknowledged.
"You're welcome," Jessie responded coldly. "And if you are the royal chef, maybe you should be the one working your ass off cooking these weird biscuit wannabes."
For once Jessie wasn't trying to sound mean, but funerals made her cranky beyond belief. The last funeral she attended, she and James were able to flee before witnessing most of the tears, but this time they would have to stick around. According to their daughter, their full attendance was mandatory.
"Jess, you like these though, right?" James inquired as he held up a malasada.
"Yes," she crankily whispered to James, though Michio was also able to hear. He smiled smugly. "Stop it..."
Keaka decided that Jessie had probably forgotten that she was standing there, as were several of Jezz's friends, though Jezz himself was not yet present. Either that or Jessie didn't give a shit about who heard her, and she decided on the latter once the argument continued.
The funeral went as everyone expected. Attending were both sets of Jezz's almost-grandparents, several of the Hale's cousins, uncle, aunts, and close friends. Most of them offered to put in a government request, see if maybe they adopt Jezz themselves, as they were previously expecting him to become part of the Hale family, but he politely told them that he was content with what Perry and Hauana had decided.
Jezz had shown up last minute, he didn't say much of anything, and he was the first to leave, borrowing Aliyah to teleport back to the bungalow the moment the reception was over. The most surprising part was that he didn't cry, as he tended to do that quite easily, but most of them assumed he did that once he was alone. It was a beautiful and sunny day, and though it seemed inappropriate to the children, the contestants ultimately decided that since today was their last day to prepare for the contest, that they would go to the beach and practice their routine during the last hour of sunlight.
That was, everyone except for Jezz, Amber, and Jay.
While everyone else was at the beach, Jay and Amber were having a secret meeting in the closet they had discovered many years ago, the one that only them, and now Soledad and Tamaki, knew about.
"I say we drag him to the beach," Amber was telling Jay.
"Be more sensitive, Amb, it has been a rough morning and afternoon for him," Jay responded.
"I know, but if he wants to do the contest tomorrow, then he has to practice as much as possible. According to Maya, Furfrou and Chimecho really want him to prepare more. I don't think he is going to do well if he spends the whole day bawling his eyes out."
"We don't know for sure that he is crying. He could be reading a book like 'how to prepare for a Pokémon contest in less than a day'."
"Does that book even exist?"
"Probably. He borrows about ten how-to books from the Pallet Library every week. They probably have one with that or a similar title."
"He's emotional. Sometimes he is even more emotional than you are. That being said, you should go talk to him, alone. I would do it myself, but I don't think he is still comfortable being alone around me."
"I can talk to him, but why would you say that he doesn't like being alone with you?"
"He acts weird."
"He always acts weird."
"I mean a different type of weird. Like…the weird way you used to get around people like Gale, Marty, and Joey… just to name a few…"
"Like he has a crush on you?"
"Yeah, like that,"
"I thought you would see that as good news."
"I don't know if I like him like that."
"But I thought you did. What changed?"
"Nothing changed, I just thought about it more."
"Okay, don't get all defensive about it. Is it because he is trans?"
"No, it's not that…I don't think so."
"You aren't sure." Amb, that's not fair."
"I don't think that is it. I think it is because of you."
"What did I do? I support you; I am not lying. I never lie to you."
"You don't get it. I like it when it is the three of us. I like us all together. I don't want to feel like I have to choose."
"Choose?"
"Well, I mean, eventually, down the road…a few years from now."
"Oh, that. Are you saying that I am an option?"
"I suppose that because of that reaction I am supposed to say 'no'."
"No, I get it, I think: we can't be a love triangle forever. But…we can for now."
"Yeah, we can for now. Is that a promise?"
He offered his hand. "Yeah. Shake on it?"
She shook his hand. "Yes, but let's not kiss the other trio-members. It would be weird, especially for Jezz."
"Can we make one exception?"
"I am not letting you kiss Jezz. You know he is your cousin, right? Don't be that creepy relative. You are already strange enough."
"Um, that isn't what I meant."
"You really want me and Jezz to get together, don't you?"
"Amb, I mean you and me."
"Oh," She was truly caught off guard; this was one of those times when she wasn't purposely trying to frustrate Jay. "Right now?"
Jay avoided her eyes and stared at the ground instead. "Unless you don't want to. I understand. You said it would be weird."
Jay didn't lift his head; Amber held his chin and did it for him. Before he could move her had away and ask her what she was doing, she haphazardly kissed him. Jay was completely lost, both during and after, yet he was disappointed when it ended.
"That was..." he stammered.
"What I expected," Amber finished.
"What did you expect?"
"That you would stand there and not know what to do, then get all flushed and umm…uncomfortable."
"You surprised me." He stepped back, which was hard to do in a small closet. "Can we have a do-over?"
"Later. Your spit is still in my mouth, and it tastes like shrimp." She jokingly pretended to gag. "Next time eat more malasadas and less seafood for breakfast."
"It wouldn't hurt to be a little less abrasive." Then his attitude changed. "Wait, so there will be a 'next time'?"
Amber opened the closet door and stepped out. "Probably."
Jay followed her out the door. Amber headed downstairs while he headed towards Jezz's room for the talk Amber was making him give. He decided this was the best course of action mainly because he knew Amber wasn't going to give him any less-vague responses.
Jay knocked on the door. "Hey, buddy, it's Jay. Can I come in?"
Jezz was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't move or say anything, he only nodded towards Vileplume, and then he went and got the door for him.
Jay slowly walked in and shut the door behind him. He stood in front of the bed.
"I am surprised you are not reading," he said quietly.
Jezz had once revealed that he hated wasting time. Sleeping was okay, sometimes, but he didn't like to sit around and do nothing. He had told the others that he found it painful. But he was here, staring at the ceiling, and Jay noted that first the first time ever, Jezz's room was a mess. When Jezz finally talked, he didn't turn to look at Jay.
"I have no concentration today," he softly responded.
Jay didn't want to ask if he was okay since he did that a lot and he already knew the answer.
"Do you want me to help you? I can clean your room for you or try and practice your routine with your Pokémon, and I noticed you haven't eaten today, or at least I don't think you did, and I can make you something and bring it up here," Jay offered.
"I am not hungry either," Jezz replied in monotone. "And I will clean up the mess by myself, later."
"Alright. What about your Pokémon?"
"You can play with them if you want, I don't care."
"Tell me the truth, do you want me to leave or stay here?"
Jezz finally sat up and looked at Jay. "I have been wanting for you or Amber to come, but now I am not sure if I want you here."
"I can leave, then come back later. You can call me or text, or give me a return time, or I can just show up randomly like a just did."
"Would you mind wasting some time right now?"
Jay grinned. "It is one of the things that I do best."
"Then can you lay here for a little while? You don't have to be next to me if you don't want to."
"Of course, I can. Do you want me to lay next to you?"
"If you want, I would like that," he answered.
Jay climbed onto the bed, and Jezz moved over so that he had enough room. Jay wished to take Jezz to the roof, where they could look up at the clouds, but the twelve-year-old didn't seem to want to move.
"If you want to talk, I can do that," said Jay. "Or I can be quiet: your pick."
"I'd very much appreciate either."
Jay ended up staying there until it was time to eat dinner because that is when Jezz decided to move. Though he was quiet throughout supper and afterward, Amber and Jay, and perhaps a few of the others, sensed a bit of recovery.
XO
Day 73
Everyone got up early the next day, as the Allamanda contest was set to begin at 9:00 am. Jezz surprised everyone when he and his Pokémon showed up in the kitchen at 7:45 am, dressed, groomed, and looking merry.
"Oniisan, you look wonderful," Jocelyn giggled.
"Flaafy Flaafy flaa!" Flaafy exclaimed.
"Bounsweee!" Pinky added.
"Flaafy and Pinky like your red bowtie," Lily explained. "And so, do I. You look snazzy, kid."
"Thank you so very much," Jezz replied. "You all look so wonderful. Lily, I love how you dyed your fur. It is superb."
"I decided that dark yellow and orange were my colors this year. And since you like it, you can talk to Jay about dyeing your hair. He did mine for me."
"Maybe in the future."
Jezz looked to Jay "I'm getting better at working with multiple dyes at once," Jay told Jezz. "Before I did Lily, I practiced on Logan, since I had never done a Pokémon before and Lily wanted to make sure I wouldn't mess it up."
Logan stepped forward, revealing his own fur.
"Now Lily and I actually look like twins," he said, brandishing the new style.
"I think it is lovely," said Jezz. "Did you do everyone's makeup too?"
"Naturally," Jay replied, gesturing to his family and friends.
"He trimmed all the Pokémon's fur and hair too," said Gracie. "And helped us find the perfect accessories."
"Jackson looks great as a Bugseon, and thanks to Jay, his fur is perfect. I can't wait to premier him," Benny announced as he hugged his Pokémon.
"Zeee!" the Pokémon buzzed.
"Benny did a lot of work to get Jackson to evolve," said Maya.
"It took many long hours," Benny responded. "But Jackson put in the work and it paid off. He knows Leech Life, Infestation, and Heal Order, plus our secret move to fill up the fourth slot; you'll see that one in battle. And his Ability is Adaptability."
"That is a spectacular combination," Jezz responded. "I reckon your Attack status is sufficient."
"It's more than sufficient. It's awesome!"
"Zeeeee zee!" Jackson proudly whirred.
"Have you all been practicing all together?" Jezz asked.
"A little bit, mostly on our own though," Cassandra answered.
Meowth and Lucy entered the kitchen.
"Yous gotta get goin," said Meowth. "We were out fishin and weeze noticed dat de ferry is bein held up. Yous betta get down dere if yous wanna get to Allamanda on time…and do that ding dat yous need ta do on de boat."
"Thanks for the heads up," James responded. "Did everyone hear that? As soon as you finish eating, we are going to have to leave."
"I'm ready!" June, Cassandra, and Jocelyn announced at the same time.
"Flaa, a!" Flaafy laughed, amused by their increasing synchronization.
"You three have become a solid trio these last two weeks," Anika noted.
"You can say that," Cassandra replied.
"I never hung out with June so much before in my life, even though I knew her since I was a baby," said Jocelyn.
"Sorry, Jay—I stole your little sister while you were away," said June.
"Ha, that's okay; you can keep her," he jokily replied.
As they bickered, Annastasia went around making sure everyone had what they needed—especially Jezz.
"Don't be too rushed, you have time to eat a full meal," she told him. "We have vegetable omelets and leftover rice and fruit in the fridge."
"I very much appreciate this, but I can bring something with me to eat on the ferry and save the other food for later tonight," Jezz replied. "I don't want to lose time and risk being late. I should have probably gotten down here earlier."
"It is no problem. If you want to take something to go, we have healthy snacks." Annastasia opened the cupboard. "In addition to fruit, we have protein bars, kale chips, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, and pistachios, though not that many, since Michio and I ate most of them, and there is also some maple granola."
Jezz took an apple out of the refrigerator. "This will do."
"Plu, Plume, plu," said Vileplume, selecting some berries for himself and the other Pokémon.
"I will bring some nuts and kale chips and granola just in case you get hungrier later," Annastasia insisted as she shoved them into her purse.
"A, you already packed snacks," Jay reminded her.
"I know, but these are for Jezz."
"Okay…"
The group of Jessie, James, Meowth, Lucy, Rumika, Michio, Annastasia, June, Takeshi, Lily, Logan, Maya, Jay, Amber, Jezz, Jocelyn, Cassandra, Benny, Gracie, Soledad, and Anika teleported via Acorn and Aliyah to the ferry.
The children insisted that they needed to take the boat because the thirty-minute trip was a meet and greet with other contest-goers and a networking opportunity. Rita, Nolan, Lexi, and the Geo-catchers were planning to meet them all at the contest grounds. As they had anticipated, they were the only group on the boat that was almost entirely composed of non-natives.
They managed to get to the contest grounds by 8:30 am.
"It is good we got here early, now we can relax and head backstage to do those last-minute adjustments," said June.
Jezz decided to meet with Rita before slipping backstage. He found her with not only Zorua but also Ralph, a development that confused him since he had never seen Rita in public with a man before.
"Did you come for some advice?" Rita asked as he approached.
"Do you have any?" he retorted.
"No…except to be yourself, no matter how weird you are."
"My routine isn't too strange; I think that is true."
"I figured…You remember Ralph?"
"Hi, Jezz," said Ralph. "Rita told me about what you've been through lately. You have my deepest condolences for your loss." He offered to shake Jezz's hand, and he accepted it. "I am glad you made it home safely and that you are feeling better."
"Thank you for saying that," Jezz responded.
Jezz was never uncomfortable around Ralph, but he did find it extremely odd that he was at this contest. Jezz assumed he had a friend competing, then Rita explained that he was her boyfriend.
"Oh, um congratulations…" he replied.
Rita chuckled. "Don't worry Jezz, you are still my favorite man."
Jezz smiled toothily. "Thanks, Rita."
"But you have to win first, or at least do well."
"I will, most certainly. Do not be concerned."
"About you? I never worry about you."
Jezz bowed. "I am going to go get ready. It was nice to meet you, Sir."
"He seems a little quirky," Ralph commented once Jezz was clearly out of earshot. "Awkward, but in an endearing way."
"The keyword here is 'endearing'," said Rita. "He is a mystery, a surprise, and an oddity, all in one package. And he does chores and likes school. Annastasia isn't going to have a hard time raising him for the next six-plus years. And with her heart, Annastasia will be a lifelong guardian. I have feeling that after he turns eighteen, she is still going to be packing him snacks and buying him new clothes."
"But she is going to be able to care for a kid with AIDS?"
"I suppose that you and I will have to wait and see."
"Yeah, I guesso. Let's find seats, I want to be near the front."
XO
Keaka was not formally invited to the contest, but she was not at all offended by it. The various guests staying at the Morgan's residence did mention it several times, and she thought it would be interesting to go. The only risk was running into hostile relatives. The Kapules Klan included the Kaipo and Kahale families, and the three girls with those surnames were bound to be competing.
She spotted her son, and before he could run away, his soft-hearted SO dragged him over to her.
"Mom, are you following me around?" Michio interrogated.
"A little bit," she responded. "I am not trying to making it a secret."
"I am surprised you came," said Annastasia. "Do you typically come to Pokémon Contests?"
"I have gone to many over the years. Several young women and girls from my family's circle do them every year. It is commonplace."
"Poor Benny and Jezz are the only boys who signed up it seems. I haven't seen any male contest goers other than them for this one," Annastasia noted.
"They will stand out more, the judges will remember them."
"You know as well as I do that, they will get made fun of," Michio told his mother. "Annie, the last contest people were talking, and now this contest is bigger. It is bound to happen again."
"They have been warned. I encouraged the girls to look out for them," Annastasia assured him.
"Haku, Alina, and Lona are here," Keaka informed Michio. "They are doing the contest. Haku with her Primarina and Delphox, Alina with her Ocicorio, and Lona with her Lurantis and Dragonair."
"I am surprised they aren't using more extravagant Pokémon," Annastasia commented.
"I don't care who they use, so long as they don't cross me," Michio grumbled.
"I wish that too, but they probably are going to find you at some point," Keaka responded. "Maybe give them a chance. They might have something nice to say."
Michio looked appalled. "I hate that idea."
"In that case, let's try to make it hard for them to find us," Annastasia suggested. "We can leave for a little bit when they are on stage, and return to our seats near the front when one of the kids go."
Michio nodded. Keaka took a seat towards the middle of the audience, while the Morgans and the parents of their group's contestants sat in the second row. Michio and Annastasia were on their way to their places when they were stopped by the trio.
"Miennnn," Mienshao mewed
The catlike Pokémon trotted over to Haku and sat next to her right hand. Haku stroked the top of his head while she addressed the couple. Instead of staring at them with cold eyes, however, she looked downwards, as did her two cohorts. Then they did something that no one thought she would ever do and bowed in sorrow.
"I am apologizing," she told them.
Michio crossed his arms. "Clearly I didn't have a reaction planned out for this."
"We are also sorry," Lona and Alina declared in unison.
Michio, Annastasia, Bleu, Lil-G, and Peruva exchanged doubtful expressions. Peruva seemed to be the most confused, and she kept her eyes on Mienshao. "Tell us what you are apologizing for," Annastasia requested.
"I am sorry for calling you the c-word, the b-word, the s-word, for egging your house, sending my Stantler after you, and replacing your seizure medications with placebos—" Haku listed in monotone.
"—You…you messed with my medicine?" Annastasia interrupted. "That could have killed me! I had three seizures last week. Do you have any idea how exhausted I am?"
"I said I was sorry. But at the beginning of this week, I had Mienshao put it back, so it's probably fine now."
"I can't believe it…"
Michio was keeping his anger bottled up for now, because he didn't want to lose it while people were starting to gather around in anticipation for the upcoming event.
"Michio, I am sorry for tricking Kieko Pa'ina into believing that you were the one causing trouble when it was really me all those years, for tricking your father into leaving the day of your meeting and arranging for everyone else to be there instead, for sending Mienshao to spy on you, for making everyone in your family except your mom hate you, and for calling you gay, even though you are and you are just trying to hide it," said Haku.
Annastasia could tell Michio was about to go off on her, so she put two hands on his shoulders and ushered him away.
"She is unbelievable," he mumbled after a long list of curses left his mouth. "Can you believe this?"
"I don't think she is genuine at all if that is what you mean," Annastasia replied. "Poor Peruva. She thought Mienshao was a good mate, but he lied to her."
"Liiiep," the Pokémon wept.
Michio sat in the grass and let Peruva lay on top of him. Annastasia's Pokémon joined them. Plusle had been forced to stay at home since her allergies were too strong this time of year and when she sneezed, she had the potential to shock at least fifty people in one blow.
"We didn't let her finish," Annastasia reminded him.
"You go then. I can't stand it in there. It is too crowded anyway," he replied.
"I'll be back in less than ten minutes. If I don't come back by then, assume they kidnapped me."
"Annie, please take someone. Lil-G, go with her," Michio instructed.
For the first time ever, Lil-G had taken orders from someone outside of her family. Annastasia didn't comment though, she just picked up her puppy and walked to where the trio was standing.
"What the hell is he doing?" Lona asked.
"You three piss him off. You are pissing me off too, but I have more patience, or at the very least, less experience with you three," Annastasia retorted.
"He might be having a panic attack," Lona mused. "Did you know that Michio used to have panic attacks so bad when he was little his mom had to tranquilize him! How ridiculous is that? When I found out that he was still getting them, I was like, 'no deal', and I begged for Keiko Pa'ina to forgive me for cutting all ties with him."
"Michio hasn't had a panic attack that big since I met him," Annastasia responded.
Then she remembered the long period of time she had been in Toka. Elsa had told her one time that they though he was having a heart attack and took him to the hospital while they were in the Orange Archipelago. Maybe that was a panic attack.
"Then you really must not know him at all," Alina responded. "When I found out that I wouldn't be able to keep alcohol in the house while he's around, I told Kieko Pa'ina the same thing."
"Michio isn't that bad. He can be around it; he just can't have any," she responded.
Then again, ever since they got to Alola, Michio had come closer and closer to breaking his promise. It was to the point where she was nervous about him being alone and had asked all the Pokémon in her home to watch him for her.
"I finally gave up when I realized how dumb it was to waste time on him," Haku finished.
"That is great and all, but Michio is going to know what compelled you to apologize," said Annastasia.
"We don't know," the trio responded in unison.
"It was like a feeling we got, all of a sudden. We just figured that we are above this," Haku explained.
"I am glad that we can be friends," Annastasia tested.
"No way! I don't ever want to see you two again, and I am happy that he is out of my life. Friends, no. But we can be neutral. I will stop everything if you two and your babies stop strutting around here like you own these islands. That is another thing, I pity Michio. You deprive him of everything a man wants and then makes him watch your kids, and they obviously aren't his kids because they are the palest infants I have ever seen."
Annastasia figured there was no point in arguing this. Her new siblings were partially hers in a sense, and she knew already that Jay, Jocelyn, and Jezz would also help to raise them as they got older.
"I am glad you all have your reasons for leaving him alone. By giving up, you've relieved him of a lot of future stress," she responded. "But one more thing, can you tell me about your connection to Jezz?"
"She never stops. Haku, let's go already," Lona whined.
Haku shushed her. "Now, Lona, let's be generous."
"Haku makes the rules," Alina reminded her.
"My whole family thought she was a money baby, you know, one of those rich babies whose parents are dead, in jail, or missing. Her parents are in jail, and she is worthless and sick. We didn't know that until recently," Haku explained.
"It is 'he' by the way. And you said 'parents'. Does that mean both of them are in jail?" Annastasia questioned.
"Yeah, her mother Jessiebelle and her nobody father, I don't remember his name, it isn't an Alolan name," she replied. "They were locked in in the same jail for a while."
"Is there anyone who does know who I can talk to for more information?"
Haku smirked. "We are done here. If you want to know, you have to ask Jessiebelle herself, and good luck with that."
Annastasia sighed as they walked away. She didn't know if it was good or bad that Jezz's father was alive, because if he was in jail too, the chances are he wasn't a very good father. But then again, she knew she couldn't assume.
"I know we talked about the mind-reading thing before, but I bet I can get her to talk without the Pokémon cheating," Annastasia told Lil-G.
"Lillli!" the Lillipup yipped.
"Let's go make sure Michio didn't have a heart attack."
XO
In The Next Chapter
- During and after the contest
- The second interview with Jessiebelle
- Pre-epilogue Conclusion
******PROMOTION******
When you all finish this chapter, please go read and review Julie Togepi's short story. It is called 'A Long-Lost Love' and it is Pokeshipping.
Thank you and as always, I always appreciate all your reviews.