Skating with Vasilio typically involved Liam suggesting tricks and Vasilio actually attempting them. It was an arrangement that suited them both—Liam preferring not to do anything dangerous, and Vasilio always ready to do anything dangerous if he thought he could pull it off. For Liam, it was really just an excuse to be out with Vasilio and, inevitably, talk about girls.

"So, has Rebecca not asked you yet?" said Liam as his friend bailed on a heelflip.

"No," said Vasilio, giving his board a frustrated kick. "I know she's going to, though. And she's planning something showy. I just don't know what."

"So when are you two gonna go official?" asked Liam innocently.

Vasilio attempted the trick again with just a little success as before.

"Eventually. Whenever. I don't know. You wanna go get hundun or something? I'm hungry and my board is being stupid."

Liam eagerly took him up on the offer, and they skated out the back gate of New Court to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with plastic stools and cheap plywood tables. This restaurant specialized in dumpling soup, known as hundun in the Nanzonese dialect. It was a favorite spot of Vasilio's, where a large, steaming bowl of soup could be had at a steal and flavored up with generous helpings of soy sauce, vinegar, and potent chili paste. After devouring his hundun and draining his bottle of cold tea, Vasilio became more willing to talk.

"Rebecca's parents don't allow her to date," Vasilio explained. "And my parents wouldn't let me date Rebecca if they knew her parents were against it, so… yeah. We're stuck there."

"It just doesn't… seem like you," Liam pointed out. "I mean, you like having everything open and clear."

"I guess," said Vasilio. "I've got my secrets, though."

There was a superior smile playing around Vasilio's mouth, almost inviting Liam to press him further.

"So…" said Liam, lowering his voice and leaning across the table toward his friend. "You've kissed her, right?"

"Oh, yeah," said Vasilio. "I kissed her back at Village Trip."

"Woah, you do have secrets," said Liam. "Juicy secrets. Tell me more."

Vasilio laughed and took another sip of his tea.

"Well, if you ever need to find make-out spots around New Court, I can tell you a few," said Vasilio. "Not as many as Mori knows, but I'm working on it. Don't tell her, by the way. I know the whole thing with Rebecca bugs her."

Liam raised his eyebrows.

"Why is that?"

Vasilio shrugged.

"I dunno. I'm worried about her, to be honest. Something about her thing with Dustin is just… off. Like, Mori is gorgeous. I think I can say that without—."

"Yeah, that's an objective fact," Liam concurred.

"And she's… I don't know, she's kinda high maintenance, and definitely high drama, but she's incredibly sweet to Dustin. I just don't get how… he doesn't mistreat her, but…"

Vasilio gave a frustrated sigh.

"He doesn't take it as seriously as she does. And I don't get why. Like, dude, you're dating Mori Shaw. That's a privilege. I dunno, maybe it's that he's a senior and he's gonna be gone after this year, but… once again: Mori. I wouldn't let go of that relationship just because I was graduating."

"You sure you're dating the right person?" said Liam with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up," said Vasilio, flicking Liam on the arm. "You know what I mean. It just pisses me off, I guess. Like, when he didn't call her at the lock-in. What was up with that? Mori glows when he's around. But to him, it's like… talking to her is a chore or something. And it's not just us, by the way. Taylor, Rebecca, and Liz have this acapella version of 'Flavor of the Weak' they whip out whenever they see Mori talking to Dustin. So they notice it too."

Vasilio drained the last of the soup from his bowl.

"You wanna go do some battles?"

"Sounds good," said Liam.

He was surprised at himself for jumping at the offer. He knew Vasilio occasionally offered him escape routes, and that would have been the perfect time to say "Nah, I need to get home." But instead, Liam and Vasilio skated their way to the nearby community park, where the very young and the very old gathered in the evenings for music, mahjong, and Pokemon battles. Liam wanted to use his new Houndour in battle, and the more casual setting of the New Court park was the perfect place to do it.

His new Pokemon's movepool wasn't particularly impressive, but the old man at the Dog Market had at least taught it Flamethrower by TM, and that was enough for Liam to work with. The locals were always eager to battle a foreigner, and offered a surprising range of skill and challenge. Sometimes his opponent would be a teenager in a blue Team Truth battling with what was clearly a pampered pet, while other times an elementary-aged kid would trounce him with high-level strategic play. Pokemon was a strangely leveling force—a young child could be just as good as a lifelong trainer. That didn't remove the embarrassment of losing to a six year old, but it did help him to bounce back after each defeat.

It was after ten o'clock at night when Liam and Vasilio finally headed back to New Court. Several hours of Pokemon battling had left them feeling tired, but content. Liam reflected that it had been the perfect way to end the weekend of Professor Werner's funeral. He felt optimistic—that somehow, even without Professor Werner, everything would be alright. He and Vasilio stopped by the dry fountain in the middle of the New Court complex and sat down on its edge.

"Just three days next week," remarked Vasilio. "I am so ready for that break."

"Yeah," said Liam. "Hey, uh… thanks again for taking me to get my Houndour and… everything else."

Vasilio smiled self-consciously.

"Hey, Mori's not the only person I worry about," he said. "But it's no big deal. I—what the heck?"

Vasilio leapt up and whirled around, prompting Liam to do the same.

"What?" said Liam. "I didn't see any… huh?"

Liam and Vasilio both leaned in closer, as if to make sure they were really seeing what they thought they were. Chelsea Whitaker—dressed only in her pajamas—was asleep in the dry basin of the fountain. Even in the dark, Liam could tell it was her—Chelsea's bushy red curls were unmistakable—but the longer he looked, the more confused he became. She clearly hadn't passed out or gotten hurt, but that only made the situation even stranger.

"Chez?" he said, touching her gently on the shoulder.

Chelsea squirmed a little, but didn't wake.

"Try again," whispered Vasilio.

"Chez, wake up," said Liam, shaking her by the shoulder. "You're… you're in the fountain."

Chelsea sat up so suddenly it made Liam and Vasilio jump. She stared around with a panicked expression—clearly confused both by where she was and who she was looking at. She tried to scramble to her feet, but her socks slipped on the smooth tile and she fell back down with a thump.

"Ow!"

"Chez!" exclaimed Liam. grabbing her by the arm and helping her slowly to the feet. "What are you doing here?"

Chelsea looked blearily at Liam, then at Vasilio, then at herself.

"...What?"

"You're in the New Court fountain," said Liam, trying to get through to her without causing unnecessary alarm. "Are you okay?"

"I... "

Chelsea seemed suddenly to comprehend.

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, how did I get… What time is it?"

"Almost 10:45," said Vasilio, holding up the clock on his cellphone for her to see.

Liam took off his Team Virtue jacket and gave it to Chelsea so she wasn't just wearing her pajamas. She accepted it gratefully, but avoided making eye contact with him.

"Were you sleep-walking?" asked Liam gently.

"I… I guess," Chelsea mumbled.

She still looked mortified. Liam was deeply curious, but he could tell he wasn't going to get any satisfying answers with Chelsea in this state. Vasilio, as usual, saw what needed to be done and did it,

"Let's get you home," said Vasilio. "Which building is yours?"

Chelsea pointed to the apartment building across from Mori's house.

"Okay, we'll walk you back," said Vasilio. "C'mon, Liam."

They escorted her to the bottom of the apartment stairs and, after receiving several assurances that she could make it home herself and she would text them when she got there, sent Chelsea up alone. After waiting about two minutes, Liam's PokeGear buzzed with a confirmation that Chelsea had made it back safely.

"That was weird," said Liam as they walked back to the fountain together.

"Yeah," said Vasilio. "We… should probably keep that to ourselves."

"Oh, y-yeah," said Liam. "Of course."

Liam felt a little ashamed that he had needed Vasilio's admonition.

"Well, that's enough weirdness for one day," said Vasilio with a yawn. "And we've got school tomorrow. See you on the bus."

"Yeah," said Liam. "See ya."

He started his slow walk by the White Gardens. His redheaded protege was more mysterious than he had realized, and Liam couldn't help but think there was more than sleepwalking at play. Still, he didn't have any better theories.

"I know you're not a kid, Chez," Liam muttered. "But you have a knack for getting into scrapes."

Liam chuckled to himself. "Getting into scrapes" was the kind of thing his mom would say. He was still being protective, but it wasn't because he thought she was a kid. Chelsea Whitaker was moving out of "kinda cute" territory and into the realm of undeniable feelings. The fact that it had taken this long made Liam nervous.

It had been the same way with Cass.