You should come to the New Court fountain.
Liam frowned at the text message. The first Saturday of break and already Vasilio was trying to drag him into something. Liam wanted the day off from socializing for once. He needed to recover from final exams and the sudden revelation that the girl he liked could read his mind.
Why?
He set his PokeGear back down on his bed and propped his feet up on his Houndoom, which was napping, as usual, at the foot of his bed. His PokeGear buzzed again.
Just come. You won't regret it.
Liam sighed, stretched, and climbed stiffly out of bed. He offered his arm to his Sneasel, who crawled down from the top bunk and perched himself on Liam's shoulder. He wasn't planning on battling, so he left the rest of his Pokemon at home to enjoy their day off as he set out for New Court.
The first thing Liam noticed was the unusual number of students gathered around the dry fountain in the middle of the pink apartment complex. Besides Vasilio—who was leaning on Rebecca— he spotted Taylor, Liz, Stephanie, Rosaline, and a few older students he didn't know very well. Even Arthur and Sylvia had come from across town. Clearly, something strange was going on—even a public practice from I Am Munchlax wouldn't draw this kind of crowd. As Liam approached the fountain, he noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at him, and several of them had knowing, conspiratorial grins on their faces.
"You guys are weirding me out," said Liam to Vasilio. "What's going on?"
Vasilio was clearly trying to hold back something he found very amusing, but he said nothing. Liam was starting to get annoyed.
"Oh, come on. What is it? This is—."
"Hey, cutie," said a voice from behind him.
Liam felt a pair of slender, bony arms slide over his shoulders. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. He had recognized her voice at once.
"Cass," said Liam breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just had so much fun being your girlfriend for a day last spring I decided to come back and try it again," said Cass with a goofy grin.
Liam stared at her in disbelief. She looked exactly as she had when she kissed him goodbye at the airport six months ago—well, not quite. Her thin, angular face looked fuller, her cheeks were less hollow, and her brown hair, while still short, reached to just below her chin. But her smile was the same, and her clothes were just as mismatched and unfashionable as ever. And she looked at Liam with the same playful glint in her eye—the same uncompromising cheerfulness and love for everyone and everything, and especially him.
"Kiss him!" shouted Taylor.
"I'd hate to disappoint them," said Cass, and she pulled Liam into a brief (but very affectionate) kiss. Liam was still in shock, and he could do little more than blush as his classmates cheered and clapped.
"Sorry," Cass whispered. "This was Taylor's idea. I, well, I couldn't help myself, you know?"
"I'm still… confused," said Liam apologetically.
"I bet," said Cass. "Hi Sneasel."
She scratched Liam's Pokemon behind its long, red quill.
"Did everyone know you were coming but me?"
To Liam's consternation, Cass responded with a blush.
"I mean, not everyone," she said. "Probably not everyone. I'm sure somebody didn't know."
"Fill him in at lunch, Cass," said Taylor, his guitar case slung over his shoulder. "I'm starved."
"Ooh, lunch," said Cass eagerly. "Woven Bowl?"
"Fine with me," said Taylor.
Liam realized that whatever was going on, he was going to have to wait for an explanation. So, with Cass's hand in his, he followed his friends across the busy street in front of New Court towards the Woven Bowl—Cass's favorite restaurant.
It had been Cass that originally introduced Liam to the Woven Bowl, a local restaurant that was a cornerstone of Everspring's international community. It was more than just a restaurant, of course: it was also a bakery, and a community center, and a place that provided work to people (and Pokemon) that couldn't work elsewhere. Its three floors included a craft shop, a small stage with an open mic, and an absurdly-generous buffet that came with entree order. Liam had continued to eat there regularly even after Cass had left, coming alone on Saturdays to enjoy a bowl of bibimbap and a cold Unovan Soda Pop from the fridge. It had been a long time since he had eaten there with others.
"I've missed this place so much," said Cass as they sat down together. "Hey Taylor, do I get, like, a free song? Just one?"
Taylor smiled indulgently.
"Sure, Cass," he said, unpacking his guitar from its case and approaching the stage. "Got a request?"
Cass pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"What's that's song that goes 'uh-wah oh-oh, duhduh duh-duh-duh'..."
"That's 'She Moves in Her Own Way.' It's by The Kooks."
Taylor had beaten Liam to it by a split second.
"Well, play that one," said Cass, leaning against Liam. "I like it."
Taylor gave his guitar a strum, winced at the noise, hastily tuned it, and—with a wink at Cass—played the familiar song. Cass closed her eyes and bobbed her head, coming back to reality only when the waitress—a young woman with an obvious facial burn—came to take their orders.
"So," said Liam, as Taylor gave a final strum and began bowing to the scattered applause. "Do I get an explanation now?"
Cass sighed, as if explaining her mysterious reappearance would ruin it.
"I'm just here until the end of December," she revealed. "My mom and dad could tell how much it hurt leaving Nanzo behind, so they promised I could come back and visit—if my grades were good."
"And were they?" said Liam slyly.
"Unovan school is so easy," said Cass. "Like, way too easy, actually. It's given me a lot of time to, you know, get out and see things. I've got five badges now."
She held up her wrist, where she had strung her badges like charms on a bracelet.
"You look a lot better," said Liam. "Not that you didn't… I mean, not that you weren't—."
Cass snickered.
"It has been really good for my health," she confessed. "I feel stronger. I haven't had a bad fall in a long time, and I've been walking a lot."
She sighed wistfully.
"I wish I could have stayed here. But, I'm getting adjusted. Being a normal Unovan high schooler… it's not too bad."
Liam remembered the last time she had used that phrase. It was a sudden, painful reminder that whatever he and Cass were feeling now, it couldn't last. They were, as Cass had admitted from the first, just pretending.
"So, where are you staying?" asked Liam as they sat down together on a ledge.
"With Liz," said Cass. "But her parents gave me a key, so I don't have to hurry back."
"Good," said Liam.
He intertwined his fingers with hers. They watched as a young couple played badminton in the fading light of evening. It was small things like that that made Nanzo such an attractive place. Liam felt Cass's head resting on his shoulder.
"New Court still feels like home," she said. "Not much has changed."
"Almost nothing has changed," said Liam.
"Except us," said Cass.
Liam raised an eyebrow at Cass.
"We're different," Cass continued. "I mean, not super different. You're still you and I'm still me. But I can tell that a lot has happened in the past few months. For both of us. Right?"
Liam nodded. Cass, as usual, was very perceptive.
"Something's bugging you," said Cass. "I can tell. Do you wanna talk about it?"
Instead of answering, Liam took out his PokeGear and began composing a text message.
"There's someone who would want to see you," he said evasively.