We're getting more into world lore and backstory in this chapter. There's so much unexplained stuff in all versions of pokemon, so I'm just running with it. Tw for mentions of past abuse towards the end. Nothing explicit, I just want to be safe with these topics.

The next morning, Layla gets out of bed early and gets started on some pancakes and bacon for her and Jasmine. They stayed up late last night, drinking wine and pampering themselves, until passing out on the sofa. Freshly showered, and chugging water to abate the hangover, Layla finds the smell of pancakes soothing.

Earlier, Eusine texted her to let her know he will be picking her up to go to the Ruins, with Morty. While it'll be the third or fourth time since they've met, Layla finds herself excited to see the ghost type leader. She forces herself to reason it's because he's someone new and they get along well.

That's all.

"Morning," Jasmine yawns, her brown hair up in a messy bun. Layla returns the greeting as she gets some water from the sink. "All that pampering and we still have bags under our eyes."

Layla snickers. "Can't have it all."

They share a laugh and sit down at the kitchen island to eat. The patio door was left open and a soothing breeze filters into the room. The sound of waves crashing makes Layla smile. It's a sound she can't get enough of.

"Eusine coming to get you?" She raises a brow, pouring syrup on her pancakes.

"Are you excited about that?" Layla jests, waiting for her turn.

Jasmine holds the bottle out of reach, her brows down turned and her lips set in a pout. "Stop it!"

"I can't!" Layla laughs. "You guys are cute."

"Eat dry pancakes then," she huffs, keeping her arm held out as she turns to eat.

"Jasmine, please," Layla begs. "I promise I won't say anything."

"I don't even think I like him, it just makes me nervous when you joke about it," she grumbles, passing the bottle back.

"Okay, okay," she sighs, spreading syrup over her cakes. "I won't joke about it."

Layla dares not say anything about his crush on Jasmine, the two have interacted only a few times where Layla is concerned. Considering his relationship with Morty, it could have been more at official functions. Regardless, Eusine hasn't made a move and he works on his own time. Plus, he's a bit of a heartbreaker, Layla is obligated to kick his ass if he breaks Jasmine's heart, best friend or not.

Lost in thought, Layla nearly misses hearing the knocks at the door. "I'll grab it."

"Thanks," Jasmine mutters between bites, phone in hand.

Layla opens the door and smiles at catching Eusine adjusting his clothes. "Oh, should I get Jasmine?"

"Shut up," he grumbles, rolling his eyes. He glances around the doorway. "Are you ready to go?"

"Well, we were eating breakfast and I'm almost done," she steps aside to let them in. "Hi Morty."

"Good morning, Layla," he nods at her, his smile plenty bright already.

She bites the inside of her cheek while shutting the door and heads back to plop down at the island. "I'm almost done."

"Morning, guys," Jasmine glances up with a smile. "Adventuring today?"

"Yes we are," Eusine smiles, walking around the island to study her house. "Ruins of Alph today."

"Ah," Jasmine responds. "A history lesson too, then."

"That's why we're bringing Layla," Eusine gestures to her with his thumb.

"Heard you saved some Slowpoke in Azalea," Morty starts, leaning on the island across from Layla.

Today he's dressed in charcoal gray skinny jeans, black shoes and a purple shirt with the sleeves folded up. No scarf this time, leaving more skin for Layla to look at, with his blond hair pulled back by a hair tie. A waft of a sweet smelling cologne, or body wash, hits her and she takes a quiet sniff to get more. He's the epitome of comfort today and she hates how much she smiles at him.

"Mm. More like healed them than anything," she shrugs. "The only danger was infection."

"Still, that's pretty cool," he continues on. "Is that what you want to do instead of the daycare?"

She nods. "Yeah. I have my nursing license, I just need to get more specialized experience before I can be of use in a center."

"Are you going to get your doctorate?"

"Mmm. Maybe? Either way I need a couple years of center work under my belt," she shrugs, finishing up her food. "Do you plan on being a gym leader forever?"

He chuckles. "It's a family tradition, I'm hoping to at least pass it on to someone so I can do some more traveling on my own. I want to have a tea shop in Ecruteak."

"A tea shop?" She raises a brow. "Well, I've only had a few cups made by you, but it was good. Would I get a friend's discount?"

"No, because you two aren't friends," Eusine interrupts.

Jasmine chuckles at that, gathering her dishes to place in the sink. "Hmm, sounds like they are friends."

"Don't encourage them."

Morty laughs as Layla cleans up her stuff and grabs her bag. "I'm assuming Hugo is teleporting us?"

"Correct, we don't have time to dawdle on foot," Eusine clicks his tongue. He turns to Jasmine with a kind smile. "We will see you later."

The gym leader flushes under his gaze. "Of course. Did you guys want me to order some food for dinner?"

"You don't have-"

Layla interrupts Eusine with a cough. "I think that'd be a fun time tonight. Boys?"

She glances between the two, Morty nods right away knowing what Layla is up to while Eusine glares at her. Eventually, he nods and Layla pushes them out the door.

Eusine's Alakazam does the work teleporting them to the ruins in a flash of light. Pavement turns to dirt beneath her feet and the ruins greet her eyes once the world stops spinning. Psychic energy swirls in the air, giving Layla a slight energy buzz as Eusine leads the way to the first cave.

"Isn't it supposed to be something more open?" Layla folds her arms.

"Any one of these ruins is open to the sky, but do you see pokemon standing around? No," Eusine huffs. "I think they'll be hiding in any one of these caves."

"Whatever you say, Houdini."

Morty stays in step with Layla while Eusine makes his observations while muttering under his breath. She looks more relaxed and happy since the last time he saw her. He credits it to working in Azalea for a few days, Eusine had told him the story of what she was doing there and the registry. It's interesting to see the change a few days of working her passion makes.

"No history lesson?" He breaks the silence once Eusine has led the way into the first cave.

Layla shudders at the new wave of energy washing over her. At the sound of Morty's voice she smiles at him. "Well, a long time ago, the Unown and humans lived together. This clan of humans spoke with and survived with these pokemon for decades until something happened. Actual historians aren't sure what caused the change, but the Unown retreated from our world to a dimension of their own.

"The effects of living with them, though, gave this clan a few gifts of their own. Telepathy, mind reading, compulsion and even illusion work," she explains in a hushed tone.

The cave echoes every little sound and she doesn't want to disturb anything by speaking too loud. Even if the only thing she disturbs is Eusine.

"And you're descended from that clan?" Morty raises a brow.

"Yes, so after that separation, the clan joined with the other people that were settling in what is now Johto," she grins. "My mom brought me here to learn about our history. Been traveling here since I was a kid."

"So, do you have powers?" Morty presses on.

"Like clairvoyance?" She nudges him. He flushes and she laughs. "I'm not poking fun at you. That's a cool power, but yeah I do."

"It's why I can't use my magic tricks on her," Eusine grumbles ahead of them. "Had to steal her lunches the good 'ol fashioned way."

Layla glowers at him. "I brought extra food for him and he insisted on stealing it."

"Sounds like Eusine," Morty sighs. "He stole my food too."

"Yeah, but with magic tricks," Eusine responds, examining the pictures on the wall.

"Eusine can do some easy illusion work," Layla sighs. "Which is why I can see past it. My powers are illusions, on a grander scale than his."

"Oh?" Morty's purple eyes turn to hers, lit by the lanterns hanging above them.

She flushes under his attention. "Yeah. There's a lot of speculation as to how humans get their powers. It's interesting."

"I agree," he nods back, shoving his hands in his pocket. "I think that humans have been living alongside pokemon for so long it's no surprise we have picked up a few skills on the way."

"Yes, pokemon evolve. Both in the sense of getting stronger and physiologically," she says. "It's best we keep up."

Morty seems happy with that and they lapse into silence while following Eusine. Layla's glad she decided to wear a cardigan as they delve into the cave looking for clues. Chills run up her spine as they walk, both from the energy and from the shadows.

"Layla wouldn't you be able to tell if something was here?" Eusine grunts after another hour of searching in the same cave. "Is it worth going to a different one?"

"Want me to show you a fake Suicune? I could do that instead," she replies.

"At this point, might as well," he huffs, leading the way back to the entrance.

He takes them to a second cave, one most visited, with the hopes the trio are hiding in plain sight. Layla tells more anecdotes about the ruins to Morty, who seems keen on listening to them. The two end up talking more and more as Eusine searches, taking notes here and there. It leaves Layla a little more anxious around Morty and his smiles, his cute laughs.

"Can you guys pretend to be interested in this?" Eusine finally breaks when they lounge by a pond for lunch.

He leans against a tree while Layla lounges beside the pond with Morty sitting on a rock overlooking the two. They stopped at a convenient store in Violet City for some easy food and Layla pops some chips in her mouth as Pocha plays in the water. There's no sign of the trio as Eusine had hoped and she's not sure how he feels about that. He's been doing this for years so it can't be anger, it must be disappointment.

"We are interested," Layla replies. "I think your idea is a good one, but incorrect."

"No duh," Eusine grumbles, biting his corn dog. "Give me a minute to think."

"Take your time, it's hard to do something new," she giggles.

He glowers at her. "You're lucky I love you."

"Aww, love you too."

He mumbles away, taking out his map and phone for notes, he sits at the base of a tree and enters his own little bubble. His blue eyes turn stormy when he gets like this, his brow furrows and he talks to himself. It's not often Layla catches him in his little trances, she's glad he's got something to be passionate about and she rarely gets to see him in action.

"So," Morty leans back on the rock, his gaze on Layla. "Is it rude to ask to see your illusions?"

"Is it rude if I ask to see your clairvoyance?" She poses back with a raised brow.

He snickers. "Touché... but can I?"

The innocence in his voice, the little Growlithe eyes he's giving her, she flushes and nods. "Uh, sure."

"Why are you nervous?" Eusine glances over at her suddenly, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

She glares at him. "I'm not. No one's just asked me before."

"Are you sure-"

"Shut up!"

He covers his smile with a cough, turning back to his notes and leaving Layla in a huff. She turns back to Morty and claps her hands together to focus her senses, it piques Morty's interest as it seems like nothing happens. Then he hears the bush behind them rustle and a pokemon steps out; Suicune.

The quadruped gazes at him with intense red eyes, its purple hair fluttering in the wind along with the white tails on either side. Morty starts at its appearance, his eyes darting to Eusine as if he should be freaking out in this second. The pokemon rears its head at him, walking forward, past Layla to Morty.

She watches his eyes widen when the pokemon walks right through him and disappears.

"That was... amazing," he breathes, glancing around as if waiting to see it jump back out. "How do you make it so life-like?"

She points to Eusine. "I've looked at Suicune so much because of him, the only thing I can't do is what it feels like and sounds like."

"So, it's from your experience?"

"Basically."

She leans back, a little light headed from the effort. "How about you? How does your clairvoyance work?"

"People usually bring me something of someone they want to find," he shrugs. "It's not perfect and I can't use it to find legendary pokemon. I've tried."

"An item finder," she grins. "Are scavenger hunts hard for you?"

He bursts out laughing, not expecting that question. "Well... I haven't been in many scavenger hunts, nor have I thought to use it."

"Damn," she laughs. "Do you use it to find Eusine a lot?"

"Don't answer that," Eusine glances up. He shuffles around, ending their conversation by clearing his throat and setting down his notebook as if it held the answer all along. "I have decided."

"Oh, yes?" Layla nods along, a chuckle at the end of her statement.

He ignores her pointedly. "My next idea is to check in Ecruteak."

Morty and Layla share a glance, their eyes clouded with confusion. "What?"

"Ruins open to the sky," Eusine repeats as though it were obvious. "I thought it would be here, but no. Not ruins as in Ruins of Alph, something that was 'ruined'."

"Burned Tower," Morty realizes with a start.

Layla wonders what it feels like to live in a city where not one, but three legends are slumbering beneath your feet. Looking at Morty now she sees a mix of excitement and anxiety. It's interesting to think they're miles away from such pokemon. It's not often you get to see them, there have been rumors of a Celelbi inhabiting Ilex Forest as well as Mew in Vermillion. But how much weight do these rumors have? No one knows.

"So," she breaks the tense silence. "Are we going or not?"

Eusine glances between them. "Well, yes but we're basking in the weight of this discovery, Layla."

"Okay, well," she stands up. "While you do that, Aves and I will fly to Ecruteak to tell Suicune you're on the way and to run as fast as they can."

"Don't even think about it," Eusine pops up to his feet so fast, he whips out his pokeball. "Fine, we're going."

Layla laughs, returning Pocha and cleaning up her garbage from lunch while Morty does the same with his own stuff. The three of them disappear in another flash of light towards Morty's home.

This time, Morty tells Layla about the history of the Burned Tower, something she hasn't really read up on. It's cute to see him get excited about his home, his lidded eyes widening as he gesticulates the story for her. It's the most she's seen him talk and move, again they haven't been around each other long, but she can guess this is normal for him.

Ecruteak City is bigger than Olivine and traditional in architecture. Where Kanto is more modern, Johto is more traditional. Cobblestone streets, traditional houses mixed with a few more modern builds here and there. It's a quaint city filled with foliage and roaming pokemon and people alike.

Each person that walks by says hello to Morty, putting more than a few pauses in his story as he greets each one by name.

Could he get any cuter? She sighs inwardly as he lets an old couple pinch his cheeks.

"He's popular," she comments to Eusine, surprised to see him patiently waiting for the gym leader.

"Jealous?" he narrows his eyes, his smile wide.

Layla flushes and smacks his arm. "Just because you have a crush on Jasmine doesn't mean I have one on Morty."

"It's okay, Layla," Eusine laughs, grabbing her wrists to stop her smacks. "He's handsome and sweet. Rough around the edges but we can talk-"

"Nothing!" she blurts when Morty walks up. Eusine looks at her knowingly while Morty just looks confused. "Eusine was making fun of you."

At Morty's frown, the brunette just guffaws. "She's lying."

"Wouldn't be the first time he's made fun of me," Morty mumbles. At Eusine's feigned offense, he smiles at Layla and gestures for them to continue.

She tosses another glare at Eusine over her shoulder as she keeps in step with Morty's long strides. The rest of Morty's tales have more to do with the Bell Chime trail as they make it to the otherside of the city. The early afternoon sun beams down on the tower, open for the public to explore and guarded by one police officer during the day. Said officer greets Morty, by name, and Eusine leads the way inside.

The first step in, Layla squeals as the wood creaks dangerously loud, she freezes in her spot. It takes every ounce of power in Eusine to not wheeze laugh and, instead, grip her arm to ease her forward.

"Morty won't let anything happen to you while you're here," he pats the back of her hand with his gloved one. "He doesn't want to deal with the lawyers and Lance."

Layla grunts in response, her eyes tracking upwards to see the sky peering at them between the destroyed upper floors. The wind blowing through creates an eerie howl that settles over them. It's like they entered a new world of near silence as they split up looking for clues, the first floor is the only accessible one. There are some writings on the wall, most of it graffiti, and holes giving peeks to the basement.

"Um, what are we looking for?" Layla asks before they separate.

"Anything unusual," Eusine replies.

"I've never been here, it's all unusual."

"Then go with Morty!"

He stomps off and Layla sighs. "So impatient."

"Gets worse every year," Morty nods in agreement. He offers a small smile. "By the way, someone wants to say hi."

Layla frowns when a shadow crosses the corner of her vision. She lets out a little gasp when Nox, his Gengar, floats up from the floor. Immediately, her hands fly to her bag for a berry which she hands to him. In a baby-talk voice, she squishes the pokemon's cheeks together.

"Hello, Nox!"

For a second, she wonders if he'll toss her out of the tower, but after munching on the berry he decides it's worth the trouble. He basks in Layla's attention, stealing glances at Morty as if to say 'why don't you treat me like this?'.

Morty, on the other hand, is dumbfounded.

No one that doesn't own a gengar has ever talked to one, let alone his, like that. He wonders if that's from years of working with pokemon, she's just developed an indifference to their look. A big scary ghost type is the last thing anyone baby talks about.

"I have a friend you can hangout with," she pulls out a pokeball. "Her name is Belle."

The pokeball pops open to reveal her Misdreavus. The little ghost type shakes off her body and glances around with wonder and delight. When she turns to her trainer to see her holding Gengar, she cries out happily.

"A misdreavus," Morty grins, stepping forward to examine her. Belle looks back at him, also scrutinizing him, before deciding she likes him and flutters around his head. "They're playful pokemon."

Layla let's Belle play with her hair before the two ghosts disappear into the shadows in a flurry of happy cries. "Don't I know it."

"I didn't take you as having a ghost type," Morty comments, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning to lead them towards the right side of the building.

The floors creak considerably less under his steps as they walk and talk. Layla keeps an eye out for suspicious flooring as he watches for clues.

"Did you think I had a chansey?" she jokes, but when she looks he has a guilty look on his face. "Come on. Just because I'm a nurse doesn't mean I have one!"

"Well, I didn't know," he holds up his hands in surrender. "You also have a Prinplup, I'm not sure what you'll pull out next."

"Yeah, from my dad," she laughs. "He's a Sinnoh native."

"Oh?"

"Mmhm, I've only been there a few times. When I was younger."

"Beautiful region, my parents love vacationing there."

"Retired?"

"Have been since I got the gym."

They come to the far wall to see a plethora of graffiti sprawled across it. He looks angry about it, all the history defiled, but it's gone in an instant. Layla wonders if it's acceptance that flashes across his face after that. Either way, he steps up to the wall to examine it, looking for relevant hints as Eusine mentioned.

Layla glances around the room, wondering what her pokemon is doing when she spots Eusine speaking with two kids. He looks stern and they look relaxed, clearly he's giving them a lecture they're either not listening to or interested in.

"Do you think we should stop them?" she tugs on Morty's sleeve to get him to turn around.

Morty glances back and smirks. "Probably. Poor kids will be stuck here forever."

He leads the way back, moving slow enough to keep close in case Layla freaks out again, clearing his throat when they're close enough.

"Oh, Morty!" Eusine brightens up. "I think I found something."

"Bugging kids too?" Layla gestures to the two.

The young boy looks interested at what Eusine is saying. He looks no more than fifteen or sixteen with short black hair jutting out of his cap. His jacket is pulled tight in the chill of the tower. On his shoulder sits a little Cyndaquil, practically napping with how much his head droops during the conversation.

The girl has brown hair in pigtails under a large white hat. Her outfit is cute and comfortable with a yellow bag on her shoulder. At her feet a familiar looking Chikorita gazes at the newcomers with caution, until her eyes land on Layla and she practically leaps into her arms.

"Oh, hello," Layla catches the pokemon with ease, turning her this way and that. She's grown considerably in the past few days and Layla says as much to the girl.

"How do you know?" the girl questions.

"I was just in Azalea Town, a few days ago this little one came in for an exam," Layla gestures to the grass type settling into her arms. "Did you beat the Goldenrod gym then? That'd be fast."

"Oh!" her brown eyes light up. "I'm Lyra, thank you for caring for my chikorita. No I haven't beat the Goldenrod Gym yet. This is Ethan, we've been training and exploring."

"Yeah, Whitney's Miltank is tough!" Ethan groans. "I've tried two times already and she still beats me."

"Well, it'll only feel better once you do beat her," Morty smiles, though his voice is tight. "If there's one thing she can do right, it's being a gym leader."

Wow, Layla balks at Morty's words.

She quickly steps between him and the kids with a smile. "Well, if your pokemons' health is any indication, you guys will beat her soon."

They seem to miss the venom in Morty's words and beam at Layla. She hands back the grass type pokemon and watches them delve into the area she and Morty just came from.

"What was that?" she whips her head around to Morty.

"Nothing, what were you saying to Eusine?" he says in a short tone.

Layla flinches at his voice, she struck a nerve, clearly, but what kind? The theories fly around her head as Eusine crosses his arms at his best friend.

"Apologize to her," he states.

"Eusine, no," she shakes her head. "I should have been more considerate."

He refuses, looking at Morty. "She didn't know."

Morty takes a deep breath and when he looks at Layla she can see the pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. It was misdirected anger."

"It's okay," she offers a half smile. "Like I said, I should have been more considerate. We can move on."

He seems relieved at her words and Eusine accepts the exchange with a curt nod. He gestures towards the back left of the room. "There's something I want you guys to see."

It's like nothing happened, he turns on his heel and rushes away, leaving Morty to gesture for Layla to be in the middle, his gaze averted. Across the creaking floor they go, Layla watching her step and feeling clumsy while Eusine trudges on without issue. She regrets not arguing to bring up the rear, but Morty says nothing, only offering a hand here and there to keep her upright.

"Stop."

Eusine comes to a halt, his hand up at his own command. Layla bumps into him with a soft grunt and clings to his cape. "Okay, Lay. Be careful."

"Why?" her voice comes out strained from fear.

He snickers. "I don't want to have to use Morty to talk to you from beyond the veil for the rest of my life."

She slaps his back. "Asshole!"

"But look!" he turns to give her the view of a mural, a recent one.

It's beautiful to say the least. It takes Layla's breath away as she stares at it, a depiction of the trio in the tower, resurrected. Raikou sits on the left, looking his body arched as he leaps into the air, his mane splayed behind him. He looks fierce like an angry thundercloud, his jaws open and teeth shining in the painting.

On the right side, Entei looks stoic and regal gazing towards the right. His massive paws look heavy and strong as he's poised to run, one lifted up to take a step. His own smokey mane, billowing out from his back like the smoke from a volcano, his red eyes blazing with a deep fire.

Lastly stands Suicune, the reincarnation of the north winds, this pokemon looks elegant and calm in the center of the portrait. His purple mane flowing like water, his tails guarding him on either side as he stares at the viewer. Unlike Entei, his red eyes look quiet, contemplative as if the pokemon depicted were considering anyone who stumbled upon this painting.

"There's no signature," she murmurs, leaning in to get a better look.

"Be careful," Eusine keeps holding on to her. "The floor's really bad here. I wonder how they were able to paint this."

"I'm not one for defiling historic property, but I'll let this one go," Morty sighs, his purple eyes looking clouded as he stares at the painting.

Layla shoots Eusine an apologetic look, there's no way he's this troubled by such a beautiful piece of art. Whatever she's stirred up in him has soured his mood and probably will for the rest of the night. Eusine shakes his head, dispelling her worry, before checking his watch.

"It's getting late," he starts, a pointed look at Layla. "Let's get dinner at Jasmine's."

She gets the message, 'walk ahead to give us a moment to talk', not so subtle but Morty won't catch it in this state. She nods and calls out to Belle and Nox, hoping the two haven't gotten into too much trouble. The floor creaks as she picks her way back to the entrance.

Only a couple of hours have passed, leaving the sun lower in the sky than when they walked in, but not dark enough for Eusine's usual retiring from work. More guilt inhabits her stomach as she realizes Eusine is making quite the sacrifice for them. He's so close to his dream, and yet, his best friend isn't in the right mindset and so he calls the search early.

She smiles, knowing that below his tough exterior, Eusine really cares for his friends.

"Mis?" Belle pops up over Layla's shoulder.

"Hey, we're heading home," she informs her pokemon holding out her ball. "Say bye to Nox for now."

"Mis-Misdreavus!" The pokemon cries out, the shadow on the ground waving as she returns to her ball.

"Thanks for hanging with her, Nox," Layla speaks to the floor.

She trudges down the steps, stopping near the street, to take a deep breath. It's hard to realize how suffocating the dusty air of Burned Tower feels until you step into the cleaner air of Ecruteak. It's like her lungs can unfurl in her chest to take in the fresh, spring air.

It doesn't take long for the boys to join her, Morty looking mildly better but avoiding her gaze and Eusine neutral in appearance. For a second, she hopes Morty will be joining them for dinner, but the logical side of her brain understands if he doesn't.

She suspects a relationship gone sour between Morty and Whitney just judging by his comment. While she hasn't met Whitney before, Jasmine has brought her up a couple of times during their hangouts. It seems that the normal type gym leader's maturity is a bit behind her age. Given Morty's more mature demeanor, it could mean anything for them.

"So, are you ready?" Eusine breaks the short silence between the three, letting Hugo out of his ball.

Layla's eyes shoot to Morty, he's shuffling his feet, before nodding. "Um, sure."

"Yes, he's coming," Eusine rolls his eyes.

Before she can retort, Hugo lifts his spoons and teleports them. It catches Layla by enough surprise she stumbles on her feet for a second, glaring at her best friend. He sticks his tongue out at her while Morty stands oblivious to their antics.

Once at Jasmine's Layla leads the way inside, trying not to dwell on Morty's demeanor as she spies the girl setting out takeout in the kitchen. Just from the look and size of the order, Layla knows it's from her favorite place near the boardwalk. They offer a wide variety of foods and with Jasmine being their best customer, they tend to give her some discounts.

"This is my usual!" She adjusts her shirt nervously.

"Which one?" Eusine peers at the sides as well as entrees.

She flushes. "All of it."

"A woman after my own heart," he responds with dramatic sniffles.

"Get a room," Layla coughs, already moving to get out the dinnerware. She ignores Jasmine's glare as she sets them on the island for everyone. "How was the paperwork?"

"Terrible," she replies. "I'm ready for a beach day."

"Oh? Is that tomorrow?" Eusine perks up, gathering a small amount of food on his plate.

"Yes, I just heard there will be live music and volleyball nets set up," Jasmine beams. She gestures to Eusine and Morty. "You guys are welcome to join us."

"Oh, no-" Morty starts but Eusine cuts him off.

"Sounds fun! What time?"

Those two get sucked into a conversation as Layla get out the lemonade for herself and Morty. He's taken a seat at the end of the island, looking unsure of himself as the other two move to the living room to talk more. Layla feels a little bad for him, hoping his night will get better, she brings a glass for him and pours him some of the sweet drink. As much as she would love to hangout with him at the beach tomorrow, she wants him to be there willingly.

"You don't have to come to the beach," She clears her throat.

He looks relieved at her presence and words. "It's no offense. I'm not a sunny day and heat person."

"Ah, more the cold weather and tea time guy," she responds with a business-like nod.

"Now you get it."

She laughs. "It would be more fun with you there, though. I'll let you win at volleyball if you show up."

"Excuse me," he sits up straight, a playful smile on his lips. "'Let'?I know I don't scream 'athletic' but I have a mean serve."

"Do you now?" She raises her eyebrows dramatically.

"I do. It's a loss for you guys."

"Then come play! You can't claim a kill like that and not come through."

He narrows his eyes over his sandwich. "Don't trick me."

She brings her plate over and settles into the spot next to him, a smile on her face. "I'm not. If you don't have work to do, come play."

His ears turn a little red and she can't help but think it's cute. Does he not feel wanted? She'll have to change that.

"I'll see what time I get done with paperwork," he mumbles into his food.

"It's the weekend! But, fine."

They lapse into silence, munching away at the food while the other two watch the show. Crime shows are Jasmine's latest addiction and Eusine loves a good mystery. Together the two are completely absorbed in the TV, offering only theories to each other as the plot progresses.

"Um," Morty breaks the silence, Layla jumps at the interruption, not expecting him to speak so suddenly. "I know I apologized, but I still feel bad."

She pushes her empty plate away, taking a long sip of lemonade to wash down her food with. Once done, she turns to him with a smile. "Don't feel bad. It was for good reason."

"Still, you're a new friend. You didn't know."

"We're friends?" She gasps, heart warming at his words. He rolls his eyes and she laughs. "Again. It's okay. I didn't know and as long as we're moving forward, I'm okay with not knowing."

His shoulders relax and he heaves a sigh. "Thank you. I probably will talk with you about it, just... not now."

She nudges him. "Of course, we're friends now."

The silence feels more comfortable as he finishes his meal and the banter in the living room decreases as the show ends. Morty and Eusine take to doing the dishes while the girls pack the food away. There's some more talk about tomorrow before the boys are off to Ecruteak for the night.

Jasmine shuts the door behind them and grins at Layla. "So, what were you and Morty talking about?"

"He kinda snapped at me earlier," Layla grimaces.

Her eyes widen and her brows raise. "Morty? Are you sure?"

"Yes, it was because of a conversation involving Whitney."

This time, she grimaces and slinks away from the door with a sigh. "That'll do it."

"Okay, so Morty said he'd tell me eventually, but I wanna know," Layla follows her to the living room.

"Well," Jasmine considers her options, gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch. "I don't know the whole story and some of it was in the tabloids. I don't think it'd hurt telling you that much."

"Tabloids?"

"Yeah, a gym leader's life in Johto and Kanto is more private than some, but we still get hounded every so often," she nods. She picks up a pillow to hold while leaning into the cushioned sofa. "Let's see... Back when Whitney had just gotten the job as Gym Leader, the youngest at the time, Morty was in training to take over for his dad. He's a couple years older than her and they were instantly attracted to each other."

A smile grows on her face at the memory. "Whitney was so nervous and Morty kind of stumbled a bit, but they were a cute couple. Ghost type specialist and Normal type specialist, despite the disadvantage of not being able to land most hits, Whitney could give Morty some trouble."

"I'm scared, what happened next?" Layla draws a blanket around herself. The dislike in Morty's voice echoing in her ears.

"They were young and Whitney, well, she's fickle," Jasmine sighs, picking at the ruffles on her pillow. "Some days she'd be all over him and other days it was like he didn't exist. I felt so bad for him. She would complain to me about him being as emotional as her or how he would pick fights with her, just to make her mad."

"They brought out the worst in each other," Layla realizes with a frown.

"Yes," she breathes. "Eventually, Whitney broke it off and things got quiet on his end. We thought he'd given up being a gym leader, but then he started attending meetings as if nothing happened at all. They haven't spoken since."

"Well, yeah," Layla snorts. "I wouldn't either. They're both at fault, but still... That's terrible."

"I'm not sure how much of what she said is true," Jasmine adds. "Whitney can be dramatic and I'm trying to play neutral since I don't know either of them that well."

"That's fair, but nobody thought to say anything to either of them?" Layla poses. "You guys could see how bad it was and no one did anything?"

"It's not our business," she frowns. "I'm not close with them and they were young. We all make mistakes."

"I mean, true," Layla sighs. "It just sucks to have no one on your side."

"I get that," Jasmine reaches out to touch her hand. "If I'd been closer with them, I would have said something. It's just hard to see how bad something is when they were fine at meetings and events. Plus, I think he's gotten help since then."

Layla perks up some at that. "Oh good. Do you think he's ready to date again?"

"Layla!" Jasmine laughs. "I thought those were heart eyes I saw."

"I'm kidding!" She screams in response, a flush coloring her cheeks.

"That's not what your face says."

"He's just really cute, okay?"

Jasmine laughs. "I'll give you that. Just be careful, he's a softy."

"I barely know him," Layla groans. "You and Eusine are the same."

"Sometimes it just takes a moment for attraction to start."

"Is that how it happened with Eusine?"

"Ugh!"

They dissolve into a fit of laughter before delving into more gossip on Jasmine's side of the night. It makes Layla happy to know her friends are tiptoeing around one another, Eusine has had a rough life and tends to be a pessimist when it comes to love and attraction while Jasmine is the opposite, a total hopeless romantic. It's an interesting mix and Layla wants to see it grow.

Their conversation dies out and they retire to their rooms. Layla checks in with her parents to ensure everything is alright while changing for bed. Her mini vacation is extending itself and she can't help but feel the crushing pressure of anxiety thinking of the daycare center. The owners want an answer by Saturday, just a few days from now and she's nowhere close to thinking of an answer. Part of her loves the idea of having a stable job, but loathes the thought of daycare work. Leaving Eusine wouldn't be fun either.

She wraps herself in covers and sighs heavily into her pillow, nothing will stop her from having a good day tomorrow. The beach. With friends. And a shirtless Morty.

I'm the worst, she groans, eventually falling asleep.