Chapter Seventy Eight: Addicted to You

It was two in the morning before they let her take him.

For several hours, Alaska sat alone in the Pokémon Centre foyer, staring blankly at the outdated posters decorating the walls. Occasionally, one of the night staff or a Chansey would pass through the double doors into the back hallway, letting snatches of the debate around her Pokémon escape out into the open, but otherwise there was silence.

Alaska knew they would not give him back to her without a fight. She knew from her mother there were procedures around this sort of thing: if a Pokémon was presented with serious injuries, the cogency of the trainer would be taken into question, and the only thing more serious than Darwin's current state would be if he was dead.

A new nurse had been on desk when Alaska arrived at the Pokémon Centre. She had thought she would be spared from having to suffer the soul destroying look of judgement from the earlier nurse, but watching the smiling, round faced nurse disappear into the backroom, only to come out looking like she'd just seen a murder site, that hit Alaska a lot worse.

She left two nurses and Darwin's surgeon to debate her future. Alaska said she only needed him for a few hours, than he would go back. The younger nurse, despite her initial shock, seemed to understand Alaska's story, and was the only one standing up for her. Alaska could hear her voice every time the doors opened, briefly interrupting her from the staring contest she was engaged in with an eerily outdated poster of Casimer.

I wonder how Red reacted when he took over from you, Alaska thought. Did they mould him to replace you? Did he tell you all to fuck off, or did he relish being handpicked by the gods for glory?

In the end, they lamented, albeit reluctantly. The younger nurse came out, jolting Alaska out of a doze.

"We called the League and informed them about your case, but they said that they've already concluded their investigation and know you aren't in the wrong."

Great, bailed out from accepting responsibility once again.

"Dr Monroe still doesn't want to return him, though legally he can't withhold a trainer's Pokémon," the nurse explained, tutting slightly. "However, he does him to check him over again in the morning. He and his Blissey have done all they can for today – poor Blissey's worn herself out – but your Primeape will be able to stand on his own two feet now." She passed the PokeBall over.

"Thanks," Alaska said coldly, and grabbed hold. However, as she tried to pull away, she saw the nurse hadn't let go. She was staring at Alaska with nervous eyes, her hand shaking slightly as she slowly, unwillingly, let go.

"What happened to him?" She whispered, the words echoing inside the empty foyer. Alaska stood up, a cold sensation spreading through her chest, and swung her bag over her shoulder.

"A lot," she replied, and left without another word.

The training pitch was dark and empty. There were no lights except for a dim glow coming from inside the centre. The moon was hidden behind clouds, only occasionally escaping to cast its light briefly before it was snatched away once more. Alaska preferred the darkness though. It would make it easier to look him in the eye.

With a casual flick, she threw the first four PokeBalls towards the sidelines. For a second, the field was lit up by the red and blue light, briefly illuminating the derelict pitch: four non-descript walls surrounded them, and the tree they'd dealt with earlier marked the only bit of nature in the dirty, unloved space.

Her Pokémon didn't seem to mind. Though she could barely see them in the light, their eyes lit up as they focussed on her. Paige, Frances, Nadia and Shelley: the four seemed very innocent, unaware of why they were here or what Alaska was about to do. Do Pokémon have a grasp of time? She asked herself, staring at the four attentive faces. Do they just go where their trainers tell them to go? Do any of them have a grasp of what I've put them through, or do they just think that's how it's meant to work when you have a trainer?

Alaska turned away and pulled out her fifth PokeBall. It had gathered a layer of dirt sitting at the bottom of the bag: as she looked at it, brushing her finger over the surface, Alaska felt what seemed to be a bit of a brownie stuck to the bottom. The thought made her smile, until she realised how long it must have been down there, and just as quickly the sensation to throw up returned.

Unable to put it off any longer, Alaska pressed the button and pointed the ball. Red energy swirled in front of her, rising up into a barely familiar shape. When the light faded, a sudden tension descended over the group, all eyes falling upon Darwin.

He's standing, that's good. That was the first thing that came to her mind, and Alaska held onto it, refusing to let go in case she lost control. It made it easier to watch him standing shakily before her, staring between her and the Pokémon as though he barely recognised them. In the faint light, she could tell they had washed most of the blood off him, though Alaska noticed his fur was shorter in some places. Unable to watch him any longer, she glanced at her other Pokémon, wondering how they were reacting. Frances had stepped backwards in fright, clutching a curious Shelley like a shield, while Nadia had done the opposite, leaning forwards while eyeing Darwin with intense scrutiny. Paige's face was stern but silent, and when she caught Alaska's eye she gave her a little nod. The tiny recognition of her efforts made Alaska smile back, and she knew it was time to start.

"I've brought you all here because I need to say something to all of you. It can't wait until morning – if I go off and sleep on it, I know I will just end up repressing it all again. I have to say it now, and I need you all to bear with me, but first… first, there is something we have to get out of the way."

No avoiding it now. Alaska took a few deep breaths, preparing herself, and then turned back to Darwin. She couldn't avoid him any longer; if she wanted to speak to him, she couldn't do it gazing over his shoulder. The Primeape seemed disorientated, wobbling slightly, the proud fighter no longer. However, he felt Alaska's gaze on him, and he finally turned to face her. His eyes were as wide and empty as they'd been on the operating table, and Alaska was hit with the familiar wave of guilt and regret, bile rising up throat. But the burning need to speak her mind overpowered her stomach, and Alaska forced herself to talk before her strength passed.

"First things first: while I may have handled certain things badly, for a Pokémon, you were kind of a douchebag. You can't deny your culpability in what happened between us. I mean, you nearly killed three different Pokémon – I couldn't just let that slide." Alaska paused to gather her words, and briefly wondered how Darwin was taking it. He was watching her silently, not shouting or screeching as he had once done, emotionless eyes boring into her like drills. She couldn't tell if he was judging her, resenting her, or just simply listening.

"However, I can't blame it all on you. I wasn't in the right headspace to handle you back then. I never wanted you to get hurt or to suffer because of me, but I knew that if we had continued in this relationship back in Celadon then things were only going to get worse for both of us. But I should have done more earlier to stop you, or train you or something, I don't quite know what. I'm sorry I let things get out of hand, I'm… I'm just sorry."

She held out his PokeBall, clutching it firmly in her hands, and his eyes flickered towards it. "This little capsule means that you are still mine. I'm still responsible for you up until I decide not to be. If you want me to, once you're fully recovered, I'll take you to a breeder I met today, break the ball and you can be free to do whatever you want.

"However, there is a place on my team for you if you want. I want you to come back. I don't want to release you in your current state, that would just be cruel. But… I also can't let you come back if things are going to be the same. I want to try again, but if you want to be a part of my team, you're going to have to listen to me and you're going to have to be on my side."

Darwin didn't respond. He simply looked at her with his pain ridden eyes. The silence was unbearable. For a fleeting second, Alaska considered calling upon Latios to unlock Darwin's mind for her. No, you can't do this the easy way. Breathing slowly again to centre herself, Alaska knew what she had to do.

"I thought this would be hard to get across, so I thought of a way we can move past this. I want you to hit me." She heard gasps from her Pokémon, followed by an angry growl from Nadia.

"Pidge?" Alaska ignored the cautious cry of her starter, focussing entirely on Darwin. For the first time since she started talking, Darwin finally reacted, eyes widening in shock. She saw his hands twitch as though he wanted to make a fist, but he stopped himself, suddenly watching her suspiciously.

"You heard me – hit me."

"Pidge Pidge Otto!"

"I am not kidding. I want to know you will do whatever I tell you to do, and I want you to know I am willing to trust you not to go beyond your limits." Darwin now looked confused, and instead of coming for her he stepped backwards, stopping only as he began shaking once again.

"No, you… we… none of us are walking away from this, not this time. You hit me back in Celadon, do you remember? Well, this time, you actually have my permission. Come on, do it!" Darwin looked away, and Alaska could see his eyes fill with shame. She was hit by guilt again, but was glad she had brought it up.

Sitting in the waiting room, talking to everyone that day, Alaska had realised this was the one moment from her whole journey she had been trying to forget: in a moment of weakness and anger, she had cast him aside – not after he had hurt other people or their Pokémon, only after he had attacked her. This isn't about me – I can take the pain, I need to take this.

"Come on, fucking hit me. I deserve this." Angry, fuelled by her own guilt, Alaska marched towards her shaking Pokémon. "I told you to hit me, so hit me!" And she slapped him. Frances squeaked and Paige squawked, but Alaska did it again. "Can't you hear me? I'm the one that abandoned you out there, I left you out there to die. I didn't once think of you after that – that's how much you pissed me off. Those scars, those bruises, they are my fault, and if I hadn't run into the bikers you would have died and I never would have even wondered about you." Alaska was talking through tears now, thin, silent tears streaming down her face. Darwin looked scared, confused, and Alaska had no idea if this was working, but she couldn't stop; weeks, months of emotions had come to the surface, and she kept feebly slapping Darwin, thinking of Leaf, thinking of Bertram, of Venusaur, Sandy, Gideon, everything.

"Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to scar me the way I've scarred you? Come on, hit me!"

"Pidgey Otto Ot!"

"You've done it before, just hit me!"

"PIDGEY!"

"HIT ME!"

"AAAAAPPPPEEEE!"

The fist slammed into her stomach. For a second, Alaska seemed to rest on the end of his glove-like hand, raised slightly above the ground. She could feel the impact spreading through her body: her abdominal muscles, her organs, her ribs, it was like she had been punched by a brick wall.

Then she flew. Though her vision had turned white, stars blotting out the darkness, Alaska could tell she was soaring over the pitch, feet in the air, arms flailing, vomit threatening her once again. She could only think of the pain, but a small voice in her head warned her to prepare for a hard landing.

Instead, she collided with something soft. Her neck snapped back, adding more pain to her growing list of injuries, but whatever she had hit softened the blow: Alaska crashed to the ground with such force she thought her bones might break, yet she knew she had come off lightly. It was only when she came to a stop, after painfully rolling almost to the wall of the centre, that Alaska realised it was Paige who had tried to save her: the Pidgeotto limply pushed herself up from where she had been flattened, shooting her trainer daggers with her beady eyes.

"Thanks for that," Alaska grunted, clutching her stomach. Groaning, she cast her eyes across the blackened pitch, trying to find her other Pokémon. Frances was running towards her in a frantic panic, clutching Shelley in her pincers and waving her about wildly, the Shellder squealing with equal discomfort. She could not see Nadia, but her angry grunts could be heard, and Alaska eventually saw a spiky shadow jumping around Darwin, defiantly protecting her trainer to the very end.

This is the team that's going to save the world… Alaska rolled onto her side and shut her eyes, trying to adapt to the pain enough to carry on. I probably should have spoken to them all first before getting punched in the stomach. That was probably the smart thing to do, wasn't it? Sighing, Alaska opened her eyes, ready to finally reach the end. With a jolt, she found Darwin staring down at her.

For a moment, she felt weak, exposed, laying on the ground as he stood over her. He stood strong and sturdy, no longer shaking. Alaska could feel his eyes focused on her, but it was too dark to see his face. Silence descended over the field as the other Pokémon gathered around them, everyone waiting to see what happened next.

Has he forgiven me, or is he going to finish me off? The thought was dark and unpleasant, and Alaska felt sick just thinking about it, but she could not deny her feelings. Trying to stay calm, she focussed on his eyes, trying to find some hint of sanity in them. Like little black buttons, they shone in the dark, one more bloodshot than the other. Both were locked onto her, and Alaska wondered if that was hate she could see in them. The longer Darwin watched her, the more Alaska thought back to Fuchsia Gym. He shared the same look of pain and suffering with Blue's Venusaur, and Alaska could feel her tears staring again.

Finally, Darwin leaned forwards. Alaska winced, but saw he was simply holding his hand out to her. As a single tear slid down her face, she accepted his offer, and let him lift her back to her feet.

The light at this end was brighter. Alaska clutched her stomach as she straightened herself up, but looking down at Darwin, the stitches and across his body, she knew her injuries meant nothing. She stayed staring at Darwin, taking in the quiet anger in his eyes, the pain etched into his face: for the first time since she'd found him, Alaska could see the old Darwin in him. And, strangely, she couldn't have been happier.

"He's not the only one who deserves an apology." Finally breaking away from his gaze, Alaska looked down at the other four Pokémon. They all looked uncertain in their own way, looking cautiously between her and Darwin. It hurt to see them like this, and Alaska strengthened her hold on Darwin. "I want each of you to know I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. I've neglected all of you for no reason, and I cannot apologise enough." The four all spoke up, shaking their heads, but Alaska held out her free hand.

"No, I have to say this. I've spent so long trying to keep my two lives separate – the person I want to be and the person I have to be – but that has only put us in the situation we're in. I've been so focussed on myself and my decisions I never properly considered how it was affecting you all, only how you were affecting me." On this, Alaska looked painfully at Paige. Her oldest friend in the world, clueless that for weeks now Alaska had thought of her as the Pidgeot she would become, the Pokémon she would ride into a battle she wanted nothing more than to avoid…

"There's a prophecy out there that says I am meant to play a part in stopping Gideon and Buzz and whoever else is plotting against the region. I've spent so long trying to run from it, trying to blame other people and make excuses, but at the end of the day, no one cares: I have to do this whether I want to or not… we have to do this."

Alaska paused, staring briefly at smiling Shelley, thinking back to their training battle. "I've been neglecting you all. We're strong, but I've been holding you all back, either on purpose or out of my own carelessness. I only realised today that all five of you are as linked to this prophecy as I am, and I'm starting to wonder if fate brought us together. I know that sounds stupid and cliché, but maybe it did? We all just sort of stumbled across each other, and now here we are, preparing to face down an army. I think we all have a role to play in stopping this, and I am just so, so, so sorry I didn't realise this earlier.

"You guys have a choice though. Me and Paige, we're in this whether we want to be or not. The rest of you don't have to be. If you want to leave, I won't blame you. Bertram will look after you, find you a new home, whatever you want. If you stay with me, know that I have to start taking the end of the world seriously… I will be a better trainer, a better person… I just need your help getting there."

Alaska stopped, fearful she gone on too much. She looked at the five Pokémon assembled around her: not a single one moved, no one said a word. Alaska waited, preparing herself for the inevitable. Yet the minutes dragged on, and not a single one of them moved.

"Well then… thanks, I guess." Alaska looked down at them, trying to smile, but instead a sob escaped her lips. Within a few seconds she was crying, down on her knees weeping before then. She had no idea why she felt so overwhelmed: the sickening sadness that had dogged her all day was gone, now she felt only relief, a lightness she could not put into words. Paige, Frances, Nadia and Shelley moved in closer, and Alaska hugged them, feeling stupid as she sat crying on the ground. Only Darwin remained standing, staring down with his arms crossed. Alaska looked at him through his tears, and the Pig Monkey gave her a gruff, silent nod before walking away. Alaska smiled as she watched him go. Both of them knew that what she had said as she slapped him was true; the guilt, her punishment, it wasn't over yet. Alaska knew they both still had a long way to go, but as she caught Darwin briefly looking back at her from across the pitch, she was simply glad they had made a start.


"Come on, Weepinbell; Magical Leaf, let's go!"

Weepinbell gazed up at her opponent: wide mouth stretching in a determined grin, the leaves on her side lit up like a rainbow. Keeping a steady eye on Butterfree, Weepinbell let loose, firing off a stream of multi coloured leaves. Sandy watched as they hurtling towards Butterfree, satisfied when they inevitably collided. However, as the attack cleared, Butterfree looked unfazed, diving down as though nothing had happened. "Freeeee!" She squealed, and a small ball of rainbow energy appeared in her hands. With a yell, Butterfree unleashed the Signal Beam: it hit Weepinbell square in the face, blasting her backwards several feet.

"Don't let that stop you; Sludge Bomb!" Sandy ordered, but the command felt sour in her mouth. Weepinbell was struggling to push herself back up, having rolled onto her face, yellow and green body quivering.

"Free Free Butterfreeee." Sandy looked up to find her oldest friend floating a few feet in front of her, concern in her big red eyes. With a sigh, Sandy nodded, admitting defeat.

"Let's stop there for now, shall we?" Sandy stepped forwards and bent down to scoop up Weepinbell. Her hands were nearly around her when a brown vine slapped the ground before her, making her jolt back up.

"Bell Bell!" Weepinbell groaned. Her face was buried mostly in the earth, but from the glint of eye visible, Sandy could see the Grass type was not going to give up. She simply watched with Butterfree by her side, and saw an intrigued Eevee and Pichu had stopped playing and were coming to survey the scene. With a huff and a groan, Weepinbell used her vine to push against the ground, and, combined with her crumpled leaves, she forced herself back up the right way. Sandy's shock quickly dissipated, and she instead clutched her hands to her face, feeling tears coming through.

"Ooohhhh… that was so… I'm so… great job!" She blubbed, and picked up her Pokémon, pulling her tightly towards her chest. Weepinbell murmured embarrassedly, but Sandy kept holding on. This was the first good thing to have happened to her since she had left the Pokémon Centre that day, and she wasn't going to let the moment pass, not when everything else seemed to be falling down around her.

"Goomy Goo!"

"AAAHHH!" Weepinbell went flying as Sandy jumped, screaming as something soft and slimy rubbed against her leg. Butterfree swooped in and caught the spiralling plant, but Sandy didn't notice as she tried to rid her leg of the squirming attacker.

"Pichu, I need light, do something electrical!" Her youngest Pokémon simply gave her a perplexed look, and a fearful Sandy signalled to the other three, gesturing wildly at what seemed to be a slimy ball crawling towards her thigh.

Yet before anyone could help her, they all jumped as light suddenly exploded around them. It was an intense, a blinding white that engulfed the pitch: Sandy heard Pichu and Eevee whimper in discomfort, and her mind fearfully jumped to conclusions: was this an attack – could Buzz have tracked them down, out to avenge his wounded groin? She quickly looked down at her leg, wondering if the light would unveil her sinister foe, but through her blurred vision Sandy saw it was simply a purple, almost ball-like Pokémon, now writhing on the ground as it tried to hide from the light.

"I think Goomy likes you." All her irrational fears disappeared as Sandy turned towards the voice. Her eyes had adjusted now, and she could see Bertram standing at the edge of the pitch, surrounded by Furfrou and three pumpkin shaped Pokémon with light shining through their bodies.

"Oh… hey…." Sandy guiltily smiled at Bertram, part of her wishing it had been some unknown assailant. She hadn't asked if she could use this training pitch on the side of the house: Sandy had noticed it earlier, and after hours lying awake, going over and over the day's events and the words that had been exchanged, Sandy had been overwhelmed by an unstoppable desire to battle, and had come down here before she even knew what she was doing. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Of course you did, it's five in the morning and you're battling in my backyard." Bertram paused dramatically before cackling, his Pokémon joining in on the laughter. "Don't feel bad though; you are my guest, you are welcome to use my facilities." The breeder smiled reassuringly as he bent down to greet Pichu and Eevee.

"You don't have to let me off the hook, I know I should have asked – it was an impulse decision, you know, and when I got out here, I knew I needed to train, and I – "

"Sandy, its fine." Bertram gave her a more forceful look, and reluctantly Sandy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Still, I'm sorry. It's been so kind of you to let us stay here. I still feel bad for showing up on your doorstep and intruding in your life." Bertram brushed it aside with a wave of his hand, something only a man in his position could ignore, but Sandy couldn't so easily ignore the circumstances through which they had arrived.

It had been a truly mad day. After the argument at the Fuchsia Gym, Alaska had become nearly catatonic. Quiet, distant, unresponsive, Sandy had known straight away that her friend had been affected by Leaf and Janine more than anyone else they'd encountered. The two had rarely spoken about Alaska's home life, but Sandy knew that Team Rocket's attack on Viridian was a chip on her shoulder, and confronting people involved in it was never going to be easy.

When it became clear Alaska was in no fit state, Sandy had assumed responsibility as she so often had. She had been planning on calling Bertram and arranging a meeting once the gym battle was done, but as she practically dragged Alaska through the empty streets of Fuchsia, Sandy impulsively decided they had to be somewhere comforting – and, she was ashamed to admit, she needed someone else to deal with her friend.
Alone she had hauled Alaska out of the city, slowly dragging her along the southern coast like she was taking a drunk friend home from a party. Form the corners of her eyes, Sandy could see the ocean spread out brilliantly before them for miles, but with so much going through her mind the beauty meant nothing to her. Even when she had forced Alaska up Bertram's gravel driveway and finally sat down, suddenly surrounded by luxury and views to die for, Sandy had only felt cold, staring out at the sea but taking nothing in, her mind still at Janine's table facing the harshness of her reality.
"You have a pretty good team for someone not doing any of the challenges." Snapping out of her thoughts, Sandy looked up and saw Bertram was now cradling Weepinbell, inspecting her leaves in the light of his Pokémon, who she now recognised as Pumpkaboo.

"We do our best. The only chance we get to train is when Alaska needs a battle partner," Sandy replied, shrugging. We could be better, so much better¸ she thought with guilty bitterness. "I'm not sure how much use we will be when Gideon starts his little mission…"

"Don't undersell yourself: if you weren't good, Goomy here wouldn't have come over." Sandy looked back down at the squishy Pokémon: she had heard of Goomy, and if she was feeling better one trying to climb her leg would definitely have been greeted differently. The Goomy was watching her with its luminous green eyes, wide mouth stretched in a smile, but Sandy couldn't bring herself to return it. "You should be proud: Goomy is very particular of who she talks to. She makes it pretty difficult to find a buyer, but Goomy have a natural instinct towards people they think will help them reach their potential."

"Why are people after he – do you not have a lot of Goomy?"

"A lot? Oh honey, I dream of having more Goomy," Bertram said with dramatic flair. "This is likely the only pure bred Goomy you will ever see for the rest of your life."

"Seriously?" Sandy looked down at the Goomy who was sliming over her feet, amazed at its rarity.

"Absolutely, I won't be getting another one any time soon. I had a male Goodra for years but sold him on last year – he wanted to battle, and I can't give that to him here. I borrowed a female Goodra from an old friend before he left though, and this Goomy is the product of that little meet up."

"How many Goodra are left now?"

"Hard to tell – I know of at least a dozen with trainers. It's hard to know how many have live happily in the wild without humans ever interfering. I just have to do my best to make sure the ones I know of are taken care of – Pokémon may be tougher than us, but they are just as finite."

Aren't they just, Sandy thought, looking guiltily at her Pokémon.

"Anyway, you aren't out here to discuss my breeding programme," Bertram boomed, jumping back to his feet. "So what reason do you have for battling at this time of night?"

"I couldn't sleep. Stuff… just stuff on my mind." Sandy forced a smile, but Bertram shot her a witheringly sassy look of discontent.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise we were having this conversation on after you posted a vague status update. Would you mind spelling things out a bit further, or do I have to pry it out of you?" Sandy laughed, yet her joy only lasted a moment. Now that the rush of battle had passed, the crushing weight she had been trying to ignore was suddenly on top of her once again, and she knew she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"It was something Janine said earlier, about how I'm basically just a supporting part of all this. I hadn't really considered it before, but I realised she has a point. I may be part of her prophecy, but all of this is about Alaska really, isn't it? I've been dragged along and help out when we can, but Janine just made me think…" Her thoughts had been getting at her all day, and now that she was saying them out loud, Sandy knew how horrible it would sound. Four of her Pokémon were watching her, Bertram and his Pokémon were all here: for a moment, she wanted to stop and change the subject, but knew if she didn't, the words would never come out.

"I just worry I've let my journey get hijacked. I wanted to see the world, catch some Pokémon, maybe battle gyms eventually. I didn't have a plan, but it certainly wasn't this. Dragging Alaska here today, after what Janine said, and listening to you, I'm just worrying I've let myself become like her carer, that all I'm destined to do is make sure Alaska stops being rude to people.

"And then… when I look at my Pokémon…" Sandy paused, feeling tears coming on, briefly looking at Eevee, Pichu and Weepinbell in turn but unable to hold their gaze, avoiding Butterfree all together. "I just worry they've become victims of all this, that I'm holding them back from reaching their potential, which is the last thing I wanted, and I'm afraid if we do end up fighting they won't be strong enough because I've let our journey become all about Alaska. Shit, I sound like such a cow right now, but… urgh!" Sandy violently wiped the tears from her eyes and turned away. "It's just… I didn't run away from home to become a footnote in someone else's prophecy."

She fell silent, listening back to what she had said; it was like someone else had spoken through her, none of this seemed like her. Yet even though she had only accepted it today, Sandy knew that those thoughts had been there a long time – that no matter how many times she and Alaska argued and apologised, forgiveness wouldn't take away her fears.

"Do you really think that's all you will be?" Sandy felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned slightly so Bertram was just in her peripheral vision. "You are a lot more than just a footnote. Sure, you may just be helping Alaska right now, but do you think that girl would still be here without you? I've heard all about her and what she's done. I bet if she hadn't had someone looking out for her, she'd either be dead in a ditch or would have murdered someone by now. When Looker told me you'd be coming here, he mentioned how you are the only one who can make her see sense. If that's true, then I doubt we would have reached this point without you. Sure, some may see you as her sidekick, but everyone important knows who you are and how important you've been."

Sandy sniffed, noticing Bertram's sincerity was reflected in the kindly smile of the Goomy. "That all may be true, but my Pokémon and I, we –"

"- will be fine, trust me," Bertram interrupted. "You say you haven't trained them much? Well, you seem to be pretty solid from where I'm standing. I've met people who have simply followed older family members around, or train their Pokémon at home for years before going traveling, and none of them would ever have the experience your team has. But if you think there are problems, that's what will really hold you back." The breeder bent down and scooped up Goomy before stepping aside, revealing Sandy's four Pokémon sitting quietly behind him. "I think we should let you get back to training – and I think you all need to have a talk." Sandy managed a smile, and with that, Bertram turned and set off. Goomy watched Sandy over his shoulder, and those luminous eyes shone out well after the Pumpkaboo light had faded. Sandy watched them go until the light was truly gone, and only then was she able to face her team again. None of them had made a sound for several minutes, and a heavy awkwardness hung in the air.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up now, at this time of night. I was going to talk to you guys soon… well, I don't know really when I would have. You have to know, I'm not blaming any of you, no, not in the slightest, nor am I blaming Alaska. I guess I'm blaming myself, but I don't really know, and –" Sandy fell silent as Pichu ran up to her. For a horrible second, she was afraid, wondering if he would attack her, unleashing bottled up rage she had never suspected. However, the Tiny Mouse simply wrapped his small arms around her leg.

"Oh Pichu, I don't know what to say…" Another set of arms grabbed her, and Sandy looked down as Butterfree nestled against her. Then Eevee ran up to her, followed by Weepinbell rolling awkwardly towards her. Sandy was speechless, and she stared silently at them, unsure how to react.

"Thank you for… actually, just thank you," she whispered.

"Eevee Vee Vee!" Eevee said, and suddenly removed herself from the hug. "Vee E Eevee Vee!" She looked at Sandy determinedly, head held high as she continued to chatter. Sandy couldn't understand a single word, but there was something about the way Eevee held herself that filled her with pride.

"I can't tell what you're saying, but thank you for whatever it is you said." Eevee rolled her eyes before shutting them, and, as though making a point, she began to glow white. Sandy's jaw dropped, and she watched in amazement as her Pokémon changed before her, and she knew in an instant what she was trying to tell her, what she was proving to her trainer. Sandy looked down at her other Pokémon, seeing them all in a whole new light, and all she could do was smile.