A/N: Trigger warning for themes relating to mental illness

Headaches and Heartbreaks

Ellie hated cooking and was terrible at it. She was not sure if she was terrible because she hated it or if she hated it because she was terrible at it. Regardless, she was hosting the meeting at her house, so she at least wanted there to be something for her friends to snack on. Always Alcremie was the only place to get sweets until Slurpuff's Sunday Sundae reopened, so she decided to get cookies, donuts, and muffins for everyone to enjoy.

Mike had important news and he was only allowed to go as far as across the street to Ellie's house without supervision. Relena, Drake, and Loki had all agreed to meet with him at Ellie's house this morning. Elyse would be missing, but that was no surprise to Ellie. It had only been a week since the party and with both McKinley sisters injured at said party, alongside Elyse's role in Zeb's death, she could only assume that the entire family was keeping a low profile.

"We'll have your order right out," the friendly baker told her.

Ellie took a seat at a nearby table and pulled out her phone. As she absentmindedly went through her phone, she was grateful that she finally had a moment to sit down and think. Her life had been one giant headache since before the school year had started. Dealing with estranged family members was one thing but having to fight against a dangerous gang of motorcycle riding criminals was the last thing she would have expected. The only silver lining was that the police had acquired that glove that the federation members used that locked Pokémon in their balls. Hopefully, they would find out what was going on with those devices. Ellie shuddered when she remembered how defenseless she had been without her Pokémon's aid.

"It's not important, nothing happened," Ellie thought repeatedly. "Mike and Drake actually got hurt. Relena's entire yard was destroyed. Compared to all that, I'm fine. You're supposed to be the cool chick, cool and collected…"

That was what she told herself, but it was difficult for her to focus on anything other than her encounter with Gino Dunlap if she did not keep her mind distracted by other things. Ellie shifted her attention to the environment around her. She saw Darren Hernandez sitting at a nearby table and could hear that he was arguing with someone over the phone while he ate his sundae. She wagered that it was Felicity since Darren was the only one willing to run errands for her. She remembered Drake mentioning that he was one of the people who had helped him at the party, and it had always been clear that despite associating with Felicity, he was a decent guy.

People watching was not something that Ellie did often, but she was willing to try anything that would alleviate her stress. She looked over at the counter and saw Ace paying for a box of desserts and figured he was buying them for his girlfriend, Amy Spade. Unlike Darren, Ace actually had a problem with them for a long time, specifically Mike. It was hard to believe that he had actually visited Mike while in the hospital, but Ellie guessed that even he had been impacted by the incident.

Finally, she overheard Johnny and Nat comparing the milkshakes of Always Alcremie with the ones over at Slurpuff's Sundaes in one of the nearby booths. Nat was drinking a strawberry milkshake, same as always. Memories of past dates with him flooded Ellie's mind and she yearned for that simpler time before things had ended so horribly between them. She remembered how much Nat had blamed Craig's influence on his bad decisions, but even now, Ellie maintained that he had free will. At this point though, hating him was a waste of energy and after the incident at the party, she was fully ready to move on.

"Ellie!" Johnny suddenly called over to her. "Come here, I want to talk to you before we leave."

She reluctantly made her way over to her former team captain, slightly nervous about the possibility that Nat had told him about Gino. She wanted as little people to find out about it as possible. She almost regretted telling Relena because she knew that by now, she had likely told Mike and possibly Drake. Ellie took a seat next to Johnny and across from Nat.

"Hey…" she greeted.

"Listen, Ellie," Johnny started. "I've been doing this whole apology tour and I wanted to tell you to your face that I'm sorry about not being at the party. I've screwed up with you guys twice now, but I'm going to make it up."

Ellie wanted to put a comforting hand on his shoulder but decided against it. She did not want to be touched at the moment and conversely, would not do the same to someone else. "Thank you, Johnny. But you don't have anything to make up. This isn't your fault."

"I'm just glad nothing bad happened to you," Johnny replied. "It was bad enough seeing Drake's arm in that sling."

Johnny's words confirmed that he had no knowledge of what had actually happened to her which Ellie was greatly relieved by. She gave Nat a knowing look to which he replied with a simple head shake before slurping down the rest of his beverage.

"Did Drake tell you about Jennifer?" Ellie asked. "She really did save his life. Plus, she was running around healing everyone's Pokémon whenever they got poisoned or paralyzed."

"Yeah, he told me," Johnny answered with a slight smile. "Not surprised though. She's always been amazing." He shifted his focus to Nat. "You about ready to go meet Tyler at my house?"

"Yeah…" he answered and lazily tossed his empty cup at a nearby trash can. "Gotta run to the restroom real quick first."

"Alright," Johnny told him as Ellie stood up to let him out of the booth. "I'll go start the car. Meet me outside, I'm pulling off in five minutes. Ellie, I'll see you later."

Ellie waved him goodbye and sat down alone in the booth. Nat had kept her secret without being asked and more impressively, without even knowing it was a secret to begin with. It was a bit frustrating having to face the reality that he was not this evil monster. However, it was also freeing in that Ellie felt like she could finally move on from the drama of the previous year.

"Nat," she stopped him when he passed the booth on the way to the exit. "Thanks…again."

"Yeah…" he said with a curt nod. "Yeah, no problem."

"And…" Ellie started before taking a deep breath. "If it means anything, I forgive you…"

Judging by the change in expression on Nat's face, it clearly meant a lot. Ellie realized in that moment that she was not the only one who had wanted closure for so long.

"Ellie, your order is ready!"

"Well, that's me," Ellie told him. "I'll see you around."

Nat nodded and headed for the exit. Ellie was grateful that she had at least one thing that she could cross off her list of worries. For a moment, she wondered if it was worth it to exhaust this much effort into keeping up the appearance that she had everything together. She quickly brushed that thought aside because in Ellie's mind, keeping herself grounded was the best way she could help those around her.

"Here you go," the baker said as he handed her the box of sweets. Ellie reached for her wallet, but the baker shook his head. "The young man who received his order earlier paid for your order as well."

"Ace?" Ellie said in disbelief.

"That was his name!" the baker replied cheerfully. "Now, you enjoy your sweets and come again soon!"

She thanked the baker and made her way outside. On the bus ride home, Ellie's mind went from Johnny and Nat to Ace and finally to Mike. She was already feeling overwhelmed and knew that if Mike was calling them all together to deliver some important news then things were about to get even more complicated.

Drake and Loki were already in the front yard when Ellie arrived. Normally, they would be playing sports or battling, but with Drake's arm in a sling, Loki decided on simply tossing one of his poké balls up and down. Ellie saw that Drake was leaning against the tree roughly and knew that it must have been killing him to not have full use of his arm. He had been quieter than normal over the past week and she wondered how much his attempted drowning at the hands of Holt Wullinger had impacted him.

"I'll help you out, El," Loki said, reattaching the ball to his belt.

Loki grabbed the box of sweets and made his way towards the gate to Ellie's backyard, leaving her alone with Drake. If there was anyone that she would feel comfortable talking to about anything, it was him. They had spent more time alone together since Mike and Relena started dating and she knew that he would listen if she told him about her encounter with Gino Dunlap. Ellie started to speak, but the more she focused on his broken arm and quiet demeanor, the more her mind started racing. Drake was hotheaded, not as much as Relena, but more than Mike. She feared that he would immediately start hunting down Gino and put himself at risk by doing so. It was safer to check in on him. He needed it more.

"How have you been?" she asked him.

"Honestly, El…" Drake started. "It's my fault my arm is broken. I knew Holt was after me, but I got caught up in the excitement and forgot that it was life and death. If I were more like you, I would've used my head and came out of the whole situation a lot better."

"Too much thinking and not enough action is another problem," she replied, thinking of her own experience at the party. "It's all about balance I guess."

For the first time in a while, Ellie was unsure of how to continue a conversation and was thankful when she saw Mike crossing the street. He looked relieved to finally be able to leave his yard. There had been a few reporters snooping around when Mike first arrived home from the hospital, but they had mostly dissipated after a few days once his parents made it clear that he was not giving any interviews. Ellie knew that Elyse probably had it worse since her father was a public official. In fact, their entire gated community of Starview had beefed up security and enforced the rules much more stringently since the incident at the party. She could see why it was necessary after what happened but was still annoyed since the party had actually taken place at Relena's house which was located outside of Starview in the slightly wealthier Sunglow subdivision.

"Hey, guys," Mike greeted in a calm, but notably serious voice. "Everyone here?"

"We're still waiting on Relena," Drake answered. "Loki's in the backyard and Elyse, well she…"

"Yeah," Mike said, glancing at the ground. "Yeah, I know."

"Why don't we go in the backyard and eat some of these desserts while we wait on Relena to get here?" Ellie suggested, hoping to lift Mike's spirits.

She led them into the backyard where Loki had set the box of sweets on the patio table. She was surprised to see that he had waited on them before eating. For some reason, it made Ellie feel even more dejected. It was as if she had stepped into an alternate universe where her three closest male friends were solemn and serious rather than their typical lively and humorous selves.

"Listen guys," Mike began. "I have to keep this quick, so as soon as Relena gets here, I'm going to tell you what I need to tell you and head home before my parents come calling for me."

"Must be something serious if you have to tell us face to face," Loki said.

"It is…" Mike replied simply.

Before Loki could inquire further, Ellie heard the sound of tires screeching and the slam of a car door from the front yard. Seconds later, Relena walked through the gate and Ellie was taken aback at how stylish she looked in her new clothes. She knew that Relena had been out shopping, but Ellie had declined to join her due to hating the amount of time it always took.

"There's my baby!" Relena said excitedly her bright red lipstick standing out even more thanks to the huge smile she had on her face.

Mike barely had time to react before Relena walked over to him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was always a bit awkward whenever they witnessed the two of them in a romantic embrace, but it was particularly uncomfortable this time. Even Mike seemed to be thrown off and had to make an effort to actually break the kiss and get Relena off him.

"Umm…" he muttered trying to catch his breath.

"There's plenty more where that came from," Relena replied with a wink, seemingly oblivious to Mike's obvious discomfort.

"Next time get a room," Loki butted in.

"Agreed," Drake added. "That was gross."

"Woah, I'm starving!" Relena remarked, ignoring her friends, and walking towards the table.

Everyone watched as she began devouring the cookies first. Drake and Loki simply took it as a cue to start eating as well and Ellie figured that she might as well join them. Relena was acting bizarre, but she seemed to be in a good mood. She had not said anything to Drake and Loki when she normally would have told them off for their comments.

"Alright, guys," Mike began once everyone had found a seat to eat. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to be upfront about it. I'm leaving for a while."

"Why? Loki questioned. "Did you forget something at home?"

"No, I didn't mean I'm leaving Ellie's house," Mike replied. He hesitated before continuing. "I'm leaving Saffron City."

"Babe, what are you talking about?" Relena asked.

"The federation is after me for killing Zeb," he explained. "One of them told Amelie that me and Elyse owe them a friend's life since we killed a member of their group. My parents think it's safer for everyone if I left until things cooled down."

"Where are you going to go?" Drake asked.

"Cianwood City in Johto," Mike answered. "With my mom's older brother."

"Uncle Roland?" Ellie said. "The ex-military guy?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "I'm not going to pretend like he's my favorite person in the world, but that doesn't matter. He's the best person in my family that I can train with and Cianwood is the best location for me to stay. My dad said I'll be far enough away to be safe, but close enough to get back to Saffron if something comes up."

"What about your family?" Loki chimed in.

"Julie still has about a year and a half left of college," Mike said kicking softly at the ground. "So, she's safe in Goldenrod. My parents and little sister are going to our house in Vermilion for a little while. My dad will be going back and forth between there and here so he can keep an eye on things. So, there it is. I'm only telling you guys where I'm going. Loki, you can tell Elyse, but please don't tell anyone else…"

Everyone sat in silence, taking in the news that Mike had given them. Ellie could tell that he was obviously upset at having to tell them about his upcoming departure, but his delivery made him sound like he was more exhausted than anything else. She hated seeing him like this, but the fact that her oldest friend and neighbor was being forced to leave the city they grew up in rocked Ellie to her core. She wanted to beg him to stay, but knew that at the end of the day, he was making the right decision.

"Wait!" Relena spoke up, jumping from her seat. "Wait, wait, wait! Mike, don't you think this is kind of drastic?! We beat the federation at the party. You beat Craig! If anything, they should be the ones leaving."

"I beat Craig because Wartortle evolved into Blastoise and went berserk," Mike told her. "And we didn't even really win. Craig was the main person arrested. Holt Wullinger, Mona Barlowe, and Gino Dunlap all escaped."

"Ok and if they come near us, we'll beat them again!" Relena shouted. "You can't just up and leave!"

"Relena," Mike said as calmly as he could. "I'm not leaving forever, just until things get safer. You guys are in danger if I stay. As soon as they can recover, the federation is going to be after all of us. It's not like I want to go, I have to."

"Fine, then we'll just go with you!" Relena proposed.

"Come on, Relena," Drake told her. "You know we can't go with him. We all want Mike to stay, but-"

"I'll go with him by myself then!" Relena interrupted. "Some friend you are, Drake! I can go with Mike by myself! No, no! Ellie! Ellie will come with us!"

"Relena, enough!" Mike snapped. "No one is coming with me. End of story."

"You're just going to leave us?!" Relena wailed. "Leave me?! After everything we did at the party to protect you and Elyse?! My house was wrecked! I'm the one who has to go back to the same house that was invaded every night, most the time, by myself! Ellie, tell Mike this isn't fair!"

Relena's movements were causing Ellie to hear what sounded like keys in her pockets. She almost dismissed it until she remembered the sound of the car pulling up to the front yard and realized that she never heard the car drive off. The realization hit Ellie instantly and her eyes widened in horror.

"Relena…" Ellie trembled. "Did you drive here?"

Relena stopped dead in her tracks and Ellie had her answer. She had been triggered by the invasion at the party and had been in the middle of an episode for days. The excessive shopping, the weird appetite, the underaged driving, it all made sense.

"Relena, what is she talking about?" Mike questioned.

"What's it matter to you?!" Relena seethed. "You don't care!"

"Relena, give me the car keys," Ellie demanded. "Right now!"

"Wait, what the hell is going on?!" Drake shouted.

"Why should I give you the keys, Ellie?!" Relena yelled at her. "So, you can call my mom and tell her that I've been driving around in her car?"

"Relena, chill out!" Loki stepped up. "You're acting nuts!"

"It's so you can be safe," Ellie told Relena. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you on my watch! I don't care if you hate me for it. Now, give me the fucking keys!"'

"Go to hell!" Relena screamed.

Ellie closed her eyes and squeezed her head in frustration She was at her wits end and found herself completely stumped on what to do. This was the second time she had felt this way in seven days and was dangerously worried that this was going to become a pattern. Challenging Relena to a battle would just make the situation worse and trying to take the keys from her would be a catastrophe.

"Wait!" Mike shouted.

Ellie composed herself just long enough to see Relena making a dash for the gate. The four of them chased after her but could not reach her before she made her way to the expensive car parked on the street. She got in and sped off and Ellie let out a scream of frustration, mostly aimed at herself. She managed to compose herself once more, sighing as she turned to the three boys who were all dumbfounded. Mike looked completely perplexed and Ellie knew that they were at a point where she could no longer keep Relena's secret.

"There's something you guys need to know about Relena…"

If there was one place that Anika Heartlily considered a safe haven, it was the library in her neighborhood. It was the perfect place to study, tutor others, and spend quiet time with her Pokémon. Now she found herself wondering if she had walled herself off from the outside world too much.

Anika had been at the library sitting in the same seat reading while her classmates were at a party being attacked by a gang of criminals. She tried to rationalize it as them just being classmates instead of actual friends of hers, but she continued to feel guilty. To make matters worse, she had been invited to the party, but had declined the invitation. Her brother, Griff, had been hanging out with the other seniors that night and missed the party as well.

"I shoulda been there to help…" she remembered him saying.

Griff's past rivalry with Craig was well known throughout the school before the latter had been expelled. Despite that, Anika could never have imagined that he would have the gall to lead a gang assault against his former classmates, many of whom had been his friends for years.

Anika wondered what kind of friend would do what Craig had done, but realized that she never really knew much about having friends. Lizzy Haze had been the only real friend she ever had and even they were mostly friends due to being outcasts. She thought about Nat St. James, but he had eventually shown his true colors. Lyndon had always been nice to her while he was dating Lizzy. Just like Lizzy, he was a bit odd himself especially with his uncanny ability to mimic voices. Anika often found herself wondering if he would be one of them if his best friend was not the most popular girl in the school.

"Hey, Anika," she suddenly heard the voice of Lyndon Tower. "Sorry I'm late." He walked in and gave her Kirlia, Thesus, a pat on the head before taking a seat across from her. "Thesus is looking pretty healthy. I don't think I've seen him since he's evolved."

"You're the only one who ever remembers that he's a male Kirlia," Anika replied. "It's funny you showed up now, I was just thinking about you."

"Good things, I hope," Lyndon said kindly. "I could definitely use the morale boost."

"I'm…sorry about what happened at the party," Anika told him sincerely. "I thought it was disgusting. Listen, I don't want to hold you up. I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but I just needed a moment of your time."

"It's about Lizzy isn't it?" Lyndon asked hesitantly to which Anika nodded. "You know with everything that has been going on these last few months, I didn't realize how much I'd put it out of my head."

Anika found herself slightly envious. Lyndon could put Lizzy out of his head because he had other friends that could help take his mind off her. She was instantly angry at herself for thinking that after everything that had happened to him and his friends.

"Lizzy showed up at my house a while back," Anika explained. "She wanted me to tell you that she was sorry about how abruptly things ended between the two of you."

"You mean how she just up and ran off with the circus?" Lyndon retorted. "If she wanted to apologize to me, she should've been brave enough to do it herself."

Anika felt bad for him and wanted to stop the conversation before it made him feel worse. However, she had to deliver the message to Lyndon as she had promised and, in her mind, make up for her absence at the party. Anika reached inside her bag and retrieved a green folder. She opened it, pulling out a picture, and handing it to Lyndon.

"Lizzy gave me that folder when she stopped by my house," Anika revealed. "She said that she's been looking into that symbol in that picture while with the circus. You know how she talks in riddles, so I didn't think much of it at first…"

"The barbed wire infinity symbol…" Lyndon whispered in disbelief as he scanned the picture. "Is that a building that the symbol is on? A ruin? A church?"

"I'm not sure," Anika answered. "But my brother and I came across a federation girl at the gas station about two weeks ago. I saw that same symbol tattooed on her body. After the attack at the party, I started thinking that maybe the federation is connected somehow and wanted to give you that folder."

"Barlowe…" Lyndon muttered. "Oh man, I have to get this to Amelie. This whole thing might be bigger than we thought. Thanks for all your help, Anika, I really appreciate it!"

"You're welcome…" she told him. "I'm happy that I was able to help."

He stood up from his seat and started out. Anika wondered if he would even mention her to Amelie, not that it mattered. She was fine with not receiving credit as long as she helped someone in need. She even thought that Lizzy probably deserved more credit than she did. Lyndon would go back to his friends and back to his fast-paced life, but Anika begrudgingly admitted to herself that it was nice to have someone to talk to that was not a family member or Pokémon, even if it was only for a brief time. However, she was caught off guard when Lyndon turned around and walked back towards the table.

"I owe you big time for this," he said. "Let me take you to Pumpkaboo Paradise next Friday. It's this really awesome restaurant in North Saffron, I think you'll love it."

"L-like…" Anika stammered. "Like a-a-"

"A date," Lyndon finished. "If your brother asks though, we'll call it a mutually outing between friends. What do you say?"

Anika's mind went to several places. Lyndon was bold, similar to how Nat had been towards her two years earlier and while that did concern her, it was easy to see the sincerity with him. She thought about Lizzy, but Lizzy had left them both even if it turned out to be for a good reason. Anika made her decision and wanted to give him a verbal answer before she changed her mind.

"Y-yes," Anika confirmed.

"Sounds like a plan then," Lyndon beamed. "See you Friday…"

"I'm proud of you, Tyler…"

The words of Tyler's father echoed in his head as he sat in his new car, next to his new Snivy, wearing a new jacket. He looked down at the two first class plane tickets to Kalos and thought about all the gifts that were being showered onto him. He thought that they were nice, but ultimately meaningless. He focused more on what the gifts represented. His father was proud of him for maintaining the family image for the last few months and staying out of trouble. Little by little, he had begun expressing appreciation for Tyler. It reached a head after his parents found out about the invasion at the party.

"Staying out of that mess was the right thing to do," his father had complimented him.

Tyler neglected to mention that the only reason that he did not attend the party was because of circumstances beyond his control. He did feel guilty about the fact that he was benefiting from not attending the party while his classmates were suffering for attending it.

"If you'd like, I could pull you out of that school completely and get you into North Saffron Academy. It's the top private school in Saffron, especially since they merged with South Saffron Preparatory last year…"

His father had given him a choice which alarmed Tyler. Usually, he was simply given a demand that Tyler would either follow to the letter or disobey completely, the latter of which had caused him nothing but headaches over the last several years. He had always been back and forth, picking and choosing when to listen to his father and when to rebel. This was the first time that Tyler had consistently obeyed his father and it felt nice to have a smooth home life.

Of course, as fate would have it, the moment Tyler's home life started improving, his social life became a web of drama and confusion. There was not really a risk to taking his father's offer to enroll in North Saffron Academy, he would still be able to see his friends after school and on weekends. It was the fact that he would have to wear a pointless uniform and interact with the elite snobs that attended the academy that made him hesitant. The only way he would even last at that school would be if he kept his head down and just did his work which sounded utterly terrible.

"If we need an outlet, we can complain to one another…"

This time it was Felicity's voice in Tyler's head. Lately, her voice had invaded his thoughts and the more he tried to push it down, the more it turned into just thinking about her in general. He had reconciled with Amelie after all which meant that it should have been the end of any kind of focus on Felicity. Talking on the phone with her was at the point that he felt like he identified the problem. He realized that it must have been the guilt from following Johnny's advice and not confessing to Amelie about what happened that was bothering him.

"Nice wheels, West!" Nat's voice interrupted Tyler's thoughts. "Your new ride looks even better up close."

"Thanks," he replied. "Do you need a ride home?"

Nat hopped in without hesitation and Snivy slithered into the backseat. It was obvious that he would not pass up the chance to hitch a ride in the new luxury car. They had just finished hanging out with Johnny at his house. Xander had been absent because he was on a date with Laila. Tyler remembered Johnny grimly noting that out of everyone – Craig and Lyndon included – only Xander had managed to hold on to his girlfriend.

"But I'm still a better trainer," Johnny had remarked at the end of the conversation.

"You're a single trainer," Nat had retorted.

Tyler had not commented. Unlike the other five boys, he never had a girlfriend to lose in the first place. The only time that he could even slightly relate to them was during his recent falling out with Amelie. Other than that, he often found himself observing on the sidelines. It did not make it easier that he was currently sitting next to the guy who at one point had multiple girls interested in him. Instead of judging him though, Tyler thought that it would be more beneficial to take the opportunity to learn from him.

"Can I ask you something?" Tyler started making sure to keep his eyes on the road.

"Sure, what is it?" Nat asked curiously.

"Were you and Xander upset that Johnny and I weren't at the party?"

"No," Nat answered with a shrug. "I mean sure, it would've helped when that traitor Craig brought in his army of psychos, but we were able to hold our own just fine. I think you and Johnny are being too hard on yourselves. No one is blaming you guys for not being there."

"It's just our reasons for not being there that I'm worried about…" Tyler said aloud. "Alright, I'll just go ahead and ask. What if you were hiding something from someone because you knew that telling them would make things worse?"

"I'd tell them anyway," Nat answered simply. "At least now anyway."

"You would?"

"Yeah," Nat continued. "If there's one thing I've learned is that it's a lose-lose situation. If you tell the truth, the person will be mad. If you lie, the person will be mad. If you hold on to the truth for too long, the person will be mad. And even if you manage to hold on to a secret forever, the guilt will start eating at you. Long story short, the person is going to be upset regardless. At least if you're upfront, you have the chance of being forgiven later on, key word being chance. The sad truth is the person you pissed off might not even forgive you if they don't want to."

From the moment Tyler found out about Nat's situation last year, he had not paid it any mind. It was none of his business then and it was not any of his business now. However, he sounded genuinely remorseful about his actions and Tyler was confused on how to react. Nat's advice had been better than Johnny's and that was surprising in of itself.

"Thanks…" he said once he pulled the car up to Nat's house. "For the advice."

"No prob," Nat told him before getting out. "Thanks for the ride."

Tyler drove off and could see that Snivy had fallen asleep in the backseat. He was essentially alone and almost immediately found himself frustrated. In the past, he considered solitude a blessing as connecting with others was difficult. Now that he had managed to do that, being alone was difficult since he was left alone with his thoughts. As he made his way home, he reflected on all the people who had shown him kindness and allowed him to grow beyond the solemn boy that he once was. It was true that he was still reserved, but not to the extent that he was previously.

"Come on, Snivy," Tyler said opening the back seat. "We're home."

He lifted her in his arms and entered his home. His parents were away, but a few of the household staff had remained. They continued cooking and cleaning, not noticing that Tyler had even arrived. He strolled to his room and closed the door behind him. Snivy immediately curled up on the large bed in the center of the two-story room and drifted back to sleep while her trainer climbed the stairs to reach his desk on the second floor.

Tyler booted up his computer and made sure to check his school email for any updates regarding the extra assignments that were likely there to make up for the missed week. He was glad to see that there was not too much work due and briefly wondered how the workload was at North Saffron Academy. Closing out of the email, Tyler clicked on the webcam icon. Once the application was open, he went to his contact list and hovered the cursor over Amelie's name. Taking a deep breath, he clicked on the name and waited for an answer, half-hoping that she answered and half-hoping that she was too busy to get on. The former happened, she answered but her screen was black.

"Just a second…"

Tyler heard rustling and assumed that she was trying to find a way to prop her injured leg up. He was proven correct seconds later when Amelie came on screen. Judging by the way she had her hair and the extremely long t-shirt she had on, Tyler guessed that she was about to turn in for the night. Behind her, he saw her Leafeon curled up on her bed and thought he might have witnessed Elyse's Shedinja phase through the wall.

"Your room still looks nice," Tyler complimented.

"Oh, thanks," Amelie said with a nervous laugh. "I got some new curtains and moved a few things around since we last talked over webcam."

"I think it was last year, right?" Tyler asked. "For the Eeveelution project. Our groups had to exchange notes. My group assigned to study Jolteon and Xander kept writing 'very spiky' for every field note."

Tyler had good memories of the Eeveelution project from the previous year. He had been placed in a group with Johnny, Xander, and Laila to study the unique traits of Jolteon. Johnny's annoyance at Xander and Laila's insistence on making out instead of helping with the project was still humorous to Tyler and it allowed the two of them to bond. He doubted that he and Johnny would have become such good friends had they not been in the same group.

"We got Glaceon," Amelie recounted. "I was in a group with Lyndon, Jennifer, and Felicity. As you can probably guess, it was pretty much impossible to get Felicity onboard in the beginning."

"What changed?" Tyler inquired. "Your group ended up with the highest grade in the class."

"Funny enough, Felicity and I found common ground," Amelie answered. "I wanted a good grade and she wanted to beat everyone else and get the highest grade possible. I don't want to trash talk her behind her back, so I'm going to watch my phrasing. Basically, if you turn something into a competition, Felicity will be nearly unstoppable. The only other person I know who might be that driven is my sister. Of course, Elyse handles it in an entirely different way than Felicity, but it's admirable in the right doses."

Tyler listened to Amelie talk about Felicity and was surprised that she complimented her. Felicity had done the same thing, albeit to a lesser extent, when she openly admitted to him that she thought Amelie was a good person.

"How is Elyse?" he asked. "I mean, how are you and Elyse?"

"Elyse has kind of been keeping to herself," Amelie revealed. "To be honest, I don't know if I should try to talk to her more or give her space. As for me, I'm doing as well as I can be. We've been locked in the house all week because the media's been hounding my dad, not to mention the federation still being a threat. At least I start physical therapy next week so that's something. Oh, and I'm doing an interview tomorrow."

"An interview?"

"From my backyard," she explained. "Bruce Rivers, the guy running against my dad for office, has used the incident to basically run a smear campaign on him. I'm going to do an interview to set the record straight."

"Going on the offense," Tyler applauded. "Pretty clever. Is your dad okay with this?"

"He will be…" Amelie said sheepishly. "He kind of doesn't know about it, but I have everything set up. I can handle it."

Tyler worried that she might be overextending herself but held his tongue. He felt that Amelie knew her limits and that it would be wrong of him to make assumptions about what she could handle. Figuring that he had been stalling long enough, he decided to just get on with it and tell her the reason he called in the first place.

"Listen, Amelie," Tyler started. "The reason I called you…well the first reason is that my dad gave me two tickets to Kalos for semester break. I wanted to invite you. I know things have been weird between us, so I was thinking that some time away may help. If your leg isn't healed by then, I'll be happy to pay for any accommodations you might need."

"Wow…" Amelie uttered. "I…I don't know what to say…"

"Before you answer," he continued. "It's not right for me to invite you without telling you the truth about…everything…"

"The truth?"

Amelie seemed puzzled, but Tyler did not know how she was going to react to what he said next. He had a strong urge to end the conversation right then and there. Running away and hoping that the problem would fix itself seemed like the preferred solution. He wished he could talk to her in person, but this was the only way that she would hear it from him first.

"Last Saturday, Johnny and I were following Craig. We caught up to him right when he left Felicity's house, but he got away. Johnny and I got into an argument and I told him I'd walk home, so he left me at Felicity's house. Felicity was upset about Craig and I guess, I was upset about Johnny, about my parents, about you, about everything. Felicity and I started talking and…"

He looked at the screen and saw that Amelie was completely stone-faced. He had never seen such an expression on her face and would have preferred her screaming at him over the dead silence she was presently giving. It was too late to undo anything and the only thing that Tyler could do was let her know how he wanted to move forward.

"It was just one kiss. I-I swear I'm going to fix this. I'll stop talking to her on the phone, I'll never speak to her again if that's what you-"

"Why her?" Amelie sighed. "Out of everyone, why her?"

"She…she made me feel like my problems mattered…" Tyler answered. Amelie gave him an incredulous look and he had to remind himself that he was talking to a person who had gone through hell. "Look, I know you and everyone else have it a lot worse than I do, especially now. That's why I didn't want to bother you or anyone else with it."

"But you were fine with talking to Felicity about your problems?" Amelie retorted. "You were fine talking to her for months when you stopped talking to me."

"She understood me…" was all Tyler could say to defend himself.

Amelie looked down and closed her eyes. She shook her head before opening her eyes and looking up once again, this time moving closer to the camera.

"Then go be with Felicity…"

Tyler could hear the pain in her voice. He himself felt like someone had just punched him in the chest. Nat had been correct. No matter how he would have gone about things, it was ultimately a lose-lose situation. He was angry, at himself, at his father, at all the events that happened that led to this.

"So that's it?" he asked. "After six years, we're just going to throw it all away? I called you because I wanted to let you know that you matter to me way more than she does."

"I'm not going to date you if you have feelings for another girl," she told him clearly. "Even if it's Felicity. I'm also not going to just sit and wait while you make up your mind about who you want to be with. And we're not throwing anything away. You are the one who has been throwing everything away between us since the semester started. Did you ever think that the reason that I don't know what you're going through is because you assumed that I wouldn't understand and never talked to me about anything?"

"Because I didn't want you to think less of me," Tyler admitted. "For so long, I thought you were perfect and that if I said anything then it would be me admitting to myself that I didn't deserve you."

"There you go again, making assumptions!" she snapped, her voice shaky. "You know what, Tyler? You're wrong and you're right. You're wrong in that I'm not perfect, far from it in fact. You're right in that you don't deserve me. If perfect is the only way you've ever saw me, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did."

"I'll…I'll fix this…" he repeated, his own voice now barely above a whisper. "I…I want to fix this…"

"Goodbye, Tyler…"

And then the screen was black once again.

Relena found herself lying down on the ground of the basketball court, ignoring the possibility of messing up her new clothes by lying on the asphalt. The players had all gone home by this time in the evening, and she parked the car nearby, leaving her poké balls inside. She wanted to be alone without any of her family, friends, or Pokémon.

Basketball was a sport that she had never cared for, but her friends all enjoyed it, so she decided to learn it. This was the first year that they did not spend a lot of time on the court, at the arcade, or in Mike's treehouse. Everyone was constantly off doing their own thing and at first Relena thought it was temporary. After a few months, she was worried that the group was headed for a collapse and her fears were proven correct today.

"Relena…"

It was Mike's voice. Relena jumped up from the ground, dusting off the gravel that was on her new clothes. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she could see after staring at the streetlights for so long. Mike was standing there, his mop of long hair blowing gently in the autumn breeze. She was shocked to see that he was so far away from home and knew that he had put himself at a huge risk.

"What are you doing here?!" she questioned. "H-how did you get here?!"

"I came looking for you," he said. "I had to beg Julie to help me sneak out and give me a ride. I…I didn't want to leave town without fixing this first."

"The only way you can fix it is by staying," Relena said and folded her arms. "If you loved me, you would stay…"

"Relena," Mike started. "Listen, I know. I know about your illness. You need help and I want to help you. No matter if I stay or if I go, it's not going to change the fact that you need help."

"I don't know what Ellie told you," she fumed. "But I'm just fine!"

"Just fine?!" Mike scolded. "Rel, you're stealing from your mom, you're driving around without a license. And you're doing all this while there's a group of motorcycle riding lunatics who know where you live and know that I'm your boyfriend. Do you know how much danger you're putting yourself in?"

"Yes, and I can handle it!" Relena shouted. "And I thought you could too, but I guess I was wrong. If you're that worried about me, you would stay! Like you said, they know where I live! Do you even care? Are you even in love with me?"

"Come on, Relena," Mike told her. "You know that I love you."

She frowned and felt tears flowing down her face. All he had to do was give her the right answer and everything would be fine, everything would be forgiven, but he failed.

"That's not what I asked you!" Relena sobbed. "I know that you love me, Mike! But you're not in love with me! That's why I didn't tell you about my diagnosis because it's obvious you don't care about me! You know what, go to Cianwood! You and I are over!"

"Relena," he begged in a shaky voice. "Let's just go somewhere and talk. I begged Ellie and the guys not to call your parents because I didn't want you to get in trouble. All I want is for you to be okay. Please."

"I'm done talking to you…" she said and turned to walk away. Mike started after her, but she quickly turned around and gave him a rough shove. "Don't follow me! If you follow me, I'll scream!"

Relena ran as fast as she could, hoping that he would leave her alone while at the same time hoping he would chase after her. Mike was far faster than she was and could easily catch her. In her mind, it was his last chance to show her that he cared. When she made it back to the car, she felt a surge of anger. He had abandoned her. It was the only thing on her mind as she started the car and sped off.

When she arrived home, Relena simply stared at the large house for a moment before deciding to enter it. Her house was less than seven minutes away from the basketball court and with how fast she was driving, she made it home in half of that. As she walked through her home and stood in the middle of her living room, Relena recognized that it was where everything had started. She thought about the party, but then realized that it started before then. Every bad thing that had ever happened to her had began in this very home.

Relena's phone was going off. Mike was trying to call her, but she did not want to hear from him. The ringing only exasperated her until she could no longer handle it. She took out her phone and threw it against the wall. Metal pieces scattered on the floor as she crept over to the trophy case. Her brother had nothing but first place awards and hers were either second place or below. Relena remembered how evenly they had been treated until the day they started partaking in competitions. No matter how hard she worked, there was always someone better. She could still see the look on her mother's face the day she brought home her first second place award. Even coordinating, which she loved more than any other hobby, had been tainted because Felicity Cole always took first place.

Leaning against the trophy case was the flute that Relena always used to calm herself down. She had neglected to use it ever since the federation had invaded the party. Slowly picking it up, she stared at the instrument and then back at the trophy case, the gold of her brother's awards shining brightly. Relena clutched the flute as hard as she could and swung it against the trophy case. The glass shattered and the trophies and medals fell from their shelves.

Relena gritted her teeth and ran towards the ugly vase on the table in the living room, her mother's favorite. Screaming, she knocked it over and watched it shatter into several dozen pieces. She pushed over the lamp, flipped over the table, and knocked over the plants and bookshelf. Without thinking, Relena picked up a broken shard of glass and began stabbing at the cushions on the sofa, her hands bleeding as she grasped the shard. Then she saw the family portrait.

The large family portrait above the fireplace represented nothing but a lie. Relena and her family looked like a happy, functional family. The portrait did not show the fact that her parents argued constantly, that she and her brother hardly ever talked, and that her mother was the worst mother that she could imagine. She removed the portrait from the wall and started punching and pounding on the glass until it cracked and then stabbing at the picture repeatedly.

Relena thought about Ninetales. Ninetales would burn the entire house to the ground if she commanded it. She reached for her poké balls but stopped at the last second. She fell to her knees, weeping as she saw the destruction of the living room.

The sound of footsteps approaching were the only thing that gave Relena the strength to rise to her feet. Ellie stood at the door, eyes widened with shock at the condition of the living room and of her friend. Relena did not fight when she saw her, she did not have any fight left. Her father had always commended her on being tough, but as she saw it now, she had failed.

"Relena…" Ellie said approaching her slowly. "What happened?"

Ellie put her arms around her and Relena held her friend tightly as she wept.

"I need help…" she uttered. "Please, help me…"

A/N: ONE more chapter to go. It's been quite a ride. If you're still onboard after this rollercoaster of a chapter then I definitely appreciate it!

The POV characters for this chapter were: Ellie Morris, Anika Heartlily, Tyler West, and Relena Serene

As always, my PMs are open as well as the forum for chat or resources.

Next time, the final chapter!

Until then, take care!