Alex hugged the little Eevee close to his chest. Vee just blinked his eyes as nestled his face into Alex's chest. "Eevee!", Vee said. Sure Vee was not his Pokémon, but that didn't matter to Alex. He still loved the creature. Alex rubbed the back of Vee's ears as the Pokémon continued to snuggle up to Alex. Alex had offered to catch a Pokémon to trade to Ava for Vee. Of course she had said no. Vee was a special Pokémon. Alex understood the special relationship between Pokémon and trainer. It was similar to his relationship with jet his floatzel. There was a special connection between human and Pokémon. So it was no surprise that Ava didn't want to give up Vee. But still Alex loved this Pokémon so much.

"Ava, I think your boyfriend is trying to steal Vee.", Kat, Alex's mentor and Ava's roommate, stood in the doorway to the girl's dorm with a grin. Ava also stood in the doorway. The punk rock girl just rolled her eyes as she flipped her dorm mate off. Alex was a plaything and Kat knew this. Though Ava suspected that Kat had feelings for him. Still it was Ava that was Alex as a rather attractive plaything. Her eyes fell on the eevee on Alex's chest. "Vee", she whistled as the pokemon lifted his head. He knew the sound of his mother's voice and when she was irritated. This was one of those times. Vee knew that there was a power struggle between his mom and the guy she liked. They both were fighting over ownership of him. Of course the eevee belonged to Ava. He sighed as he jumped off Alex's chest and ran to his mother. Ava picked up Vee and rubbed Vee's furry face against her own. She then stuck her tongue out at Alex which caused Kat to even chuckle. Meanwhile Ava turned her attention to Alex as Vee looked conflicted.

"See Alexander, Vee here will never abandon his mother. And no I won't trade him for your Empoleon. So it was a nice try, but", Ava continued to tease Alex by rubbing her face against Vee. Vee looked up at his mother. Despite Vee not having the Battlebond with Ava like Grace did, he did have a strong bond with Ava that had helped them in arenas outside of battle. He looked directly into his mother's eyes as he established a connection with his mom, "I wouldn't mind going with Uncle Alex. He at least knows how to give me the best pets and where my sweet spot is." Ava turned pale as her red and blue eyes stared at her beloved Eevee. Vee smiled as best as he could as he licked her face, "EEVEE!" Vee had a sense of humor to him especially when it came to messing with his mom when it came to Alex. It was like a child playing one parent against one another. This had benefitted Vee numerous times, but in reality he would never leave his mom. She was the one who raised him and he loved her with his whole heart.

Alex got off the bed that he had been laying on with Vee. The arrogant freshman had a smile on his face, "come on Ava let me have Vee. I am going to give you an Empoleon. Anyone would make that trade. Is t that right, Kat?" Alex looked over at his mentor, the gorgeous brunette did not want to be in the middle of a conflict between her mentee and her best friend. Kat could feel both their eyes staring at her, she was in a lose-lose situation. "Uhhh I am not getting involved in your couple's bullshit over your Pokémon child.", though truthfully she was a huge Empoleon fan and wanted one so badly. So she probably would have given any other Pokémon up in a trade. But she also knew how special Vee was to Ava. Vee was Ava's comfort through her parents divorce. Ava had told Kat about how rough the ongoing divorce with her parents had been. Vee had the one Ava could talk to and find comfort in. So Kat knew that Ava would always be by Vee's side. He wasn't the strongest, but he was the most loyal to Ava.

Still Ava and Alex wanted an answer from Kat. The black haired female sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Alex and Ava were this annoying couple that pretended not to be a couple and drag others into their shit. Now they were fighting over Ava's Eevee which gave Kat a head ache. "You guys are both idiots. Alex, Vee is Ava's Pokémon. I know you love him, but I know Ava will never give Vee up. So you need to stop trying to steal him or trade for him. He means too much to Ava.", Vee had now fallen asleep and was slumped on Ava's shoulder. The cocky punk rock female again stuck her tongue out at the guy she was hooking up with. She had won, but Kat wasn't done. "And you, Ava. You need to share Vee more. You cant just hog Vee. You need to allow Alex time with Vee. It's clear that Vee loves Alex and you need to share.", of course Kat had wanted to add that Ava should admit that she loved Alex, but this wasn't the time. Ava knew that Kat was right, she usually was. Ava grabbed the sleeping Vee from her right shoulder. She gently handed him to Alex with a stern glare, "you can keep him for the rest of the day. But give him back afterwards. I am trusting you."

With that she and Kat left Alex alone with Vee. Alex just smiled as he watched the Pokémon sleep.

4 weeks later

There was a loud bang on Alex's dorm door. He had expected this after what he had done. Poe bobbed up and down in his tank as he stared at Alex. Even Poe seemed very angry with Alex. Poe did not like it when his trainer acted like a sore loser. Yes, Poe did not like to lose either, but he had respect when he was beaten. Alex didn't seem to be a good loser. Not after he had humiliated himself by bashing Ava and calling her a cheat. All of Alex's Pokémon were upset with him about his actions. They weren't the only ones. There was a certain Pokémon that was incredibly hurt and upset at Alex, one that Alex had wanted to add to his party, but never could. "Dragalge…", Poe heard another knock on the door and angrily stared at Alex as if to say 'aren't you going to get that?' Alex sighed as he got up to face the music. As he swung the door open, Bunny pushed her way past her best friend into his room. She was red with anger and rage. In her left hand was a pokeball that was shaking as well.

"Asshole, I know I am not speaking to you after what you did to Ava. Neither is Kat, so congrats you lost your best friend, your mentor, and the girl you really really like because you lost a Pokémon battle. Congrats. I am only here because someone else wanted to talk to you because he's beyond pissed.", Bunny clicked the release button of the pokeball. Vee emerged from the ball and snarled. This wasn't the friendly Pokémon that was usually so friendly. He was pissed because Alex had hurt his mother and Vee was angry. Alex went to go pet the Eveee, but Vee bit Alex's hand which caused Alex to retract his hand in shock. Vee stood his ground as he bared his fangs at Alex. Alex had never seen the pokemon be so aggressive towards him. Yet here Vee was biting Alex and then getting a rather aggressive pose in front of Alex. Poe, meanwhile, had submerged himself in the tank. He knew that Vee needed to say what he needed to say to Alex. Bunny folded her arms as she wanted to see what was going to happen between these two.

"Eevee! Eeeee Eeevee Ve!", Vee's voice sounded pained as he yelled. His tiny body shook in anger. Alex went to respond, but Vee was not finished with what he had to say. Tears began to form in the tiny Pokémon's eyes as he stared at Alex, "Eevee. Eevee." Alex understood what Vee was staying to say. "Uncle Alex, why did you say those things? You made my mom so sad. She's been crying ever since you said those things about her. HOW COULD YOU SAY THOSE THINGS, UNCLE ALEX. Why did you hurt my mom? You promised me you would never hurt me or my mom. You lied! How could you?", those words stung Alex especially with who the messenger was. But Vee did not understand the context about Alex accusing Ava of being a cheat. Alex knew that if he could explain it to Bee then the Eevee would understand. Ava had cheated in their battle and Alex would explain it.

Alex crouched down to get on Vee's level, but the Eevee still showed his fangs. "Vee, you have to understand that your mom did cheat. She broke a promise to me. She wasn't supposed to use battlebond, but she did. She had promised me before battle that she wouldn't use that connection with Grace. She did. That's why I told everyone she was a cheater. She was the one who hurt me first not the other way around. I know your mom has lied to you, but I am telling you the truth, Vee. I would have never intentionally hurt your mom. She hurt me first.", Bunny just shook her head at Alex's delusional statement. He had been so warped by that battle with Ava that no one recognized him anymore. That was why Kat and Bunny had come up with this plan. Perhaps Alex's beloved Vee could get through to Alex about how much of a dumbass he was. Ava had cried herself to sleep every night since that match and what Alex had done after. The fact he was being such an asshole pissed Kat and Bunny off. Vee had to shake him out of this.

Vee started to cry. Water filled his black eyes. This was not his beloved uncle. This was sine asshole that had hurt his mother. Vee felt a sense of anger that he had never felt before. In fact he closed his eyes as the anger boiled up in him, he felt pure rage at Alex. "EEVEE!", the shadow ball attack started to form as Vee fired a very weak ball at Alex that went over his head. Everyone looked at Vee, including Poe, in absolute shock. The tears in Vee's eyes now freely flowed as he looked at Alex, " Eeeeevvvvveeeee Eeeeeveeee!", he was shaking in pure rage at Alex's comments. "I HATE YOU! YOU HAVE LIED AND HURT MY MOM. I WON'T HANG OUT WITH YOU ANYMORE!", with that Vee turned his back to Alex and returned to his pokeball that Bunny was holding. Bunny sighed and turned to walk out. This had backfired on Bunny and she was disappointed that not even Vee could even get through to Alex.

Alex sat on his bed. He didn't understand why no one could grasp why he had felt betrayed by Ava. Vee should have understood what Alex was saying. But Vee didn't and it broke Alex's heart a bit. Tears rolled down Alex's cheeks as he sniffled. He then turned to Poe, "they don't get it Poe. Not even Vee understands that Ava cheated. That's ok, you and I both know the truth. We just need to get a rematch and prove we are the better team." Alex would not get to see Vee on a one on one basis until he got a phone call a few months later….

Present Day

Alex rushed to the pokemon hospital at the Institute with Venus hot on his tracks. He was absolutely pale when he heard the news about Vee. Kat had called Alex crying. She informed Alex that Ava had told her that Vee was badly hurt. Kat knew that her boyfriend loved Vee like he was his own Pokémon. She knew that Alex would go crazy and want revenge. Especially since he knew who Ava had fought. That was why Kat had called Alex crying. Not just because of what happened to Vee, but because she knew what her boyfriend could be capable of. She had seen the viciousness in Alex before and hated that. But now with Vee on death's door she could see the anger and irrationally of Alex boiling up again. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid especially with the tournament happening. This was what Franz would want for Alex to do something stupid and get kicked out of the tournament or the university. Kat hoped to Arceus that Alex wouldn't do something rash. Alex and Venus were then told to wait in the lobby as Ava was getting information from the doctors about Vee. Alex looked around and saw another person in the waiting room. The young man was pale and was shaking.

Omar Matuidi was beyond scared. He didn't mean for Spartan to nearly kill Vee. Omar didn't know that Spartan could impale Pokémon like that. Omar knew that Spartan felt terrible as well. This wasn't supposed to happen, not at all. Omar wasn't his uncle and didn't take pleasure in hurting anyone especially Pokémon. Omar had dreams of breeding Pokémon not killing one. That's why he had tried to help Ava get her Umbreon to the hospital. Ava had told Omar and Spartan that she did not blame them for what happened to Vee. Of course the guilt that Omar felt did not go away. It still haunted him which was why he was so pale and shaking. Spartan's pokeball was shaking in his pocket as the Falinks tried to get out to check on the Eevee, but Omar knew this wasn't the time to have Spartan come out. Omar continued to stare at where the doctors had disappeared with Vee and Ava. Omar felt someone standing over him and looked up. There was Alex Knight who grabbed the student by the collar. Alex knew exactly who this kid was. Omar's eyes widened in fear, "you're Omar Matuidi, right?" Omar nodded as Alex's grasp only got tighter. Venus tried to pull at her trainers left leg to try to get him to let go, but Alex ignored his Glasolemos. No, this was the kid that hurt Vee and Alex was pissed.

"Did your uncle tell you to hurt Ava's Pokémon? Are you working with The Righteous? Why did you hurt Vee?", Alex's voice cracked. Vee was special to him and everyone in their friend group. Tears were in his eyes, he was prepared to forfeit the tournament and deal with this punk on his own terms. Sure Alex hadn't seen Vee in several months, but he still cared about that damn Eevee turned Umbreon. If this little punk thought that his uncle was bad, he hadn't seen anything yet. "You hurt one of my closest friend's Pokémon and now I am going to make you realize this was a mistake.", Franz was behind this, he must have somehow figured out that Alex cared about Vee then sent this Omar kid to take the Pokémon out. Alex continued to grab the kid's collar as Omar looked terrified at the now crazed Alex Knight. The sophomore was bigger than Omar and had a temper. Omar wanted to tell him that it was an accident and he hated his uncle. But now Omar couldn't talk because of the fact that Alex had him by the collar. Omar just needed to explain what was going on to Alex so he could understand.

Alex still was beyond upset and had Omar by the scruff of his shirt. He wanted answers and no one could give them to him except this little punk. "Alex, stop.", a hand landed on his right shoulder which caused Alex to slightly turn his head. Standing behind him, next to Venus, was Ava. Her red and blue eyes were swollen and red. She had been crying obviously. Especially after what the doctors had told her about Vee's condition. Vee was in a medically induced coma because of his injuries, Ava would explain that at a different time. Right now she wanted to make sure Alex wasn't going after an innocent student. Omar was not like his uncle at all, at least that was what Ava hoped. She knew better than anyone how brutal Alex could be when he got upset and she knew how connected to Vee he was. Ava knew she had to snap Alex out of his anger before he did something really stupid. This had been Kat's only request when they had talked on the phone she wanted to keep Alex calm.

"Alex, Omar wasn't trying to hurt Vee. It was Vee who still wanted to fight. Vee wouldn't stop fighting. He wanted to make sure we won.", Ava tried to keep her cool demeanor, but her voice betrayed her as it cracked. She only blamed one person for what happened to Vee. Ava had been too distracted by her own personal bullshit that she had been unable to control Vee. If Ava hadn't been concentrating on her heart and how conflicted she was, she could have come up with a better plan to stop Vee. Tears began to form in her beautiful eyes again as Ava shook. "It's my fault, Alex. I was distracted. I wasn't strong enough to control him. He wouldn't listen and all of this is my fault. I am the reason why Vee is in the hospital. It's all my fault, not Omar's.", she had never thought that she would find comfort in Alex. Not after what had happened last year. Yet here she was telling Alex all her insecurities. Well not ALL of her insecurities, but her insecurities as a trainer.

Alex let go of Omar who could breathe again. Alex walked over to Ava and gave her a big hug. These two had been through so much together. From Alex falling head over heels for her to the brutal way they had treated one another. But right now, Ava needed him and Alex would be there for her. She had been the first female Alex had actual feelings for so Ava would always hold a spot for Alex even if they bickered. Plus she was best friends with Kat and Alex would do anything for Kat even if that meant making up with his rival. Ava sobbed into Alex's shoulder while she talked about how shitty of a trainer she was which was bullshit. Alex let go of Ava so she could look up at him, "Ava you're a great trainer. You even beat me, fair and square. You're a great trainer. Please don't blame yourself. You know Vee is a fighter especially since he evolved. He's going to make it. He is stubborn just like his trainer." He tried to add levity to the situation. Still Ava gripped his shirt tightly as she sniffled to compose herself. Alex just gave her another hug to try to give her relief. Even Venus rubbed against Ava's legs to offer comfort.

Omar regained his composure. He was a bit shocked that Alex had been so defensive of Vee and Ava. Omar had watched and rewatched their fight on tape last year. How brutal and physical it was and the fallout that happened afterwards. The fact that Alex Knight had defended Vee and Ava so vehemently was not something Omar had expected at least not when it came to potentially physically being beaten up. But perhaps their conflict had brought them closer together. Still Omar felt uneasy about this whole thing. Alex had brought up Uncle Dries which sent shivers up Omar's spine. He didn't want his uncle's reputation to soil his own. Omar knew that having the Matuidi last name was a mark against him, but Omar wanted to show that not all Matuidi family members were like Dries. He guessed Alex hadn't gotten the memo. Omar continued to shake the feeling of being suffocated from him when he saw Alex Knight had extended his hand in an apology. "Sorry kid, I didn't mean to grab you like that. But I recognized your last name and I dealt with your uncle before so I rushed to judgment. Sorry about that.", Omar's eyes widened at what Alex had said. So Uncle Dries was still up to his old tricks. This explained a lot and why Dries was putting pressure on Omar.

Omar had turned pale, even more than he had been before. He had to tell Ava and Alex what was going on. "I hate my uncle. He has threatened my family and done some horrific things. His Sandslash actually belonged to my father, but Dries stole him and put my father in the hospital.", both Ava and Alex were horrified at this statement. Alex had seen how much of a monster Dries was with Melody, but doing this to his own flesh and blood was another level. Alex had some sympathy for Omar now. Still the worst was yet to come, "Dries said that he wanted me to win the whole tournament or else all of my Pokémon would go to the Righteous. That they had members in the Institute and they would be watching me to ensure I won. That why I fought so hard against you Ava. I know that members of the Righteous were watching me and I don't want to lose my Pokémon. I am so sorry about what happened to your Umbreon, but I have to protect my own friends." Now Omar was crying as Alex felt more like an asshole than before. Ava walked over to Omar and gave him a hug.

"Fuck your uncle. Like I said, I don't blame you for what happened to Vee. It's more my fault. You're a great battler and I hope you make it far. If you ever need some pointers, especially on how to beat that loser over there, you just call me.", Ava reached into Omar's pocket and pulled out his Pokédex phone and put in her number. The freshman was glad that it appeared that Ava did not hate him afterall. Omar was filled with a sense of relief. Now he just had to make sure that the Umbreon was ok. That way he could tell Spartan that everything was fine. Omar didn't want to be known as someone who had killed a Pokémon. Especially not with what his last name was. That would just convince the other students that he was no better than Dries. So Omar needed to make sure that the Umbreon was ok.

Five minutes later, a Nurse Joi walked out into the waiting room accompanied by a Avanturan version of a Lopunny. "Ms. Bloodsworth, the doctor said that you may go in. As he explained, we had to put your Umbreon in a medically induced coma due to the extent of his injuries. He's stable now, but it will still be touch and go for a while. The doctor said that perhaps personal touch will help to bring him out of the coma. So you may go in.", Omar sighed a bit. At least the Umbreon had survived. Ava would keep him abreast if things went awry. Omar had to get back to his dorm and study more tape on his next opponent. It hadn't hit him that he had beaten Ava, but now he could go back and soak it all in. Ava, meanwhile, grabbed Alex's hand as she needed comfort. In truth, Alex probably needed more comfort from Ava than she needed from him at this point.

The Umbreon was hooked up to so many different machines. There were machines fo help him breathe, machines to monitor his vitals, IVs giving Vee so many different fluids. It made Alex sick to his stomach. He had not interacted with Vee since their argument last year. Sure, Alex had seen that Vee had evolved into an Umbreon, but they didn't have the connection they once had. Now Alex was seeing Vee for the first time like this. In this state where he nearly died and still wasn't out of the woods, this wasn't the Vee Alex wanted to make up with. Alex had so much to say to Vee, to formally apologize for hurting him and Ava, but now Alex doubted that Vee could hear him. This wasn't supposed to be how they reunited. Tears formed in Alex's eyes as he walked over to where Bee was. Ava stood there petting her beloved Pokémon, "Vee, Alex is here. I know that you guys haven't seen each other in a while. So I'll give you guys a minute to talk." She took a step back to give Alex the space to talk to Vee. Venus nudged her trainer to go talk to Vee, she knew that he needed to do this.

Alex's hand shook as he hesitated to pet Vee as the last time he did he had got bit. He put his hand on the Umbreon and could feel the creature struggling to breathe. "Hey, Vee.", Alex's voice was softer than usual. He couldn't help himself as he looked on at this Pokémon. If this had been Jet or Poe or Venus, Alex would have been in the same state. He loved Vee like one of his own and he hated seeing him like this. Tears fell onto the Umbreon's fur, but Vee still did not move. "I am so sorry Vee, I know that I fucked up last year. It crushed our relationship. I miss you so much. I know that I hurt your mother so much. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't regret what I said and did. I know that I made up with your mom, but I never made up with you and it sucks.", Alex sobbed. Venus laid at her trainers feet as he continued to sob over Vee. "But I never made up with you. And this sucks. I need you to stay here Vee. You can't die on me. You can't go without me getting to say that I am sorry. I broke your heart and I regret it. Please you have to stay.", Alex put his head into the Umbreon's fur. Alex hoped that this would work and wake Vee up. He was hoping for a miracle.

Ava was overcome with emotion as well. Everything hit her at once as she walked to Alex and tapped him on the shoulder. Alex did not hesitate as he turned around and hugged Ava. Both of the damaged trainers sobbed into one another. Neither wanted anything to happen to Vee, but this went deeper than that. Alex had never really apologized to Ava's for last year, sure he had apologized after their second battle, but never like this. It had been what Ava wanted and this was what Vee would have wanted as well. They did not know how long they stood there in each other's arms as they sobbed about everything. The death of their relationship, the death of their friendship, and the pain they had caused one another. Now they mourned Vee. They needed comfort in one another as both were overcome with emotion. That was when Ava's heart had decided to take over from her head.

Ava stood on her tiptoes and kissed Alex with passion. Her tongue passed her lips as she locked lips with Alex. She knew that he was Kat's boyfriend, but at this moment Ava had needed comfort. Alex was that comfort. She still had feelings for him and that was something she had never had imagined she would say. He was the only boy that she had hooked up with that she actually cared about that wasn't just a toy to her. She also knew that he had checked on her every day she had been in the hospital after what happened at Dexter's bar. So he had to have those feelings for her as well. Now with Vee in this state and the emotions that came with it, Ava had to take her chance. To show Alex that she was indeed still in like with him. That she did forgive him and that she was grateful for what he had said.

Alex pulled back and took several steps back. His face had horror on it as he did not appear to like that kiss, "what the fuck, Ava? What the fuck are you doing? I love Kat! You know your best friend. I mean what-." Alex was interrupted by a text message. It was a reminder about his battle coming up. He just stared at Ava who had tears in her eyes again, but it wasn't just over Vee. It was clear that she realized what she had just done and the ramifications of it. Alex looked disgusted, yes he had a reputation of being a player, but when he was in a relationship he was loyal. He would never cheat on someone especially on the love of his life. Ava should have known that from last year. Now he had to tell Kat about what happened. He couldn't let his girlfriend find out from Ava. Alex ran out of the room as Venus followed right on his heels.

Ava collapsed to the ground in horror. The weight of actions had just hit her. She had kissed her best friend's boyfriend. She knew how deeply in love Kat was with Alex and how heart broken she would be when she found out. Their friendship would be dead. This was the worst day of Avaline Bloodsworth's life. "Mom, are you ok?", the voice in her head made her stop crying for a second as she looked to see two red eyes looking at her.

Ooc: Sorry guys for the delay. Again life got in the way. But I am back! Hope you enjoy this chapter as I wanted to set some things up.