Chapter 24

The very next morning brought upon a headache, a cloudy day, and a major case of bad bed-head. I rose from the blankets as if I was just coming out of a coffin. Yeah, this was one of my worst mornings. All I did was just lie back down, cover my face with the pillow, and groan softly. "Lance… lost me an entire night of sleep… I can't believe this…" I said to myself, muffled within the pillow. After a couple of minutes fly by, I rise back up, and look to my side. There he is, sleeping peacefully again. As much as I love this sight, I can't shake off the feeling of him being somehow taken away along with everyone else. And all because Lance decided to get nosy. And that line he uttered yesterday sent chills down my spine. I remember it vividly, "Even if we're friends, I have to do my job." I start fuming just thinking about it. Lance isn't the person I used to know. Some friend he is. "Mother fucker…" I whisper to myself. And Michelle. The girl I had I could tell everything to, almost managed to point it all out with just my mannerisms changing drastically. It's like I couldn't trust anyone in Alola. Not even my childhood friends. I immediately feel an overwhelming sense of abandonment. My blank expression turns sorrowful. I could feel tears form in my eyes as I tried my hardest not to either break down completely or scream out to Arceus himself. And my parents had to conveniently go abroad to study… Whatever they're studying. And all I get from them is a stupid Z Crystal that lead everything to where we are now. I look at the palms of my hands and think. Is this all worth it? Will I just get thrown into jail and everyone will be released? Will my own two best friends call me out and destroy my livelihood just because I'm dating my own Pokémon? Do my parents even care about what's going on? What will my parents even think about me being in a relationship with a Pokemon of the same sex? Who can I trust? Why me? ARCEUS, WHY ME?! I punch the mattress, which springs Quil right up. I see him rapidly scan the room in a slight panic. All he sees is my back toward him; hunched over and defeated. I can hear his breathing slowly go back to normal, as I feel his hand lie on my shoulder. "Didn't sleep enough, Ethan?"

"Not at all, if any… I feel like bursting into tears…" Silence fills the room. He has no idea what to say. I don't blame him. I would have no idea what I would say too.

"Listen, not all hope is lost… You still have the professors and gym leaders on your side."

"Yeah, okay, but we don't know if other gym leaders are okay with this. I never revealed our relationship to Juniper. Which even then was beyond risky. I was lucky she's supporting the movement."

"Then what's bothering you so much?"

"Lance. He's stabbing my back and saying no hard feelings just because it's his job. And now all that needs to happen is finding out Michelle somehow knew about Unova."

"I highly doubt she knows."

"I can't rule out the possibility. She's a trainer too. She might want to participate, or even come to Unova just to be another thorn in my side."

"Listen. We'll come up with something. And this time, it won't result in my talons tearing into your arm… heh…"

"Yeah, I guess. Too bad it gave me a scar." She blushes and looks ashamed.

"I… Gave you scars? Like, legit?"

"It's no big deal, but yeah. From my elbow to my shoulder on my right arm from that one night."

"I-I'm so-"

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize. You already did, and it already happened. No use in changing the past, you know?"

"Unless you're Celebi." I lightly chuckle and nod.

"Heh, yup… Boy, having Celebi would be so useful… Going back so we don't have problems…"

"Too bad. Like ya said, it already happened."

"Oh, using my own words against me, I see. Scandalous bird, you."

"Oh, Ethan, one question actually…"

"Yes?" His tone grows deeper, more serious. With that, I start to get curious.

"If… If stuff backfires… Are we going to have to… Kill people? At all?" My eyes widen upon hearing it. I had never even considered that option. With Quil and my other Pokémon, it's completely possible…

"No. That will not be an option for us. All we need is a peaceful protest after the tournament. The last thing we need is you or I dying. So peace is our only option."

"But what if they threaten us? What if one of us takes a bullet and we may need to fire back?"

"We defend ourselves in a way that isn't fatal. At least we can try and knock out people? But like I said, that has to be our final resort. Killing will not send a message. In fact, it'll hinder us more than help us."

"And there would be no way I would be able to live with that guilt."

"Yeah, I've heard it's an intense feeling. So all things considered, I really don't want to murder anyone. Or any Pokémon."

"Well, have you… Ever tried using your eyes?" I blink a couple of times and tilt my head again.

"My… Golden eyes? I don't think they have a special ability. And even if they did, they would have worked by now."

"Maybe… Just maybe… They already have?"

"What… Do you mean?"

"Think about it… The crowds staring at you and getting excited… Skyla and Juniper were the first ones to jump to your aid… Not to mention Burgh saw some sort of potential in you. What do you think?"

"I think you may be talking about some sort of charisma I have."

"No, it's something more. It's most likely some sort of… Magic manipulation or charisma enhancer… I mean, I feel safe and secure when I stare at your eyes, so I could just be going crazy."

"Or that berserk Zoroark back then just changed the color of my eyes just to fuck around with me… Listen, I don't want to think about my golden eyes. Maybe later today or tonight we'll test it, but now I just need a moment of… Peace…"

"Okay, I understand. Then if you need peace, focus on the now, and worry for later. We haven't got much time, and I want to spend as much as I have with you. And with you alone."

"I couldn't have said it better than you, Quil." I turn myself around, and collapse onto him, reaching around to give him a tight hug. He returns the favor, hugging me right back while I rest myself on him. An ability with my golden eyes. Magic charisma. If this so happens to work, then my plan is full-proof, I might be able to win this all because of my golden eyes. Now the next step is to figure it all out.