"Drew…come on…please pick up."

Soledad could feel her teeth slowly sink into her lower lip as she listened to the dull murmur of her unanswered call. She was standing by a pay phone in front of a small convenience store that had closed down for the day, cradling the receiver to her face as if the act of Drew picking up his PokeNav was one of the few things in the world that could ease any of the emotional pain coursing through her.

"Please…pick up…"

Soledad closed her eyes as she whispered those words. Her cheeks were still warm from the hot tears that had trailed down them only an hour ago, back when she was leaning against the wall of a building and crying out all of her frustration and hurt at the fact that both Drew and Harley were gone. She had left that area without looking back – without even seeing if Harley had departed the parking lot of the contest hall in his car. She didn't know where he was, but according to him it was best if it stayed that way.

She had made her way down the streets of Lilycove in the exact opposite direction of the contest hall, just wanting to get away from it all, not paying any attention to the numerous amounts of people who waved to her and congratulated her for winning the contest, as well as for her 'new' relationship with Harley. She didn't want to tell any of them that her relationship with him was no more; she didn't want to humiliate the man she still loved no matter how many times he told her not to. Maybe if she and Harley remained separated without contact, the world would just forget about their revealing – about their relationship – and it would become a simple memory that only she would remember.

"Pick up…Drew…pick up…"

In the midst of walking, wrapping her arms around herself to preserve warmth as she slowly became a ghost haunting Lilycove's roads, she had stopped in front of a pay phone, deciding then that she could at least try calling Drew – try to save whatever inch of connection they still shared. Using spare change that she had dug out of the pits of her pockets, she had dialed his number, waiting impatiently for him to answer.

But as she stood there for another ten seconds that felt like ten minutes, she knew he wasn't going to pick up.

He was most likely not interested in answering his PokeNav right now. She could understand why; he was too busy trying to deal with what had happened between them…if he was even bothering to think about her anymore. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to think about her, locking memories of her in a part of his brain he couldn't reach – like imprisoning a trusted soldier who had just committed treason.

Soledad sighed when his PokeNav's voicemail came up, asking her to leave a message after the tone. She had figured that he wouldn't answer. When the tone played, she began to speak:

"Drew…it's me, Soledad…I…I just wanted to call to say that I'm…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you. I never wanted to hurt you; it pains me to see you hurt. But I know that you're not picking up your PokeNav for a reason…I know you're mad about me and Harley, and I won't be surprised if you never want to talk to me again.

"I'm not mad at you, Drew. I could never be mad at you. I love you as if you were my own son. I don't want to lose what we had – what we shared. I always treasured what we shared.

"And I also wanted to say that…" Soledad swallowed the stinging lump in her throat. "Harley's gone. He's gone, Drew, and he's not coming back. You don't have to worry about him anymore.

"When you hear this message…please call me back. I'm willing to talk, because I still care about you, Drew."

And with that, she hung up the phone, leaning against the station as she wiped her moistened eyes with her sleeve. She didn't know what to do now. She missed Harley; she just wanted to be in his arms again, secured by his love and comforted by the knowledge that he would always be there. But now such a wish was nothing but a fantasy replaying itself over and over in her head, reminding her of what had been.

Soledad knew that standing there dwelling on the past wasn't going to fix anything, though, so she continued forward, this time heading towards the hotel that she and Harley had used. Her PokeNav was still in her luggage in the room, and if Drew ever did call back then she would need it. She fingered her room key that lay in her pocket, as well as her Pokeballs, sighing at the fact that her Pokemon had been happy to see her with Harley, though now they no longer had a reason to contain joyfulness. She didn't know when she would tell them that Harley was gone; she had left their questions unanswered when she returned them to their Pokeballs after confronting Drew behind the contest hall. Half of her didn't want to say anything to them, because it was bad enough that she was depressed – why did they deserve to suffer from similar emotions? She could only begin to wonder what Harley's Pokemon were feeling at the moment, if Harley had told them about what had happened.

She didn't record how much time had passed before she reached the hotel. Her legs were sore, which gave the indication that it had been quite a long walk, but she didn't acknowledge the stiffness as she took the elevator to her floor and stopped in front of her room door. She was somewhat hoping that Harley was inside, using the place to rest before he rode the long drive back to Slateport. Soledad knew that he wasn't there, though; he probably had figured that she would eventually come back and he didn't want to make their breakup any more painful than it already was by seeing her again.

Harley had a good heart, even if he was convinced that he didn't.

She opened the door, her dark gaze unfazed by the empty room. The first thing she noticed was that Harley's stuff was gone – evidence that he had been here earlier to pick up his things before departing for Slateport. She mentally thanked him for leaving the room for her; she had no other place to go at the moment. She made her way forward, grabbing her suitcase and digging out her PokeNav, her shoulders sagging when her inbox showed that it had received no calls. Drew hadn't called her back; she didn't know if he had even listened to her message yet.

She exhaled deeply through her nostrils, getting up and putting her PokeNav in her pocket. She then made her way to the door, locking it behind her before taking the elevator to the bottom floor of the hotel, walking out its exit and emerging back into the streets of Lilycove. She didn't want to just sit in her hotel room, waiting in suspense for Drew to call. She had to do something to help sort out her thoughts, and staring at the four walls wasn't going to help. She began to move down the sidewalk that ran along the nearby road, passing pedestrians who were chatting about various things or simply returning to and from work, wrapping her arms around herself since the air had seemed to grow colder in the past hour. The muscles in her legs stiffened in protest, but she ignored their plea for her to rest.

A while into the walk, however, it began to rain.

Soledad felt her eyebrows rise, looking up at the storm clouds above, blinking every time droplets of water met her eyes. She wiped them with her sleeve, then noticing that the passing people were digging out the umbrellas they had been concealing away behind their coat flaps for this very occasion, opening them up and making Soledad feel foolish for not carrying one of her own. The rain began to come down harder, and Soledad figured that it would take too long to go back to her hotel room to avoid getting drenched, because in the process of making her way back she would get drenched anyway.

"Thank you, Lugia," Soledad muttered sarcastically, though she then wished she hadn't; the rain's power seemed to increase at that moment.

Soledad looked around, keeping her arm above her face to stop water from hitting her eyes. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no visible areas that she could get under in order to escape the rain, and she let out a frustrated growl that was blocked out by the storm's thunderous roar. She looked across the street, her eyebrows rising again when she was met with both Ho-Oh and Moltres' intimidating glares; she was staring straight at the tall corporate building that belonged to Phoenix Industries. She hummed, and for some reason that building looked more appealing as a way to get out of the rain than any other nearby building did. She made her way across the street, unable to see through the doors despite them having transparent surfaces, and she fingered the elegant door handles that consisted of a gold-colored material.

She looked up at the portraits of Ho-Oh and Moltres one last time before making her way inside.


We're leaving for Johto as soon as possible…

Drew had said those words to May as soon as they had reached their hotel room after leaving the contest hall. May couldn't help but arch her eyebrow; she had been asking him constantly on what had happened when he ran off after Harley and Soledad revealed their relationship and Soledad ran after him. He refused to say anything on the matter, though, changing the subject whenever she brought it up, or simply saying that it was nothing she needed to worry or care about. Even when she asked about why they were suddenly leaving for Johto, Drew only answered that it was time they continued and finished their contest run through the said region.

Are Harley and Soledad coming? May had also tossed that question at him, in which he answered no. She asked why, but it was then when he scolded her for asking so many questions and left without saying another word.

Now, May laid on her bed of their hotel room, wondering why Drew seemed to be in such a bad mood and why he had left after she had showed concern for Harley and Soledad. He wasn't back yet, which only made her worry, but she soon dropped her thoughts when she noticed that the screen of his PokeNav, which was sitting on the nightstand beside his bed, was lit up. She got up, walking over to it and examining what it said:

1 call missed.

1 voicemail received.

May arched an eyebrow, now mentally questioning who had called. She picked up the PokeNav, hitting a button on it, and then brought it up to her ear to listen to the message, her eyebrows rising when she heard Soledad's voice.

When the message was finished, May nearly dropped the PokeNav.


The lobby of Phoenix Industries was breathtaking; the tiled flooring shined in the overhead lights, appearing dirt-free and matching with the interior of the walls and pieces of furniture. A large fountain, beautifully-carved enough to be considered an architectural masterpiece, sat in the middle of the room, water coursing through it at a soothing pace. Beyond it was the registration desk, where on the wall behind that sat the Ho-Oh-and-Moltres-themed logo of Phoenix Industries that was also made of a gold-colored material. Soledad almost forgot to breathe; she had seen the inside of a few business buildings before, but none of them had looked as elegant as this one did.

"Can I help you, miss?"

Soledad escaped her thoughts, arching an eyebrow as she looked past the fountain, meeting the eyes of the female clerk who was sitting at the registration desk, having been typing on her computer when Soledad had stumbled through the threshold. The clerk seemed to be in her late twenties, her appealing features that her bewildered expression didn't sway matching with the design of the lobby.

"I…uh…" Soledad shook her head. She pointed to the rain that was pounding the transparent doors from outside. "I was just trying to get out of the rain."

The clerk switched her eyes to the doors - as if she hadn't even noticed that it had been raining in the first place - and then returned them to Soledad. "I suppose that's fine, but you can't stay for too long unless you have business here."

Soledad scratched the back of her head, nodding, a sheepish smile crossing her face.

The clerk pointed to the seats that were to Soledad's right, sitting on a carpeted area, surrounding a glass table that stood on feet carved from oak wood. They were obviously for people who were waiting to attend appointments they had made here. Soledad nodded again, thanked the clerk, and made her way to a chair, sitting down and immediately admiring how soft the material that consisted it was. She almost sunk into it, and her sore legs relaxed slightly upon finally receiving the rest they had been begging for.

Minutes passed. Soledad and the clerk weren't interested in sharing a conversation with one another, so the only sounds that were breaking the silence of the lobby were the clicks of the clerk typing on her computer's keyboard, the ticking of the clock on the wall that was not far away, and the muffled sounds of raining pelting the glass from outside. Soledad figured that Phoenix Industries was a large business; therefore she couldn't help but find it strange that the place seemed so empty.

"Most of the people who work here are on lunch," the clerk said when she looked up to see Soledad's wandering eyes, having easily figured what she was wondering about.

Soledad blinked. "Why aren't you on lunch?"

"I just got back."

"Oh…" Soledad switched her gaze to the floor, resting her hands on her lap and tapping her thumbs together awkwardly.

It was then when one of the elevators behind the registration desk opened, a large, professionally-suited man walking out from it. Soledad glanced at him, but turned her eyes away before he could notice them or her. He was evidently the CEO of this corporation by the way he was carrying a large briefcase with the company's logo emblazoned on it, and she didn't want to attract the attention of such a stern-looking man.

"Lucinda," the man said, his voice deep and powerful, yet carrying a familiar hue that Soledad couldn't place, "I'm heading out for my lunch break."

"But it's raining," Lucinda, the clerk, replied, looking up at him from her computer screen. "Why don't you wait until it stops?"

The man snorted, showing her the umbrella he was carrying. "A little rain never hurt anyone."

Lucinda didn't protest again, instead shrugging her shoulders. "As you wish, Mr. Davidson."

Soledad froze.

Mr.…Davidson?

Soledad looked up at that, choosing then to fully examine the man walking towards the transparent doors. He was either in his late forties or early fifties, tall and built, his face stern with age. His hair was short, ending at the nape of his neck, the color being a mixture of purple and gray, and he had a beard – short boxed style – that was also a purple color. Sunglasses covered his eyes, and he had most likely put them on to protect his eyes from the rain. Needless to say, though, Soledad wouldn't be surprised if his eyes were of a metallic blue-green hue.

Soledad's gaze darted back to the ground, her heartbeat speeding up. It couldn't be him!

…could it?

I have no idea where my dad is now, Harley had told Soledad during their talk on his apartment's balcony back in Slateport. I think he's running a business up-region, but I don't really know.

A business up-region…

Why didn't Soledad realize this before?

She jumped to her feet, dashing towards Mr. Davidson and placing a hand on his arm to stay him before he could even open the door. He turned his head, eyeing her through his black sunglasses that completely concealed his gaze, and his eyebrows rose as he finally noticed her existence.

"It's…you…" he whispered, his voice sounding awe-struck.

Soledad arched an eyebrow; his few words had completely halted the endless amounts that were about to fly out of her own mouth. "What?"

Mr. Davidson shook his head. "N-nothing." His tone returned to its natural firm state. "Can I help you…miss?"

Soledad blinked, but then dropped the subject, keeping her hand on his arm to make sure he wouldn't move. "Do you know a Harley Davidson?"

Yet again Mr. Davidson's eyebrows rose, though they fell quicker than last time. "Yes," he said, his voice growing lower. "Why does it concern you?"

"I know him – I know your son!"

Soledad had practically shouted out those words, both out of excitement for finding Harley's father and out of disbelief that she actually did. It brought Lucinda to look up from her computer screen with surprised eyes.

Meanwhile, Mr. Davidson only tightened his frown. "How do you know that he's my son?"

"Because he told me," Soledad said. "I'm Soledad…Soledad Sierra. We're partners in coordinating." Her gaze suddenly grew dark. "And we're close…real close."

Well, we were partners and we were close…

Mr. Davidson sighed. "Harley…I haven't heard that name in a long time…"

"I know that you're mad that he got into coordinating instead of following in your footsteps," Soledad continued, "but maybe if you-"

"I'm not mad."

Soledad blinked. "What?"

"I'm not mad," Mr. Davidson said, tightening his hold on his briefcase. Despite his words, he sounded angry. "Or, at least not anymore…"

"I…I don't understand."

Mr. Davidson shook his head. "Come with me." He turned his gaze to Lucinda. "Lucinda, tell my assistant when he gets back to schedule any appointments I have left today for a later date. I'm going to be gone for a while."

"Yes, Mr. Davidson."

Soledad switched her gaze between Lucinda and Mr. Davidson, jumping slightly when Mr. Davidson opened the door, revealing the cold, wet world outside. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"I have some explaining to do," Mr. Davidson said, looking at her. "If you really are close to Harley, you deserve to hear this just as much as he always did."


Drew slipped his key into the lock of the hotel room he shared with May. He had gone down to the café downstairs in the lobby to lose himself in a cappuccino as he sorted out his thoughts about what had recently happened, and the hurt he felt towards it all. He had lost track of time in the process, not getting back until way later, hoping that May had dropped all urges to ask him any questions about Harley and Soledad. He wanted to forget about them; he wished that May would do the same and simply get ready to head back to Johto when it was time for them to do so.

Just get away from Hoenn. That's what Drew mainly wanted to do. Get away from Hoenn and become a workaholic, forgetting everything before that as he focused on his coordinating.

That's all he could do – focus on his coordinating and try to ignore the fact that he missed Soledad deeply.

He sighed and opened the door into the hotel room, expecting to see May sleeping on the bed, resting off the exhaustion that usually came after a contest. However, she was doing no such thing, and when he noticed that she was instead staring at him from a chair she had slid over to stand a few feet away from the door, as if awaiting his arrival, his eyebrows rose in both surprise and bewilderment. His PokeNav was laying right beside her, her arms crossed and the fingers of her left hand tapping the arm of the right one. Her eyes were narrowed, and he couldn't help but wonder what this was all about.

She answered that question before he could ask it:

"Soledad called," she said, her voice sounding similar to the unimpressed one of a disappointed parent. "She left you a message since you weren't here to answer it."

Drew's eyebrows lowered and he turned his eyes away. "Yeah, and?"

May leaned forward in her chair. "I know what happened, Drew. I know why you're not telling me anything."

"Uh-huh?" Drew muttered.

"Harley and Soledad were in a happy relationship until you screwed everything up!"

Drew's face fell at that, though he then stepped forward with his own glare fixated on May. "I didn't do anything!" he hissed. "Soledad was the one who hurt me! She was the one who went out with that monster!"

May ran her hand down her face. "Drew, this whole time Harley's been with Soledad, and he hasn't done a single thing!"

"That doesn't prove anything!" Drew said. "In fact, it only makes things more suspicious!"

May's voice lowered. "Drew…I forgave Harley. Why can't you?"

"Because saying 'sorry' isn't going to take back all those times he tormented you. The thought of him doing something to you always haunted me, and it's the same with Soledad."

"Drew…" May closed her eyes. "If Harley hadn't changed to begin with, then Soledad being with him would've certainly changed him into a better person. Instead of sitting here dwelling on the past, why don't you just be happy for Soledad? When she was with Harley, I had never seen her so happy before in my life. Don't you want her to be happy?"

Drew turned his gaze to the ground. "But Harley…he's the enemy. Soledad deserves better than him."

May shook her head. "The last time I checked, something like that should be her decision to make."

Drew looked up at his partner, his emerald eyes bright. "I…" He then growled. "No! Forget it! If Soledad wants to be with Harley, then fine! But I'm not getting caught up in that mess! I want nothing to do with it!"

He walked past May, who watched him as he sat down on the edge of his bed, back facing her. She let out a sigh, getting up and walking towards him, sitting down beside him.

"Drew," she said, "we've known each other for a long time. I don't want to see you like this. You don't want to forget about Soledad, I can tell. No matter what you say, I'll never be convinced that you're willing to forget her."

Drew turned his eyes to May. "She hurt me, May. She ignored me. She fell for a guy who's cheated, schemed, and held so many grudges that he once considered everyone an enemy. How can Soledad fall for someone like that?"

"You're mad at Harley for holding grudges," May said, "but look…you're doing the exact same thing by not letting this go…by not letting bygones be bygones."

Drew closed his mouth at that, burying his face in his hands. "I don't know what to do, May."

May wrapped her arms around her partner, laying her head on his shoulder. Her closeness comforted him. "Just try talking to Harley, Drew. Try hearing this story from his point of view, try seeing him as someone else other than just the villain-"

"But I don't know where he is…and it's raining."

"-and don't look for excuses not to do that."

Drew pulled back and met May's eyes, in which she was smirking at him. He exhaled deeply through his nostrils, turning his gaze to the ground.

"Soledad has always been there for you, Drew," May said. "For once, be there for her."

Minutes passed as Drew and May sat there, the sound of the rain hitting the window from outside being the only thing to break the silence of the room. Drew eventually got up, though, making his way to the door.

May watched him. "Are you going to find Harley?"

Drew stopped, but didn't turn around. "I don't know," was all he said.

And the door shut quietly behind him.


Harley leaned back against the seat of his car, listening to the rain pelt his windows. He hadn't drove back to Slateport yet; in fact, he was still in Lilycove. After watching Soledad leave when he told her his story in the parking lot of the contest hall, he had gotten in his car, returned to their hotel room to retrieve his things, and then drove out to some secluded street where he could attempt to sort out his thoughts, trying to stifle the pain he was feeling at the same time. He couldn't do either, though, and his fists clenched at that thought.

Because he loved Soledad, and nothing would ever take away the fact that he missed her and he just wanted to be with her again.

He ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes.

In the backseat, Cacturne and Garchomp sat side by side, having released themselves from their Pokeballs shortly after Harley had drove his car to the secluded street. He had explained what had happened to them, knowing that he couldn't keep it from them forever, and they fell into their own states of depression. They had also been in on the operation Harley had been pulling off – the one where he had attempted to morph into a guy everyone would love. He had been trying to forget the past in the process and change himself for the good.

But the plan wound up backfiring and now everything was a mess.

"Cacturne cac…" Cacturne mumbled, his yellow eyes turned to the floor.

I miss Soledad

"Gar," Garchomp replied.

Me too.

Harley turned his head to eye his Pokemon. It didn't take much for him to figure that they were talking about Soledad. "We have to move on," he said, despite not wanting to say it. "She deserves better than me. She'll find someone else – someone more worthy of her love."

Cacturne looked up. "Cacturne, cac…"

But, master…

"Enough!" Harley snapped, causing both Garchomp and Cacturne to jump in their seats. He pulled back once he realized what he had done, and he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Gar chomp…" Garchomp said.

It's alright

Harley turned his eyes to the empty passenger seat, feeling a lump begin to form in his throat as he remembered the night where he and Soledad had confessed, laying together on that very seat and kissing one another until they fell asleep in each other's arms. He then switched his gaze to the backseat, where he and Soledad had consummated their relationship. He could still remember how he had kissed her then, holding her in his arms like he had always wanted to, caressing her soft skin with his fingertips as they made love. The memory haunted him, making the fact that she was gone even more painful.

Meanwhile, outside, a chartreuse-haired teen emerged onto the street from an alleyway, having left his hotel room to go for a walk a while ago, thinking about what his partner had said. He tightened his grip on the handle of the umbrella he had borrowed from the hotel's front desk, droplets of water splashing down on top of it as thunder rumbled from above. Apart from thinking about things, Drew didn't know what he was doing out here, wandering around.

Was he…trying to listen to his partner? Was he trying to do what she said?

He didn't know, but as he peered through the rain and noticed that a familiar cobalt-colored four-door sedan was sitting not far from his position, he began to wonder if he should. He frowned, surprised that he had stumbled upon Harley, and after staring at the car for a few minutes he began to make his way to it.

Because perhaps he could do what May had asked him to do.

For Soledad.

Once he got close to the window of the car's driver seat, he tapped on the glass.

Inside, Harley blinked, wondering who was trying to get his attention. He had an idea, however, and he shook his head, his eyes darkening as he rolled down the window and said, "Soledad, I told you that I-"

His words stopped in place when he met an emerald gaze instead of a verdigris one.

"Dr-Drew?"

Drew closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He then reopened them and met Harley's gaze, his voice coming up a few seconds afterwards:

"Can…can we talk?"