"So, Mr. Davidson-"

"Axel."

Soledad looked up. "What?"

"Axel," Mr. Davidson said, smiling a friendly smile that contradicted his serious appearance. "If we're not here on official business, then I don't see why we need to try to sound professional, Soledad. Please, call me Axel."

Soledad looked back down at her glass of water that was sitting on the table between them, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, right."

The people all around them bustled with activity, destroying the calmness that Soledad had assumed this elegant restaurant would hold when she and Axel had first walked through its threshold. The air was warm, yet filled with meshed voices conversing about various happenings around Lilycove, including the 'epic' contest battle between her and Harley, and Drew and May. Soledad slid down into her booth seat upon hearing such a topic, hoping that no one would randomly scan their eyes across the room and spot her sitting there, coming over to ask for her autograph or share their congratulations for her victory. Though she appreciated such things, she was in no position at the moment to accept them.

Axel had told her that this was where he usually went on his lunch breaks, studying business documents while he was eating his food. Soledad wondered why he didn't go to a quieter place, but she held her tongue before she could articulate that question.

"So, Axel," she began, returning her eyes to her glass of water, feeling somewhat nervous about being around a man Harley wasn't particularly grateful towards, "what really happened between you and Harley? Was he telling me the truth when he said…you know…?"

Axel sighed. He had removed his sunglasses when they had entered the restaurant, confirming Soledad's suspicions that his eyes did indeed carry a metallic blue-green hue that matched Harley's, and they looked tired – but not with age or exhaustion. They looked tired with…hurt, and Soledad couldn't help but wonder if Harley had told her the truth when they were talking about his father.

"Yes," Axel said, taking a sip of his own glass of water. That's all they had ordered when they were seated, having pushed their menus away, telling every waitress that came by to request their meal orders that all they wanted were the drinks right in front of them. Soledad didn't feel hungry anyway. "What he said…about me being gone due to my job and becoming angry with him for deciding to coordinate instead of following in my footsteps, taking over my old company when I was gone…I was angry at him for that."

"And when Harley moved out after you said you were angry," Soledad said, as if reminding him of what had happened, or just wanting him to confirm it all, "you and his mother got a divorce, right?"

Axel turned his head to the window they were sitting beside, watching the rain hit it with distant eyes. "Yes. Even before Harley was born, Sheva and I had been slowly losing our connection. She had been beginning to think that I only wanted her to bear my child – that I was only using her to ensure that my genes were carried down and my company had a future. In a way, that was the truth – the selfish, sickening truth that makes me ashamed to be considered a trustworthy leader by my fellow businessmen.

"But, despite that, I did love her. I loved her deeply. Every time I was scheduled to go on a long business trip, I always looked forward to coming home and seeing her shining eyes again, even if I was too arrogant to tell her any of this. She deserved to know, but yet it was once in a blue moon when I actually said I loved her.

"When Harley told me that he wanted to be a coordinator instead of following in my footsteps, I was angry – so angry I pushed everything away, including him and Sheva. When he moved out, I didn't care. At that moment, I never wanted to see him again. He let me down; he broke my legacy, and I was so blinded by my selfishness that I said things to him he never deserved to hear. Sheva fought for him, saying that she was glad that Harley didn't turn out to be like me. I turned on her as well, saying that I never wanted to see her or my so-called 'son' ever again. We broke up after that, our marriage turning into a simple memory neither of us wanted to remember. She moved to Verdanturf and I moved here to Lilycove, starting a brand new business in the process of forgetting everything associated with my past. I never spoke to either of them after that; we lost our connection entirely, and I lost myself in my work."

Soledad could feel her shoulders sag, holding sympathy for the man sitting across from her. "I…I'm sorry…"

Axel raised a hand, as if halting her words. "Don't be," he said, narrowing his eyes, "I don't deserve your pity. I don't deserve anyone's. I had told Harley and Sheva that they meant nothing to me…when they meant everything."

Soledad looked up at him, her eyebrows raised, and Axel shook his head.

"It was when I was watching television that I saw Harley again after such a long time," Axel continued. "He was at one of his first contests here in Hoenn, and despite still being angry with him I was curious to see why he was so interested in coordinating. I saw him coordinate – I saw him pull off those amazing combinations you coordinators always manage to perform, and I couldn't keep my jaw shut. It reminded me of all of the times Sheva used her own Pokemon to create appeals with their attacks – appeals that were almost as beautiful as her." He clenched his hand into a fist. "But yet again, I never admitted this to her, and when Harley told me that he wanted to coordinate…I really had nothing against the sport. Like I said, it was my anger that made me say things I didn't mean.

"As I saw him coordinate to the top in that contest and win the ribbon, I wanted to see more, and for reasons I couldn't explain at that moment. I continued to watch him enter contest after contest as they were shown on the television, both winning and losing, becoming better and better with time. It was then when I realized something…"

"What?" Soledad asked eagerly.

Axel met her eyes. "I was proud of him – more proud of him than I ever thought I would be. He was amazing out there; he worked so well with his Pokemon that it was as if he was made for the sport. I opened my eyes after that, remembering how I had pushed him away for following his dream and not following mine, and I began to regret everything I did – how my anger, arrogance, and selfishness had tore my previous life apart into shreds that I had simply dumped into the trashcan.

"I knew I couldn't just show up on Sheva's doorstep and tell her I was sorry, or try to contact Harley and tell him that I was proud of him when I clearly convinced him that I would never be. We had spent so much time apart and our connection was broken. I didn't want to attempt to repair something that I knew was unfixable.

"So, I remained where I was, watching the company while watching Harley whenever one of his contests were broadcasted. I contemplated on attending one whenever they were near by, but I couldn't risk being seen by him. Undoubtedly my presence would hurt him, and the last thing I wanted was to hurt him again. He didn't deserve that, nor did Sheva. They had never deserved it."

"Did you know?" Soledad then asked, ignoring how a waiter was attempting to clean the table behind them, dirty plates clashing together as he stacked them on his arms. "Did you know about the contest this morning between me and Harley, and May Maple and Drew Trandafir?"

Axel nodded. "Like when Harley was here a previous time, I feared the chance of him discovering where I was. He didn't know the name of my new company, though, so I figured that that would be enough security." He closed his eyes. "But that didn't stop me from wanting to go – from wanting to see him in person again. However, as I previously mentioned, I couldn't risk such a thing."

He grabbed the handle of his briefcase, which had been sitting right next to his booth, and brought it up, moving his glass of water so he could put it on the table between them. He entered the code into the tiny dials that sealed it shut, then opening it with a click and revealing what Soledad had figured she would see – hordes of business papers that made her wonder how he remained so organized. Then again, he was as broken as a shattered vase on the inside – something his stoic exterior could no longer hide when he confessed his past.

He dug through the papers, placing them to the side of the briefcase, eventually revealing something that stood out from white sheets with black font. He took it out and handed it to her, which she reached forward, gently taking it, and brought it back to examine it.

It was an issue of Coordinating Monthly – a magazine in which every new issue told the recent happenings and gossips about coordinating and its followers. Soledad's eyebrows rose; she was wondering if he always carried an issue of the magazine in his briefcase, hiding it beneath his endless amounts of work documents so that no one else would see it and question him on it. There was something interesting about this issue, though; it was the most recent issue published, and on the cover was a picture of her and Harley beside Drew and May, eyeing one another determinedly like rivals attempting to stare each other down. On the side in big letters was the announcement of the contest battle that had taken place between them that morning; the issue that would explain its aftermath had yet to be printed.

Soledad looked back up at Axel, still holding the magazine in her hand.

Axel ran a hand through his hair. "I've been keeping track of Harley in other ways than just through the television. When I heard that a contest between you all was taking place here, I was both excited and worried at the same time."

"You saw it?" Soledad asked.

"Yes," Axel said, nodding. "I watched it on the television. It was amazing. You two were made to work together. That's why I was surprised when you ran into me back there."

Soledad couldn't help but smile at that, though that smile slowly turned into a frown. "Did you know about the contest before that? The one in Slateport?"

Axel's eyes grew dark. "Yes."

"You knew about the accident?"

"When I learned that Harley was in the hospital after that contest," Axel said, "my heart was broken. I considered going down to see him, but I knew that that wouldn't help him. In fact, it would've most likely made things worse. But when I heard that he had gotten out okay, and that you both stayed as partners, I couldn't help but wonder if you were involved in his healing." He put on a small smile. "If you were, then I have to thank you."

Soledad turned her gaze back to her glass of water, having only taken one sip of it when she first received it. Her throat was dry because of this, but she ignored it, because she had just realized that she had never fully told Axel that she and Harley had been in a relationship. At this point, he deserved to know.

"I…" she began. She shook her head, averting her eyes back to Axel as he began to put away his papers into his briefcase. "Remember when I told you that Harley and I were close?"

"Yes," Axel said, not looking up from what he was doing.

"Well…we were close…as in a relationship."

Axel stopped at that, meeting Soledad's gaze with an arched eyebrow. It almost looked as if he wanted to smile; however, he frowned instead. "What do you mean by…'were'?"

Soledad sighed at that, looking out the same window Axel had been looking out of earlier. The memory of Harley leaving caused her eyes to moisten.

"Because," she said, swallowing hard, "we're not anymore."


Drew tapped his fingers against his door's handle, sitting on the passenger seat of Harley's car when the said amethyst-haired coordinator had invited him in. (He wasn't leaning back against the seat since Harley had warned him not to for some reason.) He had to admit that the air was incredibly warm inside the vehicle when compared to the icy cold temperature that existed outside, but this didn't ease any of the tension that was flourishing between him and Harley, who was still sitting in the driver's seat, the only thing separating them from making contact being the car's brake and gearshift that laid between them.

Cacturne and Garchomp were no longer in the backseat. They had been returned to their Pokeballs when Drew had gotten in, Harley figuring that doing such a thing would make the talk they were supposedly going to share more easier to pull off (not to mention that Garchomp wouldn't stop growling at Drew.)

Drew didn't know where to begin. He was sitting right next to the person he had sworn would always be a mortal enemy, attempting to talk to him to sort out everything between them. But such a thing was easier said than done. He stared out his window, watching the rain pelt it and slide down its transparent surface, leaving trails of water that he focused his attention on since he didn't want to face Harley. The said man was quiet himself as he stared out his own window, not caring that it had been awkwardly silent ever since Drew entered the vehicle. It was evident that he was finding this just as tense as Drew was.

"Listen," Drew said, breaking the silence as if he had broken a mirror, shattering it into dozens of pieces that brought Harley to cringe, "I know there has always been a feud between us, and I'm the reason you and Soledad broke up…"

"You're not the reason."

Drew stopped, looking at Harley, who turned his head to meet his eyes. metallic blue-green clashed with emerald, Drew examining Harley's grim expression, and the chartreuse-haired teen frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're not the reason," Harley repeated, turning his eyes away. "You were never the reason. I was the reason. I broke us up."

"Why?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Harley said, his tone gruff. "Aren't you happy that I'm no longer in Soledad's life? Aren't you relieved?"

Drew looked down at the floor. "I thought I was…" He shook his head and sighed. "You know why I'm so overprotective of Soledad?"

Harley didn't answer. Drew hadn't expected him to.

"It's because I was never close to my own parents," Drew continued. "I mean, they weren't mean to me or anything, but we were just never close. We never sat at the dinner table together…we never watched TV together…we never did anything together. My parents were always busy with other things. They always said they were proud of me and my coordinating, but yet they never came to watch me. It was as if we were just roommates, not family.

"When I first met Soledad, I considered her someone I could turn to – someone I could do things with. Fun things. I could talk to her, I could go to her for advice, and she would always be there for me. That's why I always saw her as a replacement for my mother, because while my mother was never there…Soledad was."

Harley didn't say anything, though his eyes had brightened slightly.

"I can't help but try to protect her," Drew said. "I can't help but worry for her sometimes. When you two were together…I was scared, and I'm pretty sure you know why."

"Of course I know why," Harley replied, his voice unexpectedly calm. Drew had thought he would be offended by his words. "You think I was proud of all those things I did in the past? All those times I tried to hurt May? I regret doing those things every single second of every single day now."

"She said she forgave you."

Harley eyed Drew. "But that won't take them back – that won't change the past. You were right, I was a monster, and I still am a monster. Nothing will ever change that."

Drew pulled back. Those were the exact words he had said earlier, and it brought guilt to build up from within him. His shoulders sagged. "Why did you two break up?" he asked.

"And I ask again – why do you care?"

"Just answer the damn question."

Harley bared his teeth. "It's because she deserves better than me, okay?"

Drew's eyebrows rose at that. He had said that, too. He turned his gaze away, remembering what May had told him. Before he realized it, he spoke:

"The last time I checked, something like that should be Soledad's decision to make…"

Harley's face fell at that. When Drew met his eyes, the teen had to smirk at the fact that the man was speechless.

Eventually, Harley shook his head, escaping from his trance and returning his attention to the world outside of his window. His gaze grew dark as he contemplated that single sentence, not acknowledging how Drew had kept his eyes on him.

"Why are you talking to me?" Harley asked, not moving from his position – not looking back at Drew. "Why are you going through all of this trouble to converse with a person you hate entirely?"

Drew sighed. "It's because I realized something."

"And that would be?"

"I'm never going to trust you," Drew said. "What you did in the past has forever marked what I'll always feel about you. But no matter what you did that while ago…it doesn't encase the future in stone. Your relationship with Soledad…how you nearly sacrificed yourself to save her…and how you evidently loved her with all your heart…that was something I never expected would happen. That just proves that I can't expect the future to be the same as the past."

"But this is like the past," Harley muttered. "I changed myself into something I'm not so Soledad would see me as an equal – so the whole fucking world would see me as an equal. What has that gotten me?"

"It got you Soledad's heart."

Harley let out a dry laugh. "Yes, but I fooled her. I schemed her. How does that make this different than from the past? I'm still as monstrous as I was back then."

Drew turned towards him. "But you've been there for her. You've saved her from death. You've helped her out with her coordinating. You've-"

"I thought you said that none of that stuff proved anything."

Drew clenched his fist. "It did. I was just too stubborn to accept the fact that it did. It proved everything."

"Which would be?"

"It proved that I was wrong."

Harley's jaw slightly dropped at that, and yet again he was at a loss for words.

Drew swallowed hard. "I should've never gotten in the way of your relationship. If you two wanted to be together, then you had every right to be. I may not like you, but our feud shouldn't have to involve Soledad."

"Thank you…" Harley said softly. "Drew, I mean it."

Drew waved a hand as if it was nothing of importance, though at the same time the tensed muscles inside of his body relaxed slightly.

"But it doesn't matter," Harley then said, turning his eyes to the ground. "Soledad's gone. I can't go after her."

"What's stopping you?"

"Like I said – me. I'm not a person worthy of her love. She'll find someone more worthy."

"You can't dwell on the past," Drew said. His gaze grew dark. "The entire time I have been doing that, and it has only made things worse. Soledad's a wonderful person, and she loves you dearly. I know that you still love her. Don't let her go, otherwise you'll be spending the rest of your days regretting it."

"But-"

"May and I are leaving for Johto in about a week," Drew added. "Soledad's probably going to come if I can manage to sort things out with her. It's now or never."

"I don't know, Drew…" Harley said.

Drew frowned, turning his gaze to the floor. A few seconds later, his head perked up as he thought of a plan, and he returned his attention to Harley, his face stern. "Café by my hotel. Tomorrow at noon."

Harley eyed him. "What?"

"There's a café by my hotel," Drew explained. "Be there by noon tomorrow."

Before Harley could reply, Drew grabbed his umbrella, opened the door, and stepped out into the rainy world outside.

"Wait, Drew!" Harley said, reaching towards him. "What do you mean? Why do I need to go to the café?"

"You'd be an idiot if you let someone like Soledad go," Drew said, having to speak louder in order for Harley to hear him over the rain. "I'm giving you another chance. Don't mess it up this time."

"But-"

Drew growled. "Just do what I say, okay? Before I change my mind!"

And with that, Drew closed the door and left, disappearing from sight behind the alleyway he had come in from.

Harley only leaned back in his seat, wondering what Drew was planning.


Slowly, Soledad had told Axel everything that had happened with Harley – how he had changed who he was to be considered a trustworthy person in everyone's eyes, including hers. She told him what had happened after the contest earlier that day – how he had broken up with her because he didn't see himself as a person worthy of her love, and how such a thing had left her lost and confused. Axel listened with attentiveness, nodding his head at her words, crossing his arms in front of his face as any professional businessman would when listening to a client's case. Though, Soledad was far more than just a simple client…

"I admit," Axel said once Soledad had finished, "I found it weird when Harley suddenly started showing up to contests dressed like some sort of motorcyclist. I thought he had simply changed his attire – I mean, he was highly into fashion – but I never once speculated that it all had a deeper meaning than that."

"He did it all for me," Soledad muttered, her fingers wrapped around her glass of water though she had no interest in sipping it. "He did it all for everyone."

Axel leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. "That only makes me feel more guilty – all those times I scowled at him for being like Sheva; for having a 'softer' side."

"It's not too late," Soledad said, raising her head and meeting his eyes. "I don't know where Harley is exactly, but he said that he was driving back to Slateport. If you take a trip down there – if you try to confront him again and tell him what you told me – maybe that can fix some of this." Her eyes darkened. "I'm not expecting him to get back together with me or anything if you do. I just want him to be at peace with this. I don't want him to be in pain."

Axel sighed. "I understand, but would me confronting him actually solve anything? When he told you about me, it sounded like he despised me. I don't blame him, for all of the things I've done to both him and Sheva. If I could take it all back, I would, but I highly doubt he'll ever want to speak with me again."

"You have to try. You can't miss an opportunity like this – it'll only make you wonder what could have happened."

"That's easier said than done, I'm afraid."

Right as Soledad was about to respond to that, her pocket began to ring. She looked at it, arching an eyebrow, and reached into it, pulling out her PokeNav. When she saw who was calling, she practically gasped.

"Drew!"

Quickly, she hit the button to talk and brought it to her ear, Axel watching her with bewilderment.

"Drew!" she said, smiling goofily. "You called back! I never thought you would talk to me again-"

"Where's your hotel room?" Drew asked, his voice stern.

Soledad's face fell at that. "Huh? What?"

"Where's your hotel room?"

"I, uh…"

"I want to talk to you in person. Where's your hotel room?"

Soledad frowned, but then told him where she was staying.

"I'll be there soon," Drew said. "Come meet me."

He hung up.

Soledad pulled the PokeNav from her ear, staring at its screen as if the caller had been a creature from another planet. What was Drew trying to do? Did he want to confront her in person in an attempt to sort everything out? Or, was he going to do something different?

"Is there a problem?" Axel asked, breaking Soledad from her trance and reminding her that he existed.

"I need to return to my hotel," she answered, sounding as if she was now in a rush. She got up from her seat.

Axel got up with her. "Wait, it's still raining outside. I'll drive you there – just tell me where it is."

Soledad met his eyes, putting on a soft smile. "Thank you."


Once Axel dropped off Soledad right by the entrance into her hotel, he told her that he had to return to work. She nodded and said goodbye, reminding him to think about what she had said – about confronting his son. He said nothing on the matter, driving away in silence, and Soledad wondered if her words had really gotten to him. She didn't have time to think about it, though, and she rushed into the lobby of the hotel, taking the elevator to her floor and making her way towards her room. When she entered the hallway where her room was located, she saw a figure standing by her door.

And as she grew closer, she realized it was Drew.

She felt her body go rigid, fighting the urge to run forward and embrace him. She had missed him so much.

"Hey, Soledad," he said when she came close enough for her to hear him, his calmness contradicting her overjoyed expression. His eyes were turned to the floor, as if he was ashamed to face her. "I talked with Harley-"

Soledad stopped in place, her eyes widened. "You…what?"

"-and I wanted to say…I'm sorry."