A/N: So this is a big chapter for a couple of our characters. I spent a long time on this, longer than any other chapter, because I really want to show the dynamics between certain characters. I hope you guys/gals enjoy it. Please leave a review if you would like, because I love reading them haha.

The sun blazed as if Groudon was angered at the world. My skin burned when the rays of the sun furiously made contact. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and even the Pokemon felt like they couldn't fly. Although, I bet Moltres could fly in the sky in this heat.

It was the hottest day of the year. My mom was making some flavored ice pops so we can last survive this hot day and heat wave a little better. The air conditioner was running full blast but it seemed hopeless. My dad talked about using Glalie to cool the house but my mom vetoed that decision.

Probably for the best too.

Aaron, my dad and I were going to go down to Slateport City. It was a good day for "Father and son bonding" or whatever my mom called it.

I was excited to go to get some food items and to see a contest. Slateport City is, well, a port. There is a beautiful beach there, but most importantly, in my opinion, there are a bunch of tents set up to shop. Dad always gives me some cash to go buy stuff. Aaron likes to battle trainers while Dad does business.

It wasn't going to be a business trip in totality. We were going to Slateport to also take a boat to Sky Pillar. My dad knew somebody who was allowed to take us there. Sky Pillar was said to be the home of Rayquaza. Rayquaza hadn't been seen in years, though. It's a sacred place and only a select few people are allowed to go.

That's how connected my dad was.

I remember going to the shopping district and there were so many people there. People from all over Hoenn coming here to get special goods. Goods you don't get anywhere else in Hoenn, not even in Lilycove City.

I got a bunch of berries for my mom and I. I also got a few potions for my dad and pokeballs for Aaron.

Remember, we used to be closer.

After about an hour of shopping, yes an hour, I went up to the Pokemon Center. It's where my dad said we would meet up.

I was in the Center for about 15 minutes when a nurse got a phone call. A trainer and his Mightyena were caught in a landslide by Route 103. Route 103 is north of Slateport City. It connects to the area north of Oldale Town via a body of water.

Didn't think anything of it, but when my dad's Mightyena was brought in 20 minutes later I freaked.

The blood. The screaming.

I blacked out.

Aaron walked in and was talking to me. He was yelling. I couldn't understand him. My mind was blank and my eyes were blurry. Aaron shook his head and grabbed my arm.

It was like I was transported to the Hospital because I don't remember how I arrived there. Aaron and I were sitting on the chairs in a hallway. A man named Steven sat next to Aaron. I think my dad said he was the Champion of the Hoenn League.

"Cameron." Aaron said.

I didn't say anything.

"Cameron look at me," he said.

I looked at him. I looked into his brown eyes and got lost. I recalled the day he broke his arm. I was 8 years old. We were playing ball by the beach and I threw the ball a bit further than he expected. Aaron jumped to catch the ball but then landed and lost his footing. He fell off the hill that leads to the beach and broke his arm.

Now I was only 8 years old, so I was really worried. At the hospital before his surgery we were sitting on these two chairs. I was crying, scared for my big brother, but also guilty. I wasn't sure if he was going to be okay because I didn't know what surgery was or how not serious the surgery was going to be. Plus I hurt him.

I asked him if he was going to be okay. He chuckled and said yes. I believed him, because he was my big brother. He never lied to me. He always told me the truth.

So when we were in the hospital in Slateport City, as I looked into his eyes I had to ask him.

"Is dad going to be okay?"

Cameron looked at me. He wavered for a bit but then he said, "Yes, dad is going to be okay."

A couple hours later my mom arrived and she spoke to the doctor. I could see her crying but I didn't know what set her off. Aaron held my hand as we waited to go into see him.

"Cameron, are you in there?" Caleb said while waving his hand in my face.

I shook my head trying to wipe away the memory I was lost in. "Oh um yeah."

Caleb and I were traversing through Diglett Tunnel. Caleb had just completed Mallow's trial so we decided we were going to go down and explore the rest of Akala Island. It'll be time to face off against Olivia tomorrow and I simply can't wait for that.

"Are you okay?" he asked. he looked at me really concerned as we stopped near a small body of water in the cave.

There were a few people in this cave. A couple scientists and researchers were surveying the tunnel but also people just taking it in and snapping pictures.

I couldn't lie to Caleb. He knows what today is. "Not really."

If you haven't caught on already let me help. Today is the 1 year anniversary of my father's death. It's so hard to believe I've gone 1 year without my dad, my hero.

Meanwhile, I'm here trying to be a Pokemon Trainer going on my own Pokemon Adventure. Something I wouldn't have believed a year ago. Hell, I wouldn't have believed this 3 months ago. But here I am.

Caleb placed his arm around my shoulder as we sat on the ground and took a deep breath.

"I can't imagine how it feels. I have my dad. All I see is how you've handled it. That's my experience with how hard losing a parent could be."

For once Caleb seemed lost, unsure of what to say as if he was walking a tightrope with his words.

"Yeah, I haven't handled it right. I've been one big hot mess," I reply with my head down.

"That's not true at all Cam. You've handled it so much better than you give yourself credit for. Yeah, you mourned, you felt defeated and sulked, but how about now?"

I looked at him. I looked at the ferocity of his focused look.

"You're traveling Alola with your Skitty and a bunch of new Pokemon. You are defending poor children who have their Pokemon taken away. You are standing up against bad people."

"Yeah but some of that is because of you. No, most of that is because of you. You volunteered to battle me in Iki Town. You came up to me at the beach in Hau'oli City. You chose to be my side."

Caleb was mad. I mean, he wasn't stomping mad but he was mad. He furiously shook his head as he removed his arm from my shoulder.

"You don't get it, Cameron." He got up and sighed.

I got up too. "What do you mean?"

He turned toward me and brushed his hair with his hand. "You could've told me to go away. You could've said no. This is you. Yeah, I gave you a shove to do this but that's it. It's like if you were on a swing and I gave you a shove to get going. You moved your legs inward and outward to keep you swinging without my help."

I shook my head.

Caleb bent down and grabbed my bag. He reached into it and grabbed the mask I got from the Alolaweek Festival in Heahea City.

"Look at this mask. Do you understand what the colors mean?"

I shook my head.

Caleb then went on to describe it to me. He told me that the blue indicates purity and vulnerability. The red circles on my cheeks represent that I have strong moral values and can be emotional, however the black dots in them show that life events have caused them to grow stronger. The yellow paint on the corners represents balance. Caleb elaborated that balance is usually created by loyalty towards and from friends and loved ones.

"You're my best friend, Cameron. You need to understand that it's not because I want you to be. It's because you've done everything to show me you are."

He tossed the mask at me and walked away looking upset. I don't think he wanted to walk away from me, but maybe he needed to.

I didn't know what to do.

I left the tunnel back to Heahea City. I sat down on a bench and video-called Carl. He called me earlier to see how I was doing with the anniversary.

He immediately knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" he asked me. He was in his room packing. He was getting ready to finish the Hoenn gyms.

"I'm doing it again, Carl. I'm pushing people away."

His face dropped and then tightened. He looked away from the camera and took a sip of water.

"What happened?"

"Caleb. I was marginalizing his attempts to make me feel better about myself. He got mad or disappointing, I don't know, and walked away."

"What did he say?"

I told him everything, from how we spoke briefly about my dad to the comments he made. Carl just listened and looked at me.

I felt so weak and brittle like one word or a blow of the wind could break me. It was like I had spent this last couple weeks building new skin, skin that makes me stronger and creates a new a improved me. But this anniversary was stripping all of that away making me vulnerable and raw. It's treating what I've become as if it was all a facade.

Carl spoke to me in a soft voice as if he was there in the tunnel listening. He was...is...always so good at understanding me.

"Go find Caleb. That's what he wants you to do. That's what you want to do. Go find him. Don't let him go, Cam. You care for him, that's why you called me, so don't give up and fight to be happy."

I knew he was right, but there was this part of me that screamed that it would be a waste of time.

I had to ignore that part of me. It always led me to being upset and miserable.

"Thank you, Carl."

He nodded his head with a smile.

Before we said goodbye he cleared his throat and said, "I went to his grave earlier. I told him how happy you were now."

I couldn't help but smile as I pictured Carl standing in front of my dad's tombstone. I wish my dad could see me doing this Island Challenge. Although, I guess I wouldn't be here in Alola if he were still alive. If there's a heaven, he's watching me now.

"And Cam?"

"Yup?"

"Sceptile was there. He wasn't with your uncle. Just by himself."

We should've brought dad's Pokemon with us to Alola. All of them. It's sorta cruel that we escaped from Hoenn and the memories while they didn't. They may be Pokemon but they suffer too. They grieve too.

I hung up on Carl and went back into the tunnel and looked for Caleb. I had no clue where he was but I'm hoping he was still in here. Skitty was getting restless having to walk but I didn't want to carry him.

I found Caleb right where we were when he walked away. He was just standing there looking down at the water below.

I didn't say anything to get his attention.. I just walked up to him and hugged him from behind.

He gasped and jumped slightly but relaxed when he knew it was me.

"Thank you," was all I said.

With my head on his shoulder and my arms wrapped around him my mind floated off. I went back to the memory of being in that hospital.

We didn't get to go in and see him. He was brought into surgery because of a hemorrhage. Aaron and I sat in the same chairs and he continued to hold my hand. Our hands became sweaty but still resolute in comfort.

An hour later the doctor appeared down the hall. My mom got up and approached him.

She fell to her knees and cried as Steven got up from his seat and consoled her.

My dad died from the hemorrhage.

I looked down at my knees struggling to grasp the moment as Aaron let go of my hand. I looked at him, more hurt than I ever could be. He didn't meet my glance. He got up from his chair and walked away, in the opposite direction of our mom.

That was the first time Aaron lied to me. It was the first time Aaron wasn't there for me and it hurt so much.

I didn't just lose my father on that day. I lost my best friend and my brother.

I used to think Aaron would go back to being the brother I loved. He never did. The moment he turned his back on me and left me to sit in the hallway chair myself was the last I ever saw of him.

I cried more because of loss of the brother I loved than the death of my dad.