AN: This chapter has a lot of dialogue. I would love to get feedback on what you think about some of these conversations and if anything was confusing, let me know in reviews so that maybe another reader or myself can clear things up.

The ear piercing went relatively well. Both human and Pokémon screamed, cried, and spent way too much money on their first pair of earrings, but that is what happens when a ten-year-old and a cat get their ears pierced on a boat without parental guidance. Jay picked out a pair of black diamond studs while Lily opted for dangling cat-shaped crystals. They decided to meet everyone hours later at the disembarking deck, as Lily and Jay had spent the whole boat ride away from the rest of the group in order to procrastinate the meeting between them and their fellow traveling companions.

As they had hoped, Lily and Jay spotted the rest of their group before they spotted them. Pip jumped out of Jay's arms and ran up to Amber the moment he saw her.

"Hey Pip, where's Jay, Togetic, and Lily?" Amber asked the Pichu, who had darted towards her with impressive speed and subsequently jumped onto her shoulder. "I missed you. I can't believe that spiky purple-haired jerk kept you away from me the whole day! I wonder what he was thinking."

Amber stopped her rant as Jay and Lily came into view. She stood with her eyes squinting. When she realized who the pair was, she tapped Soledad and Annastasia on the shoulders.

"Whoa. Lily, you're pink!" Logan exclaimed. "Like an Espeon!"

"I know, Stupid," Lily said as they playfully spared. "I dyed it."

"Forever?!"

"It'll last about a year."

"Do you have holes in your ears?!"

"Yep. You like?"

Logan winced as he imagined the needle going through her ear.

"It looks so cool!" Jocelyn exclaimed.

"Flaaa fee Fla!"

"Jay! Your head's baby blue! And your ears! Ouchies, they're red!"

Jay blushed and ran a hand through his hair. He had been styling in spikes since age five, and before that, it was long and always been hanging past his shoulders, either tied back or loose. This was short and soft, unlike anything he ever had before. It was blue on the top, but the hair on the bottom of his head near and on his neck was still violet.

"No wonder you were gone for so long," said Amber. "You transformed into a Blue-Jay!"

"Oh no! I didn't even think of that!" Jay exclaimed. "I shoulda went with pink instead..."

"I like that nickname though," said June. "I wish I had a nickname. Blue-Jay. It's cute."

"I never had a nickname…Maybe I can come to like it."

"Blue-Jay's funny," said Takeshi. "June you can be…um…we can maybe think of one later…if you want…Jay, I like your earrings, but don't they hurt?"

"Thanks, and not really."

Amber gently squeezed one of the lobes and then rolled her eyes at the way he writhed in agony.

"Can we touch your hair?" Soledad asked.

"Sure," Jay replied.

"Wow, that's soft!" said Jocelyn.

"Fla!"

"The softest hair I ever felt," said June.

"Ditto," said Soledad.

"It feels better without all that gooey gel shit in it," said Amber.

"Amb, that's a curse!" Jay gasped.

Amber ruffled his hair. "Whatever."

"Uh, A, do you like it?"

Jay's eyes widened and gulped as Annastasia took a—purposefully staged—long look at his head.

"I love it, I think Mom and Dad will love it, and I'm proud of you doing something kinda out of your comfort zone," she responded. "Those earrings though…are those real diamonds?"

"Uh…Yes, but I've been saving up my birthday money, and Papa said I can buy myself something expensive as long as I took good care of it," Jay replied. "You really like it?"

"Love it."

"Yay!"

"We didn't think it was possible, but you're even cuter now than you were before," said Lexi.

"Thanks!"

"Jay, you're so crazy," Soledad remarked.

"I agree," said Amber. "You coulda bought something useful with all that cash."

"Well...some people spend money on books and sports and I spend mine on beauty," he replied.

"Fair," said Soledad.

"You look so different…it'll be hard to get used to," said June.

"I always wanted to get them done," Jay responded. "And even though Annastasia doesn't have her ears pierced, both my parents have theirs done."

June turned to Annastasia. "I never noticed you didn't have your ears pierced."

Annastasia shrugged. "I'm not really into jewelry. That's always been Jay's thing."

"I'm too afraid to get my ears pierced," said Jocelyn. "But someday I will. Maybe Flaafy will too!"

"Flaaa…" Flaafy said nervously.

"Don't worry Flaafy, I won't let Jocelyn force you to pierce your ears too," said Annastasia.

"Hey, how come I'm not getting as many compliments as this blueberry popsicle?" Lily asked the crowd.

"Lily, you're super cute, like a little Espeon," said Soledad. "Because of your ruby charm and that shade of pink."

"I agree," said June. "Your earrings are really cool too."

"Why'd you do it?" Lexi asked. "I thought you already looked awesome. Most people have never seen a Shiny Meowth before."

"I know I looked awesome," Lily replied. "I wanted to mix things up. Humans do their makeup and dress in nice clothes, I got fur. I used that to my advantage."

"You're probably the coolest Meowth ever," said Takeshi.

"I agree," said Takeshi.

"Squirrrtle," Squirt Gun nodded.

"I know," Lily replied.

"Yeah and now you're gonna make everyone confused. Not only are you a shiny Meowth in a uniform that sometimes walks on two legs and can speak human, but now you're pink and have pierced ears too," said Takeshi.

Everyone continued to compliment the two on their new look while they got on line to disembark the ship.

"Were you all at the rink this whole time?" Lily asked the others.

"Mostly," said Soledad. "We came up here for a while to look at the water. We caught some new Pokémon too."

"That's awesome!" said Jay. "What kind? How?"

"A flock of Wingull and Natu flew by," said Amber. "I used my arrow and net technique to catch a whole bunch of them."

"They fell to the deck in a heap, so we untied them from the net, and then we battled," said Takeshi. "June and Soledad each got a Natu, I got a Wingull, and Amber got one of each."

"Pichu pi!"

"I know, I know," Amber sighed as she patted Pip. "I didn't wanna fight without ya, but it was a great opportunity. We're one step closer to having a whole army of flying-types. I will let them out so you can meet. I had forgotten how hard it was to battle without you here. Your electric attacks would have been perfect for this."

"I wish I was with you too," Jay sighed. "I should add to my team."

"They'll be plenty more chances to catch Pokémon," said Annastasia. "I'll ensure it."

Michio joined them as they finished up that conversation. His eyes widened at the sight of Jay—he was almost unrecognizable with his hair, earrings, change of clothes, and outstanding confidence.

"What do you think of Jay's look?" Rita asked when the others were not paying attention. "I noticed you have a little earing of your own."

She bopped Michio's black clay earing with her finger. He grimaced as he put his hand over it.

"I don't care what Jay does to his ears," Michio responded. "But—he's going to get treated like shit by some of the older other trainers for looking like that."

"Awe, I think it's cute. Do you think he is cute? Or are you not into that?"

"I hate talking to this girl so much,' Michio thought as he glared at Rita.

"Yeah, he's adorable," Michio grumbled. "And I am not gay, or a pedophile, by the way."

"I didn't ask that," Rita responded. She clicked her tongue sarcastically. "I was just wondering what your tastes were. Some people like guys with earrings."

"Go away."

"You are always upset because no one understands you, so help me understand. We can meet up later and 'talk' about all your preferences. I can tell you what I like having done, and you can tell me what you like having done; it'll be great."

"Yuck," Amber said as she looked between the two. "Geeze, I just wanted to know how much longer we had to stand here. I'll find someone else to tell me."

"Bye," Michio said before pushing past the crowd, disappearing among the dozens of others.

Rita groaned in annoyance and walked back over to her traveling party, who were still waiting in line to disembark.

"Where's Michio?" Annastasia asked Rita anxiously. "I can't find him anywhere! Amber says she just saw you with him…?"

"Don't worry, he'll make it off the boat," said Rita. "Probably."

XO

"Welcome to Valéncia Island," Nurse Joy said as they entered the Pokémon Center.

"Thank you," Annastasia responded. She handed Nurse Joy a bag of Pokéballs and an envelope. "These are Tauros. They received some spa treatment while on the ferry from Golden Village Port, but I would still like them to have a proper check-up. We're borrowing them from a friend, Ash Ketchum. I have his signature disclosed."

"No problem! Is this your first time here?"

"This is our first time in Porta Vista, but most of us have been to Valéncia Island before."

"I hope you find Porta Vista to your liking. Not many tourists come around anymore, but luckily, we still have enough to keep things running. I imagine all you young trainers will challenge the Coral Gym Leader while you're here?"

"Yep," said Amber.

"Totally," said Jay.

"Excellent. So, will there be any other Pokémon you'd want me to take a look at?" Joy asked.

Annastasia gestured for the children to step forward. They each took turns explaining how they wanted their Pokémon to have a quick checkup before their gym battles. Nurse Joy and Chansey put each Pokémon and/or Pokéballs on the carts and rolled them to the patient rooms in the back. June once again asked to accompany her, and to no one's surprise, the Nurse Joy welcomed her warmly. Everyone else decided to put their stuff in their bunks, check in with their parents, and catch up on some of that schoolwork they were forced to take on the road.

"I can stick June's backpack with my stuff," Soledad offered. "I'll share a room with her and Lexi. Rita, do you wanna join us?"

"I have a friend who lives here and I'm going to crash at his place," said Rita.

"Are you sure?" Jocelyn asked Rita. "You hardly ever stay with us. You always go off to one of your friend's places or stay alone."

"I make friends pretty easily, and when they invite me to stay, I wouldn't want to be rude and ignore them."

Annastasia rolled her eyes as Jocelyn nodded in misunderstanding.

After about an hour, Amber's stomach grumbled loudly, reminding them all that it was time to eat.

"Are we going to a restaurant for dinner?" Jocelyn asked.

"We could, but it's already 7:00 pm. I'd rather eat here. What do you all want?"

"Pizza!"

"Flaafy!"

"I could go for anything," said Nolan.

"Same here," said Takeshi.

"This Pokémon Center happens to have one of the best menus out of all the Pokémon Centers in Kanto," said Rita. "They get fresh seafood from the ocean and fresh fruit from the orchards in the woods. The soil is also great for growing vegetables, so everything you get here tastes extra great. And since it is a popular city and port, a lot of worldwide chefs work in this area—including here."

"Well, I'm starving," Amber said as she made her way to the café.

Everyone but Annastasia, Michio and their Pokémon left the dorm area. Michio was hoping that there would be a moment like this soon because he had been wanting to talk to her alone for a while now. Being the leader of the group, she was always occupied, and he never had a chance to talk the way he had wanted to ever since his first witnessed Annastasia having a vision.

Annastasia was combing out her long hair in her temporary bedroom. She didn't notice him at first, and since she wasn't expecting him, she almost attacked him when she went to shut off the lights and saw him standing there with Scarlett on his shoulder.

"Shit! You scared me!" she gasped, smacking him with her hairbrush.

"I thought you hated cursing," Michio responded. "For someone who doesn't like cursing, you sure curse a lot."

"I never said I didn't like cursing. I just don't like when people do it in front of the kids since their parents don't want them to get into the habit. Besides, you scared me and it was a natural reaction. What's up?"

"I wanted to talk. Is that wrong?"

"Pika?" asked Scarlett.

"No, but it's strange," Annastasia replied. "Why are you watching me comb my hair? I told you I don't like being stared at."

"Lili pup!" Lil-G growled.

"Can you give us space?" Michio asked the Pokémon.

"Pikachu, pika pi pika," Scarlett explained to Bleu and Lil-G.

Scarlett's explanation convinced Bleu and Lil-G to leave alongside her. Michio and Annastasia were alone for the first time ever.

"I was just waiting for you to finish combing your hair," said Michio. "You should be able to trust me by now."

"Well, you make it difficult," Annastasia sighed. "Tell me why you want to talk. If it's about the strikes and points system I will tell you now you are doing fine, better than I expected, actually. Your parents received the progress report I told you they requested. They weren't disappointed."

"Oh. That's great..."

"You're unhappy because I brought that up."

"Yeah; that's not at all what I want to discuss."

"Then what is it?"

"I want to talk about…you."

Michio stepped into her room. Annastasia shut the door, then crossed her arms and watched him keenly.

"What about me?" she prompted.

"About that thing that you have," he said. "I figured something out."

"What do you mean?"

Michio handed her an article from what appeared to be an old magazine. The back cover revealed it was from a seventeen-year-old science journal.

"Do you know about this?" Michio inquired.

The journal was about the fusions, and how could be manipulated, controlled, or even calmed Aura Guardians, and how they can cause visions and seizures in humans. In another section of the magazine, there was a news section with some information about how Team Firestar had been experimenting with fusions. They even mentioned her parents by name, and she observed the quote about how 'their unnamed baby girl that was originally thought to have deceased somehow managed to live after all, though no one was quite sure what the lasting effects would be on her health'. When she was finished, she flipped it over a noticed a stamp that had a number code and the words 'Baydon Lab: do not remove' written on it.

"You took this from my parents," said Annastasia. "When we were staying in Pallet."

"I thought it was interesting, so I took it. You weren't telling me anything, and I just want to…get you. Get you as in, understand you…So, did you know? Did you know that the fusions are what are causing you to…um...?"

"Spazz?"

"I wouldn't say 'spazz', more like, well, they're seizures. Staring seizures…"

"...PTSD staring seizures. Well, congratulations. You figured me out."

She was clearly upset, something he didn't anticipate. She shoved the scrap from the journal back into his hands.

"I didn't think you would be so…upset. With me," said Michio. "Upset that I took it, or that I know."

Annastasia took scarcely a moment to reassess.

"It's fine that you know," she said calmly. "My parents know about this. They wanted to hide it at first, and they did for several weeks, but then I came back to Pallet, and they decided they couldn't lie, say that I wasn't connected to these fusions when I knew inherently that I was. And it's going to get worse."

"What do you mean?" said Michio.

"It requires a lonnnnng explanation."

"Well, I have no life. Tell me. From the beginning."

"Sure."

Michio smiled smugly, satisfied that the conversation was going his way for once. Then he grimaced because he was reminded of how much he hated seeing her upset.

"The only reason I am so 'great' with Pokémon is because I'm sensitive to auras," she began. "I learned how to manipulate them when I was little. I didn't realize it at first. I had this control over them. My great-grandparents said that my papa was similar as a child so no one really questioned it."

"If you didn't know you were manipulating someone, then how is it manipulation?" he asked.

"Because I wasn't sure if I was really giving them a fair chance to make all their own choices. I was controlling them, like toys…sometimes I still worry that I'm influencing them without meaning to, doing it in a way that practically compels..."

'Like you and me on this stupid journey,' Michio thought, though he decided to keep it to himself.

Annastasia spent the few minutes explaining, in detail, what the visions were like, when they started, and basically everything she knew about them, including the speculation that they had been triggered by the incident proceeding her birth over seventeen years in the past. He listened the whole way through without interrupting.

"And you're still here," he said after she was silent for a while. "Good work, Champ."

"I don't want to be praised for being strong. This just happened to me. Like blonde hair. It's just something I have and I'm not moral for it...if anything, I'm closer to damned," she replied. "My alternative is to not live."

"I speak for everyone you know when I say you're better off here than in—"

"Hell?"

"If you're in Hell, then I'm in Hell: Level Ten."

Annastasia laughed, making him laugh, which made them both wish there was a way to make this moment known to all without publically announcing it.

"I can't imagine how your parents felt, being told all this shit, some of it before you were technically supposed to be alive," said Michio.

"I'm surprised you went there," she replied.

"Why?"

"Because you don't come across as a family guy."

"What makes you say that?"

"You've told me at least twelve times that you hate your parents."

"Well, mine suck. Yours aren't so bad."

"I never straightforwardly said this to anyone before, but even after all this time, I think we're all still recovering. At times, it's obvious on me, but my parents, Meowth, Lucy, Rumika...everyone involved, it's always hidden."

"That's...shitfully awful."

"I thought so too for a while, but now I just think of it as an occurrence. If that didn't happen, who would I be? Hell, if everything went the way my parents planned, I wouldn't be alive."

"Why'd it take you this long to tell me what was up?"

"Because I can't fully trust you yet." She held up the article. "This is important information; you can't just take it and then carry it around in a half-broken backpack."

"I figured it would be worth the consequences."

She was impressed but didn't make it obvious.

"Anyway, it is like the literature says, the visions are going to get worse the more prevalent the fusions become," said Annastasia. "They already have—I get them every night now. The only way to make it stop is to stop the fusions. No one is really sure how to do that yet. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish this journey, but when I agreed to do this it was before I knew about all this stuff. No matter what, I'll do my best to maintain focus here while everyone else with whom I have worked finds a way to stop them."

"It's amazing that you can do everything you do when there is so much on your mind," Michio sighed.

Annastasia could barely hide her laugh. He sounded so sincere: interested, empathetic, even compassionate. She didn't expect those results for at least another month.

Annastasia spent some time soaking that up. Michio felt embarrassed for saying that, even though it was best that he did.

"Thanks," said Annastasia. "I have some questions for you as well."

"Which are what?" he replied.

"Why are you still here?"

"Because we are having a conversation. I wasn't just going to leave after that information bomb."

"I mean in general. I said that once you built up a decent team of Pokémon for protection, I didn't care if you spent some time away from the rest of the group. I could give a cash allowance and you could travel at your own pace and go to the gyms you want to go to. That was the agreement between me and your parents, remember? You've become friendly with your starter, have had a good team for weeks now, you have gotten somewhat used to the terrain, and yet you are still sticking with us. Why is that?"

He tried to think up a good excuse as to why he hadn't left them yet when for the first two weeks of their journey he had spent every day complaining about how he couldn't wait until he had enough Pokémon to ditch them.

"Well…you all have potions and stuff that are nice to borrow so that I don't have to buy them myself," he mumbled.

"That's not why," she countered.

"Says who?"

"I've been thinking that there might be something else you want from me."

She didn't have that 'Rita voice' as he had come to call it, but he knew right away what she was implying. She sounded sad about it too, like it was a pity that he might possibly like her. This made him upset.

"What the hell? What makes you think there is something else that I need?" he retorted.

Annastasia stared at the watch her great-grandparents gave her months earlier.

"It just seemed liked maybe there was," she said as she moved towards the door. "I should pick up June before she misses dinner; She's probably done with Nurse Joy."

"I thought you'd be a bit more...emotional…or something…about this," Michio said in disbelief.

He was disappointed that she was ready to leave after such an intense conversation—and before he could get to the second topic he desperately wanted to discuss.

"Sorry to disappoint," said Annastasia. "And about the other thing…, I'm not the person you're looking for. I don't have those feelings and I can't change. So…yeah. We have to get June. The cafeteria closes in less than an hour. If you want to eat tonight, you should come along."

Annastasia walked down the hall, joined by Lil-G, Bleu, and Scarlett. She was about to turn the corner with them when Michio decided he wasn't going to let her have the chance slip away like every other time. There was still that something he has been waiting to discuss with her ever since he had that surprise meeting with her mother at the picnic in Cerulean City, and he was done with all the misconceptions surrounding his intentions behind everything that he said and did.

"You think that you and I are so different, don't you?" Michio called after her, loud enough for her to hear but not loud enough to make him sound angrier than usual. "You have me all figured out and you know just what I'm looking for. Well did you ever think that you could possibly be wrong?"

"You don't have to explain. Stop talking before you regret it," she mumbled as she continued down the hall.

'Fuck, she's getting away again,' he thought to himself. 'That is just about the last thing I wanted her to say.'

He grabbed her arm. She turned and slammed him against the wall.

"You're so lucky that this place is empty," she hissed. "Because if the kids were around, I'd be tempted to phone the police."

"You don't need the police," he responded breathlessly. "You can kick the police's ass."

"They'd come for the show."

Annastasia dragged him back towards her dorm room and pushed him inside. She let the Pokémon in and then locked the door behind them.

"So, the way this works is that you can grab me and shove me in a room but I can't do the same to you?" he asked.

"You can," she shrugged. "I'll fight back and make you regret it though. Now…say everything you have to say. I promise I won't hurt you."

Michio sat on the bed and crossed his arms. Scarlett, Bleu, and Lil-G all joined Annastasia on the opposite side. He didn't even know what to say, so shocked that her power had just come out of nowhere like that. She was more upset than he realized; he didn't remember how good she was at hiding all her emotions—and at martial arts.

"Go on," she encouraged.

"Text Jay," said Michio. "Tell him you and I had to talk. He and Nolan or Lexi will pick up June and you and I won't have to rush."

"I'll be the judge of how long the conversation lasts. I'll have my phone ready, but I'm not texting him right away."

"Fine—just hear me out."

"Pika, pi pi Pikachu," said Scarlett, rubbing her face against Annastasia.

"That was in your favor," said Annastasia. "Now talk."

Michio took a deep breath. "It bothers me that you don't trust me."

He waited ten seconds for her to react, but all he got was her neutral expression. She spoke up when he realized he was awaiting a response.

"That's what this is about?" she asked. "That is just who I am. I trust you a little bit, and I think that is more than most people trust you."

"I suppose…"

"Trust isn't something that I can just hand out. It's a gift. You can ask me to trust you all you want and try to win it but it doesn't work that way."

"I figured…but it bothers me because I think I know more about you than you know about me."

"I see your point, but, you're not a stranger to me. I've spoken to your parents. I know about your family. I know what they think of you."

"That isn't the same."

"I know. I'm just pointing it out."

"Pikachu pi," Scarlett said as she pushed Michio, urging him to talk more.

"So, now you want to earn my trust? How sweet," said Annastasia.

"Um, well, sorta, I mean my intention isn't to be 'sweet' I just…. Well, yeah. I want to know what I have to do to get you to like—trust—me," he stumbled.

"I do like you. Trust is different. Harder."

Scarlett shocked Michio with a mild Thunderbolt, just enough to make him jump.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked the Pokémon.

"Pikapi chu," Scarlett said before curling back into Annastasia's lap.

"This is getting interesting. I'll text Jay and let him know that we plan on being later than I expected," Annastasia said as she lifted her phone. "Now, what are your intentions? Do you wanna be friends?"

"Well, yeah…that's a good start."

"Friendship is as much as you're getting; I'm not going to have sex with you."

"I don't want to have sex with you anyway."

"Good. Continue."

"I...never mind…I can't—won't—do this."

Michio headed towards the door. Scarlett blocked it, threatening to shock him if he dared to open it.

"Please move," he sighed.

Scarlett shook her head 'no'. Sparks lit up around her face, emphasizing her point.

"No way you are putting me through all that and then just chickening out," said Annastasia. "Come over here and explain yourself. Why did you call me out? Why are you so desperate for me to know you? You said we aren't so different after all. Tell me what makes us alike."

Michio scowled and rubbed his face into his hands. He hesitantly retook his position opposite to Annastasia. Scarlett put a sympathizing paw on his arm.

"I will, but you have to explain some things to me too," he responded.

"Are we ever going to have a straightforward conversation?" she asked.

"Probably not...besides, you're the one who always causes the randomness."

"I know that all too well."

The Pokémon seemed relieved that the tension in the room had finally decreased. Michio again noticed how when she wasn't stressed, both Annastasia and Scarlett put out these calming vibes; that's what always drew him towards them.

"Talk to me. Eventually, I'll stop asking, then you'll regret not responding."

"I'm not ready to tell you all my secrets," he retorted. "But..."

His hands shook as he nervously picked at his nails.

"I accidentally found something out about you, and I can relate. I think you will trust me a lot more if I tell you," he continued.

"Don't tell me you have visions too," Annastasia replied.

"It's nothing like that."

She moved closer. "Can I touch your arm?"

"Uh, sure."

She placed her palm on the nook of his elbow. He felt an instant calm.

"You're shaking," she quietly noted. "I already said I wasn't going to hurt you. It'll be okay, I promise."

She didn't know it, but Michio felt that was the most reassuring thing someone has ever said to him.

"I heard you're asexual. You don't like people. Is that true?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Really? You aren't joking?"

"Why would that be a joke?"

"Um…"

"What made you think I wasn't?"

"Well, you're very...Most people are straight—it was a reasonable deduction."

"So, is that all? You just wanted to ask another dumb question?"

He was annoyed that she called it 'dumb', but didn't care enough to voice this aloud—yet.

"There's something more, about me, about you," he sighed. "I have the same dilemma. I'm one of them too."

Annastasia tried to hold back her laughter, but she couldn't help herself. She turned away and shoved her face into the nearest pillow, laughing louder than she had since they left on their journey. The Pokémon watched her in confusion while a feeling of intense upset built inside of Michio.

"I just poured my soul out to you and you laugh?" he asked, more confused than hurt.

"Oh my God," she said as she attempted to recover from her giggle fit. "That's what's going on here…What are the chances? Besides, that didn't count as 'pouring out your soul'."

"This is a big deal for me. It's something that's been bothering me for almost half my life and it's only going to get worse as time goes on; it's not like I can explain this to my family without…I just can't."

"I didn't realize that this was a big deal, or worth considering hidden…I thought it was obvious; I mentioned multiple times that I didn't want sex."

"I didn't know that applied to everyone in the world—I assumed you just meant me personally."

"I like you, a lot. I want us to be friends…You called this a 'dilemma '…geeze…but I know what you mean. Society wasn't built for lone wolves such as we."

"There's a stigma where I live. If you're anything diverging from the status quo—especially when you're in upper class—you're as good as exiled. I don't love my 'palace' but I have nowhere else to go if that bridge gets burned."

"I don't remember Alola being so uptight…Why would other people care?"

"Arranged marriages. Passing on the family name. Inheritances. Babies. Family ties—that shit matters to the Kapule Klan."

"I never considered that."

"I know."

"Pi," said Scarlett, sympathizing with Michio's distress.

"You'll always have a place to go," said Annastasia.

He looked down at her hand, which she never moved from his arm. He almost put his hand over hers but decided against it.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"As long as I'm around, you'll have at least one friend," she replied. "Though I think it's safe to safe at least two."

"Pikaaa," Scarlett agreed.

"And as my friend—I'll make sure nothing gets you, even if that nothing is yourself. And also, when did you figure me out? When did you realize? I thought it was obvious, but it obviously wasn't to you."

"Your mother told me," he replied. "FYI, it wasn't obvious. Are you going to tell me now that there's some 'obvious' explanation for your emotions as well? Why are you laughing? First, you were all nonchalant, then I thought you were going to kill me, then you were sympathetic, and now you are all happy? Don't you realize how hard this is for me? It's serious. I can't go home like this. They want me to get married and have kids and shit."

"Okay, one thing at a time. "First, I'm laughing because I'm touched that you spent so much time thinking about this."

"I care about other people occasionally."

"I'm a bit erratic at time. I suppose I never really showed you this side of me. As a leader, I spend so much time making sure everyone else is okay instead of focusing on myself, even if all that means is acknowledging my emotions."

"You should chill more often."

"So, should you. I know it can be hard. Of course, my family really doesn't care if their children aren't straight, but you have a lot of expectations placed on you."

"More than you know."

"Good news: you have a history of being such a big jerk; you can use that as your explanation as to why you have no lover. But if you decide to come out instead, your family probably won't care as long as you decide to start acting like a decent human being. It can work both ways for you."

"You're so complicated."

"I don't try to be. Tell me what else is on your mind—I sense there's more."

"In addition to what I already said, my family expects me to cover the family business. Apparently, my brother can't do it all alone."

"Koan isn't married either. Or responsible. And he's older. Why are you whining about it? If he is single why can't you be?"

"You're missing the point."

"Then point it out because it sounds to me like you still have a lot of soul-searching to do."

"Honestly I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I don't need a fucking counselor."

"What's wrong with a counselor? I have one. He doesn't give me much real-world advice but he's a good listening ear. I think you do need someone to talk to, even if it's just a friend."

"That's not what I need."

"Like I said. I know your past. The gambling, the drinking, the insane purchases. Now that all those outlets are gone, you are even more frustrated than before. So, although I don't know everything, I do know a lot."

"Talking about it isn't going to make a difference."

"Then tell me why you are still here."

"Just...just leave or change the subject."

"Fine."

"How'd you figure out you were ace?"

"That is not a subject change."

"That's ironic for me—you'll see what I mean by that if you choose to stick around. We can talk about Koan and the rest of your family. Or we can end this conversation."

"No."

"No?"

"Just…stay here."

"Hmmm. Okay."

'I wonder if she really knows what this is like for me,' Michio thought to himself.

"So?" Annastasia asked, awaiting his response. "We won't have the opportunity to talk alone again for a while. Take advantage."

"It's not like I just woke up one day and decided 'how do I make my life harder?'." Michio finally responded. "I don't remember, I don't know how, and I don't know why."

"You mean about being asexual."

"Yeah."

"Well, you're not alone. That I can guarantee."

Michio took a deep breath and looked at Scarlett.

"Pi, Pikachu pika," she chanted.

"Why?" he inquired.

"You understand her too?" Annastasia asked.

"Yeah."

"We don't know why, Scarlett. That's just the way we are."

"Pi."

Annastasia returned her attention to Michio. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"No," he said, surprised she'd ask.

"Boyfriend?"

"No."

"A SO with some other gender?"

"No."

"A friend with benefits?"

"No! Nothing. No sex ever. Now stop asking. I liked it better when we were talking about you."

"We've already established that we know more about me that we know about you. And this is fun. Also, you should note that 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' doesn't mean sex. Some people still like romance."

"Well, most people just assume."

"I suppose I assumed that about you for a while too, as I way to defend myself. I was hypocritical and I'm sorry."

Michio never received a more sincere apology.

"You're forgiven," he said.

"Thank goodness!" Annastasia sarcastically replied.

"Pikaapi!" Scarlett laughed.

"Okay, whatever," he replied. "So, where'd you learn about all this ace shit?"

"I told you, I have been around the world. I listen to people. Something tells me that this is the first real adult conversation you've ever had."

She looked away and giggled some more.

"What are you laughing at now? What did I do?" Michio asked desperately.

"It's a good thing we met, or you'd be screwed. Possibly quite literally," she responded, laughing some more.

"Okay…so that's it? Your family is completely fine with this?"

"Yep. My mom said that she thinks I might be like my dad because he wasn't with anyone until got with my mother. She's the only one he ever saw that way. He wasn't even attracted to my mom until they went through some real serious shit together. For a while their relationship was platonic."

"I wish I was part of your family. They call us the Kapule Klan for a reason—we're practically the Alolan Sopranos. I don't belong there."

"No one ever said you had to go back."

"I'd lose my money, and my title, and my Pokémon."

"More to lose there than what you've established here? Your freedom, self-expression, relationships with people who are willing to accept you?"

"Piiiikachu," Scarlett said as she pushed Michio towards Annastasia.

"You want me to stay here," he inferred as he looked to both of them.

"Pi," Scarlett nodded.

"I don't like to see people suffer," said Annastasia. "I want you to stay."

"I think…"

He stopped. Scarlett pushed him some more.

"I want to stay," he said.

"Excellent," said Annastasia. "Are you sure you still don't want to be friends?"

"I…do. That would be nice." Scarlett's ears perked up at this. "But I can't if you won't trust me."

"I can't trust you if you won't be my friend. Which will it be?"

"Is just that…I'm probably going to mess this up, so can we just be people? Just people in the same universe who know each other and talk sometimes?"

"We should both be able to handle that for now. Just so you know, friends are allowed to mess up."

Annastasia stood and offered her hand.

"Pika, chu chu," Scarlett told Michio, nudging him off the bed.

"It's a handshake," said Annastasia. "It's step one. Try it."

Scarlett pushed his back until he finally stood up. She threatened a Thunderbolt, but before she could execute it, Michio took Annastasia's hand.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Annastasia asked, still holding onto his hand. She took a few steps towards the door, bringing him with her. "We have ten minutes to eat before the cafeteria closes."

"Sure," he said as he stared at their hands. "But first I need a favor."

He let go of her hand, somewhat regretfully.

"I'll consider it," Annastasia replied. "Depending on what the favor is."

"Can you find a non-embarrassing way to explain this to Rita? She doesn't come on to me as much anymore, but every once in a while she does and it pisses me off."

"Normally I wouldn't mind, but that's something you should learn to do for yourself. Rita will listen if you tell her it's important. She's a nice person and will be sorry about pressuring you—she might even bake you cookies or something. She once jumped a gay guy and felt so guilty about it that she bought him an ice cream cake and groomed his Absol."

"You probably shouldn't be telling me shit like that."

"Rita and I live with very little shame."

"I'll make a deal with you. You have issues, instead of flipping out, getting cranky, or being rude, come to me and we'll talk it out. It doesn't matter where or when. Even in the middle of the night. Sound good?"

"I'm not pathetic enough to have to wake you up in the middle of the night to come talk about my issues."

"I guess we will just have to wait and see to find out."

XO

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:

· They almost forgot 'insert name of something here'! What will they do?

· Michio has an announcement for the group

· Jessie does something sorta mean