Hiatus, Day 77

Soledad had been traveling with Anika, Anika's little sister Gracie, her cousins Tobie and Marie, and their Pokémon for over a month. Her team was now almost entirely made up of fully evolved Pokémon, and she had been to every major city in Kanto, as well as many locations in Johto, Hoenn, and the Orange Islands. She attended dozens of Pokémon contests and performances, learned how to race Ryhorn, and even helped to discover a new species of Pokémon while assisting Professor Ivy on Valencia Island, the place where she still works alongside her three nieces.

Her Geo-catching training was also coming along, and she and Anika had been meeting up with Tomoko, Carol, and Flare regularly to train and practice. Now the two groups were meeting for lunch on Tarroco Island.

"Thanks for offering to buy us lunch," Soledad said to Flare. "But I have enough money to pay for myself."

"So do I," said Anika.

"It's fine," he replied. "Just—eat it."

"Thanks," Soledad replied. "By the way, are you rich?"

Flare looked embarrassed. "Maybe."

"He's loaded," said Anika. "I can tell. I can always tell."

"He's more than rich," said Marie. "Millionaire."

"That's an exaggeration," Flare insisted.

"There's nothing wrong with that…obviously…"

"Well, most people think there is something wrong with that so I'd rather not let people overhear us."

Soledad and the others lowered their voices.

"This is familiar," said Soledad.

"How?" Anika inquired.

"She's gonna bring up those kids again," said Marie. "Am I right?"

"Yeah…I have a friend Jay who's also rich and he always pays for everyone," Soledad replied. "People always make fun of him for it—sometimes they even beat him up and take his money, so I get why you wouldn't want people to know."

"That sucks," said Anika. "Tries to do somethin nice and gets hurt instead."

"It's just lunch," said Flare. "I'll never buy it again."

Soledad and the others groaned.

"No, we like when you buy us lunch!"

"I'll accept free food anytime."

"I would never beat you up."

"I—"

"—get it," Flare interrupted.

"If you're rich then why're you working with us?" Marie inquired.

"I want my own money. And, I like this gig."

"You remind me of Michio," said Soledad.

The others sighed. Soledad brought up her other friend group constantly and seemed to be doing it more as the weeks passed.

"I was just gonna say that I know I guy who works for the freedom, not the cash," said Soledad.

"Then maybe he and I'd get along," Flare replied.

"Maybe."

"So, Soledad, Anika, do you think you are ready for your first official job?" Tomoko asked.

"Seriously?" the girls asked in unison.

"You've done a lot of training and you sound ready," said Carol. "Want a job?"

"Of course. I would love that!" Soledad exclaimed. "You mean like a real job? Official?"

"The law says that you have to be at least ten, and you're eleven, right?" Flare inquired.

"Yep."

"And Anika, since you're fourteen, you're both eligible."

"Wow!"

"This sounds excitin but what kinda job is this?" Anika asked.

"Professor Sequoia wants Julip from Pummelo Island," Tomoko said as she brought a map up on her tablet. "Using radar, he and discovered a whole colony under there. He wants at least one male and one female, but if you can bring him more, that'd be even better."

"We were going to take the job ourselves, but Professor Ivy wants a Slowbro from Pinkan Island. They are rare and it is going to take all three of us to find it since she lost it on the radar. We decided that we can give you Professor Sequoia's job so that we don't have to keep him waiting," said Carol.

"And you will be paid the same we would have been, assuming you do a good job," said Flare. "There will be diving equipment you can rent for free on the island. Any questions?"

"Damn, this is great," said Anika. "Thanks, peeps."

"My friend has a Julip," said Soledad. "But I don't know anything about the wild population. Is there anything we should know about wild Julip before we approach a colony?" Soledad asked.

"They tend to use special attacks, primarily Ice Beam, Blizzard, Surf, and Hydro Pump. Their Hidden Power is a combination of water and ice. You'll want to bring a Pokémon that knows Light Screen and/or a Pokémon with a status move that affects Special Attacks, as well as an electric-type. They also tend to have weak Defense stats."

"They also tend to have high Speed stats and like to use Double Team," said Carol. That's about all we know."

"I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time," said Soledad.

"Ditto," said Anika. "We could always use the extra cash."

"You two have come a long way in such a short period of time. You ought to be proud," said Tobie.

"Yeah sis, Soledad, you really did it. Your first real job. Congratulations. I hope you don't screw it up," said Gracie.

"How sweet of you to say," Anika replied.

After finishing lunch, they retrieved their water Pokémon from the bay in which the Pokémon were playing.

"Starmie, Crawdaunt, Seaking, Milotic, time to go!" Soledad told her team.

"Charrrrrr!" Chary roared as she flew above the water.

"Your water-types are going to come in handy when we go to get those Julip," Anika said as they the Pokémon returned to their sides.

"Sure will. I also have a Swampert and a Sharpedo I can lend you since you have mostly fire and rock-types," Soledad responded.

"Charrrrrrrrrrrr!" Chary exclaimed suddenly.

The Charizard was pointing to a large boat pulling into the harbor. The others were perplexed; boats pulled into the bay constantly.

"It's just a boat," Soledad laughed as she patted the Pokémon.

The Charizard shook her head and flew over to the boat. The children gasped as she landed on the deck. They heard what sounded like someone cursing, and they all ran onto one of the wooden docks to try and get and closer look.

"Arrrrrrrrrrbok!"

"Lickilicky!"

"Weeeeezing."

"Veeeeeeno!"

"Arbok, Lickilicky, Weezing, and Venomoth," Soledad murmured. "Does that mean...?"

"Huh?" Anika asked as she leaned into Soledad. "Whatcha say?"

"Get off!" a familiar voice called. "You're gonna scratch the boat! Now get the fuck off!"

"Charrrrrrrrr!" Chary roared again, refusing to obey.

"Soledad, return your Pokémon before she damages that yacht," said Tobie.

"I will—but hold on," Soledad said as walked to the edge of the dock.

She peered onto the deck. A person with light henna skin and shoulder-length chestnut hair was yelling at her Charizard, his back facing her. She smiled and jumped onto the boat, which was now just a foot away from the dock.

"Michio! Hey look it's me!" she called out.

"Soledad?" he questioned, spinning around. "What are you doing here?"

"Chary, get off the boat, you're going to ruin it."

Chary nodded and flew onto the deck.

"I'm here alone," she told Michio. "Well, not alone, but not with Amber, Jay, and that whole group. I'm traveling with other people now."

"Jocelyn told me you split," Michio responded. He jumped off the deck to tie the boat to the dock. "To be a Geo-catcher."

"Yes—I've been training. Coincidentally, I just got my first assignment about an hour ago."

"Congrats."

"So, this is the yacht you are working on?"

"Obviously."

Soledad rolled her eyes. "Same ol' Michio. You don't have to be so cross. Where are the owners?"

"Hamlin Island. We have been there for a few weeks. Today they are going hang-gliding and are going to land here, so I brought the boat over for them."

"Jay said they were like eighty years old or something. Hang-gliding seems intense."

Michio shrugged. "Maybe."

"I'd introduce you to my new friends, but you probably aren't interested."

"It's up to you."

"Some other time. We ought to be moving on. Have a nice life, unless there is something else you want to talk about. But I'm guessing you know as much about you-know-who as I do, which is almost nothing."

"Yeah. See ya."

XO

"You know that guy?" Anika asked Soledad as she returned to her friends.

"He's a friend, sorta," she replied.

"Why don't you ask him to come along?" said Tobie.

"He's…shy…Maybe some other day."

XO

The next day Michio was up early mopping the top deck of the yacht. He needed it to be clean before 11:00 am, because that was when the couple was literally landing on the island, and they told him to have the boat look presentable and ready to drive for potential guests. Elsa and Hiro planned to spend the afternoon and evening on Tarroco Island; they would not be sailing away until tomorrow afternoon, giving him another full twenty-four hours to do whatever he wanted. He decided that since there was nothing he wanted to do, he might as well just walk around town and to see if anything could catch his interest.

'I can't believe I have a fucking job,' he thought to himself. 'It isn't even a real job, I mean, who gets this much free time? Maybe that's my problem. I need something else to do.'

He passed a large building labeled 'Ginger Gym'. Two kids with an Ivysaur and a Poliwhirl were entering inside.

'The gym badges,' he remembered. 'I've only collected one since I left the group, I still need two more. I suppose I could go here. Maybe this place is registered for the Kanto Pokémon League.'

The inside of the gym was crowded. Among those people were Soledad and her friends. One of Soledad's traveling companions spotted him and notified Soledad.

"Hi, Michio!" Soledad called out. She squeezed past the other kids until she got to him. "I am surprised to see you here. Come to register too?"

"Register? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I get it. This badge from this gym is legitimate in both the Kanto and Johto Pokémon leagues, however, the reason this place is so crowded today and people are registering is because of the ball."

"A ball."

"Yep. For people and Pokémon. Kids and adults of all ages. It's a big island tradition. I'm surprised your employers didn't tell you about it; it's a major event, and it's why I'm on this particular island tonight. I can sign you up."

"I know we aren't close, but do you seriously think that I am the type of person who wants to go to a fucking ball?"

"I dunno. But admission is only a dollar per person and fifty centers per Pokémon, and I doubt you have any other plans for tonight."

"How would you know?"

"You aren't that difficult to read, most of the time anyway…think about how Annastasia would swoon if she saw you all dressed up and going to a ball."

"Annastasia doesn't swoon. And she is never going to see me dressed up for a ball."

"She'd appreciate it."

Michio turned and started to walk away. Instead of trying to stop him, Soledad followed him until he was out the door. Then she reached forward and tapped his shoulder.

"What do you want?" he asked. "I don't like things like that. Never have, never will."

"Can you please go with me?" she asked, her tone changing completely. "Please go with me as my date?"

"You can't be serious."

"I'm all alone here. All my friends, even my best friend's eight-year-old sister, have dates. No one asked me and the only person I might possibly want to ask is really far away from here. Please help me. I don't want to look like a loser."

"Well, it's too late for that…Why didn't you just have your friends set you up with someone?"

"At first I was too embarrassed to ask and then yesterday I saw you and then later they brought up the dance and I told them that you asked me…I'll be humiliated if I have to lie again and tell them you dumped me."

"Dammit. Why couldn't you just go by yourself? I don't get why most people always have to be with other people."

"Will you do it, please? Just for like two hours. We don't have to dance the whole time. And you don't have to talk to my friends; I told them that you were shy, but I can tell them that you are bad at English or something too. You look foreign anyway. You don't even have to talk to me. Unless you want to. And I will pay for both of us, and all your Pokémon if they want to come to the ball as well. I can have my dad teleport over one of his suits and say that it is for Tobie, so you don't have to shop for one. Please do it."

"Haven't you noticed I'm almost seven years older than you? And a lot taller? It's creepy."

"No, it's not. And it's not that kind of dance. It's like a welcome ball, they do it every fall, all sorts of people participate. Pleeeeease? I promise I won't ask for any more favors."

"Fine, because you're desperate, I'm bored, and this could potentially be entertaining…but you owe me a favor. I don't know what but I will think of something. And you cannot tell people that I did this."

"Thank you sooooo much!" Soledad hugged Michio and nearly cried with joy. "I'll have my dad send over the suit. Chary will deliver it to your yacht and I will register you and get our entrance tickets. All you have to do is get dressed and show up at this gym at 8:30 pm tonight. I'll wait for you by the Milotic Fountain."

"Sure."

"Thank you. Annastasia would be so proud."

Soledad walked away. Michio groaned, unsure of what he just got himself into.

'Maybe I can at least still have that gym battle.'

XO

"Michio, Michio are you in there?" Elsa called as she knocked on the door of his cabin several hours later.

"I'm here", he called from the bathroom. "Just a minute".

A moment later he opened the cabin door. Elsa and Hiro were dressed in elegant clothing. They were clearly dressed up to go somewhere nice, but they weren't the only ones.

"Why you look incredible! Are you going to wear that suit to the Welcome Ball?" Elsa inquired.

"No, these are my pajamas," he mumbled.

"Awe, Hiro, isn't he cute? All dressed up, going on a date…"

"Don't do this to me."

"No need to be embarrassed." She touched his styled hair. "You look good. Who's the lucky man?"

"I'm not a—it's not a romantic date at all. One of the kids I was traveling with is here and she didn't have anyone to take her so…I am."

"That is great, Son. Good for you," said Hiro.

"How sweet. I didn't know you had it in you," Elsa sighed. "You know, to be nice, and to be a romantic."

"It's not romantic…she's just a little kid, like an annoying little cousin…she's eleven, and she didn't have anyone to go with and that's the only reason I agreed."

"You're the sweetest. Hiro, isn't he the sweetest?"

"Sure is," Hiro agreed.

"Sometimes girls at that age are very sensitive. So be nice. Pretend to be interested in her problems, even if you don't give a damn. Now is a good time to practice, because believe me, there will be other times in life you will have to do this. Like when your woman gets back fr—"

"Yes, Ma'am," Michio fakely saluted, cutting her off.

"Okay sassy-ass, Hiro and I happen to be going to the same dance, but we are getting dinner first. We might not even get there until your 'date's' bedtime."

Hiro and Elsa laughed. Michio sighed in frustration, wondering why he decided to confide this in these people.

"Hilarious," he replied. "I will see you later. Or tomorrow. Bye."

XO

Michio stood on the deck of the yacht for a while. He was anxious, and half of him was hoping that they would be serving alcohol there, and the other half was dreading the possibility that they would be. The legal age to drinking Alola was sixteen. The chances are it was the same law here. Then it wouldn't be at all difficult to get his hands on the right—or wrong—stuff.

His Pokémon came out from below deck and started chatting and playing with one another. He decided to bring them all; After all, the more Pokémon he had the more likely they were to cause a distraction, and he was betting that he would need one for this boring night. After about twenty minutes, he decided to take out the small guitar he purchased with his first paycheck. He closed his eyes and started strumming it, trying to remember the songs he taught himself back when he was still an innocent kid.

"Um, Michio?" a voice asked after a while.

Michio opened his eyes and was surprised to find Soledad looking back at him.

"I didn't hear…I thought we were meeting at the fountain near the gym," he responded, tucking the guitar back into its little case.

"I didn't realize that I would pass the yacht on my way to the ball," she replied. "And I didn't know you played guitar."

"Um. I don't, not really." Michio checked his watch. "It's time to go anyway."

"We can walk together then."

Michio made a face and shuddered sarcastically.

"Just pretend to not hate me," Soledad sighed. "It's not like we have to hold hands. Chary, Wigglytuff, and Raticate can walk between us if you want."

They walked in silence to the gym. When they got the place there was a line, and on the line were Soledad's traveling companions.

"So, this is Michio. Wow, he is really handsome," said the teen with black and green hair. "I'm Marie."

Marie offered her hand for him to shake, and he took it uncomfortably for a second. Soledad and Marie both giggled, but for different reasons. Marie's date, a pale, scrawny, fifteen-year-old boy glared at Michio enviously.

Everyone took turns introducing themselves to Michio while they were stuck on the line. After they got in, Michio made an excuse to ditch.

'I really wish Scarlett was here,' he thought as he paced the restroom. "Am I really having a panic attack now? Whyyy?"

Soledad knocked on the door. "Hey, you aren't just going to blow me off, are you? Because that is even more embarrassing."

Michio groaned. "I'll be out in a minute. Just go get food or something."

"Fine."

A few minutes later Michio came out of the bathroom, deciding that it was even worse inside than it was outside. He joined Soledad over by the food table.

"I thought you were trying to escape," she whispered to Michio.

"Nope," he replied.

"Then can we dance?"

They looked around. The battlefield had been transformed into a banquet hall. About a dozen couples were already dancing in the dimly lit room to music that was being performed by a live band.

"Okay," he hesitantly agreed.

He started to walk to the floor, but Soledad froze.

"What?" he asked.

"I just remembered that I don't know how," she confessed.

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Because in the movies that is always how it happens. The guy and the girl just always know how to dance. I forgot. I never went to a ball before."

Soledad looked ready to cry.

"I can help, I guess," Michio said as he offered his hand. "It's not that hard, just follow my lead."

He and Soledad joined the others on the floor and danced alongside them. Their Pokémon also joined, and about fifteen minutes in Soledad finally got the hang of it.

"You are right. This isn't so hard. I thought it would be more fun. I'm kind of bored," she told Michio.

"It hasn't even been half of an hour," he remarked. "But I'm more than willing to leave."

"We can't go yet. It would be weird."

Soledad over at Anika, Tobie, and their dates. It was clear she wasn't quite ready to leave.

'So close,' he thought to himself.

"Can we talk?" she asked. "I think I can talk and dance at the same time."

"Sure," he replied. "Talk all you want."

"Great. So, what've you been doing on the yacht? Are you like the captain?"

"I'm in charge of driving, docking, refueling, cleaning, making repairs, navigating, and everything in between."

"Sounds like a lot."

"Most of that stuff's easy. I learned to do it when I was five. Plus, I get paid well and I have a lot of free time."

"Do you sleep on there? It looks like it is big enough to have a few bedrooms."

"Yeah, I have a cabin with a hammock and some space for my stuff. I also have my own bathroom and a kitchenette."

"Sounds like a dream…but my job is fun too. I have been traveling so much. We all have motorized bicycles, you know, those new bikes your petal like a regular bike but you go six times faster. And I have been to several different regions and caught a lot of new Pokémon since I last saw you. Of course. I had to send most of them away, but when you come back to Pallet Town I can show them to you if we have extra time. I even got some rare ones."

"That's good for you, but I don't think I'll ever go back to Pallet Town."

"What? Why? You said you would come back…what about Annastasia?"

"I said I might return to the group, not Pallet Town. I don't think I will ever go back there."

"Why not?"

"Her family wouldn't want me to be hanging around."

"I should have known this would be about Annastasia. Her disappearance has messed a lot of people up."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Something is wrong with Jay. I have known him a lot longer than you have, so it makes sense if you haven't picked up on it. But Jay is really depressed he is feeling really awful inside, and I think he is blaming himself even though he had nothing to do with Annastasia vanishing."

"That doesn't make any sense. I talked to him several times. He's won gym badges and got new Pokémon."

"Jay's complicated: emotional and highly sensitive, but he can also be a rock when it comes to certain things. Important things, like Annastasia. He can hide a lot, but me, and Amber of course know that when he isn't crying over something, then he is keeping it all inside. And it isn't good for him. He might be doing well in other things, but it's killing him on the inside. One day he is going to have a breakdown. The last time he had one of those it wasn't pretty. A lot was revealed, things he wasn't ready to share, and it ruined his life. Plus, he isn't happy, which isn't right."

"I thought he was okay this whole time."

"I lot of people think that. That is the worse part."

"I know it seems like I didn't like him, but that wasn't true. Jay's a good kid and he has a lot of talent and skill, and that isn't just in Pokémon battling."

"Jay told me about what you said to him."

"What exactly?"

"Just about how you were a lot like him when you were ten. How you were teased too and stuff. How what you said that made him feel insulted wasn't meant to cause harm…Just so you know, I pushed it out of him, demanded that he tell me what you said, so I sorta forced him to say it, but what he said was nice."

"Oh that. Yeah, we sorta did have more in common than seemed obvious; I didn't make any of that up."

"So, you're queer?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…So, what are you specifically? I think Jay is still figuring out what he is…You don't have to tell me; I was just wondering. I won't tell anyone."

"Same as A."

"Asexual."

"Yes."

"Wow, okay, so—"

"—I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh. Okay. I understand…I suppose I'm asexual too since I'm eleven."

"It doesn't work like…whatever."

"Is this why you're always so upset and angry?"

Michio grimaced. Soledad sheepishly shrugged.

"Well, it's a big deal for some people," she continued. "But, Annastasia never saw it as a bad thing. I mean, if anything it makes life easier. You might never have to worry about having kids, or STDs, of course. Of course, then Annastasia pointed out that she has her mom's kids to help take care of, and she already has an STD, but at least some of the other stuff she won't have to worry about. Unless she wants to, I guess."

"What STD? She never told me about that."

"Oh. Well, it's not really a secret…"

"You probably should stop talking."

"I just want to say that Annastasia doesn't mind telling us about stuff like that because we are her friends and we trust her and she doesn't think it's a bad thing. I just assumed you knew. She has HIV. She was born with it. She used to take medicine for it, made her feel even sicker, so now she sorta doesn't take anything. But her doctors think it's fine since she's not married or anything."

"That explains why her stress manifests in seizures. My brother is also HIV positive. Got it when he was sixteen. He got seizures for months, but then they gave him some medicine to stop them."

"I didn't know she was having seizures whenever she was stressed. I noticed her black out a few times, for just a few seconds at a time, and she would seem confused, but I normally just ignored it. I just assumed that it was nothing. She wouldn't fall down or anything like that, but it was still noticeable."

"I wonder what else she never told me."

"I wouldn't be concerned. She doesn't keep secrets from people unless she thinks it is just something irrelevant. Like she probably never told you about the HIV virus because she never had any reason to. I just sort of found out because I am her neighbor, and we have been friends with their family for so long. They are a very open bunch, and they don't really keep a lot of things secret, as I am sure you've noticed by now. I also sorta knew about the seizures, except I thought they went away a few years ago. I guess they didn't."

Michio nodded. "I'm not upset by it or anything…surprised."

"Yeah. You like talking about her too, right? Because you miss her?"

"She isn't the only one I miss. Believe it or not, I'd gotten used to you twerps. I left because I needed some personal space to figure things out. And I really miss that Pikachu. Scarlett was not an average electric rat."

"My dad talked to the family who raised the Pikachu that he usually gets as eggs and brings to the lab. They come from an island that is located near the bottom of the Toka mountain range, towards the bottom of the Tree of Beginning. All the Pokémon who live there are much stronger, healthier, and smarter than average."

"Scarlett was all of those things. Annastasia said she needed her aura because it gave her energy. I think I need it too, because I have been hurting so badly since they left. I miss them both, really."

"I have a confession…The day I suggested that you become her trainer—I did it because my dad said she'd be the most difficult to train, and that she was unruly. I sorta set you up."

"I figured that out less than one day in."

"No point in apologizing now."

"I wanted the Charmander. It was the only Kanto Pokémon I had heard of, and I knew it was going to evolve into a Charizard. But you manipulated me."

"Well, you were being a jerk. But that changed."

"I'm still a jerk."

"Not to everyone, not to Annastasia, not to Scarlett. Not to me."

"Just…don't count on me."

Michio and Soledad glanced over at their Pokémon. They were all getting along and playing or dancing with one another. Some of them were meeting for the first time, others were old friends.

"Lily told me that you and Annastasia were together," said Soledad. "Not the naughty type of together, but like…something. What I mean is, none of us knew until after she left that you and A were closer than you showed. You were like a little family: you, Scarlett, Annastasia, Bleu, and Lil-G. So, it makes sense that you got really depressed when she left."

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" he groaned.

"No."

"I'm not depressed, I'm fine. I've always been an anxious person—Annastasia can't fix that, but it did feel nice having her around…I haven't changed."

"Awwwwe."

"Why did you leave? When I asked the others, they said it was to pursue Geo-catching, but you could have done that on your own and still stayed with them."

"I needed a change in atmosphere too. And I wanted to do things that the other group was doing. No one in our group was that interested Pokémon coordination or performing, plus none of them wanted to talk to me about Geo-catching or help me look for a job. It's wasn't anything personal, I just found a better match. They're still my best friends."

"More kids should think like that when they leave for their journeys. Before you know it, you're an adult and you don't have any plans or hope. You're not like that."

"Did you just call me smarter than you?"

"Nope."

"I think you did. Thanks."

"Don't tell anyone I said this, but if making fewer mistakes makes you smarter, then perhaps you are smarter than me. But not anymore. I've come a long way."

"I know."

The rest of the evening went by quickly, something that neither of them really expected, and at around 10:30 pm, Soledad, Michio, and all of their Pokémon left the ball.

"Aren't your friends coming with you?" Michio asked as he glanced around the empty streets. "You said you only were going to stay for two hours."

"I did. They were planning on staying longer. I told you two hours because it seemed reasonable. If I said 'all night' I assumed you wouldn't have agreed to come at all," she explained.

"There's a possibility that would've happened. Where are you staying?"

"There's a campsite up ahead."

When they got to the camp, Soledad returned all her Pokémon except for Chary, who usually slept next to her when they were camping so that she could stay warm and protected.

"Are you going to be okay out here by yourself?" he asked, looking around. "I don't think I should leave you alone out here."

"I have six fully evolved Pokémon, and Chary is at a very high level," Soledad replied. "I'm fine."

"How high a level?"

"Fifty-eight."

"Hmm."

"Michio, I'm fine!"

"If more than person attacks you, your Pokémon might not be much help."

"Says the guy who would run off at night without even one Pokémon."

"That was a stupid thing for me to do. I know better now." Michio released his nocturnal Pokémon. "Venomoth, Crobat, Hypno, and Gengar with stay with you while I return to the yacht. My number is in your phone; use it if something happens."

"Yes, Sir."

Michio half-bowed, a habit he picked up from his various Kantonian companions, then walked back to his cabin with just Lickilicky and Arbok by his side.

"Wait," Soledad said before he could get very far. "What're you doing tomorrow?"

"During the day I have to get the boat ready and earn that gym badge. In the late afternoon, we're heading east."

"Well if I don't see you again, bye, thanks, and good luck. And extra thanks for the Poké-bodyguards."

Michio saluted her and tried to walk away again, but three steps later, she called his name. This time she moved closer so she didn't have to yell.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I'm hopeful too, by the way. I think Annastasia and Scarlett will both be fine," said Soledad.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Soledad."

"Goodnight."

Soledad did not see Michio the next day; when she woke up, his Pokémon were gone. Later when she stopped by the yacht and called his name no one replied. She had a busy day anyway, as she and her friends were also constantly on the move. As for her hope of Annastasia and the Pokémon's safe returns, she was not sure how confident she was. Soledad decided if she ever did see the monster fusion with her own eyes, she was going to find a way to catch it and make it pay for what it did to her friends.

XO

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:

· Hiatus, Day 79

· Jay's issues

· Jessie, James, and Annastasia