Hello again,

I've been told in comments that I should probably give my shipping opinions somewhere so I'll shove them here. The main two are going to be FourthWheel and to a lesser extent BurningLeaf. Ikari was implied in the Paul chapter and Geekchic was planned to play a role here but I couldn't find a way to organicllay fit Serena in.

Anyway enjoy.


"Getting wrapped up in worries is bad for your body and spirit. That's when you must short out your logic circuits and reboot your heart."

Elesa, Pokemon Black and White.


Crash!

The criminal jumped straight through the window, glass raining all around him. The man, clad in dark clothing with a balaclava hiding his face, gave a singular sharp whistle. On the cue, a Midnight Lycanroc leaped through the hole, a flatscreen TV under each arm. The werewolf handed one of the appliances to its master before making a mad dash down the alley as the piercing drone of a burglar alarm went off behind them.

The thief followed his Pokemon, down the dark backstreet and down the dank, wet steps and into the blackened crypt that had once held a subway station. Cursing, he flicked on his flashlight to see Lycanroc growling impatiently. Getting the message, he nodded to the right and then took the lead down the dark tunnel. The subway service had been all but forgotten for decades now, making it the perfect place for any unscrupulous person to directly and safely travel wherever they wanted in the city without being seen. By most people, that is.

An ear splitting yowl shattered the silence ahead of him. He turned a corner and immediately froze as he saw two bright yellow eyes shimmering in the dark. He heard two noises, a harsh feline growling and a softer canine whimper. A flash of blinding light filled the room, causing him to jolt backwards covering his eyes. When he regained his vision and had picked up his torch again he was greeted by the unpleasant sight of his Lyranroc, convulsing on the ground with the electricity of Paralysis, at the feet of a mighty Luxray.

"End of the line!" There was a thud as a Diggersby descended from a hole the roof. From his perch in the excavator arm that was the Rabbit Pokémon's ear, a man leaped down. The robber could make out the reflection of his suit of chrome blue armour and the glow of the white LEDs in his glasses. His voice implied that he was a good decade or so younger than the burglar. "You're coming with me." He said in a serious tone as the Luxray began to slowly pave forwards.

The burglar cursed his bad luck. Of all people to run into on a night like this, it had to be Lightshock, the most feared vigilante in the city.

He stumbled backwards, mind going into overdrive. Why was he this unlucky, conveniently running into threats like this whilst one a heist? Instead of freezing, or panicking, he decided to do the stupidest thing possible.

"Go, Golem!"

The rock monster roared its name and stamped one foot. No sooner than his Pokemon had materialised, the criminal turned tail and ran, cold sweat trickling down his cheek as his voice echoed through the walls of the subway tunnel.

"Use Explosion!"

He was knocked on his knees by the impact. The last thing he heard before passing out was the sound of falling rubble and a young man screaming in pain.


"Ok class, before the lesson starts I have a message from directly from Professor Sycamore regarding the horrific terrorist attack that happened yesterday. He wants me to tell you that you should try not to be worried about it whatsoever. It was an isolated incident and the perpetrator has been arrested. Sycamore urges all students to remain calm and not to worry about it whatsoever. Now that that's cleared up, I will now assign you pairs for today's assessed battles."

Paul was right. Bonnie knew that he was right. He had to be. What we're the chances that the one missing person was Clemont? He couldn't be...

...Now she was beginning to think that he was! Images shot through her mind of her brother with a life altering injury or, even worse, lying lifeless in the rubble.

She needed to refocus on the lesson. If Clemont had been involved in the attack, tried to stop it even, he was probably fine. He had been in worse situations before, faced threats that were probably worse than an exploding Golem. She seriously needed to quit thinking about her brother for a second.

She turned her head and caught a quick look at her friends. Both also happened to have their eyes fixed on anything but their teacher. Red appeared to be sourly examining his singular pokeball from beneath the lid of his cap (why the hell did they let him keep it on in the gym) and Max was doodling something completely different in his workbook. The bespectacled trainer gave her a brief glance before shifting his book to block whatever he was drawing from her. That was odd. Max was never one to keep his notes to himself. He was always so willing to share information, especially with his friends.

At the front, Paul kept calling out names of the pairs whom he wanted to see battle. Ritchie, who also taught battling, would always pair them up randomly drawing names out of a hat. Paul was the opposite, staring into each students soul to find the perfect battle partner for the day for. Bonnie felt herself tense up as his hard purple eyes fell upon her, a chill running down the back of her neck.

"Bonnie, you shall be battling with Calem today. Max with Brendan, Red with Leaf." Paul moved on and Max and Red got out of their seats to find their partners.

Calem was a tall trainer with a snobbish demeanour and long floppy black hair. He honestly reminded Bonnie, at least in appearance, more of Ash in physicality and fashion sense than Red did. He paced over slowly, giving a really peculiar glance at her whilst smiling.

"Hello there Bonnie. May I just say that you look simply gorgeous in that gym kit. Isn't the school uniform so stylish?"

Bonnie gritted her teeth and nodded in greeting, trying to suppress how much Calem creeped her out. When it came to boys, she considered herself far from gullible. Her two best friends were male after all. However, neither Max nor Red ever treated her anyway near as strangely as Calem did, with his constant flirting and really weird looks. Though speaking of weird looks, the one that Max was giving them was kinda weird she supposed.

"Let's get this over and done with." She sighed. Maybe some focus on training would help her to stop worrying about Clemont?


The lesson seemed to drag on double its expected length. Practice with Calem was an absolute chore. He was the second to last in the class for a reason. He had no focus whatsoever and by the time that Paul called the class back in for the assessed battles she had defeated his Honedge at least 5 times without really trying. All the while she had the niggling thought in the back of her mind that Clemont wasn't ok. That he needed her help in some way.

Bonnie feigned interest in the practical battles. Her enthusiasm was a cover and she was sure that everyone probably noticed. When the final battle of the day, Red versus Leaf, began she cheered so loudly that she and especially Max felt quite embarrassed. The fight went as she and lets face it everyone else fully expected it to. As much as she was (or at least tried to be) on good terms with Red, she knew that Leaf would clean sweep.

When the lesson finally ended, she belted to the exit and then waited for Max to catch up. He stopped at the door. Stepping aside to let him past. "That was an exceptionally poor lesson, wasn't it?" he said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stopped at the window. "I've never seen Red so pissed at his Paras before." One of Max's arms held his notebook strongly against his chest. Bonnie eyed the notebook suspiciously for a second before replying.

"I know right? You seemed to do really well though. That Mightyena of yours is really strong!"

He scratched the back of his head in response. "Oh i-it's not really that great," he said, blushing slightly. "She's just had a lot of experience. Besides, Brendan isn't really a battle-minded kind of guy anyway."

Bonnie shook her head at her friends humility. "Anyway, speaking of Red, where is he? I'm sweaty and want to get changed."

No sooner than she said that Paul, who was still in the gym, called out to them. "Max, Bonnie, please go to the changing rooms," he snarled, "Me and Red are going to have a little talk."

Bonnie was surprised by this. Everyone knew that Paul had a strong dislike for Red but what made it bad enough to warrant a "little talk"? "Oh," she began "but..."

Perhaps understanding the weight of the conversation, Max grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go Bonnie. Red'll catch us up."

Without much of a second glance Bonnie was shoved into the girls changing rooms. As she finished buttoning up her shirt she once again had the same stressful thoughts that had been plaguing her since she found out about the earlier attack. Images of her brother lying in a hospital bed as the ECG next to him blipped slower and slower before eventually flatlining. A tear began to form in her eye before she slapped herself to refocus. Clemont was probably fine. Almost certainly fine even. She slipped on her blazer and adjusted the lapel slightly. She decided to pop in to visit him once lessons were over.

She knew Clemont had to be fine. Because she didn't know what she would do if he wasn't.


There was an awkward silence at lunch.

Bonnie stabbed at her curry meaningfully with her fork. At any other lunchtime she'd had started talking by now. She was always the one to find the topic of conversation, In fact she has many such topics currently brewing in her mind: What was up with Max's notebook? What did Paul say to Red to make him look like he has been sent a death threat? Was her brother alive and if so how was he?" The problem was the nature of these questions. They all seemed too personal, too embarrassing to break the quiet with.

Instead she went with something slightly different: "Is everyone alright today?"

Red was in a stupor, his eyes wide, hands clenched tightly around his cutlery and a bead of cold sweat running down his neck. Upon hearing her word he snapped out of it and jerked round to meet her gaze. "I'm fine." He mumbled, pulling his cap over his eyes. Bonnie could tell that he wasn't but she knew that inquiring would have a very high chance of starting a row.

"What about you Max, you alright?"

Max closed his book and shot her a piercing gaze right into the eyes. It was almost like he was staring into her soul. "Why are you asking?" He inquired.

Bonnie chuckled nervously "Um, well I guess I was trying to make conversation that's all. You've been so absorbed in that drawing of yours lately. What's it about and why is it so important that you keep it secret?"

Max's face went scarlet. "It's nothing important. Some rough Pokemon sketches. That's all."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow in response. "Really?"

"Yes. Why does it matter?"

"'Cause you've been constantly on edge all day and your clearly hiding something from us. Right Red?"

Red gave a grunt and tilted the bill of his cap again. There was something up with him as well, but Bonnie was mostly focussed on Max.

After a few more quiet minutes, Bonnie giggled. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

Max pushed his glasses up his nose again, scowling. "Yes, my Mightyena, whom I was actually drawing mind you, is female. Why the hell does that matter?"

Bonnie scoffed "Yeah. Mightyena. Right. I don't believe you for one second."

"Well that's the truth."

Bonnie took a second to think over the possibilities. She had always been a slightly obsessive shipper - her brother could confess to that - but Max had always seemed a bit too much of an acquired taste for the girls she knew. For all of his other brilliant traits he was still a nerd, sometimes pretentious and a bit grade obsessed. Not someone who she expected would be interested in romance, at least it to the extent of other boys she new, such as Calem. Still, she supposed, everyone probably had their little secrets and that included Max.

"Don't play with me. Who is it really?"

"N-none of your business."

Bonnie leant over and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm your friend. So it is my business."

"We both know that's not how that works."

"You can tell me if you want you know. If its really humiliating I won't judge you."

"Good." Said Max grumpily. "I'm still only drawing Mightyena."

"You literally just admitted to drawing someone else!"

"Oh did I now?" Max's voice was rising, both in volume and in pitch.

"Shut up and let me look in the book!"

Max was yelling now. Beneath the table the trainers could feel his Mightyena, which had been asleep at his feet, stir in alarm."How many times do I have to say this Bonnie? You have no right to go poking around in my stuff!"

Bonnie clenched a fist. "Do you really have that little trust in me?"

"Oh am I not being trusting? That's rich from a girl who is incapable of respecting any of her friends secrets."

Bonnie was about to respond when an orange flash shot up between her and Max.

"DEN-NE." The orange gerbil jumped up and down in a rage cheeks sparking in fury. Bonnie quickly got the memo and unclenched her fist. Refusing to give Max eye contact.

After a bit, Max responded. "I'm sorry. He said. "My words were uncalled for."

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry as well." Bonnie replied. It felt good to apologise. However, the thoughts were still nibbling at the back of Bonnie's mind. Why was Max still refusing to tell her what was doing in that battered old notebook of his? No matter how embarrassing or awkward whatever was in there, he surely knew that it wouldn't change her opinion of him in any way? Did he really trust her that little?

Awkward silence returned to the lunch table.


"So as you can see here, one way that different poisons can be classified is by their effects in battle. As shown by graph 1, some poisons, like those produced by the Poison Sting or Sludge Bomb attacks, will gradually weaken Pokemon at a linear rate until the Pokemon faints. Other poisons, such as that produced by the Toxic attack..."

The day had been relatively smooth sailing from then. Brock's class had been what Bonnie was expecting: Max pretending to make notes (or do whatever he was doing in there), Red still sulking, Calem giving her weird looks and everyone, even Brock, bored out of their minds and desperate to leave for the weekend.

She sat next to Red that lesson. She would have sat with Max but judging by the tension at Lunch she figured it would have probably been too awkward.

When it finally ended, Bonnie was the first out of the class. She rushed of down the corridor, trying her best not to bump into anyone as she made a mad dash out of the classroom, across the courtyard and straight to the station.

Ketchum Academy was located five miles away from the outskirts of Lumiose City. Most of the students lived day-to-day in the miniature village surrounding the campus but it was only half an hour's train ride from the local train station to Lumiose Central, which wasn't far from where Clemont lived. The train eventually screeched to a halt at the platform. Bonnie flashed the guard her student ID and then sat down on the nearest window seat.

It had been two months since Bonnie had last seen her brother in the flesh. She had been incredibly enthusiastic to leave him and strike out on her own life as a trainer. He'd been struggling to take care of her in recent years. Even if Clembot had taken over for him at the gym, he was still preoccupied by his inventing.

Then, their father had finally decided to hang up his cape due to his older age and failing health. Without the Blaziken Mask, Lumiose was threatened to become a major crime centre once again.

Bonnie remembered how supportive she had been when Clemont decided that something had to be done, how she had helped so much in designing Lightshock, his vigilante persona. But then the reports of the dangers Clemont was putting himself in began flooding all over the media. Bonnie knew that he was going to get mortally wounded some day or other if he kept this life up, and now there was an incredibly high chance that they probably had.

Maybe that was why Clemont had encouraged her to move out. To keep her from worrying about him.

Bonnie stared boredly out of the window. Somewhere in the distance, a great emerald flash filling the skyline like dawn on the horizon. That was weird. It kind of reminded her of...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving in Lumiose Central, please remember to take all personal belongings with you as you leave the train."

And just like that it was gone. Bonnie shook her head. She was probably just tired and worried.


The steady clank and whir of machines graced Bonnie's ears as she carefully paced down into Clemont's workshop. He'd expanded it again since she last came down, rearranging the glass containers that covered the walls, each of which contained some sort of weird gadget. She had always appreciated how organised he kept his toys. Convenience and gimmicky machines on the left, other more serious tools on the right. Successful inventions indicated with green lights, unsuccessful ones with red.

Trotting through the imposing corridors she took a left turn, following the luminous arrows on the floor before turning left to reach a wider open area. In one corner, she could see the latest model of the Clemontic Shower, with Luxray curled in a ball at the bottom, snoozing as he basked in the relaxing yellow current. On the back wall there were rows upon rows of dull black widescreen computer monitors. And in the middle was an absolutely gigantic workbench with a figure hunched over one end, his silhouette illuminated by bright white sparks.

"Could you pass me a screwdriver please? 100mm for preference. It should be the red one in the toolbox to your left."

Bonnie rifled through the container until she found the desired tool. If there was one thing she had learned from spending so much time with mechanics, it was to not initiate conversation with them until they had finished what they were doing.

Once he had finished screwing, Clemont turned around to face her and immediately tackled her into an affectionate hug. Bonnie squeezed him tight. He was safe. That was good. After a minute, she let go of him and stepped back.

Clemont had clearly seen better days. His face was tired and weak, with dark bags beneath both eyes and a gigantic white scar slowly fading on his left cheek. His blonde hair had gone from curly to spiky, clearly not having been seen a brush or comb in months. The decision to switch from wireframe glasses to contact lenses was a sensible one given his new profession but it made his eyes feel even more dull and lifeless than they already were.

And yet, his face wasn't the worst part of him right now. Bonnie's worst nightmares may have been wrong, but her second-worst nightmares were all too real.

Clemont was missing his right arm. The stump had clearly been carefully attended to, she knew of her brother's medical skills, but this was still massive.

After a few moments of shocked silence, Bonnie exclaimed "Your alive!"

He chuckled "So I am,"

"Do you have any idea how scary it was to here about that attack on the news? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Clemont sighed "I know I could have. But the bombing was directly beneath a building fully of people. I'd personally rather lose my arm than twelve lives any day."

Bonnie felt a strange sickly feeling in her stomach. Was her brother really that self destructive? If he was willing to risk his life this once would he do it again? What would the consequences be?

She tried her best false grin. "I see. Well I'm glad you're living."

Clemont raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. Getting bored of the conversation, Dedenne hopped out of Bonnies pouch and ran off to join Luxray in the Clemontic Shower.

"Anyway," Bonnie continued. "What're you working on."

Appreciating the change of subject, Clemont enthusiastically turned around to show her. Upon the table sat a bunch of assorted blueprints, machine parts and incomplete contraptions. She knew that he enjoyed keeping several projects on the line at once. Two pieces of tech stuck out to here though. An iron helmet covered with spiky barbs and a strange mechanical arm, complete with a five fingered hand on the front.

"So you see here," he began, gesturing widely with a sweep of his singular arm. "These lights and wires are for the Cyllage city gym. Grant commissioned me to build him an alarm system for the potential hazards of his climbing wall. The helmet is for Chespin. He wanted a stronger piece of headgear to go with his new Iron Conker suit," Bonnie giggled. Clemont had a mixed track record when it came to mechanics but the names he invented for his creations never failed to amuse her. "It's currently a work in progress and is on hiatus until I've sorted out, you know." He gestured to his lack of an arm. "That."

She nodded. "And I'm guessing that obviously arm shaped thing is for you then."

Clemont ground in response furrowing his brow. "Yep. There are a few..."

He was interrupted by the sparking in noise. The prostethic spasmed uncontrollably before falling limp on the table.

"...problems with it right now. But I think it works just fine." He rolled up the sleeve of his busted arm and tried fitting the limb onto his body. "Blast it! The nervous recognition's blown! I'll have to fix it." He instantly reached for one of his toolboxes.

Bonnie put a reassuring arm on his shoulder. "Take it easy. You look like you've been working on this a long time. You could use a break, right?"

Clemont sighed. "I'm sorry. I need to get this arm to a capable standard as soon as possible."

She felt a heavy sensation in her chest. "Why rush it? Surely if you stop for a bit it'll come out even better right?"

He shook his head. "I've got... stuff going on. A lot of stuff. And I need two arms for most of it."

She raised an eyebrow. "What stuff? It's not like you've been any worse at inventing without your other arm..."

"...You know what stuff I mean Bonnie."

Bonnie gasped her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She stepped away from him in shock. "Oh no. No. You are most certainly NOT doing that again!"

"Bonnie..."

"I can't in my right mind let you injure yourself a lot more than you already have."

"Look..."

"Do you know how it feels Clemont? To have one of your family, those who you hold closer than anyone else, end up being such a stupid, suicidal jerk?"

He snorted "You didn't have the same reaction when you found out about Dad."

"Dad was an idiot too!" Bonnie spat. "He was just lucky. We only found out when he was wiser and stronger. At least he knew when he should quit."

Clemont sighed and put his arm, which was still twitching slightly, back on the table. "Remember eight years ago when we first decided to travel with Ash? He stood down a rampaging Garchomp with just a Pikachu and a Froakie and then recklessly jumped off of Prism Tower just to save one beloved Pokemon? That was one boy, I tell you, one boy! With no help from technology whatsoever, just his Pokemon and his bond with them. Imagine what I could do given I've got all this stuff!" He gestured back into his invention storage room. "What I have done, even!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Ash always had help. Where in Kalos would he be without me, you and Serena?"

Silence followed that statement.

Bonnie took the time to compose herself. "You haven't told anyone else about this, have you?"

Clemont gave an affirmative grunt.

She sighed, pinching the roof of her nose. "You idiot! Not even Serena?"

"Oh, especially not her."

She stood up straight, adjusting her bag. "You really don't trust anyone, do you?"

More silence. He picked up a screwdriver and began to fiddle with the arm again.

A few tears were beginning to form in Bonnie's eyes. "I bet that was why you signed me up for Ketchum Academy, huh?"

"What do you mean by that?" Clemont turned back to look at her.

"I'm just baggage to you aren't I? You just wanted to stop your little sister from interfering with your stupid superhero fantasy!" Bonnie was practically screaming at this point."

"I never said that..."

She turned around. "Well I'm going now, Clemont," she spat "I hope that makes you happy."

She began to walk towards the exit. Clemont got up and tried running after her, yelling her name but Bonnie outsped him and disappeared into the vast maze of storage containers.


You couldn't hear much on top of the hill in the middle of Lumiose Park. The evening traffic was oddly quiet as Bonnie paced down the slope, halting at the bottom, near where the bridge cross over the pond.

She bent over the railing of the bridge and stared into the water. She's stopped crying on her way down the road but her face was till red and puffy. Arceus, she was a wreck.

She turned around and walked further into the park until she found her tree. She didn't know what made this tree hers specifically but she had always treated it as if she owned it. It was the perfect tree for climbing and, though she had gotten heavier and it had got older, she could easily still reach the top, finding the strongest branch to sit on.

Beneath her the city sprawled outwards, it was about seven in the evening and the lights were beginning to be turned on, the city suddenly being spread with the splendid luminance that give it its name.

Clemont made that, She thought. She had to admit that his skill when it came to mechanics was incredible. For a brief moment she wondered what else he could create if only he wasn't trying to kill himself constantly. If he stopped trying to be Ash and started trying to be himself again.

Ash. Why, when discussing those she cared for, did it always come back to Ash? First it had been Serena (though, admittedly she had at least gotten over her obsession with him). Then she began studying at Ketchum Academy, meeting several people who also looked up to him, even if many there barely even knew him. Now Clemont was using him as an excuse for crimefighting.

It wasn't as if she didn't find him inspiring. Ash was strong and brave, she'd give him that, and his achievements should be celebrated. But there was clearly something that others saw in him that she didn't.

That being said, Bonnie missed the adventure that he had taken them on. Maybe if she was still journeying she wouldn't be so worrisome? She scolded herself for thinking that. She wished that everything could be kept as simple and trustworthy as it was back then. No troubled or preoccupied friends who refused her help. Surrounded by people who insisted that they help each other with their problems, instead of charging headfirst into danger alone. An existent Ash, a pre-heartbreak Serena, Clemont with two arms and no delusions and Squishy being... Squishy.

Bonnie sighed as she stared at the sky. She was beginning to cry again. Thinking about Squishy tended to have that effect on her.

Presently, Bonnie heard a yapping at the bottom of the tree, followed by a scurrying noise. Dedenne clambered staring up the bark. Reading her concern, the little gerbil sat on her lap head tilted to other side. She knew that he felt her sadness as he squeaked cheerfully.

She wondered how her Pokemon had been able to find him. Hadn't she left him with Clemont when she stormed off?

As if in answer to her question, she held some scrambling as Max slid on beside her. He was clearly out of breath and his glasses were slightly askew from the climbing. "You," he began , pausing to catch his breath, "Should take better care of your Pokemon."

Bonnie patted Dedenne's head in apology, the electric type nuzzling her hand in forgiveness before hopping down the tree again. "I'm sorry," she asked, turning to Max "but how do you find me?"

He pushed his glasses back onto his face. "Dedenne was the one looking. Mightyena tracked you down using her Odour Sleuth. But never mind that. Is everything alright with you."

She blinked. "No, why?"

Max raised an eyebrow "Really? Because it looks like you've been crying." He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him, smiling sincerely. "I understand if it's personal but if you are struggling with something but I'm here for you."

Bonnie smiled. How could she say no to him? She turned back to look at the view of the city again. "You've got a sister right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How worried would you be if your sister was constantly putting herself in grave danger and you could do nothing about it."

"I'd be terrified," Max began, before stopping for a second to think. "But I'd trust her at least. She's got a good head on her shoulders and I know she has friends that can support her. She's also got a boyfriend right now, if I'm not mistaken." He frowned. "Why?"

"Because my brother is out their somewhere doing the most stupid, dangerous things imaginable. He's smart but he's turned so... foolhardy recently. He doesn't care if he gets hurt and he's already lost an arm," she sobbed, dipping her head "I don't want to lose the rest of him as well."

"He sounds a lot like Ash," Max remarked. "Has anyone tried to stop him yet?"

"That's the worst part," Bonnie said bitterly. "I'm the only one who knows." Tears were now cascading down her chest. "I'm too caring aren't I? I'm just stupid and over-emotional. Go on Max! You can admit it if you want. I won't be insulted."

"I-I never said that..."

"Its true though, isn't it? I can't keep myself out of anything! I'm worried that my brother will die without anyone knowing. I'm worried about Red and his approach to Pokemon. I'm even worried about what is in that stupid sketchbook of yours!" She was shouting again. "I just can't leave people alone, can't I?"

Max scooted along the branch and nervously put a hand around her shoulder. "You do worry about stuff too much yes. But that's one of your best aspects. I for one wish I could care as much for you and Red as you do for us. I'm sure your brother would agree with me there."

Bonnie felt a really strange feeling in her chest. She turned around to stare at him. "Thanks Max," she said. "I needed that."

If her eyes hadn't been so blurred from crying she might have seen the ginormous blush adorning her friends face. "T-thank you," he stuttered before composing himself. "Out of interest, why doesn't your brother ask for help? Does he have any friends?"

"Oh, he doesn't. He's kind of developed this stupid 'I must do everything alone' attitude that's pushed most people away."

"Oh. Because from the sound of it he could use someone else looking after him. I appreciate that it's hard to watch out for him from school."

Bonnie giggled "You mean like a keeper?"

Max gave her a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh?"

"What's a 'keeper?'"

"Never mind, it's complicated. And embarrassing." Her cheeks flushed slightly.

Silence followed. Presently, Max reached for his rucksack (which he had carried up with him) and pulled out his notebook. "Anyway. You trusted me with a secret. I may as well trust you with one as well, in exchange. Please don't tell anyone. Not even Red."

"Where is Red anyway?"

"He was watching the new documentary about the World Coronation when I left him. It's his birthday tomorrow by the way."

"Oh." Bonnie internally cursed. "I haven't got him anything."

"I'll share my present with you," said Max. "Anyway," he offered her the notebook. "Take a look."

"Didn't you not want to show me this?"

"I-I changed my mind. I've finished my drawing now." She reached out and took it from him. "Start from about the second half." He added.

Bonnie gently opened the book. Inside were pages upon pages of notes about the Pokemon of Hoenn, many of Max's old drawings. She could see some of the crude scribbles of Pokemon, mainly ones from the Hoenn region. The drawings were crude and surrounded with many notes about the Pokemon depicted, where it was found and it's typing and behaviour. There was a Corphish, and a Swellow and a Blaziken and a Skitty. A Marshtomp, a Munchlax, a Pikachu.

Bonnie gestured towards the Pikachu. "Is that based on Ash's Pikachu?" She asked. Max nodded in response and gestured for her to continue.

The Pokemon drawings were followed by a few human portraits. These included one of Ash, one of a considerably younger looking Brock and one of a girl about her age named May, that she assumed was Max's sister. These were followed by a sketch of two older adults, both of whom bared an uncanny resemblance to Max.

The last few pictures in the book were by far the best, a testament to Max's improvement. The dates in the top left implied that this was after he moved to Ketchum Academy and met her and Red. Every detail of his subject was exquisitely captured, from the point of Dedenne's whiskers to the waxy shine on Paras' shell. The second to last page had a magnificent double page spread picture of Mightyena, with every hair on the dark type's body distinguishable.

And then on the last page, she was surprised to find a picture of herself staring back up at her.

On the paper: she looked... perfect. The gleam of her hair, the mischievous glint in her eye, the shine on her skin. She remembered how messed up her reflection, how screwed up she seemed compared to how Max had decided to draw her.

She felt that strange feeling in her stomachs again. Did Max really think of her like this?

She sat there hypnotised, staring at the sketch. She was dressed in her school shirt and skirt, consciously without her blazer or tie. He clearly knew how much she hated those items of clothing. He had pictured her sitting on a stair of some kind, patiently looking up at her.

"Its beautiful," she began. She leaned forward to pass back the book when...

"Arf!"

The bark of the Mightyena startled her, she lost her balance and fell.

She felt herself flying downwards at a ridiculous speed.

She heard Max yelling out her name in concern somewhere above her.

She saw the notebook tumbling past her, pages flapping hopelessly in the breeze.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for the fall, briefly wondering how many bones she was gonna break...

And then suddenly she felt something metallic clench around her right hand shoulder as she was dragged sideways through the air, a slight whirring noise in her ears.

She was set down gently on to the ground. She looked up to see Clemont, dressed in his full Lightshock suit, offering a jittering metallic hand. Once she had been helped back to her feet, she immediately grasped him in a crushing hug.

"I finally found you," Clemont began, squeezing her tightly.

"I know," Was all Bonnie could find in reply.

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much all day,"

Bonnie scoffed "Who said I was worrying all day?" She denied.

"I don't know. You just looked like you had been."

Bonnie smiled. "I forgive you."

"I promise I'll be more careful in the future."

"Good," she said sternly as she stepped away from him. "'Cause I'll be making sure of it."

He groaned "Does that mean constant surveillance every day?"

In response, she flashed him her classic mischievous smirk. "Yep! And I'm not going to stop until I've found another woman to look after you."

Even behind the mask, she could still see his blush.

"Bonnie!" She heard a voice crying out behind her. She turned to see Max running down the hill, Dedenne and Mightyena trailing at his heels.

He grabbed her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. "Are you ok? You don't seem to have any broken bones. I'm sorry about Mightyena..."

Bonnie exhaled, shaking for her friends attention. "Jeez Max, let me breathe! I'm fine, thanks for caring."

Max stepped back, deliberately trying to break and avoid her eye contact "I'm sorry." He said bashfully. He turned around and suddenly jumped when noticing Clemont, who had been standing there quietly chuckling to himself.

"O-oh hello there."

Bonnie stepped between the two. "I may as well introduce you. This is my friend Max. Max, meet my brother, the vigilante Lightshock."

"Oh so you're resistive to the suoerhero thing until you can use it to impress your boyfriend!" Clemont remarked teasingly as he extended his healthy hand to Max, who shook it tentatively. Bonnie rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Anyway," Clemont continued, "I'd better be going. You guys could probably make it back to your dorm before curfew if you leave now."

"Yes, I think we should leaving," She looked back to her brother, stern sincerity in her eyes "Stay safe, ok?"

Clemont smiled in response. "I'll try my best."


Bonnie and Max walked down the park pathway, over the bridge and out of the gate. The train ride home was quiet and awkward, neither of them awake enough to start a conversation.

Once they got to the Academy's train station, they parted ways and retreated back to their respective dorms. When Max got back to his room, he noticed something at the foot of his door. Upon closer inspection after shaking off the dirt and leaves, he identified it as his notebook. He must have left it back at the park!

He sighed in relief and held it affectionately to his chest. Someone must have found the address on the first page and returned it. Max opened the door and sat down on his bunk.

He placed the book on his lap and thumbed through the pages of writing and pictures absentmindedly. It was nice of whoever found it to send it back to him but who would have been able to deliver it that fast?

When he got to the final page, the one with his picture of Bonnie, he paused, before yelping in surprise as a small slip of paper fell out of the book. Upon unfolding, it read:

Dear Max,

Nice to meet you earlier.

I think this notebook is yours, at least it said so.

Please look after my sister.

You are most certainly a keeper.

Best Regards,

Clemont.

Max sat there in bewilderment. What the hell was a "keeper" anyway?


This oneshot took me WAY too long to write and I am worried about how you guys on will receive it (which is kinda ironic seeing as the moral of this one is kinda linked to worrying). It's also a good bit longer than the last one and incorporates a lot of dialogue, something I have struggled on in the past.

Next oneshot will be focussed on Red, I think.

Reviews and criticism is welcomed with open arms.