*May 6th, 2575

~Gabite

I didn't show up to the Tuesday tutoring. Or the next three days after that. I just didn't care to go this past week. It was Friday afternoon and luckily Charizard hadn't called us to rob a store or break stuff so I had a quiet weekend ahead of me.

Aside from seeing a therapist today as the school demanded of me if I wanted to finally graduate high school. And that I was too 'troubled' and that I needed to 'sort out my problems' and all that bull. I sighed as I walked into therapy and was surprised to see who my therapist was.

"Hello, good afternoon."

"Lady Eve!"

I knew on Moogle that one of the champions was a therapist but I didn't think she would end up mine.

"No need to be so formal. This is just my therapy office. In here this is just an appointment. Please have a seat. You must be Gavin correct?"

"Yeah that's my birth name but I like to be called Gabite."

"Okay Gabite. I already received some paperwork from the school today that you're a student who needs at least 100 hours of therapy in order to finally graduate. That means legally you must come for every appointment. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good now that we got all that legal mumbo jumbo out of the way, please tell me why you're here."

"Because the school forced me to."

"And why did the school force you?"

"Because I'm too 'troubled' and I need to 'sort out my problems.'"

"What sort of problems are you having? Struggling in school? Relationship troubles? Or do you feel mentally challenged everyday?"

"Look no disrespect to you ma'am but why am I even here? You're just here to tell me what I want to hear and tell me life is not tough and it's all unicorns and rainbows and all that right? I've been to a bunch of therapists before and they have done nothing for me. Why are you so different and why should I waste my time on this?"

"If you want to leave therapy you can Gabite."

"Then I am."

I stood up to leave but what she said next kept me rooted to the floor.

"Are you leaving though because you think I'm going to waste your time or are you just too afraid to find out the truth?"

"I am not afraid of anything!"

"Then why are you walking away before I even try to help you?"

"Because no one can help me but myself!"

Lady Eve sat there in her chair with a calm but firm demeanor. I glared her down looking for any signs of her bullshitting me but I found none.

"I want to help you Gabite but I can't if you just give up on yourself and not tell me anything."

"Why? Nobody gives a fuck about what I have to say!"

"Try me. I'm told I'm very good at giving advice."

I growled quietly at her but she held her ground and just patiently waited for me to elaborate. I sighed and sat back in my chair in defeat.

"From what I have seen, you have a lot of anger and resentment towards yourself and you get defensive and you put up walls every time someone gets too close to the truth about you. Am I correct?"

"Yeah...you are."

"And why is that?"

"I have been burnt in the past a lot of times and I don't like talking about myself because every time I do it gets used against me."

"I see. Does your family know anything about this?"

"I have no family."

Lady Eve went quiet at my words and I could have sworn I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes but only for a second.

"None at all?"

"I know who my birth parents are but they will never know me. Let's just leave it at that."

"Gabite. I know it's hard to open up but you need to talk about this to someone. This is obviously tearing you apart inside. Besides it's alright anything you say is strictly between the two of us. Nothing you say leaves this room."

"No matter how fucked up it is?"

"I will be the only one to know everything."

I looked down and swallowed the frog welling up in my throat. The last time I told someone everything they used it all against me and I swore to never open up to anyone ever again. But that time there was nothing but contempt in their eyes. Looking at Lady Eve I see nothing but empathy.

"If it's too soon to talk about your parents we can save that for another appointment. But if there's something else bothering you I am all ears."

"Well I have been stuck as a senior for my sixth year now. I'm Lv 24 and I don't understand what I'm supposed to be learning and why it's so hard for me."

"Are you taking some form of tutoring?"

"I am but there's another problem. I can't find the energy to want to go even though I know it will help me and I'm slowly starting to understand it. Why is it like this? Why am I like this?"

"Is there some kind of influence telling you not to go?"

"Well my friends don't care to go either. Saying it's fucking lame, honestly it is, and they have been stuck at school even longer than me. I'm the youngest of the group."

"Maybe you need better friends."

"Heh maybe."

"I think maybe the reason you don't want to go is the same reason you almost left therapy earlier. You don't think deep down that it will help you. Even though you just admitted you're starting to understand it. So why not just go and see how it works out for you?"

"I do have an exam at the end of the month and- ugh this sounds really lame to say but I need a 60 to pass and I honestly want to get one for once."

"Then just go to your tutoring. It's probably not as bad as you're making it out to be."

"But *sigh* F-Fineeeee I'll go to tutoring more often."

"That's good for a start. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"You said earlier you're here to help right?"

"Yes I am."

"How do I know who else wants to 'help'?"

"Someone that's willing to stick by you even when you don't want them to. Someone who sees past your faults and brings out the good in you. And someone who is always there when it counts. Who knows. That someone might already be in your life."

"I guess Lady Eve."

"That's all the time we have for today. I believe we made some great progress. I will see you next Friday afternoon from now on. And Gabite please take what I said and remember I'm here to listen to you and to help you."

"Sure whatever."

"I hope you have a good afternoon."

"Bye Lady Eve."

I shut the door behind me and I let out a huge sigh of relief. At least nobody else can hear me talking here. I don't like talking about these things in my life and yet I told her a lot. I guess there's a reason she's a therapist.

*Outside the high school

I was walking back home thinking about how the appointment went. I guess I do actually feel better and I never felt this way at any other therapy appointment I went to in the past. It's like Lady Eve said I need to say these things to someone. Someone I trust at least from what she was saying. But who can I ever trust?

*SLAP*

I turned towards the school entrance in surprise to hear the sounds of fighting. I couldn't see anyone but I definitely heard a scuffle. I walked back into the school and saw a small group of girls laughing at someone who had been slapped to the dirt. I saw the Pokémon stand back up and I was surprised to see it was the squirrel from my tutoring class. Were they picking on her?

"I told you to stay away from my boyfriend! You had this coming!"

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I am NOT interested in him!

"Do you think I'm an idiot? He wouldn't be pining after you if there wasn't something going on between you two you s*t! Stay the fuck away from him!"

"I am he just doesn't leave me alone!"

"YOU B*TCH!"

The Buneary in front of her punched her hard across the face and she did nothing. I couldn't question why and decided to walk over there and help her.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE-"

"Umm Bonnie?"

"WHAT?!"

One of her cat friends pointed fearfully at me as I stood behind squirrel. The Buneary lowered her ears while her friends stood fearfully behind her and the squirrel had no idea I was even there. Because she yelled out at them;

"HOW ABOUT YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR ONCE?!"

They ran off nearly tripping on each other to get away from me which surprised squirrel who she thought she scared them off.

"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!"

"WE'LL NEVER BOTHER HER AGAIN JUST DON'T BEAT US UP GANGSTER!"

"Huh? What is she talking about?"

She finally turned when she realized someone was behind her and she flinched in surprise when she saw me standing there.

"Oh it's you. What are you doing here this late?"

"I was just passing by. What are those b*ches problems?"

"Bonnie thinks I'm trying to steal her boyfriend when he just doesn't leave me alone but she stupidly keeps thinking we're involved."

"Well are you?"

"Eww Arceus no. Never in a million years. Her 'boyfriend' gives me the creeps."

"I guess they'll leave you alone now."

"I never cared for them anyways. Bullies and cowards are all the same to me."

"Um are you okay though?"

Squirrel glared up at me and I started to wonder what I said wrong.

"I'm fine. I don't want any fake pity from you."

I growled at her thinking how could she not think I was trying to help her.

Then it hit me.

I was acting that same way just a few days earlier. Now she's doing the same thing back to me because she thinks I don't care about tutoring. And you know what, for a while I was. I acted like an ass who didn't give a shit if she tutored me or not. Squirrel was trying to help me and I'm wasting it. Now she thinks I am not helping her because she doesn't trust me since I keep not showing up and refusing her help. At least that's what I hoped I did wrong.

I shook my head out of my thoughts and saw her struggling to reach for her backpack that they had tossed up a tree. I raised up my claw and plucked it out of the tree easily and handed it to her much to her surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you."

"I don't need your help. Toss it back into the tree and I'll get it myself."

"What?"

"Toss. It. Back. Into. The. Tree."

I sighed and gave the bag a half assed toss and it fell onto the ground in front of her feet and I walked away lost in my thoughts.

*Back at home; Slums

I set the plastic bag down on the table and took off my jacket and placed it onto a nearby chair. I took out some instant noodles from the pantry and made my favorite miso flavor.

I slurped up some noodles in silence as I browsed through social media. I only scrolled through a few pages of Jynxbook when I saw Squirrel's account pop up on the screen. I couldn't send her a friend request of course because she hates my guts and I honestly kind of hate her too. Who tells someone to toss a bag back into a tree when they clearly wanted it back?

I suppose I deserve it I'm such an ass to her anyways. I went to my Jynxbook account and saw the only people that were my friends were the four douches I hang out with; Charizard, Hitmonlee, Kabutops, & Houndoom.

Lady Eve's words about my friends earlier rang through my head.

'Maybe you need better friends."

Maybe I couldn't be friends with her but I can try to find some common ground with her. The squirrel I mean.

I saw the time was 10:30pm and I headed upstairs to my bedroom, with the same old closet full of laundry, an old king sized bed, and a worn out desk with a black journal on top of it.

I thought about throwing it away after today but I couldn't do it. Honestly I think the only reason is because I really needed a journal. So far I only wrote tutoring notes in it but eventually I'll add things into it.

I collapsed onto the bed and shut off the light and almost immediately dozed off.

*May 9th, 2575

I walked into the tutoring class internally in disbelief that I was even here but I said I would try. Squirrel barely looked up at me as I walked in and honestly I don't blame for being pissed at me. I'm a horrible student.

"Hey."

"What?"

I took the thing out of the plastic bag I brought in and placed a journal on the desk in front of her. She glanced up when she saw I put something there and raised a confused eyebrow at me.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. This is for the journal you gave me. I pay back all my debts. Take it."

I bought her a black journal with full moon on it and stars because I thought girls like this kind of stuff and I was trying to make some kind of peace or whatever the fuck.

She stared at it in silence for a full minute before slowly reaching her hand out and pushing it back towards me.

"You owe me nothing. Sit down and I'll start the lesson in a minute."

"Seriously take it."

"I don't want it."

"Just take it! I don't do this for just anyone! Just take the damn journal!"

"I told you I don't want it!"

"Why don't you just take the damn thing?!"

"Why do you want me to have it?!"

"I'm trying to be fucking nice! AND PAY YOU BACK AND APOLOGIZE FOR BEING AN ASS TO YOU! IS THAT SO HARD TO BELIEVE?! TAKE THE DAMN JOURNAL!"

"ALRIGHT FINE I'M TAKING IT!"

"GOOD!"

"BUT I STILL DON'T WANT IT!"

"GOOD FOR YOU!"

"I'M TAKING IT!"

"GREAT!"

"THANK YOU!"

"YOU'RE WELCOME!"

Squirrel took the journal and stuffed it into her bag, while I took a seat trying my best to deflate some of my anger away. The lesson went smoother than last time and I reluctantly asked her for help and she smugly helped me out while I felt completely ashamed but I listened. I eventually understood it and got up to leave slipping my journal back into my jacket like last time.

"I'll be back for tomorrow's lesson squirrel."

"Oh for the love of- My name's not squirrel it's Pachi."

"Nope no way am I calling you that. Bye squirrel."

She grunted out loud in annoyance as I walked out of the classroom. I heard her muttering that I was a jerk and I smiled a bit because I was messing with her. I just thought the nickname was totally lame.