After what felt like hours of chasing Wild Pokémon all across the fields outside of Mesagoza, Tommy and Nemona finally agreed to call it quits as the sun began its rapid descent to conclude the first day of the new school year. And as they had done since his crush had suggested it, both returned to the city and walked their way back to school, hand in hand. While Nemona seemed accepting of the "custom" despite how quickly he was showing signs of improvement, Tommy was so busy imagining a potential future for them to walk that he failed to notice it.

Nor did he notice the random looks from other students when the Class President was walking through the streets of Mesagoza holding hands with a transfer student. Nemona would say something to the effect of everyone curious to see if she was going to turn Tommy into the next Champion of Uva Academy, but Tommy was feeling so lovesick at the moment that he could care less. Let everyone think what they wanted of them. He had someone he was falling for by his side and that's all that mattered.

He wondered how his family would feel about Nemona. He imagined his father would be horrified to find his son had wooed a girl just as crazy about Pokémon Battling as he was, but would be placated by the fact that she was intelligent, fiery and a Class President at the Academy. His mother might take a bit longer to sway, as he would always be a little boy in her eyes, but he imagined his happiness would outweigh her maternal concerns. Holly was his primary concern. His sister was extremely protective of him, especially since his injury in the Battle of the Crag Hills. The scar he now bore above his eye a symbol of what he went through to protect his friends and his home from the likes of Mewtwo. So any girl who managed to win her brother over would be under the intense scrutiny from his sister, the potential future Contest Queen of Arcana, especially given how very vibrant his scar was from battle.

Almost as if reading his mind, the two came to a stop at the top of the mighty staircase that led to Mesagoza and Nemona asked him the question he was dreading she would. "Sorry if it's a bit rude of me to ask, but I noticed your scar earlier today, Tommy. How'd you get that?"

Tommy froze. What was he going to tell her? How could he even think of something on the spot so quickly? If he truly cared about her, could he tell her this one truth and let the rest come out afterwards? He glanced up sheepishly at Nemona, who eyed him with the same big brown eyes he could tell he was falling for. He grasped her hand in his and gulped, reluctantly coming to a conclusion. "Well, you see-"

"I doubt you'd remember" a voice called from behind him. "Given how long ago it was."

Tommy and Nemona spun around to see Billy walking towards them, wearing what appeared to be a tuxedo to dress fancy and show off his handsomeness. He walked over to the two kids and tussled Tommy's hair. "This little guy here was playing with some Pokémon at the Arcana Safari Zone. He got a little too handsy with a Zigzagoon and its pin missile kinda got him in the eye." He gestured towards Tommy's eye. "But he's a trooper. Wanted to keep playing immediately afterwards."

Tommy internally calmed down as Nemona gasped at the story, her hand squeezing his as she stood in front of him with a worried look on her face. "Omigosh! That's so crazy. I'm glad I have a friend here to look after with something like that happening."

Tommy blushed. "Well, I-"

"Its not a story he'd like to remember" Billy commented. "But I remember the hell your father raised at Warden Tenton for that." He glanced to the two and smirked. "Well, I'd best be off. I'm not the only one who's got special time with a lady friend tonight. You two settle in nice and early. The second day of school is just as important as the first, after all."

"All dressed up for La Primera again, Mr. Billy?" Nemona asked.

Billy froze in place, nearly falling down the steps if not for a quick step to regain his balance. "No! Not at all. I have a-ahem! I have a date with my girlfriend, Professor Amanda Fouritz in town this evening. La Primera and I are just-um...just make sure you kids don't spend all night together. Its a school night after all." Without another word, Billy rushed down the steps towards Mesagoza.

Nemona frowned. "Strange. I thought he was La Primera's boyfriend or something."

Tommy shook his head. "Apparently you've never met Amanda. I'm surprised a brawl hasn't broken out between the two given how much time Billy has spent with La Primera."

"But he is right about one thing" his friend added. "It is a school night. So we should get ready for bed as early as possible."

"Wait!" Tommy cried.

"Hm? Something on your mind?"

Tommy took a deep breath and tried to summon some of Jeremy's courage for what he was about to do. "I was just wondering...if you would...you know...like to hang out with me...tonight."

Nemona blinked in confusion. "We just spent the whole afternoon together."

"That's not what I mean" Tommy insisted, his nerves rattling his insides. "You know what I mean, right? Hanging out?" He took Nemona's other hand and held it gently. "You know...just you and me? Maybe..." He felt his toes get jittery inside his shoes as they wanted to lean up and peck Nemona's cheek, but he kept himself in line for now.

Nemona smiled. "Silly Tommy. We can't battle now."

"Battle?! You think I want to battle?"

"Of course. We're rivals, right?"

Tommy frowned after yet another rejection. First Addison and now Nemona. "Yeah. I guess."

She shook his hands in delight. "After school tomorrow, if we don't get too much homework, maybe you and I can get some battling in. And even if we don't, I just like hanging out with you."

This surprised Tommy. "You do?" Maybe it's not hopeless after all.

"Of course" she replied eagerly. "You're my...you're...we're friends. And that's all that matters." She finally slipped her hands from his and folded her arms. "I usually go for a run with my Pawmot before class starts in the Schoolyard. Then I get breakfast in the Cafeteria. I figure you're usually a bit of a heavier sleeper, so I'll let you sleep for a bit. But we can walk to class together if you like." She pumped her fists in the air. "We seem to be popular enough with some kids that they couldn't stop looking at us as we returned from all the glory we covered ourselves with outside of Mesagoza. So I imagine they'll expect to see us together more often, especially since we share so many classes."

Tommy sighed. He highly doubted they all thought of the glory of beating a bunch of Skwovets and Woopers outside of Mesagoza when they noticed the two walking through the city. This girl is denser than a Snorlax. But undaunted, he echoed her positivity. "Sure. I'd like that." He knew he might be reaching for it, but went for another shot. "Maybe we could even keep holding hands when we go to class?"

Nemona nodded. "Sure. Until you're sure you don't need me leading you around, I'll be glad to oblige." She glanced up at the sky, which was almost completely dark with nightfall. "Uh oh. Gotta get to the Student Council Meeting before I get yelled at by Director Clavell again. See you tomorrow, Tommy!" With that, she quickly took off for the Academy.

Tommy let a wide smile grow on his face as she departed, unaware that he was about to be assailed by a massive walking pile of boxes and bags. He didn't get out of the way in time and both crashed hard into one another. He recovered quickly in a massive pile of what appeared to be food, accessories, gaming equipment and stuffed plushies. From out of the pile popped another head, one Tommy hadn't seen since the day prior.

"Oh, Penny!" he exclaimed.

Penny gasped. "Oh, Tommy! Sorry about that." She then let out a shriek! "NO! Don't tell me! Please be okay! Please be okay! PLEEEEEEEEEEASE!" She frantically looked through her pile of acquired goodies without rhyme or reason. Tommy took up one of the boxes and opened it, curiously finding a large plushy pillow of an Eevee that reminded him of Penny's backpack. He looked for Penny, who was busy leaping through the piles of boxes she'd been carrying in search of something. He offered her the box he had picked up and Penny swiped it from him immediately. She glanced in and saw the Eevee Pillow and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh. I was so scared I got sushi on it." She glanced in Tommy's direction and smiled. "Thanks Tommy. And sorry about that."

Tommy leaped to his feet and dusted himself off. "No prob, Penny. I'm just glad you're okay." He reached for her hand to help her up. Penny seemed completely baffled that he would do so, but allowed Tommy to help her back to standing. She quickly slipped her hand out of his and went about picking up her massive stock of boxes. "Do you need some help?"

"No" she insisted, straining as she tried to pick up all the boxes as she had previously. "I got...ergh...I got it!"

Without waiting for another reply, seeing Penny struggling to hold her massive pile, Tommy ignored her insistence on doing things herself and picked up several of her boxes. Once Penny realized he had no intention of abiding by her request, Penny shook her head and allowed Tommy to take one of the boxes she was carrying. "See? It pays to let others help. Especially friends."

Penny sighed in relief. "I...thanks, Tommy." She adjusted the boxes in her arms and slowly began to lead the way back into the Academy and towards their Deluxe Dorm. "I didn't think I'd be getting so much stuff from town, but maybe my Mom was always right about me being a hoarder."

Tommy followed her at a distance. "I imagine your parents gave you a credit card or something."

Penny shook her head. "No. I'm not rich or anything. A lot of these are from...ugh...from home." The two were able to walk through the wide doors of the Academy once a few students allowed them to pass through. Tommy tried to keep his pace with Penny, who seemed more eager than ever to return to the seclusion of her half of their Dorm.

"You had your parents send stuff from home?"

"That would be why I said they're from home" she replied tepidly. "Hopefully the elevator will be empty so we're not walking upstairs with all of these."

Tommy frowned. If Nemona was overly eager to be friends and rivals with him, Penny seemed to be slamming the door in his face at every turn. He only wanted to get her to open up to him. "I imagine it should be okay. Did your parents really send you all of this?"

"Just Angelique."

"Wow, you get to call your Mom by her first name?" He nearly bumped into Penny, who had slammed on her breaks and seemed eager to snap at him. He took a step backwards and gulped. "Did I say something wrong?"

Penny took a moment to collect herself. "No. But Angelique is not my mother." Without another word, she walked forward towards the elevator. Tommy followed as best as she could, but it seemed to him that she was trying to avoid a conversation with him. Why couldn't she just see he wanted to have a friend to talk to? It's not like Justin was someone he could open up to and with Addison and Morgan on a different floor and sharing a dorm with that Cole kid, it was unlikely they would be available for him to talk to. Once they made it to the elevator, Tommy was able to slip in beside Penny and the two awaited their trip up to the fourth floor of the Academy and their Dorm.

"What games do you play?" Tommy chirped, the tenseness in the air getting to him.

Penny didn't look in his direction. "Mostly tabletop stuff and RPGs. I doubt you'd be interested."

Tommy laughed. "Are you kidding? I've always wanted to get into stuff like that."

This caught Penny off guard. "You...you do?"

Tommy shrugged. "Unfortunately, there aren't many kids my age back home. At least people who would be into stuff like that. My only real hope was my sister's boyfriend, but he's too busy with her to be available. So, you play the same kinds of games that others do? Where you dress up and fight monsters with all those dice and stuff?"

"Ye-yeah?"

"Would you mind if I joined in a game?"

Penny took a moment, almost as if considering the offer. "I-my group is a bit full at the moment. And we're in the middle of a really big adventure. I don't think we'll be done in the next few days."

"Oh. Okay."

Penny bit her lip. "But I'll put it up to the others to see if you can join us on the next quest."

Tommy's eyes lit up. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "Sure. At least as a favor to helping me move all this stuff." The elevator doors finally opened and the two walked out and headed down the hall towards their Dorm Room.

"Not because we're friends?"

Penny stopped again. "Tommy, we barely know each other. We did just meet yesterday. I don't think we're at the friends benchmark just yet. I think we should just call ourselves acquaintances and end it there. And the rest of my group doesn't even know you exist yet."

Tommy sighed. "I guess. Kinda hard to make friends when you're from another region, though."

"You didn't seem to have much of an issue befriending the Class President" she noted.

"You saw us?"

Penny sighed. "Not a whole lot else going on in the school on the first day besides a bunch of kids getting headaches and needing to see Nurse Miriam. Kids are already talking about Nemona taking a shining to you and you probably reciprocating." She looked back towards Tommy and gave a half-hearted laugh. "I highly doubt there's a custom about holding hands as much as you two do back in Arcana."

Tommy flushed. "What can I say? I'm a romantic."

Penny giggled at that. "I can see that, Tommy. But not all girls are as...airheaded as Nemona. You may want to try a different tactic in befriending them."

"I haven't asked to hold your hand, have I?" The two made it to their Dorm Room and Penny grabbed at her Card Key to open the door. Tommy looked towards his roommate and thought for the slightest moment he could see some color going into Penny's cheeks. "Right?"

Penny opened the door and nodded. "And I appreciate that. We'll be the best acquaintances in school at this rate." She brought the boxes into their shared hall before lowering them. "You can leave the boxes by my door. I'll come and get them as I can. Thanks again."

"You don't need help putting them in?"

This time, Penny looked towards him and gave him a legitimate smile. "My VeeVees are a bit too playful. Thanks to them, my room is a bit of a mess. I appreciate it though. See you around Tommy." Penny went to open the door to her side of the Dorm.

"Before I forget, Penny" Tommy called out, "what happened this morning? You weren't in class?"

Penny froze in the doorway. "I overslept. I'll try to be in class tomorrow. I hear Professor Sexton is a good teacher. Hopefully not as crazy as Ms. Raifort. Good night, Tommy." Without another word, Penny slipped through her door and shut it behind her.

Tommy let out a bewildered sigh and lowered the boxes by her side of the Dorm Room before entering his and Justin's. Upon opening the door, he was puzzled to see Justin looking at various outfits to wear for himself, most of them formal attire. "Expecting a visit from the Queen, Justin?"

Justin shook his head. "No. Lady Bridgette told me my next lesson would be one on etiquette. We'll be going to a formal restaurant in town. And I want to make a good impression on her-uh I mean the restaurant."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "It seems like we boys are always a few steps behind girls, Justin. You, me, Cole and I imagine Uva Academy has a dozen or so more boys who don't get them." He walked over to his pull-out bed and jumped onto it, letting out a sigh. "People like Ryan and Jeremy make it so easy. The King too. How do we not get them?"

"You're asking the wrong person about girls" Justin replied as he debated which white collared shirt was appropriate for his night with Bridgette. "One minute I think I've got them pegged down and the next they turn into almost unrecognizable people."

"You talking about Lizzie or Bridgette?"

Justin did not immediately answer, gathering the shirt he had decided upon and deciding to put it on. He carefully undid his usual school shirt and then went about putting on his new and classier attire. "Is it bad that I don't usually consider Lizzie a woman? She feels like one of the guys when you get down to it. Always acts like a good friend above all else. Though on occasion she can be a bit explosive. I'm mostly referring to Bridgette." He began to button each one as carefully as possible to avoid a dinner disaster for himself. "One minute I think I'm making progress with getting to know her. The next...I don't know. It feels like I'm making mistakes or something of the sort."

"Girls are just complicated" Tommy concluded. "Bridgette, Addison, my sister, Penny, none of them are easy to get. Wish girls came with a manual or something."

"It would make things easier." He finished buttoning his shirt and quickly flung his suit jacket on before turning to Tommy. "I know you're not the best at this sort of thing, but how do I look?"

Tommy glanced backwards and blinked. "Fine, I guess. Just do something about your hair."

He looked up nervously. "My hair?"

"I think you overdid it with the hair gel."

Justin tried to look up at his hair and gulped. "Well, I don't have time to waste on it. Maybe for next time." He gathered his Poké Gear, wallet and the Poké Ball containing his Paldean Wooper and went for the door. "Don't wait up for me, Tommy. It is still a school night, you know." He then quickly slipped past the still fairly tall stack of boxes Penny had left outside and exited.

Tommy drooped onto his bed and called out his Applin and Fuecoco, both of whom seemed surprised to be called out when not in the sign of battle or an open field. Nevertheless, both waddled (or in the Applin's case, hopped) over to their trainer and made themselves comfortable on his lap. He smiled down on both of them. "Well, you guys are friends, right?"

The Applin gave him a smile before letting out a quiet chirp. Fuecoco seemed to echo the happiness and tried to let out a growl of happiness before falling on his backside. He helped right up his Pokémon before lying on his back, wondering just how the days that followed would be. Would Penny finally begin to open up to him? Would Nemona finally realize what he meant when he said he wanted to "hang out"? Would Cassiopeia contact him for his next move regarding their plan to take down Team Star? One could only guess. As he began to feel the weight of a long day bear down on him, his last thoughts were of the newest maiden to capture his heart and the smile that had made his knees buckle.

Nemona...

{}

Despite being initially nervous about being out to dinner with someone for the first time in his life, Cole found himself able to relax around Addison. After that first conversation about ensuring their boundaries were respected, with regard to Ryan and Paige, talking soon became effortless for them. Any subject, save thankfully about Cole's origins and oddly enough Addison's own time before arriving in Paldea, seemed to be on the table.

They talked about their Pokémon, letting them wander throughout the evenly paved roads of Mesagoza while out together, his Petilil and her Sprigatito getting along quite well as both took in the last remnants of the sun as it began to set on the horizon. They talked about foods, with Addison showing him all of the many things he'd be able to put on a sandwich while still remaining within the restraints of Professor Sexton's coupons. They talked about their plans at the Academy, with Addison mentioning how she would like to try being a Pokémon Contest performer while also potentially becoming a psychologist and Cole admitting he didn't have any immediate plans. As someone who came from a time where professions such as Addison's goals were obsolete, how could he even have an idea of a goal like that?

But the one thing the two found themselves talking the most about as they wrapped up their dinner with some ice cream, was the two who were missing from this little "date" of theirs: Paige and Ryan. Though many things had kept them engaged with one another, the idea of talking about their two most dear friends still missing from their lives was what seemed to make the camaraderie strong between them. For every story Addison seemed to have about Ryan and her friendship with him, Cole had one to answer with about Paige.

"She's the real expert about Pokémon between us" Cole admitted. "The only fully evolved Pokémon I have is Jory my Pawmot. But her? She's got so many I lost count. A Cyclizar of her own, a Pyroar, in fact I think she also has one of what your Sprigatito will evolve into." He gestured towards Addison's Pokémon, as it proudly walked her way towards her trainer and let out a meow as if expecting to be picked up and held.

Addison gladly scooped her up. "I doubt you'd be much of a fan of ice cream, Sprigatito." Nevertheless, her Pokémon dipped its nose into Addison's Pecha Berry Cone and began to try and lick it off her nose, prompting Addison to laugh. "I stand corrected."

"You seem like a natural with Pokémon" Cole remarked.

"It runs in the family" she replied kindly. "My father is the warden of the Arcana Safari Zone so I get to see all kinds of rare Pokémon when I visit him at work. And my mother was a Contest Queen in Arcana for years. It was only natural for me to take after one of them." She smiled as she admired Cole picking up his Petilil. "You don't seem to be so bad with Pokémon yourself. You even have a fully evolved one. Does it run in your family?"

Cole shook his head. "Don't know. Never met 'em."

Addison seemed surprised. "You mean...you never knew your parents?"

"My foster mother said they died a long time ago" Cole recalled. "And she wasn't the kind of person who let me forget it. Always reminding me of how kind she was to take me in when no one else would, apparently. No relatives to know of and they didn't seem to leave me anything either. Just to that old bat."

"I'm sorry, Cole. How could someone like that see so little value in people?"

"The only reason I even remember her is because that's how Paige and I became friends."

"You were both orphaned?"

He nodded sadly. "Paige always says she remembers her mother. But only the eyes. They seemed big and loving. But no memory of a father or anything. I don't even have that luxury." He looked at the ice cream in his hands as it slowly began to melt. "In time, we were all the other had. Until we got out of the foster home and..." He thought for a moment. He recalled Professor Sexton's warning about revealing too much to Addison about where they had come from. "...until we got separated."

"Do you have any leads as to where she might be?"

"Professor Sexton and La Primera promised to help, but so far nothing." He lowered his head. "If I only knew she was okay..."

"You and me both" Addison admitted. "I haven't seen Ryan in months."

"Do you have any leads?"

She shrugged. "One, but it may not be fully reliable. Just hearsay. Nemona even said it could be a myth."

"I hope one of us gets what they want at least" Cole answered sadly. "The more time passes, the more I doubt it'll be me. So I hope its you, Addy."

Addison gave him a sad smile. "Is it bad that we're thinking the same things? I was just about to say that myself about you." She gestured towards his ice cream. "You may want to eat that before Sprigatito starts eyeing yours as well."

Cole took a lick of his own ice cream cone, Rawst Berry Delight, before lowering it again. "After all the years I spent under my foster mother, I never thought I'd even get to hold ice cream, let alone taste it." He gave himself a bit of brain freeze. "Aside from the side effects, its pretty good."

"I guess some of us take for granted what we have" his friend admitted. "I mean, I can't say I've ever been through what you've had in losing both parents and being stuck with some horrid witch watching over me. Let alone never even having an ice cream cone until I was a teenager." She seemed to want to say more, but was keeping herself quiet. "I know we may never get to fully understand what we've both been going through, but I just want you to know that I'm here if you ever need to talk, Cole. Going through what you have alone is brave, but you always should have someone in your corner. And with Paige missing, I'd like to help you anyway I can until she's found."

"I appreciate it, Addy" Cole said softly. "And I want to help you however I can as well. I do know what its like not to have someone that means the world to me by my side. So if you'll let me, even if its from afar, I want to help you find Ryan. Just like we promised each other this morning."

Addison nodded. "Then I think we're in agreement." She glanced down as her Sprigatito was eyeing up the rest of her ice cream cone. "Sorry, sweetie, but there's no more. We ate most of it." The feline Pokémon sat in a huff on her lap before fluffing her tail and leaping onto their table to sit down. Addison shrugged as she studied her empty cone. "I wonder where the garbage pail is."

Cole rose to his feet after licking up the last of his own. "I'll take it. We both don't need to get up for this." He took Addison's cone and made for the nearest trash can. Perhaps he was a bit too careless, though, as he took a bad step, tripping over the leg of a nearby empty table and launching himself forward. He expected to hit the ground with a loud thud and feel the pain of that fall for the remainder of the day.

But it never came.

Cole, who had closed his eyes upon losing his footing, opened them and found himself near the ground, only an inch or so from falling flat on his face and potentially breaking his nose. But he wasn't hitting it. He couldn't tell how he'd avoided falling, wondering if his Petilil had used some kind of move to keep him up. But his Pokémon had trotted over to his side to check on him.

He made a glance backwards and gasped.

Addison had done this.

Her hand was almost instinctively in the air. She seemed as shocked by her actions as he was. If her hand moved, so did his body. She slowly brought her hand up and Cole's body went with it, until he was standing by himself, his Petilil chirping up at him from the ground.

Cole was flabbergasted. "I...I..."

Addison looked utterly horrified. "I can explain..."

"What just...how did...you just...I mean..."

"I know what you think you just saw" Addison said nervously, "but I can assure you that..."

Cole made his way over to the trash can and threw out their cones before returning to Addison. Despite her clearly wanting him to change the subject, he couldn't ignore what had happened just now. "Addy...how did you do that?"

Addison shook her head and slapped her face. "Stupid! Stupid! Stop using those instincts!"

"Instincts?"

"I saw you falling before it happened and reacted in kind, but..."

Cole gasped. "You mean you saw things before they happened and prevented it?!"

"That's not what I'm saying" she insisted desperately.

Cole's mind was moving too fast for him to be able to comprehend more of what she said. Any explanation would be meaningless for him. Addison had just kept him from falling. As if she had seen it happening before it did. All of the power in Cole's emotionally drained mind began to fly towards this singular fact. Both the scalding words of Natalya and the more soothing ones of Paige flooded into his head. About someone who had the power to traverse time and fixed the world from certain annihilation. He came to the sudden realization of what knowledge lied before him.

"It's you" he responded, overjoyed and relieved.

"I'm not-" Addison began.

"It's really you. You're the White Mage!"

This caught Addison off guard more than her own actions. "The what? I don't know what you're talking about, Cole."

"I know what I saw, Addy" Cole cried out. "The White Mage. The one who reversed time to save the day. The one who destroyed Mewtwo. The one who-." But the joy from this new discovery was fleeting to say the least. For despite all of his hopes being temporarily ignited by this revelation, the cold dampness of reality sunk in for him. Addison had mentioned earlier about not knowing who Paige was. And from the astonished look in her eyes when he said he knew who she was, he had a feeling she was still as oblivious to who his friend was. Which meant that Paige hadn't found her. Which means Paige was in more danger than he could have imagined.

He felt woozy. Dizzy, confused, alarmed and panicked all at once. He didn't even know what he was saying at this point, as his grasp of reality had become as evasive as Natalya was proving. He felt the world's burdens falling squarely upon his shoulders and began to lose his cool. Addison rushed over to his side and began to try and talk to him, but he understood her words even less. Her hands went onto his shoulders as she seemed to be trying to calm him, but Cole felt as if he were drowning.

"Paige..."

"Cole, you have to listen to me."

"Paige...never...found..."

"Cole, please!"

"Where...she...gone..."

Cole's eyes flashed open as if he suddenly grasped reality. Addison had placed her hand on his forehead, giving him calming energy to soothe his ragged nerves. The other now sat on his upper arm, keeping him upright. After a moment of this, Cole began to regain his composure. Once he had, Addison moved her chair over to Cole's side, knowing she had a lot to answer for and explain.

"Addy...you're the one who defeated Mewtwo?!"

Addison sighed. "Yes."

Cole was astonished. "How did...why did...I don't..."

"I think we both have a lot we may need to talk about" she answered briskly. "I for one am shocked someone from Paldea even knows about what happened all that time ago. But considering we're both unsure of where things go from here, I think its for the best we continue to help one another, but from a distance." She took a deep breath, as if on the verge of her own mental breakdown. "Cole, I want to be able to explain things to you, Why I'm really here in Paldea, what I hope to accomplish. But I don't want to put you in any danger. And I get the feeling you feel the same way about your own story." She smiled nervously. "I kinda delved into your mind to calm you down, but I didn't see anything. I just gave you calming energy."

"You can see into my mind?!"

"Only if you allow me to. I mean, I could do it by myself, but only when-ugh. Cole, I can't. I wish I could, because now I'm more confused about things than ever. But I need to keep my word to Ryan. And you should do the same for Paige."

Cole slumped into the chair he'd been sitting in. "I can't help anyone..."

"Yes you can" she assured him. "You're capable of anything you set your mind to." She took a deep breath. "We made a promise to one another this morning, Cole. About helping out however we can. I don't think we can help each other in a literal sense, not with what we need to keep hidden from one another. But I think you and I can be there for one another on a friend level. We can give each other good vibes. Assurances that even if things get harder, we can lean on the other for support. But I don't want to put you in trouble for what I want to try to do here."

Cole, recalling Professor Sexton's words about not involving Addison or Morgan, simply nodded. "It's...it's probably for the best. I'd only get in your way." He rose to his feet, recalled his Petilil and began to walk away. "That's all I seem to be good at anyway."

"Wait!" Addison begged, grabbing his wrist. "You know that's not what I mean, Cole."

"But its true and you know it" he lamented. "I just get in the way. I shouldn't even be here."

Addison shook her head in sadness. "If I had just kept my instincts to myself, this wouldn't be happening." She pulled him back to her side. "Cole, I need you to promise me something. You can't tell anyone about this. About who I am and what I can do. This is because the only reason we were allowed to come here is that we told Uva Academy we were sending students who have never raised Pokémon before. But the four of us are all trainers. Me, Morgan, Tommy and Justin. They all came along to help me in my own mission and try to get Paldea to open its borders for us."

"I need to keep it a secret?" Cole repeated for clarification.

"I'm begging you to" she pleaded. "If we get kicked out of the Academy for this...I may lose my only chance of doing this. Please!"

Cole nodded. "I promise I won't."

Addison heaved a heavy sigh of relief before lowering Cole's hand. She then gave him an awkward hug before quickly pulling away. "Thank you, Cole. Not just for this. But for all you've done for me and Morgan so far. I can tell how sincere and nice you are. It really hurts to not be able to admit it all to you. But you have to understand my reasoning."

"Ye-yeah. Me too. Knowing what I do now, you might be the single coolest girl I've ever met."

Addison was caught off guard and blushed. "Really?"

"Besides Paige of course" Cole insisted. She laughed at this, the tenseness in the air dropping quickly. "But I need to keep my own secrets for now, too. Not because I think you can't be trusted, but-"

"I know" she assured him. "That's why I want us both to help one another in whatever way we can. Even if it just means to be a shoulder to lean on." She offered him a handshake. "Still friends, right?"

Cole nodded, but passed on the handshake. "We are. But it's getting late. We should probably head back."

Addison seemed hurt by Cole's words, but accepted it all the same. "You're right. We don't want to miss class tomorrow." She recalled her Sprigatito and the two slowly made their way back towards Uva Academy. Despite wanting to be friends, it was becoming clear to both that the lack of full transparency and ironically the need to keep their secrets safe might make keeping the bonds together. And without being able to fully depend on the other, made both feel utterly alone.

{}

Despite needing to think of a plan on the fly, Billy was as prepared as he could ever be when it came to this date with Amanda. They had reservations, courtesy of an ashamed certain Pokémon Professor for neglecting Billy since they arrived in Paldea. He, with a surprisingly eager amount of support from La Primera, managed to get entertainment for them on this most romantic of evenings. And, this time, to ensure he wouldn't have a runaway piece of jewelry, he kept his hand on the ring box to the best of his ability. He was set to ask Amanda the one question he'd been dying to ask her since she returned to his life after being a prisoner of the Syndicate for several months. An answer he was almost entirely certain to guarantee the answer of, but it was still customary to ask all the same. He'd done all the legwork. Mr. and Mrs. Fouritz, Amanda's parents, were already over the moon about their only child being able to marry into the Kingston Family and had eagerly approved of his request. Now, all he needed was the time.

And neither Amanda nor he spared any expense. Fine wines from Alfornada, entertainment courtesy of Montenevra, freshly caught seafood from Porto Marinada and the finest chef in the region, who also happened to be Cascaraffa's Gym Leader, was called in by Geeta to cook for them. The evening was set to be a magical one, one Billy hoped they would never forget.

As the waiter, poured more wine for both Amanda and Billy to drink after they had sampled the finest food in the region, The Iron Titan decided it was time to make his move. He took the ring box in his hand and gathered every last trace of his inner strength. He had a speech prepared since he had first made his attempt to propose back in Titanio Park. Now was the time to see if his memory could get every word to the letter. But before he could even find the words, his girlfriend interjected.

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you" Amanda apologized sincerely. "I feel like a lousy girlfriend. Always prioritizing my excitement over being in a new region over you. And I probably would have kept doing so if I didn't see how that-"

Billy calmed her down. "Remember Amanda, she's paying for a lot of this."

Amanda took a deep breath before continuing. "-how comfortable La Primera was getting with you. I know you weren't flirting with her. But it still didn't feel good at all with how handsy she was. Almost as if she were willing to whisk you off to be in some ivory tower with her for all eternity." She shook her head and Billy could see sorrow gripping her. "I could have lost you."

"You never have and you never will" he assured her.

"I almost did" she shuddered. "When I saw you there...on the ground...the only thing keeping me from losing my mind was that Julia and Chris were there with me." She began to hyperventilate as she remembered that day, prompting Billy to reach for and grasp her hand. "I made it back from that hellscape Courtney kept me in, only to see you there..."

"Amanda, its okay" he soothed her. "I'm here. I'm always gonna be here, too."

"Billy..." she whimpered, doing her best to fan away the tears streaming from her eyes. "Honey, I thought I had lost you."

"It's good thing that Waillord didn't kill me then, isn't it?" he teased.

"That isn't funny" Amanda snapped. "You could have died. Billy, I would have been devastated if-"

"Then you have nothing to worry about" he reassured her. "We're both here and we're both safe and sound."

"You have no idea how thankful I am for that" she whispered. "I don't imagine I'd be able to bear it."

"Well, at least you'll never have to know what it feels like." His second hand took a firm grasp of the ring box while his other continued to give all the comfort he could to Amanda. "I'm uh, glad that we finally have a moment together. Alone, you know?" He chuckled. "I never thought I'd get you away from that mountain of books you had in the library."

She smiled slyly. "And I never thought I'd get you out of the clutches of...ahem...the tendrils...no...the arms of La Primera."

"Well, now that we have this moment...our first since probably Titanio Park, I think its time I got to the point of it all. Do you remember our first date?"

"Our first official date? Or the first time we both truly met?"

"At Michael and Julia's wedding" Billy rephrased. "I was honored to be one of Michael's groomsmen. I knew Jon would be walking with Annie, Greg with Tori and Chris and Piper, but I wasn't sure who I'd be paired with. Julia told me I was going to walk with her grad student. I hadn't heard much of you, save for how witty and smart you were. I intended on doing my duty, but I never in my wildest dreams expected you to be the kind of person you've shown me you are. You're far more than just a genius. You're passionate, you're loyal, you're fiercely protective, you've got Kingston moxie to you without having any blood connection to us. And, if I may, you're easily the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

Amanda blushed fiercely. "Oh stop, Billy!"

"I think that's part of the reason why Michael and Julia wanted us together. They'd be going to Kalos and they wanted to ensure that even though they were gone, Arcana could keep going. Chris would look after Piper and you and I could help shoulder the loads of our duties. Evidently, we didn't do that good of a job since they had to come back to clean up after us, but the fact that we've stuck through all of this and made it out on the other side has to account for something, right?"

"Naturally. Ordained by fate or whatever Lady Bonnie would have called it."

"With all that's happened since we connected that night, all the people we've lost and the lives that have been irreparably damaged, the only constant that's been there for me has been you. My Mom is trying, but she misses Dad too much. And I've had to fill in for Dad in both fatherly and leadership roles in the family. It's not a fun thing to do, but it's what was left for me. Same as my cousins. We all had to grow up and its hit us in different ways." He frowned. "I don't think Jon is ever going to get used to not being able to run around like he used to. Or Chris and Michael going on without Cameron. It feels like, even though Dad's gone, that I have to keep taking up more and more roles of leadership. Its why I accepted this post without hesitation. I want to do right by the family and our region for once."

"You've done plenty right" his girlfriend assured him. "But it does show you how much we mean to Michael and Julia for them to trust us with this kind of task.

"The only thing keeping me going through this has been you" he told her. "Getting you back, as selfish as it may sound, almost balances out what we've lost."

"I know I can never replace those who've been lost. Chief Byron, Big Mike, Cameron, Olivia, your father, so many others who may never get the recognition of their service. But it does my heart good to know how much I mean to you." She squeezed his hand tenderly.

"You may never fully grasp how much you do. Amanda, when Cameron died, it didn't just impact Mike and Chris, but they were obviously gutted. I spoke to Cynthia before she took Dawn and Lucas back to Sinnoh. She was just as hurt and lonely. Cameron told her she loved her before Courtney took an act of vengeance against her. Cynthia used to be steely and strong. But after that, she's almost been a completely different person. Losing someone who means so much to you, without having the chance to show how much they truly do mean, is an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Now, she has to go back home and pick up the pieces of her life."

Amanda nodded. "I get that."

"It's why I've been so keen for you and I to get some alone time. It's why I was kinda caught off guard by Michael announcing the trip here when he did. It's why I've been wondering if you'd ever drop that research you've been doing for a night like this. Because I need to ask you something. Something I wish I'd asked a long time ago."

Amanda seemed puzzled by Billy's seriousness. "Billy? Are you okay?"

Billy summoned every last reserve of inner vitality and courage to pull out the ring box. It felt strange in his hands, as if it certified a future for them that would be sealed by the fires of both of their passionate lives meeting and combining into one pure entity. The kind his parents had been...the kind Piper and Chris were...the kind Michael and Julia had been almost all their lives...

"Amanda Marie Fouritz..."

His hand had just about come into view, the ring box open and the diamond shining in the chandelier light, when a familiar voice completely wiped away the mood. He fell onto his side as she came closer and closer.

"There you are!" Lizzie called as she rudely brushed past so many other guests and waiters. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Amanda glanced over to Lizzie and waved. "Hi, Lizzie. I'd love to talk, but Billy and I are-"

"We're on a date, Liz" Billy added bitterly. "You know, a date! One that might end in-"

"Billy, for goodness sake" his girlfriend teased, "we're not doing that while we have guardian duties."

Billy was losing his cool. "That's not what I meant, Amanda. Lizzie, would you mind butting out for a sec? Just a minute."

"I won't be long" Lizzie assured the couple. "I just wanted to find Amanda so I could give her this." She reached into her purse and pulled out a violet tome she must have picked up from the library. "Arven said you could copy the notes from it if you want, but he needed it back before we go off on our expedition."

Amanda's eyes widened in complete excitement and Billy seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Amanda rushed forward and swiped the book from Lizzie, quickly pecked her on the cheek and let out a giddy squeal of delight. "Omigosh! Omigosh! The Violet Book!" She thumbed through the book, her expression only growing more jubilant with every page. "And every page in tact! YES! THIS IS PERFECT!"

"Amanda?!"

Amanda looked sheepishly towards Billy. "Sorry, sweetie. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I need to study this book! This could open up doors to everything!" She rushed forward and planted a kiss on Billy's lips, unintentionally knocking the ring box out of his hands without her eyes ever falling upon it. She then grasped his hands and looked into his eyes. "We'll have to reschedule this. There's so much to do! So much to prepare for! I'll be in the library if you need me! Love you, Billy!" And as quickly as she had risen from her chair, she was gone from the restaurant.

Billy stared at where she had once stood, slack jawed and completely disoriented about what had just happened. Again he had been on the precipice of asking Amanda to marry him and again he'd been sabotaged by someone unintentionally giving her some reason to rush off and postpone their moment. He reached down and picked up the ring box and frowned.

Lizzie laughed to herself. "Wow, she's really excited to get that book. I hope it helps her research."

"You really couldn't wait another minute or two?" Billy grumbled.

"What? I just found you guys."

"Like, even thirty seconds would have been enough, Liz! Now, I've got to go through this waiting cycle all over again!" He slammed the ring box on the table in frustration. It opened up, revealing to Lizzie the ring he had meant to propose to Amanda with. To her credit, she looked horrified at her tactical blunder, but Billy was in no mood for apologies. He rose from the table and took the ring back into his pocket. "I need to go clear my head. Bridgette's in charge until I get back."

"Look, Billy, I'm sorry I-"

"I said I don't need an apology!" he snapped angrily. Without another word, Billy stormed out of the restaurant and reached onto his belt for the Poké Ball containing his Skarmory. His Pokémon seemed surprised about being called out but bent down to allow Billy to mount her. "Let's go, girl. At least I know you won't turn me down." The Skarmory let out a squawk and the two took off into the night skies of Paldea.

{}

In another restaurant within the confines of Mesagoza's city limits, Justin and Bridgette had resumed their court etiquette and manners course to help turn the young internet vlogger into a distinguished gentleman that could not only help the equally inexperienced King of Arcana keep his region from splintering, but also to revive the tarnished reputation of the Jacques Family in the eyes of the court. Claude had done a considerable amount of damage to the reputation with his money laundering, backing of the Syndicate and war to crown himself a King. But with him dead, this was now Justin's opportunity to ensure that legacy of his family name would not be completely tainted by his uncle's actions. And Bridgette intended on making sure this plan of theirs could come to pass.

The restaurant she had selected to continue Justin's classes in was a ritzy, fancy establishment that Bridgette suspected would have been far more popular in Arcana when Lady Bonnie was calling the shots. Strict dress codes and etiquette requirements, on top of half of the dining room being reserved for ballroom dancing, Bridgette could only imagine the former Kingston Matriarch swooning at the kind of display of court life. This would be the perfect way to help Justin adjust to the new lifestyle he'd be expected to take on in the Royal Court. So, while Justin wore the fanciest suit he owned, Bridgette had purchased for herself a seafoam-colored ballgown to wear and prepared for a simple yet elegant dinner with this young man.

Things could not have gone better at first. While she had been somewhat concerned with how he would act in a stiff and rigid environment, Justin had begun to do things she hadn't even mentored him in. The two had taken a Squawkabilly Cab to the restaurant so as to not potentially ruin their attire, but upon arriving, Justin had rushed outside, initially making Bridgette fear he had anxiety or something. Instead, Justin stood outside and did his gentlemanly duty to help her out of the cab. He then opened every door for her and nodded politely to everyone they passed on their way to the Maitre'd.

When his legs locked up upon realizing he would have to speak, Bridgette took command and the two were brought to their table quickly. Once there, she gave him a quick but important lesson about utensil etiquette and which ones were proper to use for whichever course was there. When Justin appeared to be losing his cool about remembering all of this, Bridgette reminded him gently that it wasn't a test and he was just being educated.

The courses came and went. Appetizer, soup, salad and main dishes that she could only imagine Justin had never even heard of before this night. And throughout the evening, despite several instances of nerves, her "date" seemed to be getting more and more comfortable. It certainly helped that she remained as stoic and gentle as he'd ever seen her. Once many of the couples departed for the dance floor, she elected for them to remain behind at first as she wanted to teach him something else.

"You've been doing great" she assured him. "I didn't expect you to make such progress so quickly."

"I have to admit it's my teacher more than it is myself" he chuckled nervously.

"I'm only helping you see the power within" she added. "Which brings me to your next lesson. One I should have said the other day."

"Is it another form of greeting?"

She nodded. "Yes. Bows and curtsies are important, but I kind of forgot one thing I should have mentioned earlier. After all, you are a bachelor and I imagine many women in Arcana may want to get to know you more properly." She sighed when she saw him nervously glance back and forth. "And no, Justin. Madeline Kingston isn't here."

"Oh thank heavens."

"I'm sure you've noticed something since we've gotten here." She gestured towards one couple and both witnessed a man and woman come together on the dance floor. He bowed respectfully and the woman curtsied. Then she extended her hand and he took it, before bringing the hand close to his lips and giving it a delicate kiss.

Justin gulped. "Do I have to do that?"

"It's expected of you" she said sadly.

"I've done it before, but I doubt I'm any better at it."

"Well, as long as you don't end up slobbering like a Stoutland, you should be fine." She rose to her feet, prompting Justin to do the same. She curtsied to him and extended her hand. Justin took a deep breath and grasped her hand for a moment. "Now remember, you don't want to-" She attempted to explain more about what he was supposed to do, but her heart skipped a beat when the handsome young man took her hand and kissed it delicately. His lips barely touched her hand, but the tingly feeling she felt inside made her realize he had. His touch gave her goosebumps and she felt the heat flying to her cheeks until he stopped.

"Was that better?"

She found herself sputtering, almost unable to keep her composure. "I-I-I-"

Justin glanced over towards the dance floor. "Do you think we should join them? It does seem awkward being the only ones not on the dance floor." Without waiting for Bridgette's approval or rejection, he led his partner out onto the dance floor.

She desperately wanted to say something, anything to perhaps take control of the situation. But this young man who had been catching her off guard ever since meeting him, had almost completely swept her off her feet. He had begun as an awkward man seeking to make amends for what his uncle had done, to being an introverted nerd with the body of a demigod, to now being a cultured and refined gentleman she hadn't recalled knowing outside of her cousin and his family. And to add icing to the cake, now he was showing he had skills as a dancer. Sure, with how rigid he was, he wasn't exactly going to win any dancing competitions in the immediate future, but it was one less thing he needed to teach her.

She hadn't been this caught off guard by another man in ages...not since after Giselle had been dethroned and she found an exhausted, pained and near the point of death Michael Kingston lying on the ground, his chest heaving in pain from an affliction no one (including her) had believed he suffered from. Emotionally scarred by four years of exile and physically by years fighting his own body and what those monsters in the Syndicate had put him through. When she threw herself at him to apologize, she felt his heartbeat, which seemed like an earthquake with every violent rush of blood through his body. She sat there with him, every thump of his heart feeling like her getting smacked for abandoning someone who had only ever loved her...she expected more might have happened had Jenna Kingston not arrived on the scene as well. But there would be no rescue for her from this situation...

"Justin..." she began, but that was the only word she could find herself capable of saying.

"You've had such patience with me" Justin recalled. "I can only thank you in so many ways."

"Just...just...just keep being you..." She looked around at the other couples who were out on the floor with them and felt a strange sense of belonging. After all, she'd been single for five years. And it wasn't as if Malcolm were walking through the door at a random moment to try and win her back. He was gone and it was time she moved on.

But on the other hand, she had more important duties to do beyond just mentoring Justin. She needed to help Addison. She needed to make sure both Christopher and Michael lived long lives raising the families they deserved to raise. She needed to be there for the godson she adored, taking over for the cousin she had failed to protect. She didn't have enough love to simply dole out willy nilly. Was she able to balance out the duties she had to those she loved to pursue someone she might also...

No! I can't. I need to focus on the people that need me. This one doesn't need me...

But the more the two danced, moving one step and then another like the ebb and flow of the ocean's currents, the more she realized it may not be him that needed her, but she might be the one who needed him.

"I...I understand how difficult this must be for you" Bridgette explained. "Learning about a life you could have only dreamed of living earlier." She had initially expected him to say something, but he seemed to be as lost for words as she was initially. She pressed onwards, trying to keep the emotional tension at bay if only for a brief few moments. "But you truly have made great strides, Justin. I imagine there won't be much left for me to teach you before long. And there will be some wonderful lady back home who will be so happy to have you by their-" She would have said more, but something happened that she had both dreaded might come yet had been secretly craving since that night at Titanio Park.

She had feared she would be the one who would instigate it, but had no reason to fear herself. For it was Justin who, overcome by his own possible emotional turmoil, had taken it upon himself to pull her into a kiss. They had stopped their dance to share in this singular moment of passion, but when they came apart, they both felt awkward being the only ones on the dance floor not moving. So they resumed their slow movements, neither seemingly able to put together a series of words that would be coherent for either.

Justin again took command. "That...that was my first kiss..."

Bridgette kept her head down. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that. I should have restrained myself."

"It's not as if we didn't expect this to happen..." Justin admitted. "I mean, the other night..."

"I should have known better. I made a complete fool of myself." She tried to pull away, but Justin kept her in their dance. This only tempered her further, her heart quivering as she remained locked to his side. "Justin?"

"Then we both made fools of ourselves" he answered.

"Justin..."

"And...even if its just for one night only...let us both be fools."

There were no words Bridgette could possibly come up with. Not only had Justin seemed to grasp her growing feeling for him, but also appeared to reciprocate. The way his arms remained wrapped around her, the way he had held her...it almost made her recall the last night of dancing she'd shared with Malcolm. She could almost hear his voice coming from Justin's mouth. And despite not wanting this to go beyond one night, out of fear that they were just momentarily bewitched by the other and knowing what consequences may arise from this, she could not find the strength to leave him. They simply danced the remainder of their evening away, both far too shy to possibly try and initiate a second kiss.