Artificial Dreams and Bloodied Reality

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/51313717.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Fandoms: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters |
Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon
(Anime)
Relationships: Gou | Goh & Koharu | Chloe, Gou | Goh/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Gou |
Goh/Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak, Gou | Goh & Koharu | Chloe & Satoshi
| Ash Ketchum, Gou | Goh & Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak, Gou |
Goh/Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Ookido Shigeru
| Gary Oak/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Characters: Gou | Goh (Pokemon), Koharu | Chloe, Hibanny | Scorbunny, Koharu no
Wanpachi | Chloe's Yamper, Koharu no Eievui | Chloe's Eevee, Satoshi |
Ash Ketchum, Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak, Wataru | Lance, Hibiki |
Ethan, Silver (Pokemon), Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Yoshino | Talia,
Red (Pokemon), Ookido Green | Blue Oak, Regina (Pokemon Journeys),
Mirche (Pokemon Journeys)
Additional Tags: Coming of Age, Shounen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence,
Alternate Universe, - whatever the fuck is goin on here, Minecraft,
Stardew Valley References, Games, Physical Abuse, Implied/Referenced
Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Child Neglect, most abuse tags
are related to Pokémon not people lol, i really wanted to expand on thaf,
Animal Abuse, Pokemon Journey, Galar-chihou | Galar Region
(Pokemon), Kantou-chihou | Kanto Region (Pokemon), No beta we die
like Green's raticate, Gou | Goh Needs a Hug (Pokemon), POV Goh,
crossover somewhat, gameverse and aniverse are now canon, i have an
explanation for gary and blue and ash and red i promise, Other Ships Not
Mentioned in Tags, i love my boy sm i js gave him so much angst,
Crossdressing, goh is a fashion icon, i love him sm, goh and chloe are
literally siblings u can't tell me otherwise, Trans Male Character, Trans
Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak, Out of Character, im sorry idk what u expect
from an au lmao, i js felt the need to put thag out there, Suicidal
Thoughts, i feel like i should tag underage, also kinda not really suicidal
tendencies??, ash js asks gary if he wants him to commit, Recovery &
Relapses, this bitch HEAVY, Homicidal Tendencies, Minor Character
Death
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-11-04 Updated: 2023-11-28 Words: 58,250 Chapters:
21/61
 Artificial Dreams and Bloodied Reality
by TasnukIsAHomo

Summary

Sometimes, dreams fail where nightmares let us see. The truth is not in paradise, but
muddied in the blood of reality.

When Goh turned 10 years old, he decided to stay in school and just become a business man,
just... something that wasn't being a trainer. But you know we can't have that! so Arceus just
slapped him across the face with a rare Pokémon from a far off region called a Scorbunny!

Uh oh, off he goes to see amazing sights outside of Vermillion! And meet some familiar
faces, too!

↳ i.e. A reclusive and jumpy Goh travels around Kanto, and into different regions too!
 Prologue: Happy Birthday!
Chapter Summary

Goh had never been the type to dream big. Well. He is, but he'd never chase them at
least. That was way too unstable. His parents ran a two-man show of a systems
engineer and programming business. Thus, leading to Goh knowing how to build
things out of thin air, and also his ability to program things without it going berserk
and committing suicide after running whatever entity he wanted to.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Goh had never been the type to dream big. Well. He is, but he'd never chase them at least.
That was way too unstable. His parents ran a two-man show of a systems engineer and
programming business. Thus, leading to Goh knowing how to build things out of thin air, and
also his ability to program things without it going berserk and committing suicide after
running whatever entity he wanted to.

He gained a pretty hefty sum just from programming lewd mods for popular games. Sure, he
was 12, but his clients didn't need to know that. And his parents didn't need to know anything
either, thank god he kept everything he made in a small USB stick. His grandma would send
him to the mirror world and drag him back as soon as he clawed his way out if she saw the
atrocities he's created.

Besides, boobs and asses never really excited him anyway. They were just like arms to him.
Just part of your body you have to live with. What's the point in sexualizing them? Then
again there are creeps that are into feet.

Goh yawned, stretching on his chair as a notification blipped onto his screen.

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY GOH!!! :DD from Shithead Sakura on PokéNet.

Ah, is it already 12? Hmm..

With a few clicks, and he opened his chat to Chloe on his browser.
 🌸 Shithead Sakura 🌸
HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY GOH!!! :DD

Thabsk Chkoe

spell my name right or I'm telling your grandma about that USB drive
THANKS CHLOE** PLEASE DONT
good boy <33 ANYWAY HAPPY BDAY WHAT DO U WANT TODAY??
uhhhsgshshshsjeksj
money
go make more mods then perv
HEY
i make good money with my talents
dirty pervert money

ANYWAY for serious tho

mmm idk
aye fr??
yea
god why are boys so goddamn dry
do u wanna go visit Galar with me and my mom then??
galar?
yiee mom's gonna go 4 a wedding that kids aren't allowed to attend so she said i can bring a
friend
.
jessica said eevees are stupid didn’t she
yes jessica said eevees are stupid so im bringing u instead
i love being the second choice
ofc u do
id enjoy it more if u were your mom
GOH I WILL RIP YOUR TINY DICK OFF AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS
lol

Well, that settles his plans for the next... what, week? Geez, and here he thought he would
just spend it alone again... Woe is he for trying to wallow in his artificial misery. Though he
supposed he should likely start packing his things and tell his parents as well.

He sighed, a weekend getaway would be nice... He slumps in his chair, his glasses sliding
back on his nose. It's been a while since he's gone on vacation.

Chapter End Notes

For the record: They are technically aged up, but there's no weird stuff. They're just aged
up for my convenience and I really do not like writing stories about 10 year olds. NSFW
mentioned only because coming-of-age and stuff.

Ash and Gary will make their appearance, as well as everyone else, don't worry. And
Goh does age, sorry, "eternal 13 year old Goh" is not a tag I want to add, as hilarious as
that would be.

p.s. this is just the prologue

 A funny little bunny!

Goh isn't sure what he was expecting when he thought of Galar, but it really wasn't bustling
trains, or anything of the like. The shopkeepers were friendly—almost atrociously so, but
then again, he is a social recluse. The most hikkikomori a non-hikkikomori Kanto had (n)ever
seen.

He doesn't remember an outing he's had with this many people around, but he does only go
out at night time. It's kind of giving him claustrophobia. Wasn't there an incident in Sinnoh
where people died because there were too many people? Scary.

He yawned, hand quickly jumping to his face to cover his mouth, and then to fix his face
mask. Geez, how long does it take for Chloe to buy scones? Did she find a conventionally
attractive girl to flirt with? Because he swears to his lord and savior, Mewton Mew Pink Cat,
that someone may actually die if he—

Goh flinched, the sound of shill laughter and dumpsters slamming against something piercing
his ears. What was that..? Was that coming from the alley...? He watched the alleyway, heart
pumping in his chest. It's fine. Nothing's happening, probably. No one's bold enough to do
anything in the middle of the street, right? But then again, he's watched so many true crime
documentaries, it may as well be a murder going on in there!

No—Wait. Think about this logically. No one is stupid enough to commit a murder in plain
sight. It's probably just a bunch of hooligans being stupid... Yeah! Just... a bunch of
delinquents...

...Maybe he should check it out still..? He could always scream if he needed help, he doubts
any of the storefront owners would just let his screams go unnoticed...

Standing on shaky legs, he quietly inched towards the alleyway as inconspicuously as he

could. His breath hitched when he saw a small little creature curled up, being kicked around
and slammed into dumpsters by three older kids, a little older than Goh at least. It looked
like... a bunny? Orange eyes met his blue, pleading and glassy.

His heart sunk into his stomach. He turned away, breath hitching. Goh wasn't big. He was
pretty fucking scrawny actually, he looks like a strong gust of wind would blow him over.
But he feels like he could overpower at least one of them... No, no, no. He needed a different
plan. One that wouldn't need him to get physical... Ahhh, he's running out of time, what to
do?!

"Hey!" Fuckfuckfuckfuck was he really doing this?!

The three boys looked at him, "Let the Pokémon go." He bit his tongue, the three boys
chuckling. "And what are you gonna do if we don't?" They asked in amusement. Listen,
Goh's never been one for confrontations, and it's even worse since he's almost terrible at
speaking Galarian—The leader seemed to get bored at his idling, rolling his eyes and
speaking before he could finish, "Tch, it's not worth the trouble, gang. Let's go. You can take
that useless Scorbunny with you too." Goh's eyes widened, they tossed it at him, the small
creature had fainted, and was wounded beyond belief.

The three chatted as they left the alleyway, and Goh headed towards the scone seller,
"Where's the Pokémon Center?" Goh asked softly, petting the matted and filthy fur of the
bunny in his arms. The shopkeeper looked at him, and smiled, "There's one just outside the
train station, lad."

Goh always felt he'd been lost for most of his life. It wasn't like he was a bad kid, he was
pretty good, actually. He had good grades, wasn't a troublesome student, had a couple of
friends, and he could at least communicate things pretty well. He cracked jokes, participated,
and teased his classmates like everyone else would.

But that was it. It was just surface level things that made him look normal but nothing else.
He didn't understand deep emotional connections, bonding time, or any of that. His parents
weren't able to foster it for him. His bonds were shallow. Empty. It didn't help that the guys in
his class were already asking girls out, and girls would occasionally profess their love to him
on white day. It just... distanced him from his peers even more.

It wasn't until he needed to read greek tragedy novels for his classes that he realized people
felt something other than a gnawing emptiness in their hearts, he just thought this was
normal. It was normal for him, so why wouldn't it be for anyone else? And that just made it
worse.

All of these people... They're kind, they love him, they cherish him. They joked with him,
formed an emotional bond with something that wasn't there. So then why..?

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center, would you like—Oh my god!" A black haired
girl jumped, that's strange. Usually Nurse Joys run Pokémon Centers... Maybe it's a little
different here in Galar. "H-Hi, could you please—?" The girl swiftly took the wounded bunny
into her arms, "Please wait for a while, I'll return shortly." She bowed before heading into the
back portion of the Pokémon Center.
Well, that's the most normal reaction Goh can imagine from a Nurse seeing a Scorbunny that
badly hurt. A small ripped up and badly made Pikachu plushie sits dainty on the counter, Goh
sighed. The familiar jingle of the Pokémon Center sounding from the speakers.

He should probably text Chloe... What was he thinking, honestly? Ahh.. How tiresome...

"Excuse me," Goh jumped awake, blinking blearily at the black haired Nurse Joy. When had
he dozed off? "Y-yes?" She smiled, "Would you like to see your Pokémon? She's stable now."
Goh blinked. His Pokémon? He didn't have a Pokémon... Ah-! The bunny! He stood up, a
little too fast if he could add. A disgustingly large wave of vertigo nearly sending him back
into his seat. The nurse giggled, "It's okay, she's not going anywhere."

Goh blushed, nodding in embarrassment. She led him towards the back, where a very tall and
peculiar looking Pokémon stood over the little bunny. It seemed to be healing her, and she
looked much better than she did when Goh received her. She still seemed to be asleep though.
"Her vitals are stable, and her physical health matches with it." Nurse Joy explained, "But.."
She stopped, humming.

Goh looked to her in worry. "...Her mental isn't very stable. Slowking said she's having
nightmares about people." Nurse Joy concluded. "She's a wild Pokémon, isn't she?" Goh
blinked, shaking his head. "...I don't know. I just saw some guys beating her up in an
alleyway and I.." Goh gripped the railings, "...I-I told them to stop and they- they just tossed
her at me! Like an empty tin can! Like she was trash.." Goh spoke.

"I wish I could've done something but there were three of them and I—" "Hey." Goh turned
to look at the nurse who peered down at him with a fond smile. "You did do something." "But
she still—!" "How old are you?" Goh blinked at her, brows furrowing in confusion. "...I-I'm
thirteen." Nurse Joy hummed. "Not that much younger than me, then." Huh?

"Listen. You're thirteen years old. You're not a hero, you're not- not supposed to be out there
saving people. You're a kid. The fact that you stood up to those guys even when you were
outnumbered says a lot, but that isn't what people expect from kids your age." She spoke
calmly. "Maybe those little superhero movies and magazines tell you otherwise, but at the
end of it all, you're a kid. You don't know a lot of things, and you're not some chosen one
who's got to save the world. You did your best, and you did everything you could with what
you already had." She said.

"You did good things. You saved the Scorbunny's life." She pat his head. Goh felt wet tears
drip down his face. Ah, how embarrassing... "I'm.. I'm sorry..." Goh muttered, "Everything
you feel right now is perfectly valid, but you've got to remember who you are and how much
you can do. You did what you could, and that's all that matters."

It feels weird. Feeling these things and not shoving them down, letting them bubble over the
surface and overflow, not moving to stop it. Having someone there to help guide him
through.. whatever this is. Having someone there to comfort and hug him. Having someone
there to help clean it up because it's natural... It feels...

Goh isn't really sure what happened after. He just knew Nurse Joy had let him stay in the
trainer rooms, and she sent Chloe and her mom a message about his location. Goh was
frankly exhausted. So much mental baggage he carried around suddenly just spilling out, and
a random girl simply picking everything up and helping him without prying or asking. His
eyes feel raw. Ugh. He should go wash his face.

He inched towards the male washrooms, hearing noisy chitters from inside where the little
bunny was staying. Immediately, his senses jump into overdrive. What was happening in
there?! Forgetting the idea of washing his face entirely, he moved to check on the bunny.

Only to find the entire room almost destroyed, if not dented by a pair of feet. Double kick,
maybe? Goh was never really interested in battling, Pokémon? Sure, but battling was not part
of the criteria. Ahh, should he go in?? Is that a bad idea?? What if it attacks him?? But he
can't just let all of Nurse Joy's be smashed to bits! Ahh..!! Where is she anyway?! Oh fuck it,
he's just going in to calm her down! Surely she'll recognize him, right..?

He twisted the door knob and entered, shutting it behind him to remove the bunny's means of
escape. Suddenly, something smashed right into the bulletproof window right next to Goh,
making him squeak. Whatever it was bounced off and hit the floor with a small squeak. It
was the little bunny! Ah! It's hurt... Again... It looks like it's going to cry.

Goh turned to find something in the cabinets, an ice pack, maybe.. He rummaged around a bit
and found one, crouching next to the Pokémon and offering it. The bunny jumped, red and
orange tipped ears flitting to the side and back towards Goh. She seemed threatened.

Ah.. how do people make themselves look less threatening again..?

Goh sat up, placing the ice pack in between himself and the bunny. The Pokémon blinked at
him in confusion. "What the hell are you doing?" A voice questioned, making the bunny flee
under the bed. Goh turned to the window, where a scorch mark had been left by the energetic
little creature, and the Nurse Joy from that morning was standing there, staring at him with
judgement and confusion written on her face. She held the mic that was attached to the
speakers inside.

"N-nothing! Just trying to calm the bunny down.." Goh explained, blushing. Ahh, why did she
have to appear now of all times?! Why not before?! Or even after!? Why was Arceus so cruel
to him...

He did notice, though, was she wasn't wearing the Nurse Joy uniform she had earlier. It
looked more like something she used to move undercover... Though the neon pink horns atop
her hood would be way too distinguishable. She nodded, not at all convinced.

"...Alright, I'll leave you to it then. Just remember to lock the door when you leave. I still
need to run some checks on Scorbunny tomorrow morning. Try not to keep her up too late."
She spoke. Her voice was soft, but a lot more informal than in the morning. He nodded in
affirmative, and she left just as fast as she came.

He heard a small noise coming from under the bed, the little bunny peeking out cautiously to
see if the girl disappeared. Goh smiled shaking his head. The bunny couldn't see it, though.
He'd been careful to keep his mask on at all times. Chloe and her candid pictures are to
blame, honestly. Oh right, he never messaged Chloe personally, did he..? Hmm... That'll have
to wait for now.

The ice seemed to have melted. Goh gently grasped it in his hands, before placing it back
where he found it. He'll have to be more patient. The poor bunny is probably stressed out of
it's mind right now...

Goh glanced into the half open cabinet, an array of Pokémon food arranged by Pokémon
typing and nature inside. Maybe he could give her food as a peace offering! That could work!
Ahh... But which one would she like..? He's not particularly adept at reading Pokémon...

He shook his head and sighed, he's not opening 25 different bags just to give a bunny a peace
offering not to kick his skull in. If the bunny didn't kick his skull in, Nurse Joy might. She
didn't seem to be the type to tolerate wasteful behavior. Maybe Nurse Joy left some
information on Scorbunny somewhere? Hmm...

He scanned the room for any equipment or notes that could potentially give him insight on
the Pokémon... Oh! A bulletin board! What's on it?

...

...

Nothing but a boatload of medical abbreviations.

Maybe the machine attached to the bed has something... A bit of equipment is already
damaged, some of them had scorch marks or burned through the metal entirely. It's weird to
think a bed this size is fit for Pokémon, and not human patients.

...

...

Aha! Found it!

Nickname: N/A

Species: Scorbunny

Gender: Female

Ability: Libero

Egg Type: Field & Human-like

Nature: Adamant

Notes:

Signs of PTSD and hostility are present.

 Scorbunny's vitals are stable, but have been injured several times, likely from
abuse.
Signs of lengthy periods of starvation and dehyrdation are present.
Signs of attempted strangulation are present.
Trainer said Pokémon was beaten by 3 trainers until unconscious.
This Pokémon has no prior registrations.

Goh stared at the notes, a mounting numbness digging its claws into his back. A chill running
down his spine as he walked back to the cabinet, mind silent. He's... not sure anymore. Goh
isn't sure what to feel, nor does he know how he feels. The only thing he knew right now was
how much he hated being so powerless.

Why were people so cruel to Pokémon..? Were they always cruel behind the scenes..? No,
no... That can't be right. Lieutenant Surge... He wouldn't... Would he..? Or maybe it's just
here in Galar! But then... The champion... The Gym Leaders... Those Pokémon.. No...

Suddenly, he heard a rather loud growl sound out into the room. Not the type that's usually
used in battle, at least. It sounded more like a famished growl. He turned to look at the
Scorbunny that was now glaring at him in embarrassment, almost threatening him to make a
joke about it. Goh blinked at her, and then laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'll get you the Adamant Fire type ones, okay? Give me a second." Goh
spoke gently. The Scorbunny thumped its foot on the ground impatiently, making Goh huff a
chuckle.

Nurse Joy wouldn't mind him using one of the Pokémon bowls, would she..? At least he
hoped.

He poured half of the bag into the bowl, a few pieces almost spilling out. Carefully, he closed
the cabinets, just in case Scorbunny decided anything was worth eating if it was edible. He
really doesn't want to inconvenience Nurse Joy more than he already has.

Goh set the bowl down close to Scorbunny, and sat as far as he could to make her
comfortable. Slowly, as time ticked by, she inched towards the bowl, and began eating. She
seemed... happy with it. But she kept glancing over at him, as if waiting for him to pounce.
Goh simply watched fondly as she ate, reminded of how Chloe fed her Eevee and Yamper
whenever he came over because she wanted to run a mod on Stardew Valley that conflicted
with another mod, or she wanted to play minecraft but a file in her texture pack was corrupt.

Carefully, it grasped one of the kibble and threw it over to him. He blinked. Uh.. What?

Scorbunny watched him as she continued eating, he inspected the kibble in his hand and
wondering what to do. As if sensing his confusion, Scorbunny made some noise which
grabbed Goh's attention. She pointed at the kibble she was holding in her paw, and put it in
her mouth. As if demonstrating how to eat.

The bunny wants him to eat the damn kibble.

He has an odd feeling that the little bunny would bounce on the walls and kick him where the
sun doesn't shine if he didn't eat the kibble. So slowly, and almost hesitantly, he pulled down
his mask and tossed the kibble into his mouth and chewed.

It...

...

...

Wasn't very good.

It's a bit spicy but otherwise didn't have much flavor. Either way, he swallowed before putting
his mask back on. Scorbunny seemed proud. Of herself, or of Goh, he has no clue.

Scorbunny continues eating, glancing over at him more curiously than cautious now.
Eventually, she finished her food, and Goh put away the bowl. It's getting late, and Goh knew
he needed to get in bed, lest the bunny didn't want to cooperate with Nurse Joy. Well, at least
she ate.

Goh isn't sure how long she's been starving, though her fur covered most of her body, a large
chunk of it had been shaved off. She looked small, compared to the filthy dirty bunny he had
taken here. If it wasn't for the heart shaped bandage on her nose and her flitting amber eyes,
he would've mistaken it for an entirely different Pokémon.

"Hey, I'm going to go to bed now, okay? You should too." Goh spoke gently, the little
Pokémon waddled over to him, curiously looking up at him. Was he really talking to a
Pokémon right now..? Ah, well, at least she's confident enough to get close to him now. "Bed.
Sle-ep." Goh spoke softly, sounding out the syllables like that would help the little Pokémon
understand his words.

The little Pokémon put a paw on her mouth, turning away a little as she thought. Goh's heart
positively melted. And then she turned back to Goh, pointing at the hospital bed where she
rested after whatever procedures Nurse Joy had to do to save her. She chirped curiously, as if
to ask 'would this work?'.

Goh isn't sure how he feels about sleeping on a bed that's probably been stained with toxic
spores, blood, and whatever other bodily secretions Pokémon have. So he politely declined.
"Uhm.. I have my own bed." Goh spoke, pointing up to the ceiling. "It's upstairs."
The bunny seemed confused, but nodded, and Goh got up to leave. Scorbunny made a few
curious calls to him, tilting her head before he swiftly left the room. She knocked on the glass
door with her paw, teary eyes looking at him laced with confusion and sadness. "It's okay, I'll
be back to check on you in the morning. I'll come back." Goh promised, the little bunny
looking up at him cluelessly. Almost begging him to stay with her adorable pleading eyes.

She thumped on the ground, upset that they were now separated behind a glass. She didn't
seem to understand that he'd return later, desperately calling out to him as she banged on the
glass. Goh worried slightly that she could melt through it and have molten glass burning into
her fur. He winced at the idea.

With a sigh, he re-entered the patient room. Scorbunny cheered, hopping happily on her feet.
Aghh... Now what..? He really doesn't want to sleep on that bed... But he can't just take
Scorbunny out without Nurse Joy's permission... And he can't leave her too... And he's sure as
hell not sleeping on the floor.

Scorbunny chirped, pointing underneath the hospital bed. Ah?

She grabbed a pillow from underneath the bed, nearly toppling over. "Ah, here, let me." Goh
gently pat her head as he grabbed the pillow and a handful of blankets. Huh. That's
convenient.

He placed an absurd amount of blankets on the bed, covering it, almost making a duvet. He
finished it with a few pillows, and what not. Goh slipped off his shoes, and then sat himself
on top, patting the area on the bed next to him to invite Scorbunny. She curiously jumped up,
and he lied down on the bed.

She sat next to him, as if vigilant of any danger that could come to harm either of them. Goh
smiled patiently at her, "...It's okay. No one's going to hurt us. Not here." Goh assured, petting
her soft fur. His eyes softened. How could people ever be so cruel to such a small and
adorable Pokémon..?

Scorbunny cooed curiously, as if to ask 'what do you mean?'

"You're safe now." Goh spoke, gently urging her to lie down next to him. "...You're safe
here." He added, "Safe with me."

Scorbunny nodded sleepily, dozing in and out of consciousness, as she inched closer to his
face. Her fur tickling his nose. Mm.. She's warm.

"—ellooo..." A voice called. Goh shot up in horror. Dear god, his grandma didn't find his
USB drive did she?!
Oh. No, wait... He's in Galar... That USB drive was tucked away in his luggage, in a secret
compartment he made with a few careful placement. Then...

He looked over at Nurse Joy, the same black haired one from yesterday. She looked almost
concerned. "...Are you alright?" She asked, Goh nodded. "S-sorry, just a nightmare..." Goh
laughed sheepishly. He felt a tug on his sleeve, and his eyes trailed towards it. Scorbunny was
holding onto his arm, seemingly trying to be threatening. Ahh why was she so cute?! His
heart strings have been tugged!

"She's been holding onto you quite protectively the past hour I've tried to wake you. She's a
fiesty girl, that one." Nurse Joy giggled. Goh hummed, pulling his arm away, and patting her
head. "Its okay, Nurse Joy won't harm you." Goh spoke softly. Scorbunny made a cautious
sound regardless, Goh gently picked her up into his arms to calm her down a bit.

"It'd be great if you could hold her still, actually. Restraining her is a bit traumatizing, and I
don't have any Pokémon that know hypnosis." Nurse Joy urged. Goh blinked, "Huh? Oh..
Sure, yeah." Scorbunny wriggled in his arms, almost similarly to how Chloe's Eevee would
wriggle in his arms to get comfortable.

Nurse Joy performed a few tests, checking if her vital organs were okay or not, and
prescribed a bit of medication. Scorbunny seemed uncomfortable with all the lights and
pictures that was being taken, and Goh supposed they were similar in that front.

"Aaand we're done! Here's a treat for being a good girl." Nurse Joy cooed, giving her a spicy
mint candy. Scorbunny seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. "You can buy these at the local market
if you want, they're not that expensive." Nurse Joy commented.

Ah, what? "Ehm.. I'm not... keeping Scorbunny..." Goh spoke hesitantly, "Really? That's
strange." Nurse Joy hummed. "Kanto has really strict laws against Pokémon that aren't
naturally found in the region.. Even if I wanted to, I can't just bring her back to Kanto, she'd
just get taken away and deported back here.." Goh explained, petting Scorbunny.

"I can pull a few strings and get Lance to settle down before he throws a hissy fit at you, don't
worry about it." Nurse Joy spoke dismissively. A... Hissy fit. Like a.. tantrum?? "It's not like
he has any pride and dignity left, he did lose his title to a 10 year old." Nurse Joy sighed. Goh
snorted. "And he lost it twice too." Nurse Joy commented.

Goh had to laugh at the sheer audacity this particular Nurse Joy had. Seriously... Speaking
like that about the Dragon Champion of the Twin Regions... He can't fathom it, yet here she
is. Saying she'll calm him down before he throws a hissy fit. God, what a woman.

"Of course, I'm not speaking ill of Champion Lance, he's an amazing champion over all. But
it's in human nature to question things and seek the truth to everything." Nurse Joy giggled,
"So, don't worry your pretty little head about the legalities of everything. I'll handle it." Nurse
Joy smiled, "Now, do you want to take her home?"

"...Yeah... I'd like that."

 Adamantly Adaptably Proactive!
Chapter Summary

"Goh! Hi!" Vanitas smiled cheerfully at him, "A little birdie told me some officers
gave you trouble at the airport?" Vanitas chuckled, Goh winced. "Don't worry,
don't worry, I know Lance has probably got you to sign some dumb waiver about
not talking about it, but it's hard when I have eyes everywhere, and gossip spreads
like wildfire." Vanitas laughed.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Nurse Joy really did handle everything. The only thing Goh really needed to do was ask for
his parents permission since he wasn't legally classified as an adult, even in Galar. Catching
Scorbunny was rather easy, of course. She literally jumped at the idea of always being close
to Goh.

After a bit of concern, Goh did end up reaching out to Chloe to come pick him up. Which she
did. And she was very unhappy.

"Do you realize how many hours I spent looking for you?! Mom said you were at a Pokémon
Center, but we didn't know which one!" She scolded. "Sorry..." Goh murmured. "You better
be, I wasn't even taking that long with the scones! I was gone for 30 minutes!"

She sighed, "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?" Goh blinked, "Huh?" Chloe massaged
her temples, "You wanted to tell me something earlier, what was it? Don't tell me you
forgot..." She grumbled, Goh perked up. "Oh! No, I didn't forget." Goh replied, "'Kay, then
what is it?"

Goh tossed out Scorbunny's Pokéball and caught it as it fell down. Scorbunny chirped as she
was deployed, hopping on the table she had settled on. "I have my first Pokémon!" Goh
spoke cheerfully.
"Owowow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Goh yelped, "You said you didn't want to be a trainer!"
Chloe yelled. By now, a handful of strangers have already started looking at them... Ahh..
how embarrassing...

Scorbunny seemed irritated by Chloe's behavior, hopping on top of Goh's head and
attempting to round house kick Chloe in the face. Chloe squeaked, and dodged as swiftly as
she could.

Scorbunny thumped on Goh's head irritated by her miss, making the trainer wince at the heat.
Goh gently held her in his arms, almost holding her like a baby. "Okay... I probably should've
seen that one coming." Chloe groaned. "Yeah, I remember Eevee bit me when we were
playing once.." Goh chuckled, Goh pat her head reassuringly. "Way to kill the first
impression, Chloe.." She grumbled. "Do you say that every time you flirt with a cute girl?"
Goh teased, "Oh be quiet, you!" Chloe huffed.

Goh laughed, petting the bunny in his arms.

"So that's called a 'Scorbunny', huh?" Chloe spoke, sipping on her boba. Goh nodded, sharing
his jelly filled donut with an eager Scorbunny in his lap. It was a little too spicy for his liking.
"It's cute. A Fire type?" Goh nodded. "Quit being quiet! I'm not gonna murder you for
talking!" Chloe huffed. Goh chuckled.

"I'm just thinking..." Goh shrugged, "You know you can't take her back to Kanto, right? Dad
had to file hundreds of papers just to get Yamper into Kanto, and it took us years before we
could even see him properly." Chloe asked. Goh nodded, "Nurse Joy said she'd deal with it."
Chloe deadpanned, "You're really trusting a galarian Nurse Joy to deal with interregional
laws so you can have a cute bunny?" Chloe questioned, "Yes." Goh replied confidently.

"Geez.. Well, alright..." Chloe sighed.

Goh played with the little bunny, feeding her different flavors of jelly donuts and petting her
head as she clucked. "Whats her name?" Chloe asked, feigning disinterest. "Huh?" "Her
name." "...Scorbunny?" Chloe rolled her eyes.

"You don't have a nickname for her?" Chloe asked, her straw pinched between her teeth as
she maneuvered it to point at him accusingly. "A nickname..." Goh murmured. Scorbunny
looked up at him curiously. "Would you want one, little bunny?" It chittered, not at all
understanding him.

"I think it'd be cute. I'm planning on naming Eevee when she evolves." Chloe smiled, Goh
looked up at her. "You've decided?" He asked. Chloe has had her Eevee since she was 10, the
typical age a child would receive their first Pokémon. Never once did Chloe mention wanting
to evolve it. "No, I'm waiting for Eevee to decide." Chloe replied. "We already ruled out the
elemental stones, so we have Umbreon and Espeon left." Goh nodded.

There's another evolution for Eevee, if Goh remembered. But he wasn't sure if it actually
existed, or if there were specific circumstances that the Eevee needed before undergoing
evolution. It was found in Kalos, maybe it needed to be there? Like a regional evolution.
That's a thing, right?

"You look like you're thinking a lot. Even Scorbunny is worried," Chloe said amused,
Scorbunny chirpped continuing to eat her jelly filled donut in bliss, completely unaware of
Goh's plight. Goh rolled his eyes, "She hasn't even noticed." That caught Scorbunny's
attention. She cooed curiously at him.

"Do you want a nickname?" Goh asked, sitting Scorbunny on the table so they could see eye-
to-eye. "You're really adamant about getting her consent about this..." Chloe commented.
Scorbunny turned away slightly, putting her paw to her mouth in thought. Goh smiled
patiently at her. Scorbunny squeaked, as if to say 'what is a nickname?'

Should he explain? Chloe already thinks he looks crazy...

"A nickname is... something you're given by a friend. Something to call you by, other than
your species." Goh spoke, silently pondering if Chloe would leave him after this. Scorbunny
kicked her feet back and forth on the ledge, the same way a kid would when on a swing, as if
thinking.

And then she smiled and squeaked back in response. Goh glanced up at Chloe, who was now
texting someone on her phone, glancing over at them every now and again. Goh turned his
attention back to Scorbunny, and she suddenly poked his nose with her paw. As if to boop
him in the way cat and dog lovers do to their Pokémon.

She giggled excitedly, and Goh couldn't help but melt, petting her head and ears gently. Ahh,
how did he get such a cute little bunny?

Huh... Little bunny... Would it be... Usagi? No, that's a rabbit... Ah! "Rini?" Goh called,
Scorbunny tilted her head with a curious coo. "Your nickname," Goh spoke softly, Scorbunny
looked up, seemingly thinking about it. And then she chirpped in agreement. Goh smiled,
petting her head. "Welcome to the team, Rini!" Goh smiled. Scorbunny threw her paws up in
the air, happy with his choice.

Chloe hummed, "It's a cute name. Even if it just means 'little bunny'." Chloe teased. Goh
huffed, "It's cute! And it's what I call her most!" "Wow, you're even more unoriginal than I
thought."
The plane ride home was alright as well, and Chloe's mom was filled in by Chloe. Goh had to
present his trainer card at the airport, and since he received it in Galar, there were a few
minor technical difficulties.

But in the end, they were able to board their flight. And he was informed by the flight
attendant that he could let his Pokémon out if he wished, as long as his Pokémon weren't
bigger than a human, and didn't disturb the other passengers. Chloe may or may not have
complained about it.

Rini was promptly let out so she could sit in his lap and watch Pokémon battles on Goh's
phone. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

"Maybe I should get a trainer card like yours... I always had to pay an extra fee to let Eevee
sit with me, but you..." Chloe grumbled, Goh shot her an apologetic look. "I don't think this
specific trainer card is easy to come by." Goh commented.

"It says 'distributed by Lady Vanitas of the Galar region'." Chloe murmured, rubbing her
hand over the font. "...It's in comic sans." Goh noted dryly. Talia chuckled. "She probably
finds it funny, and it's easier for people to read." Talia mused.

"AND CHARIZARD IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS

BLAZIKEN AND HARRISON!" Goh blinked. Rini seemed awfully into it, cheering for
Blaziken too. Goh hushed her quietly, lightly booping her nose patch to signal it to calm
down a bit. Rini chittered a little quieter, pointing at Blaziken excitedly. "You want to be like
that Blaziken?" Goh asked, she nodded.

The Silver Conference battles... He only pulled it up since he could understand the shared the
same language, and it was a pretty big event too. Maybe he should pull up the World
Champion Tournament.

In the end, he ended up falling asleep. It wasn't as cool or interesting since he didn't know
who had the type advantages or even if they were even. Mostly, it was battles with Leon that
were always fast and sharp. No mutual struggle between trainers. But then again, he was a
Champion. Apparently the best champion, and the only one who's been close to beating him
was the Galarian Dragon Gym Leader, Raihan.
They were, again, stopped at the airport. And this time, Rini was being threatened.

"Stop! Give her back! She's my Pokémon!" Goh yelled, reaching for the terrified bunny. "I'm
sorry kid, but this goes against protocol—" Rini let out a pained cry. "Let her go! Stop!" Goh
yelled. His voice felt raw. Rini had that terrified look in her eye, and Goh's heart broke. But
he wouldn't stop fighting, not like this. He didn't save her just for him to lose her. He wouldn't
let anyone take her away from him.

In the end, it took nearly 5 officers to restrain Goh as Rini was taken away, and ultimately, he
won and was able to retrieve the bunny. "Whats going on?" A familiar voice boomed. Goh
flinched as the officers froze where they stood. Lance stood next to two boys, a little older
than Goh if he remembered. Those two were from Johto, but recently moved to Kanto...
Ethan Gold and Silver Giovanni... A lot of people weren't too fond of Silver but he was a
good Gym Leader, compared to his father.

"Hey, this looks like an awfully familiar situation." Ethan spoke amused. "It really does... It's
giving me flashbacks to Vanitas and her Mimikyu." Silver grumbled. Lance sighed in
annoyance. "Please you two, don't start. That girl is a headache I really don't want to deal
with right now."

"He brought in a Pokémon unable to be found in Kanto, sir!" The officer spoke, Goh huffed.
"That law is stupid anyway, it's not like any of the Pokémon here are endangered." Goh
grumbled lowly.

Though apparently not low enough, since Ethan started laughing. "Oh man, he's got the same
sass Vanitas does!" Ethan laughed. Silver sighed, though he seemed to be hiding a smile. "Do
you have a trainer card, kid?" Lance asked, ignoring his previous comment. Goh nodded,
handing him the strange trainer card he received from the Nurse Joy.

Lance promptly froze, as Ethan and Silver bust out laughing. "Looks like Vanitas is involved
in this, whether you like it or not, Lance!" Ethan cackled. Silver shook his head, composing
himself. "Champion Lance, if word gets out that this happened to a trainer Vanitas, herself,
endorsed, you know it will be a diplomatic nightmare. You know how Vanitas gets if
Pokémon and children are involved." Silver mused. "I know." Lance snapped in both
annoyance and defeat.

Goh sat confused. "A-hem. Goh, if you could please come with me... We have a few... things
to discuss." Lance spoke.
Goh sighed, petting Rini in his lap as Halta watched. "Goh, you should know by now that—"
"I know that!" Goh snapped quickly. "I—I know, gran. I just... Sorry." Goh murmured. Halta
sighed. "I just hope they don't put you in juvenile detention.." Halta murmured.

"Don't worry, nothing of the sort will happen." Ethan assured, leaving the meeting room.
"This won't even appear on the internet. It'll be like it never happened." Ethan explained,
making some very stupid looking jazz hands. Goh sighed, relieved. "Then.. Is Rini—
Scorbunny getting deported?" Goh asked nervously, Ethan's eyes softened. "No, no. She'll
stay here." Goh blinked.

"Oh." Goh replied dumbly. Ethan smirked, "Not what you expected, huh?" Goh nodded,
embarrassed. "I get it." Ethan shrugged, "Truth is, you're only here to swear an oath." "An
oath?" Goh repeated.

"Yeah. Diplomatic stuff, s'not really too exciting." Ethan shrugged, "But the gist of it is that
the girl you got your trainer card from? She's one of the most influential people of the regions
right now. She's got notes on everyone." Ethan explained. "And fucking with her basically
means you're as good as dead if she finds you." Ethan chuckled.

"Also, she's the only one who has Giovanni's location." Ethan cracked his neck. "So we'd lose
a valuable info broker if we did something to you or your Pokémon."

Goh blinked.

What. What do you mean she's an influential person?? Isn't she just a noble from Galar??
Info broker??? Giovanni's location??? What the hell is going on???

"Ah. He's spiralling." Ethan commented with a mixture of amusement and concern.

Ethan pat his head, knocking Goh out of his spiraling episode. "Don't worry about it, alright?
Vanitas told you she'd take care of it, so nothing's gonna happen to you or your Pokémon.
Lance is just a bit miffed he has to do this shit for the second time this week. That's just how
he's always been, the grump." Ethan pat his head, Goh looked up at him and nodded.
Thanking the stars and Arceus that his dark skin does not let his blush show up so easily. Ah,
it appears he's learned a few things about himself today. Rini chirpped in amusement.
In the end, Ethan was right. Lance simply asked him to sign papers that was literally just
formally telling him to shut up about everything happened with Rini at the airport, and never
tell Vanitas a peep about it.

Also, Goh was also told that Vanitas may call him at some point in the future for his Trainer
Card since it would need to be renewed every year. Which meant he'd be spending the rest of
his birthdays at Galar, renewing a trainer card. Though it wasn't too bad, since the flight
would always be pre-paid and in first class.

Nurse Joy, who Ethan and everyone else called 'Vanitas', called the second he got out of the
Indigo Plateau.

"Goh! Hi!" Vanitas smiled cheerfully at him, "A little birdie told me some officers gave you
trouble at the airport?" Vanitas chuckled, Goh winced. "Don't worry, don't worry, I know
Lance has probably got you to sign some dumb waiver about not talking about it, but it's hard
when I have eyes everywhere, and gossip spreads like wildfire." Vanitas laughed.

"Anyway, I'm just here to tell you to put Rini away in her Pokéball if you're at the airport.
The security there is crazy strict, so they won't believe you even if you have my trainer card.
Only champions and Nurse Joys know about it and how to identify it." Vanitas spoke.
"Though usually the champions are more defeated than excited when they see it." Vanitas
said amused.

Goh nodded, "Great! Anyhow, is your Scorbunny doing okay? That airport fiasco must've
been quite the traumatic event." Goh blinked, and then showed her Rini, who was settled in
his arms, dozing off. "Aww! I'll take it that you've settled that for a while then. If you ever
need help, please don't hesitate to call me okay?" Goh nodded again, "Thanks for everything,
Nurse Joy." Vanitas smiled, and then her video blipped out into a 'Call Ended' screen.

Goh smiled down at Rini, "Let's go home, Rini."

Rini got some decent sleep on the bus while Goh had to answer nearly three hundred
messages from Chloe, and call her back. She and Talia had been escorted out of the area as
the situation with Rini and Lance was happening, and the last she saw was of Goh elbowing
an officer in the stomach, and nearly punching another.

Goh doesn't remember that happening in his frenzy to get to Rini, but she does, so it probably
happened.

"Seriously... I didn't even realize you were so strong until I saw you literally fighting to get to
Rini." Chloe murmured, Goh laughed softly. "I was just desperate." Goh noted, amused. Rini
yawned, snuggling into Goh's chest.

He entered the apartment complex he and his parents lived in. Halta had gone home to her
own house in the province. Rini seemed curious about the change in furniture, hopping
around and opening doors before closing them again. She seemed to be particularly amused
by the sliding door to the balcony.

"Rini, please don't play with that." Goh called patiently. Rini nodded, finally closing it and
waddling over to check what Goh was making on the stove. She chittered curiously, hopping
onto the counter and nearly banging her head on it. Goh panickedly tried to save her, but
halted in his tracks as soon as she was okay.

He should make a stepping stool for her...

After dinner, which he promptly shared with the bunny, he headed to his room. He'll need to
catch up on his inboxes. He made sure his clients knew that he would be away for three days
and announced it, but that never stopped people from asking for a reservation.

Rini hopped on his bed and chirpped, waiting for him.

HeavenSeeksTruth

Hello! I'd like to make a commission for a Stardew Valley mod? Do you do those?
XxxKilluaZoldyckxxX

hellooo would u be able to make a killua over razor mod for genshin??

StarstruckCaramellite

Hi Core! It's Caralynn again haha

Do you think you could help me figure out why my Stardew isn't working again??
Here's my list of mods.

P.S: I hope your birthday was good! Happy birthday, Core! <33

Goh quickly typed out a response to Caralynn before opening the list of mods.

There were a few mods that were overlapping, so Caralynn probably couldn't open Stardew,
but he could make a quick fix by sunday. Which is exactly what he told her. And then he hit
the exit button and joined Rini in bed.

"Sorry, Rini... You probably won't be happy just living like a hermit, huh?" Goh murmured,
Rini chittered shaking her head. "Hmm.. Maybe we can try training with Chloe tomorrow,
yeah?" Rini nodded, curling up next to him again.

"Goodnight, Rini."

Goh groaned softly, feeling something ruffling in his face, and then followed by thumping
behind him. A few pained squeaks later and Goh was now half awake, Rini was not next to
him.

"Rini..? Where are you, bunny?" Goh asked sleepily. He hadn't even changed his clothes. He
sighed, flicking on the light. Rini sat in the corner, whimpering, she seemed cold. Goh
blinked, and then turned the temperature of the AC down to accommodate Rini, but she still
seemed terrified.

Did something happen while he was asleep?

 "Goh!" His dad exclaimed. "Oh thank goodness you're awake, that strange rat was sleeping
next to you on the bed so I tried to grab it and—" Goh immediately tuned him out. He...
grabbed her. He called her a 'strange rat'...

"Dad, please get out of my room." Goh spoke softly. "Huh? Uhm.. But, what about-?" "I'll
explain in the morning. Please don't touch my Pokémon without my knowledge again." Goh
requested before closing the door and locking it.

God... What had he done..? Rini trembled in the corner, whimpering quietly.

"Shhh... It's okay, Rini... It's me," Goh called quietly. Rini curled up and whimpered, Goh
sighed. What can he do now? Should he call Vanitas?

Goh sighed. No, not right now. He grabbed his blankets and placed them on the floor next to
Rini. Rini settled down on it before calming down enough for Goh to feel like he wouldn't get
headbutted into the wall.

"Can you hear me Rini?" Goh asked softly. Rini nodded slowly, "Okay, sweetie. Give me a
second okay? I'm going to grab some treats for you." Goh spoke softly, reaching into his bag
as slowly as he could to offer her the candy Nurse Joy had given him as a parting gift.

Rini whimpered. Goh sat with her patiently, giving her treats when she was able to respond to
him.

The ordeal took around 45 minutes. Rini was able to somewhat calm down and return to her
senses. Goh attempted to pet her, but she flinched away. Goh sighed softly.

Looks like he'll have to start from the ground up...

Chapter End Notes

its my birthday today lol 🎂

thanks for reading! be sure to leave a kudos, it helps with my ego
 Grief doesn't magically go away because you ask it to!
Chapter Summary

"Dreams are the paradise we wish to live in, Goh. You have to live through the
nightmares to make that paradise your reality."

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Goh sighed. Rini was still very much cautious and careful of people other than Goh. And
Goh's father did end up apologizing in the morning after he explained.

After his parents had left for work, Goh didn't end up starting on the fix to Caralynn's mod
issue, but actually started researching how to help and accommodate Pokémon with PTSD.
Not a single one said anything about panic attacks and anything that would let him be
equipped for a meltdown.

Rini chittered endlessly in her seat, as if telling Goh stories and dreams she's had. Goh would
simply watch and listen, asking questions like 'what then?' and 'really?'. It felt like a
conversation, and Rini would continue chatting adorably as she ate.

Goh ended up not training with Chloe, in favor of rehabilitating and reintegrating Rini into
everyday life. Goh ended up doing chores like going grocery shopping. A few kids curiously
came up to Rini, and she would flinch away, but the kids would simply pet her as gently as
they could and then pulled away. Each time she let them pet her she got a treat for behaving,
and she simply got jacket jail whenever she tried retaliating. Which was just Rini sitting in
Goh's jacket until she calmed down.

Goh kept his mask on most of the time, but would often bring it down when talking to
people.

Rini began to irritate Goh by pulling his mask down when she was in jacket jail, which would
then give her another shot at letting a child pet her. There were a few adults that raised their
eyebrow at him, but he simply paid them no mind. It was normal anyway. A lot of people
looked at him funny.

Goh pushed his hair behind his ear, his dangling silver cross earring jingling against his
fingers. Ah, he should probably get a haircut then... Would Rini behave if he got his hair cut
with her?
The answer is no. She ended up having to stay in her Pokéball after she tried to kick the
barber, slipped on a clump of hair, and sat there pouting.

She was let out to examine his new hair style afterward though, so it wasn't all bad. It wasn't
too different, just a trim of his usual style. It was still pretty long for a guy, but at least not
enough for people to assume he's a girl going through a particular phase.

He didn't have his bangs cut though, so those would still be able to fall over his eyes and
bother him. The hairdresser was very particular he kept the bangs. Something about fashion
and such.

Suddenly, a call rang out, Goh's rotom phone coming up to let him answer a call from
Vanitas.

"Hi Goh! Oh, wow, you look cute!" Vanitas cooed, "Meeting with someone?" She teased,
Goh blushed, "I-it's not like that! I was just reintegrating Rini— Scorbunny into society!"
Goh explained. "Oh! Good on you then. I do like the red shirt and oversized black jacket
combo with the tech wear trousers to match, very cute." Vanitas hummed.

"Anyway, I wasn't here to compliment you on your fashion choices, I'm actually here to ask a
favor." Vanitas smiled cheekily. Goh blinked, "A... favor?" "Yes! In exchange for the trainer
card and a good sum of money, I'll be asking favors from you. You can decline them, of
course, but I'm just saying the prize money starts at 50,000 and maxes out at 1,000,000
PokéDollars." Vanitas raised her hands up in her defense, as if she didn't just tell Goh he
could receive a million for doing a mindless favor.

"O-okay, what do you need?" Goh asked, "Oh? Accepting already? Well, I wanna run some
things by you before you dive in for the money." Vanitas said, amused. "Firstly, there will be
three types of favors. A capture favor, which means you'll need to capture one or more
Pokémon." Vanitas explained.

"A raid favor, where you have to snuff out any teams or hooligans that could likely become a
problem for the region in the future—This type of favor is usually from Lance, but
occasionally they'll come in from Nurse Joys around the region, travel expenses are not
covered, so get a Pidgeot or something." Vanitas spoke amused.

"And finally, a mission favor. These ones are particularly scary, and I considered removing
them from the equation altogether, but I'm letting myself trust you with this since they are
pretty hard to come by. Basically, you'll need to infiltrate bases, raid parties, and whatever
else to get information and get out. Nothing else. No jumping into danger, no battling, none
of that. Just infiltrate, gain info, and leave." Vanitas explained, scarily serious and without her
usual charming smile.

Ah, so that's why the pay is so high. He could get killed.

"Today, I'm asking for a capture favor. Apparently, my brother-in-law didn't realize a Wooloo
was somehow inside one of the crates filled with wool and accidentally shipped the poor
thing over to Vermillion." Vanitas sighed, "None of the wooloo Hop herds are actually
captured by Pokéballs, so just go over to the warehouses and ask for the Galar wool imports
and capture it, and then call me so I can give you the money." Vanitas spoke dismissively.
"So, you up for it?" Vanitas asked. Goh nodded, "Yeah, I'll head over there in a bit." Vanitas
clapped, "Great! Thanks a bunch, Goh!"

And then Vanitas blipped out of his screen.

Goh hummed, looking over at Rini, who was patiently waiting for him to finish his call. Rini
padded over curiously looking up at him, "We've got to go to the warehouses today. Nurse
Joy just asked us for a favor." Goh spoke, Rini frowned, seemingly wanting to not go to
somewhere as boring as the warehouses, "Don't worry, I'll buy us dinner afterward." Goh
assured. Rini cheered.

The warehouses weren't exactly a far walk, but Goh wasn't sure if the card would actually
work. Besides, what about the guards? Would they even believe him?

Rini hopped along the bricks, in the way a kid would, trying to avoid a sporadic number of
bricks for seemingly no reason. Goh smiled fondly at her.

Reaching the warehouses was a little scary, since a few of the railings were rusted by salt
water and time. He approached the guards, almost scared of what they'll think.

"Oh! You must be the one Lady Vanitas sent out, correct?" One of the guards smiled at him,
he nodded nervously. Rini waved at the guard excitedly. He managed a small wave back.
"Thanks for taking up the offer, it's a particularly fiesty Pokémon." The guard noted, "Come,
I'll take you to the Galar Imports."

Goh had never been this close to stacks and stacks of shipping containers. He's a little
worried one of the towers of containers is going to topple over.

Rini seemed curious of the area, purring as if to ask questions. The guard led him to one of
the containers, though notably, this one had a few dents in it.

He opened the container door and what stared back at Hop was, in fact, not a wooloo. That's-
That's definitely not a wooloo. The Dubwool charged straight at him, which he dodged by
sidestepping. Why the hell is he using the steps he learned for his dance class to dodge, and
why is it working?

The Dubwool lodged its horns into one of the shipping container doors, denting it. The
Dubwool, again, looked at something, bleating angrily. He looked over at Rini, who seemed
to be processing what the fuck is going on, and then it charged for Rini.
"Rini!" Goh exclaimed, Rini jumped into the sky, before landing a devastating blow on the
Dubwool. She stood over top of the Dubwool worriedly. Goh sighed, tossing a Pokéball at
the fainted Pokémon before attempting to heading off. "Huh? Rini?" Rini peeked back into
the container, Goh curiously joining her. His eyes widened as he saw a handful of baby
Wooloo rolling around. "Oh. Crap."

Ethan bust out laughing after seeing Goh, who was scared out of his wits, with another guy in
tow. Purple hair and sharp yellow eyes like Leon's, but noticeably he seemed softer, taller,
and less bulky. And he didn't have Leon's long hair. He seemed to be older than Goh, but not
anything close to Leon's age either. Probably 18 - 19 ish? "You're saying the Wooloo Hop and
Vanitas sent you after evolved?" Ethan laughed, "Yes, it was... particularly spicy." Goh
admitted, defeated. "Thank you for all the help, Goh. I'll catch the rest of them myself." Hop
assured. "Ah, could I see the Dubwool, please?" Hop asked.

Goh nodded, releasing the Dubwool from its Pokéball, who then immediately charged for
Hop. The boy simply fought it by brute force, keeping pace with Ethan's conversation just
fine.

...

...

Goh may have learned something about himself today.

Either way, Hop manhandled the Pokémon into submission before asking Goh to recall it.
Hop traded Dubwool's Pokéball for 60,000 PokéDollars, which Goh gratefully accepted.

"Thanks for working so hard, I didn't think the Wooloo would have kids and evolve." Hop
sighed, "Here's an extra 40,000 for the lack of information, Vanitas would skin me if I didn't
compensate you." Hop joked, Goh blinked, "A-ah! No need for that! I'm okay!" Goh
exclaimed, blushing. "Eh?" Hop blinked, "Uhm.. Well, I'll need to compensate you either
way, so how about a read on your Pokémon?" Hop offered. "A... read?" Goh repeated.

"Yep! I'm actually a Pokémon professor's research assistant, and I know Vanitas doesn't
release your Pokémon's movesets into their information, since she always complains it's a
pain in the arse to change like 400 documents," Hop grinned, and god, did someone use
flash? Goh feels like he's gone blind.

"O-okay, sure." Goh replied, "She's still in her reintegration period, so she might bite.." Goh
warned, Hop simply grinned at him. "My rival also had a Scorbunny, I know how to handle
them." Hop replied, petting Rini softly. Rini did not flinch away this time, being offered a
treat by Hop for being good.

"You battled the Dubwool, right? Which moves did you use?" Hop asked, "Uhm... I think it
was.. High Jump Kick?" Goh offered nervously, "Oh! She's the fiesty one from Hammerlocke
then," Hop chuckled, "That explains how you and Vanitas met... Anyway, Scorbunny is pretty
decently leveled. She likely knows Double Kick and Quick Attack as well, but doesn't seem
to know any Fire Type moves..." Hop noted. Goh blinked, "No.. fire type moves?" Hop
nodded. "Her growth might've been stunted by how she was treated back when she was wild,
so fire type moves may become hard for her to handle. Please be kind with her." Hop spoke
softly. Goh nodded.

Hop stopped petting Rini, who seemed very appreciative. She bounced back over to Goh, and
he picked her up in his arms.

"Thanks again for all the help! I'll make sure Dubwool and the other wooloo are home safe."
Hop assured, switching the topic back to Vanitas' favor. "Vanitas might call you if things like
this happen again, but I'll make sure to triple check the crates next time." Hop laughed.

"There's been a handful of Team Rocket grunts who have been smuggling Galarian, Sinnoh,
Alolan, and Paldean Pokémon to Kanto," Hop explained, "You'll be dealing with the Galar
division, basically, you'll be sent after Galar Pokémon that have escaped from Team Rocket,
or otherwise infiltrate their base to get the Pokémon back to us. Though it won't usually be
me or Vanitas getting these Pokémon back. We'll simply send in whoever is available." Hop
spoke.

Goh nodded, "How will I know, though?" Hop blinked, "Pardon?" "How do I know if they're
one of your subordinates or if they're someone pretending to be a subordinate?" Goh
clarified. Hop laughed sheepishly, "They're our friends, actually... And I really didn't think
about that... But if you're worried, you can call Vanitas and ask. They might be unavailable at
times, demanding workload and all that," Hop noted. "Here, I'll give you my phone number,
that way, if Vanitas is unavailable, I can give you the go ahead instead." Hop smiled.

Goh pulled out his Rotom Phone, and Hop made his own new contact. When Goh received it,
Hop left for the airport.

The name on his contact was 'Hop Withers'.

"He's a charming fellow, isn't he?" Ethan mused. Goh blinked. "S-sorry, I don't follow?"
Ethan gave him an amused look, "Hop, I mean. He's cute, isn't he?" Ethan teased, Goh
blushed. "And charming, and witty, too." Goh hid his face in Rini's ears. "He's in his early
twenties, and still single." Ethan sighed, "If he doesn't have a girl, then I don't stand a
chance." Ethan pouted.

Goh could only offer an awkwardly comforting smile.

Goh and Rini ended up going to a particular ramen shop that would serve Pokémon. Rini, in
fact, could not figure out how to eat with chopsticks. Which was a pretty funny view if you
weren't Goh.

Walking home, Goh noted it began to be colder than usual. Ah, it looks like snow may start
falling soon. Rini hopped next to him, content with padding around and surveying the area.
The two made it home unscathed, and went about their own thing.

Goh's social battery has been completely drained... Geez, why were there so many talkative
people he ran into today? Ahh, whatever.

Rini hopped into Goh's lap as he started on the fix to Caralynn's issue. He'd almost forgotten
about it honestly.

He should probably shut down commissions and his account altogether. He has a new form of
gaining money, and it's a lot more sustainable—as well as less lewd—income. He may also
be a little tired of people requesting things for free. Ah, the woes of online marketing. Tragic
really.

He also kind of wants to see if he'd survive against Kanto's gym leaders. Rini is his only
Pokémon right now, and the gym that was the most beginner friendly was the rock type gym
in Pewter City, who recently had a leader switch from Brock to his younger brother, Forrest.
Rini knowing High Jump Kick would be an advantage, as well as the element of surprise
since no one really knew what the hell a Scorbunny was.

Goh accidentally bulldozed through and figured out the problem with Caralynn's mods, he
sent her the fix, and asked her to try it and give updates if it broke down or not. Goh hummed
as he opened a new tab.

'Scorbunny Libero Ability'

He still didn't know what a lot of words or abilities meant, but he knew the word was related
to a defensive position in volleyball.. So maybe a defense raise?

Oh, how wrong he was.

So each time Rini would use a move, her typing would switch to the typing of the move. So
as of right now, she can switch between fire though she has no moves for it, fighting, and
normal.
Neat. He'll have to figure out how to use that to his advantage. One idea comes to mind;
Adding mud shot to Rini's roster to handle Lt. Surge. It may also be beneficial if he captured
an electric Pokémon in preparation for the Water Type Gym, since it would be immediately
after Pewter City.

That wouldn't be for a while though. He was still making sure Rini understood that being
touched and pet by people other than Goh wasn't a bad thing. Socializing a Pokémon is
hard...

Goh yawned as he picked up Rini from his lap and laid her on the bed, Goh dozing off next to
her. She seemed... Happy. Goh smiled softly. Maybe she was dreaming about her family back
in Galar... Mm... He misses his grandpa...

"Goh!" a little boy called, giggling. They seemed to be in a forest, and then again he called
out—"Goh!"

He repeated his name a few times, different scenarios, different places, before the boy
suddenly disappeared, taking all the colors and atmosphere along with him.

Goh always felt helpless in this dream. This memory. This particular one, at least. Because,
the day he came back to Vermillion, his grandfather passed away in an accident while getting
home.

He had promised to buy Goh his favorite candies to cheer him up after losing a friend, and a
driver had hit him as he was crossing the pedestrian street, killing the elder man
instantaneously. Sometimes, Goh would find himself blaming that boy, reasoning that if he
hadn't suddenly disappeared, his grandfather would still be alive. But that wasn't true. Goh
would've been sad either way, and it'd still end the same.

He was the only one who had put in effort into paying attention to him. Halta was always too
busy with her singing, his parents were always working... He spent time with Goh. Enrolled
Goh in dance lessons, and taught him about electronics. Even how to build one from scratch.

In the end, his love for Goh was what got him killed. His love for his grandson was the
reason he went out to buy those candies.

Even now, he still sees the closed casket, and the picture frame of his smiling face. Ah. He's
crying again.

"Dreams are the paradise we wish to live in, Goh. You have to live through the nightmares to
make that paradise your reality."
Goh grunted softly, feeling fluffy paws wipe away his tears. He blinked himself awake,
looking at Rini who was looking at him with... concern? pity? he wasn't sure.

"I'm okay, don't worry." Goh spoke softly, his voice hoarse and deep with sleep. Rini pressed
her nose patch to his head, murmuring softly against his hair. "Thanks, Rini."

Goh sighed quietly, sitting up and watching the beams of light fall through his curtains. And
for the first time in a while, he opened them. Light blinding him as soon as he does, but it's
worth it to see the terrific view of the city. It was still early, it seemed. Not many people out.
Perfect time to catch a Rotom. Ghost type Pokémon were great in competitive circles
recently, so tossing his hat in the ring might be a good idea. Goh opened his walk-in closet.

He had, admittedly, been spoiled with gifts by his parents and friends. Clothes in particular.
Rini seemed a little disinterested in it. But Goh always liked dress up. It was like he could
actually choose who to be everyday.

He spotted his glasses collecting dust in the corner.. Maybe... a change of pace would be nice.

In the end, he kept his outfit neat and not too eye-catching, despite how fashion was always
about being eye-catching. A simple thick grey oversized sweater overtop of a white tee and
some large black tech wear pants, and gold rimmed round glasses to top it all off. He fell in
love with tech wear after realizing he wouldn't need to wear that atrocious pokébelt if he ever
became a trainer.

He tied his hair back and then looked in the mirror.

Oh goddammit, he looks like one of those Pinterest guys.

Ah, well, whatever. Rini already seemed to be getting impatient with him, they needed to
leave. He grabbed a disposable mask and put it on. No makeup for today, he supposed. The
glasses would just cover it up.
There may have been a few girls looking at him while he walked to where he could find some
Rotoms. He wasn't sure. He was pretty tall for a 13 year old, so maybe they mistook him for
someone their age. Lanky and scrawny, as Chloe would put it.

Rini walked beside him, chittering curiously. Goh would pick her up everytime they needed
to cross the street. And eventually he made it to the area where they were most likely to be
found... Only to get booted out by 9 am, since people had work and a child being there trying
to catch a Rotom would intervene with their systems.

Fucking. Terrific.

Goh sighed, calling Chloe instead. She didn't have school for the entire month, something
about an entire tree falling over and destroying five classrooms and a house.

"You wanna come over?" Chloe asked, "That's what I said, yes." Goh confirmed. "Weeelll,
Dad's getting fucked over by a Pokémon at the lab, wanna go watch?" Goh huffed a laugh,
"Of course I do. It'd be hilarious."

Chloe seemed to be in some weirdly fashionable clothes, a simple pleated black skirt, those
weirdly popular sleeveless uniform tops, and a sakura and matcha themed hoodie. "Oh hey,
dressed up for something?" Goh asked, Goh remembered unboxing a black and red one
similar to hers. "The only something I'm dressed up for is you, Mr. Fashion." Chloe jabbed,
Goh rolled his eyes. "The hotter you look, the less people will bother you." Goh simply
stated. "Pretty sure it's the opposite."

Either way, they made it to the lab, and a Rotom zipped through them, before Chloe could
even pull out her Pokéball, Goh had already called for an attack.

Rini landed the hit, nearly decimating the porch by the strength she put into the kick. There
was a noticeably large crack on the porch floor, and despite High Jump Kick being a fighting
type move and therefore giving Rotom a resistance... The Electric and Ghost type Pokémon
is completely fainted. It had a reddish tint to it. Goh decided to catch it anyway.

"Jesus christ, Goh." Chloe spoke with an airy laugh. "You've certainly got your wits after
receiving your first Pokémon!" Professor Cerise spoke with a cheery laugh. "I-I'm so sorry
about the damages, I wasn't paying attention—" "It's alright, Goh. I understand." Professor
Cerise smiled, "At least you didn't fry the entire city electrical systems like Chloe did
recently with Jolteon," He teased, "Dad!" Chloe yelped.
"Eevee evolved?" Goh asked, "Not... quite." Chloe sighed. Hoo... boy... She's got a lot to
explain.

...

...

...

"I'm sorry, your Eevee can what?" Goh questioned, as if him asking repeatedly would change
the answer. "She can devolve and evolve by her own will!" Chloe exclaimed, frustrated. "We
ran into a den of dragon eggs during my field research, and the mom was pissed," Chloe
sighed, "She evolved into a Sylveon, and absolutely mauled it before we left. She devolved
shortly after, and evolved into an Espeon to help me with groceries." Chloe groaned.

"And... there's no limitations?" Goh asked, Chloe shrugged, watching Eevee and Rini play. "I
mean, I guess each evolution only lasts a couple of hours, and then Eevee goes into sleep
mode for 14 hours." Chloe sighed. "Fourteen—?!" "I'm exaggerating!"

"The only one who's had a similar experience with an Eevee is that old champion of ours, Mr.
Red." Chloe spoke, "I don't know how to get in contact with him, and Dad's already tried
with Mr. Oak." Chloe groaned.

"They're both in Alola too..." Chloe placed her face in her hands, and Goh comfortingly pat
her back. "I'm sorry to hear that..." Goh spoke, "...But maybe it's a good thing?" Chloe
nodded, "I got a CT scan and a brain MRI for her, but there's nothing abnormal... So maybe
you're right... Still... I can't help but worry..." Goh hummed. This would probably be a good
time to ask her... "...Could you do me a favor?" Chloe blinked, looking up at him.

"What?" "Can you battle me?" Goh asked.

"A battle?" Chloe asked finally. The leaves rustling in the wind, "Yes. I... want to challenge
the gyms." Goh spoke, "And I can't do it without your help." Chloe looked at him, and then
her eyes softened. "Alright, alright," Chloe sighed, "Wait- really?? You'll battle me?" Goh
asked.

"Well, it's not like I can't hold my own in a fight, Goh." Chloe rolled her eyes, Goh chuckled,
"I know you can." You've beat Regina and Mirche before, goes unsaid.
"Alright! Let's do this, Eevee!" Chloe exclaimed. "Yeah! Rini, let's go!" Goh called, bouncing
back Chloe's enthusiasm. Chloe never really seemed interested in anything, she was the
leader of the gardening club, and helped students get on their feet with their studies. But the
one thing Goh could trust her to do was put up one hell of a fight.

Chloe grinned as she put her hand behind one of the pleats in her skirt, "It has pockets," she
announced. Goh snickered, rolling his eyes. She pulled out a water stone, and threw it in the
air. "Let's go, Vaporeon!" Eevee trilled, catching the stone mid-air and evolving into
Vaporeon. Huh, so she needs stones to evolve into specific types...

Goh looked at Rini, who seemed eager to battle. "Alright! Rini, let's show them what we've
got!" Rini nodded, hopping off his shoulder and into the battle field.

"Vaporeon, use Hydro Pump!" Vaporeon began forming a large ball of water at her mouth,
"Rini, dodge it with Quick Attack!" Rini nodded, waiting for the perfect moment to dodge.

When the blast came forward, Rini swerved to the right, "High Jump Kick!" Rini hopped into
the air, fully ready to deliver a definite blow on Vaporeon, "Ah! Aurora Beam!" Vaporeon
quickly changed its attack course, and aimed an Aurora Beam towards Rini. Shit!

Rini seemed to change her course too, just barely dodging Vaporeon's attack by a hair, and
then landing a consecutive hit on Vaporeon. "What was that?!" Chloe questioned, "I-I don't
know?!" Goh responded, "Rini, back down!" Rini jumped away from Vaporeon as the water
type Pokémon shook its head.

"Was that Acrobatics?!" Chloe finally asked, Goh awkwardly offered no response. Chloe
shook her head. "Vaporeon, Hydro Pump, one more time!" "Intercept it with Acrobatics!"
Rini hopped into the air, swiftly landing a hit on Vaporeon, but was unable to intercept the
Hydro Pump as Rini was sent flying by the attack. Rini got up, seemingly unaffected. She
simply wiped the water off.

Chloe's eyes narrowed. That should've at least done in half her health, but she was acting like
it was barely a scratch. "Can you keep going, Chloe?" Goh asked, at least having half a mind
to worry about Vaporeon. Chloe stood up, and Vaporeon did too, eyeing the bunny warily as
Rini made her way back onto the field. "Yeah. We're good." She hopped on one foot, while
her other was suspended in the air, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Aurora Beam!" "Double kick! Hit the ground!" Goh instructed, Chloe's concentration broke
as she watched as the ground in front of Rini caved in and shot up, shielding her from the
attack. "Yes!" Goh cheered. "That's so dumb!" Chloe laughed, "But it works, doesn't it?" Goh
grinned loftily.

"Well, if that's how you're gonna play—Vaporeon, shoot yourself into the sky with Hydro
Pump!" Chloe called out, Vaporeon jumped, and rocketed itself into the sky with Hydro
Pump. "Now! Icy Wind!" Chloe called out, Vaporeon shot the icy wind at Rini, who dodged
with Quick Attack. "Pirouette!"

Vaporeon began spinning rapidly, covering the battlefield in ice. Rini began slipping around
as Vaporeon landed gracefully on the ice. Goh's eyes narrowed. "Not so fun when you're
cornered now, is it?" Chloe teased, Goh grinned at her, "I'm just thinking!"

"Rini!" The bunny shot up, ready for the next instructions. "Use Quick Attack! Run around as
fast as you can on the ice!" Chloe shot him a look of disbelief. Rini nodded, and began
skating around Vaporeon at high speed. Vaporeon tried to turn around and follow Rini's
movements, causing her to become confused. The ice begins to melt. "No way—" Chloe
laughed in disbelief. "Let's go! Double Kick!" Chloe noticed a glint of flames at the soles of
Rini's feet, and she sends Vaporeon flying into a tree. Vaporeon devolves into Eevee.

"Yes! We won!" Goh cheered, running to Rini to give her a hug. The little bunny cooed,
excited as well. Chloe recalled Eevee into her Pokéball, and walked over to congratulate Goh.
"Ooh~ Chloe, who's the cute guy?" Jessica cooed, Chloe literally stopped dead in her tracks.
Goh has to stifle himself, he fixed his mask back onto his face before he turned around to be
greeted by Regina—whom he's already met, and a black haired girl in a crop top with bold
white letters spelling 'KLUTZ'.

"How long have you two been watching us?" Chloe asked in deadpan. "That Hydro Pump to
Icy Wind is when we realized it was you." Jessica replied. "It was a spectacular performance,
Chloe." Regina complimented. Jessica wiggled her eyebrows at Chloe, and the girl glared
back.

"Say, I've never seen you around before. You from the countryside or what?" Jessica asked,
Goh shook his head. "I live in the city. I just don't live in the area." Goh explained. "I'm Goh,
me and Chloe went to the same camp when we were kids. Jessica, right?" Goh smiled at her.
Ah, when did his mask disappear? He peered down at Rini, who was trying to wear his mask,
and failing. "Oh? Heard about me? Good things, I hope?" Jessica asked, and Chloe snorted.
"Not really, but I understand where you come from." Goh teased, "You're supposed to be on
my side!" Chloe yelled, "Traitor!" Goh swiftly dodges her attacks.

Regina giggled, "It's good to see you again, Goh. Are your commissions going well?" Goh
nodded, "I'm planning on ending that kind of thing for a while though." Chloe looked at him,
flabbergasted.

"You're quitting modding???" Chloe questioned, poking his cheek as if to check if he was a
fake person. "It's not that hard to grasp, Chloe," Goh deadpanned, "Rini's pretty active, so of
course I'm picking her over modding." Chloe groaned, "Then who do I bother for my Stardew
mods?" Goh sighed, "I'll still help you, I just won't be making mods, god, you dense little-"
Goh cleared his throat.

Rini looked up at him curiously. Jessica turned away and snickered, Regina was feigning
ignorance, and Chloe looked absolutely gobsmacked. "I'll let you off the hook this time,"
Chloe said, Goh sighed in relief. "But what about money? Your parents only buy you clothes
and basic necessities, what are you gonna do if you need money to stay at a hotel? Camp
out?? You don't have any equipment." Chloe pointed out.
 "I have a job, actually. It's a lot like a ranger, but I have to catch Galar Pokémon and send
them back to Nurse Joy." Goh explained. Chloe looked at him as if he had grown two more
heads. "How much is the pay?" Jessica asked, amused. "50k to a million." Goh replied flatly.

Silence swept the four off their feet.

"FIFTY THOUSAND—?!" Chloe questioned, "TO A MILLION?!" Jessica finished. Goh

grinned, "Yeah! That's why I said I'd be taking on the Gym Challenge too." Chloe gave him a
thoughtful look. "Though I do need to catch a Pidgey so I can travel around..." Goh
commented.

His phone rang, and he excused himself, answering the phone as he walked towards the
forest for some privacy.

"Hi Goh!" Vanitas greeted, waving at him. "Oh! Nice fit, dude! I like the mask on
Scorbunny." She snickered, Goh offered a sheepish smile. "Anyway, I've got to ask for
another capture favor from you! You got time today?" Goh glanced at the clock. "Sure, what's
gotten loose this time?"

Chapter End Notes

i may have just realizef vanitas is acting a lot like a task maker and like penny in sv haha

this is the cheapest way i can make goh do things without just making him wander into
places for no reason ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎

also, vanitas is an oc of mine, i never expanded on this lmao- they do have their own
story and backstory and such but it won't be mentioned unless it's plot relevant.

also, ash finally shows up in the next chapter! yay!! gary has to wait tho lol
 Roommates in the Apartment Complex!
Chapter Summary

God, when had Goh become this guy's mom? They've known each other for barely
48 hours and he's in his apartment cooking for him like the guy works a nine to five
to support him and his kids.

Goh rolled his eyes at the thought. Goh could never be a parent. He'd be a horrible
father.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Around 5 months have passed since Goh had started working under the Galar Division. He's
met hundreds of people by now, and Arceus knows he's just about sick of their shit. By the
first week, Goh had gone to all of the cities available in the twin regions, as well as some
more conspicuous towns like Lavender Town, and Pallet Town. By the third month, Goh had
finished 87 favors in total. All of them were capture favors.

The people that often collected the Pokémon that were smuggled in were the following order,
in the order that Goh likes them most to least:

1. Hop Withers
2. Gloria Osborn
3. Vanitas Joy
4. Raihan Eisendrache
5. Eurydice d'Avaris
6. Leon Withers
7. Bede ...Goh forgot his last name that's how much he hates this guy.

He may be a little biased since he may or may not have a crush on Hop, but apparently the
guy was dating Bede, so that was... yeah. That might have played a part in Bede's ranking.
Leon was too talkative, and Goh would have to physically lead him to the boat since he was,
in Galar terms: 'Absolutely pants with directions.' Which Goh finds hilarious.

Eurydice, who is also Vanitas' fiancé somehow, wasn't too bad, she just always seemed
irritated and that scared Goh on an astronomical level. Her style was very much 'get in, get
out'. Though it was quite charming seeing her flirt with Vanitas whenever the black haired
girl called. Goh wished he had that much charisma, or as Vanitas called it 'rizz'. She did say
'its okay, Goh, you have the tizz' so he isn't sure what to make of that. Nor does he know what
it means, honestly.
Rini has adjusted well overall, but she has her triggers, and she almost regressed into her bad
habits several times. Thankfully, Goh caught her before she fell, and would continue to catch
her until she could stand up without ever falling down.

He and Chloe have been meeting up more frequently recently, with Jessica and Regina
tagging along every now and then. After the first four battles, Chloe recognized Goh's trump
card, and started getting Eevee to evolve into Espeon rather than Vaporeon. Goh's been
getting better at battling, but not any better at controlling the Rotom he captured, which
turned out to be a shiny.

As of right now, Goh had a special favor. Apparently, someone assigned to the Alola Division
would actually come to handle an illegal import of Alolan Ninetails and Vulpixes. Goh's
favor? Help the guy traverse Kanto, and supply him with a place to stay. While Goh wanted
to naturally decline, the pay was 120,000 per day, and he would be staying in Kanto for 7
days. Safe to say Goh took the favor for the money. Was it greed? Maybe. But it's not like
he'll die if he has to have a guy over in his parents apartment.

As of right now, he was waiting for a short brash kid with a pikachu and unique lightning bolt
birthmarks on his cheeks to appear in the airport. He wasn't given the exact age of the guy,
but from the photos, he looked to be younger than Goh. Rini stayed in her Pokéball this time,
lest Goh wants another traumatic accident.

"I SEE YOU!!" A disgustingly cheery voice exclaimed. It was 7:35, who the hell had that
much energy in the morning? Goh glanced up to check whoever the hooligan was, just to
make sure that it wasn't his boarder. Only for the horror to settle in that holy shit that is, in
fact, his boarder.

He waved as he literally skipped towards Goh, and he was wearing the most atrocious outfit
known to man. Why the hell is he wearing swimming trunks??? It was the middle of
winter???? Goh wanted to leave, but that tiny voice in his head yearned for the money, so
Goh caved. "Alola!" He greeted, Goh gave him a confused look. "...We're in Kanto?" Goh
offered, the boy snorted. "It's the typical Alolan greeting," he explained. "I'm Ash Ketchum
from Melemele Island! What's your name?"

"...Goh." "Go? As in 'we have to go' or-?" "My name is Goh. G-o-h." Goh clarified. Ash
'ooh'ed at him and then grinned. "Cool name!" Goh kind of wants to kill himself, honestly.
"C'mon, let's go. We're taking a cab to my place." Goh spoke, "Do you have your luggage?"
Ash nodded.
"You have a nice place, Goh." Ash spoke as they entered. "Thanks. I keep it clean." Goh
replied, Rini bounded towards him in greeting, "Hello, Rini." Goh cooed. Ash smiled at him
as he entered the apartment. "Back in Alola, I lived with my parents. Is the culture different
here in Kanto?" Ash asked, Goh shook his head. "Not really. My parents are just out on a
business trip for a month." came Goh's reply.

"Oh, sorry. Sore topic?" Ash asked, Goh shrugged. "Not really. Just don't like talking about
it," Ash nodded.

"Your room's pretty messy for a girl's." Ash commented, and Goh literally stopped in his
tracks and whipped around to eye Ash. He seemed genuine in his comment, seemingly taken
aback by Goh's sudden turn to look him in the eye. "...Thank you." Goh offered, and he
guessed something clicked in Ash's brain, because the boy looked like Goh just discovered
the formula to solving world hunger. "Oh—You're a guy! That explains why you're so tall!
Auntie said you're younger than me, 13, right?" Ash offered, correcting his assumption with a
grin.

"How come Nurse Joy tells you information about me and I don't get a sliver of information
about you?" Goh murmured, "Auntie's like that sometimes. She completely forgot to give me
the description for the girl in the Paldean Division, and we had to spend 30 minutes
confirming that we were working together." Ash laughed as he remembered the story, "It
sounds like the divisions are more cautious than Nurse Joy is.." Goh commented. "We are!
Well, most of them are, I've met all the divisions by now, and they've all told me I act like a
12 year old." Ash shrugged.

"That's kind of mean..." Goh spoke, even though it really fit Ash's character. "I've known my
best friend since diapers, so it's really more of a running gag than an insult." Ash clarified.
"My friend is actually Gary from the Sinnoh Division, he was sent to Hoenn recently after
being released from detention." Ash smiled, "Detention?" Goh questioned. "It's basically you
being put on hold and not given any favors because you went against the rules. I got put in
detention after I jumped in and helped R in the Paldean Division." Ash shrugged.

"That doesn't make any sense. You defended R, why were you sent to detention?" Goh
questioned, "If anything, you should've been awarded for your camaraderie." Ash offered a
chuckle, "I don't really mind. I'm just glad to be back in action. It was boring in Alola." Ash
complained. Goh honestly doubts Alola was that boring.

"You've been here before?" Ash nodded, "I was in detention for three years. I was staying in
Pallet Town, which was really far from here so I had to wake up early a lot." Ash
complained. "Three years-?" Goh questioned, a sudden bolt of lightning nearly shooting Goh
in the face. "D'Ah—!" Goh yelped. The shiny Rotom shooting around the room. "Pikachu,
Iron Tail!" Ash immediately called out, the little mouse Pokémon jumping into action as soon
as he spoke. Rotom is, again, slammed into the floor, completely fainted.

"Rotom..." Goh sighed sadly, picking up the small Pokémon. "Is it yours?" Ash asked, Goh
nodded. "Let's get him to a Pokémon Center," Ash suggested, "Not in that outfit, you're not!"
Goh squawked.
Ash ended up wearing the only Pikachu sweater in Goh's closet and jeans, and as much as
Goh hated it, Ash actually looked good. Also, it was the only outfit that wouldn't engulf Ash's
body entirely. Ash put on his cap, and Goh made a mental note to buy something that would
let the boy wear it without the hat looking out of place.

"It's pretty cold out, huh?" Ash murmured while they waited in the lobby. "Huh? It's a bit
warmer than usual, actually." Goh responded, Ash offered a weak chuckle, "Is that so..? I
didn't realize.." Pikachu trilled, rubbing it's face on Ash's.

After receiving Rotom's Pokéball, they headed off in the direction of the mall to eat lunch.
Ash seemed a little quieter than usual. "Whats up?" Goh questioned. Ash blinked, looking up
at him "Huh?" "You're quiet." Goh noted.

"I'm just a little cold, that's all." Ash offered. Goh hummed, "Must be the climate. Alola's
usually always sunny, isn't it?" Goh asked, Ash nodded. "I kind of miss the warmth." He said
softly, Goh gave him a strange look.

They continued eating in peace, neither one of them attempting to start a conversation since
Goh was afraid of people and Ash was trying to stave off the cold. Not exactly conversation
material there.

Goh held his jacket out to Ash, who blinked at looked at him curiously. "You said you were
cold, right? You can use it. I'm used to the temperatures here." Goh reasoned. The boy smiled
and—Oh my god, Goh please stop going blind after wholesome people smile, you need your
eyesight for this plot.

"Thanks, Goh!!" Ash grinned, Goh nodded, scooping Rini up into his arms. "You're
welcome." Ash crouched down to look at Rini closely. Rini tilted her head curiously, "She's
cute! A Galar Pokémon, right?" Ash asked, and Goh nodded. "Thought so. Each division has
at least one of their regional starters." Goh blinked, "You have an Alolan starter?"

Ash grinned, letting out his Pokémon. "Incineroar, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed.

A big behemoth of a cat emerged from the light. It had fucking abs dude. Goh isn't sure what
to feel. On one hand he's amazed, and on another he feels slightly repulsed.

"Hey, she matches your aesthetic!" Ash pointed out. Goh nodded half heartedly, "Wait-
She???" Goh questioned. "Yup! Didn't expect a big Pokémon like her to be a girl, did ya?"
Ash asked cheekily. "Ah, no, it's just that recently I read about how there's less Littens
because of the male to female ratio.." Goh responded. Ash offered a sheepish smile, "Sorry, R
had the same reaction you did so I thought-" "It's fine, it's fine." Goh placed Rini on the floor,
walking over to pet Incineroar.
"Rini is that Pokémon's name, right?" Ash asked, leaning down to pet Rini. "The species is
called Scorbunny. Her nickname is Rini." Goh clarified with a smile. "She seems to be a
strong Pokémon." Goh murmured, "Can I ask for a battle?" Ash blinked at him and then
grinned. "Sure! But I'm not holding back!"

Ash slept on the floor that night.

Well, he didn't exactly ask to sleep in a bed, and there wasn't any space in his room for a new
bed either. Ash didn't ask about the two spare bedrooms in the apartment. Goh probably
wouldn't be comfortable talking about it anyway. They were just strangers. And Ash is
reminded of the harsh reality that Goh's probably only doing this for the money. Ash
frowned. He couldn't think that way about Goh! Maybe he needed that money!

The luxury clothes in his wardrobe beg to differ, an annoying little voice told him.

It's not bad to treat yourself every now and then! Maybe he was just a fashionista like Gary.

Ash sat up, sighing. He couldn't sleep. Not like this. It's way too cold too! Geez, did Goh want
to wake up to an Ash popsicle?? Ash looked over at the bed where Goh was sleeping.
Peaceful and cuddled up to his Scorbunny. Maybe he wasn't all bad. He gave Ash a change of
clothes after all...

Ash slumped back into the futon, Pikachu sleepily cuddling up to him.

Ash woke up to the sound of clicking, looking up to see Goh on his computer already. He
seemed to be doing something... Then he closed whatever he was doing, and gave Ash a
pointed look. "It's rude to stare." Goh stated, Ash flinched. "Sorry." Goh shrugged, "It's fine.
Did I wake you?" Ash shook his head. "No, it's pretty hard to wake me." Ash commented.
Goh gave him another strange look. "I'll keep that in mind." For what reason???

"Will you be heading for your favor today?" Goh asked. "Yeah, actually! You wanna come
along?" Ash offered. Please say yes, please say yes- "No thanks, I have something to do
today." Nooo... "I can ask one of my friends to accompany you, if you're worried about
getting lost," Goh offered.

That's really not what Ash is aiming for here! Read his mind, Goh! Join him so he can get to
know you better!

"No thanks, I'll be okay." Ash replied. Goh nodded, "Do you have a phone?"
Apparently, finding a white and blue winter jacket with red accents was nearly impossible
without it looking like an athlete's jacket. So Goh had requested one be made as soon as he
could. He got in contact with an old friend who had connections to a pretty high end tailor.

Said friend had explained it would be priority just for him, and he thanked them and told
them his little sister would go pick it up for him. He doesn't have a little sister. He's going to
pick it up himself, and he's gonna look fucking fabulous while doing so.

Thankfully, Ash took his leave from the apartment early, so Goh could simply put on a white
skirt, a black turtleneck tanktop and that pesky but aesthetic looking over the shoulder jacket
look. He took his time matching his make-up to Rini, who was still sleeping. His hair was
long enough to pass as just a tomboy-ish haircut.

Maybe it'd be easier if he said little brother instead of little sister but fuck it, he'll do it for the
plot. He gently woke Rini, who seemed upset that she was being shaken awake so early in the
morning, but she looked cute while groggy so Goh didn't really mind. He felt a little bad, but
pets made her settle down.

Goh made it to the shop, which was run by a sweet older man. He was very interested and
patient with Rini, letting the bunny roam around and look at all the trinkets scattered around
the shop.

"So, Kou, how's your brother doing in College? He's skipped a handful of grades, right?" The
shop keeper asked, "Yup! 5, if I remember. He's one of the youngest in his class." Goh lied.
Well, not exactly lied, since he did technically skip 5 grades, but he wasn't accepted into
college since he was too young. He wanted to enroll in the future, when he was actually
allowed to, but for now, he could only lament being 13. "Does he live with you?" Goh
nodded, "Our parents don't come home often, so he cooks for me and himself. He does
classes remotely because of it."

"Here we are, your custom jacket!" He cheerfully spoke, Goh smiled at it. The sleeves of the
jacket were a dark blue, with red trims and accents all over the body. There was a Pokéball
print on the back, with a Pikachu embroidered into the nape of the jacket. An homage to
Ash's apparent partner. "Thank you so much for doing it on such short notice," Goh spoke
softly, the shop keeper smiled. "Of course! A friend said your brother helped him a lot a
while back, and all for free! So he just wanted to return the favor, Kou," Goh nodded. "Mhm.
Thank you again, and please send my regards to Mr. Rodriguez. My brother loved working
with him," Goh smiled.

Goh exited the store and prepared to head home with Rini in his arms, and the present in his
purse. He walked past one of the key duplication stores and remembered he should probably
get Ash a duplicate key...
 And he may have burned through a bit of cash with his insufferable spending habits. In
hindsight, that little Pikachu phone charm wasn't worth 4000 PokéDollars. But then again it is
really cute.

Goh sighed, making his way back to the apartment complex. Hopefully Ash hadn't gotten
lost...

Blip!

Goh's Rotom phone levitated to his eye level.

Ash Ketchum 🍅
Are you home yet? I'm hungry :(

Goh chuckled at his screen, making his way up the stairs.

yea im already at the complex. ill make dinner.

Goh hummed as he opened the door to his apartment, another ping coming from his phone.

Yay! Thanks Goh! I'll be home soon!

God, when had Goh become this guy's mom? They've known each other for barely 48 hours
and he's in his apartment cooking for him like the guy works a nine to five to support him and
his kids.

Goh rolled his eyes at the thought. Goh could never be a parent. He'd be a horrible father.

Chapter End Notes

And they were roommates lol

a little bit of filler since i had school today, and i have school tomorrow too.. god, i wish
it was winter break already.
 A Gift Worth Staying For!
Chapter Summary

For some reason, Ash feels like this part of Goh—The batshit, dangerous, and
protective part of him... Ash feels like it'll come up again. And next time won't be
too pretty.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

"I'm home!" Ash announced, entering just after knocking on the door. "Shoes off." Goh
instructed almost instantaneously, which Ash obeyed. "What are you cooking?" Ash asked
curiously, leaning over his shoulder, Goh yawned, "Curry. I forgot to go grocery shopping
this week," Goh murmured.

Ash hummed, "It smells good," Pikachu chirpped in agreement, "It's supposed to." Goh
replied with a sigh, "I've got something for you, by the way. You can open it after dinner."
Ash beamed at him. Like a child on Christmas. "You got me a present??" He asked giddily.
"Think of it as a souvenir. You go back to Alola after this week, right?" Goh asked. "Huh?
No?" Ash blinked at him. Goh looked at him weirdly, "You're staying in Kanto?" Goh
inquired.

Ash nodded, "Did Auntie not say anything? She'll have an apartment rented out for me and
Gary by next week, she just couldn't get the reservation in time as soon as I got out of
detention, which is why I'm here." Goh hummed, "I guess you'll get more use out of it than I
thought." Goh shrugged, "Well, curry's done. Let's eat." Ash cheered, and so did the
Pokémon.

Rotom avoided the curry like the plague. He seemed to prefer surveying the area and entering
appliances, he seemed to avoid Pikachu as well, which is not exactly atypical of a Rotom.
They preferred being alone and terrifying people alone, Goh noticed.

"I have a Rotom back in Alola too," Ash commented. Goh blinked, looking over at him,
"Really? What form?"

Rini poked Pikachu curiously, the mouse Pokémon chittered joyfully. Rini smiled at him as
he felt her nose patch in curiosity. Rini may or may not have heated it up for his convenience.
Pikachu squeaked in appreciation, the warmth welcomed after such a cold day.

"Those two seem to be having fun." Ash commented, watching Pikachu and Rini cuddle.
"Oh, yeah, your present." Goh murmured, pulling out the brown box and handing it to the
older boy. "What is it?" Ash asked excitedly, enthusiasm pumping through him like it was
just part of his blood. "It's just a jacket, I wanted it to match your hat, but looking at the
design now..." Goh glanced at Ash's hat, sitting on the table. "...I guess I mixed up the
colors..." Goh muttered.

Ash simply looked at it with sparkly eyes. He flipped it around, seeing the embroidered
Pikachu. "Woah! Where'd you find this?! It's so cool!" Ash exclaimed, not at all bothered by
the colors not matching his hat. "Oh, it's custom made." Goh replied sheepishly, Ash looked
at him as if he just gave him permission to eat the last slice of cake.

"...What?" "It's a custom?! We met yesterday!" Ash exclaimed, "My friend made it a priority
since I wasn't the one who technically paid for it," Goh replied, "I-I'm sorry, is that too weird?
You seemed really cold when we went out, and I don't have any jackets that fit you..." Goh
played with his fingers as he talked, growing more nervous as he continued.

"I love it!" Ash exclaimed, "It's so cool! But are you sure you want to give this to me? We're
technically still strangers..." Ash muttered, "I-it doesn't really matter to me... I had it custom
made for you, so it wouldn't really fit anyone else anyway." Goh reasoned shakily.

Holy shit, he sucked at this. Maybe he shouldn't give that Pikachu Charm to Ash...

"Hmm... Okay! I'll take it, but on the condition that we become friends!" Ash grinned, Goh
jumped. "F-friends? S-sure..."

Ahh, why was he reverting to his old self right now?! Where was that 'I hate everyone in this
region and myself' attitude from a minute ago?!

Ash didn't seem to care either way, simply beaming at him with a smile. "I actually have
another gift, it's just a small thing though." Goh murmured, "Here," Goh placed the acrylic
Pikachu phone charm in Ash's hand. Ash gasped.

It was just an acrylic charm of Pikachu dozing off, but Ash seemed to adore it. "You're the
best, Goh! I honestly thought you kind of hated me, so this relieves some of that tension.."
Ash joked, "Why would I hate you?" Goh asked, puzzled. "Ah, well... You know what,
nevermind!" Ash giggled, "He looks so cute! Thank you so much, Goh!" Goh simply nodded,
"It's nice seeing you happy," Goh muttered.

"Hey.. Goh?" Ash called out, he sounded a little hesitant. Goh yawned. "Mmh?" "..Can I
sleep in your bed? It's cold on the floor." Ash asked, Goh looked at him. "Sure, I guess," Goh
sat up, but before he could even remove himself from the equation, Ash slipped under the
covers and threw an arm over his torso. Goh doesn't think he's ever been this close to a guy
since he was 7. Goh blushed, "What are you doing?" "Cuddling!" Ash grinned. Goh watched
him in stupor, before sighing and just accepting his fate.

"Alright... But move a little bit, you'll disturb Rini." Goh murmured, "She's cuddling with
Pikachu," Ash proudly announced. Oh hell no— "Goh, she's a baby, Pikachu isn't gonna do
anything. Baby Pokémon can't breed." Ash assured, already removing the idea of breeding
from Goh's brain. Goh huffed, "Fine. Whatever."

Goh attempted to move away from Ash, but the boy gripped on tightly. "...Ash, can we move
a little bit? I feel like you'll fall on the floor if we don't." Goh murmured, still blushing. God,
what has his life come to?

Ash allowed him to move, Ash cuddling up to Goh as soon as he finished. "...Is this normal
between friends?" Goh asked, "Yes, yes it is." Ash responded. Somehow, Goh really doubted
that.

When Goh woke up, he wasn't exactly surprised he was trapped between the wall, his bed,
and Ash. To make matters worse, Ash had his face in Goh's chest, arms wrapped around his
waist. Like he was a girl.

What in the actual fuck is going on?? Is this Alolan behavior or just Ash behavior?? Goh
really wanted to know.

Ash stirred in his sleep, but ultimately didn't wake up. Goh sighed, he'd just have to slip out
of the boy's grip as soon as he loosened it. Goh could only watch the sleeping boy.

Against his better judgement, Goh ran a hand through Ash's black hair. Goh could smell his
caramel scented shampoo, and he almost worried that Ash tried to eat it at some point.
Hopefully he didn't. He was a year older than Goh, he should at least know that.

Goh continued absently petting his hair, almost mesmerized by the feeling of his hands in
someone else's hair. Ash moaned softly, shifting his body. Goh froze. Should he continue???
Was that a sexual moan???? Or was he just moaning because he was stirring in his
sleep???? Goh had so many questions, a lot of them he really didn't want answers to.

Ash moaned softly again, Goh deliberately ignoring it as he continued combing Ash's hair.
It'd been an hour since he woke up. He stirred, blinking blearily at Goh before smiling.
"Good morning," Ash murmured, voice deep from sleep. "Morning," Goh replied softly. Ash
sat up, stretching his body as Goh slipped out of bed. "I'm gonna go make something." Goh
yawned, "Still rescuing the Alolan Ninetales and Vulpixes today, right?" Ash nodded half
heartedly. "It's a lot of trouble there's hundreds of them," Ash sighed, "I really wish I had a
water type Pokémon on rotation, but I don't, and Gary's busy in Hoenn so he can't even fly to
me on his Pidgeot." Ash complained.
Goh shrugged, "You've got to work with what you have, right?" Ash whined, "The only
Pokémon I have on rotation are Lycanroc, Charizard, and Pikachu! None of them are that
effective against fire types!" He exclaimed, "Maybe I should go catch a Marill.. Azumarill
would be a pretty good asset..." Ash murmured.

Goh rolled his eyes, "Alright, well, while you lament your water-type less team, I'm gonna go
make breakfast. You take a shower so you can head out as soon as you finish eating," Ash
cheered, "Thanks, Goh!"

Goh really didn't think his life would come to this. He was literally acting like a housewife.
Or a mother, if he wanted to take on a different perspective. Goh honestly preferred the title
of mother over housewife right now. The prospect of being married to someone who acts like
a 10 year old is a little unsavory in his personal opinion.

Ah, right. He needs to go do groceries today...

Rini hummed a tune as she picked up after Pikachu, who was sitting down eating an apple he
stole from the kitchen. Honestly, she was feeling a bit irritated after her battle with Incineroar.
Who does that overblown machamp cat girl imitation think she is? Taunting her over her
inability to use Ember? How rude!

Rini huffed, sitting down at the computer. She'd very quickly figured out the consistent
pattern on the keyboard to pull up videos of different Blazikens and Cinderaces competing
competitively for the title of Champion. Rini knew she should've won that match. She knew
she was at an advantage. She bodied enough Nickits in Wyndon to send the entire species
running at the sight of her. But that damned cat won by sheer luck!

Rini grumbled to herself as she waited for the latest video of Champion Gloria's Cinderace to
load. They had an entirely insane game of chance every match, yet they rarely lost. And when
they did, it was against their twin brother, Champion Victor, who had an Inteleon.

As much as Rini despised the Inteleon for always giving Cinderace a hard time, he gave Rini
a lot of outside perspectives, things she wouldn't have noticed and therefore left a blind spot,
and how she could counter something when she was at that level. When she met a rival that
could match her pace.

Rini's gone up against enough psychic types who were trying to get rid of her existence in
Galar to figure out dirty tricks that would trip them up and give her the win, but she knows
things have changed. She isn't trying to win because she'll die otherwise, she's trying to win
because she loves to battle. Because she wants to.

The video finally loaded, and Rini watched intently, Pikachu trilling curiously as he trudged
over to watch with her.

The match started out the same as always. Gloria's Eternatus versus Victor's Crowned
Zamazenta. It always started vicious and heart pumping, getting viewers hooked the second
the Pokémon came out, leading them to stay for the final showdown between the two trainers
first Pokémon.

Instead of Gloria switching into Dragapult like she usually would, Cinderace graced the
battlefield making Rini bounce in her seat. The rabbit was now up against Victor's Goodra.
The camera panned in close enough for Rini to see Cinderace's eyes narrow at his opponent,
and Rini kicked her feet excitedly.

Despite the damned Goodra knowing surf of all things, Cinderace was able to knock it down
a few notches and get Victor to recall it for a different Pokémon. Victor brought out his
Inteleon, and Gloria deployed her Toxtricity.

Ash entered the room, drying his hair with a towel and then shuddering when the cold hits
him as if an ice cube suddenly slipped into his shirt. He blinked and looked at the two field
Pokémon, staring intently at the match in front of them. It was the last Pokémon of each
trainer, and their Dynamax had just disintegrated.

"Ooh! And it looks like Inteleon's been inflicted by a nasty burn!" The female narrator spoke,
"Will Gloria reach her glory, or will Victor turn the tides? What do you think, Leader
Raihan?" She asked, "Ha ha. I saw what you did there." Sarcasm rolled off of Raihan in
waves as he responded. The camera panned to Inteleon, trying to aim another shot at
Cinderace. "...Honestly, I think Victor might be able to win out on this." Raihan commented,
"Well, it looks like Cinderace is also reaching his point of exhaustion, so there's a chance of
it!" Rini jumped up in the seat, cheering for Cinderace, startling both Pikachu and Ash.

The two chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm.

In the end, Cinderace won, delivering one last consecutive attack—Burning Jealousy—and
taking out Inteleon just before passing out himself. Rini counted it as a win, but not one she's
proud of. There were so many changes to their typical formula that Cinderace didn't come out
on top without a scratch like usual.

Still, she's not sure she's ever seen a Pokémon use that move before...

"Rini, come on, we have to go." Goh called, Rini jumped. When did the time fly? Ah,
whatever. She jumped down and hopped towards Goh, letting him pick her up and take her
wherever he decided to go.

Ash snipped off the last remaining bit of rope, letting R and her Glaceon grab the Vulpixes
and Ninetails and dashing off to their agreed rendezvous point. While he typically came off
as clumsy, forgetful, and downright impossible, he was quite tactful during his favors.
Possibly even more than Gary and R were.

He'd been the first to get raid favors, while Gary had been the first to receive a mission favor.
Both of them rarely failed in their pursuit of their favors, and they never had the same
mission, yet they worked well together.

He supposed he wasn't tactful enough because of the knife currently leveled with his pulse
point. Dammit.

"Captain," Ash greeted as cheerfully as he could, "Cut the shit, kid. I know it's you." She
glared. Her hair looked like golden threads, matched with deep purple eyes that threatened to
kill him if he tried to disagree with her. What a shame, she would've been pretty, if she wasn't
a monster, he thought. "Hello, Alola Division." She smirked. "Hello, Cassidy." Ash returned
playfully.

"Here to foil our plan like usual, are you?" Her heel dug into his back, and Ash refused to
cave. It was sharp. And it hurt. "I could never!" Ash responded with a dramatic voice, "Not
when you have no Ninetails and Vulpixes left." He said amused. She clicked her tongue, and
kicked his side. This time, he did topple over, he gripped his stomach as she scoffed at him.
"Don't act so high and mighty and you won't get hurt." Cassidy spoke. "You'll hurt me
regardless, you fat pi—" Ash felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as he was slammed into
the metal crates. He hissed.

"You really have some nerve, kid. Is everyone from your little crusaders like you?" Cassidy
asked teasingly, fingers trailing up his arm. Ash didn't answer. Not that he had an answer
anyway. Each division was way too different. Like opposite ends of a spectrum. Gary was
haughty, Goh was aloof, and R was shy. "I asked you a question, Alola Division." She
snapped. Ash shrugged, "I wouldn't know. They keep us separated." Which wasn't a lie.
While teamwork was definitely something they could use to their advantage, they were often
trained alone and kept separate. Cassidy laughed, "You're a horrible liar, you know that?
What do you think you'll get out of lying to me, hm?" Ash chuckled, "Enough time for
Charizard to smash all your grunts heads in, apparently."

Cassidy whipped around to face whatever was looming behind her, but Charizard wrapped
his tail around her and threw her out of the warehouses where they stored the Pokémon.
Ethan and Silver would arrive soon to take care of the main Team Rocket leaders, all Ash
needed to do was wait. Ash sat up, feeling his neck.

...Still. That was a close call. The area where Cassidy had placed the blade was bleeding
slightly. They're getting fearless.

Ash sighed. He wants to go home and eat dinner with Goh now...

Goh hummed as he placed another can in the cart. Rini sat in the little Pokémon seat, pouting.
She wasn't allowed to help find things anymore, since she'd gotten lost twice. Goh added a
bag of her favorite treats into the cart, which immediately caught her attention and she kicked
her feet happily, now vocally talking with Goh as he encouraged her.

With Rini being so vocal most of the time, Goh was happy to simply listen. It felt like he
could understand her, and she understood him. He couldn't actually understand Rini. It was
all up to interpretation. Which made it hard for them to communicate sometimes, but they
made it work.

After a few more stops, Goh headed back to his parents apartment and stored all the groceries
where they needed to be. That's when he noticed the most mundane items had been touched,
or something had flown past them with the force of the wind knocking things around. Blue
eyes narrowed.

He didn't live in a sketchy neighborhood. No one else but Ash and his parents had access to
the apartment keys. And the only way they could get a duplicate was to ask the front desk
lady, who would literally glare at him every time he walked through the door.

Rini didn't seem to notice, simply helping put away smaller items like windex and bleach
under the covers.

Goh quietly headed to his grandpa's bedroom, he'd always kept it clean. Especially after his
death. It wasn't touched unless to clear out cobwebs and dust that was forming from disuse.
Under one of the wooden planks that the the old man nailed shut was a gun, and Goh would
use it to defend himself if he needed to. It was legalized, and Goh kept it under his father's
name, since his grandfather was a legal hunter.
Goh grabbed the gun, noticing the entire bedroom had been ransacked. He felt the nerves in
his body trembling. He should probably call the cops, but they wouldn't arrive here fast
enough. Everything in his body screamed to kill. He knew how to shoot to kill. He'd done it
before. That didn't mean it got any easier over time.

Goh headed to his room, gun cocked and loaded. He slammed the door open and pointed the
gun at the intruder. "Don't move or I shoot." The intruder froze, midway through trying to
hack through his computer system.

Dark maroon eyes stared back at him, bright green hair pushed back. "Hah. You wouldn't—"
Goh pulled the trigger without any hesitation, the bullet zipping past the intruder's ear. At that
range, Goh knew the man would be half deaf. The bullet shot through the open window,
hitting a tree not too far away. The intruder hissed as he grabbed his ear, letting a slew of
curse words leave his mouth. "I would. Who are you? What do you want?" Goh interrogated.
"Fuck, kid. I- I didn't think you'd—" Goh put the gun to his head, finger on the trigger.

"Why are you here?" Goh questioned again, eyes narrowing and patience wearing thin. His
neighbors would be up here with police if he didn't hurry and he really wasn't planning on
departing with his grandfather's pistol so soon. There'd be no reasonable explanation for a
gunshot if there was no gun. He kind of wished he had a silencer on. "D-don't shoot! I'll talk!
M-My name's Butch! I- I was sent here to steal information for my boss!" He exclaimed.

His grip on the gun tightened. "Who's your boss?" Goh questioned. "G-Giovanni. The leader
of Team Rocket." Butch replied, almost petrified. Goh glared at him, "Turn around. Try any
funny business and I'll kill you." Goh spoke flatly and harshly. Butch obeyed, turning around.
Goh hit the back of his nape with the hilt of the gun, knocking the man unconscious.

Goh's nerves screamed at him to kill the guy and call the cops. But he couldn't. If Team
Rocket was involved...

"Hi Goh! Do you need something?" "Team Rocket found my apartment."

Ash sighed as he made his way back to the apartment complex, only to see blaring red and
blue lights and caution tape on the open window of Goh's room. His blood ran cold. No, no,
no, no! Goh! Please god, please tell me—

"Sir, you can't enter." "What happened?" Ash asked as calmly as he could. He could hear his
heart pumping in his ears. "There was a break in on the fourth level. A man was injured—"
Please god no, "—But luckily survived. The boy who lived in the apartment is with Lance
right now." Lance! Oh thank god, he's safe. But... then who got hurt..?
 Pikachu trilled softly as he waited patiently as Goh was interrogated. He played with
Pikachu's soft fur as he waited, leg bouncing with anxiety.

The officer opened the interrogation room door and let himself and Goh out. "We'll rule this
as self defense this time, but please don't do this again." The officer spoke, "Of course, sir.
Thank you for your consideration." Once the officer walked away, Goh slumped onto the seat
next to Ash.

"Fuck, I'm tired." Goh muttered. Ash nodded, "You gave me one hell of a scare when I was
coming home... Did they.. did they take anything? Your valuables..?" Ash asked worriedly.
Goh seemed tired, but at the same time, nonchalant. "None. He tried finding stuff, likely
related to this division stuff." Goh replied, leaning on Ash's shoulder. "...This is more trouble
than it's worth." Goh muttered. "What happened in the apartment? They said someone got
hurt." Ash asked, arm wrapping around Goh. "I shot him." Goh responded nonchalantly, Ash
froze. "Well. Didn't actually shoot him, just close to his ear, so he's probably got permanent
eardrum damage." Goh shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal.

For some reason, Ash feels like this part of Goh—The batshit, dangerous, and protective part
of him... Ash feels like it'll come up again. And next time won't be too pretty.

Chapter End Notes

haha goh with a gun go brrr

honestly, i feel like goh with a gun is js icon material. im not crazy i promise im normal

p.s. sorry this one's late. i took a nap before dinner instesd of working on this lol.
 Love is only another side of Hate.
Chapter Summary

"Sometimes, when Parker and his friends come over, I turn on the holograms you
made, let them chase around what you saw when we were kids." Chloe spoke,
"...Mew." Goh smiled, "I'm glad those things still work, honestly. Even if you're
just doing it to piss off your little brother," Chloe laughed.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Ash and Goh weren't allowed back into the apartment for a while. Goh's parents were
informed of the situation, and received financial compensation for Vanitas' carelessness. Ah,
so that's why Vanitas didn't want him getting into dangerous situations.

"I'm fine, dad. Nothing happened. He was just trying to steal information." Goh sighed,
pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well it was definitely something, considering Team Rocket
is still on the loose. I swear, it's got to be with that Viridian Gym Leader, Silver—" "Dad,
Grandpa was a hunter and you're an electrical engineer." Goh pointed out, "No one's telling
you that you hunt pokemon for sport." Walker frowned. "True.. But.." "I'll live, Dad. I'm not
gonna fall over and die after the call." Goh rolled his eyes. "Besides, Vanitas is working with
Lance," Goh spoke, "Annoying him more than working, honestly," Ash chimed as he played
with Pikachu, making Goh snort. "Trust the twin regions' champion." Goh insisted.

"Do you have a place to stay, dear?" Camille asked, "I'll just go crash at Chloe's. Professor
probably has a spare room and whatnot for me in his lab, so I might stay over there." Goh
responded. "What about your boarder?" "Oh, Ash? Uhhh..." He hadn't really thought about it
too much. Honestly, he thought Ash would just go rent a hotel or something. "Could I come
live with you at your friend's place?" Ash asked, Pikachu's ears twitching curiously.
"...Probably. I'll ask Chloe, and book you a hotel if you can't." Ash cheered.

"What about all your things, Goh?" Camille asked, "The PC," It'll stay in the apartment.
There's no valuable information there, so it'll only serve to distract Team Rocket if they try
again. "Consoles," The only thing he uses is the Nintendo Switch and that's easy to shove into
its box, "All your clothes?" Camille asked. Goh winced.

"...I'll just pack them all into separate bags." Goh offered, unsure. Camille sighed defeatedly.
"Do you really need all those clothes?" Ash asked, "Not necessarily a need, more necessarily
a must." Goh replied. Ash sweatdropped. "What about your Scorbunny?" Walker asked,
"Rini's doing fine. She wasn't in the room, actually. I made sure." Goh spoke. He lied, he
didn't make sure. His nerves were practically frayed at that point, he didn't know where Rini
was when he threatened Butch with a gun. But Rini didn't seem to know what was going on
until the police arrived, so that meant she was probably putting away the bleach under the
sink or something.

"Well, alright, then. I'm just glad you're safe." Walker sighed. "Yeah, thanks, Dad. I'll be
going now." Camille waved goodbye as Walker protested, but Goh ended the call before he
could finish. Ash yawned, "You call your family often?" Goh shrugged. "Not really. It only
really happens when something that threatens my safety comes up," Goh responded as he
dialed another number.

"Hello?" "Chloe, someone robbed me." Goh stated flatly. Ash had to physically stop himself
from laughing, "...Goh, what the fuck, it's 7 pm on a Tuesday, why would someone rob you?"
Chloe asked, just as deadpan as Goh was. What kind of friendship were these two
sporting????

"The question is not why, but who," Goh chimed. Neither of them seemed to be taking this
seriously. "Who robbed you?" Ash could practically hear the eye roll. "Team Rocket. And I
need a place to stay while they survey the area, so can I come crash at your place?" Goh
responded. Ash could probably get whiplash from the way they talk. "Oh- Oh shit, sure, yeah.
Dad's got a few extra rooms in the Lab, you can crash there. Bring your boarder with you,
Asher, was it-?" Chloe seemed to finally flick the switch, having a more normal reaction to
the idea if Goh being robbed, "It's Ash," Goh corrected. "Okay, I'll ask Dad at dinner. You
didn't get hurt though, right? You weren't home?" Chloe asked, "Not hurt, I did pull out
gramp's gun though." Goh shrugged, making Chloe sigh. "Alright, well, as long as you're safe
and alive," Chloe murmured.

"Do you need me to come pick you up or will you just come here yourself?" Chloe asked,
"I'll go on my own, still haven't packed all my clothes." Goh commented, Chloe seemed to
lighten up at that. "I'll ask dad if he can make a walk in closet for you, Mr. Diva," she teased.
Goh rolled his eyes, "Thanks, Chloe, love you." "Love you too, mwa mwah" Chloe made
kissy noises at him and he hit the end call button. Ash snorted, "Your girlfriend?" Ash asked
as Pikachu started doing that loaf thing Pokémon do when they're relaxed, "Hell no, that girl
is aggressively pining for another girl." Goh spoke, amused. "Do you like her though?" Ash
asked, a little more curious than teasing this time.

"No, I don't think so. Chloe's not my type, and I don't even like girls." Goh shrugged.
"C'mon, let's go pack our shit and bounce."

Ash doesn't know when Goh picked up the habit of cussing, but it was certainly recent. Goh
had packed nearly everything in his closet, and Ash isn't sure why he was kicked out of
watching Goh pack since they were both guys, he wouldn't have judged. He wondered if Goh
was like Gary somewhat. Goh definitely didn't show as many signs as Gary did when he was
at that age, but it was still prominent. The dresses, the skirts, the off-shoulder blouses and
thigh highs.. Ash wanted to ask, but at the same time didn't want to over step his boundaries.
And then Goh came out wearing the off-shoulder blouse, a black skirt, and thigh highs Ash
saw in thr closet. The blouse looked like a feminized version of a male dress shirt, except
with silver chain straps, and it was deliberately only buttoned up to the chest. Ash felt it was
natural to ask, so he did.

"...What's with the get up?" Ash asked, Goh quirked a brow. "You've never seen a femboy
before?" Goh questioned, leaning over him. If Goh had tits, Ash would be face to face with
his cleavage right now. "I.. have. I'm just... Are you.. Trans?" Ash asked. Goh shrugged,
"Never really cared for that sort of thing. I just find it funny whenever guys try and hit on me
and then try to insult me when they realize I'm a guy." Goh shrugged.

Ah, a troll then.

"Though I guess there are days where I like being more feminine and other days when I like
being more masculine." Goh shrugged, "But I don't mind people just thinking of me as a boy.
It doesn't really matter either way, my gender doesn't dictate anything about me other than
giving me a set of pronouns." Ash nodded. He supposed he couldn't fault Goh for thinking
like that. So free-willed and consequence free. Goh really was a fortunate boy.

"Now come on, don't make a pretty lady carry her luggage." Goh cooed, Ash snorted. "Is that
why you wore that?" "On top of me wanting to be pretty and not wanting to be questioned
about the amount of luggage I'm gonna be carrying around? Absolutely, now chop chop lover
boy, put those muscles to use."

No one even seems to spare them a glance. Ash carried a solid 4 suitcases by himself (all of
which, was Goh's) and Goh wheeled around Ash's only suitcase, and his purse filled with all
his makeup and essentials. Rini rode on the suitcases with Pikachu.

By the time they reached Chloe's lab, it was basically dinner time. Ash groaned. "Oh come
on, it wasn't that bad. You didn't have to do that much heavy lifting." Goh commented, Ash
shot him a glare, his pout throwing off his angry expression. He looked more like he wanted
to cry if anything.

"Goh!" Chloe cheered, jumping onto him. "Wait, Chloe—" Goh nearly toppled over,
grabbing the wall for support. The suitcase Goh was holding nearly started running down the
mountain, but an Espeon was quick to catch it, using psychic to lift all five suitcases and
walk them to the doors of the laboratory. Rini walked with her, chatting and catching up after
the days of being apart. Apparently, girl friendships were prominent even in Pokémon.
Someone needs to study that.

"Thanks, Eevee." Goh sighed, Chloe giggled, "Sorry, sorry~ Did you guys have a long trip?"
Chloe asked. Ash nodded, flopping over onto the grass as Pikachu stood next to him on his
hind legs, sniffing him. Chloe laughed fondly, "This is your boarder?"
 Goh nodded, "Yup. He works in the Alola Division." Goh explained, "Ash, this is Chloe. Her
father works as a Professor." Ash nodded, too tired to even consider doing anything. "Ah!
Cerise Park!" Goh exclaimed, literally running over to it like a little kid. Chloe stifled a laugh
as she walked over to the boy, who had his face pressed against the glass. Curiosity got the
best of Ash, and he willed himself to walk towards Goh, peering through the glass.

"It's so pretty..." Ash murmured. "I tried to keep it neat, in some areas, but otherwise, I just let
it grow," Chloe spoke.

The tree that Goh remembered having to climb to get Chloe's volleyball after Chloe
accidentally served it too high was now much taller than before, the tree casting a beautiful
shadow onto the grassy plains below. The terrain was gorgeous, moss and vines invading the
spaces they could, creating an overgrown and over fall effect. There were wildflowers in
patches dotted across the park, the large man-made riverbed still had running water. The trees
served as such good hiding spots, Goh could imagine himself getting lost in them. It almost
mimicked Viridian Forest.

"Sometimes, when Parker and his friends come over, I turn on the holograms you made, let
them chase around what you saw when we were kids." Chloe spoke, "...Mew." Goh smiled,
"I'm glad those things still work, honestly. Even if you're just doing it to piss off your little
brother," Chloe laughed. "Come on, let's go inside to eat! Chrysa made sushi!" Goh cheered.
"Yeah! Sushi!"

Chapter End Notes

Fun fact: I write all my fics on my phone. That's probably why this thing on desktop is
an absolute nightmare to read. mb y'all.

edit: HELP I FORGOT TO POST THIS LAST NIGHT BC I FELL ASLEEP TOO
EARLY
 What do you mean there's more?!
Chapter Summary

"Professor Cerise said you stopped going to school," he added. "...And?" Gary's
eyes narrowed. "I don't like you." He stated bluntly. Goh's eye twitched. "I really
don't care."

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Goh would consider himself to hate surprises, he didn't like surprise parties, or jumpscares.
So when he woke up to the loudest thud he'd ever heard in the existence of his lifetime, he
nearly screamed. And three people literally ran into the room, making it look like an atomic
bomb just dropped on Kanto and one of them was about to tell them to get into the bunker.

Chloe, her father, and a guy that looked like he came straight out of an anime literally
slammed the door open.

"Oh my god, of course it's just Ash." The guy groaned, "He does this a lot?" Chloe asked
almost worried, not for Ash's safety, she just seemed worried about her own sanity, "Yup. He
wouldn't even wake up if a bomb went off I swear," He sighed. "Goh! Good morning!" Chloe
smiled, Goh nodded sleepily. "Good morning, Chloe..." The boy looked startled by his voice.
Goh slipped down the ladder, nearly banging his head as well. "Don't hit your head, you don't
have enough braincells to lose." Chloe teased, Goh shot her a look as if to say 'don't test me'.
He spared a glance to Ash, who literally fell out of bed. Not half way with just his upper
body fallen onto the floor, no, the boy looked like he'd fallen from an 8 story building, his
entire body was off the bed and on the ground, fully flat on his face. And honestly, Goh does
not know nor does he care to know how that happened. Rini jumped down the ladder to peek
curiously at Ash.

"Huh. You're from the Galar Division." The guy noted, Goh almost got whiplash before
realizing, oh wait this guy's probably Ash's friend. Gaylord? Gay.. something?? What was it
again??

"Let me go wash up, I'll join you in Professor's office." Goh spoke, hiding a yawn with his
hand. Chloe nodded, "Come on, dad, we've still got to interrogate this guy." Chloe spoke,
dragging both man and boy out of the room. Honestly, Professor Cerise looked like he was
trying to process Ash's existence at that point. He was not okay.

Goh headed into the bathroom to clean up. His and Ash's bags were skewed around the room
since they were both fighting for top bunk like children yesterday. Goh won, mostly because
he was playing dirty.
Goh brushed his hair back after drying it, tying it into a ponytail. He should probably get his
undercut fixed, but for now, this would work. His red highlights were getting a little too... not
dramatic, if he was honest. It was turning more pink now. He'll have to settle for a shirt and
jeans today, he is not going through the entirety of his walk-in closet in the form of color
coordinated suitcases. Rini hopped to join him and he smiled as he picked her up and headed
to the research area of the lab.

"Oh? Not getting dressed up today?" Chloe teased, "I'll add a jacket and some piercings, it's
fine." Goh dismissed, making Chloe snort. "So who are you?" Goh asked, "Gary Oak from
Melemele Island, I work in the Sinnoh Division." Gary sighed, "Which makes no sense, why
are you under the Sinnoh division if you're from Alola?" Chloe insisted, "I don't know, go ask
Vanitas about it!" Gary exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"To be fair, I work in the Galar Division and she knows I'm from Kanto." Goh murmured,
"Really? What does she base it off then?" Chloe asked, "Starter Pokémon, I think?" Goh
responded.

Gary seemed irritated, "So, Gary, right? You're Ash's friend," Goh spoke, "And his rival,
believe it or not." Gary sighed. He seemed a little less irate that before. "Uh huh.. Weren't you
supposed to be in Hoenn?" Goh asked, "Finally! We're getting somewhere.." Gary grumbled,
"I finished my favor early and flew over here on Pidgeot." Gary replied, "And if you must
ask, it was a mission favor. Ash knows the details so you can bother him when he wakes up."
Gary sighed.

"Alright then, why are you here?" Goh asked, "I don't fucking know, Vanitas told me to wait
here and she'd send you a favor!" Gary exclaimed, Goh pulled out his phone to check. There
was in fact another favor in his emails, sent by Vanitas. "Why did you come in?" Goh asked
as he opened the email, "I didn't, Pinkie over there dragged me inside to question me." Gary
responded unimpressed.

'Special Favor: Sinnoh Division.

Hi, Goh! Sorry to send you and email, but my texts weren't working, and my calls wouldn't go
through.

Anyway, do you mind housing the Sinnoh Division for a while? He's over at Cerise
Laboratory since I know you probably know where that is. It's only until the end of the week,
since the apartments that they were supposed to stay at are in progress.

Prize Money: 500,000 P

He's a handful, and needs his own room, so please accommodate for him! He's also a bit of a
snobbish brat ngl but don't tell him I said that.

Regards,
Lady Vanitas of the Galar Region.'

Goh simply hummed, the attached photo looked like the guy in the lobby, most things seemed
to check out. Only problem is...

"Chloe, does the lab have an extra single bedroom?" Goh asked, "Yesss..? Why?" "Vanitas is
paying 500 grand to house the guy in front of us." Goh responded, Chloe gasped. "You better
give me half," Chloe mused, "Sure," Goh shrugged.

Gary huffed, "Finally. God, that took way longer than it should've." He grumbled. Ah, yep,
that's everything. Snobby brat.

"What if Team Rocket finds you and Ash again?" Chloe asked, she didn't seem to really care
too much about what that would actually mean, "It's not likely. Vanitas is making you two
take extra precautions to make sure no one else gets hurt. Their wallet is hurting enough as
is." Gary replied. "And hey, what's with the ridiculous prize money you're getting?? I'm
getting fourteen grand at most!" Yep, definitely snobby brat.

Goh shrugged, "Situations, I guess." Gary huffed, "Totally unfair."

Chloe showed the guy around, and let him settle into his temporary room as Goh made
breakfast (and a small box of dumplings for Chloe, which he slipped into her bag,) for
everyone. Goh checked the time, "Chloe, you're gonna be late for class!" He called out, and
in the background he could hear her yelp.

She grabbed her things and bag to head out, but not before shooting Goh a dirty look for
making pork dumplings at 7:45 in the morning. She may or may not have stolen one before
she left to get to class, not that Goh would've minded if she stayed to eat.

Ash woke up shortly after, joining Goh for breakfast. "You seem irritated, did something
happen while I was asleep?" Ash asked. Goh shrugged, "Yes. You fell on your face, you
dumbass." Gary huffed. "I did?" Ash replied, turning to look at the brunette, "Wait- Gary???"
Ash questioned. "Good morning, Ash." Gary spoke flatly, sitting next to him. "Why are you
here? You had like, twelve different favors in Hoenn and Johto!" Ash exclaimed. "I finished
them early. They all had the same information anyway." Gary replied dismissively.

"...Goh, do you have forks?" Goh shot Ash an unimpressed glance. "You should really learn
how to eat with chopsticks." Goh muttered, heading to the kitchen to retrieve a fork. "Gary,
do you want one?" Goh asked, "No thanks."

Goh gave Ash a fork, which he immediately stabbed into one of the dumplings and shoved
into his mouth. Ash seemed absolutely delighted. "Are your parents chefs?" Gary asked,
almost aimlessly. "No, My dad's is an electrical engineer, and my mom's a programmer." Goh
replied flatly, "Why? Something make you think that?" He asked.

"Your cooking exceeds the level it should be at, considering your age." Gary responded,
pointing his chopsticks at Goh. Goh nearly smacked them out of his hand, "Keep pointing
your chopsticks at me, I'll deck you." Goh warned. Gary quickly put down his chopsticks.

"Oh, by the way, Goh, do you mind helping with the wires in the lab? They've gone crazy
since you stopped going to school." Professor Cerise asked. Goh nodded, "Sure, I'll fix it
later." Professor Cerise smiled at him, "Thank you, Goh." He spoke, a sad smile on his face.
"Soon enough Chloe will graduate, and she'll be leaving home too." He frowned.

Goh rolled his eyes, "Like she'll move that far, Professor. She's already employed here as a
research fellow." Professor Cerise nodded, patting Goh's head, practically aiming to mess up
his hairstyle. "Well, alright, I'll stop bothering you with my sorrows." Professor Cerise
smiled, "I'm sure the kitchen will be much more colorful with you around." He commented as
he headed to his office. "Yeah, hopefully nothing explodes this time." Goh added, only to
scare Gary a little bit. The professor laughed, "I'm sure nothing will!"

Goh finished his food and headed over to place them in the sink, "I'll do the dishes, Goh,"
Ash offered. Goh nodded, "Thanks, Ash. Still need to do my make up." Goh sighed. "It's hard
work being a pretty boy, huh?" Ash joked, "Very." Goh complained jokingly. "Please put the
dumplings back on the steamer if there are any left, Chloe will demolish them when she gets
back." "Okay!"

Goh isn't sure why Gary's been scrutinizing everything he's done for the past hour or so, he
was literally just putting on make up. His eyeliner game was so bad he had to redo it five
times already. He blames it of Gary and the burning gaze on him.

Goh finished putting on his piercings before turning to look Gary in the eye. "Do you mind?"
Goh questioned. Gary scoffed. "Whats with all the bags?" Goh shrugged, "I have a lot of
clothes," Gary narrowed his eyes. "Boys aren't supposed to wear makeup." "Keyword:
Supposed to. Doesn't mean it's illegal," Goh rolled his eyes, "Are you really about to police
whether or not I'm wearing makeup? It doesn't affect you, so fuck off." Goh returned to trying
to fix his eyeliner.

Gary huffed. "It's lopsided." "I said fuck off!" "You're making it worse." "Ash, get your best
friend out of the room, he's annoying!"

After fixing his makeup, and making sure it's not lopsided this time, he headed over to fix the
absolute tech gore that was the Cerise Laboratory machinery. Gary returned to watching him,
as if he was prey. Rini joined him to watch, likely waiting for him to give her his Rotom
phone so she could watch Gloria's match with Raihan.
And because Goh loved spoiling his beloved friends and Pokémon, he opened the livestream
on his phone and gave it to her. Gary watched him even more closely now.

When Goh was finished fixing the wires, Gary had come up to him. "You didn't even check
where everything was." Gary noted, "...Uh.. And?" "You didn't make any mistakes." Goh
blinked.

He was still a little annoyed about the 'guys wearing makeup' comment, but he was kind of
interested in what Gary had to say. "Professor Cerise said you stopped going to school," he
added. "...And?" Gary's eyes narrowed. "I don't like you." He stated bluntly. Goh's eye
twitched. "I really don't care."

Goh isn't sure why the boy is acting so strange. So what if he's not in school? So what if he's
wearing makeup? So what if Gary doesn't like him?! It doesn't mean anything! He really
doesn't understand why Gary is so...

Goh sighed as he stopped the thought. He probably had his reasons. Ash seemed comfortable
with him crossdressing, but seemed uncomfortable with how he perceived the idea as a
whole. Geez, why were his coworkers so weird?

He missed Chloe. Simple, unproblematic Chloe who would just tell him upfront how stupid
he was. Goh missed being a kid, he only had 5 years before he could go to college, and
suddenly that gap felt a little too small. Especially considering his birthday was only half a
year away.

He was growing up. That was a phrase he didn't think he'd feel so... sad to hear.

Goh returned to his old schedule, and now that his day wasn't obscured by the guy with the
ugliest most anime looking hairstyle he'd ever seen, he headed out to Cerise park to fix the
old holograms he made as a kid. It was a simple mirage. Mew would be playing out in the
field, and then dash for the woods, making a fun little goose chase for anyone who tried. It
wasn't a total one to one with what he actually experienced. He'd seen Mew over a lake,
playing with Pokémon, and then it took his camera, and made him chase it around before
giving it back, and then finally stayed still for a photograph. But it was good enough.

That photo stayed in his photo album, along with all the photos of him spending christmas,
halloween, and whatever other holiday with Chloe and her family. It was his favorite one,
next to the one where he and Chloe met Parker for the first time.

He vowed to meet it again one day. As an adult. As someone it could be proud of. But for
now, these childish mirages needed fixing. There's no doubt a few have started to fail.
"I don't know how you deal with him," Gary spoke, "Deal with who?" Ash asked, "Goh,"
Gary sighed. "He seems so... frustrating." Gary complained. "He's just the aloof quiet type,"
Ash replied, "He seems like a bad influence on you," Gary retorted, "Why's that?"

Gary tapped his foot impatiently, "Are you done with the dishes? I want to review what we
already know about Team Rocket," Ash huffed a laugh. Of course Gary avoided the topic.
"Yeah, yeah, in a bit."

"I'm back!" Chloe announced, placing her shoes on the shoe rack. Regina did the same,
Mirche and Eevee wiping their paws on the mat. "Welcome back," Goh responded, utterly
sapped of life, "Geez, did Dad make you do a bitch ton of coding again?" Chloe asked, Goh
shrugged, "Not Professor, but Vanitas. She asked me to make an app to track everyone, and
so that she could have an easier time releasing missions." Goh replied. Rini bounded over to
Eevee and Mirche, happily playing together.

Regina smiled, bowing to him, "Hello, Goh," She spoke. "Hi Regina, doing a project with
Chloe this week?" Goh asked, letting them place their things on the couch. "No, Chloe
mentioned you and your boarder had gotten into trouble with Team Rocket, so I was worried.
They aren't exactly the friendliest people." Regina spoke, "It's fine, nothing bad happened."
Goh replied, "Other than you busting his eardrum," Chloe mused. Goh sweatdropped.

"You own a gun?" Regina asked, curious, "It was my grandpa's, it's under my dad's legal
ownership now," Goh replied. "Still, did you learn how to shoot with your grandfather?" Goh
nodded, "He used to hunt Pokémon," Regina hummed softly. "What does he do now?" "Sit in
a box six feet under," Goh replied, sipping his boba. Regina nearly spat her drink as Chloe
laughed hysterically.

"O-oh... Oh my god, I'm so sorry..." Regina offered, blushing faintly. "It's whatever, Reg, I'm
over it." Goh shrugged. He wasn't, but that was okay. Things never seemed to get easier over
time, no matter how hard Goh insisted they did. "I really wish you were still in our classes
sometimes," Chloe whined, "Why did you have to go skip a few grades and graduate so soon,
huh?!" Chloe complained. Regina made a face at him, a fond little smile that said 'you
spoiled her too much, now look at her'.

Goh rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, keep whining about my intellect. What next, my
photographic memory?" Goh questioned. Chloe pouted, "Exactly! Why did you have to be
born with it?! Why couldn't you just be normal?" Chloe complained. "Well, maybe we
wouldn't be in this mess if you were as smart!" Goh argued, "Why would you expect me to be
a natural born genius?!" Chloe questioned.

"Oh, by the way, Goh, I wanted to ask—" "Not now, Regina, I must fight for my honor," Goh
and Chloe cut her off, with almost terrifying synchronization.
The pair continue arguing, almost as if they're about to start getting physical.

"Hey, Goh, do you know where my— R?!" Ash exclaimed, "Hi Ash!" Regina responded with
a smile. Goh blinked, "You're.. R from the Paldea Division?" Goh questioned, Regina
nodded, "I've been laying low for a while, sorry I couldn't tell you, I kept forgetting and you
really didn't have time," Regina offered a smile. Goh heard Chloe whisper under her breath
'Arceus, there's more?'

"To be fair, I'm always annoying Goh, so it's hard to catch him at a normal time when I'm
around," Chloe shrugged, "Of course you do it on purpose," Goh complained.

"I've actually been meaning to talk to you as well, Ash. It's about Team Rocket." Regina
spoke. "I heard Team Rocket, are you in a team meeting?" Gary asked, peeking over Ash's
shoulder. "Oak?!" "Hi, R. Funny seeing you here."

"Wait, Goh's been given mostly capture favors? That's weird, we all got raid favors more than
capture favors," Gary noted, Regina nodded, "How many have you done, Goh?" Ash asked.
"Uhh.. About a two hundred, if we're counting the ones I've failed." Goh responded.

"Two-?? Two hundred???" Regina questioned, "Well, he was always very good at handling
ba-" Goh shoved Chloe, cutting her off as she laughed at her own joke. "That's a lot of
Pokémon." Ash commented. "You've been employed for 6 months, and you've caught two
hundred Pokémon?" Gary questioned, "Over two hundred, actually. There were several that
were group imports, and some that even slipped under the radar." Goh shrugged.

"All in all, about... Six hundred and fifty pokemon?" Goh shrugged lying back onto the
couch, "Six hund- Arceus, Goh, what the hell?" Regina questioned. "What about the
failures?" Gary asked, narrowing his eyes at Goh, "They escaped and I was told not to pursue
them. Vanitas caught them herself," Goh shrugged. Seemed like Gary was still trying to find a
fault in Goh somehow.

"Anyway, about dinner, are you staying to eat, Regina?" Goh asked, trying to avoid eye
contact with Gary. "Oh! Is it okay for me to?" Regina asked softly, "Please stay, Regina,
Goh's cooking is delightful." Chloe insisted. "It's really not that special." Goh replied,
unimpressed.

"I missed your cooking so much~" Chloe cooed, "Any guy would be lucky to have you,
honestly," Chloe added. Goh rolled his eyes, "Fix your chopsticks before I stick them in your
eye, you barbarian." Chloe quickly fixed her chopsticks.
"Is he always this commanding about chopsticks?" Ash asked, "Honestly, yeah, he's been
getting on my ass about it ever since he learned the etiquette as a 4 year old," Chloe sighed.
"It's disrespectful to me, and even more disrespectful to the cook, which means its disrespect
squared," Goh replied, making Chloe snort.

"Chloe's right though, Goh, you make some really good food! Who taught you?" Regina
asked, "My grandma," Goh shrugged. "She lives in the province, so I don't see her often
unless there's some sort of karaoke event," Goh explained. "You live mostly alone then?"
Regina asked, "Yeah, ever since I was 7." Goh responded curtly.

"It's dark out, Regina, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Goh asked, Regina
nodded. "I'll be fine, Goh, thank you for the hospitality," Regina insisted. Goh sighed,
"Alright. But if you're being followed, call Chloe," Goh warned, making Regina smile.
"Thank you, Goh. Let's go, Mirche." Regina called. Mirche hopped away from Rini and
Eevee, who were now bothering Pikachu.

Goh made sure Regina made her way out of Cerise Laboratory safely, before going back
inside and yawning. "You care a lot abour Regina," Ash commented, "I'd do the same thing if
you were walking home alone, she's not special in that regard," Goh dismissed. Chloe
yawned, "It's getting late," she noted. Goh nodded, "It's likely I'll have to stay the night here."
She sighed.

"Wanna go stargazing in Cerise Park?" Goh asked, "Oh do I!" Chloe clapped, "Let me
change, I'll join you in a bit!"

Goh took off his ear piercings, under Gary's scrutiny again. He took off his makeup, and shot
Gary a dirty look. "Do you mind? I'm gonna change." Gary huffed, shutting the door and
heading off in the direction of his room. Weirdo.

Goh put on some simple sweatpants in trade for his jeans. He sighed as he headed out to
Cerise Park, warning the Professor that he and Chloe were staying out.

"You fixed up the old holograms," Chloe spoke softly, laying flat on the ground. Goh sat next
to her, "Yeah, Gary was being a nuisance in the lab, so I just wanted to do something out of
his sight," Goh replied, looking up at the stars. He spotted Casseiopeia and Piscis Austrinus
in the night sky, smiling a little. He remembered them staying up as kids, watching the starry
 night sky, night after night. Giggling about who was the prettiest boy and girl in their class.
Talking about who they want to be when they grow up.

"Goh..?" Chloe called softly. It felt intimate. Goh looked down at her, "Yeah?"

But they weren't kids anymore. Things changed. Goh had already graduated, and Chloe was
to graduate highschool in 5 years.

"...When you do these- these favors... Please.. Please don't let yourself get killed." Chloe
softly spoke. As if being any louder would break the fragility the tranquil sky. Goh's eyes
softened, "Don't do anything dangerous. If something happens, prioritize yourself. Please."
She quietly pleaded, as if desperate to keep him safe, knowing she can't be there to protect
him. It made him feel weak.

Chloe took in a shaky breath, and Goh felt a shudder run down his back as he imagined that
breath to have been her last. "I- I know it's always dangerous. These things, they always will
be..." Chloe murmured, "...But I need you. I need you alive... So don't die, okay..?" Chloe
spoke, tears threatening to spill. Goh leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Blue eyes met her glassy green ones. He'd always loved green eyes, like the leaves of the
trees that shaded him from the sun. She protected him when he was at his most vulnerable.

He laid down next to her, hand grasping hers. His felt callous in comparison. "I won't. Every
piece of me, and every part of me promises I'll come home. I'll always come back to you."
Goh spoke softly, "Even when we return to the ground that once created us, I'll come find you
in a new lifetime. And we'll do everything all over again." Chloe gave him a soft look, tears
falling down her face as she laughed.

"You're so cheesy!" She replied, Goh simply smiled. "Well, Cassiopeia is up there in the sky.
I'm chained down to you, just like she is to her throne." Goh made kissy noises at her, "Stop
it! Ew!" She laughed. Goh kept his and her fingers interrwined, even when they fell asleep.
The soft winter breeze keeping them both cool as they slept through the night.

I promise, Chloe. I won't leave you. I'll come back, and I'll hold you in the same way I always
have. My dearest little sister.

Chapter End Notes

eueue chloe & goh are so sibling coded i love them sm

 A sobbing Sobble hidden in Cobble!
Chapter Summary

"If something changes your world view, you change with it. Whether you like it or
not, you'll know more than you do now. So if you've only been told that you can
only be a girl, or only be a guy, seeing someone that toys in between the lines
makes you hate them. That's just xenophobia. It's unnatural to you, and therefore
you hate it. Because you don't understand it." Gary stared at him, this time, his gaze
wasn't burning sigils of death into Goh's skin.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

The day started off strong, since Chloe had stayed the night, it meant she could have
breakfast with Ash and Gary, and consequently Goh as well. Goh lamented his groceries,
which were back at his parents apartment, and therefore probably rotting in the fridge.

"What are you making?" Gary asked, Goh yelped, nearly cutting himself. "Don't do that!"
Goh hissed, "Oh? Is Mr. Goh the jumpy type?" Gary teased. "I am, so if you don't want me to
bleed all over your precious breakfast, be a good boy and behave." Goh sighed.

Surprisingly, that did, in fact, get him to be a good boy and behave. He made the table, and
headed off to wake Ash. "Goh, can you do my hair for me?" Chloe called. "Sure, come eat
breakfast and I'll get right on that!" Goh replied. The morning was always hectic around
Chloe. It felt different. It felt cozy. He could get used to this, honestly.

Goh doesn't know how he lived alone for so long. Just the sound of his computer, and his
thoughts. Of course his parents would come home at times, but most of the time they fell
asleep at work.

Perhaps if he delved into that enough, he could likely find a resolution to his avoidance of
attention, for lack of better word. But he really didn't care anymore. He was fine how he was,
even if he did have a few hundred bad habits.

Instead of doing Chloe's typical braid, Goh gave her a sweet rose braid bun. That'd keep her
hair out of her face. "By the way, Goh, when are you planning on challenging Forrest? You
know Pewter City is quite a while away from Vermillion." Chloe asked, making Goh hum.
"Maybe today or tomorrow, depends on if I get there in time." Ash looked up at Goh, "Pewter
City? Why not ask Gary to take you?" Ash asked, both boys froze.
"I have reason to believe he may try to dump me out of the sky for no reason," Goh replied,
"Aww, or maybe you're just afraid of flying?" Gary cooed, "I'm honestly not." Goh responded
flatly. "Yeah, he's kind of been the type to always be ready to die at any point in time," Chloe
spoke, probably thinking about the time Goh broke 13% of his bones after accidentally
falling off a tree. "Well, anyway, I'll be taking the bus there," Goh shrugged, "God, I miss the
train stations in Galar, they're so convenient." Goh muttered.

After Chloe left for school, Gary stared at him as he changed, scrutinizing every small
movement he made. "If you're gonna watch me, at least do it inside the room so no one else
has to see me naked." Goh deadpanned. Gary did, in fact, enter the room and shut the door. "I
don't get why you're so annoying," Gary spoke, "I'm literally just trying to do my thing, dude.
This isn't a me problem, it's a you problem," Goh deadpanned.

Gary went quiet. Goh thanked Arceus for some peace, even if he hasn't prayed in a solid 12
years. Never in his life has he devoted his word to a Pokémon in the sky. That honestly
sounded stupid to him. His future was in the palm of his hand after all.

As Goh rummaged around in his bags for clothes, Gary spoke again. "...I really don't
understand you." He said. Goh glanced at him, "You're so... free-willed. It's repulsing." Goh
merely shrugged, finally finding the pants he wanted to wear.

"I don't get how you can just... wear something. Wear pants and look like a guy, wear skirt
and look like a girl. It's infuriating sometimes," Gary sighed. "Am I giving you gay
fantasies?" Goh asked, amused by the idea, "I'm already gay, you're just making me question
everything." Gary sighed. Goh huffed out a laugh.

"Maybe questioning things is a good thing. It's not good to stay stagnant. Change is,
unfortunately, unchanging. The hypocrite." Goh shrugged. "If something changes your world
view, you change with it. Whether you like it or not, you'll know more than you do now. So if
you've only been told that you can only be a girl, or only be a guy, seeing someone that toys
in between the lines makes you hate them. That's just xenophobia. It's unnatural to you, and
therefore you hate it. Because you don't understand it." Gary stared at him, this time, his gaze
wasn't burning sigils of death into Goh's skin.

"...You've been looking in that bag for 3 minutes, I think you'll find the contents haven't
changed." "Be quiet, Gary."

After Goh finally found a cute red crop top and his favorite jacket, Ash had decided to
change as well, preparing for another round of his favor. "Hey, when did you get that?" Gary
questioned. "Goh bought it for me!" Ash grinned, "It's a custom!" he spoke excitedly. "It
looks stupid." Gary replied. Ash pouted.

"By the way, Goh, I'm taking you to Pewter. It'll be faster, and we'll be able to keep track of
you," Gary sighed, "Huh? No way, my hair will get messed up if I fly on your Pidgeot." Goh
responded. Rini hopped onto the nearby table and cooed, Pikachu climbed onto Ash as soon
as he realized Ash would be leaving soon.

"Fine, we can go slower." Gary replied with a soft sigh, "Why do you care so much about
appearance anyway?" Goh shrugged, "If I don't like myself, what's the point?" Gary huffed.
"Whatever, let's just go."

"Now what the hell am I looking at?" Goh questioned, making Gary snort. "The ugliest sign
in existence?" He offered, "Not only the ugliest, but also the most unconventional." Goh
deadpanned. "Are you gonna be challenging the gym today?" Gary asked.

"No, I actually have something to do here." Goh replied. Vanitas had actually messaged him
during breakfast, a little after Chloe left. There was a missing Sobble from a previous capture
favor, and she said it was likely it slipped by her after seven back to back all-nighters. Vanitas
said it had traveled from a nearby river stream to Pewter City, which was now causing Forrest
some issues.

"Ah! You must be Goh!" Gary blinked, looking at him. Goh nodded. "Thank you so much for
coming so fast! That little lizard has been causing the builders some major issues," Forrest
sighed, Goh hummed. "We haven't been able to locate it, but a few of them have said it
looked blue and lizard like." Forrest explained.

"Has anyone been crying recently?" Goh asked, Gary shot him a look. "Cry..ing..? Oh, the
children at the daycare have been crying a lot recently, and there's been a surge of builders
that had to take a break from construction since they couldn't control their emotions..."
Forrest offered. "The daycare and the construction area..." Goh hummed.

"Does that have anything to do with this Pokémon?" Gary asked, unimpressed. "Yup. Sobble
has a unique passive ability that works similarly to an onion," Goh spoke, "Onion??" Gary
questioned softly.

"Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-Propanethial-S-oxide, which is just a

fancy word for another form of sulfuric acid. It stimulates the eyes' lachrymal glands so they
release tears. Additionally, if someone's recently been in a traumatic event, Sobble's passive
ability may accidentally stir some of those feelings until they bubble up, causing a lot of
people emotional distress." Goh muttered. "So basically it makes you cry." Gary deadpanned,
"In short, yes." Goh nodded.

Gary was unfortunately dragged into the mess as well, with the sweet sweet promise of
sharing the prize money that would be provided by Vanitas.
They did not catch the lizard Pokémon, and it had, in fact, ran away from Pewter City
altogether, supplied by Vanitas's digital radar of the City. Which resulted in the blaming
game.

"I'm sorry, I'm not the one who insisted on calling out to it, now am I??" Goh argued, "You
should've told me it was the fearful type! You're horrible at sharing information!" Gary
exclaimed. "I told you it cries a lot!" "From emotional distress!" "Emotional distress is
literally fear! I thought you'd put that together!"

The pair had been arguing for three hours now, and it was nearing dark. "Whatever! I'm going
home. Good luck getting back." Gary huffed, deploying his Pidgeot. "Thanks! I hope your
head is on display when I get back!" Goh retorted.

And then, silence as he watched Gary's silhouette disappear from view. Goh sighed as he
headed into the Pewter Inn. He rented a room for two nights, Rini happily hopping into bed
with him. "I just don't get it, Rini.. He's so strange." Goh sighed, "He always seems to be
trying to fault me with something. It's exhausting keeping up." Goh murmured, Rini cooed
comfortingly.

"I thought- I thought we were okay. After that talk... But... He just.. doesn't seem to care."
Goh muttered. "I don't get it. I really, really don't get it."

"It's not my fault. It's not. He's the weird one." Goh muttered, "...I wanna go home..." Goh
complained. "...No, we-.. We have a match tomorrow... Let's go to bed, okay? Sleep well,
Rini." Goh sighed. Rini purred softly, cuddling up to him.

"Goh! Thank you so much for helping with the situation! Our guys are back on schedule
now!" Forrest told him. Goh nodded softly, "That's great to hear, Forrest," Goh admittedly
hadn't slept well at all. He felt like he was going to topple over and die any second now,
especially considering the light literally burning his eyes. Rini seemed worried.

"Ah, where's your friend?" "Headed home early," Goh dismissed easily, "He wasn't part of
the mission, he just wanted to help out," Goh explained. "Oh! Please send him my regards
then." Forrest smiled. "Ah, by the way, would it be okay for me to challenge the gym later?"
Goh asked, he blinked and then sighed, poking his forehead with two fingers, nearly making
Goh fall on his behind.

"Nope. You need sleep. And proper food." Forrest replied with conviction, "I'm alive, which
is good enough," Goh shrugged. Forrest sighed, leaning over him, "I'm not going to battle
someone who might pass out from exhaustion," he said, unimpressed. "I'm fine!" Goh
exclaimed. "No, you're really not." Forrest insisted, "I have 8 younger siblings," EIGHT???
THE HELL?? DID YOUR MOM JUST POP OUT BABIES LIKE THEY WERE FUCKING
CANDY??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN EIGHT???? "You can't fool me." Forrest sighed. You
know, Barbara, I think by the third one they just start falling out the hooha.

"I'm sorry, I'm still processing the fact you have eight younger siblings, on top of having an
older brother," Goh spoke, making Forrest snort. "Yeah, people say that a lot. Dad really
needs to lay off Mom for a while." Goh laughed softly, "S-sorry," "It's fine, Goh, I was trying
to make you laugh," Forrest assured.

Rini played with Billy and Tilly, teaching them how to play takyan without hurting
themselves. Forrest placed a bowl of rice and curry in front of Goh, "Let's eat." Forrest
smiled, Goh nodded, putting his hands together. "Thank you for the food."

Forrest was very kind, offering to let Goh stay and rest up while he handled some
challengers. Though Goh guessed Forrest had subconsciously wanted him to babysit his little
siblings while he went to work. Goh wasn't bothered by the idea. Everyone was quite well
behaved, and he just had to make sure no one got hurt, which was a great change of pace
from the usual cat and mouse chase Goh had to play with Ash and Chloe.

He supposed things could be better, but they were okay now, so he couldn't be too mad.

Goh wondered if it would be better to just settle down like this. Adopt or have a kid with
someone and raise them, just living peacefully without the looming threat of Team Rocket
attacking and killing everyone. Goh shook away the thought. Even if he did back out now,
there was no chance Team Rocket would let him get away unscathed. Goh caught on a little
too fast. That Butch grunt wasn't actually a grunt. He was part of a highly respected executive
duo in the Johto area, and sent over to Kanto to handle things since, apparently, Kanto
bitchslaps every Team Rocket executive in the face.

Apparently, Goh is not a part of Kanto, because he instead pulled a gun. Ah, the woes of
reality.

Rini hopped into his lap, seemingly exhausted of playing with the kids. All of which, were
now laying on the couch or on the floor, either sleeping or coloring quietly. Goh pet her
gently, making her purr. She nuzzled her face into Goh's stomach as he checked his inbox for
any more updates on the Sobble situation.

He didn't receive any orders to cease search for the Pokémon, so he'd have to continue
looking tomorrow. Goh yawned, quietly gesturing for Yolanda and Cindy to take their
younger siblings to bed.
 Cindy placed a paper on the table, a uniquely drawn portrait of Goh and Rini penciled on the
paper. He was simply watching is Rotom Phone as Rini slept in his lap. It looked so much
like him no one could deny that he wasn't the reference, though it seemed she had a bit of
trouble getting Goh's hair just right. Goh smiled. "You drew me?" He asked softly, she
nodded sheepishly. "You're very pretty for a boy, mister Goh." She smiled, "I thought big
brother had finally gotten a girlfriend at first, and then you spoke to Rini." She pat the
sleeping bunny on the head.

Goh's smile faltered a little, he felt a small tightness in his chest he couldn't exactly explain.
But he waved it away. "Thank you, Cindy. It's a very pretty drawing," Goh spoke, "I wasn't
aware you were into drawing," Goh murmured. "The kids at school said I should focus on
Pokémon battling," Cindy responded, "Since Forrest is a Gym Leader, they said I should be
one too," she muttered lowly.

"Since Dad's a professor, the kids at school think I'll be one too," Chloe hissed, putting her
knees close to her chest and ducking her head into her arms.

"'I don't want to be like him,' right?" Goh asked, repeating the same words Chloe had spoken
to him when they were younger. Back when he still went to school. Cindy looked up at him,
"One of my friends was in the same situation," Goh murmured, "I think you should do what
you want to do." Do what you don't. "See what you want to see." Find what you want to find.

"Sometimes, it takes experimentation to find what you want to do," Goh spoke, "Do you love
to draw Cindy?" "...Of course I do," She murmured. "Then you should do that," Goh finished.

"...But what if I'm wrong? What if it doesn't go my way?" Cindy asked, fingers gripping the
table. Goh's eyes softened. "We make mistakes. That's okay. You just need to learn how to get
back up, and try again."

"It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down, what does is how fast you can get
back up," Goh explained, "And even if you can't, who's to say your brothers won't be there to
help you get back up? Carry you home when you're tired?" Goh asked gently. Cindy stared at
him in awe, before she smiled. "Thank you, Mister Goh," Cindy spoke, "Good luck on your
battle with Forrest." Cindy grinned, "I'll be rooting for you, so don't lose, okay?"

"Cheeky little girl," Goh huffed a laugh, "I won't lose." Goh assured, "I'll come see you again,
when I'm a champion," Goh smiled, "And when you see me again, I'm gonna be a painter!"
Cindy grinned. "Oh? I'm looking forward to it." "You bet! And you'll be my first painting!"
"Awe, I'm flattered."

Chapter End Notes

remember to leave kudos if you're enjoying the story so far!

also this fic gonna be long af isth im scared to see the word count on this thing by the
end..

takyan is a filipino game (surprise, im a filipino) where you kick a takyan to keep it
airborne. typically it's made of straw and metal bottle caps, but i remember people using
coins too.. google says you guys call it footbag which

uhm

yeah ill call it takyan or sipa for the rest of my time on the internet thanks.
 Viridian's looking Forward!
Chapter Summary

"I don't like you. I really don't. And I don't expect you to be my friend, either. But
just because I don't like you doesn't mean you're not worthy of my respect." Goh
huffed.

Chapter Notes

can we get an F for Forrest's Rhyperior bc that bitch got GONED from this chapter the
second i realized it wasn't making sense with my cute little "giovanni bitchy want
pokemon at kanto hq" plot

he comes back tho dw

note: football = ⚽

im using british version because its funny and also bc goh is related to galar which is js
pokemon britain

"Today's match is between Trainer Goh from Vermillion City, and Leader Forrest of Pewter
City!" The referee announced. The stadium wasn't crowded, but certainly a lot more people
than Goh expected. The people cheered for Forrest, and a few cheered for him. He felt a bit
of anxiety creep up, but felt a small pat on his back, he turned to look, but found no one
behind him. Sure that definitely quelled his anxiety. Yup. Definitely.

Goh breathed a sigh as Forrest smiled at him, "Relax, Goh," Forrest spoke, "There's no
pressure. It's just you and me," And the hundreds of people currently watching us right now.
Thanks, Forrest, you're being very helpful right now.

"Okay, Geodude, let's roll!" Oh boy. Goh has an odd feeling there's going to be a sandstorm
of puns today. "Alright, Rini, you're up!" Goh exclaimed, Rini hopped on field.

"Each trainer may only use two Pokémon! Each side can switch out at any time! Battle
begin!" The referee announced.
"Geodude, use Sandstorm!" Forrest called out, "Rini, double kick! Like we practiced!" Rini
jumped into the air, before landing a heavy blow onto the ground, creating a large crater in
the ground, four large protruding rocky slopes hiding and shielding Rini from the in coming
sandstorm. Faintly, Goh could hear someone laughing joyfully, as if witnessing something
unbelievably nostalgic.

Rini kicked the large rock formation towards Geodude with another kick, before launching
herself back to her trainer's side. Geodude tackled the rock, causing it to break.

Rini is buffeted by the sandstorm!

Rini huffed, "Gyro ball!" Forrest called out, "Double Kick!" Goh responded. The Geodude
spun towards Rini, but Rini was faster, calcitrating the rock Pokémon into the wall with
intense speed as if it were a football. Goh sweatdropped. Not exactly what he had in mind,
but sure, let's go with it.

Geodude emerged from the wall, a little more damaged than Goh expected. Rini let out a soft
growl. "Calm down, Rini, we're here to win. Not disintegrate and put Pokémon in body
bags," Goh murmured lowly, Rini turned to him visibly relaxing. She nodded.

Geodude made his way back onto the field. Seemingly injured. Goh's eyes narrowed. This is
going to be a rocky ride.

Rini is buffeted by the sandstorm!

"Dig!" Forrest called out, oh for fuck's sake. "Rini, Quick attack!" Goh instructed, and
suddenly Rini was literally bolting towards Geodude, and kicked him square in the face. The
poor thing got launched into the stadium wall before it could even have time to process what
the shit Forrest just instructed him to do. The Geodude did not get up this time, much to
Rini's amusement. Thank god she got there on time. Goh would've died inside if she fainted.
Rotom can't exactly do much right now.

Rini bounced back towards Goh.

Rini was buffeted by the sandstorm!

"Geodude has fainted! Leader Forrest has only one remaining Pokémon!" The referee
announced. Cheers erupted in the stadium, out of the cheers he could hear Cindy delivering
on her promise to him.

Goh has a feeling he's going to be finding specks of rocks and dirt in his jacket and hair for a
while.
Forrest recalled Geodude into his Pokéball before turning back to Goh, a glint of
determination in his eyes. At least that's what Goh thinks is in his eye. He can't tell. The
sandstorm might make him go blind.

"Alright, Steelix! You're up!" Arceus A. Universe, Goh's utterly fucked. Rini growled lowly.
"Let's relax, Rini. We can do this." Goh insisted, she glanced at him, a little skeptical of his
faith. "Just.. keep dodging, yeah?" Goh asked softly.

She seemed hesitant, but nodded.

The Steelix roared loudly, nearly deafening Goh and Rini. Rini jumped back into the
battlefield, jumping on one foot while the other remained suspended above the ground.

The cheers felt mind numbing. How did people handle this?

"Earthquake!" HOLY FUCKING SHIT "Acrobatics!" Goh called out. Rini hopped into the
air, type switching to flying and simply tanking the hit head on. Forrest cheered softly, a
smirk on his face.

"Double kick, Rini, let's go!" Goh called out, the rock formations began to crumble, and Rini
came out nearly completely unscathed. She looked pissed.

The sandstorm cleared up!

Forrest seemed taken aback, "You know, ground type moves aren't particularly effective on
flying type Pokémon, Forrest. Thought you'd know that by now." Goh grinned smugly. "Hah!
You jerk, you're using my lack of knowledge on Galar Pokémon against me!" Forrest
exclaimed, though he didn't seem all that annoyed.

"Run towards Steelix!" Goh instructed, "Iron Tail, Steelix!"

Steelix aimed his tail at Rini, who was still on the ground. It's tail came crushing down, but
Rini narrowly avoided it with an unprompted Quick Attack. "High Jump Kick!" Goh called
out.

Rini hopped onto Steelix's tail, jumping into the sky and delivering a harsh kick to the face.
Rini narrowed her eyes, when Steelix didn't seem to take too much damage. She jumped back
landing squarely on the ground.

"Rini! Give yourself and Steelix as much distance as you can!" Goh called out, suddenly
breaking Rini's concentrated anger. With a jump, Rini jumped to Goh's side almost stepping
out of bounds. "Quick Attack, like the first time we battled Vaporeon!" Goh instructed.

Rini shot him a curious look, but nodded. Running around the battlefield, Rini seemed to be
gaining more speed and flare by the second.
"I don't know what you're trying to do with this," Forrest murmured, "Steelix! Use Stone
Edge!"

"Now, Rini, jump up!" Goh called out. Rini jumped, "Blaze Kick!" Rini's foot caught on fire,
delivering a head on strike to Steelix, completely intercepting his Stone Edge. Steelix fell
forward, falling limp on the battle field.

"Steelix!" Rini jumped back, hopping over to Goh's side. "Steelix is unable to battle!
Challenger Goh wins!" Rini and Goh cheered, the boy picking up the small bunny and
laughing joyfully. "We did it! You did it!" Goh laughed. Goh raised her into the sky, amber
eyes completely content as she stared into blue ones.

Rotom deployed himself, buzzing excitedly. He vibrates around Rini and Goh, before
nuzzling into her, making her laugh.

"Congratulations on your win, Goh." Forrest smiled, hand outstretched for a handshake. Goh
smiled and clasped it with his own. "Thank you for the match, Forrest." Goh smiled.

Forrest handed him the Boulder Badge, and Goh let Rotom and Rini curiously inspect it's
design.

"Seriously, how can a bunny like Rini be a flying type? I thought she was a fire type." Forrest
complained, "She is," Goh laughed, "Her ability is called 'Libero'. She switches into the type
of the move she uses," Goh explained. Forrest gawked at him, "So that's why you used
Acrobatics!"

"Goh!" a familiar voice called. He looked up from his phone to find Silver and Ethan making
their way towards him. "Ethan! Leader Silver!" Goh yelped, jumping up into a standing
position. "Woah, relax, kid," Ethan laughed, "We saw your match! You really are just Vanitas
2.0!" Ethan snickered, "Vanitas.. 2.0..?" Goh asked.

"Vanitas has a similar battle style to you, they break everything on the battlefield the first
turn," Ethan mused, "You should watch a few of the battle lives they have over in Galar!
They've even got a Blaziken!" Rini deployed herself out of her Pokéball at the mention of
Rini's beloved idol. Goh huffed a laugh, picking up the excited little bunny. "Thanks, Ethan,
I'll try and find them," Goh smiled.

"We saw your match, congratulations on the win." Silver crossed his arms, Goh straightened
up. "C'mon, Silv, lighten up a bit! You're scarin' him," Ethan said, amused by the spectacle in
front of him. Silver scoffed, "Be quiet, Ethan."

"I'll be looking forward to our match," Silver spoke, "Don't disappoint me." Goh nodded
rigidly. "Sorry 'bout him, Goh, he's just a big ol' grump since it's so early in the morning,"
Ethan explained with a smile, "Ethan, I will deck you." Silver warned, but Ethan paid him no
mind. "I'm looking forward to you challenging the Elite Four," Ethan spoke, "Red and I will
be waiting for you," he grinned.

Goh nodded, a little more excited at the idea. "I'm looking forward to it too!" Goh smiled.
Goh watched as they left, Ethan's arm resting across Silver's shoulders. "Why was he excited
for you and not me?" Silver asked, "You're a little scary, babe," Ethan replied easily. The
redhead kicked the back of Ethan's knee, causing him to dramatically fall to the floor. Goh
isn't sure if this is a normal rivalry or if it's some kind of homosexual tendency to just flirt
aggressively with your rival.

Goh yawned as he headed back to Vermillion, a light weight fell into his arms as he closed
his eyes. "Mm.. Rini, I told you I don't feel like carrying you right now." Goh grumbled,
looking down into his arms. Instead of the familiar white fur and red tipped ears Goh has
grown fond of, he finds a blue reptilian staring back at him. He blinked, and suddenly the
weight and reptile are gone with the wind.

"That's weird." Goh sighed, Rini chirpped curiously. "S-sorry, Rini. You mind if we take a
break? I might be having hallucinations." Goh spoke, sitting down next to a tree. It's a
particularly gorgeous view of a lake, Rini cooed, curling up in his lap.

Goh gently pet her fur. It feels weird. Despite Ash only being around for four days at most,
the peace and serenity feels.. off.

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

Goh watched the lake in silence, the deep blue hue of the water felt inviting. A small blue
reptilian sat next to Goh, a little out of his reach, but still close by. "Sobble," Goh breathed.
The Pokémon crooned softly, looking up at him. Goh made no move to catch it, despite
everything inside him telling him to. He simply turned back to the lake, watching quietly
with the Pokémon.

"Do you like this lake, Sobble?" Goh asked. The chameleon crooned, as if to ask him what
that meant. "Do you think of this place as your home?" Goh clarified.

Home. What a bitter thought. Sobble was taken away from his home, likely hatched during
the long ride from Hulbury to Vermillion. Sobble didn't have a place to call home. It was
desecrated and spit on. Goh supposed he isn't that much better than the wild Pokémon.

Team Rocket had also stolen his home, his safety. It was still under inspection, and his PC
was taken in by the police. Goh had half a mind to log himself out of his accounts, deleting
any collection of data related to his modding commissions from his computer before leaving.

Goh isn't sure if him knowing and having safety before having it stripped from him is better
or worse than Sobble never having it in the first place.
Rini seemed to stir, and Sobble quietly disappeared. Ah, his invisibility. Goh breathed a quiet
sigh, Rini rubbed her eyes, looking up at Goh sleepily. "Come on, let's go home."

"I'm back." Goh announced with the enthusiasm of a dead fish. Chloe cheered, "Goh! You're
home!" Rini hopped off to play with Eevee, who purred, rolling on her back. "Welcome back,
Goh! Did you catch the Sobble?" Professor Cerise asked, "No, not yet. I'll catch it tomorrow."
Goh shrugged, Gary scoffed. "Slacker." Goh yawned, "Cry about it, bitch."

"Goh! Watch your language!" Chloe tutted, making Regina giggle. "Mhm, deeefinitely not
gonna do that." Goh replied, taking off his jacket and tossing it into the laundry basket just
outside of his and Ash's room. "Don't bother me, tell Ash he can sleep in Gary's room," Goh
announced before slamming the door closed.

Chloe sighed, slumping over the couch. "Gary, what did you do?" Chloe questioned, "I
haven't seen Goh lose his patience with someone like that since he was ten," Gary shrugged.
"He seemed fine to me," Regina commented. "Nope, he's pissed, we'll be lucky if we even
see him tomorrow," Chloe sighed.

"How am I at fault?" Gary complained, "Because you're the one who's been making jabs at
him since we met, and you left him in Pewter with no way of getting back in the same day,"
Chloe deadpanned, "I told you, he said he wanted to go home on his own," Gary sighed, "If
that was really what happened, Goh would've invited me to watch his first ever Gym match,"
Chloe sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Listen, I don't understand why you're such a dick to Goh, but you've got to cut it out. Vanitas
might be paying us five hundred thousand to house you, but I can kick you out any time I
want, I don't need that half million," Chloe huffed, "You're lucky Goh's too kindhearted to
even think of kicking you to the streets, because if he wasn't, I'd have removed you from my
premises a long time ago," Chloe snapped.

"Woah, what happened now? Why's everyone at each other's throats again?" Ash queried,
placing down the groceries on the countertop. "Goh's home." Gary replied flatly. "That's
good! I heard he won his first gym badge, we should make celebratory dinner!" Ash cheered,
"Goh's not eating tonight," Chloe replied, and Ash visibly deflated. "Dinner's important! Goh,
you have to eat tonight!" Ash called.

"I already ate!" was Goh's reply. Ash visibly frowned. "Honestly, I'm not sure why Goh
insists on keeping you here. He isn't exactly hurting for money, and you're not exactly good
company," Chloe noted. "Chloe, that's enough." Ash sighed, "I'll-.. I'll talk to Gary, okay?
Just... Please. Stop." Chloe paused and then sighed.

"Come on, Regina, I'll walk you home." Chloe spoke, Regina nodded. "You have until
tomorrow morning to fix this shit, Ash. If you're unsuccessful, I'll book you both a hotel and
you can go back to being separated divisions." Chloe announced before shutting the door and
walking Regina and Mirche back home.

Ash slumped to the floor, exhausted. "...Gary, I'm tired." He sighed, "What do you want me to
do about it?" Gary huffed, "Quit being a smartass for five seconds!" Ash yelled. Gary jolted.

"Fuck, why do you always do this?! Is it because Goh wears skirts?" Ash questioned, "I-"
"Your mom being psycho and making you wear dresses isn't an excuse for this shit, Gary!"
Ash exclaimed. "Just because you've got a shit mom that hates you for being trans doesn't
—..I.. Fuck. I need to cool down." Ash sighed, "I'll be out in Cerise Park."

Gary simply stared at the ground where Ash was, baffled.

How was it his fault? Everyone's just being immature. It's not his fault he doesn't like Goh!
Why were they blaming him?! He started the fight in Pewter! Gary had every right to
retaliate!

Gary huffed, heading off to his room to cool down. Gary flopped onto his bed, staring up at
his ceiling, the faint glow of shitty glow in the dark stars lighting it up slightly. He sighed.

Gary grabbed a pillow and hugged it. Fuck the health risks and whatever, he doesn't have
enough energy to take off his binder.

Gary heard a knock on his door and huffed, expecting Ash to come in shortly after. But he
doesn't. There's another consecutive 3 knocks on the door, and Gary groaned as he got up.
"What do you want?" Gary snapped as he opened the door, flinching when he saw Goh
standing there, his hair damp from his bath, wearing a simple sleeveless turtleneck and
shorts.

"I.. uh.. heard the commotion earlier. Are you okay?" Goh asked, Gary shrugged, "Ash will
get over it tomorrow." "That wasn't what I asked." Goh sighed. "Are you okay?" Goh
repeated.
"I'm-" ...Was he fine? Ash hasn't yelled at him in years. There's got to be some sort of emotion
in there. "...I'll live, I guess." Gary shrugged. Goh sighed. "...I'm sorry. I.. didn't realize you
were trans." Goh mumbled, Gary flinched. "I realized in the bath that you probably thought I
was mocking you." Goh spoke.

"I'm not apologizing for what I didn't know, I'm just..." Goh sighed, "I dunno, I felt like I
should, I guess." Goh muttered.

Gary scoffed, "Whatever," "Gary. Listen to me." Goh hissed, "Fuck off! I don't care about
your stupid apologies—" "I'm not trying to get you to accept them, for fucks sake, listen!"

Gary went quiet. "..I.. Fuck. Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be yelling." Goh sighed, "You...
you're probably stressed, right? How can I make it easier for you? Breakfast? Snacks?" Goh
asked. Gary shook his head.

This is stupid. He's just trying to get on Gary's good side so Gary won't bother him.

"Gary. Listen to me." Goh called, almost as if sensing the paranoia and hate Gary feels, "I
don't like you. I really don't. And I don't expect you to be my friend, either. But just because I
don't like you doesn't mean you're not worthy of my respect." Goh huffed. "So if you need
anything—hygiene products, cravings, whatever else, just tell me, or Ash. I'm still gonna
treat you like the asshole that left me at Pewter." Goh sighed.

Gary huffed, ripping his hand away from Goh's grip. "...Can you buy me chocolate? The
bitter dark ones, not the sweet ones." Gary muttered. Goh visibly relaxed. "Sure. Do you
want dessert tomorrow?" Gary nodded with a shrug, "I'll make you pudding, is that okay?"
Goh asked softly. Gary huffed, "That's fine."

"Okay. Goodnight, Gary." Goh smiled at him, Gary scoffed. "Yeah yeah, night, Goh."
 Burning, Burning Jealousy!
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Okay, so it may be a little childish.

But it's been about... two days since Gary and Goh started getting along. Getting along is a bit
hopeful, it was more like tolerating each other's existence. Ash was particularly confused
when he saw the two of them arguing about what condiment Ash would like more on his
chicken the day after Ash blew up on Gary. Today was the last day he and Ash would be
staying in Cerise Laboratory. Apparently, Goh would be staying there for at least a year since
the apartment Goh's parents lived in were... well, heavily guarded. And as much as Goh loved
his safety, he hated being watched.

Goh and Gary haven't been arguing as big on things as much, and they've actually been
working together a lot more. They still squabble about little things like what to watch after
Chloe's favorite drama series. Goh apparently liked shitty romcoms, and Gary loved horror,
mostly to make Goh scream.

They seemed closer.

Ash was not jealous. He wasn't. Nope! Not even a tad. He was happy they were getting
along.. Even to the point that Gary went to Goh about his cravings more than he told Ash.
Nope, he wasn't jealous at all!

It's not like Ash spent a whole week with Goh while Gary only spent four days with him!
And it's not like Ash was jealous because he grew up with Gary, watching him transition into
a guy, carefully earning Gary's trust over half a decade and then Goh simply grabbing him by
the neck and taking the trust without any effort! Ash wasn't bitter at all! Not a bit!

Except he was. And it was really getting to him. Goh would make him Victini bunnies, sure,
but he wouldn't make elaborate chocolate dipped strawberries or fruits for Ash. Maybe it was
favoritism. Because Gary was born a girl, maybe that had something to do with it. But Goh
still treated him like a liability, always trying to avoid him when he can.

And sure, Gary still only trusted him with things like his cycles and insecurities. But it wasn't
like Ash wanted to just hear about the negative things, as selfish as that was. He wanted to
share fun moments with Gary too.

But he couldn't. Because Gary was taking up Goh's time, and Goh was taking up Gary's time.
It made him feel left out.
Ash fed Pikachu his share of food, sighing deeply as he watched Goh and Gary fight for the
cute pink bowl for god knows how long. He turned away frowning, even Gary's Umbreon
and Goh's Scorbunny were getting along better than Pikachu did with either of them.

A sudden beep to Gary's phone caught both of their attentions. Gary frowned before
shrugging and simply putting it back into his pocket. "What is it?" Goh asked, "A capture
favor. A riolu caught loose from one of Ethan's raids and they're making me catch it—" "I'll
go!" Ash offered, a little too excitedly for his tastes. Gary blinked, looking over at him,
"...Ash, you know we can't.. You're not supposed to interfere with other people's favors."
Gary sighed. "I know! But what Vanitas doesn't know won't kill them, right?" Ash offered.

Honestly, he just really needed an excuse to get out of this mess. He missed when the
divisions were strictly prohibited from even seeing each other. Separation of Divisions, as
Vanitas lamely called it. He kind of wished he didn't contest the rule. But it wasn't like
Vanitas even considered him contesting it a real threat. It wasn't until Goh was enlisted in the
Galar Division did that rule finally get lifted. "No, Ash, I'll do it myself." Gary spoke flatly.
Ash sat back down, "Have fun, then." Ash smiled.

Gary left shortly after breakfast. The Alolan Ninetales and Vulpix Rescue was concluded a
while ago. Ash simply sighed as he scrolled through TV.

There wasn't anything to watch. Maybe he should go raid a base or something. "Hey Ash,"
Goh called. Ash hummed, "What's with your behavior recently? You've been distant," Goh
noted, Ash shrugged. "Sulking." Ash admitted, "For what reason?" Goh sighed.

"I think Riolus are really cute." Ash grumbled, trying to avoid the question. "You really
wanted that Riolu favor, huh?" Goh asked, Ash shrugged. "Maybe."

Goh huffed a laugh, "If I get you a Riolu, will you settle down?" Settle down. Like a child.
"Maybe." Ash replied curtly. Goh rolled his eyes fondly.

Ash and Gary's relationship had admittedly been strained after he yelled at him. Ash won't
hold it against him, he used Gary's insecurity and identity as leverage in an argument. For
that, he wished he was just skinned and boiled in a pot alive. He was a horrible person.

Ash curled up into a ball, Pikachu worriedly poking at him.

"Ash? What's wrong?" Goh asked, placing what sounded to be a plate on the coffee table.
"Nothing's wrong." Ash replied dryly. "...Can I hug you?" Goh asked softly.

"..Sure." Ash murmured, letting Goh pull him into an awkward hug. "You don't have to talk
about it," Goh offered, "But I'm worried, you haven't been acting the same since I came back
from Pewter." Goh admitted.
"...Did something happen on your mission?" Goh asked, Ash shook his head. Goh sighed,
petting his hair. "Do you just want to stay here for a while?" Ash shrugged.

Goh stayed with him for a while, unmoving and unwavering. "..You remind me of a friend."
Ash muttered. "Really? From Alola?" Goh asked, light and airy. Ash felt the pit in his
stomach grow deeper. "Yeah. He's..." Funny? Charming? Attractive? Good looking? Kind?
"...a lot like you." Ash shrugged.

Goh hummed at the thought, "Maybe we could visit some time. It'd be nice," Goh spoke
thoughtfully. Ash felt his stomach twist painfully at the thought. He hated it. Hated
everything about this. Why couldn't he just be normal, happy, sweet Ash?

Gary seethed, kicking a nearby tree. "Son of a bitch!" His Empoleon and Blastoise looking
over at him with either disdain or disappointment.

That damned blue dog has been running around playing games with him for the past three
hours already! He was exhausted! He hated everything about this. Ash probably would've
befriended it by now, and Goh probably would've already been back and had it sent back to
Vanitas, who'd have sent it to Professor Rowan.

Gary punched the tree, frustration building up at the idea of being beat. Why the hell did Goh
catch anything and everything he threw a ball at?! What, were his Pokéballs actually
Masterballs in disguise?!

Gary sighed when he spotted the damned Riolu again, but this time Gary made no move to
catch it, sitting down next to Empoleon as he ate his fill of the food being cooked.

Ugh. There's too much salt.

Gary packed up his things and headed back to the Laboratory. He'll handle everything else
from there.
 "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THE APARTMENT WAS ATTACKED???" Goh
questioned, rather calmly, if Chloe may add. Gary massaged his temples as he braced for
another headache. "I'm sorry, Goh! I don't have anywhere else to stay!" Regina exclaimed,
already very overwhelmed by the yelling. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just- Okay, fuck it, I'm
calling Vanitas and calling her out for her shit," Goh groaned, dialing her number.

"You're just gonna get your ass handed to you," Ash replied, "Be quiet, you were sulking
about Riolus this morning," Goh snapped.

"Hi Goh! Did you need something?" Vanitas' chipper voice spoke. "Care to explain why the
apartment hasn't been finished and why Regina is now being told to stay at Cerise
Laboratory?" Goh asked, quirking a brow. "Oh. That." Vanitas replied blandly.

"Team Rocket went through our shit," Vanitas shrugged, "They must've figured out Regina
was attached to the divisions. They seem to be targeting the ones Ash hangs around," Vanitas
commented offhandedly.

"Why?" Goh asked, "Go chat with your pretty little boyfriend and see what you can get out of
him," Vanitas purred, "He's not my—! Grr- Can't you just figure something out for everyone's
living situations?!" Goh groaned. "Goh, I'm a liability to Lance and the champions," Vanitas
spoke seriously, "I can't even rent a building or house for you guys to live in. Lance and
international bills will cut my wallet in half," Vanitas complained. "Besides, the Cerise
Laboratory is technically government architecture. Giovanni's fucked if he tries anything over
there, sooo... I'll be giving you that cheque for Gary and Ash's stay after the call," Vanitas
yawned. "And that's your new favor, babes, watch over those three." Vanitas grinned,
"They're all older than me!" "And you're the youngest highschool graduate this world has
ever seen," Vanitas chimed, "You're a genius, Goh, use your head. You get 400k if you figure
something out!" Vanitas grinned before cutting the video call off.

Goh stared at his phone, baffled.

There is no fucking way she just did that.

Chapter End Notes

ooof this is a really short chapter im sorryyy

im exhausted from commuting so much today (+ the usual health issues that cause me to
sleep like 14 hours a day), but i promise the usual 3k words will be reached next
chapter!! maybe a little more considering how filler this chap is

remember to leave kudos if you like the fic! it gives me reason to keep going!
 Tame me, Don't hate me!
Chapter Summary

"Yikes, that was a nasty fall," Ash mused, "You alright?" he asked. Goh looked up
at him and shrugged, "I just want to catch the Sobble, dude, it's just avoiding me
aggressively at this point." Goh sighed. "Did you and Gary catch that Riolu yet?"
"It's on the fucking tree." Gary replied, exhausted.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Mornings were a mess everyday, even moreso now that there was a girl that rivaled Gary in
his game of 'how long can i spend in the shower before goh yells at me to get the fuck out
because the water bills are going to drown us in debt?'. Goh having to cook breakfast for.. 8
people and 11 Pokémon, two of which Goh hadn't even seen, was also a terrific way to give
Goh a reason to kill someone, and it wasn't even 8 am yet.

Goh sighed as he stared unenthusiastically at the reminder of the missing Sobble from
Vanitas. "You still haven't caught it?" Gary asked, "It's not that I can't, I've seen it a couple
times around Cerise Laboratory, the problem is that I don't think he'll let me catch him if I
just plan on sending him to Galar," Goh replied flatly. Gary huffed. "This division shit is
bull," Gary complained, "I don't wanna catch the stupid Riolu in route 11 anymore! It's been
making fun of me for days!"

Ah yes, the morning bitching. Lovely.

Each morning has started off a lot like this, actually. Though with minor adjustments to the
morning bitching. Sometimes Gary will start as soon as he wakes up. Goh isn't sure why
Gary bothers him with the woes of his lifetime, but Goh sincerely hoped Ash would deal with
it when he woke up.

He never does, and he didn't start now. He did, however, always offer to clean up and brush
the Pokémon, which Goh was thankful for. It still felt like Ash was trying to willfully ignore
something, but Goh wasn't sure what anymore. He had a small inkling, but he doubted it was
true.

Maybe Ash just didn't feel like doing things with him. "Hey, Ash, do you want to help me
catch this-" Gary and Goh spoke in dramatic unison, causing them to eye each other warily.
Ash turned and looked at them, blinking. "Anyway, as I was saying-" "Wanna help me catch
this Sobble?" Goh finished, Gary gawked. "Hell no! Ash, let's go catch this damned Riolu!"
"I asked first!" "No you didn't!"
Ash rolled his eyes, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder and purring. "Sorry, Goh, I think I
might have to go with Gary to find that Riolu," Ash spoke, Gary cheered inwardly, "Maybe
next time?" Goh shook his head, "It doesn't matter too much, are you feeling better from
yesterday?" Ash blinked and then smiled. "Yeah, I'm doing better."

"Okay, cut the blatant flirting, you two, I have a dog to catch." Gary deadpanned, "Gary, this
is why no one likes you," Goh grumbled, "You little-" "—OKAY, let's uh, keep the fighting to
a minimal, please," Ash pleaded. Gary huffed.

Gary was quiet for most of the search. Not even a wink of a complaint from him. He was
silent. Ash had to keep him in his sights, unless he wanted to lose Gary in the fields.

"So.. Gary... About the Riolu..." Ash started awkward as hell. "What is it?" Gary asked,
finally speaking, Ash leaned over him, making Gary nearly jump, "Can I keep him after we
catch him?" Gary rolled his eyes, "I doubt it, Vanitas doesn't like either of us after you keep
engaging with the enemy during mission favors, and she's caught me several times trying to
mug our enemies." Gary shrugged.

"Are you hurting for money that much?" Ash asked, "Yes. And unless I wanna ask the bitch
that birthed me for some cash, I'll keep my status as a broke joke," Gary huffed, Ash
frowned.

The conversation died there. The riolu simply sat in a tree, joyfully watching as Ash and
Gary struggled trying to get to it. "Why the hell did you think wearing your binder during this
was a good idea?!" Ash questioned, "Fuck you, I thought you'd have been able to befriend it
by now!" Gary exclaimed. "Befriend it?! Gary, that thing evolves with friendship, of course
I'm not able to befriend it!"

"Sobble! Come on, I'm not gonna-" Goh literally went silent as he comically tripped and fell
on his face. "Rini, can you just. let me die." Goh asked flatly. The small white bunny shook
her head, hopping on one foot and chasing Sobble around in a game of tag.

"Yikes, that was a nasty fall," Ash mused, "You alright?" he asked. Goh looked up at him and
shrugged, "I just want to catch the Sobble, dude, it's just avoiding me aggressively at this
point." Goh sighed. "Did you and Gary catch that Riolu yet?" "It's on the fucking tree." Gary
replied, exhausted.

"Pawmot, Double Shock!" Regina commanded, Sobble skillfully dodged the attack, jumping
into the water and disappearing from everyone's view. Rini jumped back before the attack
could hit her and then hit Regina's Pawmot with an unprompted Acrobatics. The Pawmot
whined when the attack connected, but Rini simply began to berate it aggressively, pointing
at the lake where Sobble had retreated to and was now hiding in. "Aah! Pawmot!" Regina
scooped up the small creature and cradled it in her arms. Rini seemed indifferent, continuing
to berate the Pawmot.

"Rini, calm down, I know you want to take care of Sobble, but let's not attack other
Pokémon," Goh urged, having gotten up from his position on the ground to gently coax the
Pokémon out of her aggressive yelling. Rini huffed, and then spotting the little Riolu in the
tree, considered it for a few seconds, and then hopped over to Umbreon and Pikachu to
curiously inquire about it.

"Sorry about her, I'm still trying to get that aggression under control.." Goh apologized, "It's
okay," Regina assured, "I thought you could use a bit of help, but I guess you had it under
control?" Regina asked sheepishly. "Surprisingly," Goh smiled.

Rini hopped back over to Goh, pulling on his pant leg and pointing at Riolu, as if to say 'I
want to battle that one'. Goh blinked, before crouching down. Umbreon and Pikachu scurried
up to him, and Rini pointed at the lake, and then at Pikachu, as if to say 'switch gears, lets
take on the Riolu'.

"Hey, Ash, Gary, wanna switch for a quick sec?" Goh asked, "Switch?" Ash questioned, "You
take on Sobble, and I'll take on Riolu," Goh clarified. "I thought I told you that Vanitas-" "Oh
please, if I can swindle her out of her money, I can do more than you imagine," Goh rolled
his eyes, "You can pin the blame on me if it doesn't work," Goh mused.

Gary huffed, "Unless you're scared that I'll beat you?" Goh taunted, "It'd be a cold day in hell
before you beat me!" Gary scowled.

Goh and Rini headed over to the Riolu, who seemed a little interested by the sudden switch
up. Umbreon and Pikachu faced the waters, before egging on their trainers.

"Rini, Acrobatics!" Goh instructed, Riolu dashed for the trees, but Rini caught up in a heart
beat, used to chasing around speedy Corvisquires in Wyndon to get her and her Nickit
friend's meals back. The attack connected, the emanation Pokémon holding its snout in pain,
before almost getting hit with a Blaze Kick to finish him off.

Riolu jumped down from the tree branch, running off into the grassy fields to formulate a
plan to get back at Rini, the small bunny hopping along leasurely to follow him.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed, "Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"

Pikachu struck lightning down into the heart of the lake, causing several water type Pokémon
like Goldeen and the ever brainless Magikarps to surface as fainted fish. Sobble launched
itself into the air, causing its disguise to suddenly disappear, making him visible. Umbreon's
attack hit, causing Sobble to become confused.

Riolu has never been more terrified of a bunny in his life. Her simple hopping pace was as
fast as he was running. She was quite chipper too, and very talkative. No matter how many
times he ran in circles, or zigzags, or whatever pattern he could think of, the bunny would
simply hop towards him as if a magnet to an iron plate. Her trainer seemed very amused by
his misery, proceeding to film it on his little phone as if to make fun of him. At one point he
might have asked what she was fighting to make her that fast, and she responded with
'Corvisquire'.

What the hell is a Corvisquire, and why was she fighting it on the regular???

Sobble was having a hard time keeping up with both Pikachu and Umbreon, Pikachu's speed
and Umbreon's wit kept him trapped, even if neither Pokémon could enter the lake.
Eventually, Sobble surrendered to his exhaustion, letting the spiky haired brunette capture
him in a Pokéball.

"Hey, Goh, we're done catching the-" Gary turned around to face Goh, only to be met with
the Riolu he was chasing around desperately trying to get away, with Goh's Scorbunny
happily following him as if he was leading her somewhere. Goh was filming them both,
amused by the situation. "Goh, catch the damned Riolu already!" "Right! Sorry!" Goh yelped,
tossing a Pokéball at Riolu, only for it to be punched away by the Pokémon, and then Rini
calcitrate the damned thing into Riolu's face.

He stayed in the Pokéball.

Gary is pretty sure Goh caught that on camera, based on how hard he started laughing after
he caught the Riolu.

When the four of them reached the Pokémon Center in Vermillion, the black haired Nurse
Joy greeted them at the registry. "Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center." She smiled,
though Goh could feel the murderous intentions rolling off of her in waves. "Would you like
to heal your Pokémon?" Goh cleared his throat, "...Yes please."
The four of them were dragged into the Pokémon Center Lounge the second Vanitas' aunt
returned to man the registry.

"I thought I told you to take care of the favors yourselves, not pass them onto each other."
Vanitas tapped her foot impatiently, Ash and Gary seemed a little more stressed than
apologetic. Regina looked like she was going to cry. "You did." Ash answered gravely. "So
why did I receive a notification that Goh captured the Riolu Gary was after, and Gary
captured the Sobble Goh was supposed to go after?" She questioned.

Goh raised his hand, "I told him to swap with me," Goh spoke. Gary looked like Goh had
effectively lost his mind, "And why, pray tell, did you do that?" Vanitas questioned. "I don't
know if you've noticed, but Gary doesn't exactly have a flying type, or a psychic... or a fairy
type." Goh responded, "Rini knows Acrobatics, which would make it easier for me to capture
the Riolu, and for Gary and Ash to capture Sobble." Goh replied flatly. Vanitas sighed.

"I have nothing against you working together, but can you, for the love of Arceus," Haha, she
said arse, "Not fuck up the programming every Center uses? Mom will actually skin me alive
if she has to do it manually." Vanitas sighed, "It won't mess up the coding if we trade our
Pokémon." Goh offered, "And where are we going to get that? I don't carry those on me,
Goh, and I will skin you and turn you into pork and carrots if I have to manually change it in
the systems!" Vanitas exclaimed.

"Professor Cerise has one, and if not, I'll build one." Goh replied flatly, as if he hadn't just
threatened to build an entire machine just to prove a point. Vanitas apparently had no
argument against this. "Fine, go trade the Pokémon with each other." She sighed in
consession.

"Oh, by the way, can Ash keep the Riolu?" Goh asked, "Sure, do what you want. Keep the
Sobble too while you're at it." She grumbled. "Thanks, Nurse Joy!" "Please leave me alone."

"I'm honestly surprised you managed to work your magic," Ash commented, "Yeah, they can
be a total pain in the ass when they want," Gary complained, "Charisma, I think," Goh
replied. Regina sighed in relief. "I'm just glad it's over, and no one almost got expelled." She
murmured.
"Expelled?" Goh asked, "Yeah, it's basically you getting perma banned, the ID gets taken
from you, and your Pokémon are deported from whence they came," Ash replied wryly.
"That's harsh!" Goh exclaimed surprised, "Yeah, but thankfully, no one's actually been
expelled before," Regina breathed a sigh. "There were a few people who got expelled,
actually." Gary spoke, "Wait, really? I thought you were the only one working under Vanitas
before I joined," Ash asked.

Gary nodded, "This was way before the Divisions even started. It's actually the reason why
they're in place now, and why Vanitas is so strict about it. The way it used to work was like
bounty hunting, Vanitas would simply put up bounties from all around the regions, and
someone would need to take it up. A lot of times no one would take up a few bounties, which
would mean Vanitas had to do them." Gary explained. "There were four of us, me included."

"There was a red haired guy named Quillon, and a blue haired girl named Danika, and some
other guy I can't remember the name of. Brendan? No, that's the guy from Hoenn, he's
Johtonian... Ho- Hoover?" Gary questioned, "Fuck it, his name's Hoover now. Anyway, they
each got expelled for different reasons." Gary shrugged. "Danika got expelled for smuggling
in Pokémon and distributing them to kids in her region, which is fair, shit thing to do because
the ecosystem almost got fucked over twice in her town," Gary sighed.

"Quillon got expelled for back talking to Vanitas. There was something else, but Vanitas
wouldn't tell me," Gary sighed, "I actually liked Quillon, he was a pretty sweet guy, it's a
shame, honestly."

"What happened to the last one?" Regina asked curiously, the last one weighing heavy on
everyone's minds, "He.." Gary paused.

"...He was expelled for being too kind." Gary finished firmly. "He was what?!" Goh
exclaimed, "That's terrible!" Regina responded, "I.. don't really get it either. It's even worse
since they told me it wasn't my problem. I don't think he was actually expelled for that, since
they kind of just waved it off and gave me that as an offhand excuse.." Gary sighed. "Is that
why you kept telling me to stop letting Vanitas push me around?" Ash asked, Gary shrugged,
"I guess? Though I honestly did not like how much she just shoved you around," Gary
sighed.

"How old are you, Gary?" Goh asked, "Sixteen, why?" Gary replied, "I want to know when
this happened." "Uhh... Four, five-ish years ago? I just know it was a month before Ash
joined and Vanitas started the Divisions shit."

"Half a decade..." Goh muttered, "On another note, Goh, what are we having for dinner?"
Ash asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Whatever I can make with what we have in the
fridge." Goh responded.

Why would Vanitas just let go of three people so suddenly before Ash joined? It's obvious
they're terrifyingly understaffed. Working a multifaceted organization while working as a
 24/7 Nurse wasn't easy. Sure, Danika had full grounds to get expelled, but the other two are
just plain strange.

Vanitas didn't seem like the type to take backtalk seriously, even insults. Sure, they might get
defensive whenever Goh alludes to anything regarding their Galarian friends like Bede, Hop,
or even her own fiancé, but never seemed to mind jabs at her. Appearance or otherwise.

Letting someone go because they were too nice is just plain irrationality. With Gary
mentioning how it was probably an offhand response to get Gary off her back likely means
something was going on behind the scenes. Goh might have to bring that up with Vanitas
sometime in the future.

This job might be more unstable than he thought.

Chapter End Notes

yea im deleting project mew from existence

r.i.p. hoover, you will be missed

no but for serious, the situation related to quillon and gary will actually be touched on,
just not in this story i don't think.

i don't have much else to say about this chapter.. eue

update: was rereading this bc i was bored and found some shit that broke the timeline for
me (istg i really should keep track of what i write but it's hard when ur updating daily
eueu)
 Flowers and Crowns!
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Rini hummed a soft tune as she walked around Cerise Park. It became an open area for her
and the other Pokémon to walk around and enjoy when their trainers were away doing chores
or mandatory meetings or school. While Goh never had school, he did often take time off to
go to the nearby library to study, or just helped around Cerise Laboratory which meant she
would just follow him around with little to no merit.

Though, she wasn't doing that today because Goh was studying something that had caught his
attention. No, that'd be too easy. She was deliberately hunting down that Riolu she and her
trainer had caught the other day. He'd been misbehaving a lot, to the point that even Goh's
patience was nearing its end. And Goh held out for 5 months of emotional and physical
anguish from Vanitas. That's a lot.

Rini spotted the familiar blue and black Pokémon near the riverbed in the wildflower patches.
He seemed calm and happy, a little frustrated, but otherwise happy. Regina's Pokémon, a
modest Glaceon named Mirche and a playfully energetic Pawmot sat across the riverbed,
sleepily dozing off in the sunshine. Regina's kind Meowscarada named Jeanne sat in front of
him, pointing at the flowers in his paws as if teaching him something.

Rini bounded towards him curiously.

She chirpped, nearly making Riolu crush the flowers in his paws. Jeanne simply smiled at
her, gesturing for Rini to sit next to Riolu. She does, and leaned over to inspect Riolu's work.
It's an odd mix of orange, red, and white flowers that form a circular shape. With a few
moments of pondering, Rini deduced that Riolu was making something to choke someone.

Riolu spluttered when she made her thoughts known, shooting down the idea almost
immediately. Jeanne let a flower bloom in her hand, giving it over to Rini as she explained.

A flowercrown...

It sounds stupid. Rini said, and Riolu looked like he just got smacked in the face with the
Pokéball again. Rini shrugged when he asked her if she never received or made one before.
Unlike Riolu, she lived in the city streets, which she reminded him. It was nothing like the
wild. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to go. You'd be sent to the pound if you stayed in one place
for too long, even now, Rini kept that in her head, always moving around to make sure no one
could catch her.

It took her months of conscious effort to control it to a minimal, and even now she found
herself running off somewhere just to calm the feeling of unease that kept hiding on her back
and shoulders. Riolu hummed, clumsily placing the flowercrown on her head. The canine
smiled at her, the same way that boy with the hat would with the brunette.

Rini shrugged, lying down on her side.

It'd probably look better on a cheery elegant girl, compared to a street troublemaker like her.

Goh sat in the living room watching the news in case of anything that may have slipped
Vanitas' radar. Ash and Gary started on their modules that had been hand delivered by a boy
from Alola named Ilima who Goh may or may not have had to squint to see whether he was a
guy or a girl. Chloe and Regina started on their assignments and studies.

"Hey, Mr. Graduate, can you check my math homework please?" Chloe asked as she wrote
down something on her notebook and continued to study for her upcoming test. "I could, but
I really don't want to." Goh replied flatly.

"I'll check it," Gary offered, "Thanks, dude," Chloe replied, passing him the work.

How boring.

Jeanne taught both Riolu and Rini how to make flower crowns, though on Rini's part it was
more begrudging acceptance. Weaving the stems of the flowers with her paws, Rini
mindlessly wonders whether or not Goh plans on continuing his Gym Battle Journey.

Rini interweaved a few white flowers between the orange ones she'd picked. Riolu noted she
was very good with her hands, making her shrug. She continued weaving smaller flowers into
the large orange ones, but made sure they were yellow, white, and light blue only.

By the time she'd finished, Riolu had just finished with the fourth largest flower in his crown.
Jeanne clapped for her, congratulating her on making her first ever flower crown. Now that
she looked at it... This wouldn't fit Goh very well. It was too small, too bright. It looked like
it'd fit someone else though. Rini gestured for Riolu to lean down, which he did, puzzled.
Only for him to quietly continue making a flower crown when Rini placed her flower crown
on his head.

Pidgeot cooed curiously, flying down to peck at the flowers Riolu had planned to use. With a
few minor threats, and Rini getting up to fight him, he flew away. Riolu assured her it was
fine, but she honestly doubted it. He looked absolutely heartbroken that all his flowers were
ruined. She sat back down and let her head fall into his lap.
If they were humans, Rini wouldn't doubt a lot of things. They'd be friends, little curious
children running around doing little human children activities. But they were Pokémon, little
pets that would have to go where their trainer went. Rini quietly wondered if she'll mourn the
day she and Riolu have to separate.

Sobble crawled up to her from the river and poked her. She made a comment about his ability
to become transparent likely proving to be useful for spy missions, and rolled over to ask
what he needed. He curiously poked her flowercrown, which she shrugged off as a gift from
Riolu.

Sobble laid in her lap as she made a blue and salmon pink (thats what she heard her trainer
call it, she wasn't sure herself,) flower crown, placing it on his head. Jeanne commented that
the flowers here would probably stop blooming if they kept picking, so Rini stopped. Riolu
finished another flower crown, which he handed to Jeanne, who happily wore it with a thank
you.

Sobble had fallen asleep as they all chatted, mostly about their trainers, along with the boy in
the hat that Riolu now belonged to. Riolu complained he wasn't interested in becoming
friends with him, while Rini made a passing comment about losing to one of his Pokémon in
the past. Jeanne noted that Mirche had never won a battle against either hat boy, or the
brunette. Mirche commented about her being unexperienced back then. Jeanne nodded,
commenting on how the boy with the hat had beaten Regina and Pawmot twice while at a
disadvantage.

One thing Rini noticed was that Regina's Pokémon referred to her as 'Lady Regina' or 'Her
highness', which Rini found mildly amusing. Regina was nothing like the nobles in Galar.
She was too kind, not 'political' enough, didn't take enough stands. She wasn't like the cruel
aristocrats that threw her away when she didn't give them the right EV and IV stats. And Rini
genuinely hoped she never did become anything like them.

Riolu commented on Rini's accent, making her shoot him a nearly deadly look. She was born
and grew up in Galar, what did he expect?

Mirche also made a comment about Rini's habit of being attracted to any open computer that
wasn't being used, typically using it to watch Blaziken v. Cinderace on repeat. Rini accused
them of bullying, threatening to douse them all in water when they're asleep. Riolu offered a
cheeky smile, taunting her to do so. She could probably get away with asking Sobble to
hydro pump their asses into the new moon, but she wasn't going to get her new baby brother
involved in her shenanigans this early.

Maybe a week later.

The peaceful atmosphere almost puts Rini to sleep, if she weren't so hypervigilant all the
time, she'd probably be dozing off by now. Riolu asked aimlessly why Sobble isn't like Rini,
when they had similar enough pasts. Rini shrugged, a difference in personality, she guessed.
 That's what she always saw. A Nickit could receive a pastry if she was nice, but another
Nickit could get one through theft. It wasn't about morality, it was instinct and the means that
mattered. Whether Rini liked it or not, they all fought to live.

Different stories, sure, but they were alive. And they fought to be alive. It wasn't some
terrifying reality, it was just who they were, what Arceus built into them.

Though Rini did meet a Wooper one time, and she honestly has no idea how it was even
alive, even now. Must be the cute face.

When Rini and Riolu returned to the Lab, Goh was surprised to find them wearing matching
flowercrowns, and holding hands.

Goh isn't sure if he should foster this relationship, or if he should shut it down.

Chapter End Notes

i should rlly pay attention to what i write before i post

ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER IM SO SORRY- I HATE WRITING FILLER SM

DUDE ITS SO BORING

but i did want rini and riolu to develop a bond so yk mb

my hypersomnia is causing some severe issues i hate it sm JSUDKRJDJ

 A Terrifyingly Terrific Illusion!
Chapter Summary

Retrieve Goh and Gary Oak from Lavender Town, dead or alive.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Rotom zipped around the lab curiously. It was more of a leasurely pace than anything.
Decorations were hung up, mostly deerling and Santa related things. But there were a few
Scorbunny stickers hidden around, along with Pikachu stickers. He found them amusing
since he and Rini got along quite well nowadays, even if she did send him flying into a wall a
handful of times when he inevitably jumpscared her with a jittery good morning. But he
knew the little bunny was still adjusting to her new life, and she'd always bring him treats as
apologies.

Today was the day they reached 6 months.

Goh had never really cared for anniversaries, or holidays for that matter. He'd send presents
but never exactly celebrated it himself. So the swift and looming approach of Christmas was
about as terrifying as one could imagine. Mariah Carie had already unfrozen on Youtube, and
Goh had released a happy holidays special bug fix and updates for his old mods, since that
was the most the busted computer Chloe lent him could handle.

Gary may or may not have walked in on him retexturing a few skins for some busty female
characters last night, stared for a solid 30 seconds as Goh stared back at him, and then
promptly locking himself, along with the rest of the world, out of the room.

He wasn't really bothered by it, though it did lead to Professor Cerise calling him in for 'The
Talk™' again. Goh had to pretend he couldn't hear Ash and Chloe laughing about it because
he was not a child like them.

So anyway, Goh packed up his things as he prepared to head for Cerulean City. He wasn't
planning on staying as long as he did in Pewter, so he didn't pack too many changes of
clothes. Either way, he would head to Vermillion after his battle with Misty, so that was a
plus.

Goh noted Rini still wearing the flower crown, though it'd grown a bit wilted by now. It
reminded him of the Grookey Imports that he had been sent after with Ethan and Hop a few
months back. They weren't in Vermillion, but actually over in Goldenrod City. The lot of
them had escaped and were making the forests and plants overgrow around the areas and
routes, which was causing issues within the city since they couldn't do jackshit about it unless
they wanted to fight a lawsuit against a trigger happy Nurse Joy.

While Rini wouldn't be fighting in the Gym battles at all, Goh didn't exactly have any other
Pokémon available to him and you technically needed 3 Pokémon to proceed to the gym
battles.

"Oh? Headed for Cerulean City today?" Professor Cerise asked, Goh nodded, "Yeah, I'm
gonna go challenge Misty and go check out that rumor about an interregion Pokémon hiding
in the open area," Goh shrugged, the professor pat his head, "Be careful then, Goh, I don't
want you getting hurt," he smiled. "Thanks, Professor, I will." Goh replied.

"Good morning, Goh!" Ash grinned at him, wrapping some sort of contraption to his
Charizard. "Morning.. What are you doing?" Goh questioned, closing the door to the lab,
slipping over to curiously peek at what Charizard was wearing. It seemed to be a saddle. "I'm
headed off to Johto since a friend of mine has a contest in about a week, and she asked if I
could go pick her up and drop her off at Hoenn." Ash explained, "I'm just preparing
Charizard for a long ride, wanna come along?" Goh shook his head in response, "I'm headed
to Cerulean City," Ash blinked at him, as if trying to comprehend why he'd be there, and then
it clicked.

"Oh, yeah! Your Gym Challenge, right? Good luck!" Ash smiled, Riolu deployed himself
from his Pokéball as Rini peeked at him from behind Goh's leg. "Oh, there he goes again,"
Ash sighed, "He does that often?" Goh asked, Ash shrugged. "Kinda. He's been pretty
avoidant of his Pokéball recently. And me in general." Ash shrugged.

Rini greeted him, presumably 'Good Morning' and Riolu cheerfully returned the gesture,
"They're awfully close now, huh?" Ash mused. "Yeah, anyway, I'll need to go before I miss
the bus," Goh sighed, "I'll take you there!" Ash offered, "Goldenrod is the other direction,
Ash," Goh deadpanned. "Come on!" Ash whined, "Just this once? Riolu and Rini could spend
more time with each other on the trip! They won't be seeing each other until next week
anyway," Ash reasoned.

Goh sighed, it wouldn't hurt, but Goh had his reservations about fostering the growing
relationship between the two. Ultimately, he did end up taking Ash up on the offer, where he
would drop Goh off at the Pokémon Center, and Goh would wish him farewell.

Rini and Riolu sat by each other in Goh's lap, Riolu being surprisingly chatty and Rini
returning the conversation with a lively response. Even Pikachu seemed mildly interested in
the conversation, seeing the two bounce back jokes easily. When they arrived, they all bid
each other farewell, whilst Rini and Riolu hugged before separating. The chipper attitude
never leaving either Pokémon, even when Ash and his Pokémon flew off.

Goh wondered if the two had formed some sort of pack bond over the course of Riolu's time
at Cerise Laboratory. Just a few days ago, Riolu was scared shitless of Rini.

Goh noted Rini seemed happy, so it couldn't be that bad.

Beating Misty was as easy as it could get, honestly. With Rotom being both electric and
ghost, he easily overpowered most of her Pokémon. Sobble did have to come out and bide his
time in the water after Rotom fainted to a critical hit from Starmie. After placing the Cascade
Badge into his handmade badge collector case, Misty offered him a TM, which he declined.

"Say, Goh, could I bother you for a minute?" Misty asked as she approached Goh at the
Pokémon Center. "Yeah? What's up?" Goh asked, "There's been a sighting near the city of a
strange Pokémon," Misty spoke, "Usually, I'd tend to it myself since I am a Gym Leader but
none of my Pokémon could do it any damage. And the Pokédex won't identify it for me
either," She explained.

"So could you check it out for me? It's been scaring the kids and trainers around, and my
sisters have been pestering me about it, since it's been driving away their customers," Misty
sighed, Goh nodded, "I'll go check it out." "Thanks, Goh! It should be on the route towards
Lavender Town."

Lavender Town?

On his walk to route 10, Goh pondered the Pokémon that could be terrorizing the routes. It
wouldn't be identified by the Kanto-Johto Dex, which meant that this thing was likely from a
different region.

It wasn't technically an invasive species, from what Goh heard from the locals, it only
seemed to lurk around and cause detriment to the surrounding area. Probably a dark type, or
something adjacent. Or maybe a typing that water types weren't fond of.

But Misty's curious mention of Lavender Town had him thinking it could be a ghost type too.

Only one way to find out.

While Goh fully expected every ghost to spawn out of the asshole of the Pokémon Tower,
what he didn't expect was to find Gary paying respects to a grave. He would've called out to
him, but he didn't. Something about him felt... Off. The locals weren't talking either, and there
was some pretty heavy fog. Everything about the noble town felt off. Like something really
really wrong was going on.

Goh headed towards the Pokémon Center, the familiar soft jingle was a little calming, but
Goh felt paranoid still. He shakily called Gary on his phone, watching the form at the open
graveyard cautiously.

The form didn't move, even when Gary picked up, confirming Goh's suspicions. A shiver ran
down Goh's spine. "Hello?" Gary's voice called, seemingly bored out of his mind. "...Are you
in Lavender Town right now?" Goh asked, "Huh? No, why?" Gary replied. "There's a guy
here that looks exactly like you." Goh explained, quieting down as he felt like he was
disturbing someone. He turned around to survey the area in the Pokémon Center, finding
nothing and no one else in sight. "A guy that looks like me-? Oh, that's probably Blue," Gary
replied.

When Goh turned back around to look out the window. Instead of Gary standing in the
cemetery, there was a vaguely human figure right in front of the window, grinning at him.
Goh froze in place. What the fuck is that.

It's teeth were crooked and elongated, yellowing with plaque and tar build-up. She... that
thing didn't look anything like a human. Long stringy silver hair cascaded down its face,
obscuring one eye. It's other was a bright yellow, and bloodshot, staring at him, as if looking
through his soul. It's was a skin pale sickly color, almost grey. It's limbs were boney and thin,
fingers forming into pointed appendages that were scratching against the glass. Tar dripped
through it's yellow teeth as it's appearance slowly deformed with several sickening cracks, it
sounded like bones snapping in half.

Goh heard an ear piercing screech, like nails on a chalkboard, as what appeared to be it's tar
colored mouth deformed and moved itself. It mouthed to him, and faintly, he could hear its
soft voice call to him, as if it were a little girl.

I'm coming for you.

Goh found his voice, and screamed.

Gary jolted as Goh's mortified scream connected through the phone, the speaker peaking
from the sheer volume. "Goh?! Goh! Hello?!" Gary called out. While he's heard Goh yelling
before, he's never heard Goh that terrified. He sounded like his soul was being ripped from
his body. The call ended shortly, and Gary swore to the heavens and the earth that if Goh was
playing a prank, he was dead.

Another call connected, and Gary quickly accepted, "Goh! What—" Gary stopped as Vanitas'
confused face entered his screen. "Uhm. Hello to you too, Gary." Vanitas chuckled. Gary
breathed a sigh. "S-sorry. There's just something going on between me and Goh. What do you
need?" Vanitas smiled at him.

"Well, I'll be quick then. I have another capture favor for you. You can ask help from Ash if
you want, since dark type Pokémon would be the most useful for this favor." Vanitas spoke,
"There's a Sinnohian, well technically Hisuian, Zoroark that's been terrorizing Lavender
Town recently," A what? "It's a Normal-Ghost type, so it's immune to Fighting, Normal, and
Ghost, and only weak to Dark types. It's gotten so bad Blue had to cancel his visit to Raticate
because of the immediate evacuation notice given by the League." Vanitas commented. Oh
god. Don't tell me. "Anyway, there's no Nurse Joy there, so stock up on some Potions and
Max Heals before you go, you can just tell Mr. Shimura to give the fine to me." Vanitas
waved him goodbye and then ended the call.

"...Fuck."

The flight time from Vermillion to Lavender Town was about 20 minutes, but Gary got there
in 10. The entire place was a ghost town. Empty, just like Vanitas' description. There was one
little boy standing over where Blue's Raticate rested, and Gary felt his heart jump into his
throat.

...Ash?

No, no. That can't be. He's over in Hoenn. And that version of Ash.. He looked to be 9 years
old. He was carrying that stupid Pikachu plushie that he always had as a kid. Gary shuddered.
That- He wasn't supposed to be here.

Gary tore his eyes away from the figure, heading for the Pokémon Center. He needed to make
a camp, find Goh. Knowing that idiot, he probably made his way to the Pokémon Tower
where he saw something. Gary shuddered, the coolly eerie breeze of the Pokémon Center
hitting him in waves. The lights were left on. Back-up generators. Gary quietly thanked the
heavens.

He heard a chirp, an angry one, defensive. Gary reached for his Pokéballs as he turned to find
where it came from, only to find Rini protectively standing over Goh, who was slumped over
the lounge chairs. "Goh!" Gary exclaimed, running over to him, his bag tossed onto a nearby
loveseat. Rini seemed to recognize Gary as soon as he spoke, calming down a bit. Though
she still seemed wary of him.
Gary could care less right now. He shook Goh in a desperate attempt to wake him up, getting
him to stir and groggily look up at him. "G-Gary?" Goh asked faintly, "Yeah! It's me! Get up,
jackass!" Gary huffed, Goh groaned holding his head. "Whu- What.. Why are we..? Wait!
Are we still in Lavender Town-?!" Goh questioned. "Yes, we are." Gary breathed a sigh.
"C'mon, I need your help with a capture favor." Gary grumbled. "Gary, you don't understand!
There's- there's a woman!" Gary quirked a brow, "If you wanna play hero, we can, but the
best she's gonna get is evacu-" "She's coming to kill me, Gary!" Goh exclaimed.

Gary blinked at him. Did Goh finally lose his mind? Is it because Ash ate his pastries this
morning? "Is it because of that Stantler I shot as a kid..? Oh god, please..." Goh curled up into
a ball, trembling. Gary knelt beside him, which was a little awkward because Goh was a
lanky lad. "Goh? Goh, listen to me." Gary called. Goh swiftly dodged his attempt to touch
him, a shiver runs down Gary's spine as he stared eye to eye with glaring blue eyes. Gary
pulled his hand back as he swallowed.

"...I'm sorry. I don't trust you right now." Goh muttered.

It doesn't look like Goh will be much help right now.

Gary deployed Umbreon and Empoleon. Empoleon was left to guard Goh in case he couldn't
pull out a move in time and froze, while Gary and Umbreon would survey the area. The
illusion of Ash weighed heavy on Gary's mind. Zoroarks could cast illusions, he knew that.
Quillon taught him that, he showed him how to tell when it's an illusion. But they were never
this terrifying.

Gary felt shivers crawl up his spine as he came face to face with the younger version of Ash.
Then he spoke the words that always caught Gary off guard. Something that was so strange
he couldn't believe Ash would actually say that, even as a child.

"Do you want me to kill myself, Gary?" It wasn't a threat back then. Ash would never. It was
something akin to an offer. An offer Gary wanted to accept when he was younger.

"Do you want to watch me bleed?"

Do you...

...
...

"Do you want to kill me, Gary?" Ash asked in a nonchalant tone. As if he'd asked the
weather, he looked up at the brunette. "You always hurl insults at me and make fun of me,"
Ash said, stabbing a fork into his pasta. No one else was home, and Gary's eyes lingered a
little too long on the kitchen knife behind Ash, "I won't tell Dad, just tell me," he spoke.

"I..."

"Umbreon, Dark Pulse!" Gary yelled, Umbreon jumped hurling an attack at the younger
version of Ash, who ran away after dodging the attack.

Now isn't the time to be daydreaming.

"After it!" Gary yelled, running in the same direction Zoroark went.

Standing in front of the Pokémon tower, Gary huffed as he recalled Umbreon. He'll have
Blastoise and Pidgeot handle the ghost type Pokémon that weren't Zoroark. He felt something
crawling on his back and nearly screamed, he breathed in and out slowly. His heart beat
calmed. This is fine. He's fine.

He proceeded up the tower, gusting away the Pokémon around him before they could get too
close and engage in a battle. When Gary neared the top, the Zoroark was in his sights.

Umbreon deployed herself as she growled lowly. "Nowhere to run." Gary huffed, using one
of the graves to get on his feet. The Zoroark simply smiled at him, before mist clouded the
area, and suddenly—

No. No- NONONONONO— PLEASE- PLEASE! NO! NO- STOP!! STOP DON'T—

"Calanthe?" Gary's stomach twisted at the name. "Oh dearest, I told you not to cut your
hair, didn't I? And the color..." She spoke, soft and light. Like nails on a chalkboard. "You
look like a disgusting pig, Calanthe. You look as if you've been playing in the mud." She
hissed under her breath. Gary turned to face her, that disgustingly bright hue of orange. Her
radioactive green eyes, the same ones he had. "Get the fuck away from me!" He screamed.
"Calanthe, what did I do wrong?" She asked softly, that sickeningly sweet voice that played
with his emotions. Just like she always did. "Go away!" He cried, shutting his eyes.
"Calanthe, stop acting like a brat."

He hated this. He hated it. Stop. Make it stop. Eevee— Eevee make it-
"Umbreon, Dark Pulse!" Gary screamed, falling into a fetal position. "Shut up! Make it stop!
Leave me alone!" Gary cried. "I hate you! Leave me alone already! I just want to be a boy!
Stop treating me like I'm a daughter!"

"Calanthe, do you want to play basketball with me?" "Robin, I told you, she's a girl! She
shouldn't be getting bruises." "But darling, she looks so miserable..." "She'll be even more
miserable when she has a scrape on her knee! Go ask Ash and Kukui if they want to play."

Gary always hated that name. 'Calanthe'. It sounded so... pretty. He hated it. Calanthe did
too. She never liked dresses. She didn't like when her mom brushed her hair or styled it in
any way.

She was like a miniature version of that bitch. But she hated it. 'Celeste, your little girl looks
so much like you'. And every single time, Calanthe would change it. Make herself look
different. Calanthe would cut her hair during recess, blame it on a bully that went to a
different school. And Celeste would have to fix it.

Celeste always hated the name 'Gary'. So that's what he picked. To piss her off. To make her
angry. Even if she hit her, kicked her, punched her, that anger meant Gary won. And he'd win
against her every fucking time. Even if it meant breaking a few bones and snapping a few
things.

A wet nose touched his fingers, a soft purr assuring him he was alive. "Bre..?" Gary called
out softly, trembling as he reached for a Pokéball and threw it at the fainted silver white
Pokémon.

"Bzzt! Zoroark has been added to your Pokédex!" Rotom helpfully supplied. Gary sat up,
shaking as he laughed. Before falling back and passing out on the floor, Umbreon curled up
at his side.

"Bzzt! New favor acquired!" Ash jumped, opening his phone to check what Vanitas had sent
him. A screenshot of Goh and Gary's locations in.. Lavender Town?

Ash scrolled down to the description, only one sentence that sent chills down.

Retrieve Goh and Gary Oak from Lavender Town, dead or alive.
Chapter End Notes

Gary, mon chéri...

i love my boy sm i feel so bad for the tings i do to him haha

fortunately my parents are very accepting of lgbtqia+ stuff so i uh,, dont know how to
write actual breakdown scenes regarding gender identity and abusers, esp since i haven't
seen my abuser in like 5 years lmao??

so yea uh not exactly as gutting as i wanted it to be

 Relapses after Recoveries are the worst.
Chapter Summary

He didn't need her anymore. He had other people. He spent more time with those
two than he did with her now, especially with them being coworkers and her still
being in school. And as stomach churning as it was, she hated it. She wanted to
keep him to herself, as selfish as that was. She wasn't ready to grow up and lose
him so quickly. She still felt like a kid, and for some reason, he already seemed like
an adult.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

After Ash retrieved both Gary and Goh, both were thankfully alive, they all returned to Cerise
Laboratory to get some well needed rest. Goh had acted off the entire ride home, only
touching Ash when he had to, and even then, he held onto the loose bits of Ash's clothes.
Gary wasn't fairing any better, dysphoria coming back in waves of self loathing when he
woke up.

He found both of them in the Pokémon Center. An old local had went up to check if the
Pokémon Tower was okay, and found Gary passed out on the floor. He was carried back with
his Umbreon tailing them.

Apparently, it wasn't until Ash came that the Pokémon calmed down. Rini and Umbreon were
both incredibly aggressive and snappy at everyone that tried to near their trainer, they calmed
down a tad bit when Ash appeared. Pikachu calmed Umbreon, giving her gentle purrs, which
reduced most of his worries. He'd wanted to let Riolu out, but Rini stopped him. She didn't
want to see him right now.

Or rather, she didn't want him to see her like this.

Ash had tried asking about it, but Goh would simply brush him off with a laugh and run off to
Cerise Laboratory to train. Gary wouldn't respond. It felt like he was talking to strangers, not
his friends.

Rini and Umbreon started acting strange too. Rini became more evasive and avoidant of
other Pokémon. People too. She almost started keeping her food in containers she could carry
around, but Goh stopped her before it got too out of hand. Umbreon was a lot more quiet. Not
the type of quiet Gary's Umbreon always was, but it seemed more like an alert quiet. Ash
could only imagine what they saw, and how they felt.
So he turned to the only person he could.

"Is there any way I can help them?" Ash asked, "Do the chores, not the cooking, and
administer Rini's medication to her," Vanitas shrugged, "Just things that could lighten their
load right now. I doubt they're even able to remember what they need, let alone if they can
handle it. People in crisis tend to block out things."

"...Medication?" Ash asked softly, "Oh, Goh didn't tell you? Rini's on medication for her
PTSD." Vanitas shrugged, "She's probably relapsed by now, as shit as that is. But she'll
bounce back as soon as Goh does." Ash bit his lip. "Get Riolu out of his Pokéball, let Rini see
him, even if she does avoid him, the jolly little lad will find her," Vanitas smiled, "Isolation,
especially if self-inflicted, is damaging to the mental, just having a friend or a partner there
would help tremendously, just be patient, okay?"

Ash nodded, "Is that all you called me for today?" Vanitas asked gently, "Yeah, thanks
auntie," Ash smiled.

So he did, Goh didn't have to get up everyday just to give Rini her medication and, as Vanitas
had described, Riolu chased her around for three days straight. Rini just gave up on the
fourth day and let him catch her. Where he lacked in speed, he made up for in endurance.
While Goh found the noise particularly frustrating, seeing Rini attempting to fight off a hug
with a stick was quite amusing for all the spectating parties involved.

Riolu was patient and kind, and always seemed to know whenever she almost started
spiraling, talking about different topics, or telling her stories about what he did when he was
bored. It was probably the aura.

Ash could see it himself, honestly. Different colors, different waves. Admittedly, he never
told anyone. He kept forgetting he even had it in the first place, though it did prove useful if
he wanted to win during hide and seek when he was a kid, though he mostly used it to tease
or find Gary whenever he'd go missing. That's how Ash figured out Celeste. Gary's abusive
mother.

Gary's..

Oh no.

Oh no.

Not only was Rini relapsing, so was Gary, he was having panic attacks almost regularly at
night, covered up by his shitty asshole persona in the morning that he often hid behind as a
kid. He relapsed. Fuck. Why didn't he see it sooner?
"Hello, Ash, you don't usually call this often," Vanitas spoke, they weren't even looking at the
camera, "Could you schedule a therapy session for Gary with Mr. James?" Vanitas paused
and turned to look at him.

"Did something happen?" "Gary relapsed."

Whenever Chloe would visit the Cerise Laboratory, Regina would often be busy doing
favors. She was actually still in Fuchsia City finishing up a favor about a recent Fuecoco
import that ended up going south. Goh was surprisingly a lot more active recently, she'd
always see him in Cerise Park, but he always seemed more interested in training Rotom and
Sobble to respond to her calling him.

Chloe entered the Lab to find Ash in what seemed to be a mental break, paperwork skewed
about, Pikachu sniffing his coffee (he never drank coffee, what the fuck?), and Gary sleeping
on the couch adjacent to him.

"What the hell happened here?" Chloe asked, Eevee running in and pouncing on Yamper,
who playfully fought with her. "Oh, welcome back, Chloe!" Ash grinned at her, seemingly
snapped out of his mental break, "Sorry about the mess, kinda always happens when I'm
working on something," Ash sheepishly spoke. Chloe quirked a brow, "Working? On what?"
Chloe sat down next to him, "Readjusting Rini into society, she's been backtracking a lot
lately," Ash responded.

"Huh.. Is that why Rini hasn't been training with Goh recently?" "Oh no, she's been training,
just not as frequently," Ash explained, "Speaking of, has Goh been avoiding you at all? I
haven't talked to him past good mornings the past week, and everytime I get close to him, he
runs away," Chloe blinked. She hadn't really noticed that Goh had been avoiding interacting
with Ash, she had school and when she got to the lab, he was out training. She'd chalked it up
to Goh getting ready for Lt. Surge, he wasn't exactly a pushover or beginner friendly.

But now that she thought about it more, he was acting like he did back when they were
younger. Closed off, ran away, skittish, even jumpier than usual. He hadn't been putting in
much effort into his appearance like usual either, he kept himself clean, but it wasn't elaborate
like his usual outfits. Back then, he laser-focused in on his studies and modding, but now he
was focusing on battling.

Chloe wondered how he'd act if he had nothing to focus on.

"...He has, hasn't he?" Ash asked, snapping Chloe out of her trance. "I guess so," Chloe
shrugged, "He's done this before, I'll figure out how to deal with it by tomorrow," Chloe
cheerfully supplied, "You just focus on your childhood bestfriend, okay?" Chloe poked his
nose with a manicured finger, and Ash smiled at her. "Sure. I'll leave him in your hands."
It took about 3 days of Chloe chasing Goh down for him to comply to something. She had
submitted an excuse letter for an entire week of absence to her school, which Regina and
Jessica mourned lightly. Today, they'd both go out on a fieldwork assessment. Why that?
Because Goh fucking graduated and she couldn't just drag him to school.

Now that part that would definitely be the most annoying had been dealt with, all they had to
do was complete the fieldwork together!

"Goh? Goooh?" Chloe called to him, he'd been spacing out for almost the entire time she was
working on the fieldwork. Today was the last day, and she'd completed the fieldwork mostly
on her own, which wasn't a problem—but the fact that Goh didn't get any better was!

She breathed a sigh as Rini and Eevee played at the foot of her bed. He jerkily moved, as if
he'd finally snapped out of his stupor. "C-chloe? Were you calling me?" Goh asked, Chloe
nodded. Goh apologized briefly before sitting down next to her, Chloe turned away. "Chloe?
Are you crying?" Goh asked softly. Chloe shook her head, "No, it's- Sorry, I'm just a bit
stressed." She laughed sheepishly, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

How embarrassing. You're supposed to be comforting him, why are you crying?

"Chloe.." He breathed, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry, I-" Chloe hiccupped, and he pulled
her into a hug, gently untying her hair from its braid. "Whats all this, chérie? It's okay, I'm
here," Goh hushed softly, the nickname rolling off his tongue the same way it used to when
they were younger.

And suddenly, it felt like they were suddenly miles apart.

Chloe was still in her sophmore year of highschool, Goh was a full graduate. They both
jumped a few grades, but he could already apply for college compared to her. He built up a
career, made mods and could probably start up a career with what he already knew. She was
just a research fellow. Not even an actual researcher that could make full articles and studies
on different Pokémon.

He was so, so far ahead of her, like he casted a shadow on her and everything she's ever done
before. Nothing would ever be enough. And he was quick to learn how battling worked, too.
Soon enough, he'd outshine her in every single way. She hated that. But she hated how selfish
she was acting more.

Tears streamed down her face, shaky breaths and gasps leaving her in pained sorrow-filled
cries. He gently stroked her hair, "Let it out, chérie, let it out," he cooed.

He'd always been more mature, emotionally, at least. In every single way, he'd outshine her.
And she didn't mind it for a while. That was before Ash and Gary came and ruined it. She
was happy with not being some mary sue main character. She was happy that Goh was so far
ahead of her, making her and everyone else around him proud. But now that Goh had other
people in his life, people that could challenge him and what he can do, she felt inferior. It felt
debilitating.
He didn't need her anymore. He had other people. He spent more time with those two than he
did with her now, especially with them being coworkers and her still being in school. And as
stomach churning as it was, she hated it. She wanted to keep him to herself, as selfish as that
was. She wasn't ready to grow up and lose him so quickly. She still felt like a kid, and for
some reason, he already seemed like an adult.

Her hands gripped his shoulders as she sobbed, burying her face into his neck. "I'm sorry...
I'm sorry..." Goh simply dismissed it, "You've done nothing wrong, chérie, it's okay, we all
get stressed once in a while."

Now that she thought about it... This is exactly how it went down last time too. He'd avoided
her, and when she finally got him to play with her at the lab, he kept spacing out. And she
cried. She cried, and cried, and cried. And Goh was patient with her, assured her that it was
okay. That he was okay. That he just wasn't feeling well.

After that, she'd gotten sick, and she didn't show up to school for a week. And Goh threw
himself into his studies to distract himself, only for Chloe to drag him back out and explain
what had happened the day she got back.

She had promised it would never happen again, and he rolled his eyes and told her it would.

She supposed he was right.

After she finally calmed down, she rubbed her eyes, and he chuckled softly. "Now now, your
eyes are red." He cooed, "Go wash your face and rest your eyes for a little while, I'll wake
you for dinner if you fall asleep," he squeezed her hand. "I'll be right here, chérie, don't cry
for me," Chloe laughed softly, "Fuck you! As if I'd ever cry for a guy!" Goh laughed with her,
"That's my girl."

Rini hopped up onto the table, trying to swipe a carrot from his plate, which he pushed her
paw away, making her whine. "Chloe! Food's ready!" Goh called out. A bit of time had
passed since Chloe had cried on his shoulder, but not long enough for her to fall asleep, he
thought.

He walked over to the washroom to check if she was still washing her face. No one was
there, though the sink was still wet with water.

He headed over to the bedroom, fully expecting her to jump out at him with some sort of
outfit. But she didn't. Only a note on her bed where he had left her. Goh's blood ran cold. He
snatched the wax sealed letter and ripped it open, uncaring for the mess it made.
 Greetings, Goh.

If you're reading this, it means your beloved Chloe has been abducted and is being held
captive by Team Rocket. You should've thought twice before stealing my hearing from
me, brat.

Have you been wondering why Ethan and Lance haven't contacted you in a while?
Haha. They've got their hands tied by one of our other terminals, so don't even bother
going to them. They won't be able to help.

She won't be released unscathed, I hope you know that.

— Butch, Team Rocket Admin.

Chapter End Notes

I GENUINELY FORGOT ABT THIS FIC FOR A HOT SECOND BC I WAS

PLAYING GENSHIN HELP
 Things are getting bad again.
Chapter Summary

Regina had always thought Vanitas was shady. They were the definition of a
weirdo, always spending hours on things that didn't make sense, made deals that
almost seemed unfair for the second party, and a lot of people could tell them to
their face that they are hated and they wouldn't bat an eye. And yet, they worked
tirelessly to get Pokémon back where they belonged, with their trainers, or in the
wilderness of their home region.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

The return to Vermillion was a painstakingly quiet journey. Rini remained in her Pokéball, as
did Sobble and Rotom. Goh couldn't think of what to say to Professor Cerise. He couldn't
even stomach accepting the calls that were blowing his phone up from Gary. What could he
even say? 'Your daughter was abducted'? 'She disappeared'? 'Team Rocket took Chloe, I don't
know where she is'?

All of it left a bitter taste in his mouth. And he kind of wish he tasted iron instead.

"Goh?!" Gary scrambled to the door, Ash and Regina tailing behind him. "Goh's here?!"
Professor Cerise questioned, frenzily making his way out of the office. Goh backed into the
door, uncomfortable. "Goh! You're okay!" Regina cried. "We were so worried!" Goh bit his
lip, feeling tears prick at his eyes. "Goh? What happened?" Ash asked softly. Gary backed
off, but seemed to be checking for injuries. "I-I'm sorry.." Goh's voice was hoarse. It felt
gross. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry-" And like a dam, he broke.

Tears fell before he could stop them, apologizing repeatedly. Like a broken record. Professor
Cerise knelt down to his level, pulling him into a hug. "Shhh, I know. I know. It's okay." "It's
not!" he pushed away the older man, "I- I promised you I'd look after her- And I- I let them
—" "You're a kid, Goh." There it is again. "I don't expect you to save the world, or be
somewhere at the right time, you didn't know," he breathed.

Professor Cerise pulled him into another hug, "I'm just glad you're safe. You know Chloe
would kill someone if you were hurt," he hiccupped. Goh felt tears stain his shoulder, "We'll
figure something out. I'll figure something out."
"I don't know what I would've done if I lost both of you."

Gary watched as Goh cried into the professor's shoulder, just as the professor did. And
bitterly, he was reminded of just how young Goh really was. None of them were adults. They
were teenagers, and Goh was the youngest at 13. Ash was 14. Regina was 15. And he was
16. Like an ascending order, yet none of them made it to 18.

"Rotom, call Vanitas," Gary spoke coldly, "Ash, Regina, please take care of Goh. I'll be back
in a bit." Ash and Regina hesitantly nodded.

It was time he acted like an adult. He was certainly classified as one in Galarian Law, which
Vanitas operated under, but he hadn't been acting like one. He was like a child whose candy
was stolen from him, while Goh had been suffering, he simply smiled like always and put in
more work than normal. And despite Gary being the one getting the candy, it tasted
particularly bitter.

"Gary, you—" "I am a legal adult, Vanitas." Gary snapped sharply, Vanitas froze before their
expression fell neutral. "Let me rephrase," Gary sighed, "Let me operate a temporary team
for a Raid Favor. If the champions are tied, then let me put together a team myself." Gary
breathed. "No." Vanitas answered flatly. "For fucks sake! Why not?! Chloe could very well
be dead by now! At least let me on field to take on the situation!" "Be quiet." Vanitas
snapped, "You may be legal adult now, Gary, but you are certainly not stable. You're one of
the most unstable candidates, if we can even count you as one, in this organization." Gary
flinched. "What do you think will happen if we send you out there underequipped and they
trigger you with something? Hop can't remedy your situation when he's fighting off attacks,
and you know damn well Silver can't if he's also having a panic attack because—do not make
me remind you who his father is." Gary huffed, crossing his legs.

"I understand you want to remedy the situation and even help us, but you'll only serve to
bring us down." Gary flinched at their words. "I assure you, I and the others are working
non-stop to get Chloe back into safety. The Divisions should not be involved in this. Your
part is to handle Pokémon, not life or death situations. You may be a legal adult, but the
other divisions are not." Vanitas sighed. "If you go, there's a chance Ash will go. Do not put
yourself, or him, or anyone else in harm's way. That is an order."

"You are the oldest in the divisions. Act like it." And just like that, the call ended.

Gary's stomach churned at her words. He curled up into a fetal position on his bed, head
swimming. Fucking hell...

A knock sounded on his door before it opened. Ash. "Gary? You okay? You were yelling
pretty loudly." Ash asked softly, Gary cringed. Ugh, had they heard what he said about
Chloe? He really hoped not. Ash sat next to him. "You know.. Vanitas can be pretty
hardheaded about this stuff," Ash commented, "Ash... Shut up." He spoke flatly, "Please stop
treating me like I'm younger than you." Gary spoke softly, burying his face into his arms.
"...They said some pretty shitty things, huh?" Gary snorted, "I mean, they're right about the
unstable part, but did they have to use your mental health against you like that? I know they
struggle with it themselves, but.." Ash sighed, falling back on Gary's bed. "They don't have to
be so rude about it, y'know?" Gary shrugged, lying down next to him. "That's just how
they've always talked, when they're not getting their way at least." Gary murmured, "What a
bitch." Ash grumbled. Gary snorted, bringing his hand to lightly tap on the tip of Ash's nose.
"Swearing... really doesn't suit you, Ashy-boy." "Aww c'mon! You said you'd stop calling me
that!" "Okay, Ashley," "I take it back, Ashy-boy is just fine."

Regina remembered the first time she met Chloe. She had been having trouble fitting in at
school, and people often found themselves insulting her for her posh and proper nature, they
thought Regina was full of herself. But then Chloe came around and accidentally pushed her
into the mud during recess. Mirche was pissed, sure, but Regina found it kind of hilarious.

Chloe was always destined to be the kind but competitive type, she had a good head on her
shoulders. She was smart, attractive, charismatic to the point she could get out of detention if
she ran her mouth for long enough, plus she was also the Student Council President. But she
accidentally shoved Regina into the mud, began apologizing, and then slipped into the mud
herself. Maybe it was a little mean to be laughing at her then, but Chloe started laughing too,
so she supposed she was forgiven and all was fair.

Regina remembered Goh met her through that, since he was the one who gave them a change
of clothes. She remembered questioning him about it, and Chloe confidently replying that he
liked dressing up, as long as he looked good at the end. Goh was also the type to get bullied,
being so feminine had its downsides, so Regina started stepping in to help, which made her
toss her hat into the battling ring, and she found something she was passionate in.

When her parents informed her she was sought out by a champion, she nearly cried. Not out
of happiness, mind you, she was mortified. If they made her part of the Elite Four, she
couldn't be friends with Goh and Chloe anymore. She'd have to focus on work, battling,
being an adult, a politician. But that wasn't it at all.

Vanitas had sought her out after she was reported to have been separated from her Pawmi and
Sprigatito when she arrived in Kanto. Her parents had been looking for any excuse to get
them back, since they were the few Pokémon that Regina and formed a bond with.

The deal was that Vanitas would get Lance to give her Jeanne and Pawmi, and in two years
she'd work with Vanitas to help the Pokémon that were from Paldea, and get them home. She
hadn't known all the details at the time, she was only 9. But she agreed.

And she got them back.

Regina had always thought Vanitas was shady. They were the definition of a weirdo, always
spending hours on things that didn't make sense, made deals that almost seemed unfair for the
second party, and a lot of people could tell them to their face that they are hated and they
wouldn't bat an eye. And yet, they worked tirelessly to get Pokémon back where they
belonged, with their trainers, or in the wilderness of their home region.

So she couldn't say.

The means were shady, sometimes downright immoral, but Vanitas would achieve their goal
regardless. And that goal was for the better good.

Sometimes, you have to pick the worst option to get the best ending.

"I understand you want to remedy the situation and even help us, but you'll only serve to
bring us down."

"I assure you, I and the others are working non-stop to get Chloe back into safety. The
Divisions should not be involved in this. Your part is to handle Pokémon, not life or death
situations. You may be a legal adult, but the other divisions are not."

"If you go, there's a chance Ash will go. Do not put yourself, or him, or anyone else in harm's
way. That is an order."

Regina had never been a rule breaker. But she wasn't just going to stand by and lose Chloe to
Team Rocket, and she wasn't losing Goh to insanity either.

Later that night, she wrote a letter that Ash would be the most likely to find, sealed it in wax
with her family emblem and left it on her dresser.

Vanitas only told Gary not to put himself in danger. Regina could feign ignorance, even if it
meant losing her ID as a trainer. She'd be able to go back to Paldea with her Pokémon and
start from scratch there, even if it hurt to leave home. She was fine throwing away everything
she built in Kanto, if only it meant keeping Chloe safe.

Jeanne and Pawmot returned to their Pokéballs as Mirche stayed behind and frosted the door
closed. That'd buy her some time, she thought. Quickly slipping out of the window, in the
cover of the night, Regina started her own operation. She'd save Chloe, even if it meant going
alone.
"What the fuck do you mean Regina left?!" Gary questioned, "I don't know! I was gonna
wake her up, but she wasn't in her room! I had to break the door off its hinges to get in!" Ash
responded, just as frenzied as Gary was. "Whats in the letter?!" Gary questioned, "It's an
apology note." Goh responded, Gary froze. "You... knew?" Gary asked, "No, I haven't seen it,
I just have a hunch," Goh responded.

"Ash, open and read the letter, Goh, what the hell are you on about?" Gary questioned.
"Regina has a hero complex, Gary," Goh sighed, as if this was the biggest inconvenience of
his life, "She's obviously gone off to save Chloe, even if she doesn't know where the hell
Team Rocket's base is." Gary's eye twitched at his attitude. "Well, we need to find her before
she actually finds Team Rocket and lands her ass in hot water!" Gary snapped. "And how are
we gonna do that? That girl is top of her class in technique and skill, Gary. She's probably
scaled four mountains and the fucking ocean by now. Her stamina is comparable to a Riolu,
and her mind rivals an Alakazam." Goh rolled his eyes.

"Why are you acting like this is just some mild inconvenience for you, Goh?! She could very
well die!" Gary exclaimed, "Gary, I've known that girl for three years, when I tell you she'll
be fine, she'll be fine," Goh rolled his eyes again, "Mirche doesn't go down without a fight,
and she sure as hell isn't against freezing a couple hundred people to save Regina's skin. Her
enemies won't live to tell the tale, but she sure will." Goh sighed, running a hand through his
hair. "So quit your bitching and actually find something to do with your time. Don't
underestimate her."

Gary let out a frustrated groan as he headed off to the PC, likely to get his Pidgeot on
rotation. Ash's eyes narrowed at the letter. "You're right. It does start off with an apology."
Ash muttered. Goh sighed, "Of course it does, it's Regina," he breathed, "Apologizing is like
that girl's second language."

She was found almost a day after she snuck out. Goh chased her down, a little too quickly for
her liking. "Goh," she breathed, ready to call out an attack against him, "Quiet." He
whispered lowly, pinning her to a nearby tree. A Pidgeot flew overhead and Regina froze in
her tracks. She recognized that shiny fucking bird anywhere. They both stayed silent, tension
rising in her throat.

"He should be gone by now." Goh sighed, "What do you want?" Regina questioned. "You
want to go save Chloe, don't you?" Goh asked, "I do, so don't try to stop me-" "I'm here to
help." Regina blinked. Goh sighed, "You think I didn't hear Gary's argument with Nurse Joy
too? I might have been crying, but I can still use my ears." Goh rolled his eyes, her gaze
dipped down to the floor. "...I don't know where to go." Regina spoke. "Thankfully, I do. It
 truly pays to have so many connections online." Goh sighed. "Let's not waste any more time,"
Goh pocketed his phone, "We've got a spoiled little princess to find." Regina nodded.

She supposed she could ask questions about how and why Goh's so well connected later.

Chapter End Notes

ooo shit gettin spicyyyy

also,, early update?? omg yooo ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎

Apparently the approx. word count by the end of this fic wi be somewhere in the 160k
but my word count be fluctuating fr so don't be confused if i somehow hit 200k lmao

this fic is so badly written and not at all proofread dude

i also keep forgetting the Pokémon. idk how. ill balance it somehow ig

HELP I FORGOT TO CHANGE THE DATES KDUFIRJF

 Ransom? Why not run some?
Chapter Summary

Reality shifts when you least expect it, the contents misplace themselves but never
truly change.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Infiltrating the Team Rocket base was easy enough, just knock out the two guards on duty
and leave them naked in the ice somewhere. Goh hoped they didn't freeze to death, but
honestly, he didn't really care too much if they did. Collateral damage and all that. Both of the
guards were guys, so unfortunately, only Goh got to wear the Team Rocket uniform, him and
Regina would split up as she'd go find Chloe in the cellmates as she posed as someone he was
able to knock out, and he'd run around as a grunt getting as much information as he could.

What he didn't tell Regina was that he grabbed his grandfather's gun and bought some ammo
off a trusted friend. He didn't intend on killing anyone today, but he wouldn't be against it if
he was forced into it out of self defense.

Goh didn't even spare a passing glance at the Pokémon being mistreated and left in cages. He
kept his head straight and posture perfect, the grunts didn't seem to recognize him as a threat,
even regarded him as some admin in another region. Pff. As if. Rini and Sobble shook in
their Pokéballs lightly, Rotom's ball being completely silent.

He'd instructed Rotom to infiltrate and bait the systems just before they entered, ending in a
successful hacking. Rotom had edited an old grunt's ID, one that was no longer active, to fit
Goh's trainer ID, minus the photo, which was left blank. He excused it as his refusal to take
any photo whatsoever, and also complained that the photographer refused to let him keep his
mask.

If a grunt pointed out inconsistencies in his story? Sweet talk them into submission, he
needed to map this place out first, violence couldn't come too quickly. Most simply ignored it
in favor of not making him pull his gun out of it's holster. He seemed trigger happy enough to
them, which was both a good thing and a bad thing if he wanted to play the waiting game
with Regina. Regina simply had to memorize the routine the guards followed for each day,
and attack when they were most vulnerable. He just hoped his acting was enough to fool at
least one admiral. He definitely wasn't fooling Butch, and he wasn't about to start counting on
his trigger-happy sanity now of all times.
"Is Admin Butch still around?" Goh asked curiously, "Admin Butch?" One grunt inquired,
"Oh, no, Admin Butch and Admin Cassidy headed back to the Johto region just yesterday."
The other replied. "I see." Goh hummed, "Did you have something to ask him?" the grunt
asked, "No, I was simply curious," Goh replied, "A rivalry of sorts?" "I wouldn't say that, but
sort of," Goh smiled.

He got the feeling the grunts assumed he wanted to take Butch's spot, or perhaps kill Butch at
least. Either way, they stopped chatting with him, an uncomfortable air settling over them.
Goh would've tried to remedy the conversation if they weren't Team Rocket grunts, but they
were, so Goh was kind of aiming to make them as uncomfortable as possible.

Off-handedly, Goh wondered if Ash and Gary figured out his plan. It had been a day since
Regina snuck out, and he hadn't returned to report to them like he'd promised.

"Vanitas?" a dual-color haired man called, "What is it, Apsephion?" Vanitas asked coldly,
trying and failing to finish up all their work. "Another letter has come in the mail." Vanitas
paused and sighed, "Who is it from?"

"Team Rocket. They want ransom." Vanitas' eyes narrowed, "They already riled us up for
Chloe, why are they asking for ransom?" Apsephion shook his head. "Chloe isn't their offer.
It's the Paldea Division." Vanitas stood up, "Regina infiltrated the fucking base?!" Vanitas
slammed their hands onto the table, startling awake a white haired boy not much older than
Goh. "Ugh, seriously?" the boy groaned.

"What about Gary? Or Ash?!" Vanitas questioned, "They've been all over the twin regions
recently, likely trying to find Regina." Eurydice responded, tossing an apple at Vanitas, which
they caught. Vanitas sighed, "And Goh?" "Off the radar. None of the divisions have reached
out, I assume?" Eurydice sighed, "Non. All of them have been dead quiet after the call I had
with Gary." Vanitas sighed. "Typical."

"Hm. Regina and Goh likely decided to take matters into their own hands." Apsephion
commented, "No, that- That doesn't make sense." Vanitas replied, "Regina's not a rule
breaker," Vanitas insisted. "Tas, the girl with pink hair has sentimental value," The white
haired boy spoke, unimpressed. "If she's in danger or in pain, those two will stop at nothing
to get her back," Eurydice sighed, "Mikhail has a point, out of all of us."

Vanitas gripped the table. "...Why couldn't they just wait...?" Eurydice scoffed, "You wouldn't
if Mikhail was in the same situation, you'd just bulldoze through the base with no one in
tow," Eurydice chided. She crossed her arms, "You said so yourself, Goh's a lot like you. You
won't stop until Giovanni drops dead, and he won't stop until Chloe gets home safe." She
shrugged.

"And if there's anything I can tell you about Goh from the few times we've met, I'd say he's
one of the most unbearably smart people I've met." Eurydice spoke haughtily, "Now go put
on your big girl pants and put together a team to rescue those two idiots. As smart as those
two are, Regina's already been caught. We need to move before Goh gets caught too."

"They've put their lives in your hands, Vanitas. Do not fail them."

Fine. If they wanted to dance around the legalities, she'd give them one hell of a show.

Days passed and there were no sign of Goh or Regina. Gary was positively losing his mind.
He could not let this reach Vanitas. Absolutely not. She'd kill him. Personally.

Ash had been unsuccessful in trying to reach either of them through calls. At one point, Ash
had considered reaching out to Lana and getting her a temporary ID to travel to Kanto so they
could figure out something about Goh's whereabouts. But ultimately, the idea was rejected.

The tension in the lab was high. Riolu kept looking for any sign of Rini, even climbing onto
Goh's bed and simply laying there. As if with enough will he could make Rini reappear.
Umbreon, Yamper, and Pikachu kept looking for Eevee and Mirche. Empoleon kept looking
around for Sobble, Incineroar looked for Jeanne and Pawmot, just as Gary and Ash looked
for Goh and Regina.

When Eurydice called, it was like time froze, and the call was painful to even consider
accepting, but he did. He knew he had to face the consequence of being such a negligent
leader, but he didn't think it'd be so soon.

"Regina has been captured by Team Rocket, and Goh is likely close to being caught as well."
Cutthroat and straight to the point. That's always been Eurydice's style. Gary's mouth felt dry,
his chest constricted. "Vanitas is currently gathering a team to handle and remedy the
situation. Please standby for a call on Vanitas' end. We will give you further directions
sometime soon." Eurydice spoke flatly before hanging up. Gary felt his stomach churn.

Of course those two headed to raid Team Rocket. Why didn't he recognize that sooner?
Goh told him to his face that Regina would do that.

He felt his head spin. "Gary?" Ash called softly, Gary blinked, trying to focus on his
surroundings. "Gary, are you okay?" Ash called again. Gary shook his head. "I-... I'm gonna
go get some rest.. Please answer Vanitas' call while I'm gone." Gary muttered, heading for his
bedroom.
 Reality shifts when you least expect it, the contents misplace themselves but never truly
change.

The music never truly changes, only retconned where the note had resides on the score.

Tick, tock, tick... tock.

Time ticked by at an irregular pace, Regina noted. Grappling with the reality of the situation
is hard, but keeping track of the time is harder. No one was here to talk to. Not the song of the
birds, not the quiet of peace. Only the taunting sound of seconds ticking by.

Nothing here existed. Like the void, it seemed. An abyssal descent that had no lead, and
subsequently, had no ending. She hummed, wondering if Jeanne could hear her song. Mirche
was kept in a different cell, just as Pawmot was.

"Lala la~ Lala la lala la la~" Regina sang softly, "La la~ Lalalalala~ Lala la~ Lala la lala la
la~"

Music was my solace, my home, and my pain. To live is to sing, to stop is to die where one
was created.

Time ticks forward when music dances with the past.

"To sing is to live in reality that's faux," Regina sang, "Let me weep as I flee to a world you'll
never see," she hummed a tune, "Heavens when you hear me, does the devil speak through
the words I've sung to you?"

"This world is cruelest when we're manufactured in our little factory," she hummed, "Cruelest
little angel, do you hear me cry? Do you lose your wings and sight with my sinful pride?"

"Sin and chastity mean nothing to me when my savior has left me used," Regina continued,
"O' lord, save me, bring me reality, though the devil has grasped my soul,"

"Lala la~ Lala la lala la la~"

Chapter End Notes

short chapters bc its not dialogue heavy but anyway

Regina's song is something i made up on the fly, im no music major so i genuinely

apologize for the atrocities i committed while making it

I've dubbed it "The Sinner's Lullaby" but yk

it migjt come up again, idk for certain tbf

 Break a Skull, Kill a Bitch.
Chapter Summary

Bravely foolish, or Foolishly brave? One is not the other, yet both are fools
playing the same game.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Everything went soundly for a few days, Goh managed to find the special area, called the
Spectators, where they were holding Chloe, though he couldn't figure out a way to kill the
lasers keeping Chloe trapped. Sure, he had to turn off notifications and mute Gary and Ash,
turn off his location and whatnot, but that wasn't exactly a problem.

It wasn't, until it was. Rotom had sent him a video of the CCTV footage in the cell area. Goh
nearly choked when he saw Gary and Ash both restrained and placed in the same cell as
Regina. Those idiots! What the fuck were they doing here?!

Gary was restrained by rope, and Ash was restrained by metal. From word of mouth, the
guards had described Ash as this fierce and terrifying man with enough power to manhandle
an Ursaring. Not exactly the description he'd use, but maybe Ash is scary when he feels
threatened.

The two guards Goh and Regina ambushed the day they infiltrated were found in a puddle of
cold water and with a light term of hypothermia, so now, there were suspicions of two
infiltrators that were running around posing as grunts. Originally, Goh was under suspicion of
being one of the infiltrators as well, but Regina had tried to escape several times, with Goh to
be the one to catch her and send her back to the cells, making for a very hostile reaction and
environment with her. Chloe got the gist of everything pretty quickly, and knew how to run
her mouth, making herself and Goh seem hostile, which reduced suspicion surrounding him
even more. Anyway, there were two new arrivals, a bright orange haired man with green eyes
and a black haired man who bore striking resemblance to Ash, minus the thunderbolt cheek
markings.

They were put under his care—since there were no admins willing to take them under their
wing, and he was the only 'high ranked officer' in the building. Honestly, it was more work
than it was worth. It kind of just felt like he was dealing with Gary and Ash again, except
they were more formal, and they all seemed to be dancing around and/or really badly trying
to pretend they're a bad person. They really didn't act like they were from Team Rocket.

Goh is pretty sure if they made a team it would be called 'Team Shits-for-Rainbows' although
Goh was pretty sure they were just trying to bait him, so he kept a stern face.
And then the incident happened.

"...Shit." Ash spoke eloquently. He was washing his face as Goh watched in the background,
revealing his birthmarks. Goh just barely dodged a roundhouse kick to the back of his head,
stumbling into the shower curtain. "Ash, get Gary and Red out of the fucking cells! We need
to move!" The orange haired man spoke before being effectively waterboarded by Sobble as
Goh tackled Ash to the ground. "Rini, shut the door." Goh instructed, and the bunny kicked
the door shut before hopping over to him.

"Both of you, be quiet." Goh hissed. There was a knock on the door, "Janus? Are you and the
grunts okay in there?" Holy fuck, why Astrid of all people?! "We're fine, Astrid," Goh
replied, "The idiots just started rough housing in the bathroom!" Ash froze underneath him as
he covered for them. "Are you sure?" Astrid asked, "Unless you'd like to see two idiots naked
and pinned down, I suggest you check for the grunts again!" Goh yelled annoyed. Goh had to
clamp Ash's mouth shut before he could bust out laughing. Astrid spluttered and then
excused herself.

"Nosy bitch," Goh grumbled before sitting next to Ash, and the orange haired guy sat up.
"...You covered for us, why?" He asked accusingly. "The Galar Division," Ash supplied
helpfully. "Hi, yes, great meeting you two here." Goh spoke sarcastically, "I didn't think you
and Gary were stupid enough to go against Vanitas' orders," Goh groaned as he got up.

They both did as well. Goh was surprisingly still the tallest. "Red and Blue are practically her
parents, she'll get over it." Ash shrugged, gesturing to the orange haired guy when he
mentioned Blue. "Introductions can come later. Rotom, are the system securities corrupted?"
Goh asked, suddenly, his shiny Rotom exited the systems, buzzing eagerly. "Perfect. Let's set
my plan in motion then." Goh grabbed his gun and cocked it back.

"Take a weapon or something, you might need it for later," Goh spoke coldly. A shiver ran
down Blue and Ash's spines.

A gunshot sounded out loudly as alarms went off. Regina hopped to her feet, cutting through
the rope bounding Gary. "What's going on?!" Gary questioned after he was finally ungagged,
"That's Goh's signal! We've got to move!" "Goh's here too?!"

The amount of people Goh has knocked out today is probably enough to start a therapy
group, with the therapist also part of needing therapy. Ash and Blue headed down to the cells
to offer assistance to Gary, Ash's lookalike, and Regina, while Goh made his way towards
Chloe, he'd placed a tracker in her hair when they were having a difficult spat, and it kept him
and Regina updated hourly on her whereabouts.
The battles were downright terrifying. Seven Pokémon against three, twelve against one,
fourteen against 2. Goh had to threaten the safety of the grunts on more than one occasion,
though Rini usually came through with a Blaze Kick that sent most of them to retreat and get
back up. He needs to move faster before they start holding him back big time.

"Regina?!" Ash and Blue questioned simultaneously, "I'll explain everything later! I'm
counting on you to get Red out of his cuffs!" Regina exclaimed, bolting past them both,
Regina turned a sharp corner into a group of grunts, "Hey! Thats the Paldea Division!"
"Jeanne, Flower Trick!"

Getting into the experimentation chambers was a little more difficult than he expected, but he
managed.

Goh scanned the area, forcing Sobble to go ahead without him. He trusted the little Pokémon
not to get caught, not with his invisibility at least. The room looked dead, as if purposely
powered down. Equipment littered the ground, iridescent capsules, half opened crates,
syringes, and whatever else Goh couldn't make out in the dark were scattered and broken
throughout the iron plated floor.

Goh took a step back, and as if sensing his hesitation, the door shut closed behind him. Shit!

"Where are you going, Galar Division?" Astrid cooed, long burgundy hair falling in front of
her face as she leaned over the railings on the second floor. "Haa.. I should've known your
nosy ass eavesdropped on us." Goh chided. She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I simply
overheard you." She slipped on a gas mask, and Goh's eyes widened, recalling Rini
immediately before pulling out his gun. Fumes enter just moments after Goh took a deep
breath.

"One bullet and this entire room explodes, Galar Division." Astrid spoke harshly, as if daring
him to kill her and himself, voice emulated by the mask. Goh smirked, "I'll live, even if it
means I'll have your death to my name."

Regina panted as she caught up to the experimentation chambers. The doors holding Eevee
and Chloe shut just before she could enter. Fucking hell.

She looked around, Goh had told her that it was crazy secure, but that didn't mean it was
impossible to get in. The walls looked a bit tight in this area.

...

...
...

"Jeanne, return." Regina quietly recalled the Pokémon, the feline magician bowing before
returning into its Pokéball. Mirche left her Pokéball, trilling curiously.

"Mirche, use Blizzard on that wall!" Regina instructed, Mirche faced the steel wall before
taking a step back and then blasting it with freezing cold air. The breeze reminds her of
sledding with Grusha.

The wall breaks with a tackle, just as an explosion erupts on the other side of the room. Goh
stepped through the hole burned through, covered in soot and a severe burn on his shoulder,
blood dripping from his wounds on his left arm that laid limp at his side, and a gun in his
right hand. Regina turned over to Chloe, who laid unconscious on the floor as Goh looked
over to the contraption holding Eevee captive.

"Chloe!" Regina ran to her side, cradling the girl on the floor as Goh headed to the
contraption to free Eevee.

There was another large explosion as Goh struggled to find the release option. "Goh! Regina!
We have to go!" Ash yelled, "Get the girls out of here! I'll get out!" Goh responded, turning
to the boy. He was covered in soot, clothes ripped in several areas, and his hair looked
positively fried.

Sobble reappeared at Goh's side, "Sobble, water gun at Eevee!"

The water did little to damage the tube. "Goh! I'll leave this to you!" Ash yelled. "Got it!"
Goh cursed himself under his breath, he'd die here if he didn't move fast enough.

"You crazy kid..." Astrid hissed as she exited of the chamber she and Goh had been trapped
in, clothes tattered, hair a mess, and seething with rage. Her hand gripped the warm and rigid
metal, digging into her skin. Goh reached for his Pokéballs and released Rotom and Rini.

"YOU WANNA PLAY GAMES, HA?!" She screamed, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

High-Rank Officer Astrid challenged you to a double battle!

"Rini! Sobble! You're up!" Goh exclaimed, both Pokémon jumped into action. "Lucario!
Ralts! Kill him!" She snapped. Rini paused and then purred lowly. Sobble watched the shiny
blue Ralts sit there indefinitely.

"Rotom, hack the systems!" Goh exclaimed, Rotom buzzed before entering the gadget, Astrid
growled—"So that's why none of the sensors were working, you fucking pig." She hissed. "I
 guess." Goh replied with a short-lived laugh. "Lucario, Close Combat!" "Blaze Kick! Sobble,
U-Turn!"

Ralts dodged making Sobble crash into the floor, return to his Pokéball, and then come back
out. Lucario, on the other hand, to tank a hit to the nuts, making him double over in pain.
"Ralts! Disarming Voice!" Astrid snapped. Ralts looked at her and then at Sobble, who
promptly disappeared from her sight. "Dammit, you useless shiny!" She screamed, Ralts
whimpered, "Rini, High Jump Kick!" Goh exclaimed.

The bunny hopped into the air as she knocked out Lucario with a final attack, jumping off
and readying herself for another round. Sobble retreated.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! FUCK! YOU'RE ALL USELESS! FUCKING STUPID!" Astrid
screamed, "I WISH YOU WERE MORE USEFUL YOU STUPID—" The roof crumbled,
sending rubble down and killing Astrid and her Lucario instantaneously. Blood splattered
everywhere, staining the ruined base with crimson. Goh trembled before shaking himself
awake. "ROTOM! GET EEVEE OUT OF HERE, SOBBLE, RINI, RETURN!" Goh shouted,
the Ralts retreated further into the rubble. Shit! He wouldn't make it to her in time if he
wanted to make it out alive!

Rotom zipped out of the gadget, grabbing hold of the heavy Eevee, and zipping for the skies.
Only to see Goh delve deeper into the rubble.

Bravely foolish, or Foolishly brave? One is not the other, yet both are fools playing the
same game.

Chapter End Notes

i wonder if people have noticed all the name references,, hmm..

i doubt anyone has realized how little research i put into this thing from the sheer
amount of bs i put into this fic

i have a bunch of assignments due so like,, shorter chapters ig oopsies

 Danger! Danger! Fuck you.
Chapter Summary

"Take your time, I'll be here when you decide to open up," Goh complained, "Not
like I have a choice when you and the other two are housed indefinitely at the same
place I'm staying." Goh noted sourly. Gary slumped over the windowsill.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Ash wasn't sure what to make of the plan, honestly. It wasn't going well, since Goh's plan
wasn't exactly a bulldoze and win, more like a 'get her out of here and kill if necessary' kind
of plan. Which wasn't any better than Vanitas' 'Go in there and just grab her, knock out
anyone if necessary'.

The place had been rigged with bombs, and the officers had an anonymous tip given to them
that the base was operational, but the security was not functional. Surprisingly there weren't
any people dead from bullet wounds, despite the massive amount of shooting that was going
on from Goh's part.

The entire experience—this raid—was absolutely disastrous. It was nerve-wracking,

dangerous, and outright terrifying. And Ash has done some pretty heinous shit here and there
for these raids. But probably more horrifying than finding dead bodies is finding out that
Goh's Rotom and Chloe's Eevee were found, but Goh wasn't.

Please, god, no.

Goh groaned as he pathetically cradled the small Pokémon shivering with his limp arm, he
was in an uncomfortable position. His hand was pinned under the rubble, and his legs too. He
couldn't move. He felt his head pounding, as if begging to be let out of his skull. So, he
supposed this was how he died. How pathetic.
That was until everything suddenly lifted. A familiar giggle sounded out from behind him as
he weakly lifted his head to see it.

"...Mew.." Goh called out softly. The pink feline-like Pokémon giggled again, twirling and
dancing around in front of him. He sat up, head spinning but determined to pull through to
greet the small pokemon. A cough forced itself out of his throat, and Mew stopped its
cheerful dance and crooned softly, nudging it's snout to his forehead, and then Ralts'.

The rubble that had him pinned seemed to have been moved by Mew's psychic powers. He
looked up at it. "...Hello, Mew." He whispered. It purred softly, curling into a ball and
floating towards him. A pink shine overcame him, and his headache decreasing in massive
amounts before dissipating entirely. The dull throb he'd grown used to after his arm was
effectively broken disappeared too. All of his pain simply... went away.

It meowed at him, and he chuckled. "Thank you, Mew." Goh spoke softly. It flew up, coaxing
him to stand, and he followed its lead. It giggled excitedly before twirling and dancing
around him. "Thanks for that," Goh laughed, "I appreciate it." Mew purred, before floating
over to where Astrid's blood stained the ruins, picking up a Pokéball and handing it to him.
Goh smiled, "This is Ralts' Pokéball, isn't it?" He asked softly, eyes meeting with the oceanic
waves. It nodded, and he smiled, "Thank you, I'll make sure she goes home—" it pushed the
Pokéball closer to his heart.

"You... want me to keep her?" Goh asked, Mew nodded, twirling curiously. "..Okay. I'll take
good care of her then." Goh smiled. Mew crooned before flying off, leaving him standing
under the beaming sunlight. The birds chirpped as they started their day, Pokémon chittering
excitedly just outside of the facility that was used to torture them.

The storm had passed. It was now morning.

When Goh exited the facility, there was a mix of two reactions. The typical one being 'HOW
THE FUCK ARE YOU ALIVE AFTER THAT LAST EXPLOSION???' and the other being
relieved, which totaled to about 3 people, minus his parents.

Goh was given a change of clothes and a hot bath at the nearest 5 star hotel, because
apparently Vanitas has a bottomless bank account that rivals the amount of student debt the
entire Unova region is in. And they couldn't take time off to actually bite off Regina and
Goh's heads for a while—Ethan said a month or so, but he wasn't sure—since they were busy
doing a headcount of every grunt alive, and a bunch of other interregional headaches that
Lance received. It was pretty refreshing seeing Vanitas getting yelled at.
Either way, Goh had some time to kill before Vanitas killed his supply of money. So he's just
gonna spend it gaming and—

"Why are you in my room?" Goh questioned flatly, staring at Gary, who was poking at the
hologram of a globe in his room. "Why are all of you in my room?" Goh asked, retconning
his first question. Regina sat on his bed, Chloe sprawled out like a starfish with her head in
Regina's lap, and Ash, who was being Ash. And sticking Goh's food in his mouth.
Goddammit.

"I'm here to ask questions." Ash supplied helpfully, Goh rolled his eyes, "Sure you are," Goh
responded, slipping on a shirt. "I am." Ash insisted. "Fine, what is it?" "What happened back
there?" Goh froze. He didn't think Ash would be so forward about it.

"There was blood in the chamber. The body was unidentified and the blood samples aren't
working, but there was a Lucario there next to that body." Ash spoke. "It was Astrid." Goh
sighed, Riolu popped out of his Pokéball, a growl leaving him. Rini also left her Pokéball,
chripping excitedly. Riolu tackled the bunny, letting the two roughhouse for a bit.

"Why the hell did you leave?" Gary questioned, "I had enough on my plate when Regina
went missing, come to find out you also left!" He chided. "Not everything I do has to be for
your sake," Goh snapped, "Stop chiding me like I'm your friend. You said it yourself, you
don't like me." Goh huffed, "So don't go pretending like I'll do something just because you
asked," Goh grumbled. Gary physically recoiled, before huffing and storming off. Ash
followed soon after.

Both girls made no move to leave, and Goh was fine with that, honestly. He fell face first into
the bed, bouncing softly on the mattress. "You think I was too mean?" Goh asked, voice
muffled by the comforter. "Kind of." Regina supplied, "Yeah, you were pretty much a dick,"
Chloe spoke, both amused and disappointed in him. Goh sighed, and the conversation died
there.

"...You know Gary's just worried, right?" Regina asked gently, "Gary's never been good with
his words," Regina tried. Goh sighed deeply, "I can't accommodate him right now. I'm too
mentally exhausted to even think about that," Goh grumbled, "If only Mew's Heal Pulse
could heal mental illness," Chloe snorted, "If that were the case, it'd be a lot more sought
after." Goh rolled his eyes, "No, it wouldn't, we'd still have the same legend, same song and
dance, same MewTwo, and same whatever else came because of it," Goh replied.

"'Oh look at me, I'm so smart'" Chloe mocked him jokingly, Goh laughed, "Fuck off with
that! I do not sound like that!" Goh complained, throwing a pillow at her. "Screw you! You're
the one with two shinies!" Chloe replied, catching the pillow, "Oh please, you have an Eevee
that evolves into every evolution!" Goh exclaimed before pausing. "...I do sound like that,
holy shit." Regina laughed softly as the other two cackled.
Mending relationships is a lot harder than you'd think. It's like tetris. No matter how many
lines you clear, how much effort you put in, if you make too many mistakes, you'll end up
losing anyway.

Goh's not used to developing deep relationships with people. It's hard to get used to when all
the relationships you've had have been over a screen. It's not impossible, but it's difficult.

Ash and Gary, for example. They aren't as easy as Chloe is. They're older than him,
experienced things he never has, some things he never will. It's hard to accommodate for that
when you're younger, and they're critical of everything you do. Admittedly, straining his
relationships with the other divisions isn't exactly a good move, even if he's sure he'll be
expelled. He's not a terrible conniving villain, he's just some guy who happens to be working
with them.

And he can't just fix it with a meal as an apology. That'd work with Ash, definitely, but not
with Gary.

Goh hated insulting people that didn't deserve it, but...

Gary was a brat. An entitled little brat who thinks he's better than everyone, and is butthurt
that Goh caught up to his level when he was 3 years younger.

Yet, that brattiness had layers. Not that Goh would need a major in psychology to deduce
that, but still. He wasn't entirely a brat, Goh had to give him credit for that.

He wasn't a bad person at heart either. Just hurt. Deeply. Goh needed a psychology degree to
even begin going through the shit he's probably feeling right now.

Empty plastic bottles and ornaments littered the floor of the hotel room. Oh my fucking god,
"Gary, the globe is literally for decor, it's not moving for shit." Goh deadpanned, Gary
flinched away from the hologram, a slight blush visible on his face. He cleared his throat as
Goh placed his messenger bag on the loveseat. "Whatever." Gary huffed, a puff of mist
leaving his lips before dissipating.

"...What is it this time?" Goh asked, softer this time. Gary shook his head, "It's nothing, I
don't want to talk about it," to you, goes unsaid. Goh isn't really bothered by his hostile
answer. He knew he deserved it.

"...Goh." "Yeah?" "..."

He doesn't speak for a while, and Goh doesn't try to find an answer, simply relishing the
silence.
 "...Nevermind." Gary finally spoke, Goh sighed, "Take your time, I'll be here when you
decide to open up," Goh complained, "Not like I have a choice when you and the other two
are housed indefinitely at the same place I'm staying." Goh noted sourly. Gary slumped over
the windowsill.

"...Okay." Gary spoke softly, as if a kid was shyly asking for something and was told 'no'.
Goh let his gaze tilt downward scanning the area. "Geez, this place is a mess," Goh
complained, "Room service will be here soon," Gary replied flatly, seemingly uninterested in
creating any banter. Goh had a feeling this would come up much later.

"Goh! Dinner's ready!" Chloe called out, "Oh! Dinner's ready for you too, Gary," she spoke.
"Thanks, I'll be down in a bit." Gary responded nonchalantly, Chloe simply rolled her eyes.
"What a broody guy. Anyway, let's go eat! They made waffles!"

Chapter End Notes

fun fact: i write in public while im going home from school lmao

mb y'all, it's literally finals so like,, I've got some shit to do but i still wanna update so
😭😭😭 ANYWAY I'll prob put this on the backburner for a hot sec and get back to it
on thursday

sorry for that ewe

edit: fixed a typo ewe sorry

 Dump me out like trash, I don't mind.
Chapter Summary

The entire room was silent.

And then there was laughter. Boisterous laughter from Ethan and Hop. Gary, Ash,
and Regina seemed mutually as puzzled as Goh was. Red, Blue, Silver, Eurydice,
and the white haired boy had the decency to hide their laughter.

They were laughing. Was it at him?

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

And so the time eventually came. Goh was honestly a bit nervous, even if he knew what the
verdict would be anyway. Vanitas finally managed to set aside enough time to hold a meeting
with all the divisions, higher ranks like Ethan, Silver, and Hop, and other miscellaneous staff
that Goh had seen every now and then. Blue and Red stood next to Ethan, Eurydice stood
next to Vanitas, and a boy with white. Ethan was acting like he was watching paint dry.
Vanitas seemed extremely irritated. The air felt thick with tension.

"So." Vanitas started, Gary slunked into his seat. "I believe we all know why we're here."
They sighed, "Gary, you were given direct orders not to interfere with the plans in Chloe's
rescue. Do you understand what this means for you?" Gary nodded. "I was willing to sweep
your involvement with prior instances of this under the rug because you are truly a talented
kid, I want to foster that talent, but you are making it incredibly difficult for me to do so
when you are continuously and deliberately putting yourself at risk." Vanitas chided. "I will
give you one more chance. Please take advantage of that." Vanitas sighed. "Yes sir." Gary
answered quietly.

"Ash." Vanitas drawled, Ash flinched, "Kukui and Burnet will be informed of your
involvement with this raid. You will be sent home after we recover the information inside the
base, and once we finish identifying each grunt." Ash nodded, head tilting downward. "I
won't repeat the same information I told Gary, but this is your final warning, do you
understand me?" "Yes miss." Ash replied.

"Goh, Regina." Vanitas massaged their temples as Regina tensed in her seat. "...This is the
first time you two have stepped out of line." Vanitas noted, "Regina, I'll get to your
punishments later, for now, I'd like to focus on the youngest of all of you," Vanitas spoke,
Regina nodded hurriedly. "Goh, you haven't even been employed for a year and you've been
able to accept 267 favors over the course of your employment with only 2 failures to your
name, that's a feat," Vanitas muttered. "You're a very talented and smart individual, Goh. I'm
aware that you were the reason we were able to have a successful raid in the first place, you
disabling the security systems was a large factor at play, however," Vanitas flipped their
notebook to a new page.

"I was also informed you were armed with a gun during this raid." Vanitas looked at him,
pink eyes staring him down. "I'm aware your grandfather was a hunter, and you were only
allowed to keep the pistol, not the rifle. I assume that's the same gun you used." Goh nodded,
"I see," they wrote something in their notebook.

Regina gave him a mournful look, he simply smiled at her. "Well, anyway, your course of
action was, at best, incredibly reckless and at worst, downright senseless. I'm afraid that I'll
have to-" Goh raised his hand. "I'd like to object to that claim." Ethan sat up, suddenly
interested.

"...Alright. You have permission to speak." Goh stood up, "You would've done the exact same
thing if it were Eurydice in danger," Goh accused, making Blue splutter. Gary and Ash gave
him alarmed looks. Vanitas' eyes narrowed down at him. "You claim to want the best for us,
and yet you go and do the exact same things we do. You're constantly at odds with Lance, and
you have no moral defenses." Goh spoke. Vanitas sat up, "I don't care about the punishments,
do what you will, expell me if you want," Goh rolled his shoulders, "But your hypocrisy is
like a slap in the face. You want to foster our talents but won't accommodate what we need
and the things we can't do." Goh breathed, "Vanitas has-" Eurydice spoke, "He's not done,
Eurydice." Silver sighed, "Continue, Goh." Blue urged, Goh nodded appreciatively.

"On several occasions, I was backed into a corner by psychic types, almost leading to injury.
I had one Pokémon." Goh spoke. "That could've been easily avoided if the other divisions
could help. I'm sure they've all experienced at least one favor that had them backed into a
corner. Your separation of the divisions until my employment and affiliations has likely led to
more injury than anything else." Goh sighed. "I understand things happened that led to this
system, but it is only proving to hinder our teamwork, and our relations with one another. I'm
sure if Ash and Gary weren't childhood friends before joining, they wouldn't be friends or
friendly with each other at all. Same for me and Regina." Goh slammed his hands on the
table, "You leave out information from missions, and you expect us to just magically just
know these things. Well, good on you, because of several occasions, Gary and Ash have had
to save me from my favor!" Goh sighed.

"I'm expecting someone like you to protect the children you see us as," Goh spoke before
sitting back down. "That's all."

The entire room was silent.

And then there was laughter. Boisterous laughter from Ethan and Hop. Gary, Ash, and Regina
seemed mutually as puzzled as Goh was. Red, Blue, Silver, Eurydice, and the white haired
boy had the decency to hide their laughter.

They were laughing. Was it at him?

"Oh man, who woulda guessed Vanitas' shit would be flung back at her?" Ethan spoke,
finally calming down from his laughter. "Honestly, I didn't believe her when she said she saw
herself in him, but now I definitely see it," Hop laughed, "Okay, haha," Vanitas laughed
sarcastically, rolling their eyes, "that's enough."

"I see your point, Goh. And I'll make sure to address each and every single one from this
point forward." Vanitas spoke, they seemed a lot calmer, if not amused by his sentiment.
"However, I'd like to ask where you got the idea of expulsion?" Vanitas asked with a smile,
"This isn't a school, you know." Goh didn't even try to verbally answer, he just pointed at
Gary. "Oi! Don't pin the blame on me!" Gary exclaimed. "Oh dear, Gary's spreading rumors
again," Vanitas sighed, "I wasn't!"

"Then what about Quillon and Danika? And that other kid?" Goh asked, Vanitas' eyes
softened. "Danika was arrested by the authorities back in Sinnoh for accidentally bringing in
Pokémon from different regions," Vanitas explained, "She was worried it would negatively
affect us, and more importantly to her—Gary, so she asked to be fired. I remember telling
Gary I fired her, and compared it to someone getting expelled from school." Vanitas
explained.

"Quillon's..." Vanitas sighed, "...I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Goh." Goh's eyes narrowed,
"Gary, please come into my office after this. You need this closure, and it's up to you if you'd
like to tell the others." Vanitas offered. "I apologize for overlooking your thoughts and
feelings on the previous recruits' resignations." Gary remained silent.

"And the last one?" Goh pressed, "...Goh." Vanitas cleared their throat, "Please come by to
my office after Gary. I'll explain everything there." Vanitas offered, "You can't explain it
here?" "It's a personal matter regarding you. It's up to you if you'd like to hear it now, or in
private."

Goh pursed his lips. "...Explain it here and now. Don't lie to me." Vanitas nodded.

"The last recruit's name was Horace, if you remember him, Gary," Vanitas started, and Goh
recoiled. Horace! That's the boy.. he... "...Would you like me to continue, Goh?" Vanitas
asked gently, Goh shook his head. "...I'm fine, thank you. Continue." Goh replied, earning a
few sympathetic looks.

"Horace was born and raised in Johto, his family were on vacation in a villa in Azelea Town,
but he moved to Kanto for work, I believe this may have been a day after you two met."
Vanitas spoke. "He returned to Azelea Town after a week hoping to find you and explain, but
he didn't." They sighed, "He was 10, and pinned the blame on the schedule, but stayed until
Quillon left. Afterward, he requested to resign, and I let him fill out the form." Vanitas
explained. "I'm no longer in contact with him, so unfortunately, I cannot give you a means of
connecting or anything of the sort."

"...I see." Goh gripped the desk. "...Goh..." Regina quietly called. "I.. didn't think I'd ever get
closure about him." Goh murmured. Vanitas stood up, "That's all then. Regina, you will be a
means of support for Chloe as your punishment. Goh, you're under house arrest for the
remainder of the month." Vanitas announced. Goh was a bit miffed, but whatever.

Getting home was easy. Gary, Ash, Regina, and Chloe would just pile into Professor Cerise's
car while Goh went back to his parents apartment via pick-up. A tearful reunion occurred
between the Cerise family, they were extremely glad to have their daughter back.

Goh's mother and father arrived in their own car. "Goh!" Camille called, "Oh thank goodness
you're okay," she sighed. "You seem to be getting into these situations with the law more
often," Walker sighed. "Mrs. and Mr. Kan'nari." Professor Cerise greeted with a smile,
"Professor Cerise," Walker spoke firmly. "Thank you for always looking after my son." Goh
seemed uninterested in the entire ordeal. Gary blinked at him, watching the parents interact.

"Come on, Goh, let's go home." Walker spoke, "Okay." Goh replied flatly. "What about all
your clothes?" Ash chimed, "I-" "We'll let him buy some online." Walker interrupted, Goh
shrugged. "What he said." Gary's eyes narrowed, "Can we visit?" Gary asked with a smile. "I
doubt it," Goh shrugged, Walker gently tugged on his arm. "C'mon, Goh. It's time to go
home." "Bye." Goh waved.

"...That was odd." Ash noted as soon as they left. "It happens, just means he's in trouble. His
parents are really protective of him." Chloe shrugged. "Why?" Ash asked, "He's an only
child," Chloe replied, "And they can't have another, dunno why." Chloe sighed.

"Goh never told you guys, huh?" Chloe asked, Gary and Ash shook their heads. "He doesn't
talk about family a lot." Gary commented, "That's because it's a sore topic for you, idiot,"
Chloe chided. "Goh's got a track record for jumping off the radar. It's almost always
impossible to track him down, except if you bait him." Chloe sighed, "I'm gonna take a shot
in the dark and say he's going off the grid again for a month at minimum." Gary gave her a
pointed look.

"You get used to it." Chloe shrugged, "Now hop in, we're going back to the lab." The three
nodded.
Goh might have gotten used to the rowdy mornings he had to suffer through every morning,
even if a lot of them were more tense leading up to Chloe's kidnapping. It's strange, not
having Gary breathing down his neck watching him cook. It feels almost uncomfortable not
having to dance around Yamper, Pikachu, and Eevee, who would usually be running around
and playing tag by now. It's weird not hearing Chloe or Regina call for him to style their hair
or help them do their makeup. It's even stranger when Goh remembers Ash isn't around to do
the dishes.

It feels...

...

...

...

lonely.

Goh finished making breakfast, four full plates of food ready to be eaten, appetizers and
desserts tailored to fit his friends' personalities ready for their consumption. Except no one
was there to eat them, and Goh simply sat at the table, staring down at his empty plate.

He heard crunching, and an energetic chirp. His gaze shifted to the noise, Rini was happily
eating the plate of food. And then Ralts joined, albeit a bit timidly. Sobble decided to eat as
well, and Rotom... well, the Pokémon's already dug a hole through the helping of rice and
curry. Goh laughed softly. Ah, right. There was at least one thing his parents couldn't take
away.

Retail therapy hasn't been that therapeutic. With the looming threat of Christmas coming up
soon. None of them would be able to arrive unless express shipping was paid. And therefore
the shipping prices were a bit high.

He's never knit in his life, but he's gay, how hard could it be for such an audacious bitch?

Very. Very hard. Goh did not understand what the hell he was doing anymore. You know
what, fuck your granny squares, he's gonna make a pikachu, because its funny and Regina
had accidentally let it slip that a classmate's pikachu was absolutely infatuated with Eevee.
Unsurprisingly, there were far too many tutorials on Youtube for it to even be remotely
reasonable, but whatever. Tis the city of pikachu.
 His Pikachu ended up looking absolutely fucked. one arm was too big, the eyes weren't
symmetrical, but it looked like a Pikachu so he achieved his goal. And honestly, he liked how
ugly it was. He snapped a photo and sent it to Chloe.

🌸Shithead Sakura🌸
[sent a photo]
i spent like 12 hours on this lmao
BRO HE LOOKS FUCKED LMAOOO
:(
WAIT NO IM SORRY
LMFAO HI ASH
wtf how'd you know
bc chloe would've OBVIOUSLY texted me kissy emojis
it was either u or regina, and reg would literally have a breakdown if she went through
someones shit w/o perm
and gary would've sent me the link to highway to hell by ACDC before he would even
CONSIDER responding to my message
iS THAT LIKE A GAY THING
wair sorry
AREBU GAY
yes and yes
OH OK GOOD
wait does rhat mean kiawes gay
idk who kiawe is but probably yes
🤔
Goh just hoped he hadn't unleashed unfiltered chaos upon the laboratory. He probably did,
but he honestly found it funny so Chloe couldn't fault him.

Chapter End Notes

wordcounter.net isn't working so i had to resort to desperate measures (i resorted to

using google docs)

anyway WOOO 50K WORDS! HOLY SHIT MAN I DIDN'T THINK I'D GET THIS
FAR!

I'll try to update daily as usual, but i might miss a day and you'll get double updates (i
hate being a pretentious "smart" student in my school sm omfg its painful)

I'll try to make sure the word count is higher than 2k but no promises, sometimes i have
to cut corners because of how much I've written skufjenfjfr

anyway yea!!
 Quitting Games, Winning Fame
Chapter Summary

Lieutenant Surge was a scary man. Big, buff, and burly. Goh honestly hated those
kinds of guys. They're annoying, have an overblown ego, look down on you, calls
you names— hey, wait a minute, who am I describing here? Gary or Surge?

Chapter Notes

so um.

hi.

it been a while.

I've been really busy recently, and my finals are the week following next week so I've
been focused on that and not the fic. It's extra long to make up for me going missing out
of nowhere lmao

See the end of the chapter for more notes

After his ban on house arrest was lifted, Goh simply carried on with his life as if it had never
happened. There were.. a few instances.. that probably warranted Goh calling the police, but
it's okay. Ash was like a skitty that would get caught in the yarn he was playing with, he
wasn't that scary.

Except for when he snuck in through Goh's bedroom window, like an idiot. Apparently it was
supposed to be 'romantic' because he saw Gary watching Goh's favorite shitty romantic
tragedy series, and the male lead snuck in through the female lead's window. First of all, what
the fuck why would you think that would work? and second of all don't spoil the series, Goh's
not at that episode yet. Anyway, that handsome man got a kiss, all Ash got was a slipper to
the face. So noted: Reality does not imitate fiction.

Originally, Goh wasn't allowed to take favors or be in the organization, but with a bit of
dramatic acting and a bravely and aggressively good imitation of a depressed person, he got
his parents to let him continue his work. Under some specific terms, which Goh was
definitely breaking later not breaking ever.
Gary pulled up into the driveway, the bastard had received a brand new car for christmas
because Blue motherfucking Oak decided the dingy rental his cousin was using for transport
wasn't fashionable enough. Goh made his way down the stairs, bidding the receptionist, who
absolutely hated everyone she met, goodbye, and making his way over to the car.

Goh opened the door to the back, only to be greeted by three pairs of eyes staring back at
him.

"Move over, I'm not getting into shotgun with Gary." "Go fuck yourselves!!"

Today was the day Chloe would be allowed to take Eevee home, since TR decided to fuck
with its DNA and Vanitas had to take the time to thorough check if she was okay or not.

Results are...

...

...

Not the best.

"Eevee is still able to evolve into different Eevee evolutions, however, there are a few
anomalies that have been showing up under my radar, but I can't pinpoint what it is," Vanitas
explained, tapping on their clipboard, "She's okay though, right?" Chloe asked, "More or
less." Vanitas sighed.

"I can't tell if her DNA is more stable than the typical Eevee, or if it's DNA is more unstable,"
Vanitas commented, "Her ability to devolve and evolve at will feels completely random. At
one point during the examinations, she began evolving rapidly, as if she wasn't sure which
one would protect her better." Vanitas stated, "I will note that Eevee seems to have even more
evolutions past the ones we already know."

Goh blinked, stepping forward, "What does that mean?" Goh asked, Vanitas muttered
something in annoyance. Goh isn't familiar what it meant, but he assumed it was something
negative. "It means Eevee's able to evolve into other types. Ones unaccounted for in the
Pokédex." Vanitas clarified, "One I've noted is a dragon type. She evolved into it to fight
against my Altaria, despite the bigger advantage had she just evolved into Sylveon."
"She.. evolved into a completely different Pokémon?" Chloe asked, Vanitas nodded,
"Unfortunately, I cannot find the cause since I do not know the full extent of their
experimentation process. I've named this evolution 'Basileon'," Chloe stared down at Eevee's
Pokéball, scratched up and paint peeling off in some areas, revealing the metal casing
underneath. Her eyes softened. "...Eevee..."

"If it's alright, I'd like for you to write down what typings Eevee evolves into and moves your
Eevee may be able to learn." Vanitas requested, "The move pool doesn't have to be big, just
enough for me to do research on it." Chloe nodded. "Sure. I'll see what I can do."

The car ride was silent, other than the noise of sighs that would occasionally sound out.

"God, this is too tense." Ash commented, the window opening to let some air in, "Don't jump
out the window," Gary responded flatly, making Chloe snort. "Hey, there's a Pokémon
Contest being hosted in Vermillion this week, why don't you and I join?" Regina suggested,
Chloe shrugged, "I mean, I think I should lay off on the contest idea this week. Maybe when
Eevee feels better." Chloe responded. Goh wrapped an arm around her, "Yeah, you might
want to take time off to destress from the whole situation. It's only been a quarter of a month,
even I didn't get Rini to settle down that quickly," Goh shrugged. "Mmh.." Chloe sighed.

"I heard the Queen of Hoenn is attending," Regina spoke, "MAY'S GOING?!" Ash and Gary
yelled, the latter hitting the breaks so hard you'd thought they would've been launched out the
window. Thank god they were on the side of the road now. "U-uhm.. Yeah..?" Regina
responded, both terrified and amused. "Wait wait wait, who else is going?" Gary questioned,
turning to Ash, "I know Dawn and Serena are going, but-" "DAWN'S GOING?!" Chloe
exclaimed.

Oh boy.

"Eh- Yeah? What about it..?" Ash asked, "Nothing!" Chloe cleared her throat. "She has a
crush on Dawn." Goh responded, Regina nodded for verification. "Do not!" Chloe responded.
"I'm just a fan!" Goh rolled his eyes, "I don't think most fans have sobbed over not having a
girlfriend that looks like Dawn," Regina noted, "Regina, be quiet, you cried over Killua not
being real when we were ten." She flushed, "Hey, at least I've grown out of it!" "You bought
seven HunterXHunter figurines during christmas!" "They were of Kurapika and they were on
sale!" "Oh it was a different character, big deal!"

The rest of the car ride was noisy, filled with banter. They ended up going to a Café to talk
for a while after a bit of driving, stopping at one of Regina's favorite coffee shops.

"Hey, Goh, do you ever plan on moving back to the lab?" Gary asked, "Aww, do you miss
me?" Goh cooed, making Gary snort. "Missed your cooking, definitely. I don't like eating
Regina's undercooked pasta noodles every morning." Regina pouted, but didn't offer any
protest. Goh hummed, "Doubt it. My parents have me grounded right now."
"Your parents actually ground you?" Ash asked, Goh nodded, "Though they can't really
enforce rules when they're never home anyway." Goh commented. "Can't relate," Gary
responded, "That's because your father left to get milk, and your mom's an abusive asshole,
Gar," Ash remarked. Regina choked on her boba, Chloe had the decency to hide her laughter,
and Goh simply looked away and pretended he didn't find that funny, despite him absolutely
shaking with laughter.

A ping sounded from Ash's phone, and the boy pulled it out to check who had texted him.
"...Huh." Ash said, completely devoid of any particular emotion. "What is it?" Gary asked,
"A friend is coming to see me." Ash blurted. "Which ones? Iris? Cilan? Serena? Clemont?
Bonnie?" Gary asked, naming one after the other. Ash shook his head, "Fuck, okay, wait, let
me guess." Gary spoke, fixing his posture. "Paul? May? Dawn?" "No, what? Paul's not my f-
" "Reggie? Brock? Misty? Erika? Apsephion?" "Not- They're from Alola, Gar." "Nanu?
Ilima? Acerola?" "No?? Gar-" "Blue? Red? Yellow? Lana? Sophocles? Lillie? Kiawe?
Mallow?"

Geez, why did Ash have so many friends?

"He's right outside, Gar." Ash sighed, the three turned to look, seeing a particularly handsome
guy taking off his helmet and putting it onto his dirtbike, an Umbreon tailing him. "Oh.
Him." Gary deflated, Chloe and Goh shot him concerned looks. Ash snorted. "He's not a bad
person," Ash dismissed, "Gary's just a bit dramatic."

The blonde walked in, Pokémon in tow, and Ash waved him over. "Ash." He spoke, and
Goh's pretty sure he just found another type he was weak to. Call him an grass type because
he's too weak to handle these hot men. "Hi Gladion! I didn't know you'd be in Kanto," Ash
smiled.

Gladion nodded, "May I?" Ash gave him the go ahead, and Gladion took a seat. "Why are
you here?" Gary asked, Gladion blinked at him before his eyes sharpened. "I'm simply
checking in on Ash, you're not exactly someone I trust him with." Gladion responded, "Is that
so? Even with your past?" Gary jabbed, Gladion's eyes grew colder. "Well, I believe I've done
excellently so far." Gary smiled, tension building.

"Hey, if you're both going to fight over Ash, at least do it in private, you're embarrassing
yourselves." Chloe commented, making Regina snicker. Goh took a sip of his tea to calm his
soul. He was not about to laugh at someone as terrifying as Gladion. The two quickly broke
eye contact, Gary huffing as he turned away. "...Who are these two girls with you?" Gladion
asked, "Gladion, that's Regina." Ash deadpanned. "The black haired one and the sassy one,"
Gladion clarified.

"I'm Chloe Cerise, and that loser is-.. Uh.." Chloe started, trailing off when she looked over at
Goh who looked like he'd just been told the best pick up line of his life. "Ah, I'm sorry, my
name's Goh," Goh finally spoke, "Oh, the Galar Division? I thought you'd be.." "I'm a guy."
Goh confirmed. Gladion blinked, "Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean to misgender you."
Gladion cleared his throat, looking away in embarrassment. Cute.
"It's fine, I don't really care," Goh dismissed, "I crossdress frequently so I'm used to it," Goh
assured. Gladion nodded, the boy doing a once-over at Gary. The brunette simply looked
away. "If I may ask, what you do is called drag, correct?" Gladion asked, "Ah, no, drag is a
fashion style, typically it's flamboyant and eye-catching. Cross dressing is simply wearing
something that's opposite of your gender." Goh responded.

"Trans people can crossdress too," Chloe added, entirely unprompted, "Wearing the opposite
gender clothing than that they identify as. Like a transwoman wearing boyish clothes," Chloe
spoke, tone flat. "Which kind of makes no sense when you break down the whole 'clothes
have gender' thing," Goh noted, "But it's the world we live in, you make the rules, we break
'em." Goh shrugged. Gladion nodded, he seemed happy with that answer.

"...Goh, do you have a sister?" He asked. Goh looked away faster, breathing deeply as he
stared into Chloe's soul. The girl was desperately trying to hide her laughter in her drink.
"Why would you ask that?" Ash inquired, "Lillie follows a girl named Kou online. She gives
tips on beauty products and such," Gladion explained, "You two look very similar, I thought
I'd ask. My apologies if I've overstepped a boundary." Goh cleared his throat.

"No." Goh answered honestly. Chloe turned away even more. "I'm an only child." Goh added.
"I see.." Gladion hummed. "Must be a doppelganger..." Gladion muttered. Oh geez, this guy
gets up to some weird conspiracies quick doesn't he? He's like Raihan, except too formal.

"Can we go now?" Gary questioned, irate, he seemed to have finished his drink in the short
time Gladion's been around, "You're the driver, babe, I literally do not care." Goh responded,
a little too reflexively. "Well, we're leaving." Gary responded. "Eh? But Gladion just got
here?" Ash protested, "You can have him drive you back, then." Gary huffed, storming off.

"Well, I'll be calling a cab to my place," Goh commented, "You girls should go on ahead
before Gary ditches you." Goh teased, Regina jumped up, immediately running after Gary.
Chloe stayed a little longer, drinking her matcha. "You should come too. I'll ask Dad to drive
you home." Chloe invited. It wasn't an invitation, Goh knew that much. Goh nodded.

"I'll take Ash to where he needs to be." Gladion spoke, "Thanks," Goh smiled, "Please excuse
us." Goh bowed before heading out, Chloe did a half hearted bow and then followed after
him.

"Ash is staying with Gladion." Gary spoke flatly. "Yup. Gladion said he'll drive Ash home."
Goh responded, clipping on his seatbelt. Gary sighed, pulling out of the parking lot.

"You don't trust Gladion." Chloe spoke, nearly giving Goh whiplash. "Of course I don't,"
Gary shot back, irritated. "I could see that plain as day, Gary, I was talking to Goh." Chloe
snapped. Goh sighed, "You were basically telling me to ditch you and Ash alone with him,"
Chloe pointed out, "Yeah. I don't trust him with you, what of it?" Goh asked, as if Chloe had
just asked him if he was making waffles at 7pm. "Why?" "Is it weird for me not to trust
strangers alone with the girl who got kidnapped?" "I-.." Chloe went silent.

Goh sighed.

"...Sorry. Just tense." Goh apologized half heartedly. "I know." Chloe responded, turning
away.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and a little tense. Gary didn't complain about driving like he
did earlier, his head seemed to be somewhere else right now. They pulled into the driveway
of the Cerise Laboratory.

"Goh! Good evening!" Chrysa cheerful smiled, "Good evening, Chrysa." Goh smiled back,
tension bleeding out from his shoulders. "Have you all had dinner?" Professor Cerise asked.
"No, I'll have some at home." Chloe responded. "You're walking home?" Ren asked, "Chloe."
Professor Cerise chided. "Ugh, fine, I'll be in the library." Chloe grumbled, storming off into
the library and slamming the door shut.

"Did something happen?" Chrysa asked quietly, "I said something I shouldn't have." Goh
responded with a sigh, following after her and almost grasping the door knob.

Apologizing now will only lead to a fight. I should go do something else.

Goh sighed, walking off to go bother Gary and Regina, or find something to do with his time.

Regina seemed to be busy trying to haggle HunterXHunter figurines online, and trying to
find Kurapika fanfictions that were any good that she hadn't already read. Goh spent a solid 3
seconds in that room. Any more and he'd drown in pick me girl vibes.

Goh grasped at the handle to Gary's door. He could hear soft sighs inside. It'd probably be
better to leave it alone, let Ash handle it. But against his better judgement, he decided to go
in.

The door creaked open, making Gary jump. "Gary?" Goh called out softly. "What do you
want?" Gary asked, voice quiet. Goh closed the door, the room shrouded in darkness, minus
the dim light coming from outside. "...Are you feeling okay?" Goh asked. Gary sighed. Goh
reached for the light switch, "Don't turn on the light." Gary spoke.

Don't see me.

Goh pulled his hand back. "Do you want to talk?" Goh asked. Gary huffed, a bitter laugh
leaving him. "It's stupid. You wouldn't get it." Gary grumbled, "I don't have to." Goh spoke.
Gary sighed, falling back onto the bed. "...I hate being trans." He spoke. "Mm." Goh
hummed, sitting down on the bed. It dipped under his weight. "...Nothing wrong with it, I just
wish I wasn't. Maybe then I'd.." Gary trailed off. "Maybe then she wouldn't hate me." Gary
breathed.

"Maybe if I was like you, I'd be happier." Gary sighed, "If I didn't care about clothes, or
gender, or-" Gary huffed. "This is stupid. Don't you have anything better to do?" Gary
questioned. "Not really." Goh answered, laying down next to him. "I didn't say you could lay
down." "I've shared a bed with Chloe, Regina, even Ash, big deal, I'm sharing it with you."
Goh spoke flatly.

Gary huffed, stuffing his face into a pillow.

"Even if you were born a guy like me, the story would still end up the same, with a few minor
changes in detail." Goh spoke, "It's like... If you used a pink lego instead of a blue lego when
making a wall. They have the same structural integrity, it's just different colors." Goh
explained. "None of what you experienced is your fault. You're a kid, we all are."

Gary sighed, relaxing. "I can see why people forget you're a kid." Gary commented, Goh
snorted. "Wise words, and a tall frame?" Goh asked, Gary turned to look at him, "..Yeah."
Gary spoke with a shrug, Goh smiled. "You're pretty grown up too," Goh spoke, "Just on the
shorter side." "Go fuck yourself, Goh."

Goh isn't sure if he should say anything more afterward, there's something in the air that Goh
can't pinpoint to talk about. He's a little worried about it, honestly.

"Can I tell you something I'm not allowed to tell Ash?" Gary asked, Goh blinked. "Sure."
"Promise you won't tell anyone else?" Gary asked, "Promise," Goh swore.

"...I kinda wanna kill myself right now." Gary mumbled. Goh snorted, "Chloe used to tell me
that means sharpedo week's coming for you," Goh cooed. Gary rolled his eyes, "Lame. I call
it the monthly depression saga." Goh snickered, "Is the story any good?" "Usually it's a repeat
of the same plot, just has the protagonist be pathetic and sad." Gary commented. "Aww, is
there a male lead that does everything for the FL?" Goh asked, making Gary laugh, "Hell
no!" "Boo.. nothing like my favorite tragi-rom series." Goh pouted, "Your shitty tragedy
romance series is probably airing right now." Gary teased.

"Eh, I'll watch it online. I think I have a great tragic-romance right in front of me." Goh
cooed, "Pff, never flirt with me ever again, you're such a loser." Gary rolled his eyes. "Mhm.
The worst playboy you've ever met." Goh nodded. "I'd say you're mid." "Hey, that hurts."
"It's supposed to, idiot."
Goh isn't sure when he fell asleep. It's nearly midnight, and he's being nudged awake by
Rotom. It's a phone call from his mom, several ones missed from his dad.

"Hello?" Goh answered, "Where are you?!" Camille questioned. Goh bit his tongue, almost
saying 'home' out of pure reflex. "Professor Cerise's lab. I fell asleep while working on
something." Goh responded. Camille sighed, "Goh..." "I'm going to battle Lieutenant Surge
tomorrow morning. It'll save on time if I'm here." Goh bit out.

He heard her sigh again, a dull throb in his head. "Okay, just be safe. I don't want you
wandering off into dangerous territory." Camille warned. "Okay. Night." Goh sighed.
"Goodnight, Goh. I'm sorry for disturbing y—" Click!

...

...

...

Goh's throat felt dry.

He peered over at Gary, who was sound asleep, buried under the covers. His mouth twitched
into a smile before he headed off to the kitchen to grab himself a drink.

Goh filled the cup with cooled water from the watercooler. He's pretty sure he could make a
joke about that here, but he's completely run dry. He took a small sip, taking in the view of
the sky. It's void of the stars and the moon. Tonight was a new moon, if he remembered
correctly.

The cup slipped from his hand, ricocheting off the counter and crashing loudly into the
ground below. Goh cursed himself quietly, picking up the big shards as carefully as he could
before trying to find the broom. A pale hand grasped it, offering it out to him. Royal blue
eyes stared into the pond, as if watching her reflection and waiting to strike.

"...Thanks." Goh spoke, taking the broom. Regina smiled, "You're welcome, Goh." She spoke
softly. Goh quietly swept the broken glass shards into the dustpan before dumping it into the
bin. Regina watched quietly. "There's no moon or stars tonight." Regina noted. "No sun,
either." She added.

"Only the sky," Goh spoke, putting down the broom and dustpan. "And the clouds tonight."
Regina finished.
Regina was never good with people. She had a streak like the rest of them. Chloe would
accidentally piss off Pokémon during her fieldwork, Goh would make weird contraptions that
probably should be under legal control, Gary put himself in imminent danger, and Ash would
break the law. But unlike them, she wasn't in danger, she was dangerous.

But it's easier when your words are up for interpretation, she found. If they were poetic, no
one could fault you for the words you spoke, not if they couldn't make sense of it all.

"Regina, I..." Regina sighed, letting her shoulders droop. "I know, Goh." She stepped
forward, and then another, until she stood in front of him, a hand finding purchase on his
shoulder as she let the other simply hang. "When water meets the ground, it creates mud. It's
messy, it's dirty, it's fun. When water meets the grass, it hydrates. It creates flowers, sprouts
foliage from seeds sown by farmers, creating fruits from the labor. When the pond creates a
stream, the trees no longer protect it." Regina breathed, "It's cruel to hope you would always
be next to me."

"Water flows." Regina spoke. "You cannot keep it in your hands, no matter how much you
try."

Goh sighed, "I'm not moving. I'm not creating a river."

"The pond will always be there, even when the water has dried up."

"When all that's left is a husk, is it still you?"

"...Regina..." Goh softly sighed. "The clouds bear witness to the pond's quandary. Yet does
nothing to help him." Regina spoke bitterly, "Because the clouds cannot interfere with the
sky." Goh breathed. "The clouds can only watch bitterly from afar, she cannot cry to save
him."

Regina sighed softly. "If only she were not a cloud, but a river." "When the rain falls, where
does the cloud go?" he asked softly, "...Back into the sea," she answered quietly, "Where
you'll meet me."

Goh isn't even surprised he found Gary sitting up, staring blankly at the ever fading glow in
the dark moon. It wasn't noticeable unless there was a new moon, since Goh had gotten the
sticker as a gift and didn't read the disclaimers properly.
"What happened?" Goh asked, "Woke up from the glass shattering." Gary responded, making
Goh cringe. Gary turned to look at him, giving him a half-hearted once over, "Are you okay?"
Gary asked, Goh shook his head. "I'm fine, cleaned up the mess already. Just got caught up
with Regina." Goh dismissively waved. "What'd she say?" Gary asked, settling back into bed
as Goh climbed in. "Something about only being a bystander and how I'm gonna leave
eventually," Goh responded, rolling on the bed. Umbreon made a trill of annoyance at the
noise before returning to her sleep at the windowsill.

"She told you that straight up?" Gary asked, making Goh snort. "We're talking about Regina,
Gary, she's not saying shit if it's not in riddles." Gary sighed. "You have a point... Do you
want me to drive you to the gym tomorrow?" "I'll be fine, but if you want to, I won't stop
you." Gary hummed.

"Mmh. Okay."

"Morning, Goh." Ash greeted, a little less energetic than usual. "Morning, Ash. Did you sleep
well?" Ash shook his head, "Not really, I'd say." He gave a dry laugh, "I've been feeling like
something's been watching me while I sleep. It feels..." Ash shuddered. "Mm." Goh nodded,
stirring the chicken into the sauce. Practically basting it. "What are you making?" "Sweet and
spicy chicken." Goh replied.

"Ooh! You've never made that for us before! Usually you make curry, or stew." Ash
commented, "How was your date with Gladion?" Goh asked, making him sputter. "Date?! I-it
was just us hanging out!" Ash exclaimed, "Didn't feel like it." Goh commented. "Ash went
out on a date?" Regina asked, instigating. "Ash went out on a date?!" Chloe repeated, but
louder. Goh pursed his lips, the corners twitching upwards into a smile. "You two little
twerps-!" Ash grinded out, "Hot spatula," Goh reminded with a smile. The girls laughed
cheerfully as they settled into the dinner table in their uniforms.

"Can you all shut the fuck up?" Gary groaned, crawling out of the cocoon that Goh had
wrapped the older boy in earlier. "Gary!" Ash yelped. "What part of 'shut up' did you miss?"
Gary questioned grumpily, "Good morning, little prince, had a good night's sleep?" Goh
cooed teasingly, Gary rolled his eyes as he got up from the floor. "Other than having to stifle
my urge to throttle you in your sleep? Good." Gary replied. Goh hummed, "I make a warm
body pillow, though," "You wrapped me in so many layers of blankets, I thought they put me
back into the psych ward."
"Hey, Goh! You got a minute?" Ash grinned, Goh blinked. "..Sure? What'd you got for me?"
Ash smiled, gesturing to Rini and Riolu, who were eating their food next to each other. Rini
kicked her feet as she chatted, and Riolu simply nodded along. "Battle with me?" Gary
sighed, ready to remind Ash about Goh's match with Lt. Surge. "Just one on one! Riolu
versus Rini!" Ash pleaded, "Why are you so insistent on this?" Goh asked with a sigh, "Riolu
hasn't seen Rini in a while, and we've both gotten a lot stronger, especially when you were
grounded," Ash responded, "What's better than a battle to sort out your feelings?" Ash asked
rhetorically. Goh sighed, "Alright, fine.." Ash cheered.

"Rini," Goh called, the bunny hopped onto her feet, and bounced over to him, clucking
curiously. "Riolu, you too!" Ash called. Pikachu's ear twitched, looking over at Ash,
Umbreon purred, insisting he stay in the bed and cuddle for a little longer. Pikachu relented to
her command, despite his curiosity.

"Alright! Riolu, I choose you!" Ash called out, Riolu entered the battlefield, a determined
look in his eye. "Rini, you're up! Take charge!" Goh exclaimed. Rini hopped into action.

"Take it easy on him, Ashy," Gary called, "He's got an important match!" Ash nodded, "It's
fine, we can just drop by the Pokémon Center," Goh assured. "And who's driving you
there..?" Gary sweatdropped.

"Vacuum Wave!" Ash called out, "High Jump Kick!" Goh responded. Both Pokémon reacted
quickly, Rini dodged the first vacuum wave, grazed by a second one, and missed Riolu by a
hair. Rini growled lowly.

"Vacuum wave, one more time!" "Blaze Kick!"

Rini made quick work with her feet, slamming down a powerful kick and breaking the floor
underneath Riolu, launching him into the sky. Riolu panicked, his attack intercepted and
fading out as Rini jumped up to his level and slammed another fiery kick onto his head,
slamming him into the floor.

Riolu got back up, with a bit of struggle. Rini landed on her feet, playfully taunting him.

"We've still got a shot! Force Palm!" Ash called out, "Match it up! Use Blaze Kick!" Goh
instructed.

Riolu charged towards Rini, the bunny hopped on her feet, almost mimicking a breakdance,
as they caught on fire, the attacks connected at point blank, sending both of them flying off in
opposite directions.

Rini hopped back up, ready for another attack, only for it to never come. Riolu had fainted.

"Nicely done, Rini!" Goh cheered. The bunny chittered, a white light engulfing her figure,
almost blinding everyone.
"Eh?" "No way.."

Where Rini, the white bunny with a heart shaped bandage on her nose, had stood was now a
grey rabbit wearing a black and white hoodie, with a yellow headband.

"Raboot has been registered to your Pokédex!" Goh's phone supplied helpfully. Goh yelped,
grabbing the device and looking at it's entries.

Rini still looked slightly different from the Raboot in the photo. The yellow fur at the top of
her head swirled into a heart shape, instead of the normal straight almost headband looking
tuft like in the picture. "Nice! Rini evolved!" Ash cheered. Riolu walked over to her, curious,
and a bit wobbly. Rini held him up when he nearly toppled over, patting his head before
setting him down. "Sweet!" Goh cheered. "Rini, wanna take a photo?" he asked, the rabbit
spared him a glance before curtly looking away and walking off.

The three boys, along with Riolu who was watching, blinked at her figure heading back to the
Cerise Laboratory.

"Well, I guess I should've expected that. She never liked photos." Goh shrugged. "Alright,
well, go round up your Pokémon, we've got a Gym to conquer." Gary said as he stretched.
"You're watching?" Goh asked, Gary nodded. "Hurry up."

Gary, as he promised, drove Goh to Vermillion City Gym. Ash had set off to finish hounding
up all the Alolan Pokémon left in the region as residue of Team Rocket's meddling. Regina
and Chloe had school, because they always do. Honestly, all those two need is a girl color
coded as green and they'd be the Powerpuff Girls. Some really mentally ill Powerpuff Girls,
but hey, maybe it's an alternate universe or something.

Gary parked the car just outside of Vermillion Gym, helping Goh out of the car as if he was a
delicate damsel.

"Have you met Lt. Surge before?" Gary asked, twirling the keys in his hand. "Of course, I've
lived here my whole life," Goh deadpanned. "I was just asking, geez.." Gary grumbled,
clipping the car keys to the belt loop of his jeans, "What's he like?" Gary inquired, "A little
bit of a hothead, but he was a good guy, in my opinion at least." Goh shrugged. "I heard he
was a bit racist, and involved with some Team Rocket stuff." "I know. There's a petition for
Visquez to replace him." Goh commented.

"Who's Visquez?" The brunette inquired, "One of Lieutenant's trainees. She's really scary
looking, but she's a big teddy bear. Everyone loves her." Goh replied, "I think she's Galarian?
I'm not sure."
"Kou!" A absolutely jacked white haired unit of a woman ran towards them both, Gary
prepared to die, but Goh simply waved. "Hi Visquez," She grinned. "I don't think we had
another machine breakdown recently," She commented. Goh nodded, surveying the area. It
didn't look that different from when he first visited back then. "You didn't. I'm here to
challenge Lieutenant." He replied. "Machine breakdown?" Gary asked, curiously.

"Kou's older brother runs a mech shop online, and gives tips on how to save machines,"
Visquez replied, "I accidentally broke one of the machines running the Gym, and she came
right over to help us out before he found out," She laughed heartily. "You really saved my
skin back then! Thanks for that," she grinned. "No problem, Lieutenant's scary when he's
mad." Goh replied with a light laugh.

"Oh, right! Enough chatting! You're probably ecstatic to be battling Surge, huh?" Goh
cracked a smile, "I'm ready to get a shocking victory," Gary groaned. "Stop with the puns, I'm
dying," he complained. Visquez laughed boisterously.

"Your boyfriend?" The two boys sputtered, "Hell no!" Came their reply, only egging Visquez
on to tease them more. "Aww, c'mon, Kou! You're already at the age where love's in the air,
and girls are getting asked out—" "Where's Lieutenant Surge? I want to get this over with."
Goh intercepted her teasing comment, making her pout. "Alright, alright. Let's go! I wanna
see you kick Surge's ass!" Goh grinned, "I'll do my best."

"Does she have a lisp?" Gary asked quietly, "Huh?" Goh supplied extremely helpfully. "She
kept calling you Kou," Gary noted, "Oh, no, I told her to pronounce it like that." Goh
responded, and just didn't elaborate.

Lieutenant Surge was a scary man. Big, buff, and burly. Goh honestly hated those kinds of
guys. They're annoying, have an overblown ego, look down on you, calls you names— hey,
wait a minute, who am I describing here? Gary or Surge?

Goh shook his head at the prospect. Goh gave Gary a pass because honestly he found it
hilarious that a tiny guy looked down on him. Maybe Goh just didn't like muscles. And yeah,
Surge got better but it certainly wasn't a lot. Maybe it was Goh's prejudice.

"You alright, Kou?" Visquez asked, "I'm okay," Goh replied, his voice pitching up reflexively.
Gary gave him a weird look, while Goh returned it with a 'say nothing and i will give you
half my pay'. "No need to be so worried, Champ! You'll do great!" She assured, Goh nodded
with a shy smile. "Thanks, Visquez."
"Lieutenant!" Visquez called out, "What is it, Soldier?" Surge's voice boomed, Gary
squeaked, Goh simply smiled as he waved. "Oh, it's you. Did one of our machines need
maintenance?" Surge asked, his voice piping down. Goh shook his head, "I'm here to
challenge you to a Pokémon Battle." Goh replied. Surge gave Visquez a look, she simply
shrugged.

"I'm supposed to be training the soldiers today," Surge commented offhandedly, "But I'll
leave it to you then, Visquez." The woman gave him a salute with the signature 'Sir, yes sir!'
response before heading off to command the trainees. "I'm surprised, your parents always
said you weren't interested in Pokémon." Surge spoke, uncharacteristically calm. "Tides
change in the waters," Goh shrugged, "Sometimes the mud changes the route of the river."

Lieutenant gave a boisterous laugh. "There's the typical Kou we know! The puny little brat
with words that'll leave ya reelin'!" Goh blushed, "I—It wasn't that impressive-" Surge shook
his head. "Whatever, whatever! Let's get this battle started, you chatted enough with
Visquez." Goh headed to the opposing area of the battlefield, Surge mimicked him. Gary got
up onto the bleachers to watch, filming with his Rotom Phone.

Lieutenant Surge has challenged Goh to a battle!

"Just 'cause you saved us half a million dollars doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!" Surge's
voice boomed, almost making Gary drop his phone. Goh nodded. "I wasn't expecting you
to!" Goh replied.

"Voltorb! You're up!" "Rini! Take charge!"

Both Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, Rini huffed, eyeing her surroundings intently.
Voltorb grinned at her.

"Light Screen!" Goh's eyes narrowed. A set-up? Well, too bad.

"Rini, Double Kick!" Goh instructed, Surge gave him a smirk. "Shock Wave!" Rini jumped
into the air, deliberately ignoring Goh's orders and using Mud Shot instead.

The attack struck, but Rini remained unscathed, simply brushing away the attack. Surge
huffed. "I see how it is..." He smirked, "I should've known you'd bring a ground type, is that
what the whole mud spiel was about?" No, not really, but whatever floats your boat.

"Alright then," Surge recalled his Voltorb, switching out into Electivire. "Let's see how you
handle this!" He grinned.

"Rini, Mud Shot!" Rini swiftly moved towards Electivire, shooting mud right into his eyes,
the Pokémon let out a growl of pain. "Blaze Kick!" Rini danced slightly, before kicking
Electivire where his loins would be, making every guy in the vicinity wince in pain. Except
Gary, he just turned away, pained at the idea.

Electivire growled as it got back up, it's twin tails grabbed Rini, who resisted and cried out.
"Iron Tail!" Surge called out. Goh reached for his Pokéball, "Rini, return!"

The bunny narrowly avoided the attack, putting Goh in a tight spot. None of his other
Pokémon could handle this right now. And then it clicked.

"Rotom, you're up!" The Pokémon buzzed excitedly, zipping around the arena and greeting
both Goh and Gary. "Oh? And what do you plan on doing with that little thing?" Surge
mocked, Goh's eye twitched. "Watch me."

Rotom buzzed. "Rotom, use Electro Ball!" Goh called out. "Goh! Don't you'll—!" Gary
called out. The small Pokémon chittered, before a large ball of electricity expanded above
Rotom, and then hit Electivire.

Electivire's speed increased exponentially!

Rotom chittered even more. "Hah! Do you even know what you're doing anymore?!" Surge
laughed, "Electivire, use Fire Punch!" Rotom dodged easily, "Rotom, volt switch!" The small
Pokémon charged forward, hitting Electivire in the face before returning to his Pokéball.

"What are you doing..?!" Gary cried.

Electivire's speed increased!

"Ralts, take field!" Surge rolled his eyes, "Another baby? Seriously?" Goh simply smiled at
him. "In that case, Thunder Punch!" Surge yelled. Ralts took the hit in the face. Goh grinned.

Ralts' speed increased!

"Trick Room!" Goh called out. Surge's eyes widened. "You little—!" Ralts returned to her
Pokéball, and Rini hopped on field in quick succession.

"Mud Shot!" Goh instructed. Rini bounced the ball of dirt between her paws before kicking it
as hard as she could into Electivire's face. Goh cheered. Gary breathed a sigh of relief.
 Electivire fainted!

"Now that's a game of chance," Goh grinned.

The rest of the match wasn't too note worthy, other than Rini almost getting incinerated by
Voltorb's self destruct.

"I guess I shouldn't have let my guard down," Surge sighed. "You really shouldn't," Goh put a
hand on his hip, "You never know when another puny twerp will come and beat your ass
black and blue." Goh joked. The Lieutenant laughed as Gary approached them both. "Well,
you've definitely proved yourself worthy! Here's the Thunder Badge." Surge handed him the
badge, a simple gold thunderbolt enamel pin.

"And that's the third badge under my belt!" Goh grinned, "It's still in your hand," Gary
commented slyly, "Now who's making puns?" Goh deadpanned. The brunette shrugged, a
smug grin on his face. Ralts, Rotom, and Rini chittered amongst themselves, and Goh knelt
down to show them the fruits of their efforts. Ralts seemed enamored by the pin, while Rini
and Rotom could honestly care less.

Goh pocketed the small badge, returning his Pokémon into their Pokéballs.

"I'm guessing you don't want the TM?" Surge inquired, Goh shook his head, "No thanks," he
sighed. "I've never understood how the kids your age have Pokémon that know TM moves
without beating any gyms," Surge complained, "Even my daughter said I don't need to give
them out any more." Goh offered an awkward smile before shoving Gary out the door. "Uhh-
yeah! Well! We'll be going now! Thanks for the match! It was fun!" Goh slammed the door
shut, leaving Surge confused.

"...I guess he really didn't want my TM."

Goh breathed a sigh as soon as they reached Gary's car, and Gary slipped into the driver's
seat. "He didn't seem all bad." Gary noted, "He isn't, not anymore at least," Goh sighed. Gary
carefully pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Cerise Laboratory. "You have
anything planned for today?" Goh asked, Gary's grip tightened. "Not really. Just another
 mission favor." Goh glanced at his hands and then leaned back into a sigh. "What about it?"
Goh asked. "I have to pretend to be a girl."

Goh sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I swear to god, I'm gonna kill Vanitas if
I get my hands on her." Gary scoffed, "Stop being dramatic. You wouldn't even be able to get
close enough to strangle them." Goh rolled his eyes. "Figure of speech, Gary," Goh grumbled,
"And I thought you were the one who was born and raised with Galarian as your first
language." Gary felt a vein pop on his forehead. "I was born and raised in Alola! Galarian
and Alolan are completely different!" "Same language!" "They are not!"

Chapter End Notes

my little babies

i will note that the romance between ash and goh in this fic is kinda stale

like week old chips that you put in the fridge because you swear you'll eat it and then
completely forget it exists.

so i might try to build on that lol

unfortunately, that will not be today. or tomorrow.

maybe in the next few weeks lol

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!