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Part 1: A Meeting

It was hard to breathe. That was the first thing he realized before he even opened his eyes and saw the luminous flames surrounding him like bright orange boogeymen. He hacked and coughed as the smoke forced itself into his lungs, fumbling and tumbling out of bed onto the floor, taking his bedsheets down with him. He was simultaneously fully aware of what was going on and confused as to why it was happening. All he knew was that he was scared and that led to the one thing he could think to do while scared. “MOOOM! DAAAAD!” He cried out in between coughing as he crawled along the floor towards the door to his room. It hurt to scream, but he didn’t know what else to do. “MOOOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAAAAD!” He called out longer and harder. It was this time that he heard amongst the loud crackles and blaze that he heard them, his parents calling out for him.

“Piersson!”

“PIERSSON!’

“Piersson!”

The Pichu was jolted awake by a different voice now. He was safe in his bed at the place he now called home: the Cubone’s Hope Orphanage. Piersson rolls over in bed to see the person in charge, the Kangaskhan named Ms. Belle, looking over him. She seemed worried for him in the same way a doting mother would be. “Did you have that nightmare again?” Piersson lies motionless, still a bit shellshocked by his recurring dream. Without him even saying a word, the Kangaskhan seems to pick up on all she needed to know, sitting on the side of the bed, comforting the little mouse in a hug both gentle and firm. “It’s OK. I understand. You’re safe.” She reaffirmed him that everything was going to be OK. “We have fire extinguishers in every hall and our sprinkler system is fully functional. No fire is going to hurt you ever again.” That seemed to do the trick, as Piersson’s breathing calmed down and returned to normal. However, his panic gave way to depression as tears started welling in the little boy’s eyes. He buries his face into Ms. Belle’s body, openly weeping for those ripped away from him. The Kangaskhan pats his back. “You miss them. I know.” She says, to which the Pichu simply nods. “I loved them.” He says. “You love them.” Says the matriarchal marsupial. Piersson nods again. “I loved them.” “No, honey.” Ms. Belle’s tone suddenly changes to the same tone one would expect from a mother giving a life lesson. “You love them. There’s nothing in the past tense about it.” “But my mom and dad-” “Are no longer with us, yes. But that doesn’t change the love you have for them. That’s why it hurts. You have so much love for them but you know you can’t give it to them. That’s called grief, honey. Grief is just the love you never had the chance to give someone.” With that, everything fell silent. Piersson cried out the rest of his tears, letting his love for his parents be known to the world with Ms. Belle sitting by, making sure the Pichu let his emotions out. “There’s no shame in crying.” She says, patting the back of his head. It takes a few minutes, but Piersson eventually stops crying. “Th-Thank you.” He says, his voice muffled by the Kangaskhan’s warm embrace. Once the young mouse was sufficiently calmed, Ms. Belle gets up. “I have things I need to attend to, but don’t be afraid to talk to me if you need it. Morning assembly is in a couple minutes.” With that, the Kangaskhan takes her leave. After taking a few moments to gather his bearings, Piersson got ready, brushing his teeth and washing himself up before stepping out to be present for the head count.

In the gymnasium, everyone was lined up with the orphanage staff calling names and jotting down when someone raised their hand. After everyone was present and accounted for, the morning announcements were underway. However, the rumor mill was already in motion as the children whispered among themselves. Among the multitude of murmurings, Piersson could hear one thing on repeat. “New arrival.”

“We’ve got a new kid.”

“Fresh meat!”

And sure enough-

“Children!” Ms. Belle announces. “We have a new arrival today.” As if on cue, the new kid steps out from behind Ms. Belle. They turned out to be a small Piplup girl. Everyone looked at her, including Piersson. “Would you like to tell everyone your name?” “Parker.” The Piplup responds as she seems to look back at the crowd’s gaze, unflinching. “Everyone say ‘Hi Parker!’.” The Kangaskhan asks of the children, causing a chorus of out of sync, high pitched greetings to the newcomer. “Now I expect you all to treat her with nothing but kindness and respect, OK? I don’t want to hear a peep about her being mistreated by anyone. There will be consequences! Now help Parker feel at home as we go to breakfast. Everyone’s dismissed!”

Piersson carries his food tray through the cafeteria into the outdoor area. He always preferred eating outside to the cramped space of the dining hall. He looks around and sees several of the other kids already playing games or also eating outside. His eyes are drawn towards the new girl when he sees her, being unable to help take some curious glances in her direction. Parker was standing by two other girls, a Snivy and a Torchic. As Piersson draws near, he can overhear their conversation. “Wow, Robbie looks so cute today! Isn’t that right, new girl?”

“......I guess?”

“What do you mean you guess? He’s totally the coolest guy here!”

The Piplup simply shrugs in response. “Ughh, nevermind! Let’s go, Cynthia!” The two other Pokémon walk off, leaving the penguin to herself. Piersson watches as the Piplup stands there, only for her to look in his direction and their gazes to meet. He quickly averts his eyes bashfully. She didn’t think he was staring, did she? “It’s OK, I saw you staring.” Crap. “I, uh… didn’t mean anything by it, I swear!” The Pichu shyly responds, causing the Piplup to chuckle a bit. “I think I just have that effect on people.” She says, going silent for a bit before gesturing for the little mouse to come over. “I don’t bite hard.” Parker promises, causing the Pichu some hesitance. “I’d prefer no biting at all.” “Sorry, it’s part of the contract.” She laughs. She seems like she cracked herself up.

Eventually, Piersson acquiesces and comes over, placing his tray on a nearby picnic table. “So you are?” The Piplup asks. “Piersson.” He gives her his name. “And you?” The penguin looks at Piersson as the gears turn in his head to figure out why what he just asked was a dumb question. “Oh, I’m an idiot.” He facepalms with both hands, causing Parker to laugh. “It’s OK.” She chuckles. “Your brain just shut off for a bit, that’s all.” She looks over his breakfast tray. “Pancakes, huh?” “Yeah!” Piersson seemed happy about that. “They’re pretty good. Much better than the oatmeal.” “What’s wrong with the oatmeal?” Parker inquires, leading to Piersson to respond simply with “It’s boring.” “Well just add some cinnamon and fresh berries and it’ll be a lot better. My mama showed me that one. Well, y’know… before she…” Parker doesn’t need to finish her sentence for Piersson to understand. “We’re all in the same boat.” Piersson reassures her, before cutting off a bit of pancake with his plastic fork and knife and putting it in his mouth. “Are you Alolan by any chance?” She asks. “Why, because I like pancakes?” “Well of course!” “Hey, you don’t need to be an Alolan Raichu to enjoy pancakes!” Piersson smiles. “Besides, I prefer waffles anyway.” “Oh, so you’re definitely not Alolan. I think they can give you the death penalty for saying that.” Parker jokes, causing the both of them to laugh. “Do they even have the death penalty there?” “Well it was a Unovan territory at one point.” Piersson nods. “Right, right.” “Do you have any toys?” The water type asks the electric type. “Oh, I got a couple last year for Arceusmas. I got the new Action Poké Now figure set-” “Action Poke Now!?” Parker’s eyes light up at the mention of that particular toy. “I love that series!” Piersson gasps. “You do?” ”Yeah! I can’t believe you have the playset! That’s so cool!” Piersson and Parker were like kids in a candy shop now. “Can you show me?” “Of course! I can bring them out later today!” It was a simple spark, a shared interest. The shared interest turned into a playdate. The playdate turned into more conversations and those conversations spawned more shared interests which spiderwebbed into tellings of personal stories. Neither of them were aware, but this would end up being one of the most significant interactions either of them would have in their life.

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Part 2: Summer’s End

“C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go before someone spots us!” A Pikachu and a Prinplup sneak out into the dark of the night. These two, of course, were Piersson and Parker. Years had gone by, the pair having now reached those awkward middle-evo years that every child dreams of and every adult is thankful is over. As such, they had been moved into the upper dorms where all the adolescents resided, which proved to be a real paint shaker of pubescent angst and emotions. They were in the middle of sneaking out past curfew to sit at the side of the lake by the orphanage. It was quiet, allowing them some peace of mind and since no one else was around they could talk about whatever they wanted. Once they arrive, they both sit on the edge of the small dock overlooking the water. Upon the pier, Piersson peers out over the moonlit water with Parker. They discuss several things. Being a teenager. How much their tests suck. How much that live action Action Poke Now movie sucked. Eventually though, Parker has an idea to make things a bit spicy. “So here’s a thought: how about we ask some personal questions and the other person has to answer them? No Taurosshit, no backing out, just pouring your heart about it.” Piersson seems a bit doubtful. “Are you sure? You aren’t afraid of me asking something too personal?” “Hey, no need to softball me. Hit me with your hardest hitting question! Besides, since when I have ever been afraid of anything?” The water type states very confidently. This would be a good time for a ribbing, but Piersson genuinely had never known Parker to be scared. Any time they had watched horror movies together proved that considering he was always the one who ended up hiding under the blanket. “Alright. Let’s do this.” He agrees to the rules laid downn making Parker smile. “Tell you what, I’ll give you the first shot. Do your worst!” The Pikachu seems to think on it for a good bit, before a devious smile crosses his face. “Alright. Tell me, Parker… what boys do you have a crush on?”

“Oh, uh…” Parker looks around awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “Well, honestly? I don’t think any of the boys here appeal to me in that way.” She looks at Piersson directly. “Sorry.” Piersson smiles. “Oh no, this isn’t me shooting my shot! I don’t think of you that way, Parks.” “OK, good, good!” Parker relaxes. “Don’t have to let you down gently. But yeah, they just aren’t really my thing.” “I mean… I get it.” Piersson says. “Ever since I got moved to the older boys’ dorm, it’s been very… frat boyish. One guy managed to sneak in a few Playpoké magazines and so many of the others just huddled around him like a herd of Wooloos.” “Pfffft, of course.” Parker laughs at Piersson’s description of the boy’s club mentality his dorm had, before looking a bit bashful. “…can I ask you a favor?” “Of course! What is it?” “Can you… can you perhaps sneak one of those magazines out to me in the girls’ dorm?” Piersson didn’t really seem to understand why she would be interested in such things. “Really? I mean it’s not much. It’s just a bunch of pictures of naked women for guys to gawk at, I’m not sure why a girl would…” Piersson trails off as his brain finally seems to put two and two together. “....OH! OHHH!” Parker can’t help but burst into laughter at her friend’s realization. “HAA! Now you get it!” Piersson looks a bit embarrassed at his own delay in getting the point. “Well I guess I know why I’m the only guy you’ve ever really spent time with.” Parker happily gives him a pat on the back. “Congrats, you’re the chosen one, buddy. The designated male friend every lesbian has.” Piersson chuckles. “Truly it is an honor.”

Now curious, the Pikachu asks another question. “So… how long have you known?” The Prinplup looks towards the sky. “I mean I guess I always had a hunch? It just took until roughly a year ago for it to finally click in my brain. I’ve never really connected with a guy in the same way I do with other girls. It’s funny. So many of the other girls in the dorm would be talking about who the cutest boys are and I’d just be sitting off to the side crushing on them, asking myself which girl I found the hottest.” She leans in and whispers. “It’s Miranda.” “Ooooh.” Piersson gives a thumbs up. Apparently he approved of Parker’s taste in women. He has another question. “Why do you think it took you so many years to realize?” Parker’s answer is rather immediate. “Well aside from the obvious answer of ‘puberty’, you know how it is. When you’re a girl, you’re always told about finding the right guy and having kids and what not. I think for a while I went ‘Well I guess that’s what I need to do.’ and I just didn’t even think that I didn’t have to be like that. I sat so long waiting for it to click, to find this mythical guy who I was supposed to be with. Of course now I know that guy doesn’t exist. Thankfully.” Piersson felt happy for her. “Well it must be exciting to finally realize yourself like that.” “Yeah, but it’s also kind of terrifying.” That response seemed to surprise the electric type. “How so?” “I mean, the world is like what? One third male Pokémon, one third female, one third genderless? That means that like… two thirds of the entire population of the world are already barred off from me romantically, so my dating pool is already short as is. But then you also have to gauge the girls you’re talking to and whether or not they even swing that way. I…” Parker sighs. “I got the wrong signals from this girl I liked here and I thought she was also into girls so I told her how I felt. But she wasn’t into girls. Now she won’t even come near me.” “Ohhh.” Piersson feels a sense of understanding come over him. “I guess I never really thought of that.” “Yeahhhhh. It hurts. Romance is hard. Gay romance is like… expert mode.” The penguin continues. “I mean I found something that’s really helped me recently. You surf the web, right?” Piersson nods. “Yeah, whenever we have time in the computer lab.” “Well then I presume you know what a chatroom is. But I recently found some chatrooms that are full of girls like me and it makes me feel less alone. Maybe that’ll be my ticket to love.” Parker smiles for a bit, but after what appears her thinking about it for a bit.sighs. “If only any of them were actually around here. This place is as straight as an arrow.” And then. “Arceus, I really hope there’s someone out there for me…”

For once in the long time Piersson had known her, Parker seemed uncertain. It felt so bizarre to see her like this, so out of character. Very quickly, though, he felt the need, the urge to help her. After all, what were friends for? “Parker, I can’t pretend to speak from the same position you’re in, but I do know this. Someone out there has to be the one for you because you deserve to be loved. And if Arceus doesn’t think so, I’ll take it up with her myself!” It was a little gesture, but it seemed to help Parker. “I’m glad to know you’d kick Arceus’ ass just to help me score pussy.” She lets out a chuckle. “Hey, I may be an electric type and not a flying type, but I’ll be your wingman any day.” Piersson jokes, causing Parker to laugh more. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll be sure to call on you.” Piersson smiles, satisfied that he managed to assuage her worries at least somewhat. “Well that’s my question.” He says, remembering they were supposed to be playing a game. “What’s yours?” Now it was Parker’s turn to be deep in thought as she tried to come up with something to test Piersson’s own fortitude. Eventually, she comes to her answer… or question, rather.

“What is it you’re most worried about, Piers?” Parker raises an eyebrow. That question seemed to take Piersson by surprise, needing a moment to think it through, but eventually he arrives at his conclusion. “I’m worried about the future.” Piersson continues. “I mean we’ve been here for years now and no one’s adopted us yet. That’s what worries me, because I mean if we don’t get adopted, what happens then? How are we going to survive?”

“We’ll find a way. We always have.” Parker tries to answer Piersson’s worries, but it seemed to have no real effect. “But what if we don’t!?” In his body, Piersson could feel it coming on. He was falling into one of his spirals. It always started with a stray intrusive thought that wouldn’t go away and it grabbed him and wouldn’t let go. “Are we doomed?” He asks, a genuine fear seeping into his voice. It was dragging him down. He was trying to keep his head above the water, but that thought held on and simply refused to let go as it piled into a hurricane of horrible thoughts.

“Piersson.”

“Oh Arceus, Parker, I think we’re doomed. We’re not gonna find a family and we’re gonna be homeless once we get out.”

“Piersson!”

“I- I don’t wanna be like this! I don’t wanna be me! Wh-Why? Why was it me? If only my parents didn’t-”

“PIERSSON!!!”

Parker grabs Piersson by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye as she raises her voice towards him for the first time in… he thinks ever. “Listen to me, Piersson! You are not doomed! You are only doomed the moment you lie down and accept defeat! You are only doomed when you refuse to keep going forward!” In Parker’s eyes, Piersson can see something he’s never seen in her before. She stared into him with an unflinching gaze so unlike her usual joking self that it immediately dawned on him just how genuine she was in this very moment.

“We can’t change our past. But it is never, never too late to change our future.”

It was like the whole world was on mute in that moment, only those words echoing through Piersson’s brain. He was still scared… but when he thought about it? She was right. “Piersson, I promise you this. Either both of us make it out of here or we’re here until we’re both old enough to legally move out on our own. We’ll find a place to stay. We are a team and nothing’s gonna change that. OK?” There’s a heavy lack of noise in the air as Piersson meditates on everything she just said. Eventually, he looks her in the eyes. “OK.” He says, a smile finally returning across his face. Parker was so happy to see that smile as she gives him some final words of comfort.

“We’ll get there. No matter how long it takes.” With no more to say, Parker and Piersson simply embrace each other in silence that speaks louder than words ever could. Parker knew that Piersson needed this, but deep down, she also knew that perhaps they both needed this. Eventually, Piersson does speak. “Thank you Parks. I… I needed that.” She hugs him close. “What are friends for?” They hold each other for a bit longer before breaking it up. “Time to head back?” “Yeah, let’s go. Before we get caught.” The two head back to their dorms through the middle of the night, a new found resolve in their hearts.

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Part 3: Homecoming

“Wake up, little boy!” Without warning, Piersson is awoken when he feels himself getting yoinked out of bed by his now much larger best friend. “Gahhh! G-Good morning, Parker…” He groggily greets her, causing her to laugh. More years had passed since that night at the lake. Ever since she evolved into an Empoleon, she was having way too much fun throwing her extra weight around, clocking in at a startling seven foot seven compared to Piersson’s Raichu form which didn’t even crack the five foot line. “Ready for another day on the job?” “As ready as I’ll ever be…” True to Parker’s words all those years ago, they had left the orphanage together once they were old enough. They had found work as adventurers for a local guild, which basically translated to doing random odd jobs and what not as they were posted on the bulletin board. It wasn’t prestigious, but it paid well enough, gave plenty of opportunities for exploring the world and they provided free food and housing for members. So honestly, it was better than most jobs in existence. Today, looking over their options, they spotted a particularly lucrative job posting, but what caught their eye wasn’t so much what they had to do, but that they recognized where it was at. It was around the same location as Cubone’s Hope Orphanage! “Oh hey!” Parker seems excited. “We could stop by and say hello on the way there!” She proposes, to which Piersson happily agrees. “It’s been a while. I wonder how they’re doing?” So they took up the job, packed their stuff and headed out.

The dynamic duo casually chatted about as they went on their way. As they drew closer to the orphanage, their conversation took the form of discussing what their reunion with their former caretaker would be like. “Arceus, what do you think we’re gonna tell Ms. Belle when we get there?” “I’m not sure, there’s so much to talk about!” “Yeah! Like that one time…” Parker trails off as she stares off into the distance. Piersson looks in the same direction she is and has a dawning realization of horror as he sees it: a column of smoke extending into the sky. No, it couldn’t be, right? Without saying a word, Parker and Piersson take off into a full sprint towards where the smoke was coming from. Once they got there, their worst fears were confirmed. The orphanage was up in flames. They had no idea what could have caused this, but such things were irrelevant to them as they watched in awestruck horror as this place, this place where they had formed so many crucial memories together, was going down in a terrifying blaze. The two look around at all the people also playing spectator to this calamity. A bunch of kids, as well as some adults who were presumably faculty members. They soon realized the one person they didn’t see was-

“Ms. Belle?” One of the kids asks. “Where’s Ms. Belle?” “I think she’s still inside!” Another one replies, nearly breaking into tears. “Hold on, firefighters should be here any moment now!” One of the adults present says. Piersson feels numb. The very thought of being inside that building… and Ms. Belle was trapped in there? His mouth was drier than cotton at the notion. He can only imagine how Parker must be feeling.

Parker?

Parker!?

“WHAT IS SHE DOING!?” Piersson overhears someone shout. He’s afraid he knows what this means and sure enough, he can only catch a brief glimpse but he’s absolutely certain he sees Parker run inside the burning building in some sort of attempt to be a hero. “PARKER!!!” He freezes up. She just… she just… why did she…

His legs quiver like jelly as his brain rushes to process what his best friend of so many years just did. There were so many thoughts racing through his mind right now, but the most prominent one was also the darkest.

Was Parker… was going to… like his parents…

No.

No, he couldn’t.

He couldn’t let her-

Piersson rushes into the burning building, eliciting gasps of shock from the crowd of onlookers. “What is he doing!?” He can hear someone shout as he barges in through the front door. There was something morbidly fitting about the possibility that he was going to die in the very same place he grew up in, but he refused to let Parker meet the same fate. Even then, there was a part of his brain, perhaps some survival instinct ingrained in him, shouting at him for being an idiot and telling him to turn back before the fires took him too. Or maybe it wasn’t a survival instinct, maybe it was the scared child still in him, deep down, somewhere inside his soul. The electric mouse scurries through the hallways of his past, seeing so many places he recognized going up in flames. It felt downright melancholic, watching his youth go up in flames. The fire cared not for the memories of the people who lived their lives here, it simply consumed everything. More kindling to an ever-growing inferno. He has to carry on, however. The people he cared about needed him now. After a while of running, Piersson finally finds Parker. She was holding up a falling support beam as the place threatened to collapse around her, obviously using all her strength to hold up the column. Behind her was the form of someone Piersson didn’t recognize at first until he realized. It was Ms. Belle. She was much older now, showing the visible wear and tear of aging. He hadn’t seen her in so long and yet- “Piersson!” The Raichu is snapped back to reality when he hears Parker calling his name. “Grab Ms. Belle and go! This place isn’t gonna hold long!” Wait, did she mean- “What about you?” Piersson asks worriedly, afraid as to what Parker might be implying. “Just go!” The mouse freezes up for a bit, before a look of determination crosses his face. “No!” “What do you mean no? Don’t get yourself killed!”

“You said it yourself all those years ago Parker! We’re a team and nothing’s gonna change that! Either we both make it out of here or…” Piersson trails off. It was as if he was unable to finish the sentence, implying what would happen if they didn’t make it out. Parker keeps holding up the beam, but eventually a noise comes out of her that Piersson did not expect in this situation: a chuckle. “Piers, you crazy bastard. You really are the best friend I could ask for.” Piersson smiles. “And so are you.” Without another word, Piersson rushes over and grabs the unconscious Ms. Belle before dragging her over to Parker. And just as he does… the support beam Parker was holding up finally gives way.

Onlookers gasp and cry out in terror as the orphanage finally crumbles in on itself, turning into a pile of charred wood. Everyone could only stand in fear and shock, thinking of the people inside. The Raichu. The Empoleon. The Kangaskhan. They had all risked their lives to save someone close to them and now they had paid the ultimate price. What a tragic day for-

“Wait! Something’s moving!”

The crowd is startled to see large clusters of wood fragments budge and wobble, before suddenly being ejected away into the air. It was hard to make out amidst the smoke and rubble, but something was breaking out. Upon closer examination, it appeared to be a combination of torrents of water slicing through the wood and large orbs of lightning acting as a shield against the collapsing structure. It doesn’t take long for everyone gathered to realize that, against all odds, the people trapped inside had survived. Eventually, together, they reach the forefront, where they coukd be seen clearly. The first shape to be identified was Parker. She had a distinctive wound on her face, her beak being especially hit by it. Presumably a piece of shrapnel had cut across her visage. Beneath her, covered in her wings was Piersson. He himself had a large wound on one of his ears, almost like an entire bite had been taken out of one. In between the pair was Ms. Belle, unconscious, but still breathing. Still alive. “We…We did it.” Parker utters, a faint smile on her face. “We saved her.” Piersson similarly mutters, a smile also crossing his face.

And then they both passed out.

All three of them would thankfully be fine after being evacuated to the nearest PokéCenter. The wounds Parker and Piersson had sustained to their beak and ear respectively wouldn’t heal properly, causing scarring, but they survived. Both of them. If you asked them, neither would have survived on their own. But together? They were truly unstoppable.

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Epilogue

Parker sits nervously at a table in a restaurant, checking her phone. She was waiting for someone who was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. “Come on, come on, where are you at?” She mutters to herself. This was supposed to be a big moment but now she was worried. What if it was a prank? Had she been set up? Why would-

“Sorry, sorry, I’m late!” A frantic voice chimes out as a Meganium rushes in, taking a seat at the table across from the penguin. Parker exhales a sigh of relief and finally cracks a smile as she sees the flowery dinosaur, dressed up in a pretty frock and carefully applied makeup for the occasion. “You gonna give a girl a heart attack on the first date?” Parker jokes, letting out a snide snicker at her own comedy. She always cracked herself up.

“Hey, I had to find a place to park!” The Meganium retorts, chuckling a bit herself. “Well May, you’re here and that’s all that matters.” Parker says, looking her lover in the eyes with an expression of warmth and comfort, a feeling the Empoleon herself would readily admit she wasn’t really that good at providing. May smiles back. “It’s all fun and games until you’re late on the next date.” The grass type laughs. Parker smirks. May snarks back. She liked that.

Wait, did she say second date already? Her heart flutters a bit. “It’s so nice to finally get the chance to meet in person.” The penguin says, to which the Meganium happily agrees. “Guess that dating app wasn’t a waste after all.” The two smile at each other. May’s gaze lingers a little longer on Parker’s face, a curious expression on her face. Parker picks up on it rather quickly. “....are you wondering about my scar?” May’s eyes widen. “OH! I didn’t think it was that obvious I was staring at it.” “Iiiiit kinda was.” The Empoleon chuckles, causing May to look a bit embarassed. “It’s not too personal, is it?” “Oh no!” Parker calms her date’s worries. “I’m actually really proud to tell the story. I got it saving my closest friend and the woman in charge of the orphanage I grew up with.” “Wow, really!?” May seems amazed by Parker’s tale of heroics. “That’s so cool! Where are they now?” “Well Ms. Belle, the lady, passed away peacefully in her sleep last year.” Parker recounts with some sadness. “Awww, well at least she went out happy.” Says May, to which Parker nods. “Yeah. She made a real difference in the world. Piersson and I went to her funeral and it was like a school reunion with how many people from the orphanage we recognized there. She meant a lot to a lot of people. I think we can only hope to leave an imprint like she did.” May silently agrees. “And what about Piersson? He’s your best friend, right?” “Absolutely!” Parker beams. “He’s off on his own thing right now. He had some… unfinished business to attend to, shall we say.”

Piersson walks across the grass, carrying two bouquets of flowers. He had been rehearsing what he wanted to say for the entire trip here until it felt like it got across what he wanted to perfectly. He takes a deep breath before setting the flowers down, right in front of two headstones situated side by side.

“Hey Mom, Hey Dad.” He says. “Your… your little boy’s all grown up now. I figured we could have that picnic we were talking about that day. I’m… I’m sorry for not coming here since the funeral, but I just couldn’t… I couldn’t bring myself. The wound was too raw.

But I did it. I survived. I’m happy now. I wish you could’ve been here, of course, but…” Piersson stifles some sobs, a tear rolling down his face. “It’s like a friend of mine said. You can’t change your past. But it’s never too late to change your future. So I’m gonna strive for the best future I can possibly have. I’m sure it’s what you guys would’ve wanted for me.” More tears start to flow freely down his face, but Piersson’s smiling now. “It’s funny. I haven’t had that dream ever since that day at the orphanage. I just… I hope wherever you guys are now, you’re at peace. And I hope to one day see you again and I’ll tell you all about the things I’ve seen, the places I’ve been and all about Parker. I… don’t think I could’ve done any of this without her. She’s the best friend I could have asked for…” It was a strange feeling. He was crying for his parents, but they were tears of joy now. He finally felt… at peace with what had happened to them. His voice cracks with the utterance of four final words.

“I’ll always love you.”