Things were lively in the Durbin house Friday morning. Helga took her kitchen equipment out of one of the moving boxes and made enough pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and juice to feed her family thrice. She poured double portions of Pokemon food with diced berries waiting for Electchu when it came downstairs with Timothy. All the while, Helga was humming an upbeat tune, happier than she felt for the longest time.

As Entalmorfious, Helga, Timothy, and Electchu ate together, Entalmorfious made calls to start his business. Normally, Helga would rebuke Entalmorfious for being on his phone at the dining table, but she let it slide because he had much to do, and she loved that he was so ecstatic. If nothing else, Helga liked seeing her husband behaving like a businessman with his black suit and purple tie. But while Timothy and Electchu ate whatever Helga put in front of them, their minds were on how they would handle going to school after losing their best friends.

Eventually, Entalmorfious looked at the time on the kitchen clock and realized it was past time for Timothy and Electchu to leave for school. He offered Timothy a lift, and Timothy accepted, half-listening. Helga gave her son a long kiss goodbye and kissed Electchu's forehead because she suddenly wanted to. Timothy and Electchu were silent during the drive to Wedgehurst Station and Entalmorfious called one of his fellow junior ad executives via speaker as he drove. The junior executive was as excited as Entalmorfious as they spoke, and they made occasional punches at Larry during their conversation.

Entalmorfious stopped his car on the sidewalk next to Wedgehurst station. Timothy and Electchu looked out their window and didn't see Coovers, Sonia, Oshawott, and Yamper around. Judging by the time, they might've already taken a train to Motostoke. Entalmorfious finished his phone call a few seconds after parking and sighed blissfully before turning to Timothy.

"Isn't it great, Timothy? I'm finally out of the dungeon. I get to go the distance and be my own boss," Entalmorfious said.

"Yeah, great, Dad," Timothy said, still looking out for his friends.

Entalmorfious' smile faded, and he put his hand on Timothy's shoulder to grab his attention.

"Hey, you feeling alright? You aren't as cheerful as you were last night," Entalmorfious said.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Timothy lied. "I guess I'm a little shocked that all this is happening. I mean, what happened to asking about who will pay for my food and clothes?"

"Well, I took your advice. I gained clarity and learned to take charge of the things happening around me," Entalmorfious said. "You helped me realize that Larry was nothing more than a bully to me and my coworkers. That he never acknowledged our full potential and had complete control over our lives. We would never have stood up to him if it weren't for you. It's all thanks to you, buddy.

Timothy was astounded that Entalmorfious answered as though he had asked a silly question. He hoped his father would take his advice someday, but he would never have imagined that Entalmorfious would stand up to Larry to save their lives in Galar, even in his wildest dreams. Timothy wanted to feel proud of his dad and himself for accomplishing more than he had hoped over the week, but the previous night still weighed heavily on him. Entalmorfious tilted his head, noticing that Timothy wasn't smiling or giving him a response.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Timothy?" he asked.

Timothy hesitated to answer. Entalmorfious was not usually someone to talk to problems when he spent so much time being submissive to Larry. Still, he had no other ear to listen to apart from Electchu's. After debating with himself, Timothy sighed and looked at Entalmorfious with a look of regret.

"I messed up, Dad," Timothy confessed. "Last night, I hurt Coovers and Sonia's feelings by ditching them for the chance to become popular, even if it was just for one night. And what's worse, I learned that Sonia had feelings for me, and I ditched her because of another girl and -"

"Ah, ha. So you finally found out," Entalmorfious said.

"What?! You mean you knew?!" Timothy shouted.

"Timothy, your mother and I watched you and Sonia grow up together. I still remember how there was a spark in your eye whenever we would bring her up last year, and we really thought you guys would get together after Valentine's Day," Entalmorfious said. "If there was one particular reason why I felt guilty about agreeing to move, it was seeing how you really wanted to stay and be by her side."

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Timothy asked. "You could have said something while I was devastated the day before Valentine's Day."

"I did try. Everybody tried, but you wouldn't listen," Entalmorfious said. "After a while, your mother and I decided to let you and Sonia figure things out yourselves."

"Yeah, well, now I've broken her heart, and she probably won't want to talk to me again even though I'm staying," Timothy said. "I've been a complete idiot, and now I've messed up things for good with Sonia."

"Nah, I don't think that's true," Entalmorfious said. "Take it from someone who's been by the love of his life's side for decades. Love is not something you just throw away when things get messy. It will be very rough, and it might take some time, but if you and Sonia can be honest with each other about your feelings and if you own up to your mistakes, then there's hope for you yet. Anyone can create a mess like that, Timothy, but it takes a man to clean it up no matter what it takes."

Timothy was once again taken aback by the way Entalmorfious spoke. It was as though he had unknowingly created a brand new man out of his father. One who could give him life advice just like he did for him. Yet, as encouraging as Entalmorfious' words were, Timothy still doubted that there was anything he could do to salvage his relationships with Coovers and Sonia.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Entalmorfious said before he reached into his coat pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. "Before going to class, make sure to give this to the main office at school. It has my and your mom's signatures to let them know that you will continue going to Motostoke High."

"Okay," Timothy said as he put the paper in his backpack. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you," Entalmorfious said. "Electchu, I'm counting on you to help him make up with your friends."

"Pikachu," Electchu said.

Timothy and Electchu exited the car and waved as Entalmorfious drove back to Postwick. They went inside the station, and Timothy scanned his pass before he and Electchu got on the back car of the train to Motostoke. Timothy and Electchu sat at a booth, and the train departed a few minutes later. Timothy rested his head against the window, staring at the landscape downcast. His faithful Pokemon looked at him, concerned, and hopped onto the table to stand in front of him.

"Pikachu. Pika, Pika, Pika, Pikachu, Pika Pika," Electchu said.

Timothy kept looking out the window for a few seconds before turning his head to Electchu. He didn't understand it, but he knew it was trying to be supportive like Entalmorfious asked. Timothy petted his Pikachu to silently express his appreciation before looking out the window again.

"What am I going to say, Electchu?" Timothy asked. "'Hey, guys. Electchu and I are actually not moving. I'm also super sorry for ditching you and I promise to never go after Tulip again. Can we be best friends again and laugh off the irony behind this?'"

"Pika. Pika, Pika, Pika, Pikachu," Electchu said with a confident smile.

"Who are you kidding, pal? It's going to be awkward for us," Timothy said. "Coovers and Sonia will probably never talk to me again, even when we sit next to each other in class. We get to stay here, but we still lost our best friends. And Sonia...even if we become friends again, I don't think we can finally start something. I mean, it's not like I can say, 'Hey, did you listen to your voicemail? No? Well, guess what. I love you. I always have. I just thought we would never happen when we returned to staying friends. Wanna grab coffee after school?' Heh. I guess this situation is similar to what she went through after Valentine's Day. Irony at its cruelest."

"Pika, Pika," Electchu said with its ears hanging low.

Timothy went back to looking out the window; his heart ached as he thought of how brokenhearted Sonia was the night before. He then wondered what would've happened if he declined Tulip's invitation and he and Electchu went to their going away party. For all he knew, Sonia might've admitted her feelings, and they would've agreed to a long-distance relationship. If they did, Timothy could've surprised Sonia and their friends at the station and she would jump into his arms, overjoyed that he and Electchu were staying. Timothy would've loved to see Sonia so happy they were together on top of Sordward and Shielbert giving Professor Magnolia the Magnolia Paddock back.

Timothy lifted his head and covered his face with both hands to muffle a frustrated growl. He tried to think of a way to approach Coovers and Sonia and convince them to forgive him. It would take time for them to come through, if ever, but if that's what it took to make up for them, then that's what he deserved.

*****************************************************************

Timothy and Electchu were silent the rest of the train and bicycle ride to Motostoke High. When they entered the campus, they found students coming in with their Pokemon in their Pokeballs for fear of them going crazy. They were all ready for the last day of the first school week to end, if for no other reason than to put the chaos behind them. Timothy and Electchu looked at each other with half smiles, wondering how long it would be until Timothy's peers accepted that their Pokemon wouldn't act crazy anymore.

Suddenly, there was a flash before Timothy and Electchu's eyes, and they flinched before turning to see Alexa, Malva, Helioptile, and Fletchling in front of them. Alexa checked the picture she had just taken with Helioptile while Malva took out her Rotom Phone. Timothy and Electchu frowned as Malva stepped in front of them and held out her phone, recording audio.

"Timothy Durbin arrives at school 20 minutes after his friends," Malva said. "Tell us, why didn't you go to school with your buddies?"

"None of your business," Timothy said coldly.

"Oh, come now. Motostoke High must know," Malva said. "Now that you're here, people will wonder if your friends lied about you moving out of the region or if you tricked them as another prank."

Timothy and Electchu's faces fell, and they stared at Malva, unsure if they heard her right.

"What? They told you I was moving?" Timothy asked.

"Oh, so you were going to move. This just got a lot more interesting," Alexa said, grinning. "I hope we get to see how Guzma and Matori find out about this."

"Helioptile," Helioptile agreed.

"Fletchling," Fletchling said.

"Okay, wait. Back up," Timothy said. "Why did my friends tell you I was moving? Why would people care about whether I'm moving or not, and what do Guzma and Matori have to do about it?"

"Pikachu," Electchu said.

Alexa, Malva, and their Pokemon looked at each other, smirking. What they knew happened very recently, yet Timothy acted as though he was unaware of something that happened weeks ago. As far as Alexa and Malva were concerned, they only had to fill Timothy in to capture his reaction.

"Well, about 20 minutes ago, your friends were going inside the school when they were attacked by Guzma, Matori, and their Pokemon," Malva said. "Ariados poisoned Coovers' Oshawott, and Meowth used Confuse Ray on Sonia's Yamper. Guzma and Matori threatened Coovers and Sonia to tell them where you are. They said they knew you were behind the McGoogles thing at the gym and what happened to Matori's tablet."

Timothy's eyes widened, and Electchu's ears perked up. Timothy shook his head in disbelief, which amused Alexa, Malva, Helioptile, and Fletchling more. It seemed impossible that Guzma and Matori could figure out that Timothy and his friends were behind their misfortunes the day before when he thought of his plan. Yet, his bullies knew the truth virtually out of nowhere like Entalmorfious standing up to Larry.

"Well, your friends said you were in Postwick about to move to Unova," Malva continued. "So, with their target out of their reach, Matori had her Meowth use Confuse Ray on your friends, and Guzma used Coovers' incapacitation to punch him in the face while Matori took his and Sonia's lunch money. Guzma and Matori declared to everyone that Coovers Woodward, Sonia Magnolia, and their Pokemon would officially be their targets for the rest of the year. Guzma vowed that no matter how strong Coovers Woodward is with his Oshwaott, he and his Ariados will always strike when they least expect it to get their daily punishments, and both he and Sonia owe Matori their money for the rest of their lives. If no one else tries to get in their way, everyone else in Motostoke High will be left alone."

Alexa walked over to Timothy and opened a picture behind her camera. On the right side, Guzma was facing the camera, grinning with his hands in his pockets and the words "Timothy Durbin and friends" written on his shirt. His foot was on Coovers, who laid on the grass, dazed with a black eye. Ariados had wrapped Oshawott in a cocoon as the sea otter Pokemon struggled to stay conscious while poisoned. On the left side, Matori was counting Coovers and Sonia's money with Meowth next to her. Behind them were Sonia and Yamper standing still in confusion. Timothy was focused on Sonia, who stood cross-eyed with drool dripping from the side of her mouth. The girl he loved was utterly helpless, and she would never have been in this predicament if he hadn't convinced her and her friends to join him in his plot for revenge.

"I told you not to draw attention to yourself in this school, Timothy," Alexa said. "You should have swallowed your pride and taken the hits Guzma and Matori delivered to you and your friends. Now, your friends are paying the price; goodness knows what they'll do to you when they find out you haven't left, and it's entirely your fault. Don't worry. We'll ensure we have a special column reserved exclusively for you and your friends. After all, we're still counting on Guzma and Matori to give us the most entertaining news in the school, even with just three victims and their Pokemon."

With that, Malva ended her recording, and Alexa put away her camera before they went into the school with their Pokemon, chuckling as they went. Timothy stood still, staring at the grass as he processed everything he learned. The image of his friends poisoned, beaten, and incapacitated was etched in his mind. Eventually, Electchu tugged Timothy's jeans with its mouth to snap him out of his shock, for the first bell had rung. Timothy hesitated before he and Electchu went inside, accepting that he would have to go in sooner or later.

As they walked down the halls, making their way to the main office, students and Pokemon snickered and whispered amongst themselves. Timothy and Electchu figured they had learned about what happened to their friends and were theorizing about what they were doing back at school. As Timothy and Electchu went up the stairs to the second floor, the final bell rang, and everyone else was in their respective first classrooms, which suited Timothy fine. It gave him peace and quiet to think about what to say to Coovers and Sonia on his way to the main office.

Just then, 24-inch TVs hanging in the corners of the halls turned on, and news broadcast music played with the text saying, "Announcement from Principal Sordward and Vice Principal Shielbert."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is time for an announcement from your beloved Principal and Vice Principal," an announcer said.

The TV cut to Sordward and Shielbert on stage, sitting in their chairs set diagonally. Despite their calm expressions, Timothy and Electchu saw in Sordward and Shielbert's blue eyes that they were on the verge of screaming and destroying everything in sight in rage. Sordward and Shielbert were silent for a few seconds before they took deep breaths through their noses and spoke.

"Students and staff, a tragedy has befallen our once respected school," Sordward said. "As you know, Superintendent Rose came to inspect the school yesterday. You were all informed at the assembly that our policy for inappropriate behavior was upgraded to sub-zero tolerance."

"Which, as a reminder, is less than zero," Shielbert added. "Yet despite our warning, one student, Timothy Durbin, chose to cause half of the student body into a riotous frenzy. A frenzy that has done irreparable harm to Motostoke High's reputation."

"What's more, we just learned this morning that Timothy Durbin is moving to the Unova region as we speak," Sordward said. "It is evident that he caused this damage, knowing he would avoid punishment for his actions."

"Now, for those of you who were in the cafeteria with Timothy Durbin yesterday, understand that we hold no ill will against you. No one could predict a freshman with a cute little Pikachu could be so malicious, and you have already served detention," Shielbert said. "Having said that, Superintendent Rose has deemed Motostoke High School a place of heretics and scoundrels, and as punishment, our school budget has been garnished drastically."

"Therefore, it breaks our hearts to say this, but because of our shrunken budget, the Pokemon Baccer program has been shut down," Sordward said. "Furthermore, the following extracurricular activities are suspended: theater club, art club, Pokemon battle club, marching band, mathematics club, debate club, and computer club. All of them are suspended."

"Canceled," Shielbert said.

"Discontinued," Sordward said.

"Defunct."

"Banished,"

"Excommunicated."

"Expired."

"Terminated."

"Kaput."

"No more."

"Ceased to be."

"Over and done with."

"And, of course, finished," Sordward said. "What's more, staff members, including yours truly, will have their salaries cut. It is an infuriating and unfair predicament because of one rotten ex-student, but we must pull through and enjoy the rest of the school year as best as possible. That is all."

The news broadcast-like music played again, and the TVs shut off. Timothy and Electchu stared at the blank TV closest to them in shock as though Sordward and Shielbert were still on the screen. They heard students and Pokemon yelling and booing from the other side of the classroom doors. Timothy and Electchu saw a teacher break his chalk in half with his fingers through a classroom door window, fighting the urge to punch a hole through the wall.

Timothy looked down with his hand on his forehead as he contemplated what had happened. It was as though, with a flip of a switch, the universe altered reality so all his enemies knew what he had done despite all his thought-out planning. If making his best friends the school bullies victims for the rest of the year wasn't enough, Timothy's actions led to all the extra regular activities that made high school fun being taken away by Superintendent Rose. Timothy backed himself into a wall and slid into a sitting position as he stared at the floor. Electchu stood beside him with its ears hanging low.

"Electchu, what have I done?" Timothy asked.