First let me apologize if Sina and Dexio seem out of character. I don't know, Sina always came off to me as just being a girl that was really smart and able… I really didn't care for their interruptions in game though and tended to rush through it, but I got an idea I liked from Master of Your Fate and I want to try it.

So yeah, thanks Master of Your Fate!

"It's crazy… How you think you know someone, but it turns out they're completely different than how you thought."

Sina was saying something, trying to get at something, and it stuck in Calem's mind. It really pissed him off.

"The officers… Are there going to be more questions?" Dexio could barely even talk, he wasn't the type to handle surprises very well.

"I wonder what will happen with our research on Mega-Evolution… We've hardly scratched the surface, and no other professors haven't really expressed any interest in picking it up."

How is she so calm? So methodical? Or maybe this is how she copes? By consuming her thoughts with work and not thinking about it at all? His heart went out to her for a moment though, because her work was Sycamore's work, and Sycamore…

"Shauna… where's the other kids?"

"Your friends… Obviously we shouldn't pressure them to help anymore. I do hope that we can at least still count on you, Calem, you were the most promising trainer to achieve Mega-Evolution, after all."

He nodded slightly. It was the least he could do, he supposed.

"I…" Dexio sounded like he was choking for a moment, "I-I can't."

Sina finally seemed to stop thinking, staring at her partner, and Calem finally started to feel the panic setting in. Everything was going to shit. He fucked everything up. He fucked everyone over.

"What?"

"I…"

The sounds of the elevator doors opening made his eyes drift over to them, the other two not paying it any mind, his breath caught as he locked eyes with Serena. Tierno and Trevor left the elevator as well, but they didn't even look at him, she stared. He couldn't understand. Was she blaming him, did Shauna tell her? Did Shauna even get the chance to tell her? Her stare, she must know, why else would she stare like that. She knew, she knew what he did, she blamed him. And he felt the same.

"Can you come with us, Calem?" When did that officer show up? Was Serena still staring at him? He was staring somewhere, he couldn't see anything though, just his own panic. "Can you walk? We need to escort you down to the ambulance."

Dexio's sudden intake of breath was sharp, sharp and telling. Why was he the only one who was being treated so fragile? Why would he be the one to be escorted to an ambulance? Shauna told them who Sycamore was with, that's why. They knew.

They knew.

…

Pressure. In his head. In his chest. In his eyes. In his skin.

He doesn't remember standing. He remembers the elevator, the stares on him as the doors closed… They're neighbors, they're friends…

"It's crazy… How you think you know someone, but it turns out they're completely different than how you thought."

That really pissed him off.

The ambulance is tiny. It's too small. Funny, they always looked huge from the outside. He doesn't want to touch anything.

He saw a police car pull away before they shut the door, he couldn't make his eyes move to see if there was anyone in the back seat. Someone was talking to him.

He should have showered.

There had been so much time. There was an emergency shower on the second floor, he had so much time to… Why hadn't he thought to shower?

They put a blanket over his shoulders, and he just noticed he was rocking a bit. He felt crazy.

"I do hope that we can at least still count on you, Calem…"

They're saying something to him.

"I-I can't."

Shit, Dexio, you weren't even involved, what the fuck? Just do the damned research! For Sina, at the very least. Self-absorbed asshole.

"Calem? Do you understand?"

Walking, calmly, white halls and rooms, the hospital of course. Why hadn't he thought to shower? It seems so obvious now.

The doctor is so gentle.

"Calem, your clothes are part of the investigation, put them in this bag, change into these for now…"

No.

"I just need to brush your hair, skin, and nails a bit, just relax…"

No.

"Just breathe, we need to inspect the area, I promise it won't hurt…"

No.

"Here's a cup of water, take your time with the medicine…"

No. No. No. No. No.

He just lies on the table for a while. Now that they have their proof. Fuck. He fucked it all up.

All he can think of is Serena staring at him. He never wants to see them again. Serena, Tierno, Trevor, and… Shauna…

She had been so quiet, someone who was always so innocent and sweet… She…

He shivers as the door opens and he notices he's still in just the stupid hospital gown.

"Calem, my baby," his mom had been called, she's holding him… he's just staring at the wall, pretty dumbly, now that he thinks about it. He's been staring at that one spot for so long that it's starting to look like it's a different color.

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry, but we need to ask him these questions."

"He's confused right now, look at him, look at what you're doing to him! You're wrong! He's just confused!"

He blinked, or maybe just fell unconscious for a little while. When he opened his eyes his mom was sobbing, the officer was standing nearby.

"I wonder what will happen with our research on Mega-Evolution… "

"Calem… We need to ask you some questions…"

No.

"… I know this might be a tough question right now. It will really help if you can answer it though…"

No.

"… Did Professor Sycamore rape you, Calem?"

"It's crazy… How you think you know someone, but it turns out they're completely different than how you thought."

"Yes."

It wasn't even a week later that he contacted Sina.

Dexio wasn't helping with the Mega-Evolution research anymore. It was his fault, Sina didn't blame him, he blamed himself.

He volunteered to continue the research in his place.

Volunteering to continue the research both keeps him close to Sycamore (in a way) and traveling (assuming that he's continuing his adventure). So this leaves more options. Don't know where to go from here though, to be completely honest with you guys. I'm leaving this as complete because if I do keep writing chapters, I will always end them in a way that gives me the freedom to continue it if I feel like it, or just leave it.

If you have any ideas you'd like to suggest, I'm listening. Send a message or review to let me know.

Thank you to everyone reading.