A smile dances on his lips, but his eyes overflow with sadness. His eyes are still lying, just like it has always been since five years ago. I can't tell if his smile is a smirk or a sneer. Rei is an actor, after all, and all actors lie.

Today, however, instead of a leaf, he hands me a blue hydrangea. Crimson eyes glint as he takes my Pokéball-an olive green sphere with red petal patterns around the white button in its centre-and places it on a steel tile. I watch with bated breath, wondering what will happen next. I sniff the aromatic flower in my slender, digit-less hands, the flower reminding me of the pom-poms of the yellow Oricorio. The heavenly fragrance distracts me for a while.

I place the hydrangea down as he picks up the hammer beside him. The hammer is one of those props for his recent play so he's probably just rehearsing.

Cracks resound in the room as the hammer falls. My heart sinks. He's not rehearsing for anything, and he's not acting either.

There is a moment of tableau which remains quite static in my mind. The boy clenching his teeth, his black hair flying; his reflection in the mirror with veins popping out of his fist; his shadow, lit by the lamp, in the act of destroying my Friend Ball, shaking.

A split-second later, the hammer is flung out of his grip and it clangs when it hits the floor. Shards scatter themselves on the bed and some cover five stacks of bills. I do not ask about the money. That's the least of my concerns now. I just want to get off his bed, take my eyes off the overly cheerful orange bedsheets and run off without a cry. The least I could do is to give him my signature glare that makes him squirm.

"I'm sorry, but you have to go," Rei says. I think I understand. His smile is one that masks his fears and emotions.

I glance at the flower, then back at him. I see my quivering figure reflected in his blood red eyes, entangled in his web of lies, helpless, shrinking, and alone. My eyes fall on the blue hydrangea, the green stalk darker than the calyx on top of my head.

Do I mean nothing to you at all? Is a Friend Ball nothing more than a catching tool? Does that F-word mean nothing to your thick skull? I want to cry out loud, but numbness overwhelms me. I feel a hint of... happiness amongst my ambivalence towards the human. Yes, he is a human, and I am a Pokémon. Maybe that's why he fails to understand.

This happiness I feel is false. I shouldn't be happy but I am, and I suppose that I am lying to myself about being happy. I'm probably just hiding behind a small smile, brainwashing myself to be happy about this betrayal of trust.

"Tsareena," I mumble my name. What else can I say? I should've known when I received the very flower.

"I'm sorry." Rei stretches his hand to touch me and I retract my body. I whirl around and jump off the bed, only to land on the hard, cold floor. Maybe I deserve this fall, this punishment for backing away. He speaks again, his smile breaking, cracking, but his eyes seem to lie about his sincerity and his remorse. "I'm sorry."

Is that all you can say? I murmur a few words, but I know Rei won't understand what I'm saying. So I cry within.

I wish I can get another leaf from him so I can play another song with it, be it a melody of his favourite song, or a haunting lullaby. This is a little pastime of ours, something we do every day. He would simply listen as I send music to his ears. But he disposes of the leaf at the end of every day anyway. I should've known when I took the flower from him, that this would happen, because it calls for a different scenario.

I don't want to go after we've been to contests and I've been on set with Rei for five years. Maybe our bond isn't strong enough, so even a drop of tear would break it. But none of us cried. Or is it the silence that lingers in the air between us, that forgotten promise of understanding and being there for each other, that forces us apart? I am not sure. I can't be sure anymore.

Rei, you're doing what you do best, to be an actor. I don't think I can ever understand you. Maybe your final gift reveals your true emotions.

A blue hydrangea symbolises apology, after all.

Even if Rei releases me into the wild, I know an apology is not enough.

But I'll accept this apology since I'm holding the blue hydrangea in my hands.

"Tsa," I mumble and break the silence. Bye.

Then, I give Rei a blazing hot kick at his legs and he bites his lips. For the first time, I think the tears that roll down his cheeks are full of unhappiness.

But it's too late. You should never have treated a noble like me in such a manner.

I leave the room after filling it with a sweet scent and I stride gracefully out of the house-how convenient, the front door is open for me.

I turn back, and Rei is on his knees, a red line crossing his flesh.

"Ree," I cry, pluck a blue petal and leave it on the threshold.

I guess I'm sorry, too.

___

In a forest where the trees are kings, the crown on my head is just another crown, smaller and insignificant. The petals are blown off the hydrangea stalk; the wind is a savage beast clawing them out of my grip.

No, it isn't a forest. I recognise this place. It is near Virbank City, the city where his home and the theatre is. There's a sign I ran past that read "Flocessy Ranch", so I guess it really isn't a forest.

"Ee," I say. My eyes are watery and the eyelids droop heavily. It's not such a bad thing for the petals to be gone, right? His apology will be gone when the wind takes the petals away.

What is the point of exuding a Queenly Majesty when I am not respected by a human? Thinking back, I didn't cackle after giving Rei my Trop Kick. He doesn't deserve my cackle, but perhaps a sad laughter. Maybe I should have dragged him out in the sunlight and watch him succumb to misery like the self-proclaimed "Vampire" he is.

Now, he's alone without a Pokémon and it's just like his name. He is zero, nothing. I should be glad, and I ought to be. Yet somewhere deep down, my heart is aching and burning.

No, he deserves it. I am nobility, and no royal Pokémon or person should care about uncaring people. I should have punished him more.

A familiar scent drifts toward me, and I blink as I try to remember where I smelt this. My gaze on the hydrangea narrows and my grip tightens. I freeze.

On my first advertisement shoot, I had to flip my hair, or rather the three leaves that extend nearly to the ground. The crew had placed a vase of amaryllis beside me and I had to pose with the flowers.

The amaryllis's fruity undertone between nectarine and rose soothes my nerves as I recall the shoot. Slowly, I let the memory roll in my mind: his tiny grin, a round of applause and his hearty laughter. Then, I guffawed and wrapped my arms around him. I shake my head.

Maybe I should forget him. He must be doing the same too.

I scan my surroundings for the amaryllis yet I see trees, trees, and more trees everywhere. The blue hydrangea loses itself to the zephyr, and only five petals are left. I smile, noting how appropriate it is, and that one petal represents one year. Just nice for the five years I spent with the ingrate. Not everyone gets to spend time with nobles like me, let alone five years of companionship.

I think I'll have these five petals be snatched by the wind, and I'll forget him starting from the most recent days.

I stare at the flower and it stares back. I am alone.

The grass scratches my legs. A few Oran Berries, bluer than the afternoon sky, are all I find in the distance after scouting the area for food. As I shove them in my mouth, I remember the soft, fluffy texture of the Oran Berry Pancakes, and how they sizzled in the pan. The creamy Castelia Cone-oh, the crispy biscuit cone, and the Oran Berry on top!-and the waffles in the café we often patronise. Those are the best desserts I've ever tasted!

When I am done eating, I wipe the berry juice off my face and turn to the hydrangea flower. One petal has fallen.

I decide to follow my instincts to exit the maze of trees. After seemingly endless turns, I pass by blurs of green, brown, white and grey till I see the pointy sign from before. The exit is just before my eyes.

Out of there, there's the farm full of Mareep and I walk past the woolly Pokémon. They are so well-fed, so energetic as they run about. There's a pot of amaryllis that wasn't there just now, in front of the barn. That explains the scent.

I look at the Mareep smile and bleat, knocking into haystacks and basking in the sun. Why can't I be happy like them? Why did Rei release me? What did I do wrong? What did I do that's not enough? I wonder whose fault it is!

I send a flying kick to a tussock of grass near me and watch as the grass blackens and the blades bend. Tiny petals fall around the area.

I sigh and take another step, away from the ranch. I can't stand being near those Mareep. "I perform alongside him and we take the spotlight in contests. Is that not good enough?"

Was Rei ever proud of me? I guess not. If Rei is so proud of me, he wouldn't have abandoned me. If I could show him how hard and determined I have been, I wonder if he'd understand. Three years of practice should mean something to him. He should understand.

I want to forget him, but I don't want to lose what I've learnt. The hydrangea flower in my hands is his apology, and I can't bring myself to forgive him. A regal Pokémon can never show mercy so easily.

I'll just have to do this one more time and relive those three years.

I bat my eyelids and my long eyelashes slash the air. Pink irises widen. Raising a leg, I start off with Rapid Spin, rotating clockwise like the ballerina I saw back in one of the contests. My hair sways in the breeze that kisses and massages my body. I have no hourglass figure-I am not a pear, but a mangosteen. I am a queen. I am the queen.

Swiftly, I charge a yellow-green beam and shoot it to the sky. Firing a sphere the same colour as my Friend Ball, I draw more power from nature as I control it with ease to collide with the Solarbeam. A fire flower blooms in the sky, its moment of glory short and sweet yet it compels one to commit to memory its beauty.

Leaping, I do a somersault and my legs are ablaze with orange and red, and I let loose a pink flash that sparkles so I am air-bound for a longer period of time.

I beam and land, giving the grass a Low Sweep with pink mist rising from my feet. The scents of rose and lavender mix in the air and my eyelids flutter. Whipping up a storm of leaves around me, I propel myself upwards with Bounce before circling around with another Trop Kick. Petals fly and leaves dance. I land with a backflip and bow, not once letting go of the hydrangea in my left hand. I smile.

I have to hold onto that smile as I steal a glance at the arrangement of the leaves. They spell his name.

Smile. You're happy, aren't you? You were happy.

Three light object falls on my magenta crown and I shake them off, only to see half-purple, half-blue petals.

I must have used Toxic somewhere just now. Hydrangea petals change colour according to acidity so this must be the only way for it to happen.

I look at Rei's token of apology. The hydrangea flower- I'm not certain I can call it a flower anymore. It's just a violet petal, with hints of purple and blue, stuck to a green stalk. All the cool colours in one.

This last petal is all I am left with. I should be overjoyed yet an immense feeling boils within me. It's strange and unfriendly. I don't let go of the hydrangea even though I hear whispers telling me to throw it away.

It's his apology. It's Rei's apology to me.

I chose to forget everything. Why is it so hard to force the memories out of my mind? Why did I spell his name out? Because it's what I learnt? Or that I can never forget him?

I hear his words ringing in my ears. The three words are accompanied with his tears.

"I am sorry."

Why do I feel so angry? Because I mattered to him!

"I am sorry." I picture him smiling through the tears, his façade breaking.

His lies, his lies! No one, no one at all, should be left unpunished after lying to a queen.

But I spelled his name out because I missed him. Rei Sakuma is an idol, and he is my idol. Five years worth of friendship must mean something.

If that's true, what was wrong? What made him release me? I must be flawed. Something has to be wrong with me. Is being noble a crime? Or...

It's my pride, isn't it? I'm too prideful that it's becoming so shameful for him.

But that's not it. He would have released me much earlier then.

I stare at the hydrangea petal. What was different today? Other than the hydrangea, what else was there? Was he more exhausted than before? Did he drink tea instead of black coffee? Did he do something that's not part of his routine?

It must be the money. Maybe someone forced him to do this. I contemplate about it, but Rei will never release me for money. It's impossible. Five years of friendship torn over five stacks of bills? How laughable.

Despite his lies, there is one truth about him: Rei will never betray me for money.

I clutch onto the now violet hydrangea petal and tear it off the stalk. The stalk means nothing to me. It's the flower-or what's left of it-that matters most.

If it's because of the money, what did he do with it? Was he apologising because he had to release me? What did he mean by 'you have to go'?

Could he have left clues back at home? I need to know. If this is another death threat from some hardcore fan, I think I would be forever guilty to leave him alone in the face of danger. But can I, a noble embodying hubris, really put my pride and selfishness aside to protect Rei? I hate getting myself dirty, but would I do it for his sake?

If I don't help him, would I ever forgive myself?

I sigh. Rei better not be so foolish.

___

His house is a mess.

His bedsheets cover the floor and a sock lie on his television while the other is in the sink. I almost slip on the shampoo and toner that are spilled onto the floor as I walk across the house.

I glance at the clock and realise I've been away for an hour and a half. I look around, only to see that Rei's not here and neither is the money. Is this a burglary?

Where could he be?

I scour the house for clues but there are no notes or footprints.

The theatre, of course. He's probably rehearsing at Pokéstar Studios for tonight's play.

I whirl around and stride off, passing Virbank's gym where music blared into the streets. People and Pokémon cast curious glances at me as I run and whine. I make a left turn and hurry to the entrance of the theatre.

Please let Rei be okay.

A red carpet extends from the flights of stairs to the floor and a chandelier dangles above. In the middle of the stage, a boy in a grey sweatshirt holds a revolver at his ear. There's a stack of money on the front seat, beside a plump man with a moustache. The director or playwright, I reckon.

"Do it," the man shouts. "It's punishment for breaking the contract. You said you would hand me both the money and your Pokémon, but where is your Pokémon? If you shoot yourself, I'll guarantee that I'll not come knocking your brother's door again."

"It's not my fault," Rei mumbles.

"Yeah, yeah. Your brother's a hardcore gambling addict. Your father's drunk so much till your mother left. Then, your father never came back. It's not your fault, but you have to bear this responsibility. Your brother gave us your name, you know?" The man taps his feet, feels his moustache and grins.

"I've given you all the money I have. I'll pay the rest in instalments."

"No! Just die already. We'll collect the insurance money from your death. You're a thespian, the gun's a prop, it's an accident. Bah! Everything's settled."

Rei shuts his eyes and places his finger on the trigger.

No. No. No.

"What about my Pokémon?" Rei asks. "I'd rather release her than give her to you as a circus Pokémon clowning around."

He's protecting me. No, don't do this.

I sniff. The man turns his head at me and growls. I shriek and swing my leg into his eyes. It's a Trop Kick. Thank myself for being a high-kicking virtuoso that I could blind him.

Holding onto the purple petal in my hand, I twirl and leap to Rei's side. We're safe now.

"Ree!"

"Reena?" Rei opens his eyes and gives me a bewildered look. "Why did you come back?"

The audacity to ask me that! I sigh and cross my arms. I'm glad he's safe though.

"Watch out!" Rei pulls me away and we double over on the stage. Smoke slithers into the air as a bullet pierces the edge of the stage.

"Screw you. I'll make you pay for this." The man fires his revolver left to right as he gives in to panic.

"Reena, let's go. We'll get security. Damn debt collector," Rei says as he scoops me up and sprints for the door.

"I hear footsteps. Ha!"

Rei yelps and crashes onto the floor. A crimson pool gushes out of his ankle. He writhes and squeezes his eyes tight, clenching his teeth and fists. I look at him, then at the snooping crowd outside.

I scream for help, gesturing and jumping around, hoping to be understood, but all that comes out of my mouth are various anagrams of my name.

No! Can't you see it? He's in pain! What're you doing snapping pictures? Why can't you see this is an emergency?

I look around but there's no security guard. An idea flashes in my mind and I swipe one of the phones out of an onlooker and press a few buttons.

"What's your emergency?" The voice from the phone speaks.

How do I talk? How can I talk? It's useless! I can't do anything!

"L-Loudspeaker..." Rei looks at me and coughs, his eyes dilating. His eyelids begin to droop.

No, stay with me! Stay with me!

I click that loudhailer icon and the voice is almost deafening.

"Hello. What's your emergency?"

"Pokéstar Studios, actor Rei Sakuma is injured," someone in the crowd shouts.

"You might wanta bring 'im to da morgue," the man hollers as he pushes the gun onto Rei's hair. The boy flails and screams but to no avail.

No. We need each other. Please. Don't hurt him!

I charge at the man and give him a Trop Kick aimed at his head. He dodges and grabs my leg. The onlookers just gasp and take more pictures. Why aren't they helping?

I release an Energy Ball at his face and his grip on me loosens. I somersault and land on my hands. He's going to the pull the trigger. Rei's struggling to get hold of himself.

Here goes...

I make a jump for the chandelier and give it a hard kick. It snaps and plummets. As I fall, I watch the man, unaware of his predicament, cackle as he glances at me.

The sound of glass exploding into smithereens pierces my ears and blood flows from the man's head. He falls onto the floor and doesn't get back up.

Rei groans. "Hgh! R-Reena..."

Tears well up in my eyes. I grab his bloodied hand and we hold onto the petal as if it's our dear lives.

Sirens wail across the streets and the 'skr' sound blasts in my ears. There's applause from the crowd which parts to give way to the Officer Jenny who hops down her motorcycle and Nurse Joy who exits her ambulance along with three paramedics.

Officer Jenny cuffs the man with the gun in his hand just as Nurse Joy and her paramedics put Rei onto the stretcher. I tag along in the ambulance heading to the Pokémon Centre in Virbank City.

It's quite quiet, with the two of us looking at each other. Throughout the journey, we both seem to want to say something, but we don't. I glimpse at the corner of the vehicle and spot a leaf that has fallen in when the doors were closing.

Picking it up, I place it at my lips and begin to play Rei's favourite tune. He holds the hydrangea petal in between his thumb and index finger, and smiles.

"C-Can you... forgive me?"

I nod and wipe my tears.

"I want to give this to you."

I take the petal from him.

Previously, the petal was a symbol of his apology; now, it's a token of appreciation and the start of a deeper understanding and friendship between us.

The hydrangea is beautiful, as is our friendship.

Thank you, Rei. Let's be more honest with each other and become better friends.

"What 'bout the Friend Ball?"

I shake my head.

It's fine. We don't need that. I can live alongside you.

He smiles, and I smile back.