It was the same ratty apartment coated in a sour stench, the same dim apartment infested with dirt and mold, that the small child always found herself trapped in solitude. Yet, to her surprise, one day she suddenly heard the sound of swift footsteps dashing across the living room floor. With her curiosity piqued, she went to investigate the noise, leading her to instantly find a clear string of dark pawprints that lead to the stained-covered couch.

She steadily approached the couch, fearful that some kind of monster, or possibly even a wild beast may have just infiltrated her home. Her legs shook, but the idea of backing away seemed impossible to her. The mystery would have eaten at her until she could no longer bear it, so she caved into inquisitive nature.

She dropped onto her knees and pressed her head against the floor. From the darkness of the couch's underside, two large eyes looked back at her. She felt her anxious heart bang against her chest, but those eyes she saw had such an innocent gleam. The creature that has found itself in her home nervously whimpered.

That sound, those eyes, the girl came to the conclusion she has discovered small Pokémon. Her nervousness faded away, she perked up with excitement. She leapt onto her feet and trotted to the kitchen with her short, stubby legs. She returned with a small plastic container. She popped it open, and laid it on the ground, right in front of the timid Pokémon.

"Hi, little buddy." The child sat back onto the ground with a grin. "I got you a little snack, some baloney! I would warm it up but I dunno how."

She giggled, though the Pokémon was still weighed back by unsurety. Despite its hesitance, its stomach growled, forcing its instincts to kick in. It slowly crawled out from under the worn couch, exposing itself to the small light produced by the half-dead, blinking light bulbs. It was a fluffy Lillipup, covered in dirt and filth, its nose twitching as it enjoyed the food's scent. It walked up to the container and messily ate the cold meat like a starved animal.

As the Lillipup ate, it felt a hand begin to rub the top of its head. It slowly looked up to see the smiling girl, whose cheeks were pink and bright with happiness. The petting was quite enjoyable, and the girl's face was quite kind in its expression. For the small Pokémon, it was hard to stay weary.

The girl continued to giggle, almost uncontrollably. "You're so cute! The cutest little Lillipup I ever, ever, ever saw! I wanna be friends with you! I wanna be friends!"

She lifted the Pokémon into her arms and held it close. Lillipup still felt hungry, and still wished to eat, but the warmth of the child's embrace was enough to keep it still. It closed its eyes and relaxed, as the girl nuzzled her cheek against the top of its head.

"You're so fluffy too! Let's be friends! Best friends!"

The memory was distant to her. It sat in the back of her mind, as she focused on the present day.

With her Mimikyu sitting on the top of her head, Saki walked through the streets of Hau'oli city. Her plans were simple; Pick up some Pokémon food, as well as the carton of milk Samson Oak requested. However, she soon found the faint sound of music catching her attention, particularly the screeching and squeaking of a guitar. The bizarre string of notes was followed by screaming, rather than singing.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man! Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?! Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me!"

To Saki, the male voice that butchered Bohemian Rhapsody rang with familiarity. Despite her original, concise plan, she chose to follow the tune. She then found herself standing in the back of a small crowd. Several people held back their snickers and laughter, the wild music continuing to play regardless.

Saki assumed that the performers were in the crowd's center, though her sight was blocked by the heads of taller audience members. She tried to shove her way to the front, but struggled against the pushback of the crowd. As she fought for the opportunity to see, a female voice began to sing alongside the male's.

"Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby! Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!"

The song slowly reached its conclusion as Saki was finally able to catch sight of the singers, or rather, the screamers. She nearly collapsed with shock once she saw Hau's smiling face, happily shouting into a microphone. Behind him was a spikey haired girl, Sapphire, who laughed away as she strung her guitar with eccentric motions.

She couldn't decide what was more shocking to her, seeing Hau and Sapphire making fools of themselves in public, or seeing Hau and Sapphire in the same place to begin with. Saki's previous impression was that Sapphire found the energetic Hau rather annoying, and would have wanted to avoid him like the plague. But there they were, right in front of her, playing music together.

The final note echoed through the air, Sapphire opened her mouth and let out a satisfied, victorious hollar. Hau imitated her, hollering into the microphone as he raised a single fist into the air. The crowd was dead silent.

Sapphire laid her elbow against Hau's shoulder, and spoke to the crowd. "Thank you for watching us play, we know we were terrible—"

"But I thought we were good..." Hau said, a slight whine in his voice.

"Oh no, we were absolute trash," Sapphire continued. "But y'all gotta admit, what we did was pretty brave, right?"

The crowd looked amongst each other with puzzled expressions. Saki glanced off to the side. She realized exactly what game Sapphire was attempting to play.

And she felt embarrassment for Sapphire because, in that particular game, she had little talent.

Sapphire threw a strip of gum into her mouth, and chewed loudly. "See, we did it cuz we're desperate. See that empty jar right there? Throw some cash in it, so we could eat tonight."

Hau looked to the girl with confusion, clearly oblivious to Sapphires scheme. The members of the crowd had mixed reactions. Some paused and reflected, others shook their heads with disapproval. Everyone made the same conclusion in the end, walking away without even a passing glance. The jar that sat on the pavement remained empty.

Sapphire tensed as she clenched her bared teeth. She waved her fist as she shouted at the people who passed and dismissed her. "Fine! Go ahead and leave us starving children to starve! Next time you'll see us, we'll be looking super sad in a commercial asking for your pennies!"

With a huff, Sapphire dropped to the ground and sat on her rear. Her usual, cold demeanor returned as she became stiff and stoic. Hau kneeled beside her, tilting his head.

"We're starving? I mean, I don't feel like I'm starving, but I'm always down for a Malasada!" Hau's eyes glittered at the very thought of the delicious treat. "Wanna go get some? It'll be on me!"

"You idiot. Do you think I'm sort of freeloader, Hoppy?" She pushed him away with her palm. "Don't even worry 'bout me. Just leave already."

Hau grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face. "C'mon, I'm only trying to help you know!"

"Kyu!"

The short lived bickering was interrupted by little Akemi approaching Sapphire with a cheer. Its claw was extended and held a couple of dollar bills, offering it to the girl. She looked up and finally noticed Saki, the only person who remained after the crowd dissipated.

"I don't need your pity, Hothead." Sapphire scoffed, only to contradict her own statement by swiping the cash from Akemi's grasp and shoving it into her pocket. Saki wore a lopsided grin.

"You seem to be fine with accepting my pity, Sapphire."

"I said that I didn't need it. I didn't say that I reject it."

Sapphire stood up and dusted the dirt off of her jeans. Saki folded her arms, continuing to study the spikey-haired girl. She still struggled to make sense of the scene she just witnessed.

"So you started a band with Hau?"

Sapphire snorted. "Heck no."

Hau nervously smiled as he elaborated. "I was just passing by, then I came across her playing her guitar, and I was like 'Woah! Cool!'"

"Like a child," Sapphire added.

"Then Sapphire was all like 'You look like a pathetic singer'," Hau continued.

"I was right," Sapphire added.

"Then she was like 'wanna sing?' Then you know what I said? 'Heck yeah!'" Hau cheered.

"It's a one time deal," Sapphire said. "We're never doing this again."

"What? But Sapphire! That was so much fun! You were enjoying yourself, you know it!" Hau said, jumping up and poking his finger into Sapphire's left cheek. She immediately swatted it away.

"It was an act, Hoppy," she huffed.

"Yeah, right." Saki poked her finger into Sapphire's right cheek. "You know, I rarely see you smile. I definitely never saw you smile the way you were when you were playing that guitar."

"Admit it!" Hau once again poked Sapphire's left cheek. "You were having a blast!"

Sapphire smacked both their hands away from her face. Her expression was as flat as ever, her razor sharp eyes showing little emotion. "No."

Hau and Saki both pulled back as Sapphire rubbed her hand against the wooden surface of her guitar. It was covered with a sheet of dirt, as well as several dark marks and scratches. It looked as if it were standing on its last legs, but at the same time, it was still able to play its music loud and clear.

"You know Sapphire," Saki began. "If you'd practice with your guitar a bit more, you wouldn't have to try and swindle people into giving you money like that. You're kinda... bad at it."

"I admit, I'm horrible at it." Sapphire shrugged. "Still, I hate sweet talk. That crap's dumb, so I won't ever resort to it."

"So you'd prefer to just say your desperate?" Saki asked.

"Well, at least it's honest." Sapphire shook her head in dismissal before gathering her things, including her microphone and vacant jar. She then brushed past Hau and Saki to make her exit. However, Hau grabbed onto her sleeve,

"We could still go out for some malasadas, you know. Now that the thought is in my head, I can't stop cravin' them!"

Sapphire snapped her head back, scowling directly at the boy before yanking herself away from his grip. "Then go get them with Hothead."

She turned away from the pair, and walked away. Saki and Hau simply watched her leave before looking to one another. Hau frowned as a wave of disappointment washed over him.

"Man, she's so confusing." Hau scratched the back of his head. "I thought she liked me for a second, and now all the sudden, she hates me again?"

"Don't let it bother you. Since the day I met her, she's been giving me all sorts of mixed messages."

"But it does bother me! Why's she gotta act so rough?"

Hau's face twisted as he pondered over his own question. Saki reached forward and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his own head. His face grew bright red as she tugged him forward. Her eyes grew distant as she spoke.

"People act rough for tons of reasons. They're scared, or they're angry, or they're untrusting. I sure you remember when I acted all rough, Hau." Saki turned her head and smiled at the boy. "But I overcame that, and I'm sure she could to. If we are open to her and don't pressure her, I'm sure at some point she'll become open to us. But for now, I want some Malasadas."

Hau's face brightened with enthusiasm. It was as if the simple mention of Malasadas made his worries vanish instantaneously. "Me too! Me too!"

Saki chuckled a bit too herself, returning her gaze forward and continuing to tug Hau along. Yet, a brown blur caught her attention, dashing right towards her.

She quickly recognized it as a stray Herdier, its fur coat matted with dirt and mud. In its mouth was a hamburger bun, likely dug up from a trash bin, as drool dripped from its jaw. Normally, Saki wouldn't have been fazed by the Pokémon. Stray Herdier were extremely common, but the majority of them did not wear a pink ribbon tightly tied around its left ear. This one did.

The ribbon was old, torn at the edges and coated in mysterious stains. Saki's heart nearly stopped as the Herdier ran past her, her feet pausing their movement. Hau stopped as well, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the girl's shocked expression.

"Is everything okay?"

Saki didn't respond, or even acknowledge Hau's presence. She released his hand, and chased after the dog Pokémon. Akemi clung tightly onto her shoulder, afraid of falling to the ground due to her speed.

"Hey! Wait!" Hau called out to Saki, before beginning to run after her.

The distant memories began to emerge from her mind's depths.

"Anne, Anne! Cute little Anne! Anne, Anne, cute little Anne!"

The apartment was a mess, an empty tupperware container lying on the ground with scraps littering the carpet. That didn't matter to the little girl or the small Lillipup, all they worried about was having simple fun.

The Lillipup had become a regular visitor. Every day, after the child's father left for work, it waited patiently at the door for the girl to let it inside. Then, once it was in the girl's company, it would eat and play to its heart's content.

As time passed, the two inevitably grew close, and it wasn't long until the girl named the little stray.

"Anne, Anne! The cutest little Anne!"

The little girl spoke with a sing song voice as she tied a bright pink ribbon tightly around Lillipup's ear. It happily flicked its ear, enjoying the new accessory. It felt almost like an aristocratic lap dog decorated with lace and jewelry, a position the stray could only dream of.

"Yay, Anne! Yay, Anne! You're the cutest little Anne!" The girl clapped her hands while continuing to chant. The Pokémon bobbed its head to the clapping's rhythm, finding the girl's high-pitched, squeaky voice rather soothing.

Until a thundering voice cut through their carefree bliss.

"What the hell is that thing doing here?"

The girl froze. Her wide eyes remained locked on the ground. Lillipup, however, looked up to see the looming figure of a man. His eyes were sunken and drained, his entire face was weighed by fatigue. Yet, his silent anger still managed to seep into his tired expression.

The child remained still as she spoke with a whimper. "It's my friend."

"That's a rat! Don't tell me you actually gave that dirty thing our food!" The man looked to the mess littering the carpet, before kicking the Tupperware container to the side. "You might as well have gone and burned my money yourself! You little idiot!"

The girl remained quiet. Her head finally lifted as she heard the man step forward. She turned and met his eyes, the first thing she noticed was the lingering scent of alcohol that never seemed to leave his side.

"If you can't help but be stupid, then I'll just get rid of the rat myself!"

The man stepped past the girl and right in front of the Pokémon. The Pokémon began to whine, backing away as the man crept forward. His slow pace was broken by a dash, closing the distance between the two. He threw his leg back and kicked Lillipup with force.

The Lillipup was thrown into the air and knocked into a wall. It fell to the floor, almost completely limp. The child screamed.

"Anne! Anne!"

She cried out the Pokémon's name, over and over again. This only managed to disgust her father.

"You gave the damn thing a name? No wonder you're attached to such a leech." The man picked up the Pokémon by the nape of its neck. "We'll fix that."

The man turned and headed back towards the front door. The Lillipup's fragile body sprung back to life, flailing its paws as it barked and yelped. The crying girl was too choked up to speak, simply wailing as she pulled at her father's jacket. The man barely flinched.

He opened the front door, and threw the Lillipup into the hall. The puppy leapt back onto its feet and bolted, not daring to look back. The child attempted to slip past her father and chase after it, but he blocked her path with his arm.

He slammed the door shut just as Lillipup ran out of view. He pushed the crying, wailing child back, nearly causing her to trip and fall. As she recovered her balance, the man screamed.

"Never, and I mean never, waste food like that again! You know why? Because it's a total waste, which means I'll have to buy more, which means I'll have to work harder just to support the two of us! Damn it, don't you understand how hard my life is? Why, just why, must you be so stupid Misaki?"

"...You...you!" The girl spoke through her sobs. "You didn't have to hurt it!"

"...You little!—"

The man stopped himself from saying anything further. His hand pulled at his own hair, his entire body was tightly wound. He looked into his daughter's large, sad, innocent eyes. His senses returned to him, and a new wave of emotion washed over him. He felt like, simply put, a bastard.

He wanted to scream, rage, shout more, but he knew that wouldn't help anything or anyone. His body eased, his teeth stopped clenching, and he huffed.

"I'm going to bed."

The man brushed past his daughter and went to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, leaving her all alone once again.

The Lillipup never came back, and the girl quickly understood the reality laid before her. She would never see Lillipup again.

"Saki!"

Hau continued his pursuit, despite Saki's persistence and stamina. She ran after the Herderier as fast as she possibly could, sweat rolling down her face. She could barely feel her building fatigue, meanwhile, Hau thought his legs were about to give out.

Ahead of the two kids, Herdier kept dashing forward with its hamburger bun. It ran past the people strolling through the streets, past all the shops and food stands, before taking an abrupt right. Saki followed it, making that exact turn. Hau did the same.

They found themselves standing in the back of a department store. Though it was a bit grimy, it was also bright under the alolan sun. The Herdier cornered itself between the back wall and the store's dumpster. It ate away at the bun, a satisfied look in its eyes, until it heard the sound of Saki's approaching footsteps.

Its head jerked up, meeting Saki's face. She saw the fear in its eyes as it recoiled further back into its corner. It instantly bared its teeth, a low growl coming from the back of its throat.

Saki only stood and watched the Pokémon. It perceived her as a threat, she instantly recognized that. Doubts began to boggle her mind, she wondered if this was the same Pokémon she had known, if she should just back away. Her thoughts spun in circles and circles, the Pokémon's snarls growing louder and louder.

Hau grabbed onto Saki's arm, causing her to jump.

"Saki, what's gotten into you?" He released his grasp as she looked to him. "Did you want to catch this Herdier? Maybe you'd be better off finding a different one."

The two glanced at Herdier, who's looked almost rabid in its attempt to scare its visitors. Saki shook her head, taking a step away from Hau, and a step closer to the Pokémon. "No, Hau. I know this Pokémon. I think."

"Huh?"

Saki ignored Hau's confusion as she looked to the frightened Herdier, trying to act intimidating. She knelt on one knee, reaching its level, causing it to back itself even further into its corner.

"Hey, hey. Don't you remember me?" Saki spoke as gently as she could. "I know it's been a while, Anne, but please. Try and remember me."

At the sound of the name "Anne", the Pokémon stopped. No longer growling, it gawked at the girl who knelt before it. Her scent, after all this time, it was the same. The realization processed slowly in the Pokémon's mind, it was unable to swallow its disbelief and accept the truth right in front of it. The wariness it held wouldn't allow for it.

"You do remember, don't you? Cute little Anne." Saki extended her hand to pat its head. "Cute little—"

Before she was able to touch Herdier, it pounced and bit into Saki's hand. Its teeth dove into her skin, a sharp pain making her screech. She went to pull away, but Herdier wouldn't let go, its jaw tightly clasped onto her.

She heard Hau call her name once again, ready to run to her side. She raised her opposite hand, signaling for him to stop in his tracks before he could help. Despite wincing with pain, her lips curled into a smile.

"It's okay, Hau. It doesn't hurt too bad. I got this."

"B...but!"

Hau was at a loss for words, but Saki was adamant, shaking her head when he went to take another step forward. She returned her focus to the Pokémon, her pained smile persistent.

"You've been hurt quite a bit, haven't you Anne?"

Saki and the Pokémon locked eyes, as if communicating through glances alone. Saki continued to speak.

"You were hurt again and again, right? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for the last time we met. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you, I'm sorry I did nothing. I still feel so guilty, even after all this time. I just still feel so guilty."

Her voice was soft, quite different from what the Herdier remembered. Still, it had such a similar soothing effect, causing it to slowly release the girl's hand from its jaw. It slowly backed away, watching blood drip down her skin.

Saki continued to smile, wiping away the flowing blood from her wound. "I'll make up for what happened, I promise you. Could I protect you now, you won't have to be afraid of anything anymore."

She extended her hand in an attempt to touch the Herdier again, but it recoiled. Saki pulled her hand back with a nod of her head.

"I understand, Anne. I really do. I used to be scared of everybody, and in return, I would try to scare everyone. I was just like you." Saki steadily stood back up, still keeping her focus on the Pokémon. "I can't force you to come alongside me. But I'll always—"
It was that moment that Herdier ran forward and leapt into the girl's arms. Saki caught it, holding it tight to her chest. She felt her eyes water with hot tears.

"You're amazing Saki! Like, seriously amazing!"

Hau was still extremely impressed by what he had just witnessed, the heartfelt connection Saki was able to quickly create with the stray Herdier, Anne. The two sat on a park bench, Anne's new Pokéball laid in the palm of Saki's hand.

Anne played alongside Akemi, as well as Hau's Pichu. They chased each other, laughed, something that brought a smile to both of the trainer's faces.

"I'm not that amazing," Saki said.

"But you are!" Hau kept insisting despite Saki's bashful blush. "How were you able to stay so calm? Even after it bit you like that?"

Saki looked to the bandages that wrapped her hand. She barely even noticed the light, buzzing pain. "Not sure. Guess I just understood how it felt. If I were to freak out... matters would have only gotten worse."

"Oh..."

Hau folded his hands, before smiling. "You're really good with Pokémon."

"You are too."

"Yeah, but I swear, there's something special about you!"

"Nah..." Saki grinned back at the boy, a bright, sparkling smile. "I just love Pokémon."