I lift my head to the foggy blue sky, which seems to cloud over the closer we get to the next city. All of my thoughts are slowly becoming one in an effort to get rid of the indecisive Millie I was always trapped in.

"Lilligant!" Lilligant shuffles our of the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center, spinning around to let the wind lift her new royal red coat dress. She's obviously excited to enter Snowbelle with style.

Meowstic, on the other hand, is busy resting in my bag, taking Petilil's old spot. "Let's go, Lilligant!"

Her leaf in my hand, we keep going to meet Lenette and her Braixen up ahead. I find it odd that I haven't left her, and more so that she hasn't done the same to me.

"Ready to go?" She seems more confident than she was when she first apologized to me. I wonder why? I've only just started my attempt to become Kalos Queen, and I don't yet think that I can be someone's sole source.

"Lilligant?" I turn to my partner to get a response from her, but all Lilligant does tilt her head to the side and smile with her eyes. At first I was concerned that she had changed completely since she evolved, but like me I can only now assume that she's gotten just a bit more confidence, and in our cases just a little confidence means a lot when added to none.

"Mrow." Meowstic has yet to become fully trustworthy of Lenette, but I can definitely tell she's at least trying for my sake.

"You ready?" Lenette begins walking as I slowly catch up, the morning breeze giving me slight chills. With each step it's getting colder.

"So....." Lenette slows her pace to match mine until she's walking right by me, the warmth her body gives off slightly comforting.

"So?" Should I be relying on her to start s conversation, or should I be the one to get everything going? I'm not as nervous as I was, and it's not like this girl is so much of a threat anymore, if she even was in the first place.

"I guess you've been practicing for the whole Master Class."

Didn't we talk about this before? Or rather she spoke while I just nodded in silence? Either way, I'm glad she brought it up, and I tell her so."I'm glad you brought it up. I've found something that will definitely work."

I glance at Lilligant, who's playing with her leafy hair, shooting her and Meowstic a quick wink.

"That's nice." Even as she smiles, there's a look of sorrow planted on Lenette's face that doesn't leave, and I find her quickly turning her head away.

Is something wrong? How can I be asking that when the answer is so obvious? Maybe it's everything she's gone through. I may never be able to fully forgive the team she used to be a part of, nor will I ever be able to truly understand all that happened in that time, but the least I can do is ask.

Just ask. "What's wrong?" I breathe, not realizing how heavy the simple two words are until I push them out of my mouth.

She slows, but keeps her blank stare on the road ahead. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"This?" For a split second I assume she's talking about traveling with me, but after a moment of thinking it over it can't be me she's upset with.

"It must be because of your history with Team Flare, isn't it?"

Instead of asking like usual I get right to the point this time, and I'm sure it's a Tauros-Eye because Lenette freezes up, causing me to almost crash into her Braixen that stops right along with her.

"I've done so many bad things as a member of that team." Now her voice is low and melancholy, and I can hardly hear her words, but the sorrow in them is loud and clear. "I have no home to return to, and I have no future to head towards. I'm not even sure why you're here with me, Millie. You could just give up on me and run towards your own dream. I'll just bring you down."

"That's... That's not true." I've been through a lot on my own journey, and there were so many times, too many times that I just wanted to give up. If I gave up, then how would I ever prove anything to my mother, let alone to any of my friends around me?

"You're not a lost cause, Lennie." I'm used to saying her nickname, and instead of hiding all her shame, she should wear it on her shoulder instead."If you run away and hide now, then how will anyone, let alone yourself ever know that you've bloomed from that person you've hated for so long?"

"Lilligant!" Lilligant walks forward and places a leafy arm on Lennie's back, as if she's also giving words of encouragement to the troubled girl.

"Lilligant and I were so sick of being weak and so afraid that time after time we'd find it hard just to wish ourselves luck, but we didn't give up. We didn't even expect Clyde and Clara and Meowstic to put up with us until the end, but all of them have taught us that we ourselves can't call it quits before we've even tried. Before we've even unlocked our potential."

"Potential? What potential do we have?" Lennie whips around, her face a mix of anger and despair."We were thieves! We hurt people! We tried to destroy..." And yet she stops speaking, sinking further down to the ground, further and further into the depths of hate and misery.

"Meow." Meowstic holds out a paw to Lennie's distraught Braixen and holds out a paw, the same paw that protected me and lent her power when she evolved.

Lilligant wraps her arms around Lennie for comfort, nothing but soothing warmth emanating from the body that was called too weak by many.

I stand and take Lennie's hand to pull her away from the chains yanking her down, the same chains that lingered on me."Thank you."

Lennie's smile is full of gratitude, and for a split second I almost see the Gratitude Pokemon inside her. I take her hand as she leans on me, and we continue onward.

The chains that were there, the chains that stopped me from believing in myself.... Are the same chains that loosened and eventually broke each time I stepped onstage. Each time I had something to hope for.

         Chapter 22.... End! :)