He stood there proudly atop the stage, displaying his Ribbon for all to see. The Coordinator was quite proud of himself, his winning Chatot perched on his shoulder and his Primarina standing beside him. His rainbow eyes shimmered with glee and pride, something he hadn't shown for a while. Though he knew the hordes of interviewers would approach him soon, he decided to let himself and his teammates take one last bow before the final curtain.

"...we did great. ChaCha, I have to admit, I never knew you were that spectacular at keeping a non-metronomic beat," he remarked to the bird on his shoulder.

"ChaCha better than you first thought she was," the bird responded, puffing out her chest.

The Primarina whistled in displeasure, absolutely horrified at the bird's un-lady-like remark. She crossed her flippers, letting out a little "hmph!"

And as if it were cued, he was swamped by interviewers from various news channels across Sinnoh.

"Sir, you did wonderful out there! Do you think your parents were watching?" one of them asked, shoving the mic in his face.

"My dad might've," he replied rather coldly.

"But your–"

"She doesn't care," the teen hissed. "Next question."

The yelling, pushing and shoving stopped. They all stared at him, dumbfounded by his sudden coldness. He had usually been polite with them. Well, more so he tolerated them behind a mask of kindness.

"...did something happen between you two?" another asked.

He scoffed. "More like she never cared in the first place. Look, I don't like talking about this. Can we please change the subject?"

It seemed they didn't hear him towards the end, as someone else raised another question. He wanted to let his growing frustration boil over so he could just shove these idiots out of the way and get the heck out of there, but he knew that if he did that, he might end up disqualified from the rest of the Contest season.

"Sonus, is there anything you can tell us about your current relations with her?"

"I don't like her, she doesn't like me, end of story. She doesn't even exist for all I care."

The young journalist pulled her mic back, a look of fear and concern on her face.

"You wouldn't mind telling us what happened, would you?" another asked.

"Yes, yes I would. So no, I'm not telling you. Now please, let me go, considering none of the stuff you're asking is remotely related to this competition," he growled, pushing through the people. "C'mon, babe! Let's go!"

The Primarina leaped skillfully over the horde of newsmen and women, following her Trainer with well-placed bounces. She moved with enough elegance and grace to distract the fools from her terribly upset partner.

The exhausted Coordinator took his dynamic duo to a quiet forest glade just outside of Hearthome. They took a little time to rest, the teenager trying not to cry. He felt the bruises and scars that dappled his back all over again, and it caused him pain. Sonus stared rather hopelessly into his Water-type partner's bubbles, watching them float away.

He couldn't help but to think back a good six years, to the day he left home. That was the day he met his beloved ChaCha. She, like him, had been horribly abused. Only difference was that the bird had been left for dead. The young boy, not willing to let her suffer as he had any longer, carried her to a Pokémon Center, a runaway Sylveon in tow.

Due to his kindness, he had made a friend for life. Returning to the present, he slid off his glasses, cleaning the lenses again. Putting them back on, he could much more clearly see the motherly love in his Primarina's eyes. She flopped ever so gracefully to his side, wrapping one of his hands in her pristine white flippers.

"Priii~" she sighed, nuzzling his arm. "Pri ma ri ri..."

"I...I know, Aria...I know..." he muttered quietly. "I love you too..."

She shook her head, suddenly grabbing his chin with a bit of force. "Ma-ri-na!!" the 'mon exclaimed, determination and passion glinting in her eyes. "Pri pri pri-ma! Ma-ri pri!!"

"...I...I don't get it..." he muttered between squished cheeks.

Aria let out a huff, nudging ChaCha with her tail. The bird stared at her, confused, but it didn't take long for the selkie to send her message.

"You lucky I here to translate," ChaCha snorted. "Aria say you need only listen to her, not what your...stupid mother said. Aria also say you need open your heart. Let love in."

He sat there, irises shifting colors. "...Aria, I...I...I try, okay? I try really hard...but...i-it just doesn't work out so well when people bring her up... She hurt me, remember?! She's the reason why I dress so modestly! I don't like explaining these scars and I never will!"

"Priiiiiiii..." the seal grumbled. "Pri-ma, ri ma pri ri ma-ri na ri na..."

"You need to face your fear!" the bird squawked, either in translation or in what she meant. "That evil woman never touch you again, not on our watch! You no need to be afraid! Stand tall and show her who you are!"

He felt something resonating in his heart. Sonus nodded, slowly getting up. "Y-you're right. I shouldn't be afraid of someone who can't hurt me... I should keep pushing on, huh? Well, I guess I will."

He heard the sounds of a large Pokémon landing. If he wanted to get specific, it was none other than his mother's Talonflame. The teenager stifled a fearful gulp, turning around to face the woman.

"I've been looking for you, Piano," she snarled.

"I've been trying to stay out of your grasp," he growled. "Besides, if you don't care about me, why're you chasing me?!"

"Oh, I dunno, I got a lead on the news so I decided to follow it. Mister, you're coming back with me whether you like it or not," the woman said rather loudly, reaching for him.

"Sparkling Aria!!" he cried, stepping back some.

The Primarina obeyed, soaking both the Talonflame and the woman who was indeed her Trainer's mother. She glared defiantly at the bird and the woman, watching to see what they'd do next. Her pale blue locks glimmered in the breeze, soon draping over her shoulder.

"I'm done with you and your crap!" he hollered. "I've been done with you for the past six years, and I never want to see your face again! You wanna take me to hell? I'll drag you down with me and make sure you don't leave! Try me, I dare you!"

"Sunny Day," the woman said harshly. "Of all the things I wanted to do, it was to see the look on your face when I broke everything that mattered to you. And now I finally get my chance."

The Coordinator smirked. "You're a clown, you know that, right? You can't hurt me any more. I'm not going to feel anything," he said, smiling. "I know what it feels like to love...and I'm going to hold onto that feeling forever, no matter who you take from me."

"Who? What do you mean 'who'? These things???"

"They're not things, fool! They're my teammates and I love them! I love them more than I ever loved you and I'd die for them in a heartbeat! And they know that!"

"Flamethrower!" his mother roared. "Now burn so I don't have to deal with you anymore!"

No-one could've predicted what would have happened next. He recalled his partners into their PokéBalls, absorbing the hit himself. Sonus stood there, panting, but smiling defiantly.

"I'm still standin'...and you're not takin' me down any time soon... So give it up and leave me be, freak."