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"Where have you been, Guren?" Raiki asked, the male luxray looking quite concerned. "I haven't seen you since breakfast."

The female gardevoir was startled by Raiki's sudden appearance but she kept her calm. "Oh, it's about Jason-kun..." she mumbled.

Raiki's eyes flared at the mention of Jason's name, he and Jason never had the best of relationships. "What is it between you and Jason?" Raiki asked acting all protective of Guren. He and Guren were good friends but to Raiki, Guren was his only friend and he feared that Guren was forming a relationship with the man he detests.

Guren stared at Raiki in question, not knowing Raiki's true feelings towards them. "It's nothing really." She said. "It's just that Jason-kun's going through some troubles. I don't think I should be talking about this--"

Just then the door swung open, almost slamming into Guren but she quickly stepped to the side to avoid it. From the open door, Jason, a male lucario, emerged looking quite frustrated.

"Hey, watch it!" Raiki exclaimed, clutching onto Guren protectively.

Jason simply walked away, completely ignoring Raiki's and Guren's presence.

"Sheesh, that kid's just annoying." Raiki mumbled as he slowly let go of Guren. "Are you okay, Guren-chan?"

"I'm fine." Guren replied. "Raiki-kun, please don't act so mean towards Jason-kun." Guren requested. "He's just... he's going through a lot."

Raiki stared at Guren in confusion. "Why do you care for him?" Raiki asked. "He's just a transfer student, what's he to you?"

"We're not all mean to the new kid, Raiki-kun!" Guren scolded. "I want him to feel welcomed here in Japan, I don't want to see him crumble down like how you treat the others!" Raiki was taken by surprise by Guren's words; he never realized this was how she felt. "You don't always have to be so mean to him you know. You can always just... be friends with him."

"He's nothing like me!" Raiki yelled.

"And neither was I!" Guren replied. "But look at you now, staring at Jason with such hate just because he and I are hanging out! I don't hate you, Raiki-kun, I really don't. But please, stop acting so negative towards the others." Guren said as she walked away leaving Raiki to think on her words.

Jason stormed out of the cabin, furious at what just happened. When he realized that sensei Kashikoi knew information about him, he didn't realize he knew about Sarah as well. "Sarah..." Jason whispered to himself as tears rolled down his eyes. Sarah was Jason's first girlfriend, a gardevoir just like Guren, and the two of them spent a lot of time together. Jason and Sarah met about two years in the past, and their meeting sparked Jason's evolution into a lucario. A fact about riolu is that they need to experience high levels of friendship in order to evolve. Jason had many friends as a child but only Sarah made him feel the happiest. But... "Sarah... why did you have to die?" Jason asked.

Jason's pace slowed down as his mood changed from furious to depressed. He didn't know where to go, who to turn to. He thought immediately of Guren, his only friend in Japan, but he didn't feel comfortable about asking her for help. He wanted to keep this to himself, whatever Kashikoi-sensei knows, that'll be as far as anybody would learn.

He turned his gaze towards the sky, high noon. Everyone would be gathering for lunch at any minute now. Would Jason be able to show his face, at the presence of Kashikoi-sensei and Guren-chan?

"Jason!" a voice called out from behind, Jason turned to find Raiki walking towards him. "I want to talk to you."

"What do you want?" Jason asked with mistrust. The last thing he thought he'd do is trust the man he detests.

"Guren-chan tells me of this problem of yours..." Raiki says, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. Jason felt that Raiki wishes to talk to Jason about it, but Raiki shook his head. "Nevermind, it's lunch time. Kashikoi sensei is calling everyone to the dining hall."

"And you're always the one to remind me why?" Jason asked.

"Listen, kid, I didn't ask to be the one to look for you in this mountain JUST to tell you it's eating time!" Raiki said, small sparks emitting from his mane in anger.

"Yeah, yeah calm your tits." Jason said with much disrespect. "I'm coming."

Raiki growled in anger, the sparks emitting much frequently now, but he restrained himself. He didn't want to break his promise with Guren to refrain from tormenting Jason any further. Jason and Raiki then made their way for the dining hall together.

Everyone minded their own business at the table. Most of them chatted and gossiped, the others shared jokes and spat out drinks whilst some just remained idle and ate in peace. Professor Kashikoi, a mewtwo, sat on the opposite end from Jason, keeping an eye on the lucario from his side. Nobody seems to mind Jason at all, to Jason's relief. Jason stared blankly at his meal, just a bowl of ramen, with no appetite to even enjoy it.

"Jason-kun..." Guren said as she moved to the seat next to Jason. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine..." Jason mumbled as he sighed, toying with the noodles with his chopsticks. "Please, don't worry about me. I'm fine, I promise."

Though Jason tried his best (it's not much really), Guren couldn't help but be concerned of Jason's condition. "Well, may I sit next to you?" she asked. Jason gestured to his side, giving Guren the permission to do so. They didn't talk about much though, Jason had nothing to talk about and Guren didn't want to make Jason feel uncomfortable. Soon, lunch had ended and Jason left the moment they were allowed to.

Jason found himself walking to the peak of the mountain, lost in thought. Maybe he felt that a good mountain breeze would do him some good, never failed him before... except... Jason shook of those thoughts, he didn't want to be reminded of the past. He saw the beautiful landscape of Shinzuku city once more. He also saw the provincial areas on the other side, modern and urban worlds living side by side with no fuss. Jason stood at the top of a boulder, sat down and enjoyed the breeze. Closing his eyes, he felt the wind flow through his fur, he felt relaxed once more.

"Enjoying yourself now, are you?" A raspy, cold voice whispered from behind Jason.

Jason quickly turned, his senses primed, to face that evil presence he felt. But found no such being standing or sitting behind him.

"Why do you lie to yourself?" The voice continued, echoing inside Jason's mind. "Locking your eyes away from the truth will only hurt you when you find it. You need only accept what has happened."

Jason could feel his insides flaring up, his anger welling within. His fists clenched, his teeth gritted, a growl forming inside his throat, all he needs now is a target. No... he wasn't going to succumb to this again. Jason eased up a little and calmed down, standing up from the boulder, he made his way towards that lake.

A few hours of wondering in the forest, again lost in thought, Jason made his way back to what might be his favorite spot in the mountain: a beautiful, crystal clear lake. The lake was almost out of this world, about thirty feet deeps and about a few hundred meters across, it doesn't seem to be a lake at all. But that didn't bother Jason, as long as it made him feel safe it'll do.

Jason removed his tank top and his shorts, leaving him with nothing but boxers, and took a dip in the lake. He loved it when things get cold. He might complain at first but when his body adjusts he's just... feels so free. He dove deep into the lake, hoping that submerging himself in the cold would ease his mind. Due to the water's unnatural clarity, seeing the bottom was easy and so was opening your eyes underwater. Jason was curious as to what he might find at the bottom, so he surfaced to take in a huge gulp of air and dove down once more.

The underwater of the lake was amazing. It was like swimming in a world of crystal and glass, the place shimmered and shown with beautiful patterns of light from the surface and reflected on the minerals beneath. And the fact that the water was clear simulated the illusion of flight, almost tempting Jason to breathe underwater. Jason may not have found anything of interest but at least he got the feeling of excitement and adventure

He later surfaced and returned to land, let the sun and breeze dry him naturally and just enjoyed the moment. He sat there for hours until he saw the sky reddening with the setting sun, he changed back into his shorts and tank top and returned to the others for dinner.

Jason was back to his usual cheerful self. He and Guren sat together by the table during dinner time, no longer held back by that awkward moment. "So, Jason-kun," Guren said. "are you feeling better now?"

Jason nodded in reply, a smile showing on his face. "Very." He answered. "And all it took was a nice long swim at the lake."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." Guren said. "Well, how do you like it here in Japan now?" Guren asked averting their attention to something utterly different to avoid any more complications.

"Japan's great." Jason replied, a bright smile on his face. "I'm getting used to the place quite well now. My only current problem is the language, I still have no friggin idea what everyone's saying. But I'm slowly learning, I know basic Japanese now thanks to my uncle."

"Glad to hear that." Guren said. "So, you wouldn't mind if I speak to you in Japanese?" she asked with a teasing grin on her face.

Jason chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah... no. Speak to me in English."

Guren let out a laugh and Jason followed suit. Jason felt Raiki staring at him with dark intentions. Raiki had a very protective hold on Guren and he won't let anyone hurt her. But of course Jason felt that Raiki was slowly opening up to him. Raiki and Jason had some short conversations before, most were of anger towards each other but some were a tag team of sorts to torment the bullies. If there was one thing that Jason and Raiki agreed on, it was their sense of justice.

"Well, it's getting kinda late." Jason said, standing up and bowing down. "I'll go on ahead to my room."

"Okay..." Guren said remaining in her seat. "Good night, Jason-kun. Hope you sleep well tonight."

"Yeah, so do I." Jason answered as he walked back to his cabin.