Pokémon Gakutensoku: The Span of Two Decades

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Previous parts:
Safe Passage, All Together Now, Cultivate The Vine, A Little Something Extra, Homecoming, Renewal, Face the Future, Milestone, Hearth's Embers​

Arturo looked down at the spending money Nemona had given him. He had plenty left, as he had only rare occasion to purchase anything. But the idea of buying something with meaning to someone, something that could convey how glad he was to see Arven reach such a milestone, made even such an advanced robot lock up.

There were far too many possibilities. Far too many factors to weigh.

As a robot, Arturo was a being of logic, but that also carried with it the knowledge that something could not be purely functional. It had to be something the recipient enjoyed or else there was no point in giving a birthday gift in the first place.

Arven enjoyed cooking, but was that what everybody was going to give him, wasn't it? Although perhaps what was what he would want.

Something that would be useful for his move to Kalos? It would be only a few months until Arven would uproot for culinary school. His grades and credits were on track to finally graduate, and even the distance didn't outweigh Arturo's pride in him.

But there was another factor adding to his complication. It was the end of March, and Paldea's stores were still full of leftover Father's Day goods.

Twenty years ago, Turo had been eagerly anticipating the birth of his son. He had laughed about how his first father's day would be almost a year late, but had suggested to his fiancée that perhaps the strange hatchling that had emerged from their time machine could be considered their child.

At first she had seemed receptive to the idea. After all, it was the result of their hard work, of years of research and dreams and trying with all their hearts and minds to achieve the impossible.

Time travel had been known for a while. Bill of the Johto region had been behind a machine that could send pokémon through time by a few years, a revolutionary thing. In their late teens they had studied his blueprints, pouring over them together late into many nights, but back then had never imagined that they could someday improve so much on it.

But by the time Turo had made that suggestion--

"Sir, are you all right?"

Arturo started. He had known the store employee was there, but was startled by her sudden words. "Ah, yes, thank you," he quickly answered. "I simply have a lot on my mind."

She nodded. "If you need any help, let one of us know."

"Of course." But before she could turn and leave, he rethought it. "Actually, I do not know what to purchase for a young man's birthday. He will be turning twenty in a few days."

The employee smiled. "What does he enjoy?"






Now he had to wait. The gathering, because Arven didn't want to consider it a party, would be at Lydia's house, and the two of them were preparing most of the food. Some others were invited, including Director Clavell but also Mr Saguaro, and Arturo was nervous to meet him.

It was unlikely that Clavell would be able to attend. He had a string of meetings to plan out the future of the school, and that was, Arven admitted in earnesty, more important.

For Mr Saguaro's presence, it was understandable. He had been a major guiding hand in Arven's progression towards becoming a chef, especially in understanding how to factor in the nutritional needs of whoever he would be serving. It was, quite literally, a vital thing.

But Arturo still numbered those he had spoken to directly, as himself and not pretending to be someone else, as approximately a dozen. It was imprecise but he was uncertain how many of the young trainers outside Medali he had actually conversed with and how many were simply talking to each other in his direction.

Some parts of what he would say would be the truth. He had worked with Arven's father and wished to connect with him after the man's death. He had been away for a few years on independent research. He had inherited Turo's old lab at the lighthouse and would be living there. He was aware that he strongly resembled Turo.

The last part was something he wondered if he should further flesh out. Turo had been somewhat self centered, and nudging the notion that he hired an assistant with a similar name and face to him would be within that scope. After all, he had initially been Turo's exact double, despite the human body being awkward and inefficient. Any reason had been out of a desire to replicate his genius mind and knowledge, but he had also never considered any other design for the body.

But to discuss Turo's selfishness with someone outside of their tight social group seemed to cross a line. And certainly Arven would not appreciate it either. Hardly anybody knew that Turo had died, and would not find out until at least the summer. Whenever Arven was comfortable enough at school in Kalos that he could approve that information being shared. But even when that would be public knowledge, the sort of person Turo truly was would remain closely guarded.

If the subject came up, Arturo would have to deflect. He had practiced a polite laugh, how to make small talk, how to be what others would call "charming". Those were things that Turo had practiced as well, but for very different reasons, and there were things that were unique to these new situations.

If asked why he did not eat, he would answer that he was on a specialized diet. If asked about his life, he would say that he was from Paldea and had taken to research early on. He hoped things would not progress much beyond that. Perhaps he could simply redirect the subject.

He practiced a few times. "Ah, haha, but we're not here for me, we're here for Arven!" He sounded stiff, but was it too stiff? Was it within reasonable limits so as not to arouse suspicion? But then, for someone to think that he was a robot would be quite a stretch, especially since he could move some programs around to keep his databanks from updating, and thus his eyes from flashing, until later.

At least, he hoped it would work. He had never had reason to test it before.

Maybe he needed a sounding board. Of course.

A phone call later, and Juliana was on their way.





The young trainer mused, pulling in a heavy breath that straightened their back, before responding. "Well. I think you're going to be good for a short party. But there's a lot we'll have to work on if you plan on going to any social events."

Arturo, still in his computer chair, shook his head. "Of course. Such a big event would still overwhelm me."

Juliana leaned back against the couch. "God, I get overwhelmed and I take in a lot less information than you do. Honestly it sounds horrible."

He chuckled, that smooth and practiced sound that his creator had honed for interviews. "You must remember that I am also built to tolerate so much more input than a human can. Although in some situations I think our experiences would be about equal. The difference is that I must eventually pause to dump unnecessary data."

"Haha..." There was a deflated sound to Juliana's laugh. "That sounds great. Humans forget things over time but we don't get to pick and choose. I still remember staring at a wall of cans in a Unovan grocery store when I was a toddler. Couldn't even hear mom talking to me."

"You have a remarkable memory." Arturo was attempting to deflect the subject, and he was fairly certain that Juliana would know that. "I do not believe that most people could remember their early years. I doubt, based on our conversations, that Arven remembers much before he was five."

Regardless of if Juliana recognized the attempt, Juliana smiled. "What was your earliest memory?"

"Well, you must remember that I was created fully formed. My shell, my robotic body," here he gestured to himself with a hand to his chest, "had been placed in a containment tube and affixed with various tubes and wires to implement my final programs. And my first memory is looking out of the tube to see Turo watching me intently. When he realized that I was indeed watching him back..." He squeezed the arm of the chair with his off hand. "He smiled. Kindly, patiently. A rare smile indeed. And I knew in that moment that I would do anything for him."

"Almost anything."

"Well yes."

After several seconds passed in silence, Juliana cleared their throat. "What was his earliest memory?"

Arturo had to think about that. Though he contained so much, it would often take a moment to access certain files. "He had only a few memories before the age of five as well. But in his absolute earliest, I believe that he was approximately two and a half. He was at a table, with a woman in a polka-dot dress nearby, and she set a mug of very thick cocoa in front of him."

"That's sweet. His mom?"

"I believe this was his great grandmother. Given that this was the only memory he had of her, she must have passed away soon after." But that was too sad a statement to leave it on, so he continued. "He always did have a soft spot for sweets."

"Heh..." Juliana leaned back with a smile. "I found a few stale candy bars in the lab. Though I confess that I found out they were stale because I tried to eat one."

"Ah." Arturo nodded. "It is good that you did not wish for them to go to waste. Although I hope you did not eat them if they were stale."

"Yeah, Penny nabbed a bunch of the instant noodles. I brought her some more later on. Arven said that if she was going to eat them the least she could do would be to add vegetables."

Another nod. "Yes, I would encourage Turo to as well. However, he often would not." There was a faint small on Arturo's lips as he recalled it. "The food freezer, as opposed to any kept for supercooling, was on the third floor in the living quarters, and and he did not want to step away from his work for that long. However, if I was ever tasked with preparing food for him, I would try to make it healthier than that."

Juliana started to ask something but paused. "We're getting further away from our point so lemme slide in a question and then we can go back to the original subject. You cooked for him?"

"On occasion. Usually when my work was processing and there was nothing I could aid him with at the moment." Arturo glanced at the refrigerator across the room. "Very few fresh things, but I do know to cook eggs. He would sometimes take them with a smoked fillet crumbled into them."

"Mm. Mom's made that a few times." Juliana's chest vibrated slightly as they held back a laugh. "Tried to shake down Monstro--that's my Veluza--for some fillets and found out that Veluzas tend to be auto-cannibals. I guess it's not so gross when they can regenerate right away but still. ANYWAY!" They heralded the change of subject with a clap of their hands. "Party! Communication! Step one, don't talk about Veluzas eating their own shed flanks unless the person you're talking to does it first."

"Yes, I would suspect that would be the case," Arturo agreed.

"What were we talking about, sensory input, right?" Juliana groaned slightly at just how fast they had gotten off topic. "Right, so I don't think there's going to be enough input there to really get overwhelmed. Arven doesn't know a whole gaggle of people, so it'll just be a few of us."

"A gaggle?"

"Idk," Juliana said each letter as if reading off a text message. "It's as good as any other name. A mess of people? Maybe that would be better for a party setting."

"Arven has said that this is not a party."

Juliana sighed deeply. "Yeah I know, but it's still a party in the strictest definition. He just wants this to be a serious event. I think he's trying to distance himself from certain things." This was accompanied by a gesture at their surroundings.

"That is understandable. But the tone will still be lighthearted, correct?"

"It should be. But he doesn't have any party games lined up. Conversation, light music, hors d'oeuvres, stuff like that. Oh!" They perked up at a thought. "One of Penny's friends is trying to demo a low key party playlist so you may want to weigh in on how well it worked. But the thing with background music is it's supposed to be unobtrusive and just lead to an...I guess enhanced feeling."

"Ambient sound. I am familiar with the concept. I have noted to deprioritize it. However..." He paused for natural effect. "A friend of Penny, so is it a Giacomo original?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"She told me about his music and played some as she worked on my alterations," he explained. "It was quite pleasing. He is very skilled in complex rhythms. I found his works mathematically pleasing."

Juliana paused, gaze sliding to the side looking at nothing in particular. "You've really got a way with words, my man."

"One must, to communicate."

"Yeeeeeah...so about the party. Do you have any specific questions?"

Arturo had to think about that for a moment. Even with his processing speed, there was much to consider. "How should I interact with Mr Saguaro? He has been Arven's mentor for a while now and I have no idea how to approach him."

"Mm." Juliana turned back towards him and set their hands on their knees. "Mr Saguaro is super sweet. He's patient and very passionate about what he does, and he'll probably as you about your interests."

"And what do I say to such a question?" Arturo tilted his head. "I cannot well say that I am interested in observation or the study of the natural world, as those are more career path than hobbies."

"They're your interests though, right?" Juliana raised a hand toward the bookshelf. "You like to read a lot. Arven was telling me about a book you wanted to get into the other day."

He glanced over, though the book in question was still on his nightstand. "Ah yes, it was delightful, although I found the ending a bit random given the information provided. I believe you may enjoy it, as the bulk of it was quite thought provoking."

"Well, how about you talk about books you like?"

Arturo's pause carried hesitation. "...The way I approach input is not like an organic being. I would not want to discuss it for long."

"Oh come on, you were just talking to me. What kinds of thoughts did it provoke?" Juliana asked with a gesture of their arm.

He folded his hands on his lap. "One of my primary thoughts throughout it was the advancement of technology through the major settings, as there were discrepancies, and I do not know if they were intentional. Additionally, the calculations in one chapter were wildly incorrect."

Juliana pulled in a breath and released it overdramatically. "I mean, that sounds like a weird organic being, but still an organic being," they told him with a lopsided smile. "There's probably like five people who would approach it like that *just* in Penny's classes."

Arturo took this in with a slight confusion. "I know that my creator did not think like other humans. But he still had a very human thought process, simply an irregular one. The way that I think--"

"Look..." Juliana interjected. "What *I* think is that you're overthinking this. And however you do that behind the scenes, you still come off as really, really human. Again, a weird human, but not so weird that it wouldn't seem human at all." Flopping backwards, they startled slightly, arms starting to flail for a second. "Ack! You've got to get a new couch. This one is getting really hard to sit on. Anyway." They settled into a more comfortable spot as they spoke. "Whatever is on the backend still gets to the same places that we do. Like those talking Squawkabilly that you see online that can identify objects by name that people say are about on par with a preschooler. Their brains probably work way differently than a little kid's would, and they have different priorities, but when they can ask for a nut by name, or can solve a simple puzzle by figuring out what order to do things in, that's still outwardly the same conclusion that a human would make."

He pondered that for a moment. "It feels so much different from how things functioned in his memories."

"People don't really think about their own thought processes. Being able to do so objectively is even rarer." There was almost a smile to Juliana's voice, though their face remained relatively flat.

It wasn't as though Turo had never tried to self-reflect. Aware of how different he was from his peers, he had tried to examine his own thought process. But that was in his early years, even before he had met S--

Arturo shook his head. None of that had been objective, and was from the mind of a very small child. He had never found an answer anyway, thinking at that age that it was down to all the books he read. It was somewhat naive of him, but one of that age cannot truly understand, no matter how many gifts they possess.

Even then, to think of Turo's vast intellect as a gift seemed erroneous. At that age it had seemed a miracle, but his ultimate downward spiral seemed to show otherwise.

No, he could not be so irrational. That was, as he himself had told Juliana, the result of many influences from many different sources. After all, those who inspired Turo were ahead of the average mind and they often lived bright lives. His own best friend through his youth was--

There were those thoughts again. Best to avoid them. "I understand." He did in most ways truly understand. "Is there anything you believe I ought to be cautious of in conversation?"

Unaware of Arturo's train of thought, as he had spent less than two seconds considering all of those things, Juliana leaned forward slightly. "As a friend? You can be a little cold sometimes. You have to think about how what you say will make people feel."

"I have been told this."

They brightened. "It's something we've all got to work on. But like, and this is just an example since I know Arven talked to you about it, the way you can approach subjects can make you seem aloof and rude."

"Yes, the things I said before I left." Arturo felt a little cold, though the temperature had not changed. He knew it to be an entirely emotional response, an illusion, but such things sat well with his logical mind. He was not programmed to feel those things, but even without feeling emotions in the same way an organic being did, they had such a powerful effect just the same.

But that was what Juliana had just been talking about, wasn't it? Different internal paths to reach the same conclusion?

"Because for that, I apologize."

"Right, right." Juliana dismissed the apology with a wave gesture. "We can learn from it. What was it you said then, other than dropping on him that his dad really loved him? It was the truth and I know you wanted him to know it, but do you get why it was upsetting to him to hear?" There was a twinge in their voice, something catching slightly. A sign of thick emotions lining their throat.

"I told him..." It took no time at all to access the memory, far more than his words but everything else as well, and his hand curled subconsciously. "his father truly loved him, and he objected, saying I could not just say such a thing. So I replied that I supposed he was right, and apologized."

They nodded. "But do you understand why it was upsetting to him?"

Arturo thought deeply. He had questioned that for three hundred years and had come up with thousands of possible answers. One that Arven himself had brought to his attention was "...Arven had not known until that point that his father had died. It was my use of the past tense that revealed that."

Juliana's expression shifted, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Um. That's...that's valid. But do you think that was the only reason?"

They were right; it couldn't have been. "I am sorry. I could answer this in any number of ways. I know that it was not solely that fact that upset him, but it is the specific one that I am most certain of."

"Ok, what's something you think may be a reason? Just as an educated guess?"

"Hm." The sound was unnecessary, but part of his programming. "I would say that it was the suddenness in which I told him. It did not lead in from the prior subject, but rather from what I had told him when he entered the room..." He paused but spoke again before Juliana could. "...it was not only me that spoke. That told him how proud we were..."

Juliana's eyes wavered, a sign of impending tears. They grabbed the arm of the couch so hard that their knuckles turned white immediately. And ever so softly, they whispered "I knew it..."

He nodded, cautiously and stiffly. "...but yes. I suspect the suddenness of the statement was a factor in his reaction."

"Uh, yeah...That was going to be the big one I was gonna say." They weren't looking in his direction. "...Do you want to talk about--you probably don't, do you? I'm sorry to bring that up."

"On the contrary. I brought it up. Although it seems to have upset you, so I apologize for that as well."

They sucked in a deep breath and nodded a few times. "Yeah, ok, ok...do you understand that then?"

"It is not as though the professor was truly present." Arturo was quick to reassure. "It was the part of me that was him and not myself. We spoke as one. But that thought still distresses you because you..." He took in Juliana's shaking hands, quivering lip. "...Because you met him. And so many other reasons. I said it now because I thought it would put your mind at ease. That in some way, even through a simulation, he could say these things to his son."

Juliana looked away. "Arven wouldn't be ready to hear that. Don't tell him. But yeah..." A slight head shake. "Even without knowing for sure, seeing this...this creepy, twitching person who's emitting smoke and whose eyes are glitching tells him in his dad's voice how proud he is. Do you get that he would be freaked out? Hell, we were all..." Their fists balled again. "I heard Penny yelp when you did that."

He had not considered the feelings of anyone else, not at the time and not for many more years. But he had thought of them prior to meeting with Juliana, at least. "I will tell you a story. When I was in the future, I watched many of the life forms go about their days."

They turned back ever so slightly, looking at him but not tilting their head back just yet. He was going somewhere with this, but where?

"I witnessed a family of small marsupials of a species I dubbed Minisupale, scrounging for food. They ate mostly nuts but those were out of season. As omnivores, they could expand their diets during those months. And one of them returned with a large Rotallis, a fish with large spots like a pierrot" --he gestured to his torso as if to indicate the location of such spots -- "that was bigger than they were. I could tell that the fisher had expended much effort into this, but the suddenness in which it dropped the Rotallis on the others was startling, and two of its packmates attacked it for scaring them."

Juliana paused. Fish? "So...something that it saw as beneficial was still received poorly because of the delivery."

"Yes. And that caused me to realize that it would not only be Arven who had been disturbed by my words and appearance." He smiled softly. "You understand as well that the fisher looked a fright, still wet and quite muddy, and it had tossed its quarry at them from a ledge."

"Gonna be honest, I have no idea how you got from point A to point B but I'm glad that it led you to some insight." Juliana finally looked back and smiled as well. "It keeps coming back to fish today, doesn't it?"

Ah yes, the Veluza. "Some cultures consider fish to be symbols of abundance. And then there is the symbolism placed on individual species. Magikarp, for instance, representing tenacity and durability." Sitting back a little, he added "Although the Rotallis does not yet exist, so I do not know what significance, if any, a human culture could give it."

"I probably wouldn't bring any of this up either," Juliana said with a sigh. "I really do wish you could be more open, but if you start talking about future fish and mammals no one else has ever heard of, then it would open you you to too many questions."

"Oh, I fully understand!" Just for a second, Arturo glanced at the bookshelf, at the Violet Book. "Someday, people may be more able to safely use my technology, but as it stands..." He looked back at them. "As of now, I should not technically exist. Yet I do, and I am glad for that."

"I am too." A small smile grew across Juliana's face until finally it was a large grin. "I really can't overstate how happy I am to know you're ok. Even if you never came back, if I could have known you were safe and happy in the future, I would have been ok."

He noted that their heart rate was still rather fast, but was settling. "I was very happy. If you wish, I will talk to you further on my time there when we are not trying to discuss an upcoming event."

"Oh yeah!" They perked up even further. "So anyway, what you want to do--"







"Do you need any assistance?"

Lydia laughed as she set a pile of small plates on the end of the counter. "No, it's fine. You just sit yourself down until the man of the hour gets here."

Juliana, who was taking a baked cheese from the oven, laughed as well and sounded almost exactly like their mother. "Mom, give him something to do. He's literally made to help."

"Uh..." The woman paused to look around. "Hm. Set out the napkins, next to the plates. Fan them out a little. They're in the cabinet over there." This was said with a nod of her head towards one of the many cabinets around the room.

Arturo nodded and immediately headed towards the indicated spot. "Thank you."

"Next one over."

Sure enough, the napkins were in the next cabinet. He took out a pile, observing that it consisted of thirty two of them, and figured that would be enough to start off with. If more were needed, he could set them up as well.

And of course, she had said to fan them out 'a little'. Turo had been to enough social gatherings for Arturo to discern what that could mean. He set them up in a round next to the plates, making certain that they were all fanned to exactly the same distance apart, with a margin of error of one millimeter.

As Juliana set the baked cheese on the counter and began brushing it with honey, they glanced at his display and whistled. "Dang. You're really into this."

He smiled, the gentler, subtler smile. "As you said, I am made to help. Thank you for giving me a task."

Lydia had headed to the refrigerator to retrieve a platter of deviled eggs, and midway through taking them out seemed to remember something. "Oh, Arven made these yesterday! I figured you'd want to see them." She tilted the platter towards Arturo.

The eggs were all fully round with no peeling mistakes, and the yolk mixture was piped evenly into each. "I admire the consistency."

"Yeah, I figured you'd enjoy that. Hey," Juliana chuckled, "if you still feel like you need to do something, can you fill Chippy's bowl? We got him some special food so he doesn't feel left out, and it's on the top shelf of my bookcase so he didn't get into it."

The care and feeding of Skwovet was a subject Arturo knew nothing about, so he didn't ask why Chippy wasn't to partake of the assorted spread before them. Though he surmised it had something to do with the high fat and sodium content. "All right. How much should I give him?"

"The whole can. It'll be good sitting there for a little bit, and he's a greedy little thing but he knows there's going to be people here so he won't start eating until we do."

In the living room, Chippy, who had been batting a ball around, squeaked in indignity.

"Yeah yeah," Juliana dismissed with a wave of their free hand, "You'll get your damn wet food; you happy?"

Arturo nodded. "Miriadon will display similar attitudes towards food."

"Yeah, I've noticed." This was said dryly, amidst Lydia's laughter.







In Juliana's room, the can was exactly where they said it would be, but Arturo lingered for a moment to examine the contents of the bookcase. There was a photograph in a shining frame of the four friends--five friends, with Miraidon--smiling brightly. A guide to the Ten Sights of Paldea. The Uva Academy handbook, only twenty pages but still bound in hardcover. A pictoral history of Wyndon--that was right, Juliana and Lydia had lived in Galar for some time.

On the next shelf, the books had no specific subjects. A study guide for university hopefuls. A workbook for dealing with grief. A scientific journal's collected works for the year, one Arturo knew contained three separate papers by Professor Turo as well as an interview with him.

He also knew it contained one by Professor Sada. Turo had reacted bitterly to that, but it was not as though the editors were privy to their personal problems. It was also unlikely that Juliana knew the significance Sada had to the man's life.

Oh--best get downstairs. Arven was approaching.




"I just can't get used to this!" Lydia was saying as Arturo returned downstairs. She looked up at him, phone in one hand. "Arven's on his way and he says he's bringing wine. In Unova the drinking age is 21!"

"It was 18 in Galar too though."

Lydia looked sidelong at Juliana, but directed her words at Arturo. "I let this kid have one sip and they spat it out."

"It tasted rancid!" Juliana protested as they set a bowl of olives out with one hand and a toothpick shaker with the other. "And YES I know it's basically spoiled grapes but it tasted the part!"

Arturo set about completing his task of feeding Chippy, cracking the can open from the attached tab and upturning the wet mess over the bowl. "I suppose that is true, though it is a vast oversimplification of the wine making process."

Lydia took the lid off of a bowl of something Arturo couldn't identify, and shook the condensation off as steam rose from the bowl. "You know anything about wine making? I guess it's just chemistry, huh?"

"Not much, but in Turo's youth, the science class did take a field trip to a winery. Due to their ages they were given grape juice--"

"Yeah, you gotta," Juliana muttered absently.

Arven was nearly to the door, so Arturo moved to open it. "He was not especially interested in learning about the fermentation process, but he absorbed the information anyway, as he did." He swung the door open just as Arven was about to knock.

The young man's brief expression of surprise faded into a casual smile. "I guess I should have seen that coming."

Juliana set another hot dish on a trivet before springing out from behind the counter, sliding their oven mitt off as they did. "Happy birthday, big buddy!"

"Hey, little buddy!" Arven grinned. "Lydia, do you have a place I can put this?" He raised his hand with the wine bottle.

"I'll take this. You look really good today!"

Arven was taking off his jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack, and revealing his tan shirt and brown vest. "Thanks! Yeah, I think I look pretty good in earth tones."

That was something else he got from his mother. Arturo spoke to dispel that thought. "It suits you. I suppose the term would be 'dapper'."

"Oh yeah? I've always wanted to look dapper." After setting his slightly wet shoes to the side and putting on a pair of Lydia's house slippers, he called out Mabosstiff. "It's sprinkling out there and I didn't want the house to smell like wet dog."

The large shaggy dog sniffed at the air, the plethora of cuisine choices, and decided instead to haul himself up on the couch to curl up. Chippy joined him a moment later. Best to sleep through the wait for food.

Lydia took out her phone again and snapped a quick photo, forwarding it to Arven as well.

"Oh yeah," Arven added, "Mr Saguaro is on his way as well. He's going to take a cab so it'll just be a few minutes. Those Squawkabilly that live on your roof will probably pitch a fit when he gets here."

Juliana laughed as they slid on a hair bow, one that clipped into their still-short hair. "I call them Tingtang and Wallawallabingbang."

"The latter is too long of a nickname to register with the League," Arturo stated plainly. "But I suppose you are not planning to catch them."

"They and I have an arrangement." Lydia's voice was terse. "I toss out some dry corn for them, they don't eat my garden. And if they don't eat my garden, they don't get roasted for Miraidon's dinner."

Arturo also thought about adding that Miraidon was an apex predator and would not require that its prey be cooked, but decided against it. A microsecond later, he realized that he had understood Lydia's remark. Her statement had been hyperbole, a humorous threat meant to serve as a joke rather than a literal intention to cook the Squawkabilly.

How had he known that? He could ponder that later.




As luck would have it, Saguaro and Penny arrived together, having ended up in the same cab. The jovial man was in a pink suit jacket and white buttondown that did nothing to hide the massive muscles underneath, while Penny wore a long sleeved pink skort dress and immediately excused herself to put her house slippers on over on the stairs, getting in a quick breather before having to socialize.

Saguaro had also brought a bottle of wine, a blanco cava from a small town on Paldea's northwest coast, and Lydia set about to chill it before serving. "I assume Director Clavell has notified you that he's unable to come," he asked Arven. "But he sends his best, and asked me to give you this."

Arven accepted the offered envelope. "Thank you. Yeah, he told me that he had a lot of meetings today. And I'd rather he focus on that than take time out for just one student."

"You're a very generous man, Arven." Saguaro patted him on the shoulder before turning his attention to Arturo. "And you must be Arturo!"

He seemed to be waiting for an answer. "Ah, yes I am. It is a pleasure to meet you at last. Arven respects you greatly." He offered his hand, and Saguaro's handshake had the firmest grip he had ever experienced. It brought to mind a time early in Arturo's adventures when an Iron Barrier, in an attempt to drag him into its merry game, grabbed his hand so hard that it nearly disconnected one of his artificial ligaments.

"I understand," Saguaro asked, his tone dropping to just above a whisper, smile already flattened, "that you worked alongside his father, and you have been helping him process his grief."

Arturo quickly glanced at Arven, who was setting up another dish he had retrieved from his thermal satchel, and back towards Saguaro. He would have to establish everyone who knew of the professor's death. "Yes. And he with mine."

Saguaro sighed, broad chest moving with the gesture, and shook his head. "Even within the past few months, I've found that his attitude has brightened. He's been getting there, little by little."

The man's concern was deeply evident. Arturo smiled that practiced smile. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Of course, he had no physical heart, but Saguaro didn't have to know that.

The grip released and Saguaro took a step back. "You know, he told me that you looked a lot like his father, but I admit, I wasn't expecting such a strong resemblance!" This was accompanied by a hearty laugh.

"I suspect that it was a factor in my hiring," Arturo replied smoothly, with a glance at Juliana nearby. "Perhaps Turo felt more comfortable working alongside someone similar to himself. My name included."

Saguaro thought about this for a moment before nodding. "Understandable. I remember in my youth, I was friends with another lad who looked a lot like me. Although as we grew, we eventually looked nothing alike." He smiled in nostalgia. "They do say everyone has a double."

The tensest subject was over, and Arturo relaxed a bit. "I have heard that as well."

By that point, Penny rejoined the party and approached Arven. Nearby, Mabosstiff stirred and Chippy stretched, waking from their naps. And Nemona was on her way up the path. The gathering was about to get started.






Nemona poured a sparkling lemonade and handed it to Lydia. "Here you go!"

"Ah, thank you. But I'm the one behind the scenes! Go mingle!"

"I've been!" Nemona speared an olive with her toothpick. "Just I took a nap after work and now I'm bursting with energy!"

Arven slid a few albondigas onto his plate. "Chairwoman's got you under some relentless training, huh?"

Nearby, Arturo scanned Nemona's vitals, making certain to raise a hand to his head to conceal his eyes in case they flashed. Upon her arrival, she had demonstrated an elevated heart rate, but that was to be expected from her short jog across the way. All readings were within acceptable range, so he could let it go.

Lydia stirred her drink as she scoped out her surroundings, and from her angle, caught the glow in Arturo's eyes. "Uh?" After a sip, she approached. "You all right over here?"

He smiled up at her from his seat. "I am. Thank you. You are a gracious host."

She leaned over and pointed to her face. "Your eyes kinda lit up there for a second. You seemed to know it would happen. Is everything ok?"

"Ah!" A query he hadn't anticipated. Think fast. "Yes, I perform scans of organic beings in my surroundings every so often."

"Really!" She raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?"

He nodded towards Saguaro, who was engaged in conversation with Penny about a food-themed anime he had clearly never seen but seemed fascinated with anyway. "We can talk later."

"Mm, yeah, you're right." She nodded firmly twice in quick succession. "Are you doing all right in a social situation?"

With a smile, he leaned back a little. "I am."

"Awesome!" This was accompanied with a clap. "Juli was worried about that."

During this, Juliana was refilling their plate, but glanced over at the mention of their name and flashed a thumbs up.

Lydia waved back before turning back to Arturo. "Well, let me know if you need anything. You're sitting over here all alone, after all."

That was correct. He hadn't engaged in conversation for nearly ten minutes. "I did not want to intrude. Everyone seems as though they are content with their discussions. Even Chippy is included."

Sure enough, there was Chippy, lounging on Penny's lap as she spoke. She petted him with one hand and gestured excitedly with her other.

"I think you'll find that you'll enjoy talking to others." Lydia patted Arturo on the shoulder and stretched her back a little as she stood up. "I know you're not used to it, so it'll be good practice. By the way, you look nice today."

He looked the same as he had the last time they had spoken, but that wasn't what she meant. With a tentative hand, he touched the sleeve of his lilac sweater. It had needed some airing out, but ended up being ideal for the gathering. "Thank you. I believe that shades of purple suit me."

She smiled before turning to the others, and shortly after, Arturo joined Nemona and Arven's conversation.





Soon after that, however, Nemona had to take a phone call, and Arven went to talk to Penny, so Arturo approached Saguaro. "Hello."

The teacher smiled and finished refreshing his lemonade before turning fully. "Hello! Are you enjoying the party so far?"

"Oh, naturally." Arturo nodded, metering the size of the gesture. "I have enjoyed all of our gatherings since I returned to Paldea, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Of course. You know," Saguaro took a sip of his drink and set his cup aside with a sigh, "when Arven told me about you, he was hesitant. When he did speak, however, he..." He glanced over to where Arven was. "He was conflicted over what to think of you, but also, without considering the ramifications of it, spoke about making sure you had everything you need in your pantry."

Arturo felt an odd warmth, entirely removed from the temperature of the room. "He is a very kind young man. I am always impressed by that."

"Mm. I've kept things a secret at his behest, but finding out what sort of father Turo was..." Saguaro trailed off.

The specifics weren't needed. "I know that he loved Arven. But love without action or demonstration is meaningless to all but the one harboring it."

Saguaro took a deep breath, and his eyes closed in thought. "...very well said. From my few years in teaching, I've seen the issue to be far greater than I ever could have imagined..." When he reopened his eyes, they were distant, pensive. "Is that what you were speaking to the director about?"

Yes, the meeting with Clavell. It would have to have reached Saguaro. "In a sense. Director Clavell was, after all, one of the professor's mentors, and wished to understand more about his final years." It wasn't quite the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"That must be an insurmountable weight to bear." Another sigh, deeper than before. "I can't even imagine what that would feel like. There are a few students who told me they consider me a mentor, Arven of course among them, and if any of them..." Saguaro shook his head but perked up a moment later. "But one must always look to the future."

"Agreed." Unsure quite what to do, Arturo patted Saguaro on the arm. "The future awaits!"

"Hahaha! An excellent outlook." Saguaro's laugh reverberated even more up close. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you ever come to work for the professor?"

Arturo smiled as he processed any number of ways he could answer. They had just spoken of such sad things, and Saguaro had laughed to change the mood, so perhaps leaning into that lighter tone would be for the best. So he may as well be honest in a way the man would find metaphorical. "Honestly, it feels like I was made for it."






"Attention, attention!" In raised hands, Lydia tapped a wine glass with a spoon, producing a pleasant dinging sound. "At this time I would like our guest of honor to please have a seat."

Arven, who had been refilling his drink at the kitchen counter, grinned and headed for one of the seats, downing his drink and flopping down on the side of the couch closest to the wall with Mabosstiff laying across his feet. Juliana passed by the back and plopped a paper crown on Arven's head, with a rough 20 scrawled in marker across the front. He groaned but didn't remove it.

Lydia continued. "I'd like everyone to take a seat as well, and be ready to present your gifts to the birthday boy!"

"Present your presents!" Juliana added with gusto.

Everyone milled towards the living room, Penny pausing to shovel a few more albondigas onto her plate as she passed the counter.

Juliana, there before anyone else, sat next to him, and Arturo beside them. Mr Saguaro took the yellow chair, with Penny and Nemona leaving room on the other couch for Lydia.

Even though she had just sat down, Nemona sprang out of her seat and practically shoved a decorative bag at Arven. "Do mine first!"

"Well all right then!" Arven chuckled, accepting the bag and reaching inside. There was a small flat box, and he eagerly pulled it out, knowing full well what it was. "A paring knife! Awesome!" Showing it off to the others, he added "This is a really good brand too! Thank you so much!"

Everyone applauded lightly.

Nemona squealed and practically skipped back to her seat, where she sat quietly and folded her hands on her lap, looking eagerly to see who would give their present next.

"I may as well." Penny handed Arven an envelope and sat back down.

"Heeey, thanks, squirt!" He ripped open the top with his little finger, revealing a store-bought card with a small hand-written message inside, as well as a gift card for a café.

"They're right by your school and they have really good reviews," Penny said, "and you'll be needing the buzz. They're open 24 hours, but that's also pretty standard for Lumiose."

He laughed. "Good to know!"

"Um..." She tapped her head as she did when she was uncomfortable, something being the center of attention was surely doing, "most of them nowadays will have little treats to share with your pokémon if you sit outside. That means it's a bit more expensive, but I think it's worth it."

At the mention of treats, Mabosstiff looked up expectantly.

Arven pet him, scritching the dog's forehead. "Hahaha, we'll see if they have anything you can eat, buddy."

"On that note..." Lydia produced a similar envelope and handed it to him. "We really want to make sure you're set up properly there."

The card inside was also store-bought, though it was more upscale, and inside was another gift card. "What's this to? I've never heard of this place."

"It's a grocery store that's near campus." Lydia had spent quite a long time researching locations. "A lot of the culinary students go there, but I want you to remember to get things for your daily life too."

"Oh yeah, of course!" He set both of the cards on the table in front of him. "It's gonna be a little weird at first, but I'm sure I can do it."

"I'm sure you can!" Saguaro laughed in enthusiasm. "You have some traits I think are vital to survive in this business. You're a dreamer, but you're also practical and know how to approach your dreams realistically. I feel like a lot of people only have one or the other."

With the attention on Arven, Arturo was able to lose himself in memory for a moment or two. To pursue a dream so intently...

But Saguaro had given Arven his own present, so Arturo directed his primary focus back to the event.

"Oh wow, an apron! Did you make this y--" Arven continued to draw it out from the shell of the wrapping paper, only to be met mid-sentence with a cartoon Mabosstiff face across the front. "You had to have made this yourself! This is amazing!"

"Holy crap!" Juliana exclaimed. "That's gorgeous! Can you show me how to make something like that? We made basic aprons last year but nothing like this!"

Saguaro was smiling broadly as he returned to his seat. "Perhaps. It would be a good lesson to teach how to assemble designs like that. A valuable skill to teach, but it would require a lot of planning."

"It seems like it would use up a lot of scrap fabric," Nemona noted.

"Right you are! I made that out of leftovers from three different projects!" There was such a joy in Saguaro's voice that everyone felt a little brighter.

Juliana used that opportunity to slide their own present onto Arven's lap. "Here, I ordered this a month ago and it JUST got here yesterday!"

"Hang on!" Arven objected playfully as he set the gift bag aside and stood up. "I wanna try this on!"

The apron looped around the neck and tied at the waist, and was just a little big but that made it easier to move around in. Saguaro clapped and leaned back in happiness.

"Ok, now I can check this out." Arven was pleased that the apron's size meant it fanned out when he sat. "Hand it back over."

Juliana stuck their tongue out and lightly tossed him the bag again.

"Oof, it's a little heavy when you go throwing it around like that! Oh hey, this is awesome!" He pulled out a book, showing the others that it was a guide to foraging in central Kalos. "Yeah, I was planning on getting out in the wild if I have a few days off, so this is perfect!"

"Finding it translated was absolute hecc." The memetic spelling was conveyed by a silly pronunciation. "Your Kalosian is enough to enroll in school but you make a translation mistake with a guide to the forest and you eat the wrong mushroom and you end up going on much more than a camping trip."

Arturo did not know what that meant, but everyone else had a good chuckle.

Juliana flopped against the back of the couch and rolled slightly in Arturo's direction to quietly tell him "if you didn't bring a present, that's fine. He doesn't expect you to."

"I did," he whispered, and patted the box beside him.

They smiled. "Neat!"

Their conversation had gotten Arven's attention, and he turned towards them for a moment. He was going to say what Juliana just had, but saw the box under Arturo's hand. So as not to seem insistent, he quickly looked away. "Lydia, may I get a refresh on my drink?"

"Absolutely!" She quickly scooped up his cup from the table.

The diversion gave Arturo time to stand. "Arven, while you had told me that I did not need to bring a present, I wanted to." He offered the box with both hands. "I am glad that I could meet you. We were brought together by terrible circumstances, but since getting to know all of you, I feel a brightness that I have not felt in many years."

Arven's lower lip quivered, and he forced a smile. "I'm glad you could meet everyone too. I'm glad you could be here today." He accepted the box with a slight shake to his hand.

Juliana patted Arven on the knee, but it was clear that they were fighting back some tears of their own.

"Let's...just open this." Arven cautiously opened the lid, which had been wrapped separately from the rest of the box, and a note fluttered out. He could see something larger inside, but read the note first before setting it aside. "Gotcha. Will do."

Arturo slowly nodded.

"What was it?" Nemona asked with a broad smile.

"Oh, just something." Arven's tone was light as he reached into the box and pulled out another apron. This one was brightly colored, red and green, with the two heads of an embroidered Scovillain along the chest. At the sight of it, the young man leaned back fully against the couch, rested his head back, and laughed loudly. "You guys are making sure I'm loaded for bear! This is awesome!"

"You're our friend! Of course we would set you up!" Nemona chirped.

Penny patted her on the shoulder, knowing that Nemona's gift had likely been the most expensive by far.

"And we all want you to succeed," Lydia added. She'd held on to Arven's drink refill and took that opportunity to hand it back to him.

Juliana shifted to lean against him and wrapped an arm around his back. "You're my big buddy. Our lives wouldn't be the same without you."

There was every chance that, without Arven to return to, Arturo never would have beseeched Terapagos to send him back. He nodded with a small smile.

Saguaro suddenly stood and clapped heartily. "To Arven!"

"To Arven!" everyone merrily shouted.

"You guys are..." he started, but was too choked up to continue. There was no point in fighting back tears, and he let them fall over a broad smile.

It was the sort of life, the sort of support, he never could have imagined just a few years ago. It was perfect; just perfect.

Penny muttered something to Nemona about the art teacher, and the two of them giggled softly. Mabosstiff got to his feet and rested his head on Arven's lap. Saguaro handed the young man a handkerchief. Even Chippy chipped happily and climbed up on the armrest next to Arven.

At length, he was able to finish his sentence. "You guys are the best!"






The gathering--the party--continued on well into the night, but finally it was time to go home. Saguaro had called for a cab for him, Penny, and Arven.

Arven gestured for Arturo to follow him to the hallway, away from where everyone was packing up. When they were finally far enough to speak privately, he took the note from his pocket. "You wanted to tell me about another present?"

"Yes..." Arturo glanced away for just a moment but quickly resumed his direct attention. "I wanted your permission to proceed with it. Because I purchased something that I do not know if you would want."

"I'm going to guess it's not something like not knowing if a shirt is a style I'd like..."

"It was recently, as you know, Father's Day."

Arven groaned softly but said nothing.

"As such, many items from it were on sale, and one of them caught my eye." Arturo watched Arven's expression carefully. This was, after all, part of considering the emotions of others. "It was a book meant for fathers to fill out, questions about their lives, so that their children may better understand them. A keepsake of sorts. And I wanted your permission before I began it."

Arven's mouth turned down slightly, his eyes narrowing just a bit. His heart beat faster, nervously. "You can fill it out. But I don't know that I'll want it. I feel like it may help you, though."

That was a surprise. Arturo had not expected the situation to be turned back to him. "To help me?"

"Yeah. You had a complicated relationship with him too, and I feel like getting some of that out on paper may help you deal with it." The young man paused, then smiled. His heart rate was returning to normal. "And who knows. Maybe someday I'll want to read it. I can't really answer that right now."

"Arven, they're almost here." Penny was putting her shoes on from a standing position instead of approaching the stairs.

"Ah, gotcha." He set his hand on Arturo's arm. "That was really nice of you to offer. And I want to hear about how it went."

"I will let you know. Thank you for inviting me."

Arven started towards the door, but stopped and turned around. "Hey, come here. I uh..." Instead of continuing his thought, he wrapped one arm around Arturo in a half-hug, patting his arm again. "I'm glad you could be here." And before Arturo could say anything, he turned to go. "Goodbye, everyone!" he shouted with a wave. "Thank you again for being the best friends I could ever ask for!"

As he and the others returning to the school left, Arturo remained where he was and replayed every detail of the past few moments--where Arven's arm had been, the slight squeeze, the words of comfort--and felt a sense of belonging that he had never imagined possible.






Once back at Uva's door, Saguaro patted Arven on the back and wished him a happy birthday again before heading off to the teachers' apartments.

Although Arven's room was on a different floor, Penny helped him bring his gifts back with him. They were silent until rounding the corner to his hallway, when Penny quietly said "so, um. I saw you hug Arturo."

"Yeah? What of it?"

"Nothing. Just I think it's sweet that you did that."

Arven unlocked his door and took the other bag from Penny. "Thanks for coming, squirt."

"Happy birthday, ya big lug."

He closed the door and let Mabosstiff out, took off his vest and shoes, and slumped into bed, lying down and kicking his socks off before pulling the pillow under his head. With the lights still on, he gazed out the window and nothing in particular.

That had been the best birthday party he'd ever had.