The city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan watched in awe as the amazing array of fireworks burst into action as the day of independence had come to a close. Hundreds gathered to watch the fireworks display, and many more set up places to watch the show from a set place. I had gone to the courthouse, as usual, with my pokémon, and had come up across my family. A few happy greetings, a few reacquaintances, and we were all back to being another great family sitting on unfolded blankets beneath the great building of justice. Dolly popped a question at me while I held Ellis in my arms, stroking her head as I watched the fireworks, "Hey Ben! How are you feeling?" "Hm...?" I said, Ellis and I turning to face her. "Why the sad look on your face?" I shook my head, looking at the pretzel bag she held, "Mm... Nothing..." She popped a pretzel in her mouth, "Why don't you tell me?" "Because there's nothing wrong..." I replied sheepishly, turning back to watch the fireworks. "I'll bet there is..." Dolly said, moving over towards me. She bumped into Penny, and apologized to her, Penny moving to my left side next to Carman and Mew, who had hid herself from the world under a small blanket. "What's wrong?" Dolly asked again. "Nothing." I replied again. "Why don't you tell me?" "Because there's nothing wrong!" I laughed shortly. Dolly kept her silence, then huddled next to me, putting and arm around me, "You look sad. Why won't you tell your sister what's wrong?" "I... It's just..." I stopped, finally giving in, "I just don't know what to do about it..." "About what?" Dolly asked. I shook my head, "Nothing." "I think you're hiding something from me." Dolly said. "Why don't you tell me? I can help you feel better..." "No, thank you..." I said. "Does Mom know about it?" She asked. I shook my head, "Not at all." "Is it something important?" Dolly persisted. "It depends..." I said. "Oh... So it is important..." Dolly confirmed. "Depends on if it's important to you, which it's not." I quickly added. "Well, why are you so sad? It's something I want to know..." "Nothing." I kept my mask of coincidence to myself. "Wow... Look at that one, Ben!" Ellis said in awe. She yipped and whined a moment later, as an incredibly loud bang followed the amazing view of a gigantic dragon pokémon, Salamence. "It's about your pokémon, isn't it?" Dolly said, scratching Ellis's head gently. "I didn't say it was..." I said. "Didn't say it wasn't, either..." Dolly added. "I just want some time to myself..." I said. "But you look so sad. Why don't you tell me so I can leave you alone?" I smiled, laughing shortly again, "You really want to know, don't you?" "Of course!" "Well, you aren't going to..." I said. "And why not? Are you having an affair with one of your pokémon and don't want to tell about it?" "Who's having an affair with their pokémon?" My Mom asked, ears direct at the sound of this. "Nobody." I said. "He wasn't telling me what was wrong, so I asked him if he'd had an affair with one of his pokémon." Dolly explained to my Mom. "He was just looking so sad, so I asked him. "What's wrong, Ben? Why aren't you telling anyone what's wrong?" "Why does everybody think there's something wrong with me?" I mused. "Well, because you've been so quiet, and haven't been talking!" Dolly said. I sighed, "Just leave me alone, okay? I don't want to talk about it!" "Just tell me and I'll leave you alone..." Dolly said. I snorted, "Yeah, but like Mom's going to leave me alone!" Mom looked kind of hurt at this, then turned back towards the fireworks, "Fine then. I won't ask about it!" I felt really bad, then finally said, "My pokémon Synthia didn't want to come back into my party after I let her go three months ago." "What?" Dolly said. "I told you." I said, stubbornly, "Now leave me alone." "No- I didn't hear you- I was too busy getting some other things over here." I sighed, repeating louder then before, "Look. My pokémon Synthia doesn't want to come to my party again!" "Your party...? What party?" "My group of pokémon..." I corrected, turning away. "Oh..." Dolly said. "What made you two separate?" "You said you'd leave me alone, so do it." I said, curling up into a ball in the blankets to try and fall asleep. "I don't think I will." Dolly said. "Then you're a liar." I said. "You promised not to bother me after I told you, and you still are!" I don't think Dolly heard me, but got the idea and left me be for a moment. I felt dead at that moment- one of those times where things are so strange and different, you don't even feel like you exist. Like you can't see anything, but you can, like you can't hear things, but you are, like you can understand, but you don't. Life's a contradicting statement, I told myself, and dwelled on the thought if I was on the road others traveled to suicide. It was a very disturbing thought, and for a second, it didn't seem half too bad of an idea, until the thought God might not let me into Heaven for doing such an act, and that I'd just be doing a number on myself, then began to wonder whether there was a Heaven or a Hell after death, then decided I was faithless in life after death, and had a bad feeling about what I was doing. I missed Synthia. I really did. But it was true what she said- I should grow from our experiences so that I can become a stronger person, and a better trainer. I began to drift off into a strange sleep that I didn't understand what I was thinking or thought about. . . That was when I felt a presence that somebody was there, and heard voices. One of them was Ellis. The other was kind of hard to distinguish, but left it at Dolly. The sudden realization though, hit when I began to think it was Synthia! I immediately popped awake to see my family packing up to get ready to go. Ellis and Penny had fallen asleep right next to me, and Carman was helping to pack things back up for Mom and Dad. "Is it over already...?" I said. "Yup." My Mom said. "It's about ten-thirty right now, and I've been wanting to get to bed..." I sighed, getting up, and picking up Penny and Ellis. Mew had fallen asleep, too, so I waked her. She sprang awake, and gasped, "Oh...! So sorry I fell asleep, Ben! What's going on right now?" "We're leaving..." I said. "Oh...! Well then, let's get going, shall we?" "Yeah..." I said, holding Ellis and Penny together. "See ya, Ben..." Came a voice from my right. I turned, seeing Synthia! I blinked, staring at her, "Synthia! What... What are you doing here?" "Just came to see the fireworks, that's all..." She said, looking at the sky. I began to feel sad, and slowly turned and began to walk back with Mew. Synthia then called out after me, "You really want me back, don't you?" "Yes..." I said, walking off. "But since I have no control over you, I can't tell you what to do anymore..." "Would it make you happy if I came back with you?" I didn't respond. Not for a few moments, anyway. "If it would make you happy. I don't want to do anything against you if you're happy as you are." "Are you really that thick, Ben?" Synthia said to me. "Do you actually believe I have somebody else and some other family I'm living with?" I felt speechless, then turned back towards Synthia with still a sad expression. Synthia smiled at me, then walked over and held her hands up towards me. "Up," she commanded. I bent over, Synthia climbing to rest on my shoulder, me then rising back up into the air. "Kinda funny having somebody like you believe in something like that. I never knew you'd buy it..." "But you told me to 'let it be...'" I reminded her. "Let it be...? Mmmm... Yeah, that's right. Well, we all learn from our experiences, don't we? I just learned something from talking to you earlier when we met again. I learned that two wrongs don't make a right, and lying never did anybody any real good, so I figured I'd make it up to you. ...You still know you're the only one I love, right?" "No- I didn't..." I replied, monotone. "Well, sadly, I do..." Synthia sighed, "You're the only one who's ever shown me kindness these last few years, and I feel really bad for walking out on you the day I left..." "It wasn't you..." I reassured her, "I wanted you to leave so I could go on with my life." "Hmph... But it didn't work now, did it?" Synthia winked rougishly. "No, it didn't." I said, approaching the suburban my mother drove. I stood there until I waved my mother off, telling her I was still out on the road, until she convinced me to go with her... ...And so, well, I did... But I sat in the back seat, as to have my privacy with Synthia. We continued our little talk back and forth on the way home, talking in hushed quiet voices so that my Mom and Dad wouldn't hear us. "Synthia, do you really love me?" Synthia almost spat, "Of course I do! I love you to the end of my little kitty heart!" "Then, would it be as so much to ask you to please explain why you made me feel so bad earlier today?" Synthia kept silent, then added, "Now it's my turn for the questions, Ben. Why did you want to get on with your life in the first place? Why did you want to let all of us go, then come back to find us and mend our friendships, hm? Tell me that." "Because I didn't want any of you to feel any pain..." I said. "Pfffsh! That's a good excuse!" Synthia said sarcastically, "I wouldn't buy that for a million bucks! Seriously, why did you?" "I just didn't know that the time had come that I had to make a decision altering the course of friendship with those that I loved in my life!" I said. "I didn't know I had to get rid of you four so that I could live life like any other college-bound student and get a job-- it wasn't part of a plan or anything! Lance told me to do it!" "Did Lance REALLY tell you, or are you making that part up?" "No, he really told me, Synthia! He told me that after I left the battlefield." "Okay, so did he clearly say 'Ben, you have to release all your pokémon if you want to continue your life?'" "Well, in a sense-" "Yes or no!" "No, then!" I fumed. Synthia kept silent for a moment, then added, "You made the decision by yourself, didn't you?" "I have a hard time making decisions. I'm a Tiger in the Zodiac. You know that." I excused myself. "Don't make an excuse, Ben. I just want the truth." Synthia sounded a bit hurt. "I'm sorry, Synthia..." I said, "I just can't help it." She smiled, "It's okay. Now that I know this, I can clearly see why you need me back again." I sat there for a moment, then turned to face her, "You've really changed since I last met you, Synthia. You're not as hyper as you once were." "I was hyper?" "I mean, not that, but you were more lively." She blushed, "Well, I only act this way towards my boyfriend when he's feeling down on himself..." I stayed quiet, then turned towards Synthia again, "Synthia...? I've got a question." "...Yes?" She asked, through her mascara-covered face. "... ...Would you be so kind, as to be my best friend and come back to my partnership with Carman, Penny, Mew, and Ellis?" Synthia continued to smile, then nodded, "Yes, I will. Will you grant me a request?" I nodded, "Sure." "Will you please kiss me?" I didn't feel bad about it, so I transformed into a Meowth, and kissed her hand. At last- we were all a family again.