As they arrived back at the camp, Julius quietly slipped into the crowd of children, disappearing so seamlessly that no one even realized he had been missing. Moments later, the two girls emerged from the trees, their clothes slightly torn and dirt smudged on their faces. Some of the camp staff spotted them immediately and rushed over, concern evident in their expressions.
They were quickly surrounded and gently questioned about their whereabouts. Before they could answer, Serena came running up to them, her face streaked with tears. Without a word, she pulled them both into a tight hug, trembling as she clung to her friends. Ram remained composed as always, but Rem—still shaken—held onto Serena like an anchor in a storm.
One of the nurses soon guided Rem away to the infirmary to tend to the bruises on her leg and arm. The air was heavy with worry and relief… and yet, not a single soul had noticed the boy who had made it all possible, vanishing like a shadow into the crowd.
The next morning, sunlight streamed gently into the canteen as campers lined up for breakfast. The scent of fresh toast and berry jam hung in the air. Julius and Ethan stood by the counter, collecting their food quietly. Ethan was already munching on a roll as they made their way to a corner table.
Just then, soft footsteps approached.
"Excuse me," Serena said, holding her tray carefully, "do you mind if I sit here?"
Before Julius could reply, Ram sat beside him without a word, her pink hair bouncing slightly with the motion. "Rem said we should sit here," she said, glancing at her sister, who trailed behind.
Rem offered a small bow, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you... for yesterday."
Serena blinked in confusion, looking between the twins and Julius. "Yesterday?"
"It's nothing," Julius said softly, avoiding her gaze. "Just a small accident."
Rem sat down across from him, carefully holding her tray. "He saved me from getting eaten."
Serena's eyes widened. "Wait—what?"
Ram sighed. "Wild Carnivine. Typical forest mess. Julius did something brave."
Ethan raised a brow, glancing at Julius. "You never said anything about that."
"I didn't do it for praise," Julius muttered, looking away. "I'm just glad she's okay."
Serena hesitated a moment before sitting beside Rem. "Well… I'm glad too. And I guess… it's nice to meet you all."
Ram nodded. "I'm Ram. That's Rem."
"I'm Serena," she replied, offering a small smile.
"Ethan," said the boy next to Julius, raising his juice cup like a toast.
For a few seconds, they all sat in silence, the buzz of the canteen around them. Then, Rem whispered gently, "Thank you again, Julius."
He gave a nod, eyes soft, and finally allowed himself a small, genuine smile.
Rem blushed a deep crimson at Julius's soft smile, her hands tightening around the edge of her tray. For a moment, she forgot about the food in front of her, only feeling the quick fluttering of her heart.
Ram noticed and gave her sister a side glance, but said nothing. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the entrance of the canteen.
From the corner of their eyes, the group noticed Ash walking in confidently, Gary trailing just behind him with his usual swagger.
"Hey Ash," Gary called, raising a brow. "Where you off to?"
Ash blinked, then grinned. "I'm going to sit with Serena," he said casually. "We met yesterday when we got lost in the forest."
At that, Serena glanced up from her seat, cheeks turning just a hint pink. She lowered her eyes quickly, fiddling with her spoon.
Julius watched them with a neutral look, quietly sipping from his drink, while Ethan let out a low whistle. "So that's the kind of friendship that comes out of getting lost, huh?"
Ram smirked faintly. "How scandalous."
Rem, still flustered, tried to hide her face behind her cup, her voice no louder than a whisper. "S-Sister, please…"
Ash made his way to Serena's table, tray in hand, wearing that familiar crooked smile of his. "Mind if I sit here?"
Serena hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Y-Yeah… sure."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, clearly nervous, but there was a glimmer of happiness in her eyes. Ash sat down, not noticing the stares from around the room.
Gary let out a dramatic sigh from the background. "Guess I've been replaced already."
Back at Julius's table, Ethan leaned toward him with a grin. "Looks like love's already blooming. Wonder how long before someone starts calling each other nicknames."
Julius chuckled softly but didn't comment, watching Serena from a distance. She seemed so different from the confident, ribbon-winning trainer he remembered from another timeline. Still shy, still uncertain—but something about her felt familiar… genuine.
Rem, sitting beside him, stole a glance at his face. "You're smiling again," she said softly.
"Hm?" Julius blinked, pulled from his thoughts.
"I-It's nice," she mumbled, quickly looking down.
Ram rolled her eyes. "Honestly, sister, at this rate we'll need to start carrying fans for your face."
Julius just shook his head with a small laugh. Across the room, Ash and Serena were chatting awkwardly, slowly warming up to each other.
And just like that, the canteen buzzed with small laughter and voices—the first real breath of friendship settling in.
As they sat around the table, laughter weaving naturally between bites and soft exchanges, something unspoken passed between Julius and Rem. Not loud, not dramatic—but warm, like the first touch of spring after a long winter.
Julius glanced at her quietly, her hands folded on her lap, her eyes sparkling when she smiled. In that moment, he simply admired her presence. She was calm, sincere, and unbothered by the noise of the world around them.
Julius in his previous life was a really big rem lover and had a thing for bob cut hairstyle, he didn't get a chance to get a girlfriend because he was looking for untainted flowers, who didn't smoke or drink but in his previous life it was hard to find, but now it was his time to cultivate flowers before they bloom and pluck it out when the time was right. (Not in a sexual way)
Rem caught his gaze briefly and looked down, a flush spreading across her cheeks.
"Sister…" Ram murmured with a sideways glance.
"Yes, sister?" Rem replied softly.
"Nothing," Ram said, sipping her tea with half-lidded eyes. "Just don't fall too far. I don't want to carry you out of a pit."
The sunlight outside swayed through the windows, catching the strands of Rem's hair, and Julius looked away, letting the moment settle without trying to hold onto it.
The sun filtered gently through the tall trees as the group trudged through the forest clearing, baskets in hand. Julius, Rem, Ram, Ethan, Serena, Ash, and even Gary had been assigned to berry and mushroom collection that day. The task was simple—find only the edible ones, as Oak had warned them carefully during the morning briefing.
Julius walked ahead, occasionally kneeling to examine the forest floor. He held up a plump, deep red Tamato Berry and turned to the others. "This one's spicy. Good for fire types," he said with a small grin. Rem, watching from a few steps behind, blushed and quickly turned away when Julius looked her way. Her hands clutched a basket that was already half-full with Oran berries and a couple of shiny mushrooms.
"Rem, Rem… why is your face turning red, sister?" Ram teased with a knowing smirk.
"I-it's the sun…" Rem mumbled, glancing down at her boots as Julius approached.
They continued their hunt, spreading out slightly through the undergrowth. Ash tripped over a root with a loud "Whoa!" and Serena helped him up with a soft laugh. Ethan called out from the other side of the clearing, holding up a strange blue mushroom. "Is this one edible?"
Julius glanced over. "Only if you want to spend the next day at the infirmary."
Laughter followed. The group was slowly becoming a real team.
Later that afternoon, back at the campsite, the laundry buckets had been set out behind the cabins. Julius had just rolled up his sleeves when Rem, with a shy smile and his folded clothes in hand, stepped toward him.
"Um… Julius… may I… wash these for you?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He blinked in surprise. "It's okay, Rem. I'll handle mine," he said gently, taking them from her hands. "First time doing laundry?"
She nodded, her face flushed. "Yes… I've only ever watched Ram do it…"
"Then let's do it together." Julius knelt beside the tub and handed her a brush. "I'll show you. Just don't splash me."
Rem giggled softly. "Okay…"
They sat side by side, scrubbing clothes in silence and shy glances, as the sun began to set behind the trees.
The morning of the final day felt quieter than usual—not because the forest wasn't alive with the hum of Pokémon or the rustling of leaves—but because the camp itself was uncharacteristically hushed. Children packed their bags slowly, voices low, laughter subdued. The thought of parting weighed heavy in every corner of the campgrounds.
Julius stood near the front cabin, his bag already packed. Caesar waited at a distance, hands crossed behind his back, giving him space. For the first time in two weeks, Julius had nothing to do—no Pokémon spotting, no activities, no lessons from Professor Oak. Just... waiting.
From behind, footsteps approached.
"You all packed?" Ethan's voice carried a tired, but warm note.
Julius turned to his roommate, his first friend in the Pokémon world, the boy who unknowingly had shaken his understanding of timelines by simply saying his name: Ethan.
"Yeah," Julius said. "Feels weird, huh?"
Ethan shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I guess. I mean, it was just camp. Not like we were here forever or anything."
"Sure," Julius replied, smirking. "Just enough time for you to write a whole essay on Typhlosion."
"Hey!" Ethan laughed, nudging his side. "That was from the heart!"
They shared a quiet moment, just standing side by side, as the other kids began gathering near the buses. The chatter was picking up again—Serena's laughter could be heard faintly, Ash and Gary bickering like always, and Ram's unmistakable "Tch."
Then came light footsteps—soft and hesitant.
Rem and Ram stood nearby, their matching hair swaying in the gentle breeze. Ram stood tall as ever, arms crossed, wearing a frown that didn't quite reach her eyes. Rem, on the other hand, looked down, fingers nervously twining together.
"Julius," Rem said softly. "Um… I came to… say goodbye…"
He smiled gently at her. "Thank you. I was hoping I'd get to see you again before we left."
Ram gave a dramatic huff. "Rem insisted we come. I told her it wasn't necessary."
"I-I wanted to," Rem said, glancing at her sister, cheeks already a shade pink. "Thank you… for helping us that day in the forest… and for washing clothes with me… and picking berries… and—"
"Rem," Julius interrupted kindly, "I'm glad I met you too."
And just as he was about to step forward to shake her hand, Rem surprised him.
She threw her arms around him.
It wasn't a perfect hug. Her head barely reached his shoulder, and her hands clutched his shirt like she was scared he'd vanish if she let go. Julius froze. The camp, the trees, the bus, even Caesar at a distance—all seemed to blur.
"I don't want to say goodbye," she whispered. "You were… the first person who ever made me feel important…"
Julius, heart caught between awkwardness and warmth, slowly wrapped an arm around her in return.
"You are important," he said gently. "And this isn't goodbye. I'll see you again, Rem. I promise."
Behind them, Ram cleared her throat loudly, her cheeks tinted pink. "Sister, sister, must you really act like a child? He's not leaving for the moon."
"I-I know," Rem said, pulling back with embarrassment and a flushed face.
Serena approached then, hands behind her back, watching everything with a soft, knowing smile. "Looks like I'm not the only one sad to go."
Julius turned to her. "You were fun to hang out with, Serena."
"Same to you. You're… different from the others. But that's not a bad thing." She hesitated, then added with a wink, "Don't forget me, okay?"
Ash and Gary showed up next—Ash waving brightly while Gary wore his usual smirk.
"Well, well," Gary said, arms crossed. "Didn't think Mr. Perfect would turn out to be such a ladies' man."
"Ignore him," Ash said quickly, shaking Julius's hand. "Thanks for everything, Julius. You're cool."
"I'll miss all of you," Julius admitted honestly.
And then came Ethan again, this time with a paper in his hand. It was the group photo they had taken on the second week of camp—everyone smiling, messy, natural.
"I had them printed early," Ethan said, handing it to Julius. "One for you. I kept mine."
Julius stared at the photo, quiet for a moment. "Thanks."
Ethan gave a half-laugh. "Guess this is it, huh?"
Julius looked at him with a small smile. "Not yet."
"Huh?"
Julius reached forward and pulled Ethan into a surprise hug. The other boy flailed slightly but gave in.
"Hey, I'm not Rem!" Ethan muttered.
"I know," Julius said, chuckling. "You're my best friend here."
"Yeah… you too," Ethan mumbled, awkward but grateful.
The final bus horn echoed. It was time.
The group began slowly boarding the bus—Ram dragging Rem behind her, Serena throwing one last wave, Ash and Gary racing to get the back seats.
Ethan gave Julius one last thumbs-up before he climbed aboard.
Julius remained where he stood, holding the photo tightly, watching the bus drive off.
Only then did he walk toward Caesar, who bowed slightly and opened the car door.
"Home, young master?"
Julius gave one final look at the fading dust trail of the bus. "Yeah. Let's go."
But in his heart, he knew this wasn't the end.
It was just the beginning.