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The fluorescent lights of the Pokémon Trainer Academy’s main courtyard buzzed overhead, humming a sharp tune that grated against Wu Zuo’s nerves. He stared down at his scuffed loafers, the fringe of his bowl-cut hair obscuring the world through thick, black-rimmed glasses. To the rest of the student body, he was the academy's designated ugly duckling—the quiet, posture-lacking boy who miraculously landed Levi, one of the most charismatic, rising stars in their year. Whispers floated past like dry leaves in the wind: Why him? Levi could have anyone.
Wu Zuo didn't hear the rumors anymore; he heard the phantom crash of collapsing concrete and the blistering heat of crossfire from an evil team’s assault. He remembered the crisp, cold malice in Levi’s eyes as he turned his back on years of shared history the moment Leonor returned. “Do you really think I would settle for an ugly duckling like you? Get lost!”
A soft, insistent tug at his pant leg snapped him back to the present.
Wu Zuo blinked, looking down. A tiny, white-and-green Pokémon with a red horn protruding from its head peered up at him, broad red eyes filled with concern. Ralts.
"Ralts..." the Feeling Pokémon softly chimed, radiating a subtle wave of soothing psychic aura to calm its Trainer’s spiked heart rate.
The gentle touch sent a jolt through Wu Zuo’s chest. He wasn't in the rubble. He was eighteen again. Arceus had dragged his soul back through the currents of time, placing him right on the precipice of his life's greatest mistake.
"Hey, duckling. You staring into space again?"
Levi walked up, a casual, charming smile plastered on his face as he reached out to toss an arm around Wu Zuo’s shoulders—a gesture that used to make Wu Zuo’s heart flutter, but now made his skin crawl. Levi’s attention was already wandering toward a group of popular Trainers nearby. "Make sure you hold onto my gym bag during the practical exams today, alright? Don't lose it."
Wu Zuo didn't shrink away this time. Instead, he took a step back, letting Levi’s arm drop uselessly into the empty air. He reached down, picking up Ralts, and held the tiny Pokémon close to his chest.
Levi blinked, caught off guard by the sudden distance. "Wu Zuo? What’s with you?"
Looking straight ahead, Wu Zuo adjusted his glasses, his eyes burning with an icy fire Levi had never seen before. "Carry it yourself."
-
The sand of the Academy’s battle arena kicked up in dusty clouds under the harsh glare of the midday sun. Across the field stood Brad, a boisterous Trainer grinning with complete confidence beside his coiled Seviper. Whispers rippled through the surrounding bleachers. Everyone knew Wu Zuo’s record; he was the Academy’s bottom-tier strategist, a dead-weight battler who only managed to scraped by through Levi’s guidance.
"Don't embarrass me out there!" Levi called out lazily from the sidelines, arms crossed as he leaned against the barrier. "Just play defensive and let Ralts use Growl!"
Wu Zuo ignored the voice completely. In his past life, it had taken him years of grueling, desperate trial and error to learn real battle tactics—all driven by an aching desire to stand proudly at Levi’s side. He had memorized type match-ups, movement patterns, and reaction timings until they were second nature.
"Begin!" the instructor barked.
"Seviper, close the distance and use Poison Tail!" Brad shouted.
The oversized serpent hissed, slithering across the field with terrifying speed, its tail glowing with a murky purple aura.
"Ralts, don't move," Wu Zuo said, his voice flat, devoid of the panic that usually choked him during practicals.
Ralts glanced back briefly, sensing the absolute, unshakeable calm in its Trainer's mind, and stood its ground.
Three meters... two meters... Wu Zuo tracked the Seviper's muscle tension. It always coils to the left right before a vertical strike.
"Now. Step right, Teleport behind its rise, and Confusion straight into the neck joint."
Ralts vanished in a flash of pink light a millisecond before the glowing tail slammed violently into the sand. Reappearing directly behind the momentum-bound Seviper, Ralts' eyes burst with intense blue psychic power. A focused shockwave hit the vulnerable scales at the base of the serpent's head, sending the heavy Pokémon skidding face-first into the dirt.
"What?! Seviper, wrap around it—"
"Disable," Wu Zuo cut in coldly, adjusting his glasses.
A pale ring of energy encased Seviper, sealing away its offensive option before it could even recover its footing.
"Finish it with Confusion. Maximum output."
Ralts let out a sharp cry, radiating a surge of raw psychic force that lifted the sprawling Seviper into the air and slammed it hard onto the arena floor. Dust settled, revealing the Poison-type with swirling eyes, completely unconscious.
Silence fell over the arena. Levi’s confident smile shattered, replaced by sheer disbelief. The instructor blinked twice before blowing the whistle. "Winner: Wu Zuo!"
Wu Zuo didn't celebrate. He simply recalled Ralts into its Poké Ball with a quiet word of thanks and turned his back on the stunned crowd, walking toward the exit without giving Levi a single glance.
High above the stadium, perched on the highest row of the shadow-draped bleachers, a younger student watched the entire interaction. His black hair brushed against his forehead as he rested his chin in his hand, a keen, calculating spark in his eyes. Beside him, a small Scorbunny bounced on its toes, its ears twitching excitedly as it tracked the quiet, bowl-cut Trainer leaving the field.
"Interesting," the black-haired boy muttered softly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "That wasn't the movement of an ugly duckling."
-
The echo of Wu Zuo’s footsteps down the tiled hallway was abruptly cut short as a heavy hand clamped onto his shoulder, shoving him back against the metal lockers.
"What the hell was that back there?" Levi demanded, his face flushed red, dropping all traces of his polished persona. "You completely ignored me! And since when can you command Ralts like that? You made me look like an idiot!"
Wu Zuo didn't flinch. He looked at Levi through his black-rimmed glasses, his expression entirely devoid of the anxious, eager-to-please warmth Levi was used to. "I didn't make you look like anything. You did that yourself by assuming I needed your permission to win."
"Listen to yourself!" Levi snapped, stepping closer, his jaw clenching. "You think one lucky win makes you special? You’re still an ugly duckling, Wu Zuo. Don't forget who stood by you when nobody else would—"
"Wow, talk about a fragile ego."
A smooth, relaxed voice cut through the tension. The black-haired student from the bleachers stepped into the hallway, his raven hair surprisingly neat and tame compared to his earlier ruffled appearance. Without a trace of hesitation, he invaded their personal space, leaning in so close to Wu Zuo’s face that Wu Zuo instinctively tilted his head back to avoid getting accidentally headbutted by the strange newcomer.
Wu Zuo blinked, his mind momentarily thrown off by the proximity.
Levi scoffed, turning his anger toward the intruder. "Who are you, kid?"
"The name's He Weijia. This is Scorbunny," the boy replied casually, gesturing to the fire rabbit hopping happily by his ankle. He Weijia straightened up slightly, turning his dark, piercing eyes onto Levi with a smirk. "For someone who claimed to be in a relationship, you're unusually demanding of your boyfriend... Don't you think?"
Levi’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "This has nothing to do with you, freshman. Mind your own business."
"Just observing," He Weijia said, stepping directly between Levi and Wu Zuo, effectively cutting off Levi's imposing stance. He looked over his shoulder at Wu Zuo, a playful glint in his eyes. "That Teleport-to-Disable combination in the arena was sharp. You don't see that level of predictive timing from average academy students."
Levi stood frozen, his ego bruised and his authority over Wu Zuo publicly challenged by a younger student who clearly saw right through him.
Wu Zuo adjusted his glasses, looking at He Weijia with faint curiosity. The timeline was shifting—in his past life, He Weijia had never appeared.
-
"This is me and my business with my boyfriend. Get lost," Levi spat out, stepping up to He Weijia, desperate to reassert his dominance in the hallway. "Don't meddle in our relationship."
He Weijia didn't back down an inch. He tilted his head, his neat black hair shifting slightly as a calm, amused smirk spread across his face. "I doubt that."
Wu Zuo parted his lips, opening his mouth to tell He Weijia that it was fine—that he didn't need anyone fighting his battles for him. In his past life, he had spent years relying on others or hiding in the background, but he was fully prepared to break things off with Levi on his own terms.
Before Wu Zuo could speak, He Weijia turned completely away from Levi, ignoring the older boy's furious glare entirely, and faced Wu Zuo.
"I might be one year younger than you, but me and Scorbunny work well together," He Weijia said, his dark eyes sparkling with genuine interest. Scorbunny let out a cheerful Scor! and gave a sharp nod in agreement. He Weijia’s smile softened slightly as he offered a hand to Wu Zuo. "Rather than partnering up with this so-called boyfriend of yours, I think it's not too bad if we try a partnership on our own, no? For the annual Academy Double Battle tournament."
Levi’s face went pale, then flushed a dangerous red. The annual Double Battle event was the prestige highlight of the term. Everyone expected Levi and Wu Zuo to pair up, mostly so Levi could show off while using Wu Zuo as a glorified decoy.
"You're out of your mind," Levi sneered, though his voice betrayed a flicker of panic. "Wu Zuo wouldn't partner with a random freshman over me."
Wu Zuo looked at He Weijia's outstretched hand, then back to Levi's enraged, entitled expression. A sense of liberation washed over him, cool and decisive. He reached out and shook He Weijia's hand.
"Sounds like a plan," Wu Zuo said quietly. He turned to Levi, his tone bone-dry. "We're done, Levi. With the tournament—and with everything else."
-
News of Wu Zuo dumping Levi and partnering with a freshman named He Weijia spread like wildfire through the halls. By the next day, it was all anyone was talking about. Whispers echoed in the cafeteria, down the corridors, and across the training grounds: Did the ugly duckling lose his mind? Who does he think he is, dumping Levi for a kid?
Wu Zuo sighed, staring down at the permission slip in his hand. He had just finished getting authorization to leave the Academy grounds for a Pokémon catching expedition. The Academy permitted students to carry up to six Pokémon, just like standard field Trainers.
In his past life, Wu Zuo had been too insecure to catch anything else, clinging solely to Ralts—who eventually evolved into Gardevoir through years of bitter survival. But now? Building a full, balanced team sounded like a vital step toward shaping his own future.
"Senior!" He Weijia's voice echoed through the hallway.
Wu Zuo turned, adjusting his glasses. "He Weijia? What—"
"I got the permission slip to go out, too! We can go together."
"What—"
Before Wu Zuo could finish his sentence, He Weijia reached out, grabbing Wu Zuo's wrist. "Come on! Let's go!"
Wu Zuo flinched violently, his entire body going rigid. He had to exert every ounce of willpower not to yank his arm back. In his previous life, physical contact meant Levi’s tight, possessive grip—holding his wrist until the skin bruised purple, or hard, dismissive shoves whenever Wu Zuo stepped out of line.
He Weijia caught the sudden tension immediately. Without making a scene, the younger boy naturally loosened his fingers, sliding his hand down so he was merely offering an open palm instead. He didn't pry, but his dark eyes held a perceptive, quiet warmth. "Lead the way then, Senior."
Wu Zuo took a small breath, the tight coil in his chest slowly unwinding. For the first time in two lives, someone was walking with him, not dragging him behind.
-
Wu Zuo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he climbed the steep, dirt-covered incline of the route just beyond the Academy gates. The dense canopy overhead filtered the sunlight into dappled green patches, making the summer humidity cling heavily to the air.
"You okay, Senior?" He Weijia asked, casually stepping up beside him. He looked completely untired, without a single hair out of place, as if he had just stepped out for a light evening walk. He held out an ice-cold bottle of water toward Wu Zuo.
"How are you not winded at all?" Wu Zuo huffed, taking the bottle with a nod of gratitude and taking a long swig. "Unfair."
"Scorbunny likes to go out and run, and well... it usually takes hours for us before I can convince him to go back inside," He Weijia chuckled, scratching the back of his neck as Scorbunny bounded happily over a fallen log ahead of them. "You get used to the cardio."
Wu Zuo allowed himself a faint smile, adjusting his glasses. The peaceful atmosphere of the forest was a welcome relief from the suffocating pressure of the Academy. In his mind, Wu Zuo was already tracking their coordinates. He knew this forest—specifically, a shadowy hollow near the old ruin further north where wild Ghost-types tended to nest. If memory served, a surprisingly resilient Pokémon with incredible tactical potential haunted those woods.
Suddenly, Ralts perked up from inside its Poké Ball, sending a sharp warning ping of telepathic distress into Wu Zuo's mind.
Before Wu Zuo could turn around, a rustle of heavy foliage shattered the quiet.
"Found you," a bitter, sharp voice sneered from the trees.
Levi stepped into the clearing, his eyes bloodshot with quiet fury, his usual pristine uniform dirty from trailing them through the brush. Beside him stood his partner, an aggressive Electabuzz, its fists crackling with sparks of yellow electricity.
"You think you can just discard me, ruin my reputation, and stroll through the woods with a freshman like nothing happened?" Levi growled, raising his hand.
Just then, a faint, eerie chuckle resonated from the dark hollow above them. A purple, gaseous sphere with gleaming eyes and a mischievous grin drifted down from the tree line—a wild Gastly, drawn out by the sudden surge of hostile energy.
Instead of dealing with the wild encounter like a proper Trainer, Levi’s face twisted into spiteful malice.
"Electabuzz, Thunder Shock—target the duckling!" Levi shouted, pointing his finger directly at Wu Zuo.
-
He Weijia took a single step forward to intervene, but his chest hit Wu Zuo's outstretched arm, blocking him from stepping in front.
"Senior? I—"
"So, being dumped made a dent in your ego, huh?" Wu Zuo remarked casually, his voice completely devoid of fear. He plucked a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it into the air with practiced ease.
Ralts materialized on the forest floor, its red horns glowing faintly as it matched its Trainer's unshakeable composure. Wu Zuo didn't even look at the crackling electricity coming from Levi's Electabuzz. Instead, he tilted his head up toward the floating purple orb hovering above them.
"Say, Gastly... want to play?"
The wild Gastly froze in surprise. It looked at Wu Zuo, then at Levi's arrogant, red-faced scowl, and broke into a delighted, mischievous grin. With a wild bob of its shadowy head, the Ghost-type cackled in agreement, eagerly allying itself with the calm boy in black-rimmed glasses.
Levi’s jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? You think a wild ghost is going to save you from my Electabuzz? Blast them both!"
"Great," Wu Zuo adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with the sharp focus of a veteran strategist. "Ralts, set up Hypnosis on Electabuzz. Gastly... make Levi regret standing under that branch."
Gastly cackled louder, instantly fading into the shadows of the canopy above Levi's head, while He Weijia watched from behind, a low, impressed whistle escaping his lips.
-
Gastly didn't just use simple trickery; it wove a suffocating blanket of illusions across the clearings, warping the shadowy forest into a nightmare landscape. Levi let out a high-pitched shriek as a distorted, monstrous tree entity roared from the fog, chasing him down the path. With Electabuzz already knocked out and hastily recalled into its Poké Ball after taking a brutal point-blank Psychic from Ralts, Levi ran with his metaphorical tail tucked firmly between his legs, his cowardly screams fading into the distance.
The illusions melted away, leaving the forest tranquil once more. Ralts dusted off its tiny hands with a satisfied nod, while the wild Gastly bobbed in the air, cackling merrily at its handy work.
Wu Zuo unclipped an empty Poké Ball from his belt and tapped it lightly against his finger, adjusting his glasses. He looked up at the purple gaseous ghost with a calm, inviting expression.
"Would you like to come with me, Gastly?"
Gastly’s wide eyes sparkled with amusement. Without a moment's hesitation, it swooped down and pressed its snout directly against the center button. The Poké Ball clicked open, drew the ghost inside, and snapped shut. It wobbled once, twice, and clicked firm—a clean capture.
"Nice catch, Senior," He Weijia said, stepping up beside him with his hands tucked loosely in his pockets. Scorbunny let out an approving squeak. The freshman looked at Wu Zuo with an intensely curious glint in his eyes. "Though... you handled that like someone who’s fought off ambushes a hundred times before. You didn't even flinch when Electabuzz attacked."
Wu Zuo caught the Poké Ball, letting out a quiet breath as he slid it back onto his belt. "Experience," he replied smoothly, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "You learn to watch the Trainer, not just the Pokémon."
He Weijia didn't press further, though his smirk widened slightly. "Well, since we survived an ambush and secured a new teammate, dinner’s on me back at the campus arcade. What do you say, partner?"
-
Wu Zuo had known it wouldn't take long. In a place like the Academy, image was everything, and Levi had too much pride to take a humiliation like that lying down. Predictably, Levi hadn't faced him directly—instead, his inner circle of lackeys had closed in like vultures the moment Wu Zuo parted ways with He Weijia after dinner.
Now, the hallway was silent once more.
Wu Zuo leaned his head back against the cold metal of the locker room wall, breathing slowly. Ralts hovered beside him, its small hands glowing with a soft, warm light as it channeled Heal Pulse to numb the throbbing ache in Wu Zuo's ribs and shoulder. Meanwhile, near the end of the corridor, Gastly was floating through the ceiling, giggling maliciously as it cast harmless, terrifying illusions to drive off the retreating cronies.
"Senior!"
A sharp shout echoed down the hallway, forcing Wu Zuo to turn his head. He suppressed a wince of pain, squinting through a pair of cracked glasses.
He Weijia was sprinting toward him, his usual cool composure entirely shattered. Trotting closely at his heels was his Scorbunny, alongside a fiercely focused Riolu whose blue aura sensors were quivering with outrage.
"Senior, are you okay?!" He Weijia dropped to his knees right in front of him, his hands hovering uncertainly, careful not to touch Wu Zuo's injuries. His dark eyes flickered over the bruises and the cracked frames with a cold, terrifying fury that Wu Zuo had never seen from the freshman before. "Who did this? Was it Levi's group?"
Wu Zuo pushed his cracked glasses up his nose, his voice raspy but steady. "It doesn't matter. They didn't get off easy either—Gastly made sure of that."
He Weijia’s jaw tightened, his knuckles turning white as Riolu growled sharply beside him. "It does matter," He Weijia said, his tone dropping into a icy, dangerous quiet. "They crossed a line. And they're going to regret it."
-
Wu Zuo let out a low, bitter laugh at He Weijia's fury, the sound scraping painfully against his throat. "What are you going to do about it, He Weijia? You're a freshman. It's better to pick your battles carefully rather than tending to the Academy's ugly duckling like me, don't you think?"
He Weijia froze, his dark eyes wide with shock. "Senior, what are you—"
"I know who your family is, He Weijia," Wu Zuo interrupted, his voice dropping into a flat, cold tone. "One of the most influential Pokémon Trainers in the region. Honestly, why are you here with me? Trying to look noble and good?"
The question hung heavy in the quiet locker room.
That was the real truth tearing at Wu Zuo's mind. He had asked himself over and over why someone like He Weijia would suddenly approach a social pariah. His past life had taught him a brutal, unforgettable lesson: nothing in this world is free. He had been so blind, so foolishly grateful to Levi for giving him the time of day, that he had ignored every red flag until a knife was plunged into his back. He wasn't about to let another privileged heir play hero with his life.
"Senior—"
"Just go, He Weijia," Wu Zuo said, adjusting his cracked glasses and leaning his head back against the cold lockers. "I can take care of myself just fine."
He Weijia didn't move for a long moment. He stared down at Wu Zuo, biting his lower lip as a storm of emotions crossed his usually relaxed face. Hurt, frustration, and an unshakeable resolve flashed in his eyes.
Without another word of argument, He Weijia leaned down, sliding one arm smoothly under Wu Zuo's knees and the other behind his back and shoulders, lifting him off the floor before Wu Zuo could even register the movement.
"He Weijia—!" Wu Zuo gasped, his face flushing with sudden heat as he scrambled for purchase, grabbing onto the younger boy's shoulders so he wouldn't fall.
"I'm taking you to the infirmary, Senior," He Weijia said firmly, ignoring Wu Zuo's glare as he turned and carried him out into the hallway, Riolu and Scorbunny keeping a protective guard on either side. "And you can yell at me all you want after the nurse fixes your ribs."
-
He Weijia ignored the sharp gasps and muted whispers echoing down the corridor as he walked toward the infirmary, holding Wu Zuo securely in a princess carry. Wu Zuo had gone rigid at first, but as the adrenaline wore off, his breathing grew heavier, his strength clearly failing him.
Ralts’s Heal Pulse had taken the sharpest edge off the pain, but it couldn't instantly repair the bruised ribs or exhaustion.
Midway down the main hall, a pair of glowing red eyes and a wide, menacing grin materialized out of thin air right in front of He Weijia's face. He took a sharp step back to avoid a collision before realizing it was Wu Zuo’s newly caught Gastly, hovering defensively with a ball of shadowy energy swirling in its mouth.
"I'm helping your Trainer, Gastly," He Weijia said softly, his voice steady. "I'm not here to harm him."
Gastly studied the freshman's eyes for a long moment, sensing no malice, before letting out a soft hum and vanishing into Wu Zuo's shadow to keep guard.
Pushing open the infirmary door, He Weijia carefully set Wu Zuo down on a pristine white cot. The school nurse immediately bustled over, taking one look at Wu Zuo's cracked glasses and bruised frame before pulling a privacy curtain and fetching medical supplies.
Wu Zuo turned his head away, staring at the blank wall. "You still haven't answered why you're doing this, He Weijia. Someone like you doesn't need to play savior for an outcast."
He Weijia stood beside the bed, taking in a deep breath as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"You're too good for Levi, Senior. He's just an upstart prick who..." He Weijia cut himself off sharply before he could curse in front of the nurse, taking a moment to regain his composure. He stepped closer, his dark eyes looking directly into Wu Zuo's guarded expression.
"A few days ago... I saw you and Ralts training behind the old gymnasium," He Weijia admitted quietly. "It wasn't pretty. Clearly, there's a reason why you're always at the bottom of the class—your form was completely off. But, Senior... you were so sincere with your Pokémon. You treated Ralts like a partner, not a tool. Unlike Levi and the others, who only care about stats and status."
He Weijia's expression softened, a rare, vulnerable sincerity breaking through his usual confident mask. "I didn't approach you out of pity, and I don't care about my family's name. I approached you because someone who cares that much about his Pokémon deserves better than being dragged down."
-
The school nurse and her Chansey worked with quiet, efficient speed, applying soothing healing salves to Wu Zuo’s bruises while Chansey channeled a gentle Life Dew to ease the internal aches. Once the treatment was finished, the nurse offered a stern reminder about resting before pulling the divider and leaving the two boys alone in the quiet room with their Pokémon.
Wu Zuo didn't look up. He stared blankly at the medical cabinet across from him, the vulnerability from earlier instantly hardening back into a defensive shell.
"Quit the pretense, He Weijia. Dragged down?" Wu Zuo’s voice was dry, laced with a bitter edge that cut through the silence. "Are you sure it's not Levi and his precious reputation that's being dragged down by an ugly duckling like me? Or are you afraid that I'll make you look bad? Don't worry, I won't say anything about you."
He Weijia opened his mouth to protest, but Wu Zuo let out a heavy, weary sigh. He reached over, set his cracked glasses on the bedside table, and lay down on the cot, pulling the crisp white blanket completely over his head.
"Just leave. Don't worry," Wu Zuo’s voice sounded muffled from beneath the sheets, cold and resolute. "I'll make sure I don't drag you down during the Double Battle Tournament."
He Weijia stood frozen beside the bed. Across the room, Scorbunny and Riolu looked up at their Trainer with concerned eyes, while Ralts remained seated at the foot of the cot, its broad red eyes radiating a gentle, comforting aura toward the silent figure under the blanket. Gastly hovered quietly in the high corner of the room, its usual mischievous grin replaced by a protective frown.
He Weijia sighed softly, reaching out to gently adjust the bedside lamp so the light wouldn't shine into Wu Zuo's eyes. He knew words wouldn't tear down years of built-up pain and betrayal overnight.
"Get some rest, Senior," He Weijia said quietly, his voice laced with unshakeable patience. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow. And I'm not leaving the tournament—or you."
-
He Weijia hurried back to the infirmary early the next morning, carrying a fresh pair of glasses he had rushed to order from the campus shop. But when he pushed open the door, he was surprised to find the cot neatly made and empty.
He turned to the duty nurse, bowing slightly. "Hi, I'm sorry, have you seen Senior Wu Zuo today?"
"Hm? Oh, he went back to his dorm room a few minutes ago," she replied, checking her clipboards. "He refused to stay any longer, stubborn boy."
"Oh, thank you." He Weijia bowed again before hurrying out into the morning corridor.
He turned the corner toward the senior dormitories when a sharp, heavy thump echoed down the hallway—the distinct sound of a body being shoved violently against a concrete wall. He Weijia’s heart dropped. He broke into a sprint, rounding the corner just in time to see Wu Zuo pinned against the wall, his face pale as Levi’s fingers squeezed tightly around his neck. Behind Levi stood his entire gang of six cronies, watching with cold smirks.
"Senior!" He Weijia shouted, the relaxed demeanor completely vanishing from his posture.
In two quick strides, He Weijia stepped in, grabbing Levi's wrist with a crushing grip and violently ripping his hand off Wu Zuo's neck.
Wu Zuo slid down the wall to the floor, clutching his throat and coughing fiercely, gasping for air as Ralts materialized from its Poké Ball, instantly placing its small frame defensively in front of its Trainer. He Weijia’s hands rested directly on the Poké Balls at his hip, his eyes burning with lethal intent as he prepared to release Scorbunny and Riolu if things turned ugly.
"Hiding behind a freshman now? You have fallen so low, Wu Zuo," Levi scoffed, shaking out his sore wrist with a disdainful glare.
He Weijia stood like a brick wall between Wu Zuo and the mob, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp, mocking edge. "I think the one who has fallen so low is you, Senior Levi. One against seven? Really? Are you Trainers or gang members?"
Levi’s face flushed red, his jaw clenching as his lackeys shifted uncomfortably behind him. "Mind your own business, kid. He ruined my standing, and he's going to pay for it."
Wu Zuo finally caught his breath, his eyes cold and unwavering beneath his messy bangs as he looked up from the floor. He didn't ask for help, but he didn't cower either.
-
"Are you sure about that?" Wu Zuo’s voice was hoarse, cutting through the heavy tension as he coughed again, adjusting his posture against the cold wall. "You ruined your own reputation by your own hands, Levi. Me dumping you was just the final thing to solidify how much of an asshole you are."
"You little—" Levi lunged forward, his fists clenching, but before he could reach Wu Zuo, a loud, sharp voice boomed from down the corridor.
"What is going on here?"
An instructor hurried into the hallway, his stern gaze sweeping over the scene. Seeing Wu Zuo on the floor and Levi surrounded by his friends, the teacher let out an annoyed sigh, instantly settling on his usual bias. He turned directly to Wu Zuo with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Wu Zuo, look at the disruption you're causing. Just bow your head, apologize to Levi for this scene, and we can all move on without any formal write-ups."
Wu Zuo scoffed under his breath, unsurprised. In his past life, the Academy faculty had always turned a blind eye to Levi's arrogance while treating Wu Zuo like an easily replaceable nuisance.
Before Wu Zuo could speak, He Weijia stepped directly into the teacher's line of sight, his posture rigid and his dark eyes burning with absolute authority.
The instructor blinked, his dismissive expression instantly evaporating as he recognized the freshman. His demeanor flipped into a sycophantic, nervous smile. "Oh. Mr. He. I didn't see you there. I think that—"
"Anyone who dares harm Senior Wu Zuo has to answer to me," He Weijia cut in, his voice deadpan and icy, carrying a weight that made even the surrounding lackeys take a step back. "And I'm very sure my family would back me up. Would you like a taste of that, Teacher?"
The hallway went completely silent. The instructor's face turned pale, swallowing hard as he swallowed back any further excuses. He Weijia’s family held enough influence over the region’s Trainer Board to end a teaching career with a single call.
Levi stared at He Weijia, his jaw tight with helpless rage, realizing that for the first time in his life, his status couldn't shield him.
-
The humiliated instructor quickly dismissed Levi and his gang with a sharp warning to clear the hallway immediately. Levi cast one final, bitter glare toward Wu Zuo before turning on his heel and leading his cronies away.
Once they were alone, He Weijia immediately bent down, offering a hand to help Wu Zuo stand.
Wu Zuo swatted his hand away with a harsh movement, glaring at He Weijia coldly. "Why are you helping me, He Weijia?" He coughed, wincing as the bruised muscles in his neck protested; Levi’s grip had been harder than he initially realized. "A reputation boost? I told you to quit your pretend act, didn't I?"
He coughed harder, his breathing raspy. "Just tell me outright what you want. We can finish this soon and don't need to be around each other more than we have to."
"Senior. I'm not lying when I said that I'm not leaving you or the tournament," He Weijia said, his voice pleading as he stayed on one knee. "I really—"
"Do you truly expect me to believe that? I'm not an idiot, He Weijia," Wu Zuo interrupted, his hoarse voice cracking. Ralts tugged gently at the hem of Wu Zuo's shirt, radiating waves of calm and softly chiming to urge its Trainer to rest his throat. Wu Zuo ignored the comfort, glaring past his bangs. "Nothing is free in this world. You must have some sort of motive to approach me."
Silence settled over the hallway. He Weijia stared up at Wu Zuo, the silence heavy between them. Without another word of defense, He Weijia reached into his pocket, pulled out the sleek, black-framed replacement glasses he had bought, and gently slid them onto Wu Zuo's face, adjusting them so they rested perfectly over his nose.
"I'm not lying, Senior," He Weijia murmured softly, his smile tinged with a faint, painful sadness.
Wu Zuo blinked through the crystal-clear lenses, the crisp vision momentarily stunning him into silence. Looking down at the younger boy, he saw no arrogance, no hidden malice—only a raw, quiet hurt.
Something must have happened to make Wu Zuo this guarded, this broken. He Weijia just knew it. And as much as it pained him to see Wu Zuo flinch away from kindness, he resolved right then and there that he wouldn't push—he would just prove it through his actions.
-
"Just... go," Wu Zuo coughed, the force of it causing his body to tremble as he clutched at his throat. The crisp clarity of his new glasses made the sincerity in He Weijia's eyes far too sharp, far too difficult to process.
"Don't talk, Senior. Your throat... don't force it. Let it heal," He Weijia urged softly. Without giving Wu Zuo time to protest or push him away, he carefully scooped the older student up into a princess carry once again, keeping his grip steady yet gentle against Wu Zuo's aching frame.
Wu Zuo turned his head away, his breathing raspy as he pressed his lips into a tight line.
"Where is your room, Senior? Just point it with your finger and I'll take you there," He Weijia asked, his voice low and soothing as he carried him down the corridor. He paused, looking down at the pale boy in his arms before adding, "Or, I can bring you to my own, just so those guys won't hurt you again? My room's too big for myself anyway."
Wu Zuo's fingers twitched against He Weijia's shoulder, but the sheer exhaustion crushing his body left him with no strength to fight back. He offered no resistance, his silence giving tacit consent.
Satisfied, He Weijia unclipped Scorbunny's Poké Ball with one hand and released the fire rabbit onto the floor. "Scorbunny, walk with Ralts, okay?"
Scorbunny let out a cheerful Scor! and immediately matched pace with Ralts, offering a friendly ear twitch to keep the anxious Psychic-type company as they walked.
He Weijia turned toward the campus's west wing—the high-tier private quarters reserved for top-ranked students and prestigious families. There was no way he was risking bringing the older student back to the standard dormitories, where Levi and his cronies had easy access to target him again.
Unlocking the door to his spacious suite, He Weijia carried Wu Zuo inside, setting him down carefully on a soft, plush sofa.
"Rest here," He Weijia said quietly, pulling a warm throw blanket over Wu Zuo's shoulders while Scorbunny and Ralts sat nearby on the rug. "No one can touch you here. I promise."
Wu Zuo stared at the ceiling through his crystal-clear lenses, the warm blanket wrapping around him, unable to understand why this second life was refusing to follow the lonely script he had prepared for it.
-
He Weijia stepped softly into the living area of his suite, holding a tray with a steaming mug of tea and a small dish of crushed herbal throat medicine. He slowed his steps, however, when he noticed the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of Wu Zuo’s chest.
Wu Zuo was fast asleep, his body finally surrendering to the overwhelming physical and emotional exhaustion of the day. The new black-framed glasses rested neatly on the side table where he must have set them before slipping into unconsciousness.
Ralts sat perched on the cushion right beside Wu Zuo's head, its small white hands resting on the edge of the blanket, broad red eyes filled with immense worry as it monitored its Trainer’s labored breathing.
He Weijia set the tray down on the coffee table with utmost care, making sure the ceramic didn't clink. He knelt beside the sofa, looking at the Psychic-type Pokémon with a low, empathetic expression.
"You have a very strong Trainer, don't you, Ralts?" He Weijia asked softly, his voice barely a whisper, a faint, melancholic smile touching his lips. "So strong that..."
He stopped himself, the words catching in his throat. He looked at Wu Zuo's pale, bruised face, seeing the invisible weight of a pain he couldn't yet fathom. A guy who fought back with the cold, precise calculations of someone who had already seen the absolute worst the world had to offer.
"...so strong that he thinks he has to carry everything entirely alone," He Weijia finished quietly.
Ralts let out a soft, sad Ral... and leaned its head against Wu Zuo's cheek, radiating a gentle psychic hum to push away any lingering nightmares. Scorbunny hopped over silently, curling up at the foot of the sofa to keep guard alongside Ralts.
He Weijia reached out, carefully pulling the warm blanket higher over Wu Zuo’s shoulders. He stood up, turning toward his desk where the official tournament registration documents lay waiting.
"I'll stand by him," He Weijia murmured into the quiet room, his eyes darkening with fierce determination. "Whether he trusts me yet or not."
-
It wasn't a surprise to Wu Zuo at all when he stood in the crowded main hall, looking up at the freshly posted Double Battle Tournament brackets through his new glasses.
Facing Levi and one of his closest lackeys in the very first round... well, it wasn't hard to see that Levi had pulled strings behind the scenes.
Wu Zuo stared at the digital board, his mind racing with cynical calculations. If he and He Weijia lost, the narrative written by the Academy gossip would be brutally simple: The brilliant freshman made a tragic mistake pairing up with the useless ugly duckling. Even if He Weijia made a critical error in battle, the entire weight of the defeat would be dumped squarely onto Wu Zuo's shoulders. He Weijia's family name would shield him from real damage, leaving him look like a tragic, noble victim.
Oh.
Realization struck Wu Zuo like a bolt of lightning, cold and sickening.
That must have been it, right?
The reason why He Weijia had approached him so aggressively out of nowhere. The reason why the heir to a prestigious Trainer family insisted on partnering with an outcast. Wu Zuo was the ultimate human shield—a low-risk, high-reward stepping stone to test his own battle skills without risking his pristine reputation if things went south.
In his past life, he had been Levi's footstool. In this life, he was merely being recycled into He Weijia's safety net.
"Look at that bracket, Senior," He Weijia's calm voice sounded from beside him. He walked up, looking at the display with an unbothered smirk. "Looks like we don't even have to wait until the finals to knock Levi out."
Wu Zuo slowly turned his head to face the freshman. The faint warmth that had briefly flickered in his chest the previous night was utterly gone, replaced by a wall of absolute ice.
"Is that so?" Wu Zuo murmured, his tone eerily flat. "Don't worry, He Weijia. I'll make sure you get the clean performance you paid for."
He Weijia blinked, his smirk instantly fading as he felt the sudden, freezing wall Wu Zuo had thrown back up between them. "Senior... what are you talking about?"
Wu Zuo didn't answer. He adjusted his glasses and walked away toward the battle arenas, his heart locked firmly behind heavy iron doors.
-
"-or!"
"-ior!"
"Senior, wait!" He Weijia shouted, his quick strides echoing down the echoing stone hallway that led toward the battle arenas. He reached out, his fingers wrapping firmly around Wu Zuo's wrist to pull him to a stop.
"Let go, He Weijia," Wu Zuo said without turning around, his voice dangerously low.
"Senior—"
"I said. Let. Go."
"No! Not until you tell me what's going on!" He Weijia demanded, his usual composed demeanor completely fraying under the weight of Wu Zuo's sudden, freezing hostility.
"There's nothing going on. Now. Let. Go."
He Weijia let out a low growl of frustration. Driven by an impulse he couldn't control, he tugged Wu Zuo’s arm and pinned him sharply against the hallway wall, closing the distance between them in an instant.
"Senior—"
He Weijia froze mid-sentence.
Wu Zuo didn't flinch, staring up through his clean black glasses with dark, unreadable eyes. But as He Weijia looked down, he suddenly registered how absurdly close they were. He could feel the warmth of Wu Zuo’s breath against his lips, see the slight flutter of his lashes, and smell the faint, bitter scent of the herbal throat medicine on his skin.
A sudden, intense heat flushed up He Weijia’s neck, burning his ears as his heart slammed viciously against his ribs.
Abruptly losing his nerve, He Weijia scrambled backward, letting go of Wu Zuo's wrist as if he had just been burned.
Wu Zuo immediately pushed himself off the wall, giving He Weijia a cold, distant look before turning on his heel and walking straight into the bright light of the battle arena without another word.
He Weijia stood frozen in the dim hallway, pressing a trembling hand over his face. His heart was hammering wildly, his chest tight. As he watched Wu Zuo’s receding back, a single, terrifying thought echoed through his mind:
Is it weird that He Weijia wanted to kiss Wu Zuo so badly?
-
The roar of the crowd in the main stadium buzzed like static in Wu Zuo's ears as he stepped up to the trainer's box. Across the sandy pitch, Levi stood alongside his partner, a third-year student wielding a heavy-set Graveler. Levi released his Electabuzz, its sparks popping viciously against the air.
"Begin!" the referee barked.
"Scorbunny, cover the left flank!" He Weijia called out immediately. "Senior, if we pinch them with Ralts and Scorbunny—"
Wu Zuo didn't even turn his head. "Ralts, use Confusion directly on Graveler. Ignore Electabuzz."
"Senior, wait! Electabuzz has the speed advantage!" He Weijia shouted, but Wu Zuo drove forward with his own plan. Ralts flared its psychic energy, slamming Graveler backward, but it left itself completely exposed. Wu Zuo was fighting with a reckless, self-destructive edge—forcing Ralts to take extreme risks just to prove he could command a match entirely on his own, without needing a privileged freshman to act as his shield or stepping stone.
Levi’s eyes glinted with malicious delight. He saw the complete lack of coordination between the two.
"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!" Levi sneered, his finger pointing straight across the sand.
The target wasn't Ralts. The crackling, blinding bolt of yellow lightning swerved past the Pokémon, aimed straight at the trainer box—directly at Wu Zuo’s chest.
Wu Zuo froze, his breath catching as the blinding light surged toward him.
He didn't have time to dodge, but he didn't have to. Before the electric surge could reach him, a body slammed into his frame with terrifying speed.
He Weijia didn't think twice. He threw his arms around Wu Zuo’s shoulders, tackling him to the side. The two of them hit the dirt hard, tumbling onto the arena floor with He Weijia landing heavily on top of Wu Zuo, shielding him entirely with his own body.
BOOM!
The stray Thunderbolt slammed violently into the reinforced concrete wall directly behind where Wu Zuo had been standing, sending dust and debris raining down on them.
Silence fell over the stadium. The referee blew his whistle frantically, shouting a warning at Levi for unsafe targeting, but Wu Zuo couldn't hear any of it. All he could focus on was the heavy press of He Weijia's chest against his, the sharp intake of the freshman's breath, and the wild, frantic fear burning in He Weijia's eyes as he stared down at him.
"Are you insane?!" He Weijia yelled, his voice cracking, his hands trembling where they gripped the dirt on either side of Wu Zuo's head. "He was aiming for you!"
Wu Zuo lay beneath him, his clean glasses slightly crooked, staring up into He Weijia's face as his heart hammered wildly against his ribs.
-
"Senior. What were you thinking?! You could have died!" He Weijia shouted, his chest heaving as he hovered over Wu Zuo in the middle of the stadium floor. Dust from the blasted wall drifted through the air around them, but He Weijia didn't care about the referee's warnings or the murmurs from the crowd.
"So? Does it really matter?" Wu Zuo asked, his tone dropping back into that terrifying, eerie calm. His eyes beneath his black-framed glasses were completely blank, devoid of fear or self-preservation. "Does it really matter if I get hit or not?"
"Senior! Are you insane?! Of course it is! You—"
"Why do you care, He Weijia?" Wu Zuo interrupted, his hoarse voice cutting through the freshman's anger like a blade. He looked straight into He Weijia's trembling eyes. "You never cared before, so why do you care now?"
The raw bitterness in those words struck He Weijia harder than any attack on the field. He realization hit him with agonizing clarity—Wu Zuo wasn't just guarded; he was deeply convinced that his own life held zero value to anyone.
"I care because I can't stand seeing you throw yourself away!" He Weijia roared back, ignoring the audience entirely, his hands tightening on the dirt. "I don't care about a stepping stone, I don't care about Levi, and I don't care about my family's name! I care about you, Wu Zuo!"
Wu Zuo blinked, the cold, calculated armor around his heart cracking for a fraction of a second as He Weijia breathed heavily above him, his eyes fierce and unwavering.
Slowly, He Weijia pushed himself up, offering his hand once again. "Now get up, Senior. Let's show these bastards what we can really do."
Wu Zuo stared at the open palm for a long moment. He took a deep breath, reached up, and finally took He Weijia's hand, letting the younger boy pull him to his feet.
Turning to face Levi, Wu Zuo's quiet indifference evaporated, replaced by a razor-sharp, lethal focus.
"Ralts, sync with Scorbunny," Wu Zuo commanded smoothly, adjusting his glasses. "Let's finish this."
-
A quiet hush fell over the dirt arena as the two trainers stood side-by-side. Across the field, Levi sneered, oblivious to the shift in energy. "Finished your little drama? Electabuzz, end this! Thunderbolt!"
Before the electrical surge could even leave Electabuzz's fists, a blinding, warm white light erupted from Wu Zuo’s side of the pitch. Ralts floated into the air, enveloped in a radiant, swirling aura. The psychic pressure rippled through the stadium, forcing the dust to settle instantly. As the light faded, Ralts had changed—its frame taller, its green hair flowing gracefully, and its eyes glowing with profound, refined psychic energy.
Ralts had evolved into Kirlia.
Wu Zuo didn't hesitate for a single second. "Kirlia, Psychic to lift Graveler into the path of that Thunderbolt!"
Kirlia’s eyes flashed a brilliant blue. Graveler was violently yanked off its feet, suspended directly in front of the incoming electric blast. The thunderbolt slammed into Graveler’s heavy, ground-type body, completely neutralizing the attack with a sharp crack.
"Scorbunny, Flame Charge! Use Graveler as a stepping stone!" He Weijia shouted in perfect sync.
Scorbunny burst into a roaring streak of fire, vaulting off the paralyzed Graveler and diving straight down onto Electabuzz. At the exact same instant, Wu Zuo snapped his fingers. "Kirlia, Confusion—lock Electabuzz in place!"
The combined assault was brutal and instantaneous. A violent explosion of flames and psychic force shook the arena floor. When the smoke cleared, both Graveler and Electabuzz were lying unconscious on the dirt, their eyes swirling.
"Graveler and Electabuzz are unable to battle!" the referee yelled, blowing his whistle. "The winners are Wu Zuo and He Weijia!"
The crowd broke into a stunned cheer, but He Weijia didn't hear a bit of it. Overcome with sheer relief and exhilaration, he spun around, grabbed Wu Zuo, and pulled him into a tight, breathless hug right then and there on the field.
Wu Zuo went rigid, his breath catching as the younger boy's arms wrapped tightly around his back. "He Weijia—"
"We won, Senior," He Weijia laughed against his shoulder, his grip unyielding, refusing to let go. "We won."
-
The quiet of the locker room behind the main arena did little to soothe the sting of the day's intensity. Wu Zuo was adjusting his glasses when the door slammed shut, revealing a red-faced, humiliated Levi standing in the doorway.
Levi took a shuddering breath, trying to force his trembling hands into his pockets. "Wu Zuo... look. The battle was just intense, alright? I got carried away. Let's just... put this behind us and say we're cool."
Wu Zuo didn't even look up from his trainer bag. His voice was bone-dry and icy. "Save it, Levi. I don't need your apology, and we both know you're not sorry anyway."
Levi’s fake composure snapped instantly.
"You little—" Levi spat out a string of vile, filthy insults, words so venomous that Wu Zuo refused to even repeat them in his own mind.
Before Wu Zuo could react, Levi’s palm cracked violently across his cheek, sending his glasses clattering to the concrete floor. Before he could recover or reach for a Poké Ball, Levi’s other hand flew across, slapping Wu Zuo’s opposite cheek with brutal force.
Wu Zuo stumbled back against the metal lockers, but Levi was already on him. Heavy, violent fingers wrapped tightly around Wu Zuo's throat, slamming his head against the steel and cutting off his airway entirely.
"You ruined me!" Levi snarled, his eyes bulging with unhinged fury. "You think you're safe just because of that freshman?!"
Wu Zuo clawed uselessly at Levi's wrists. Black spots began to dance across his vision as the oxygen vanished from his lungs. The familiar, suffocating darkness of his past life’s final moments began to creep back into the edges of his mind. The coldness. The crushing weight.
Is this how it ends again...?
Suddenly, the suffocating grip loosened with a loud, violent sound—a heavy body slamming hard onto the floor, followed by the sickening thud of someone being thrown into the bench.
Wu Zuo slid down the locker, his vision blurring and fading fast.
"Senior!"
He Weijia.
He Weijia is here, Wu Zuo thought weakly as the world spun.
Strong, desperate arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him up into a secure, protective embrace. Wu Zuo felt warmth—not like the crushing, lonely weight of his past death, but a gentle, desperate heat, accompanied by a trembling voice softly begging him to open his eyes, to stay awake, to stay with him.
Wu Zuo tried to reach out, but his energy drained completely, and everything went dark.
-
Wu Zuo felt pain.
It felt as though he was being crushed to death by a collapsing pile of heavy concrete. An oxygen mask covered the lower half of his face, his breath fogging the clear plastic with every shallow, agonizing gasp. Forcing himself to stay awake, he cracked his eyes open. Everything was a blurry smear of white and grey without his glasses, but he could still make out the distinct figure standing by the door.
He Weijia.
But something was terribly wrong.
He Weijia looked older. He wasn't the relaxed freshman Wu Zuo remembered from the hallways. This version of the younger man wore a crisp, dark suit, his jaw tight as he spoke furiously to a police officer in the corner of the room.
As if sensing the shift in the room, He Weijia turned his head. Seeing Wu Zuo’s half-lidded eyes open, he abandoned his conversation entirely and rushed to the bedside.
"Oh, thank Arceus, you're okay!" He Weijia whispered desperately. He carefully wrapped both of his hands around Wu Zuo's limp fingers, bringing Wu Zuo's hand up to rest against his forehead. "You're alive." The relief bleeding through his voice was raw, heavy, and absolute.
"Where..." Wu Zuo rasped faintly beneath the mask.
"At the hospital. Cinderace found you barely breathing. It got a little touch and go for a while... you flatlined, Senior," He Weijia said. The word Senior echoed strangely in Wu Zuo's mind—as if both the deep, mature voice of the man in the suit and the voice of the younger freshman were speaking in unison. "But somehow, you survived. Though... you've been unconscious for a very long time."
Cinderace? Not Scorbunny? Wu Zuo’s mind raced, confusion swirling through the haze of narcotics and pain.
He opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but a harsh, violent coughing fit wracked his chest before he could utter another word. Clearly, his bruised throat was in no condition to let him speak.
He Weijia’s sharp, tense expression melted into something immensely soft and gentle. He reached up, lightly brushing a strand of dark hair away from Wu Zuo's forehead.
"Sleep, Senior," He Weijia murmured softly, his thumb tracing the back of Wu Zuo's hand. "You need to rest for your body to heal. I'll be right here when you wake up."
As the sedatives pulled Wu Zuo back down into the dark, one terrifying question lingered: How many years had he actually been asleep?
-
He was back.
Back to the original timeline.
Back to the dark future where he had watched Levi cast him aside like trash to choose Leonor instead. Back to the wretched timeline where he had never truly known He Weijia as a friend, where he had carried all his suffering completely alone until the very end.
Wu Zuo's body was still far too weak to move around on his own, forcing him to spend almost every waking hour slipping back into unconsciousness. His appetite was entirely gone, his body rejecting solid food as his bruised throat throbbed with every swallow.
"Senior, you have to eat," He Weijia urged softly from the bedside chair, holding a small bowl of warm broth. "You'll recover much faster if you get the proper nutrients from the food."
Wu Zuo stared at the younger man through his adjusted glasses, his mind spinning in utter confusion. "I'm sorry..." Wu Zuo took in a raspy, painful breath. "But... I believe we haven't met. And yet, you call me Senior."
He Weijia blinked, putting the spoon he had been holding awkwardly down, a slight flush rising to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ah, right... sorry. My name is He Weijia. I went to the same Academy as you, and I'm a year younger than you are, Senior. I've... known about you for a long time."
Wu Zuo nodded weakly. "Of course. May I ask—" Another violent coughing fit wracked his lungs, forcing him to bend over in agony.
He Weijia immediately set the bowl aside and wrapped a steady arm around Wu Zuo's back, guiding him gently to lie back down on the pillows. "We can talk later. Sleep, Senior, your body is still—"
"Wu Zuo!"
The heavy door to the hospital room slammed open with a sharp bang. Levi burst inside, looking disheveled and frantic, with Leonor trailing closely behind him on high heels.
"You—" Levi started, taking a step toward the bed.
"May I ask what your relationship is with the patient, Sir?" He Weijia’s voice instantly turned to pure ice. He stood up straight, placing his broad frame squarely between Levi and the bed, completely blocking Levi’s view of Wu Zuo.
Leonor fluttered her long eyelashes, placing a hand on her chest and offering a sweet, seductive smile. "Oh! Sir! We are his friends! We were just so worried that—"
He Weijia held his ground like an unyielding wall, his eyes burning with absolute disgust. "Friends? Don't make me laugh."
-
"You're not my friend at all," Wu Zuo rasped, staring cold dagger-blades at Levi and Leonor as he attempted to push himself out of the hospital bed.
He had barely swung his legs over the edge before his knees buckled, his body entirely refusing to cooperate. He would have collapsed into a heap on the cold floor if He Weijia hadn't immediately lunged forward and caught him mid-fall.
He Weijia pulled Wu Zuo flush against his side, his hands holding him up with gentle but absolute firmness.
"Security!" He Weijia’s voice boomed down the corridor, authority dripping from every syllable. Within seconds, four heavy-set security guards rushed into the room. "Remove these two immediately, and place a permanent ban on them from this entire wing!"
"I'm his boyfriend! You can't do this!" Levi shouted, thrashing as the guards clamped down on his arms and physically shoved him and a squealing Leonor into the hallway. "Wu Zuo, tell him!"
The heavy door slammed shut, cutting off the noise completely.
Wu Zuo stood trembling in He Weijia's arms, his knuckles white as he clutched at the lapels of the younger man's suit jacket. He didn't even know why he was shaking—whether it was from residual terror, physical exhaustion, or the overwhelming sensation of being held so securely.
"Are you in pain, Senior?" He Weijia asked urgently, his dark eyes filled with deep concern as his hand rubbed comforting circles against Wu Zuo's back. "Would you like me to call a nurse? Or a doctor? Or—"
"Just... help me to bed? Please?" Wu Zuo whispered, his voice cracking.
"Of course. Of course," He Weijia murmured softly.
With effortless grace, He Weijia scooped Wu Zuo up into a careful carry and laid him back onto the white sheets, pulling the blanket up to his chest. He stayed leaning over the bed for a long moment, brushing a stray lock of hair away from Wu Zuo's pale cheek, his touch lingering with a devotion that went far beyond someone who claimed to just be a minor schoolmate.
Wu Zuo stared up into those familiar eyes, the boundary between his memories and his reality blurring further into the quiet room.
-
Days passed in a quiet, steady rhythm as He Weijia remained by Wu Zuo's side, helping him with everything—from supporting his weight during slow walks down the hospital hallway to carefully feeding him meals. Even Gardevoir, who had grown into a majestic, protective presence since evolving from Kirlia, occasionally tilted her head and looked at He Weijia with a bemused, knowing expression.
One afternoon, He Weijia had to step out to handle urgent business, leaving Wu Zuo resting in bed under Gardevoir's watchful eye.
Looking for something to pass the time, Wu Zuo reached over to the bedside table and picked up a dark leather notebook. Thinking it was his own journal, he settled against the propped-up pillows and flipped it open, intending to jot down a few thoughts.
He froze.
The sharp, elegant handwriting filling the pages was not his. It belonged to He Weijia.
Wu Zuo's breath caught in his throat as his eyes scanned the dates. Page after page contained detailed entries from their Academy days. He Weijia had been keeping a silent vigil over him for years. Whenever vicious rumors spread through the halls, He Weijia was the one anonymously shutting them down. On the days Wu Zuo had skipped meals out of stress, his favorite warm drinks or desserts would magically appear at his cafeteria table, left behind by an unknown benefactor.
Even back when Wu Zuo had desperately pushed himself to exhaustion trying to make himself "equal" to stand proudly at Levi's side, it was He Weijia who had secretly arranged for elite trainers to guide him, ensuring Wu Zuo received the best possible training without ever knowing who paid for it.
Flipping back to the very first entry, Wu Zuo found the reason tied to a memory so old it had almost faded entirely from his mind.
Years ago, when they were small children, a five-year-old Wu Zuo—fearless and full of childish bravado—had thrown rocks to draw away a swarm of angry Beedrill, saving a terrified younger boy stuck in the woods. Wu Zuo had long forgotten the incident, but for He Weijia, that single act of reckless bravery had lit a fire that never went out.
"Hey, Senior. The nurse told me that you haven't slept yet and—"
The hospital room door swung open. He Weijia walked in carrying a bag of fresh fruit, but he froze dead in his tracks the second his eyes landed on the open notebook in Wu Zuo's hands.
-
"S-S-Senior!" He Weijia stuttered, dropping the bag of fruit onto the chair as he lunged forward to grab the book.
Wu Zuo pulled the notebook back out of reach, his gaze unwavering as he held the black leather tight against his chest.
"Senior, please give that back," He Weijia pleaded, his face flushing a bright, furious red as he rubbed the back of his neck, completely stripped of his usual composed demeanor.
"Explain," Wu Zuo said simply, his hoarse voice steady despite the hammer of his heart against his ribs.
What followed was a long, halting confrontation. With nowhere left to hide, He Weijia slowly sat down in the visitor chair, staring at his hands as he laid bare years of unspoken devotion. He explained the Beedrill attack, the years spent watching from the shadows, and how watching Wu Zuo throw himself away for Levi had broken his heart every single day.
Then, the confession finally broke through his lips.
"I... somehow I fell in love with you, Senior," He Weijia admitted quietly, his voice trembling slightly. "I know you have Levi as your boyfriend... and if you do break up with him, you probably don't want a relationship soon after. Or even like me in the first place. But even if you're just a Senior to me... even if you never like me back... I just wish that you would be happy." He Weijia rambled, the words spilling out in a desperate, honest rush.
Silence fell over the hospital room.
Wu Zuo sat frozen under the heavy weight of the confession. For years, he had believed he was unlovable—a stepping stone to be used and discarded. Yet here was the truth: someone had loved him fiercely and selflessly from the very beginning.
Slowly, Wu Zuo extended his arm and gave the book back to He Weijia.
He Weijia took it hesitantly. Wu Zuo then reached up, plucked his black-framed glasses off his face, and placed them carefully on the bedside table. Without another word, he slid down under the sheets and pulled the white blanket completely over his head, shielding himself from the world.
"Senior...?" He Weijia asked softly, his heart sinking.
"...I... I need to think. Please," Wu Zuo’s muffled voice came from beneath the blanket.
He Weijia swallowed hard, squeezing the notebook in his hand before nodding to the stillness of the room. "Okay. I'll be outside."
-
The quiet click of the hospital door closing left the room in heavy silence. For a few long minutes, Wu Zuo remained motionless beneath the blanket. Slowly, he pulled the sheet down just past his eyes, peeking toward the corner where Gardevoir stood softly glowing in the dim light.
He reached out a trembling hand into the air. Gardevoir immediately teleported, appearing right beside the bed to meet his outstretched palm.
"Am I a fool, Gardevoir?" Wu Zuo whispered into the empty room, his voice raspy and frail.
Gardevoir shook her head gently, letting out a series of soft, melodious trills that clearly meant no.
"I'm blind, aren't I? Blinded by love and a few scraps of attention that..." He choked down a sudden, bitter sob, his vision blurring with tears. "The people who truly stood by me... I never even looked at them."
Gardevoir placed both of her slender, warm hands over his outstretched fingers, radiating gentle psychic waves of comfort.
"I pushed everyone away, right? I pushed Mom and Dad... the people who could have been my friends if I had just..." His breath hitched sharply. The sudden wave of suffocating realization slammed into his chest, making his throat constrict in panic. He clawed at his shirt, gasping as his lungs refused to take in air.
Recognizing the onset of a severe panic attack, Gardevoir didn't hesitate. She instantly teleported out of the room. A second later, the door burst open as she brought He Weijia back with her.
The moment He Weijia saw Wu Zuo clutching his chest and gasping for air, all hesitation vanished. He rushed to the bedside, kicking off his shoes and climbing right onto the mattress to gather Wu Zuo up into his lap.
Wu Zuo felt a pair of warm, solid arms wrap tightly around his shaking frame, pulling him flush against a broad chest.
"Breathe, Senior. Match my breathing," He Weijia’s soft, steady voice echoed right against his ear, his hands rubbing broad, reassuring strokes up and down Wu Zuo's back. "In... and out. Just focus on me. Everything's okay. You're safe now. I've got you."
-
"I can't—" Wu Zuo gasped, his fingers digging desperately into the fabric of He Weijia's shirt as his chest heaved in ragged, frantic hitches.
"You can, Senior. In... and out," He Weijia coaxed gently, exaggerating his own chest’s rhythmic expansion so Wu Zuo could feel the steady rise and fall against his back. "That's it."
He held Wu Zuo tighter, resting his chin softly against the top of Wu Zuo's head as he felt the older boy's erratic movements begin to slow, gradually syncing with his own calm cadence.
"Good, Senior. That's it. In... Out."
Wu Zuo buried his face against He Weijia's shoulder, his exhausted breathing finally smoothing out into deep, even draughts. The sheer weight of the emotional dam breaking—the lingering horror of his past life, the realization of Levi's abuse, and the sudden warmth of He Weijia's unfiltered devotion—had completely drained his remaining strength.
He Weijia didn't move an inch, continuing to rub quiet, soothing circles over Wu Zuo's back long after the trembling stopped. As the quiet hum of Gardevoir's aura filled the room, Wu Zuo felt far too heavy and tired to keep his eyelids open. Slipping away from the lingering shadows of his mind, he let out a faint sigh and fell fast asleep, anchored securely in He Weijia's arms.
He Weijia carefully shifted, laying Wu Zuo back onto the soft pillows and drawing the blanket over him. He adjusted Wu Zuo's glasses on the nightstand, leaning in to whisper softly against his brow, "Sleep well, Senior."
-
When Wu Zuo woke up the next morning, the suffocating haze in his mind had finally cleared. Morning sunlight streamed through the hospital window, warming the room. Sitting up on his own, he didn't feel the crushing weight of isolation that had haunted him for years. Sitting in the armchair nearby was He Weijia, fast asleep with his head resting on the edge of the mattress, his hand still positioned near the edge of Wu Zuo's bed.
Gardevoir offered a soft, welcoming trill from the corner.
Wu Zuo reached for his glasses, putting them on with a firm, steady hand. It was time to fix what had been broken and cut away the rot for good.
First, Wu Zuo picked up his phone. With his heart in his throat, he dialed a number he hadn't called in years. When his mother's tearful voice answered on the second ring, Wu Zuo felt a sharp prick in his eyes, but he kept his voice steady. "Mom... it's me. I'm sorry. I want to come home soon." Hearing his parents' frantic relief on the other end felt like the first breath of real, fresh air in a lifetime.
Next, Wu Zuo opened his text messages. He pulled up his chat with Levi—a thread filled with months of passive-aggressive demands, toxic guilt-trips, and cold neglect.
He didn't hesitate. He typed out a brief, icy message:
We are over. Do not ever contact me, approach me, or come near my family again.
Without waiting for a response, Wu Zuo blocked the number on all platforms.
He Weijia stirred, blinking open his eyes. Seeing Wu Zuo upright with a calm, resolute look on his face, he immediately sat up straight. "Senior? Are you okay?"
"I am," Wu Zuo said, offering a faint, genuine smile—the first one He Weijia had ever seen on his face. He held out his hand. "And with your help, I'm filing the restraining order today."
He Weijia froze, a surge of overwhelming relief washing over his features before he reached out and gripped Wu Zuo's hand tightly. "I'm right behind you, Senior. Every step of the way."