In a Flashback, Delia asks her son and his new boyfriend why they decided to get together. Despite Ash's anxiety and Trip's apologies, she makes clear that she's nothing but supportive: all she wants from Trip is a promise that he'll make her boy happy, and help him learn to move past his mistakes.
Parker is getting to know Serena better, though this isn't without some hiccups: after learning that Ash hadn't told her about one of his creepier adventures, he gleefully leaps at the chance to share that story himself, failing to pick up on her discomfort — even after she faints. The incident also leads Ash to start berating himself his oversights with Chloe, forcing Trip to step in to try and reassure him... and unintentionally revealing their relationship to Serena in the process.
Meanwhile, Chloe brings her teammates up to speed on everything Amelia shared about the Apex. Atticus remains concerned about the unknown status of King Aloysius, while Lexi advises her that it's high time to tie up some loose ends. Before pushing any further forward, she needs to settle things with Goh. Meaning no more ghosting him: she's got to tell him and her family that she's not ready to forgive them yet, and that they need to give her time and space to work through things on her own.
...Easier said than done. Chloe's message to her father is rather more decisive than Lexi or Atticus intended, as she remains firmly convinced that he doesn't care about her at all. After all, even Goh kept trying to contact her, yet she never heard a single word from him — doesn't that prove how little she mattered? Not to mention, he loves focusing on Goh and Ash, but not her. Not his daughter.
Thus, she returns that coldness in kind, referring him strictly as 'Professor Cerise' and making clear that while she misses and regrets hurting her mother and brother, she wants nothing more to do with him. Then she reaches out to Goh, and is promptly drawn into a conversation that rapidly goes downhill. Goh's relief at finally hearing from her gets swallowed up by his sense of entitlement, while his refusal to pay attention to what she's actually saying leaves her completely convinced that he doesn't really care at all. Especially after he casually reveals that he'd forgotten all about the promise they'd made over curry...
Ultimately, Chloe spells out in no uncertain terms that she wants nothing more to do with Goh, telling him to "do what makes you happy, Goh. You have your happiness, and I have mine. Goodbye." She then blocks his number and dissolves into tears, as her allies reassure her that she's done the right thing.
...While back in the Pokémon world, the video of Chloe's classmates bragging about their bullying goes viral, setting the Net ablaze. Vermillion International School faces a firestorm of criticism, publicly announcing that all of Class 5-E is being suspended for a full week while investigations continue. The outpouring of support for the #CallingChloe movement is mirrored by the anger and frustration aimed towards her bullies, along with the adults who failed her... chief among them her father.
And in his bedroom in Azalea, Goh pitches his phone against the wall and wails in grief, finally forced to face the Awful Truth that his friendship with Chloe won't be repaired by simply bringing her back home.
This chapter includes examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Chloe hits Goh with two in rapid succession:Goh: You know, Ash and I did learn about this awesome myth about a warrior in the Galar region and some event known as Darkest Day. Is that what you want? Then why didn't you say so?
Chloe: Because you never listened to anything I said, and you told me that I had no right to call you out for not having a dream!
Goh: I didn't mean to say you didn't have a dream, Chloe! It was a mistake.
Chloe: It was a mistake on my end to cling onto the hope that we would always be friends! - Book Ends: As the final chapter of the first arc, there are a lot of parallels in the actions here and to the ones before Chloe enters the Train.
- Broken Tears: Shed by both Chloe and Goh after their friendship is officially broken off.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Chloe's email to her father mentions how Professor Cerise always likes praising and doting on Ash and Goh but never her, heavily reeking of Double Standard.
- Dramatic Irony: After Chloe finally sends her messages off to her father and Goh, all her new friends comfort her Broken Tears by saying that she did the right thing by declaring that she was going to be her own person, and that she even got the message out without yelling or cursing them out. What none of them realize is that Chloe has not been entirely honest about her home life, and the messages she sent were actually far harsher than necessary and certain to make things worse.
- Everyone Has Standards: Zack is a serial killer who relishes in seeing the despair in one's eyes, but even he thinks that the situation with Chloe and Goh is rough.
- No Listening Skills: Goh fails to pick up on the fact that Chloe is asking him to take care of some things for her because she won't be returning to Vermillion anytime soon. This further convinces her that she doesn't actually matter to him, only wanting her back in order to force her back into place.
- Not Quite the Right Thing: Lexi encourages Chloe to stop giving Goh the silent treatment and contact him and her family. Unfortunately, neither Chloe or Goh are quite ready to properly discuss the situation, least of all with each other.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Chloe sends an email to her father and a text to Goh calling them out for ignoring her and stating her goodbyes for the time being.
