Chapter Text
"Ah, Miss Juliana, please take a seat." Director Clavell said, gesturing to one of the seats in front of his desk. Juliana peeked out from behind the door, opening it slightly to walk over to where the director sat.
The chairs were a new addition since she had first entered the academy, but they were a welcome one. Presumably, Juliana hadn't been to the director's office in quite a while.
"You wanted to see me? Zzt!" Her Rotom phone asked for her, her own face remaining neutral as she continued to stare forward. It had been a long time since she had been called to a school’s front office, but that doesn't mean that muscle memory had completely disappeared.
"Yes. I would like to assure you that you are not in trouble. Quite the opposite in fact." Clavell pushes up his glasses, shifting around some papers on his desk until he finds the right one. "A few years ago, you had gone on a trip to the land of Kitakami as a part of your Treasure Hunt, correct?" He asked.
Juliana nodded, relaxing slightly at the notion that she wasn't here for any negative reason. (She hadn't done anything wrong; she knows. But old habits die hard.) She remembered Kitakami well. Ogerpon still sat on her belt, not a part of her official register, but alongside her Koraidon, was an integral part of her team's morale. She had caught the "Loyal" Three, as well, if only so they would stop their periodic looming over Mossui Town. Their pokéballs had been given to Atticus to look after, in hopes that the poison typings, and the dramatic flair of "heroes-who-are-secretly-villains" would help them get along. She remembers the friends she had made as well. She hadn't heard from either of them in a while, and the memories were starting to become bittersweet.
"Very good. As I'm sure you recall that trip was a partnership with a school in the Unova region, Blueberry Academy." The Director cleared his throat. "Blueberry is a sister academy to Naranja. In fact, the director over there is an old college friend of mine."
Juliana nodded along as Clavell continued to shift through the pages on his desk, before eventually settling on one. He sets it on top of his stack, and neatly aligns them, lightly tapping the edge of the papers on the surface to straighten them out.
"It's a new institution, having only been brought up in the last... six or seven years, I believe. As such, the previous director of Naranja, as well as Cyrano- er, Blueberry's director- had organized the Kitakami trip in order to bring the two schools closer together." Clavell slides the paper stack across the desk, the first page on the stack appearing to be a brief newsletter.
Juliana reads over the paper, looking at the Director with a questioning look every once in a while. It was a basic information pamphlet for Blueberry Academy. A list of clubs, classes, and the basic double battle curriculum, as well as a few minor listings of things like the school store, and the dormitories.
"Director Cyrano and I have planned an exchange trip for the upcoming semester." Clavell explained. "However, given that this exchange will be a new one, we've both agreed to send one student a few weeks before the end of the semester, so that way they will be able to... "get a feel for it" if you will. The student must have outstanding grades, so that way their overall GPA would not suffer through a mid-semester transfer, and we've discussed them not having prior responsibilities that would be too stressful for them to take up while in a different region. Cyrano has informed me that he has picked out a student to come to Naranja, I just need to choose my own student to send all the way to Unova." Clavell pushed up his glasses, folding his hands on his desk, and waiting.
Juliana stared down at the paper again, flipping through the others to see a more detailed overview of Naranja's sister school. She looks up at the Director, hesitantly pointing to herself. Clavell nods, and Juliana's face scrunches up as she reaches for her phone.
"I have prior responsibilities with the Pokémon League, Zzt!"
The Director sighed, as if preparing for a much longer conversation than expected.
"I am aware, Miss Juliana. However, I have had discussion with La Primera on the matter of your schooling. You have excellent grades, and your participation in events such as the School Batt- excuse me, Academy Ace Tournament, have been superb. Your attendance of classes, unfortunately, is lacking. While each of these absences have been excused, I was worried about why there were so many." Clavell clenches his hands together, before sighing again. "Miss Geeta has informed me that you have been doing official work for the League, including League paperwork, conducting Gym assessments, doing League interviews, and multiple expeditions to Area Zero.
"I began to worry, and even spoke to your friends, Miss Nemona, Miss Penny, and Mr. Arven, and they told me that you have not had a lot of time to yourself, ever since the end of your first... less than sanctioned visit to the Great Crater. Miss Geeta says she is preparing you to take her place as Top Champion once she retires, while I certainly have no qualms with preparing a student for the future ahead, I am concerned about how much of your time is being taken up by this, er, "internship" as she calls." Clavell slides a loose-leaf sheet of paper across the table to Juliana, and the student immediately recognizes her own shaky hand-writing from a few years ago. "As per the yearly Treasure Hunt, an essay is submitted at the end to check on each student and they treasure they have found. Do you remember what yours was, Miss Juliana?"
Juliana nods, setting the stack of Blueberry Academy papers to stare down at her old, worn handwriting. "My Greatest Treasure" the essay was titled, and she skimmed it over, recounting her tales of finding Herba Mystica, Operation Starfall, and the Gym Challenge. She couldn't write about Area Zero for a lot of reasons, but she still wrote about her friends. Her treasure.
"While it is true that you have responsibilities outside of school, Miss Geeta can be persuaded, if you wish to go. Blueberry is a professional academy, and many of the students are related to current Unovan League members or are on track to become ones when they graduate. I could convince her that such a networking opportunity will be useful to the Paldean League in the future." Clavell gives her a small smile before he clears his throat. "That is, of course, assuming you accept the position."
Juliana nods again. It had been a while since she had been able to actually make it to class without just picking up and dropping off assignments, and she had been away from her friends for a while. The most she had spent time with them since Area Zero was... their weekly Saturday dinners, and even then, that's only an hour or two.
"But you said I would be going alone? Zzt!"
"For the first few weeks, yes. During the second semester, a group of nine other students will be joining you. Ten total. Of course, three of those slots could be filled by certain other students. Miss Penny could easily continue her League work through the computer, and Miss Nemona's student council responsibilities can be temporarily shifted to the Vice President. And all we'd need for Mr. Arven is parental permission, which wouldn't be a problem if your mother has already let you go as well." Clavell gathers up his papers, organizing them into a filing system by his desk. "You don't have to respond right away. I encourage you to discuss it with your family and friends, first. But I wanted to inform you of the opportunity."
Juliana nods, signing a quick "thank you" to the Director, and watching as he signs back an awkward "your welcome." It made her laugh a little as she exited the room.
'Blueberry Academy, huh?' She thought. 'Might as well see.'
She sets the table for dinner. It had become routine ever since Arven had moved in. He would cook, Juliana would set and clear the table, and their mother would do the dishes. Every once in a while, their mother would cook instead, and Arven would be left to clean the plates. But Juliana hadn't been allowed in the kitchen in a while, for good reason.
Juliana sat at the table with her mother as she finished placing the silverware on the plates. The two women waiting for the food to arrive. It would've been better to ask at one of the Saturday dinners, to get Nemona's and Penny's opinions too, but the thought of going to Unova still played in her mind. Of taking a break. No more life risking trips to places unexplored by anyone except Arven's dead mother. No more running around as Geeta's errand girl. She'd go to school again.
Plates of curry and rice were set on the table, and as soon as Arven sat down, Juliana immediately dug into her curry, only to be met with mild flavors and imitation beef. She was grateful that Arven had considered her food preferences, but she was still disappointed by the lack of spice. Although, given the way her mother was already fanning herself, she supposed it was to be expected.
They cycled through the typical "how was your day?" and the basics of dinner conversation. The tradition of using Sign during meals in order to avoid talking with your mouth full continued, even with the family's newest member. Arven had certainly gotten better at it during the last two years, and the Sign-only rule probably helped. Eventually though, the conversation died down, and Juliana was left to talk about her invitation.
"The Director called me in today." She said, which was immediately met by a face from her mother. "Nothing bad!" She was quick to clarify. "He just wanted to talk to me about possibly doing an exchange trip."
"Exchange trip?" Her mother asked, before scooping more curry onto her fork, and then quickly downing some water.
"He's sending students to overseas for a trip next semester, he wants me to go early to help scope things out."
"Why does he want you to go? You have enough stuff dumped on you already." Arven's facial expressions aren't exactly perfect grammar, but his point still gets across.
"He wants me to take a break from all the stuff Geeta has me doing. He says it'll be good for me to go and make more friends." She didn't know if she should mention bringing Arven, Penny, and Nemona. Director Clavell had phrased it like it would be an inside mission, and she wouldn't want to ruin anything by speaking too soon.
"Where would you go?" Her mother asked, grabbing a napkin to wipe her face.
"Unova. The school is called Blueberry Academy. It's a sister school to Naranja." Juliana scooped up a second serving of curry, mouthing a curse as some of it spilled on the tablecloth.
"That's the school you went to Kitakami with, right?" Arven asked, handing Juliana a napkin to clean up the small spill.
"That's wonderful!" Her mother said, having to draw out the exclamation mark as she continued to fan her scrunched up face. "You'll already have friends there, won't you?"
Juliana nodded, eating silently as she thought back to her friends. Carmine had been headstrong, but she was fun, and competitive. And even if Juliana had to resist the urge to punch her sometimes, she had a good heart.
Kieran... Arceus, she hadn't wanted for things to end the way they had. Maybe if she did go, they would be able to patch things up properly, or maybe it had been so long that he would've forgotten. Maybe...
"Unova is still across the ocean. It's too far for my liking." Arven continued. "Who would you contact during an emergency?"
"Arven, she'll be alright. I think you should go." Juliana's mother turned to look at her, smiling as she dabbed her eyes with her napkin. "Think on it. But know that if you do go, you'll have to call every night. I don't get to see you much, even now."
Juliana nodded, finishing off her second plate, and stacking up the dishes so she could put them away. Dinner was officially over now, so her mother and brother continued to speak to each other directly, while Juliana cleaned up the table.
It was still a lot to think about, but maybe, going to Unova wouldn't be so bad.
"So... the Director's offering to send you off to Unova?" Ortega asked. He was laying down on a wheeled board, his normal, flashy attire having been changed for a pair of pink overalls, with small, embroidered details. Some parts were already stained, but Ortega didn't seem to mind.
Juliana hummed a small "Mhm" as she leaned against the hood of the Starmobile, occasionally feeding the Revaroom a berry whenever a sensitive gear was hit.
"What's that got to do with us?" he asked, wheeling himself out to reach into his toolbox for a wrench, before going back under the car.
"I just wanted your opinion. Zzt! If I go, I won't be able to the Star Training Centers anymore. And I might have to ask Atticus for my Pokémon back."
Ortega snorted, wheeling out from under the car and sitting upright.
"I don't think Atticus is givin' 'em back anytime soon. Him and Youssef have already planned like, three separate costumes themed around them. You may have to fight him for them. Don't worry 'bout the training centers, either. We're doing good on our own. Even if I will be disappointed that I can't kick your ass every week."
Juliana huffed out a laugh, feeding the Revaroom one last Roseli berry before patting its head and moving to sit down next to Ortega.
"So, you think I should go? Zzt!"
"Look... I'm the last person who is ever gonna tell you this, alright? But we're gonna miss you. So, you better make it worth it."
Juliana nodded, looking around at the soaked fields of the Ruchbah Base. The rest of Team Star would be there soon, including Penny, and she could discuss things further with them then. Still, she appreciated Ortega's input, signing a "thank you" as she released her Dachsbun to play around in the water.
"Go."
"You haven't even listened to what I'm about to say. Zzt!"
Grusha sighed, sitting down on the bench in the Gym Building lobby. He pulled his pant leg up, unfastening his prosthetic leg and setting it to the side, before patting the space next to him. Juliana sits down, shifting a little so she's facing him properly.
"You wanted my opinion. I'm saying you should go." He pulled his scarf down, tucking it under his chin as he spoke. "Look, you're Geeta's errand girl now, right?"
Juliana nods, tossing a pokéball back and forth between her hands, her phone on her lap, ready to speak. She wanted to explain it to him. Wanted to weigh her options, and going to someone who knew more about battling than she did, well, it seemed appropriate. But now, she wasn't so sure.
"For me it was snowboarding." He said, gesturing to the other end of the lobby, at all the trophies and awards, and various board decks that framed them. "I tried to balance the gym with the competitions. My favorite hobby, plus a pretty good career. I mean, it seemed like I had the world." Grusha sighed, leaning back against the wall as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But you get too stressed out, and suddenly an accident happens, and then you're stuck with a solo mission of the Gym, because you'll never be able to snowboard again."
Juliana stays quiet, looking over at the trophies, some bronze, some silver, and most gold. The boards were decked out with different patterns. A graceful Altaria, and a mighty Cetitan, along with more bland colors and generic wintery patterns. She looks back at him. She won't look at his leg, she's not that bad at socializing, but she nods. And Grusha turns his head back to her.
"Don't let the League tear you away from what you love before you've had a chance to really live it. Okay? Get your own snowboard, and don't stress out over Gym numbers before you have to."
"Ah, Mademoiselle Juliana! Your homework for today's lessons is on your desk. I hope you have your assignments from yesterday, non?" Mr. Salvatore asked, waving Juliana in as his Raichu bounced around the classroom, picking up books and pencils that were left around.
Juliana handed Mr. Salvatore her papers from yesterday. It was her last homework stop for the day, having already run around the other classrooms to get her absent work. She went to her desk, grabbing her homework and stuffing it into her binder.
"I have a question." Juliana signed. It was one of the things she liked most about Mr. Salvatore as a teacher. The first few weeks she was in class, he has refused to let her use her Rotom phone, preferring to learn sign on the go. It didn't last long, but over the last few years, it had become part of his many arsenals of languages. It was one of her favorite parts of the academy.
"What can I help you with?" He signed back, the smile still on his face, even without his usual speaking mannerisms.
"There's an exchange trip going to Unova soon, do you think it would be worth it to go?" She avoided specifying that she had already been offered, but she knew that he would give her good insight regardless.
"Of course! The world is full of many wonderful people and places; to learn their cultures and speak their languages is a beautiful thing. One should take the opportunity to do so whenever they can! Unova is a diverse place, you can never know the kind of people you will find." Salvatore laughed, "Oh, how I envy the young estudiantes who will travel there." He muttered under his breath
Juliana nodded, thanking him quietly as she left the classroom.
Area Zero, for all that it was, was a calming place.
Some of the Paradox Pokémon (dubbed as such by Jacq on the singular time he had been allowed to Area Zero) had made herds for themselves, living inside their own small communities. It was almost comforting, the fact that they were able to make small homes for themselves.
She had never gone back to the Zero Lab. Preferably, she never wanted to. But Area Zero was a good place to picnic, and her Pokémon liked it here too. No one would bother her here. Legally, they weren't allowed, and the few that were, wouldn't bother.
So, she sat on a picnic blanket, swinging her legs over the side of the ledge. There were Slither Wing gathered around in groups, some play battling, others grooming. There were even some smaller Slither Wings hiding behind bigger ones. Juliana took pictures, preparing a small album on her phone of the things she's observed with different species of Pokémon. The Paradox Pokémon were recent things, and there was still so much they had to learn.
Most of her own Pokémon were roaming around. Her main team was huddled about the picnic basket as Juliana made each of them their own separate sandwich. Her Cyclizar and Koraidon were circling each other, before they both settled for a nap, Cyclizar on top of her ancient counterpart. Her Pokémon outside of her main team were also running around. Ogerpon playing with the Bloodmoon Beast in a strange game of tag. Her Hisuian Growlithe, which had been a gift from Perrin, was trying to play with her Hisuian Zoroark, the latter simply staring off at the Pokémon around them, occasionally mimicking them, causing Growlithe's barks to start up again. Finally, her small Turtwig sat in her lap. The Pokémon had been hatched from an egg that was gifted to her by her homeroom teacher back in Kitakami. A part of her promise as a young trainer.
It had taken a while for the egg to hatch, only emerging from its shell on her first trip down to Area Zero with her friends. It hadn't taken to battling, and Julian's team had been full by then, so she kept it to the side with Koraidon and Ponyo and the rest of the conservation effort Pokémon she had been gifted.
"Do you think I should go?" She asked the small sprout resting in her lap. Her Pokémon had mellowed out now, most happily munching on sandwiches or taking a nap.
"Tur!" The small turt replied, preferring to nuzzle its hand into her hand, asking to be pet. Juliana obliged, lightly rubbing her thumb across the leaves on its small sprout, earning small content "turrrr"s from the Pokémon.
"There's still so much to learn here... but maybe there's more to learn at Blueberry too." She said. Turtwig, however, did not appreciate the break from the pets. It hoisted its small stubby legs onto her side, trying to lean into her hand again, and Juliana could only snort in response. "Okay, okay." She pets her Pokémon some more, letting her thoughts become internal, rather than trying to talk them out.
'At least at Blueberry, they won't be prepping me for the League immediately. It is still battle focused, though... and I'd probably be expected to keep up a certain grade to stay for the rest of the semester. But with Nemona, Penny, and Arven, it wouldn't be so bad. Plus, I could see Carmine and Kieran again...' Juliana ran through her list of current pros and cons, only absent-mindedly paying attention to the tiny Scream Tail that had crawled its way up to her.
It didn't attack her, instead sticking its face in her bag, and pulling out handfuls of berries with its nubby hands. It was another part of Area Zero she enjoyed. Somehow, after all this time getting scrapes and bruises, and dodging moves, she had become a part of the ecosystem here. The Floette and Espeon and Girafarig didn't pay her any mind. Sometimes they made a soft sound in greeting, or as a warning, but in the past few months, she had somehow... become a part of this place. Somehow become a part of the hostile paradise that was the Great Crater of Paldea.
It was a terrifying realization, the more she thought about it.
She let the baby Scream Tail wander away with its treasure, turning back to her Turtwig and her thoughts.
'You have a duty to the League, and to Paldea. Especially after what Professor Sada and Ms. Raifort did.'
She couldn't go. Not with her current work, and her current responsibilities. Her path was already set out for her, and she didn't really need any more opportunities when she was already headed to the top. And her own hobbies meant nothing in the face of the region's safety. She was a heroine now. The shining star of Paldea. Sure, she was only a month away from seventeen, but she had faced worse when she was seven, and then twelve, and then fourteen. She would make it however long Arceus allowed her to before she stopped protecting the people she loved.
Juliana continued to pet Turtwig's head, until he promptly climbed off her lap to go look around at the scattered pokéballs that carried her team.
Most were plain red. The occasional acorn made ball used for Pokémon like Ogerpon and Ursaluna. Turtwig sniffed over each of them, including the deep maroon of Zoroark's pokéball, before finally settling on the pink shell of a Dream Ball that had been knocked far away from the rest of the group.
Turtwig plucked it up, waddling back over to Juliana and plopping the scuffed-up shell into Juliana's hands, its tiny tail waving back and forth like it was happy.
Juliana rubbed her thumb over the ball, feeling the worn-out surface. It was an old pokéball, and the Pokémon inside hadn't been let out for a long, long time. The ball itself had become more of a good luck charm, at this point. Something to hold onto whenever she was in a tricky situation. Hesitantly, she held her thumb over the button latch, debating on whether or not to let the Pokémon free. However, she sighed, instead reaching out to pet her Turtwig again. Her mind had been made up.
"Miss Juliana! How lovely it is to see you again so soon. I don't suppose you've given my offer any thought?" Director Clavell asked. He stood alone in his office, looking over a few pieces of paperwork that he pushed to the side in order to focus his full attention on Juliana.
She took a breath, clutching the Dream Ball in her hand, and rubbing her thumb over a small notch on the top. She set the ball back in her belt and reached for her phone.
"I'd like to go to Blueberry."