Chapter Text
Carmine was currently standing outside of her house waiting for Kieran to finish getting ready. She tried to kill time by checking for any messages or phone calls on her Rotom Phone. She knew the service in Kitakami was spottier compared to other, larger regions, but it still got the job done.
There was a message from Amarys asking her how she was doing after returning home and a request to bring back some Kitakami apples when she returned to Blueberry Academy. She quickly replied to her best friend that things were good and that she’ll remember to collect the apples at some point during the trip.
She also got a message from Drayton for some reason, although she was surprised at what he texted her.
Bozo: “I know u said u two didn’t really wanna do dis trip but hope you guys are having fun back home. Lookin forward to seein u again when u get back”
Normally, he’d text some sort of sarcastic quip or something when they texted, but she was genuinely happy that he sent this sort of message. Maybe the toothpaste-haired bozo wasn’t so bad at times, she thought. So, she decided to text him back for once by telling him they were having fun and that she’ll show him how much stronger she’s gotten when they return to Blueberry Academy.
As soon as she sent her text, Kieran stepped out the door ready to go. Ogerpon appeared behind him waving the leaves on her cloak, as if to wave them goodbye. Both siblings happily waved back as they went on their way to the community center.
“You’re still sure you wanna battle them, Sis? Seems pretty excessive, y’know.”
“I told you I’d test their character through a battle. If these outsiders are really interested in our town and culture, I’ll see for myself as we clash with our Pokémon!”
“Guess Ogerpon’s rubbed off on you. Normally, you’d be scowling even thinking about people outside of our town comin’ here, but you’ve mellowed out a lot.”
“Yeah, guess you’re right. After hearing Ogerpon’s story and hanging out with her these past few days, I’ve softened up my view on outsiders. I mean, I don’t fully trust them, but I’m willing to give them a chance. And don’t think Ogerpon’s only rubbed off on me. You’ve changed a bit because of her too, Kiki!”
Kieran smiled a bit, “I think I did. I’m glad we were able to meet her all those days ago!”
Carmine smiled as well, thinking how their fated meeting with the ogre helped them both grow. After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the community center, with both siblings standing watch to see when the Paldean students would arrive.
Time to see what these outsiders are made of.
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Juliana sat comfortably on the bus headed to Kitakami. After the five-hour plane ride, she was ready to enjoy the school trip to its fullest. Seated with Juliana were three other students from the academy who were selected for the trip. She never interacted with them as they were in different classes, but she hoped to get to know her fellow classmates better during their time in Kitakami together.
Near the front of the bus, there was one of the teachers from Blueberry Academy, Ms. Briar. The instructor was currently looking at the book her ancestor wrote centuries ago, seemingly obsessed with the information that was presented to her and mumbling to herself about great research potential in Kitakami.
The newly crowned Champion was surprised to hear that Ms. Briar was a descendent of Heath when she told her during their first meeting at the academy. She never imagined she’d keep meeting people who were related to Area Zero or learn that there was potentially another special Pokémon lying deeper than where they traversed, but she wasn’t going to think deeply about that now. Besides, the instructor seemed nice, despite how obsessive she could be with the Terastal phenomenon, so she thought they would get along fine.
Honestly, Juliana thought this school trip was just what she needed. She’d get to meet new trainers from a different region, explore said region during her time there, and catch as many different Pokémon as she possibly could. Best of all, she could forget the harrowing experiences she and her friends had to face within Paldea’s Great Crater. But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the bus to Kitakami started slowing down to a halt.
“Here we are folks, Kitakami Road! Just follow the long path and you’ll be in Mossui Town in no time!” The driver announced before opening to door to let everyone exit.
With everyone accounted for after everyone departed the bus, Juliana was ready to begin her trip with the others in earnest. However, suddenly one of her classmates started saying he was feeling unwell. While Ms. Briar suggested to everyone else that they stay near the bus stop to take in the sights, the instructor approached Juliana soon after.
“Oh, Juliana. I have a request for you. Could you run ahead to the community center in Mossui Town and let the caretaker know we're here? It would also be great if you could explain that one of our students is feeling unwell.”
Ever the helpful person, Juliana was happy to accept her request, “Sure thing, Ms. Briar. I’ll make sure to get there as fast as I can!”
“I knew I'd be able to count on you. On your way, then! I'll look after your poor travel buddy here.”
And so, Juliana raced through Kitakami Road while taking in the sight of Kitakami’s fields and rice paddies in the meantime. It was certainly quaint and peaceful here, she thought. She looked forward to exploring it in its entirety when she had the chance.
The town appeared closer and closer in her eyes as she kept running. She could see a large white building in the centre, which she assumed was the community center Ms. Briar had spoken about. However, once she reached the gate, she could see two people, a tall girl and a short boy, standing in front of said building.
One of them appeared to be staring intently at her as the brunette stopped to stare back. The boy was standing beside her, also gazing at Juliana but with a more timid outlook compared to the girl. He seemed harmless though, so she shot him a smile his way before the boy shyly smiled back.
“Looks like you got your wish, Sis! One of them’s shown up.”
Carmine took her chance to approach Juliana, “So…You’re one of those students that came from the Paldean region, right?”
Juliana met the girl’s intense gaze and stood her ground before answering, “Yep, my name’s Juliana. If you know that, then I’m assuming you two are from Blueberry Academy? I’m looking for the town caretaker. One of my classmates isn’t feeling very good and Ms. Briar asked me to tell the caretaker that so they could help.”
Kieran seemed impressed over Juliana not wilting over his sister’s gaze that he couldn’t help but admire her right off the bat, “Wowzers…this girl’s so cool!”
Carmine was quick to respond, “Hush, Kieran. The name’s Carmine. So, Ms. Briar asked you to help your classmate or whatever? You sound like such a sweetheart accepting no questions asked. But I can’t let outsiders just waltz into Mossui Town. You want to get through, you’ll have to battle me first!”
Juliana felt Carmine was intense in a way different from Nemona, but even if she wanted to battle, someone needed her, “Um, don’t get me wrong. I’d like to battle, but I need to help one of my classmates quickly. Could we save this for after I’ve found the caretaker?”
“Yeah, c’mon Sis…If someone’s not feelin’ well, you should just let her through.”
“I told you to hush, Kiki! Remember what I said before? This battle will determine something for myself and for our new friend! So, we’re doing this now, no excuses!” While Carmine was more tolerant of outsiders than previously, she still needed to see if the girl that stood before her deserved the same trust she now had with Ogerpon.
Juliana could sense how passionate Carmine was with the reasoning of her battle challenge. While she still had reservations battling now, as a fellow trainer, she would accept. She supposed Nemona’s influence really was rubbing off on her. Hopefully, she would be able to finish this battle as quickly as possible.
“Alright Carmine, I’ll accept your challenge.”
Carmine smiled, “Good! Then get into position! We’ll settle this with a 3 on 3 Double Battle. That’s the standard battle format at Blueberry Academy. Or is that too much for you?”
“A double battle, huh?” Juliana didn’t have a lot of experience with this battle format, with her battles at Ryme’s Gym being the only time. But learning more about different types of battles was always exciting for her, so she’d make sure to take notes as the battle progressed.
Both Juliana and Carmine stood on opposing corners of the community center, ready to throw their Pokéballs once both were ready to start. Kieran moved a few metres beside Carmine ready to cheer his sister on.
“Welcome to Kitakami, Juliana. I’ll make sure to see what you’re really like in this battle! You’re up Mightyena and Ninetales!”
Carmine’s Pokémon popped out reading to fight. One had a menacing aura as it howled, while the other poised itself with a feel of elegance.
Juliana had never seen these Pokémon before, but she was interested to see what they could do. Responding in kind, she sent her two Pokémon with her usual flair.
“Time to battle, Meowscarada and Tinkaton!” Juliana shouted out as she made an elegant spin before both of her friends appeared in earnest.
Filled with confidence and resolve, Carmine decided to make the first move, “I’ll make sure when this is over, you’ll be down on the ground eating dirt! Mightyena use Fire Fang and Ninetales use Flamethrower! Burn that Meowscarada up to cinders!”
Both unleashed their flames as their trainer commanded, looking to strike from both close-range and long-range.
If Carmine was going to focus on one of her Pokémon to hit, then she’ll do the same, “Meowscarada, dodge those fire attacks and use Play Rough on Mightyena. Tinkaton, you do the same!”
Meowscarada jumped and moved nimbly as it avoided the super-effective attacks before using its speed to hit Mightyena with its fairy-empowered claws. Tinkaton swung its hammer to land the same hit, leaving Mightyena with serious damage despite the smug cat having its attack power lowered during the start of the battle.
Carmine grimaced as her hound took the hits, “O-Oh, so you know about type matchups too? But my Mightyena won’t go down so easily! Slam into Meowcarada with Take Down! Ninetales, use Will-o-Wisp on Tinkaton!”
Mightyena shook off the damage and took off towards its opponent, but Meowscarada managed to use its speed to dodge its attack once more. Meanwhile, Ninetales sent its wisps of flame towards Tinkaton and manage to inflict a burn towards the hammer-wielding fairy, leaving it scorched every few moments during the battle.
Juliana’s blood raced faster and faster as the battle continued, though she was still mindful to finish as quickly as possible. While she wasn’t very keen on Carmine’s attitude before, she could sense a similar drive between them as trainers. So, she would show the proper respect towards her opponent by fighting with all she had.
Fortunately, while Tinakton’s attack power was lowered by the burn, Juliana had other options.
“Alright Tinakton! Time to show them what you’re made of. Fire your Flash Cannon while Meowscarada uses its Flower Trick!”
Tinkaton moved to fire its attack, using the Flower Trick its partner made to distract Mightyena, effectively knocking it out of the battle.
Carmine was raising her fists in anger, “I can’t believe I’m losing! But I’m going to make sure I’ll come out on top! Time for you to take center stage, Sinistcha!”
Another Pokémon appeared before Juliana, with its appearance looking very similar to the Sinistea evolution line. She looked forward to what Carmine’s new Pokémon could do.
“With Sinistcha by my side, I’ll sweep through all three of your Pokémon. Just you wait!”
“Bring it on! We’ll handle whatever you dish out!”
With Carmine having only two Pokémon left; Juliana was feeling more pumped up to keep up the momentum. Although, she could see that a certain someone was looking at her with joyful intensity as well.
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Kieran was absolutely mesmerized by the battle that unfolded before him. He was shocked that his sister was being pushed back so easily, especially since she was within the Top 10 members of their school’s League Club. But what intrigued him the most was the girl in front of him. Juliana looked absolutely radiant as she declared her moves with grace, transfixing his gaze more and more towards her than his sister. Not only that, but the confidence she exuded before and during the battle was simply breathtaking.
As he kept focusing his eyes on Juliana, Kieran could feel his heart swell in admiration. She was just so amazing and cool that he couldn’t help feeling smitten towards the Paldean student. Just as fellow trainers though, he kept telling himself.
Carmine must have noticed because she shot him an intense glare signalling him to support her instead. He had hoped them bonding with Ogerpon would’ve made her less intense, but oh well. He’ll just have to cheer loudly while continuing to gaze at Juliana’s brilliant form in secret.
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Carmine had to admit that Juliana was pretty good as a battler. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she could tell how much experience the Paldean girl had as a trainer. The way she adapted to each move she used and the teamwork she had with her Pokémon was quite impressive. She even imagined Juliana could hold her own against the Blueberry Elite Four if she became part of the League Club. Hell, maybe she could even manage to hold her own against Drayton if she tried her absolute hardest.
Perhaps Juliana was someone she could trust, given how their battle had gone so far. Even so, Carmine wasn’t one to back down from a strong opponent. So, with Sinistcha and Ninetales alongside her, she readied herself to fight until her last breath.
“Now Sinistcha, slow down Meowscarada with Stun Spore!”
“Move quickly to dodge the attack, Meowscarada!”
Meowscarada used its speed to avoid the paralyzing spore, but Carmine had anticipated this and had her Ninetales use her Flamethrower on the smug cat, dealing massive damage.
“Wow! I didn’t see that coming. But we’re still in this!” Juliana declared as she ordered Meowscarada to use Night Slash on Sinistcha.
However, Ninetales sensed her partner was going to be attacked and moved in front of Sinistcha to take the hit. It was a move that was rewarded as Carmine had Sinistcha counterattack without worry of further serious damage.
“Looks like the battle’s going my way right now,” Carmine commented, “Sinistcha, use Shadow Ball and Ninetales use Flamethrower once more!”
“Meowscarada, break through with Night Slash and Tinkaton provide support with Gigaton Hammer!”
All four Pokémon struck with full power as Meowscarada broke through the flames and slashed Sinistcha with its claws, leaving it down for the count after it was disoriented after being hit by Tinkaton’s hammer. Meowscarada fainted right after, succumbing to the fire-type attack and Shadow Ball it had endured to attain the victory.
“Phew, we’re almost done,” Juliana breathed a sigh of relief, “But current situation aside, I’m amped up seeing how strong the trainers at Blueberry Academy are!”
“You think I’m strong, huh? Then I’ll just prove it by stomping your two remaining Pokémon to the dirt. Right, Ninetales!?”
The golden-white fox cried in agreement, ready to continue fighting for Carmine. Juliana grinned at seeing how much of a bond the Pokémon had with the fiery trainer. But bond or not, she’d win in the end as she sent out Baxcalibur to join Tinakton. Tinkaton had taken a lot of burn damage, but Juliana believed it had enough strength to keep going until the end.
“This is the final stretch, so let’s wrap this up! Time for a Dragon Claw and Brutal Swing combo!”
“I need to lower their attack to reduce the damage…Ninetales, hit that Baxcalibur with Will-o-Wisp,” Carmine commanded, hoping the reduced damage would help increase their chances for a turnabout.
Unfortunately for the Blueberry girl, Baxcalibur didn’t even have a single burn even after taking the attack.
“What the?! Why didn’t my attack work?!”
“Sorry, but Baxcalibur’s Thermal Exchange prevents it from getting burned. Too bad for you, Carmine!”
The battle was decided at that moment as Baxcalibur and Tinkaton slammed their claw and hammer towards the already weakened fire-type Pokémon, knocking it out.
Carmine couldn’t believe what had happened, but she felt different from how she usually felt when she lost a battle. Don’t get her wrong, she was absolutely livid that she had been trounced by the younger girl. Yet at the same time, she felt joy throughout the match as their Pokémon clashed. Carmine decided to give the Paldean student a pass for now, albeit with some distrust that hopefully will clear up whenever they interacted more.
That didn’t mean she wouldn’t vent her loss in front of Juliana though.
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Juliana felt ecstatic that she had won the battle, and she didn’t even have to Terastallize her Pokémon to do it. She was glad Blueberry Academy had such strong trainers such as Carmine, although the blue uniform girl might not have shared the same outlook as she raised her fists in rage. And she could swear her eyes looked different for a moment as well.
With hands still shaking, Carmine couldn’t hide her disbelief, “I can’t believe you were able to beat me! And I gave it all I had too! Just who are you?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you this before because of the whole caretaker situation, but I’m actually one of Paldea’s Champions. I only got the title recently, but it’s one of the reasons why I’m really strong.”
Kieran couldn’t hide his amazement as he just uttered, “Wowzers! You’re really a Champion-level trainer?! You’re even more awesome than I thought, Juliana! I’d really wanna battle against you too someday!”
“Yeah, you’re actually pretty special! Our academy has its own league and Champion, but I never thought someone like you would be a Champion of their own region! Huh, after knowing that and how you conducted yourself in battle, I’ve got a higher opinion of you now. Feel free to thank me for the praise any time now ehehe.”
“Um, maybe later…But I still have to find the caretaker to help my classmate. Can you tell me where they are now?”
“Well, you did win this time, so I’ll let you into the town. He should be around…”
Another voice yelled across the distance, clearly not happy, “Oi! What’re you two doing?!”
Carmine just sighed, “Here comes trouble…Let’s go, Kiki. We’re done here!”
As Carmine started running in the opposite direction from the man, Kieran tried to follow suit as he tried catching up with her, “Hey, wait up Sis!”
As Juliana saw both Blueberry Academy students run off, the man yelling before approached her. His face had softened as he approached, “Why, hello there, stranger. You must be one of the students from that Paldean academy, right?”
“Yes, I am,” Juliana politely responded, “I’m looking for the caretaker of the community center. Do you happen to know where they are?”
The man just smiled, “Well, you’ve got the right man! I run the community center here and will be looking after your group while you’re visiting.”
“Oh, by the way,” the caretaker commented, “The two kids that you talked to. They weren’t giving you any trouble, were they?”
“Well…Kieran not so much, but Carmine did make me battle her to see if I could enter the town. The battle was fun, but it did cost more time than I wanted…”
“Sigh, those two can be such a handful…especially that Carmine. She’s always had a temperamental personality. I hope they didn’t cause too much of a problem. Oh, sorry. You said you were looking for me, so what did you need?”
“I’ve got a classmate who isn’t feeling well, and the teacher in charge of our trip asked if you could assist him.”
“One of your classmates is ill?! I better get out there and give them a hand so they can make it into town.”
The caretaker started moving towards Kitakami Road before stopping to face Juliana.
“You’re free to get yourself settled in at the community center. I’ll make sure everyone in your group makes it there safely.”
“Alright, thank you!” Juliana replied as she started walking towards the community center.
It didn’t take too long for her to take a look around the facilities and heal her Pokémon. As she waited for everyone to arrive, she thought about the two students she had just met. While one was really intense at first, it appeared they had formed a bond of respect given Carmine’s words to her before. She did hope they could battle again if they got the chance, without any urgent business chaining them down. Juliana was sure Nemona would take an intense liking to her too, so she would be sure to inform her friend about Carmine the next time they talked.
As for Kieran, she couldn’t but feel interested in the boy after he looked very awed by her ever since they laid eyes on each other. And to be honest, she had instinctively taken a liking to the boy as well. In her eyes, he looked quite cute, and she felt they would probably get along well once they had the chance to get to know each other better. Juliana just hoped Arven wouldn’t be jealous if she and Kieran did become friends, although she was sure Penny would be okay with meeting a fellow introvert if Kieran and her crossed paths one day.
She didn’t have much time to ponder on those thoughts once she noticed her fellow classmates and Ms. Briar arriving with the caretaker. Apparently, it was just their school staying in the community center since Carmine and Kieran were from Kitakami. Well, she’ll just have to see if she could get closer to the Blueberry students tomorrow.
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Kieran and Carmine managed to return home without getting into too much trouble. The caretaker didn’t even attempt to chase them, so they got away with just a scolding. Although Carmine didn’t much care about the old man’s opinion on her these days.
Their grandfather was still busy repairing Ogerpon’s mask when they got back, but he said it wouldn’t take too long for the work to be complete. Now they were chilling in Carmine’s room with Ogerpon happily relaxing on Carmine’s bed. Or Carmine would be if Kieran hadn’t kept bringing up Juliana every few seconds. It was honestly getting on her nerves, especially since she didn’t want to keep being reminded of her loss against the outsider. And Kieran had the nerve to say that her moments of gushing over Ogerpon were gross.
But being the self-proclaimed romantic that she was, Carmine could tell Kieran had a crush on the Paldean girl the moment their eyes met. So maybe she would try helping him express those feelings tomorrow. She was sure Kieran would thank her when the two got together one day.
“You sure have lots to say about Juliana, don’t you Kiki…I mean the only other thing you wouldn’t ever shut up about was Ogerpon.” Carmine said while giving a side-eye at how oblivious her brother was with his crush.
“I-I mean, it’s just that she’s so strong and cool. The way she commands her Pokémon so easily and the trust they have with one another. Plus, she was so nice and sweet like apples even when you kept bombarding her like that before. I just…wanna be like that too.”
Carmine would let the middle part slide, “If you admire her so much, then maybe you should pair up with her for the orienteering thing tomorrow. You’d get to have a lot of time to get to know each other ehehe.”
Kieran couldn’t help but blush over her sister’s words, “W-Why are you sayin’ it like that Sis?! You’re such a dummy!”
“You better watch who you’re calling a dummy if you know what’s good for you!” Carmine yelled out as she raised her fist, making her brother flinch.
Ogerpon couldn’t help but laugh at the siblings’ antics, now used to their daily squabbles. She could tell deep within the displays of aggression; they showed their love to one another in their own unique way.
“A-Anyway, I don’t think Juliana would wanna partner with me. I mean, there’s definitely gonna be way better people than me she could pick tomorrow…”
“I keep saying this, but you need to have more confidence in yourself. Seriously, I’m sure Juliana would be over the moon to partner up with you if you took the chance to ask.”
While Kieran appreciated Carmine’s support, he still couldn’t help feeling doubtful about that, “How would you be able to tell? She seemed more focused on you when you two were battlin’.”
“Because I could see she was staring at you a few times when we were battling. It was pretty obvious she was interested in you too. So, you should trust your big sister on this one. Otherwise, I’ll ask Juliana myself to partner with you. By force, if I have to!”
That would have been way more embarrassing for Kieran than if he asked Juliana himself. He still had reservations about her partnering with him tomorrow, but Carmine was clearly supportive of the idea, and he could see Ogerpon giving some sort of thumbs-up over the idea too. Plus, he truly did wish to know the breathtaking girl more.
With a sigh, Kieran accepted his fate, “Fine, I’ll work up the nerve to ask Juliana tomorrow. Just don’t do or say anythin’ that’ll cause either of us trouble, okay…”
“As long as you do ask her, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Carmine smirked.
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Juliana was currently looking at the items spread out in Peachy’s shop. After dinner, she asked the caretaker about any stores to buy souvenirs, and he had recommended the shop near the community centre to meet her needs. She had some time before she needed to rest for tomorrow’s orienteering, so she figured she might as well get some souvenirs for her friends.
As Juliana browsed through the shop’s wares, she looked really hard to see what would make for the best gifts to bring back. They’d probably be happy with anything, but Juliana wanted them to be special to show how much she valued their friendship.
Seeing as Nemona was a hard-worker and battle fanatic, some battle items to help with training her Pokemon might be best. Juliana imagined Arven would be happy with getting some ingredients exclusive to Kitakami for his cooking. And Penny did treat her Veevees like her pride and joy, so the set of Eeveelution plushies was a given for her to buy. Now Juliana just needed to get something for herself, and she’d be all set.
As she was browsing around some more, something caught her eye. The object of intrigue looked similar to a pecha berry with its purplish colour and peach-like shape. Perhaps it was a type of plushie like the other ones she had found? She thought it looked really cute and she’d never seen anything like it before, so it made for the perfect souvenir in her book.
As she set down her friends’ souvenirs, she approached the elderly owner to inquire more about the purple toy, “Could you tell me more about that item over there? I want to buy it too.”
“Hmm, I don’t remember where this one came from. I might have just forgotten, though. I have been getting on in years. But if you really want it, I’ll sell it to you for 1000 Pokédollars.”
“Deal!” Juliana smiled as she transferred the money to the owner, “Thank you very much!”
“Anytime, dear. Please come again.”
With souvenirs in hand, Juliana began heading back towards the community center. The peach-shape plushie kept grabbing her eye even as she kept walking. For some reason, it was hard to tear her gaze away from it, as if it had her in some sort of trance. Eventually, she did manage to focus her attention to her surroundings once more and decided to keep the plushie inside her backpack to avoid any further distractions. She needed to wake up tomorrow for the first day of orienteering after all!
“Let’s hope tomorrow will be as great and exciting as today!”
But as Juliana headed toward her private quarters, she was unaware of the violet, menacing aura that kept radiating within her backpack.