Chapter Text
While waiting for what seemed like an eternity, a few hours really, the remaining commanders headed in their direction to grace their group with their presence. The mysterious cave they set their base of operations in wasn’t exactly ideal, but it wasn’t like going to the surface was a preferable alternative.
Andromeda, Spice, and Thorn walked briskly with precision in each step, allowing their meeting to get underway.
“Took you all long enough.” Malwyrm joked. “We finished our missions and had to wait hours for you to show up. Not cool hehe.”
“Sorry, not sorry, that you couldn’t bother to wait for us.” Andromeda spoke back.
“We had important business with Chronos, along with details for our next mission. They’re also interested in your reports.” Spice added.
“I’m guessing Harmony’s too busy with their work to attend? She’s always in her own corner tinkering with her tech.” Azure noted.
Andromeda nodded. “Can confirm. Working with them is always a chore when they get so fired up with their latest project. Guess dealing with our current situation didn’t change that.”
“They are currently with Chronos to discuss mechanical updates to our suits and the system.” Thorn added. “Crysteal is still in recovery, but that was obvious based on the extent of their injuries. Thankfully the Terestal energy you all gathered was enough to stabilize her and help placate the creature for now. Although, we still need to consider more permanent measures to combat its effects on our world.”
Rose gave Thorn a wary look. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’m glad you asked, Rose. The Crystal Pool in Kitakami would be an excellent resource to continue obtaining from the other world. Considering how their similar energy composition; we could use it to stabilize the constant output of energy constantly being released. Excavating more for greater analysis would also lead to tremendous boons for our goal.”
Rose frowned. “No offense, Thorn. But I’m strongly against doing something sacrilegious on holy land, even if it’s not from our Kitakami!”
“Is that so? You seemed fine leading the mission there with Noir to collect Terestal energy earlier today.”
They appeared genuinely confused, irking Rose to no end while Noir remained uncaring.
“That was a one-time thing! Who knows what spirits will get angered if we repeatedly intrude on their land! There must be another place in that world that’s useful for us!” Rose rebutted.
Thorn shrugged. “I can see you are vehemently against the notion. However, we will do whatever we must to achieve our goals, regardless of your superstitious opinions.”
Rose was ready to argue back, but Azure put her hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “You must have other areas of interest like Rose said, right? Where would they be?”
“Well, there is a special phenomenon in a certain region that may also yield positive result. We just need to collect a vast amount of its particles to experiment its usefulness against its powers. The last place of interest concerns mysterious pink crystals said to reside in what is known as a Pokemon paradise. Soon, we will have the means to travel to such a paradise to extract those crystals firsthand.”
Andromeda considered the proposal. “If the first one’s where I think it is, I’ll take the lead on that mission.”
Malwyrm snickered with intrigue. “Someone’s sure interested in going there suddenly. You got some secret agenda that’s making you as giddy as a Horsea to go?”
“I just have some history there, that’s all. By the way, acting all cruel and arrogant is just a sad way of masking your insecurities. Dial it down a notch if you don’t want to look lame.”
“Tsk. As if I care what someone like you thinks about me.”
“I mean, you cared a lot when you were so hung up over your family doing it, and from the one you loved.”
“Don’t you dare bring them into this, or you’ll be very sorry you little brat!”
Andromeda smirked. “You’re just proving my point, tough guy.”
Sigh. They only just started, and Andromeda and Malwyrm were already getting into a heated argument.
Spice interrupted to move things back on track. “If we’re heading back to Paldea, I want to be there this time. If Florian’s somehow appeared in that world, then I need to do everything I can to stop him from getting in our way.”
“Me too.” Azure added. “I don’t want him to have to experience the pain and suffering we had to go through. The less he’s involved, the better.”
“We won’t be heading to Paldea anytime soon, but as Head Commander, I shall consider your proposal.” Thorn answered. “However, we will need someone to head back to Kitakami to collect more of its Terestal energy, regardless of Rose’s refusal.”
“I’ll go. I have a score to settle with them.” Noir finally piped up in their discussion, strong conviction empowering his words.
Rose seethed in frustration. “Absolutely not! You’re still recovering from your last battle! Don’t risk your life just for revenge against even more people!”
“Heh. The little brat’ll just ignore you like he’s done for a while. If he does something stupid, let him suffer the consequences. At least then he’ll learn his lesson the hard way.” Malwyrm smirked, eliciting a venomous scowl from Rose.
Noir paid no attention to his barbs. All he wanted was to prove once and for all how superior he was to those who crossed him.
To prove to them that he was the strongest.
Thorn immediately accepted Noir’s suggestion. “I have no objections so long as you fulfill your objective.”
“What?! No! I’m vetoing this suggestion! I refuse to let you get hurt again!”
Rose gripped her fist tightly with anger, fear, and worry. Noir spared her no glance before he turned and opened a mini Terestal portal back towards Kitakami.
A few moments after, Malwyrm opened his own portal, surprising from his fellow commanders.
“I’m curious to see what his edginess finds so interesting about that girl he was talking about. So, I’m gonna follow him in secret. Bye!”
“Wha? Get back here!” Rose angrily shouted.
Without any warning, he entered the portal and left everyone other than Thorn and Andromeda flabbergasted at his sudden exit.
Sensing her concern, Azure pulled Rose’s hand towards hers, the commander appreciative for the gesture. Yet, she hoped that Noir wouldn’t stray from his task, lest he do something he would regret.
Juliana was honestly exhausted from all the craziness they had to endure today.
After defeating Noir and still reeling from her near-death experience by his hands, they headed back to Mossui Town for a well-deserved rest.
While she wanted to head back to Paldea to report what happened at the Crystal Pool to Geeta, Drayton noted that it wouldn’t be wise to embark in another hours long flight in the same day.
Which led to Kieran and Carmine suggesting that they stay in Mossui Town for the night before departing for Paldea the following morning. They even recommended that they stay at their house instead of the community center.
And while Juliana tried to politely refuse their generous offer, the siblings were insistent on making them spend the night there. Leading her, Drayton, and Penny to have to look at their grandparents’ bewildered faces when they arrived without warning.
Well, it would be nice to spend time with Kieran and Carmine in their home when they didn’t the last time that she and her friends came to Kitakami. The whole Mochi Madness thing certainly took a lot of time out of their trip.
She wondered if Florian and the others were doing well. Nemona and Arven had informed her about their battle against Team Tera’s other commanders, and that they already reported what they experienced to Geeta.
Aside from the fact that they felt a certain familiarity to one of the commanders. Just like she did when she battled with Rose and Noir.
What could be the cause of these strange feelings that welled up inside of her? Could she have met them before, even though they weren’t from her world?
Thinking about possibilities wouldn’t get her far. And besides, she was supposed to be resting. Not scratching her head over who these mysterious, masked figures could be.
Juliana was currently staying with Penny in Carmine’s room, while Drayton was bunking with Kieran tonight. She admitted that it’d be fun to have a sleepover with her gal pals, letting loose and enjoying themselves. Though, she’d be even happier if she could get some alone time with Kieran after everything they’d been through.
He could at least see his sweet face within their living room after enjoying a nice Kitakamian dinner. She could feel herself melting in contentment with how soft their couch was, making all sorts of noises that somewhat gave her friends pause for alarm.
If she was going to relax, let a girl make all the noises she wants.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Juliana?” Kieran asked. “If you need to rest longer, no one will blame ya. That was a real scary experience ya had to go through.”
Juliana appreciated the concern. “I’ll be fine. After everything I’ve been through during my journey, I’ve learned to adapt well to danger. Besides, I had you wholeheartedly protecting me the whole time. Thanks for caring about me so much, Kieran!”
Kieran felt his cheeks flush scarlet as he tried stuttering back a response, doing his best not to make a fool of himself.
“I-It was nothin’! I’d do anythin’ for you, Juliana. You mean the whole world to me, and I wanna make sure to keep that, y’know. Ehehe…”
Clearly, he felt that he wasn’t doing a good job keeping himself together.
“Heehee. You were really cool out there, Kiki. The way you shielded Juliana from that Noir guy like some kind of knight in a story. Cool enough that she’d fall head over heels for you, wouldn’t you say Juliana?”
Juliana blushed. “W-Wha? I-I mean, Kieran did look cool, but that wasn’t…I wasn’t… C-Can we move on to something else?”
“Y-Yeah, you’re makin’ Juliana uncomfortable Sis. J-Just because you wanna tease us… Don’t be such a dummy…”
“I dunno.” Drayton weighed in. “You two seem like a good match to me. Trust me, the Drayster’s intuition is never wrong when it comes to matters of the heart.”
“Then why don’t you have a lover right now?” Penny offhandedly snarked, eyes focused on her phone but ears attentive enough for their conversation.
“Hey, I used to.” He shrugged. “But things between us didn’t work out between us. Since then, I’ve decided to live free as a Flygon without relationships holding me down.”
“You mean your relationship with Sis? I’m kinda glad you two broke up. The thought of you two all lovey dovey was gross.” Kieran faux gagged.
Juliana’s ears perked up immediately at this sudden information.
“You and Carmine used to date?! Really, Carmine?! With Drayton of all people?! Drayton?!”
Drayton looked surprisingly shocked. “Whoa! You make me sound like a total disaster. I’m not that bad, you know? C’mon, you can vouch for me right Penny?”
She raised her brow. “You really want my honest answer?”
Juliana ignored him and ran towards Carmine’s spot with curiosity exploding in her mind. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before? This is huge news to leave out telling your friend!”
“There’s nothing to tell! We went on a few dates when we were both second years and then we mutually broke up. I mean, there was no way I was gonna stick with that toothpaste-haired bozo after having to deal with his lazy, sleazy attitude all the time! I learned my lesson after getting charmed by his flaky ass!”
“And I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with her every time she nagged me for something she didn’t like. Besides, it’s much more fun for me to be frenemies with Carmine. That way, I don’t have to feel bad when I push her buttons haha.” Drayton snickered.
“That’s it! You’re so dead!” Carmine yelled.
She leapt out of her seat to strike Drayton for his stupidity, forcing Juliana and Kieran to restrain her so that he wouldn’t get hurt. Even if Drayton deserved it.
Penny merely sat with her phone trying to get enough signal to play games on her phone, ignoring the chaos that was erupting around her before silently retreating to Carmine’s room without saying a word.
She made the right call, Juliana thought.
Juliana felt at peace seeing the moon and stars atop the night sky. She would have never been able to do the same back home. Light pollution being a thing in large, urban regions after all.
She opted to take a walk to clear her head. To be honest, she was still feeling somewhat unnerved over Noir. His crazed obsession towards defeating her was both terrifying yet familiar for some reason.
Also, tensions between Carmine and Drayton were high after the whole ex-lovers reveal, so she didn’t want to get even more tangled in that mess. She would hound Carmine for more information later. Because Juliana could not imagine the prickly, prideful, but kind girl going out with the flakiest guy she had ever met.
Kieran offered to walk with her since he knew the layout of Kitakami. Juliana really wanted to take his offer, relishing the chance to enjoy the night scenery with him. Seeing his smile and cheery self as they walked together would have made her heart burst with absolute joy.
But ultimately, she decided to take the journey alone. She didn’t want to inconvenience him more than necessary after he stood by her side all this time. The gestures of bravery and protection towards her were more than she deserved.
Besides, they’d have plenty of time to reconnect once they got back, even if Carmine and Penny had strongly encouraged it before she left the siblings’ house.
It was like they were trying to push her and Kieran together. They were just good friends, and ones that just recently became friends again after a rainbow turtle went berserk because said boy wanted to be like her.
“Be careful walkin’ in the more foresty areas.” Kieran advised. “It gets harder to navigate in the dark, so you might get lost more easily. I really should come with ya to keep you safe.”
“I’ll be fine, Kieran. I’ve got my Pokemon with me to help if I get into any trouble. And besides…”
Juliana immediately leaned in close, beaming brightly in front of Kieran’s face.
“I know you’ll be my knight in shining armour if I need you. You mean so much to me, and I know I mean a lot to you too.”
She grabbed his hand, squeezing gently to reassure him. Kieran couldn’t help but smile as radiantly when he felt her warmth and love as their hands intertwined with one another.
“Right! I’ll be there for you no matter what happens, Juliana. Because you’re the most special person in the world to me!”
They both grinned energetically before Juliana started heading towards Mossui Town, waving goodbye with a promise to return safely. A promise that Kieran wholeheartedly believed she would keep.
The small town was as beautiful as it was when she first stepped into it during that fateful school trip so long along. That was the day he met her new friends from Blueberry, and the day where she gazed upon the boy who would mean so much to her.
Days spent knowing each other, a night of excitement under the festival lights, and the hard choices she had to make that led to a rift in their friendship, leading to them clashing once more along with a trip back to Area Zero to find the legendary Terapagos. She still had him in his ball after Kieran encouraged her to catch him, despite her reservations as first. But Juliana admitted the crystal turtle had grown on her despite going berserk and almost killing them all.
Good or bad times, Kieran always seemed to encourage her. He always made her want to get better, making her heart flutter whenever he did. When they battled together to stop Pecharunt from inflicting its curse on the town, they stood side-by-side, always having each other’s backs to rescue their friends.
Now they were starting over from zero, trying to reconnect after everything they’d went through. And she wouldn’t change a thing between them.
Suddenly, within the silent streets of Mossui Town, she spotted a shadowy figure walking through the sleepy streets of the rural town.
She could never forget that masked figure who struck fear in her before.
Noir.
Juliana didn’t know why, but somewhere deep in her mind, she wanted to know why he did what he did. Why these lingering feelings resurfaced every time she saw him.
“Hey!” She yelled.
Noir turned in surprise; a scowl forming once he saw her running towards him.
“You! I don’t know why you’re still here, but this is the perfect opportunity to get you back for what you did to me.”
“Says the guy who tried to kill me.” Juliana argued back. “But I could ask you the same thing. Why are you back in Kitakami? Didn’t Rose say your team had enough Terestal energy from the Crystal Pool?”
“That’s none of your business.” Noir sneered.
“It is my business when your plan endangers peoples’ lives and causes Paradox Pokemon to run berserk here.”
“Like we said, they came through on their own. Besides, we subdued them when we got here. You should be grateful for that.”
That arrogant attitude really made her mad. But Juliana did her best to calm down. This was the perfect opportunity to gather information on Team Tera and their plan, as well as find out more about the aggressive commander to understand these strange feelings towards him.
“I want to know why you and Team Tera are doing this. And… why you hate me so much that you’d risk your life to endanger mine.”
Noir paused, feelings of rage turning into an inquisitive glare behind that rainbow mask of his. Then he turned away from Juliana and started walking eastward.
“You want me to talk? Then, follow me and don’t tell anyone where we’re going.”
Despite her current reservations, Juliana nodded in agreement and followed Noir as he walked out of town and towards Oni Mountain.
Their destination was clear.
They were heading back to the Crystal Pool.
But hiding within the dense trees in Kitakami, Malwyrm had been witnessing their interaction, a curious smile plastered on his face.
“What do we have here? This is certainly getting interesting. I wonder what’ll happen.”
His smile didn’t fade as he continued following them in secret.
After the long trek up Oni Mountain, Juliana and Noir reached the Crystal Pool. She half-expected to get attacked by him at some point, her Pokeballs ready just in case.
But he did nothing but walk silently towards their location while she did her best to catch up.
In what felt like a long time, they finally arrived at the Crystal Pool. Both stood beside each other, saying nothing without sparing a glance. All they did was admired the beautiful shine of the Terestal energy that shimmered in the pool’s water.
Juliana turned towards him to break the silence. “Will you really answer my questions? You did say we could talk.”
“If you want me to talk, you better answer my questions first. You owe me that much after that stunt you and that weakling did to me.”
Sigh. Just when she thought they’d have a civil conversation, he goes back to that aggressive, arrogant attitude again. Despite his hostile behaviour towards her, Juliana still felt a sense of kinship and familiarity from him, understanding his emotions more than she should.
She sighed deeply. “We beat you fair and square. And for the record, Kieran’s no weakling. He’s one of the strongest people I know, and certainly stronger than you’ll ever be.”
Noir growled in contempt. “If he’s as strong as you say, he wouldn’t do something so stupid like risk his life for you. To truly be strong, you must rely on only yourself to get ahead! Only winners deserve to survive, while the weak perish.”
Juliana shook her head. “I don’t believe that. I wouldn’t have become strong with my friends’ support. It was because of my bonds with them that made me into the person I am today, and I will never regret my time with them!”
The commander scoffed with derision. “Yeah? Is that boy so special that you’d want him by your side for all time? That he’s someone you could trust with your life if the situation called for it?”
“I would.” She said without hesitation.
“Would you care about him no matter what actions he takes, becoming different from the person you knew before?” Noir asked with greater interest.
Juliana remained firm. “I already do! Even if he goes down a dark path, I will help him throughout his struggles. I would be there for him. Because Kieran is precious to me, someone I want to be with forever. Despite our struggles and differences, we were able to reconnect our hearts and become stronger than ever!”
Noir said nothing, only staring at Juliana with greater intrigue before letting out a wistful smirk.
“Is that so? You’re better than that guy who lied to me and ran away in the end. Maybe you aren’t exactly like him as I thought. Maybe if he reached out his hand instead, then things would have been different…” He said with a slight laugh flowing out of his lips.
“What do you mean?”
“You want to understand me so badly? Heh. Then, I’ll show you. I’ll show you what I had to sacrifice and lose to get to this point. Then, you’ll see why I can never forgive Florian for what he did. What he took from me and the pain he left in my heart after fleeing like a coward!”
The commander took a deep breath before uttering a set of numbers.
“Release helmet lock. Command code: 09132023.”
Smoke billowed from his mask, a loud hiss indicating it was unlocking before Noir pulled it off his head.
Juliana couldn’t hide her immense shock after seeing his face. Words could not describe how she felt about his reveal as he stared at her with a smirk.
“Heh. Bet you didn’t expect your precious friend could turn out like this, huh Miss Hero? But that’s nothing compared to the hurt and despair Florian gave me when he betrayed my heart.”
The girl still said nothing. Her heart thumped like a drum, stunned gasps struggling to leave her gaping mouth over the revelation she suddenly faced over his identity.
His hair was longer, obscuring his left eye that was scarred and without colour, and his face was hardened only with hatred and desire. Worst of all, she could not turn away from the familiar, radiant gold tinged with wisps of purple from his other eye.
“Kieran. You’re…Kieran…” She finally let out, waves of emotions flowing through her as if they were piercing her like a knife.
His smirk remained. “The Kieran you think you know is dead. I am Team Tera’s strongest commander Noir, looking to settle the score against the one who broke my heart.”
Juliana instinctually stepped back as Noir came closer, a predatory grin aimed towards her.
“Now, why don’t we have this nice chat like you wanted?”