A/N: My fanfic has an illustrated cover for each chapter, but since FFN doesn't allow inserting images nor does it accept links within the fanfic itself, please head over to my tumblr (carefreejules) if you'd like to see the covers!

Chapter 12 - Perfect Harmony

In the field of silver grass and under the starlit sky, Juliet wanders through the fields, peacefully enjoying the blades of ethereal grass tickling her ankles and the gentle breeze blowing through her ebony hair. Even though Darkrai was gone, her head would whirl around just in case he was lurking somewhere - but he was nowhere to be seen.

She missed their talks.

She missed him.

Then, the field of silver grass opened up to a field full of bundles of small blue flowers. Small on their own, but beautiful and harmonious when paired with others of its kind. They stuck together like family. Like friends.

Forget-me-nots. A flower of longing and remembrance.

But in the center of the endless field of forget-me-nots, was a little girl, with a small flower crown, made up of those very flowers, sitting on top of her head. Juliet couldn't tell if it was her younger self but she approached her quietly, until the little girl turned around. Her bright blue eyes bore into her own. They were the same as hers, but somehow different at the same time.

This girl wasn't her younger self.

She couldn't forget that face. Instead of it being contorted in pain like she remembered, the little girl beamed at her warmly and held up another flower crown she had been working on, like nothing was wrong.

"Hello!"

"H-Hi…"

"Are you here to play with me?"

She didn't exactly plan to. This was her dream after all and she didn't expect to see anyone else since Darkrai had left. It was almost frustrating how easily other entities were snooping into her conscious. First a Pokemon, and now, apparently a ghost - if she was even a ghost at all.

"Yeah, I'm here to play. Nice flower crown."

"Thank you! You can have this one." The little girl stretched her small arms out, wanting to put the crown on Juliet's head. Juliet bowed her head until the crown was sitting comfortably on her head.

"How do I look?"

"You look like a princess!"

"A princess?"

"Yeah! Do I look like a princess?"

In her opinion, Juliet didn't really have the qualities that befit a princess at all. She wasn't a huge fan of wearing dresses herself, but she had an aesthetic appreciation for them, preferring to see them on other people than herself.

But even then, there was something magical about there being strength in one's outer and inner beauty.

"You do. And you're wearing a lovely dress to go with it. May I ask for your name, your highness?"

The little girl giggled joyfully. "Maya. And you're Juliet, right? A pretty name for a fellow princess!"

"And, if I may ask, what brings you to my land of dreams, Princess Maya?"

"I'm looking for my Prince Charming!"

Prince...Charming? In her dreams? Was this little girl serious?

"Ummm...I don't think you'll find him here."

"But, I have! In your memories!" Maya twirled around in the field of forget-me-nots, dancing through the whirlwind of blue petals. "He's tall, handsome, kind, and strong! He's the perfect prince!"

In her memories? What did she mean by that? Tall, handsome, kind, and strong? Those were pretty vague qualities that so many people she met could have-

"You know exactly who I'm talking about! I've seen it! You've kissed him before!"

...

WHAT.

Juliet sputtered, her face bright red at the outlandish claim. "W-W-W-What are you talking about?! I haven't kissed anyone!"

"You did! How can you forget something so romantic? You two kissed under the raining stars…" Maya sighed dreamily. "I want a prince like that…"

"Who are you talking about?!"

"You mean the prince's name? His name is Le-"

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Oh for the love of - why did she always wake up at the least opportune time?! It didn't make a difference either way because it didn't take a genius to put the pieces together of who Maya was talking about. Sitting up in her bed, Juliet clutched her burning cheeks in disbelief.

She...She...kissed…

She kissed Leon before?!

Why did Maya say such a thing? If she couldn't remember the moment herself then that must have meant-

Maya was likely linked to the gaps in her memory. But, why? First Darkrai, and now this?! Why did the world want from her?! Every time Juliet felt closer to finally being at peace, something always had to pop up to throw her through another hundred loops.

And now she had some suppressed...romantic feelings to potentially deal with on top of everything else? Arceus, how many years were already shaved off from her lifespan from stress alone?

She didn't drink, but in that moment, she would gladly take anything to make her forget everything momentarily just to relax and not have to deal with the whirlwind of emotions that were spiralling out of control in her head. .

"Trapinch?" Pistachio called out. He climbed onto her bed and rolled over on his back, silently requesting his owner for some tummy rubs. Not just for his pleasure, but for hers as well. Juliet sighed years worth of stress before relenting and scratching her Pokemon's stomach to get her mind off of her mind-melting thoughts. Her baby Trapinch, adorable and didn't have a care in the world-

"I wish I was like you, Pistachio."

As much as she wanted to stay in bed with her baby Trapinch on her lap, tonight was the long-awaited concert that everyone in Galar was waiting for. It was unsurprisingly going to be a full house, but the whole event would be streamed for people at home to watch on their TVs, computers, or mobile devices. Afterwards, just like with the other gyms, there was going to be a special program covering behind the scenes footage that Phil took of their practices and answering music related questions.

It was still hours before the concert but her team agreed that squeezing in a few more practices couldn't hurt. It would also give them a chance to play and get comfortable in their stage outfits that were tailored made and designed just for them. The producers really went all out to make them feel and look like a real band despite their obvious inexperience.

Regardless of how it was going to turn out, it was going to be a fun night for everyone involved.

…

Hopefully.

Evening had finally fallen over the Galar region and the streets were already bursting with life with people parading around with glow sticks and other Pokemon League memorabilia in preparation for the concert that would start in just an hour. It seemed like the concert was pushed and promoted far more than anyone expected, with large jumbo screens being installed in every major city so those who didn't want to be stuck in their homes could come out to enjoy the music with their neighbours.

Concert goers were already piling into Spikemuth, the excitement evident on their faces as they cruised through the various stalls that were set up specifically to sell band t-shirts and albums by Piers. The high energy emanating from everyone arriving was practically bouncing off every building and it was an understatement to say that the band in the back didn't find it intimidating. High energy, also meant high expectations. And they sincerely hoped they could deliver.

They weren't even set to play until the end so they could enjoy the pre-festivities beforehand, but going through the crowds was going to test their nerves. This was far different from their first day of work at the start of the Gym Challenge, but they were going to have a good time.

"Let's go out and enjoy the night before the concert starts! To get rid of our nerves, you know?" Tessu suggested eagerly.

Vanquil turned to Juliet and Mary. "And let us know if you two need to dip. It might get too noisy or exciting after all."

Juliet pulled out an earplug from her ears. "Way ahead of you, Van. I can still hear you guys but it should help with blocking out most of the noise so I don't get overstimulated. You'll have to come over and tap on my shoulder if I'm far away, though."

"Good call - does Mary have a pair?"

"Mhm. And I also have a stress ball, just in case." Mary added assuringly.

"Then, if everything's OK, let's go!" Tessu pushed through the backstage door and saluted at the bodyguard who was already stationed at the back of the venue. They acknowledged the group with affirmative nods before weaving through the waves of people to take a look at some of the stalls and keeping an eye out for anyone they knew.

It was a slightly different experience to go through the crowds without being able to hear passing conversations or the music that could be felt by the rumbling bass coming from the stereos stationed throughout the town. It was a relief for Juliet's audio overstimulation, but she couldn't help but feel like she was missing out on experiences from not being able to handle more party-like atmospheres. But, even if she couldn't fully hear and handle the hustle and bustle, she couldn't help but smile at the positive vibes that everyone was exuding from their enthusiasm and the smiles on their faces.

She was, ironically, distracted by the silence in her ears that only served to amplify the voices of her own thoughts, that she ended up bumping face first into someone's chest. A not-so-nice reminder of how short she was despite wearing platform boots.

"I'm sorry-" She apologized, but immediately froze upon lifting her head to see who it was. She didn't recognize him immediately by the aviator sunglasses and how his bangs were slicked back, but the tell-tale lilac hair could only belong to one person.

And the realization made her heart flutter, much to her chagrin.

Juliet blabbed something incomprehensible before taking a big step back to keep her distance. "H-Hey, Lee."

Leon slowly took off his aviator sunglasses, revealing his widened eyes as he stared at her from head to toe. She felt unconscious being stared at so intently, and she couldn't tell if it was for a good reason or not. She didn't really have a say in the design of her outfit. The waist-length sleeveless biker jacket that framed over her satin blue dress wasn't her usual style and she certainly didn't wear many form fitting outfits either.

"Pretty weird, huh?" She remarked sheepishly.

"No, no, no! That's not what I think at all!" He cleared his throat, the blush on his cheeks spreading to his ears. Leon mentally slapped himself for being so awkward and hesitant. This was his chance to be smooth but he was already failing! He straightened his back and puffed up his jacket.

Here goes nothing...

"You look cute tonight." He flirted with a wink.

Did...Did she hear that right? Or maybe her earplugs were pushed in too much that she was just imagining what he was saying-

But the wink-! The only other time he acted this... suave was during the photoshoot, but she thought that was just a persona. She didn't know he was actually capable of being charming in that sense outside of work.

Not that she didn't think he wasn't handsome or attractive or-

Arceus, where was her mind even going?!

"O-Oh…" She muttered, averting her gaze. "T-Thanks." She snuck in a few side glances at his outfit, thinking of a witty comeback to say to diffuse the awkward tension while still being genuine about how good he looked.

And, she would daresay, hot , even.

"You're quite the sight for sore eyes yourself. Though, I don't see any signs of a motorcycle."

His laugh relieved the tension that hung over their heads, sounding light and carefree towards her light teasing. "Can't really drive a motorcycle in this crowd. But, thanks. Sonia and Raihan helped me pick it out."

"...So? Would you say you ate your words that these clothes didn't suit you?" Juliet asked coyly with the tilt of her head.

He stepped closer to her, eyebrow raised, and a smirk tugged on his lips. "And what about you? I think you're just as guilty."

"Well," Juliet started off innocently. She did a single twirl, enjoying how the frills of her satin dressed followed elegantly. "I didn't really have a say in what I would be wearing and I probably would have protested."

"And now?"

"...I like it." Juliet admitted cheekily.

Leon grinned. He definitely liked it too. "I'm glad. That's the important part! Anyway, as much as I'd like to stay in chat, I should say hi to the others before the show starts and I'm going to lose them in the crowd. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, but…"

The Champion pointed to his ears and looked at her sympathetically. "Tessu and Vanquil filled me in. It's OK. There's a nice lounge with VIP rooms that we always go to that has billiards and dart boards too. I'm not really a party animal myself."

Juliet let out a sigh of relief. "That...That doesn't sound so bad, then."

"You'll like it. They also have a pretty good mocktail menu since I know you and Mary don't drink, right? There's something for everyone."

She smiled gently at how considerate he was towards their needs and preferences. And he wasn't condescending about it either, unlike other snobby adults who'd scoff and laugh when she'd tell them that she just wasn't interested. Or as they often called her, a 'party pooper' or 'the boring one'.

It wasn't just her who encountered this either.

Being an adult was a pain.

"That sounds great, Lee! I'll catch you later, then!" Juliet turned on her heels to leave when Leon grabbed her wrist. She looked at him owlishly especially when he leaned in to her ear.

"Break a leg." He leaned back and held his fist out to her with a playful smile. She giggled and bumped her fist against his before disappearing back into the crowds to head to the main stage.

"It's almost time - you know what that means."

"Uhh…"

Vanquil pulled them all into a huddle and beamed excitedly at his friends. "Don't band mates get together in a huddle to say a few words before the show starts? Like a good luck pep talk!"

"I thought they put their hands in the centre and then lift them up." Tessu hummed curiously.

"Same thing. Anyway, do you have anything to say, leader?" Vanquil looked to Juliet. Juliet quirked her eyebrows confusingly before turning to Mary.

"I thought Mary was the leader for this."

"But, you give better pep talks…" Mary countered sheepishly.

"OK, OK, just give me a moment." Juliet stepped back from the huddle and threw a peace sign out in the middle. "We've practiced hard but more than just playing the right notes, let's make sure to give the crowd one hell of a good time! That's what music is all about, right?"

Her teammates nodded confidently and threw down their own peace signs, connecting them with her own so it formed the outline of their team's iconic symbol. They basked in a moment of silence, letting their nerves settle and feeling their synergy resonate with each other.

Mary's kind spirit.

Tessu's energetic spirit.

Vanquil's fiery spirit.

Juliet's easy-going spirit.

"Let's go!" Juliet announced before they all raised their peace signs to the heavens. They followed one of the security guards to the area leading up to the main stage and waited for their cue by Piers once the current song drifted off to an end. The crowd showed no signs of stopping, all of them up on their feet and waving their glow sticks in applause at Piers' performances.

"Thank you," Piers heaved lightly into the mic from fatigue. But the show must go on. It was the last song of the set and he was going to go all out. When he grabbed the mic, all the lights in the city turned off, making the concert goers look to each other worryingly.

But, it was staged.

In midst of the confusion, Raid Prism tiptoed on stage, being mindful of the darkness, and took their places with their instruments.

Piers pressed his ear piece. "Everyone ready?"

"Born ready." They whispered back affirmatively. Piers smirked at their bold choice of words.

"Music to my ears."

When the music kicked off, fog began to settle across the stage and into the audience, before the stage lights flared to life, lighting up the stage and revealing the band in all their glory. The crowd went wild at the reveal, switching their colours of their glow sticks to the corresponding colour of a member in Raid Prism.

It was a sight to behold that it was almost dizzying. The sea of people that flooded the venue was lit up with colourful lights of blue, purple, orange, red, and pink, and everyone in attendance was waving their light sticks to the rhythm of the song. Their hearts swelled immensely at the sight. It was like they were performing for the stars themselves.

Juliet couldn't tell if her heart was pounding, or if her drums were literally shaking her down to the core. Maybe it was both? Either way, the adrenaline pumping in her veins was nothing short of exhilarating and any exhaustion she'd probably feel by now was non-existent. Exchanging glances with her team only made her more energized.

Looking out into the crowd, she wondered how many people were waving light sticks with her colour? She wanted to thank them personally for showing her their support. Seeing the faces of fans felt so different than seeing them behind a screen, under an alias.

It made them feel real . Their support was real.

Even with all the trolls and negativity, she didn't see any hostility in the eyes of the fans who came. No one came to pick fights or bring each other down-

Everyone who came, and everyone who was watching elsewhere, wanted to have a good time.

And they were.

She smiled brightly at the realization and somehow, met a pair of golden eyes amongst the crowd. And he was holding a blue light stick to boot. Leon's amber eyes lit up in acknowledgement when they met her bright blue, and she couldn't help but stick out her tongue and send a playful wink in his direction. By the looks of it, he laughed and winked right back at her.

Her heart thumped even harder against her chest.

When the song came to an end, confetti shot out from cannons and rained over the entire crowd as they erupted into cheers and applause. The band looked at each other with elation across their faces before bowing their heads to the cheering audience.

"Give it up for Raid Prism, everyone!" Piers boomed into the mic, making the crowd cheer even louder than before.

"Now, that was technically the last song for tonight but, somethin' tells me you all haven't had enough yet." Piers hinted with a knowing smile. The audience responded in kind, devolving into chants of 'encore!', expectantly waiting for one final performance.

They didn't need to be persuaded any further.

But instead of just Piers singing the song from when he first revealed it to them, he opened the floor for them to join in as well - even going as far as to divide the lyrics for each of them to have their own fun.

They played and danced the night away, even long after the crowd disbanded and their instruments were put away.

The lounge that Leon mentioned was a lot cozier than what he described. It was dimly lit, but not with colourful neon lights that one would expect from a nightclub or even a bar - it had an atmosphere that made you feel like you were at home, and the gentle jazz tracks that played throughout the lounge only made the place more comfortable.

"Cozy, ain't it?" Piers noted with a lazy smile. "This is the perfect place to go to unwind after a concert like that. I have the whole place booked so kick back and relax."

Mary let out a grateful sigh. "Thank you, Piers. It was getting a little overwhelming when fans came rushing up for autographs and selfies."

"Not to mention people were even hitting on us." Tessu shuddered. "Though, you didn't seem bothered by that Vanquil."

"I didn't mind the attention…" Vanquil admitted, blushing lightly and looking to the side.

"Why don't we share a toast for the killer show before the others get here?" Piers grabbed two different menus from the bar counter and handed it to them. One menu had obvious alcoholic drinks from wine, cocktails, and beer; and the other menu had alcohol free drinks like mocktails, soft-drinks, and even coffee and tea.

After mulling over the menus with indecisiveness, they've finally decided on their respective drinks and clinked their glasses right before the other adults piled into the lounge with invigorated smiles on their faces. Even after an hour of music, dancing, and lights, some of them looked like they were only getting started.

Upon spotting Piers, Raihan came up to him and slung his arm around his shoulder to give him congratulatory pats, ignoring how the singer's face twisted in mild disdain by the Dragon Gym Leader's casual and openly affectionate nature. "Great show as always, Piers."

"Thanks. But, give them credit too."

"You're right." Raihan turned to the band and stared at each of them from head to toe, shamelessly appreciating each of their outfits and looks. He shot them a flirty wink.

"You guys were great too. And you look great to boot."

Piers shrugged off his arm and huffed, unimpressed by the taller man's shameless flirting. "Are you smashed already?"

"Relax, mate. I had one beer before coming here. Rose needs me for something tomorrow so I'm limiting myself tonight." Raihan pouted. "He's been doing a lot of experiments lately and even people are coming to me asking me if I know anything."

"Experiments?" Juliet asked curiously.

"Yeah. He's been spending a lot of time down at the Power Plant in Hammerlocke and won't tell me a lick about it. It's located under my Gym so you'd think he'd throw me a bone or something."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that." Leon piped in, entering their circle with a pint of beer in his hands. "Has the Chairman really not told you anything?"

"Trust me, if he did, you'd be the first one to know, mate." Normally Raihan would shrug off his worries about matters that probably didn't involve him, but he felt partially responsible for some of the anomalies that have been occurring in his own city and he had no idea why. Something didn't feel right.

"Huh, I thought he would especially after that explosion not too long ago."

"Explosion?!" Tessu squeaked. "Wait! I remember reading something about it on the news but it wasn't very elaborate."

Leon's breath hitched at that. "...That's probably the Chairman's doing. He's being so secretive about what he's doing that he's even...told media outlets to not say anything that might draw suspicion."

"Dude, that's even more suspicious." Raihan squinted.

"I guess that would explain why we felt the Fairy Gym shake and the power went off after our shoot." Juliet added.

"Oh yeah...that really freaked me out…" Mary shivered uneasily at the reminder.

"I'm sorry about that. Sonia and I went on a wild Cramorant chase because apparently the explosion triggered the power of Dynamax to spread so there was a chance that Pokemon would Dynamax right in the middle of the city." Leon pressed his fingers against his temples, remembering how frustrating it felt to run around Hammerlocke to protect the citizens while also preparing to battle any Dynamax Pokemon that appeared.

"Ugh, don't remind me. What the hell is the Chairman thinking?" Raihan scoffed, slamming down his bottle of beer a bit too hard.

"No kidding. It sounds like someone could have gotten hurt." Vanquil winced.

"Thankfully, no one was reportedly injured. Arceus knows I wouldn't forgive myself if someone was…" Leon trailed off bitterly.

"...Yeesh. This is a night to relax and unwind. Not to ignore the issue at hand, but why not put it on hold for now? I hate seein' you all so stressed." Piers interjected.

"Piers' right. Whatever Chairman Rose has cooked up, hopefully it's not anything bad." Raihan's smile then turned mischievous. He looked around the room in search for Sonia and when his teal eyes connected with her own, she sighed apprehensively and excused herself from her conversation with Nessa. She crept up behind Juliet and surprised her by linking her arms with hers.

"Oh! Hey, Sonia! What's up?"

"Nothing much! There's actually something I want to talk about with you. Why don't we talk in one of the VIP rooms?" Sonia urged, gently pushing Juliet away from the group, not really giving her a chance to answer despite asking.

"Uhhh...Sure?" Juliet answered hesitantly, looking over her shoulder to look at the aspiring Professor suspiciously.

"Great! Ah! I should get myself a drink too so, wait in this room in the meantime!" Sonia replied before shutting the door, leaving Juliet in the cozy VIP room that honestly looked like a room for karaoke specifically. She was a little too exhausted to belt out her vocal chords any further so she opted to take a seat on the dark leather couch with her cold mango mocktail in hand. Just as she sat down, the lights suddenly dimmed and a disco ball dropped from the ceiling and basked the room in specks of light.

...

What the heck was happening?

Before she could get up to inspect any switch within the room to turn off the disco ball, the door suddenly flung open with Leon stumbling inside. For a moment, Juliet thought he had too much to drink until he turned around to open the door, but to no avail.

"Raihan! What was that for?!"

No answer.

Alone in a room with Leon, with mood lighting and everything. The only thing left to complete this cliche set-up was some smooth jazz or something, Juliet thought to herself lamely. And then as if on cue, a gently romantic instrumental track began to play throughout the room, which only made her flush to her ears. Wow, they were really going all out with this set-up, weren't they?

Ugh, remembering her earlier revelations of…apparently kissing Leon before, didn't make the situation any better. Who knows if he even remembered and it wasn't something that could just be casually brought up.

Juliet swallowed her uneasiness and patted the spot next to her on the couch. "Well, looks like we can't get out unless they let us so, might as well kill some time and chat."

"R-Right." Leon answered while clearing his throat. Taking a seat, he rubbed the back of his neck and he hoped the room was dark enough to mask his blush. "I swear I had nothing to do with this-"

Juliet snorted. "I figured. I would have been kind of impressed if you did, though."

"Raihan, what are you-" Mary started, until the Dragon Gym Leader put a finger up to his lips. Seeing as how Juliet and Leon didn't make any attempts to bust down the door in retaliation, he walked away from the door and wandered back to the group.

"I'm playing match-maker with those two. I'm going to be blunt and don't tell this to your leader but…" Raihan's voice went down to a whisper. "Leon is really REALLY head over heels for her."

"Really?!" Tessu let out excitedly.

"Shh! Keep it down. As much as I trust the League, it wouldn't be good if too many people know. Leon is really stubborn about keeping up with appearances. Be honest, do you think Juliet feels the same way?"

"Hmm…" Vanquil hummed with his arms crossed. "They did know each other before but Jules hasn't really mentioned anything more than that."

"But, didn't you see the way they looked at each other before the concert? Especially Leon! He looked at her so fondly…" Tessu awed dreamily. "What do you think, Mary? You know her best, don't you?"

"Well, knowing her, she tends to put on an act when it comes to romance. Like, she'll brush it off by being easy-going because she doesn't want to show that she's flustered." Mary smiled knowingly. "But, you know, you might be onto something. I've started to notice how Juliet always perks up with Leon's around. During the concert, I even noticed how her eyes wandered over the audience as if she was looking for someone and her eyes lit up. It's like her eyes are naturally drawn to him."

"Huh, now I feel kind of dumb for not picking up on the signs." Vanquil remarked sheepishly.

"It happens when you're too busy shredding on a guitar." Tessu joked.

"But...Juliet is definitely not the type of person who would make a move when it comes to love. She's been through a lot and she's probably scared of giving her heart away, even to someone like Leon." Mary explained sadly. "Not to mention, she hates giving people trouble and the publicity they got over their magazine gig probably makes her even more cautious so she doesn't cause troubles for Leon.".

"...So, Juliet is just as stubborn about keeping it to herself, huh?" Raihan groaned. "They're both hopeless."

"But, can you really blame them?" Vanquil retorted. "Even with the rest of us, the media has our eyes on us and they can be unforgiving. Maybe they're just waiting until the Gym Challenge and Champion Cup is over."

"...You're right. Sorry for being so pushy. It's just...frustrating to see Leon hold himself back like that especially if it ends up affecting his performance in battles." He just wanted to help Leon work out his feelings more honestly, but perhaps Raihan was coming off a bit too strongly than he intended. Maybe it was about time he put a little more faith in his best friend.

"We get it, Raihan. We'll try to support Juliet as best as we can and maybe even try to get some answers out of her. Let's trust them, OK?" Tessu reassured.

"...Did it get colder in here?"

"I feel fine, but then again you are drinking something cold." Leon snorted.

"Ugh, maybe I should have asked the costume designer to give me a long sleeved jacket to wear…" Juliet shivered, setting down her icy mocktail to warm up her hands.

"Here," Leon shrugged off his bomber jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He was notably taller and bigger than her, so she felt like she was being wrapped up in a warm, comforting blanket. She couldn't tell if the jacket was warm or if his natural body heat was what was making her feel soothed. It was an embarrassing thought, but it made her subconsciously wrap the jacket tighter around her.

"Thanks for the blanket." Juliet giggled.

"Anytime." He chuckled. "You were amazing out there. I mean, not just you, of course."

"Hehe, thanks. Though, don't think I didn't notice how you were holding a blue light stick."

"...Alright, so maybe I do have a bit of a bias."

"Hey, I didn't say that was a bad thing-" Juliet suddenly reached up and held his face, making his eyes widen and his cheeks flush. She didn't notice until now, but thanks to the specks of light from the disco ball that beamed across his face, he looked...paler than normal. Almost sickly. And he had bangs under his eyes that were notable even against his tan skin. Her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Lee, what the hell - you don't look well at all!"

Leon's eyes lowered tiredly. "It's just work…"

"Work shouldn't be killing you slowly! What the hell is the Chairman making you do?"

"I...I honestly don't know. I'm just cleaning up any messes that might be left behind from his experiments. I'm fine-"

Juliet gritted her teeth and clutched the front of his black shirt. Fine? How can anyone say they're fine when it looks like they haven't slept in weeks! Arceus knows if he was even eating properly either. "Leon, don't say you're fine when you're clearly not fine. You should be getting some rest instead of-"

"I know," Leon grieved. "But, even I want to relax and have some fun too. I don't remember the last time I went out to an event like this. Can't I have this?"

Her heart ached at how broken he sounded, how exhausted he was from just trying to unwind so he could forget about his duties for even a day. If only she could take some of his responsibilities off his shoulders so he didn't have to face everything alone. No Champion should ever feel like they had to take every matter into their own hands. That was one of the ways to make yourself feel so alone. And she knew what it was like to be there.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said that...Of course you deserve to have fun! I just...I just wish there was something I could do to help…" She frowned deeply.

"...Thank you for caring about me. I don't want to worry you anymore but things are only going to get busier from here on out so I won't make any promises I can't keep. At the very least, can you smile for me? Please?" Seeing as how she didn't pull her hands away from his face after her apology, he cupped her cheek and gazed at her desperately. She sighed uneasily because a smile was hardly something that could solve tangible problems.

Still, if that's what he needed right now, then she'll smile as much as she could, even if her cheeks started to hurt.

Her lips gradually quirked into a gentle smile and her eyes softened. "Is this OK?"

Leon grinned widely and his shoulders relaxed, releasing some of his burdens so he can fully appreciate how her smile made his heart flutter. "More than you know."

"It looks like you need a hug too. Come here, Champ." Pulling her hands from his face and opening her arms, she wrapped them around him so his chin was resting on her shoulder. He felt himself melt into her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her and pulling her close.

He wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was racing against her chest.

"No matter how hard life gets, I'll always be here for you, Lee."

There it was. Her compassionate and empathetic heart was going to be the death of him. But, at the same time, only made him fall deeper in love.

He really wanted to say it. But, he bit his tongue at the last moment and said something different. "Me too, J. You mean a lot to me."

It was her heart's turn to flutter next. She bit her lip bashfully, thankful that he couldn't see how flustered he made her from that warm confession alone. "...You mean a lot to me too."

And they both meant it.

"I have an idea. Mind turning around for me?" Juliet requested gently. Leon raised an eyebrow before shifting his body around so his back was faced towards her. He was almost caught off guard by the pressure of her hands pressing against the hand planes of his back and he couldn't suppress the strangled groan that fell from his mouth. He was expecting a much more...relaxing massage but perhaps he was that wound up that the tension in his muscles needed a lot of work to be loosened.

"Arceus, Leon. Your knots have knots."

"H-Heh, no wonder this...hurts a little...!" It was...a bit embarrassing that he was letting out a tad too many noises of relief that he ended up biting his lip a bit too hard.

"You don't have to hold yourself back, you know. Release that tension."

"In that case," Leon flopped across the couch on his stomach and buried his face into his folded arms. Juliet chuckled and resumed her work of loosening the tension from his shoulders and upper back. She wasn't an expert, but there were many moments where she would give her aunt shoulder rubs and massages due to the built-up stresses that came from running a renowned inn. Heck, sometimes she'd even massage her own shoulders, but that usually didn't have the same effect.

Leon didn't want to admit it but he was practically melting under her hands like putty. The release from his muscles quelled his mind into a daze, and he found himself growing more and more sleepy as the massage continued. Before he could fully drift off, her hands had stopped but suddenly moved to cradle his head. He sleepily noticed that she was sitting by his head now and offered her lap to rest his head on. He wasn't going to fight back against his fatigue and plopped his head on her lap as his eyes began to flutter closed. The last thing he recalled before slipping into a deep slumber was the gentle caressing of her hand brushing through his hair and her sweet smile.

"Sweet dreams, Leon."

Where am I…?

This...This wasn't Newmoon Island nor anywhere that I recognize.

Was this...a lab?

Why...Why am I encased in some sort of...chamber?

That screech...! I've never heard of anything like it…!

Where am I?

Who are these people? Scientists? I can't hear a word they're saying.

Wait.

This man in a grey suit...I've seen his face many times on my own and through the eyes of…

"It seems that you're awake. So, you're Darkrai, yes?