(In case anyone still was not aware, Juliana and Florian are the female and male character names for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. I personally was going to use the name Violet, but this works too.)
If you are already a follower of any of my other stories, I've had long covid for 11 months, and I've just barely been able to get back to writing, but I will get back into them. This is just an idea that burst into my head while playing Pokemon Violet. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you. -V
Summary: When Juliana disappears, the team will do anything to find her again. Nemona called her their treasure, and Arven had to agree. But when they find her, Juliana has changed. Now that she's older, it's like Arven is really seeing her for the first time. Begins during the events of Area Zero.
Note: I'm going to suggest a song for each chapter that inspired me while writing. Feel free to listen or not listen or whatever you want.
Foresight
-Wandering Jane by Dario Marianelli-
Chapter 1: Spark
Juliana peered over the ledge nervously. Arven stood close beside her, probably to keep her from accidentally falling into the crater. He wasn't happy at all to be running an errand to help his absentee father, but it was a tribute to their friendship that he had decided to come after all.
Defeating each Titan, uncovering the true purpose of Team Star, even becoming a Champion didn't hold a candle to what they were about to undertake.
Area Zero lay beneath them in a swirl of mist. The Great Crater was off limits to everyone, and yet here they were with Nemona and Penny, about to plunge into its depths.
"Juliana!" Arven turned toward her. "Ready for the worst?"
"Yes," she said, determination percolating beneath her rib cage.
"Good. That's all we needed to hear." Arven took a deep breath. "Get out that pokemon of yours, and we'll be off…"
Backing up near Penny, Juliana tossed out Miraidon's poke ball. It landed between Arven and Nemona on the platform.
Professor Turo had said that Miraidon could glide them safely down into the crater, but Miraidon looked as though it would rather crawl beneath a set of dorm room blankets.
"What's the matter with it?" Nemona peered over curiously.
"Hmph," Arven actually smiled at Miraidon, his hands on his hips knowingly. "Scared of heights… that's what I'd say."
Juliana didn't think Miraidon was afraid of heights at all, having climbed some of the highest peaks in Paldea with it several times. Arven was probably just trying to make Miraidon feel better in some way, and he climbed atop its back with what looked like a mix between a toothy grin and a grimace.
"Well, no wonder!" Nemona took Arven's words at face value and hopped behind him on Miraidon's back. "But no need to be scared if we go together!"
Nemona's simple logic often betrayed her naivety, but Juliana found it endearing in a way. Penny however, did not.
"How does that logic work?" She raised an eyebrow, scooting onto the rear of Miraidon's back.
Juliana then realized Miraidon was about to jump, and she broke into a sprint just as the ride pokemon reared onto its hind legs. Arven turned his head just in time and reached out toward her as the pokemon lunged.
Her own hand outstretched, Arven managed to clutch onto her wrist right as Miraidon leapt into the air, and for a moment she was weightless - flying through the air beside Miraidon and her friends, her only tether the strong grasp of Arven's hand.
She looked toward Arven after a few seconds, and he finally yanked her upward and in front of him. Juliana held onto Miraidon, and Arven held onto her.
His hands rested on her waist, and a flurry of thoughts crackled into her mind like a super-effective Spark attack. Juliana was only 13, way too young for the likes of an upperclassman like Arven, but that knowledge didn't stop the blush that crept up her cheeks when he'd touched her.
Arven, of course, didn't seem to notice the awakening of her emotions, so to speak, and Juliana was grateful for a distraction when they landed on a sparkling, grassy plain surrounded by large pokemon of all kinds.
They'd reached Area Zero. Now it was time to find Arven's father.
–
They'd been walking around for well over an hour when Juliana disabled the third security panel. There was just one more to go, and Arven was anxious to get this whole thing over with.
Arven hadn't seen his father in years. It had forced him to learn to take care of himself, to cook for himself, to clean up after himself. He'd opted to let his hair grow out, deciding a few years ago that he'd only cut it when his father took him to go do it. Perhaps it was a petty venture - a weak attempt to get his father to notice him, but in the rare times that the world-famous professor did contact him, he didn't even seem to care. And that angered him all the more.
But now that he was leading his closest friend (and also Penny and Nemona, who turned out not to be completely terrible) toward imminent danger just to help the man, Arven couldn't help but worry. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but something didn't sit right with him.
They spoke a little about their lives to each other, everyone except for Juliana. Arven knew that she'd moved here just recently, but he didn't know much about her life before that. But he wanted to know. He wanted to help her the way she'd helped him. That was the real reason he was here in Area Zero.
They entered a vast, glittering cave, and Arven knew they were close to the end of their journey.
"Oh my gosh," Nemona walked right to the edge that was thankfully fenced. "Look at all these huge, gorgeous crystals! They go all the way to the bottom!"
The vapor of the adjacent waterfall misted in their faces and made the giant crystals shimmer like fine glitter.
Penny was the first to come back to her senses. "One slip and we can kiss our short lives goodbye…"
"Oh, good call! Watch your step!" Nemona exclaimed, clearly no intention of being careful at all.
Arven glanced downward and frowned, recalling why they were there in the first place. "So the professor's down there somewhere… waiting for us." He felt a tangible heaviness settle on his shoulders. "And that's…fine. Totally fine."
But he couldn't dwell on the dread lurking in the recesses of his consciousness. He was the oldest of the group and needed to be an example.
"All right, team! Watch yourselves, and let's get to the bottom of this thing."
After a few more words they began their descent. Nemona asked about Miraidon, reciting what they'd discovered about the Professor bringing it and other pokemon back via the professor's time machine. She implied that Miraidon would be happy to be back here, but considering it hadn't left its pokeball once since they'd arrived, Arven had his doubts.
They made it halfway down the cave and entered the last research station, but it was a complete wreck.
As Penny noted, it looked like something had gone berserk inside its walls, but they had no clue as to what.
–
Arven kept his thoughts to himself as they exited the final research station. His father's voice had glitched out numerous times, and something felt off about the whole thing. But one thought sifted to the top of the many questions that spun around in his mind. That's not my father.
He didn't want to voice it out loud, but he knew Juliana could tell something was off as well.
The sooner they finished this mission, the better.
Penny echoed his thoughts on the way to the base of the cave.
"There was definitely something off about the professor just now, right?"
Nemona said something about dramatic flair, and Arven rolled his eyes.
He almost let spill that he suspected the call was prerecorded or staged in some way, but he thought better of it. Instead he ran toward Juliana and paused beside her.
"No matter how things turn out, I'm counting on you to see this through, Juliana."
She was picking up various tera shards from the ground, but she stopped and offered him a soft smile and a nod.
He felt his heart warm at their friendship. She was a more adept battler than himself, now a Champion like Nemona, but Juliana had helped him to push himself to greater heights than just making sandwiches. He'd learned a lot from battling the Titan pokemon with her, and he was grateful that she stayed by him through thick and thin on their journey.
They finally reached the bottom of Area Zero, and they all stopped short.
"We made it!" Nemona couldn't contain her triumph. "Ready to see if those legends of treasure down here are for real?!"
Ever the realist, Penny butted in. "Heh, yeah right. That's just fluff they write to fill the textbooks."
Juliana stood transfixed, her eyes unable to leave the building, encased with crystal.
But her Roto phone chimed, and Professor Turo, his father, had another message for them. It was time to end this once and for all.
–
Juliana watched as Penny and Nemona tore off after the monstrous pokemon who escaped the Zero Lab. Professor Turo had revealed earlier that they were future forms of existing pokemon, but if they were to overrun Paldea it could cause a catastrophe. Fortunately it would be difficult for such massive pokemon to scale the cliffs of the Great Crater, and Juliana was confident that Nemona and Penny would be able to head them off and stop them.
"I hope the two of them can handle their part." Arven looked after the pair as they'd run off. "But at least the crowd's thinned out now."
They began to battle the foremost remaining Iron Hands beast and they fell easily into sync with one another. She felt it every time they had battled a Titan together and this was no different. It was like they were connected when they battled side by side.
Arven agreed, reflecting her thoughts almost verbatim once they'd finished it off. Then he turned toward Mabosstiff. "These stragglers should be nothing. Me and Mabosstiff can take them." His beloved partner pokemon barked in solidarity. "So, Juliana, you take your partner there and go take care of business!"
She peered toward the entrance of the lab. Arven believed she could take on whatever lurked ahead, and she nodded, feeling the same faith in her friend.
"Got it."
"Heheh, glad to see you've got some faith in us at last."
He was joking, but it was still difficult for Juliana to leave them, especially after a heartfelt speech he gave to Miraidon, who up to that point Juliana was certain he hated. Throwing him a final parting glance, she raced toward the entrance to the lab.
She followed a dark tunnel until light poured in through a giant hole gouged out of the side, and she peeked into the lab. She didn't see the Professor, but she also didn't see any more of the future pokemon, and she quietly stepped further in.
As soon as Juliana's feet hit the ground she saw the Professor, but he looked injured or maybe asleep in an odd position. She ran closer to get a closer look when she heard his voice.
"Human Presence detected within the lab."
Juliana could scarcely breathe. This wasn't Professor Turo. It was an Artificial version of him.
"Deactivating Sleep Mode."
It was everything she could do to not immediately run out and yell for Arven, but he'd trusted her, and she wouldn't let him down.
"Hello, Juliana. Thank you for coming."
Miraidon encountered a more aggressive pokemon of his same species whom they'd seen outside, and the robot professor discussed their territorial struggle as the reason for Miraidon's escape from Area Zero. But that wasn't all he had to say.
"I'm afraid there is something for which I must apologize. I am not the true Professor Turo."
Well, Juliana had gathered as much, but it didn't make her happy to hear it. She was glad Arven was still outside.
"Then who are you?"
"I am an artificial intelligence the professor created, imbued with his memories and knowledge. In short, I am an AI-powered robot."
But it was nothing compared to what the fake Professor Turo said next.
"The real professor passed away during the incident that destroyed Research Station number 4."
Juliana felt like she was going to be sick. Arven's father had been dead this entire time. And this AI had lured them down here under the pretense of needing their help.
He went on, explaining that she had to help him shut down the time machine, and Juliana felt numb.
She wanted to cry for Arven, but she wouldn't. She'd finish what they'd set out to do. She'd help the AI robot… for Arven's sake if for nothing else.