Author's Note:

Hello everyone! It's been a second and a half since I've really written anything. That being said, I am back with something I couldn't get out of my mind for some time now. I have been really into Pokémon Scarlet (despite some of the glitches…). The stories, the characters, the whole region of Paldea, the characters… whoops! I said that already, but hey I absolutely adore the dynamic between the four characters! So I wanted to write something involving them! Particularly, Juliana and Arven! This story you are about to read focuses on the two and some details I've created to suit how I picture the whole game. For example, I've always imagined the characters being teenagers, around 15 years old. So that's how old they are in this story. I also like how you can customize your character's appearance so her canon artwork won't match what I'll describe here. If that doesn't bother you, then you can go ahead and read the story.

Thank you, and enjoy!

Director Clavell stood upon the makeshift stage addressing the student body,

"Alas! Now it is time for this wonderful tournament to come to an end…"

The mood in the Mesagoza suddenly appeared to dim, when Clavell abruptly shouted, "BUT!" startling everyone.

"This event appears to be a wonderful way to build rapport between the students and faculty, and to invigorate the community far beyond our walls. So…" he paused, then declared with pride, "I herby declare that the Academy Ace Tournament will not be a one-time event, and will continue to be held regularly!"

The Mesagoza erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Wahoo! Director Clavell is the best!" Yelled one student.

"I'll join next time!" Called another.

Nemona jumped for joy, "Oh my gosh, YES! This is everything I ever wanted!"

Director Clavell replied, "I do hope you'll participate next time, Miss Nemona."

Without missing a beat she responded, "Absolutely! I wouldn't miss it for anything!"

Clavell turned back to the crowd, "We'll everyone, that wraps up our very first Academy Ace Tournament. Thank you all again for joining us here tonight, and I hope you are all excited for the next one!"

The students and teachers gave one last round of applause and cheers before slowly dispersing to jovial chattering amongst one another.

In the center of the crowd, Juliana slowly looked around with a cheerful smile on her face, her hands timidly clasped together, thoughts running through her mind, "I can't believe this is all real, it feels like Christmas, my birthday, and summer vacation all at once! This is amazing, I'm so thankful!" She pushed some of her honey colored tresses away from her face, which was styled into medium length curls.

"Juliana!"

She turned to the direction of the male voice and saw him approaching, it was Arven. Her face lit up further, "Arven!" She greeted him happily.

"Hey, congratulations on winning! I'm really happy for you."

Juliana couldn't help but blush, "Thank you Arven, if I'm being honest, I was nervous the whole time. Heheh..

"What? But you're a champion now!" Arven enthused, "Even watching those battles from the side really fired me up! You're really something you know!"

"I think it was just battling knowing all my classmates and teachers were watching, and the fact that I just became a champion rank trainer.. Still, I had a lot of fun!"

"You should be proud, you've accomplished a lot!"

Juliana chuckled, "Thank you." She said bashfully.

There was a slight pause before Arven appeared to quietly take a deep breath, "Hey um, Juliana?"

"Hm?" Her hazel eyes met his blue eyes.

"I was actually wanting to ask you if… I mean if you aren't busy or anything… do…" He put his hand on his neck, "Agh… how do I say this…? Do you-?"

"JULIANA! OVER HERE JULIANA!" Sudden shouting caught both of them off guard, they looked to see the battle loving student council president barreling toward them.

"Nemona!" Juliana called back, just as she finished saying her name, the student council president flung herself at her; enclosing her arms tightly around her.

"Way to go Juliana! That was the best thing ever! I was extremely jealous I couldn't battle this time, but you better believe I'll be a part of it next time!" She raved, while swinging the shorter girl around in her arms. Juliana looked over at Arven while failing to hide her amusement. Arven however, had a look of exasperation on his face.

"Are you kidding me?!" He huffed.

Hearing him say that, Nemona set Juliana down and told him, "Don't worry Arven, I haven't forgotten about you! Of course, I'll battle you too!"

Juliana stumbled around from dizziness upon being released.

"That's not what I was talking about!" Arven retorted.

Nemona's face read confusion like the long-time Pokémon attack, "Huh? I don't understand. What are you talking about then?"

"Well, I…" Arven felt his face redden, "None of your business!"

Juliana shook the daze off and jumped in between the two, "Hey you guys, come on! No arguing now." She demanded with a smile.

The two looked at Juliana with astonished expressions, neither one knowing how to respond.

"Well now, what do we have going on here?" Everyone's favorite red and blue-haired hacker entered the picture, with her signature deadpan expression.

"Hi Penny!" Juliana greeted her, "Just making sure these two aren't killing each other." She beamed.

Penny looked at the two, "Huh, that does not surprise me at all." She then addressed Juliana, "Congrats on today, Juliana."

"Thanks Penny! Will you battle in the next Academy Ace Tournament?"

Penny nodded, then gave a small smile, "I will, and just so you know. I won't hold back."

"Good to hear!" Juliana replied.

"All right!" Nemona cheered, "Next time it will be all of us, I'm so excited! I can't wait to battle everyone!"

Penny sighed, "Okay this people energy is becoming too much. I'm headed back to my dorm room. See you all around." The young hacker then took off running without waiting for a response.

"Bye Penny!" Juliana waved as she left.

"Oy!" Nemona called out, "At least stick around for a little while! Ah, no worries!" She turned to Juliana, "So you have the strongest-in-the-school throne for now Juliana. Better keep it warm for me! Because I'll be coming at you big time next tournament!"

"I'll be ready Nemona! That's a promise." Juliana assured her.

She nodded, "Awesome! Y'know Juliana, I've relished every day since you moved here to Paldea and became my rival. I'm so glad I met you, I mean it!"

Juliana responded, "I'm glad a met you too Nemona. It's been great!"

Nemona chuckled, "Come on now, don't make me blush! Anyway, I'll be seeing you on the battle court for a long time to come!" She then stretched, "But for now I'll be headed back to my dorm room to get some rest. You'd better believe I'll be getting my practice in until the next tournament though! See you later!"

Nemona ran toward the Academy while Juliana waved, "Bye Nemona!" she then turned to Arven who had been quiet for most of the conversation.

"Sheesh, what a chatterbox." Arven shook his head.

Juliana took note of their surroundings, by then the makeshift stage and stage lights had been disassembled and hauled away and the crowd had dispersed. It was just her and him in the center of the Mesagoza.

"So, what were you saying Arven?"

"Oh, yeah that!" Arven suddenly remembered, "Uh… well… I was thinking, you and I could… hang out tomorrow? Just… us?"

Juliana felt her face glow red, "Did Arven just ask me out? Oh my… gosh…! This is seriously happening isn't it!?" She thought to herself. She answered aloud, "That sounds fun, yes! I'll hang out with you!"

"All right!" Arven happily responded. Juliana's heart began to beat so powerfully she was nervous it could be heard from all corners of the region. She stepped close to Arven, stood on her tip toes, and embraced him, hugging him tightly. Arven's eyes widened in shock, but after a few seconds he smiled and returned the hug.

"You're a lot more gentle than Nemona." Juliana stated humorously.

Arven softly chuckled, "I wouldn't want to injure my little champion."

The two pulled apart from each other, then Juliana said, "I better get back to my room so I can rest."

"Of course." Arven replied, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Go right ahead."

"I'll see you tomorrow then!" Juliana confirmed, "Where should I meet you? What time?"

"Meet me in the Home Economics room at 10am." Arven answered, "I came up with this new recipe I want you to try!"

"All right, I'll bee there!"

"See you then, Juliana!"

Juliana then turned and walked away.

She had a big grin on her face the entire trek back to her dorm room. As much as she tried to keep a straight face, she just couldn't help herself. In the entrance way of the Academy, she passed by Ortega and Giacomo atop a flight of stairs without noticing them. The two Team Star leaders watched her as she walked by.

Ortega scorned, "What the heck is she so happy about?"

Giacomo answered, "Are you still mad at her? Come on man, just let it be."

Ortega pouted, "Hmph, I'm not mad… I just… ugh… I want to battle her again one day."

"Why don't you try asking her?" Giacomo suggested, "Or you could sign up for the next tournament and hope you and her get matched to battle. I might do that myself, watching from afar isn't really all that cool."

"She did look pretty cool in today's tournament, and asking her? I don't know. The way I acted toward her the last time we met. I doubt she'd want to give me the time of day."

Giacomo stated, "Well you never know until you give it a shot right? Besides, that girl's so kind! But I'd wait until another time. She's probably all tuckered out from today."

"She didn't seem like that when she walked by." Ortega sneered, "She seemed extra giddy, it's so annoying!"

"Okay dude, just chill. Look if ya want, I can give you a hand. When you're ready, I'll approach her and chat her up, then once she's all hyped up that's when you come in for the kill!"

"Giacomo! That's so…! Ugh… Look, okay! Fine! Let's do it… but wait until I'm ready okay!? And… don't go overboard…!

"I've always got your back buddy!" Giacomo assured, patting his friend on the shoulder.

A group of students approached the pair, "Hey you guys!" One of them said, "Did you come to the tournament tonight?"

A surprised Orgeta responded, "Uh… kinda, we watched it."

"Guys! You should totally join next time. You guys seem really fun! Like we all were so wrong about you!"

Giacomo reveled in the positive feedback, "You bet we will, and we're gonna hype up the school like nobody's business! I hope you guys are ready for that! Right Ortega?"

"Uh… y-yeah!" Ortega answered awkwardly.

The group of students conversed excitedly with Team Star, and the pair were eager to gain some new friends.

Juliana felt a wave of relief when she finally reached her dorm room. When she went inside, the calm and cleanliness allowed her to feel relaxed. That only lasted for a few moments; as she realized she was now alone in her private space. She began to feel her heart pound all over again as intense joy consumed her.

"Oh my gosh, he asked me out! ME! I'm going on a date with Arven!" She thought to herself, and she began to dance and twirl around her room.

Suddenly, one of her Pokeballs opened, out came Koraidon, "Agiaa?" It spoke.

"Hi buddy!" Juliana greeted the red Pokémon while looking around, "Wow, you take up a bit of space here." She giggled.

"Aigas!" It responded, then approached Juliana; eyeballing her knowingly.

"Yes, I'll be seeing Arven tomorrow. He and I are hanging out." She explained happily.

"Aigas!" It responded.

"A date!? Don't say it like that it's embarrassing!"

Juliana took a deep breath, she then sat on her bed and removed her light blue high-top sneakers. She then looked out her window at the starry night sky, admiring the city's lights as well as the lights from the distant Los Platos.

"He said he had a recipe for me to try, I wonder what we'll do after that."

"Agia?" Koraidon asked.

"I'll save some of it for you, don't worry." Juliana assured it, "I better not spend too much time thinking about it or I'll get super nervous. Let's go to bed now Koraidan. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a really fun day!"

Koraidon nodded in agreement, and curled up beside her bed. Juliana gave the legendary a kiss on the head, "Good night buddy. Let's both have a good rest!" She changed into her sleep clothes which consisted of shorts and a T-Shirt, turned off the lights, and covered up in bed; excited for tomorrow.