Author's Note: Be prepared dear trainers! This is another long chapter!

Have faith in yourself, and continue on!

Juliana woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was that she was tucked into her bed with her uniform still on. She sat up slowly and saw her tie was on her desk next to her picture, along with the pearl necklace Arven made for her. Her shoes and socks were also taken off and laid out neatly at the foot of her bed. As usual, Koraidon was asleep on the floor next to her. But it was also accompanied by Maushold and Gallade.

She rolled her neck to make it pop while trying to remember what happened. The last thing she remembered was resting her head on Arven's shoulder in the taxi, then stepping off, she could also recall hearing Nemona's voice. But that was it, that was all she could remember. Shrugging it off, she couldn't help but laugh at herself, "Haha! I guess I didn't realize how tired I was. Walking with your own legs really takes a lot out of you."

Gallade opened his eyes, shook his head and stood. He faced Juliana and did a courtesy bow.

"Good morning, Gallade." She greeted him with a smile, "Did you help Arven yesterday?"

Gallade nodded the affirmative.

Last night…

Arven had his quick reflexes to thank for preventing Juliana from hitting the ground. She had fallen completely asleep while they were walking and he was able to catch her the last minute.

"Juliana? Juliana!" He called to her, only to get a faint snore in response, "Oh geez…" He muttered, rolling his eyes in amusement.

"Well, I guess I got no other option."

He lifted Juliana into his arms to carry her like a princess, placing her head onto his shoulder. He was relieved that her dorm room was only a quick walk down the hallway, and that no one else was around. When a flash of light briefly blinded his eyes, he was expecting to see Koraidon there. But he was surprised to see Juliana's Gallade instead.

"O-Oh, hey! You're Juliana's Gallade! I remember you."

Gallade gave his standard courtesy bow, and led the way to his sleepy trainer's dorm room. Once they got to the door, Arven tried the handle. Only for it to not budge at all.

"Ah, of course it would be locked." Arven stated. Without hesitation, Gallade reached into Juliana's pocket and revealed the key card to open the door. He then got in front of the couple and held the door open for them.

"Thank you." Arven thanked the Pokémon, who bowed in response. Once they got in, Gallade closed the door behind them while Arven carried Juliana to bed. Gallade hurried to the bed and pulled the covers back, allowing Arven to thoughtfully place her down. Gallade removed her shoes and socks and placed them at the foot of her bed. Being a Pokémon well-versed in the art of courtesy, he also carefully removed her tie and placed it on the desk.

"You really think of everything do you?" Arven spoke to the Pokémon, which Gallade responded to by bowing.

Arven looked at his rotom dex, which read to him,

"Gallade, the blade Pokémon.

A master of courtesy and swordsmanship. When trying to protect someone, it extends its elbows as if they were swords and fights savagely."

Arven crossed his arms in thought, "Hm, I see. Well, I've faced you in battle so I know that's true." Gallade responded by nodding. Arven took the next moment to watch Juliana's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful and content, a look of pure bliss on her delicate face. He wanted nothing more than to cuddle up next to her and hold her close, but he held himself back. Instead, he gently covered her and gave her a kiss on the head.

He whispered to her, "Love you Juliana, sweet dreams." He looked at Gallade, "Thank you." Gallade gave a bow, and led Arven to the door. Arven carefully stuck his head out the door and after ensuring no one was around, he left the room, closing the door behind him. He then returned to his own dorm.

Back to present time…

Juliana had changed into her loungewear and put her uniform in the washing machine. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed at her messy hair, "I should probably take a shower…" She closed the door, turned the shower on and waited for the water to get to a comfortable temperature.

Meanwhile in her bed area, Gallade, Maushold, Koraidon were sitting around bored.

"Agaias?" Koraidon looked at Gallade.

Gallade shook his head and shrugged. Maushold remained silent, the family of three looking back and forth between the bigger Pokémon.

"Agai." The legendary responded. Maushold decided to hop up to Koraidon and began to brush at its skin like it were cleaning some dirt off. Koraidon curiously gazed at the family Pokémon, "Agai?"
The little hands of the Pokémon soon began to tickle, Koraidon started off snorting lightly before rolling over to give a big belly laugh. Each of the family scattered across Koraidon, continuing to brush and playfully nibble at the legendary.

Gallade watched, thoroughly entertained by the sight before him. The little grey family of three jumping all over a giant ancient Pokémon and reducing it to a giggling mess. Juliana's backpack rested unzipped near the exit, one of her pokeballs popped open and a ray of light bounced from the open zipper.

Out emerged Tinkaton, she placed her hammer down and saw the tickle fight happening. A burst of energy coursed through her body and she bounced to Gallade's side excitedly. The two Pokémon acknowledged each other in a friendly way and continued to watch the playful squabble. Eventually, Tinkaton was too bored being on the sidelines. She joined in by grabbing the comforter on Juliana's bed and casting it over the two. Maushold and Koraidon flailed about realizing that they were suddenly covered up, Tinkaton giggled sweetly.

Once Koraidon threw the cover off, they locked their eyes on Tinkaton who was continuing to act innocent. The family of three glanced at each other before nodding and rushing Tinkaton. All hopping on her to tickle her. The fairy/steel type flailed around trying to resist Maushold without success. Koraidon egged the tussle on, but Gallade sensed things were getting a little too rowdy and rushed in to separate the Pokémon. The blade Pokémon swiftly seized the family of three and lifted them in the air, Tinkaton wasn't done and tried to jump up and reach them in Gallade's arms, but Gallade kept her away.

"Gallade!" Gallade firmly spoke, as if to tell her to stop. Tinkaton stomped her feet with a grumpy face in response.

"Guys!"

The Pokémon all faced Juliana, who was standing there in her clean summer uniform with her hair styled into medium length curls.

"What happened here?" Juliana inquired, "Hm?"

Maushold and Tinkaton both pointed at each other simultaneously. Koraidon tried its best to give an innocent expression, Gallade just sighed and shook his head.

Juliana shook her head with a knowing smile, "Oh, you guys. Okay, let's clean this mess up."

With Gallade's assistance, Juliana re-made the bed and got her desk chair back to the upright position. Maushold and Tinkaton would periodically poke at each other while this was happening. Juliana went to her backpack to fetch her empty pokeballs.

"All right you rascals return." She recalled Koraidon and Maushold with no difficulty, Tinkaton made a yelp that sounded like a 'No!' and rushed under the desk.

"Tinkaton!" Juliana commanded in a firm voice, "You have to go back in your pokeball."

Tinkaton rushed to Juliana and hugged her legs, shaking her head furiously. Juliana squatted and placed a hand on her head, "We'll play later firecracker, but you have to go back in your ball now. It'll make it easier."

Tinkaton hesitated, but then decided to give up. She went to go fetch her hammer and allowed herself to be recalled. Once that was done, Juliana looked at Gallade, "Thank you, Gallade."

Gallade responded with a bow and allowed Juliana to recall him. Now that the room was clear Juliana glanced around. She sighed with relief seeing that nothing was broken. She then looked at the clock and saw that it was just before 9am.

"Okay, time to get going!" Juliana spoke, then grabbed her backpack and left her room. As she walked down the hallway, she sent Nemona a message that read,

'Hey girl! Meet with me in the cafeteria! I have a question for you."

Nemona responded within a minute,

'Oy! I'm on the way! I'll see you in a few!'

Juliana smiled and hurried onward to the cafeteria. When she got there, several students were present as always. Juliana hopped into the kitchen area and grabbed herself a breakfast sandwich consisting of jam, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. She then grabbed a seat near the edge of the long table and waited. She got a few bites in before she saw Nemona hastily enter the room, Juliana stuck her arm up and waved at her. Nemona's face lit up upon seeing her and she excitedly rushed over.

"Juliana!" Nemona took a seat across from her, "Hey amiga! I'm so glad to see you're okay now! Man, you looked so tired yesterday!"

Juliana nodded, "I was, Arven and I had a really long day, but it was fun! Did you want to grab breakfast?"

Nemona shook her head, "Nah, I already ate something! So, what did you need from me?"

Juliana finished her sandwich, "I wanted to know if you wanted to battle with me."

The student council president rocketed into the air with bright eyes before Juliana finished the sentence, "OF COURSE I WILL! ABSOLUTLEY! You don't even need to ask just come up to me and say the word 'battle!' and I'll be ready to go!" She had yelled so loud that the other students stopped to stare. Juliana laughed, "I thought you would say that! But I wanted to be sure! Okay, let's get going to the courtyard if you're ready!"

"Yes, yes! Let's go! Right now!" Nemona jumped up and down repeatedly. Juliana laughed again and quickly got to her feet. The girls rushed out of the cafeteria and rapidly made their way down the hall. Just as the doors to the courtyard were in sight, a friendly face jumped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks, "Hello girls!"

Juliana caught her breath, "Director Clavell!"

"Hey Director, what's up?" Nemona greeted.

The man of impeccable manners smiled, "So, where's the fire?"

"Uh… what do you mean?" Nemona questioned, "Fire? What fire?"

Juliana giggled, "Tehehe! I think he's wondering why we're running Nemona…"

"O-Oh! That! We were just going to the courtyard! Juliana and I want to battle!"

Clavell chuckled, "Well, the courtyard isn't going anywhere. You'll get there if you walk, you don't have to chase it."

Both girls became embarrassed, Juliana replied, "Sorry Director. My Pokémon were just so fidgety this morning, they almost trashed my room. I just wanted to burn their energy."

Nemona looked at her with wide eyes, "Oh, so that's what happened? Well, you came to the right person!" She grinned, "I'm always happy to help with that!"

Clavell also had a surprised expression, "Is that so? Well, battling in the courtyard certainly will help with that. But I must ask that you girls don't run in the halls. Someone could get hurt you know?"

Nemona apologized, "We're sorry Director, it won't happen again. I swear!"

Clavell nodded and smiled, "Very good. That's all I wanted to tell you. All right, you two are excused." He stepped aside.

"Come on Juliana, let's go!" Nemona enthused, but Juliana had something on her mind first, "Director Clavell?"

"Yes, Juliana?"

Juliana looked in all directions, once she had confirmation that they were alone, she asked in a low voice, "How are the Ruin Pokémon doing?"

Clavell answered, "Ah yes, they are doing just fine. I've been taking them to a secluded area during my off hours and working with them one by one."

"Really? How's that going?" Nemona inquired.

"It's a slow progress. But we're getting somewhere, they're slowly becoming tamer. Some faster than others. That ice type one is especially wild, I know that one will take some work."

Juliana shivered and felt goose bumps, briefly remembering the moment when that Pokémon almost cut her into pieces.

"Aren't you afraid?" Juliana asked.

Clavell thought about it, "Hard to say, at my age I've experienced a lot. Nothing really terrifies me too much anymore, but I have full faith in myself that I can calm these wild ones down. I know it's a dangerous task, but I'm the man for the job."

Nemona responded in amazement, "Wow… Director Clavell you're so cool!"

Clavell smiled with a bit a pride, "Hearing that makes me feel so glad. Especially after my choice of disguise during the Team Star fiasco wasn't considered as such. Now, I don't want to keep you girls too long so, off you go."

"All right, let's go!" Nemona enthused, "Come on, Juliana!"

Juliana perked back up and followed Nemona, she turned back to wave, "Bye Director Clavell!"

The good Director waved, "Have fun girls!" He watched them exit out the door to the courtyard, "I'm very proud of you both." He whispered, then continued on his way.

The girls walked out into the sun, completely unbothered by the humidity. Nemona skipped out to the center with Juliana following close behind.

"All right, let's do this!" Nemona challenged.

"You're on!" Juliana responded with the same energy.

Penny sat in her dorm room, binging on one of her favorite animes about high school Kendo instructor, who is challenged by his former upperclassman, also a kendo instructor, to a competition between their female students. Atticus was beside her, and Penny's many Eevee evolutions surrounded them.

Once the episode ended, Atticus stretched his arms, "Splendid! Absolutely sublime! The chemistry between the characters is one of marvelous beauty!"

Penny chuckled, "I told you it was really good didn't I? So, wanna watch another episode?"

"How about a break? My body has become quite stiff, I am in dire need of movement!"

Penny agreed, "Yeah, me too. It's really easy to become entangled in a good anime, huh?"

Atticus hopped to his feet, and put his hood on, "Let us venture into the courtyard my dear Penny! A breath of fresh air will do us wonders!" He stretched his hand out to her.

"All right. As long as you don't make me run or anything." She stated before taking his hand, "Bye my little veevees! I'll be back soon!" She told her Pokémon before they left the room. The Eevee evolutions watching curiously.

"Thou mustn't worry dear Penny. I simply wish for some circulation!" Atticus assured as they walked down the hall.

Penny smiled, "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm just not one for running…"

"Not to fear dear Penny! Not to fear. I shan't make you do such a thing!"

Once the two reached the courtyard, Atticus removed his hood and inhaled deeply, "Isn't this a wonderful day, dear Penny?"

Penny shielded her eyes, "Ack! It's so bright out! Also it's really humid…"

"That is a trick of the eye Penny! We've been in a dark room all morning, and now we've stepped into the sun! It shall pass."

"A trick of the eye? Haha, very funny." Penny retorted, "I see what you did there."

Atticus chuckled, "Oh my… ahaha! That was unintentional I swear to thee!" He admitted sheepishly.

"You're such a goof…"

They took a few more steps before they realized they could hear some noises coming from the center. When they looked, they saw Juliana and Nemona walking toward them, wiping sweat off their foreheads.

"Whew! All right, that's how you do it!" Nemona exclaimed, "It's a shame we couldn't go for another hour. But I have a class to get too!"

"It's okay Nemona! As long as my Pokémon are good and calm now, I'll be happy! Besides, you know I'm always happy to battle with you!" Juliana grinned, "You did me a major solid, thanks!"

"Aww shucks Juliana! You're gonna make me all embarrassed again!" She looked ahead and noticed Penny and Atticus, "Hey look! It's our other wonderful couple!"

Penny looked away shyly, "Hey, guys…"

Atticus was much more enthusiastic with his greetings, "Miss Juliana and Miss Student Council President! How is thine day been treating thee?"

"The greatest!" Nemona cheered, "I just had a wonderful one hour battling session with my greatest treasure here!" She put an arm around Juliana.

Juliana laughed, "Aha! How you're the one embarrassing me!"

"You started it!" Nemona teased, prompting the two girls to share jovial laughter.

Penny sighed, "I still can't believe you two have the energy to battle that long. How the heck do you two do that?"

Juliana replied with an apologetic smile, "We always just get a little carried away! Besides, now my Pokémon won't destroy my dorm room later!"

"Destroy your dorm room?" Penny responded curiously before giving a laugh, "Ha! Let me guess, it was either Tinkaton or Koraidon?"

Juliana looked at her in the eye when she answered, "Both."

Penny laughed out loud, "Hahaha! Of course! Why am I not surprised? I could imagine those two doing that! They didn't break anything did they?"

"No, they didn't thankfully. Gallade also helped me straighten everything out. He's always been the mediator."

"Ah, I remember Gallade. He's a cool Pokémon." Penny replied.

Nemona spoke up, "Well, I better get going to class! I'll catch you all later! Juliana, thanks again for the battling!"

"Bye Nemona!" Juliana called, waving to her as she left. Penny and Atticus also waved. Once she was gone, Juliana faced Penny and Atticus, "So, what have you guys been up to?"

"Uh… not much really." Penny answered, "We've just been holed up in my room watching one of my favorite animes."

Atticus added, "Dear Penny here hast introduced me to a sublime anime this morn! I'm almost losing my mind with anticipation to witness what occurs next!"

Juliana smiled, "Oh, that's cool! It may not be my thing personally, but still! As long as you keep doing what you do! That's fine!"

Penny replied, "What about you Juliana? How did your day with Arven go yesterday?"

"It was great! He and I went to Porto Marinada and had some Kanto crepes! They were so good! You should've seen me when the day was over, I was sooooo tired! I was knocked out!"

Atticus's eyes widened and he advised, "Miss Juliana! Thou mustn't push yourself too much! Make sure thou get adequate rest!"

"I'm okay Atticus." Juliana chuckled, "We just did a lot of walking."

Penny chuckled, "Yeah, I bet you were tired. Especially if you were walking the whole time without using that huge doofus. Probably why you're extra energetic today."

"Heheh… could be!"

"So… what are you doing today?" Penny asked.

Juliana thought about it, "Hmm… I'm thinking about going to the home economics room. For no reason really, heheh..."

Penny nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, I'll let you do that then. I'll see you around, okay?"

Atticus declared, "I'll venture ahead! So, we shall continue our binge!" Before rushing ahead and out of sight. Both girls shook their heads in amusement.

Penny reiterated, "See you, I better catch up to him."

"Okay, see you! Oh! Hey Penny!" Juliana hastily called out as Penny started to walk away.

"Yes?"

"Did you want to meet up later? Maybe at the Go-For-Broke grill?"

Penny appeared slightly startled, then smiled, "All right, sure. What time?"

"How does 4pm sound?"

Penny made a note in her rotom phone, "4pm at the Go-For-Broke grill, got it. See you then."

"Awesome! Bye Penny!"

"See you later."

The girls exchanged a wave before going in different directions.

Once Juliana got to the home economics room, she saw that it was a bit more crowded than usual. Nonetheless, she shrugged that off and stepped in. She didn't notice a few gossiping students that were having snacks in the corner subtly point her out before whispering among themselves. What she did notice however, was Miss Dendra at one of the tables with several ingredients placed in front of her.

Juliana immediately approached her, "Miss Dendra?"

The battle studies teacher whirled around with a startled look, "Ah! Juliana! Fancy meeting you here in the home economics classroom! What a coincidence, eh?" She stepped to the right a little, trying to conceal what was on the table behind her.

Juliana replied, "Likewise! So, what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you!"

Miss Dendra became sheepish, "So, uh… well, y'see…"

"Miss Dendra tells me she is here for intensive training in sandwich making." The voice of Professor Saguaro startled them both, he approached to two.

Dendra shook her head, "Ahh… well, no use in hiding it now that you know."

Saguaro appeared surprised, "Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry. Were you keeping this a secret?"

Dendra admitted, "Well, I mean, not really… but it just doesn't look very cool to openly admit I'm here for "intensive sandwich training." Y'know?"

"Understood, I will be more careful in the future." Saguaro stated.

Despite being flustered, Dendra looked at Juliana with a smile, "Well, Juliana, now that you know what I'm up to… I guess you'll just have to help me out with my training!" She faced the table, then turned back around with a sandwich in hand, "Here, try this sandwich! It's the result of my training so far!"

Juliana looked at the sandwich, like last time, the appearance wasn't too much to brag about. She could see helpings upon helpings of different kinds of meat tossed about willy-nilly. Another thing she noticed was the lack of vegetables. Juliana looked at Saguaro with a nervous smile, it did not make her feel any better because he too, appeared apprehensive. Pushing that aside, she put on a brave face and took a bite.

Never has instant regret hit her so fast. The sandwich was soggy, and once again, the taste left much to be desired. Unlike last time however, she couldn't finish it. Within seconds of taking that bite, she was overtaken by nausea. The sandwich slipped out of her hands and hit the ground with a messy splat. Juliana slapped both hands over her mouth and bolted from the room while the professors watched with shocked expressions.

Miss Dendra managed to utter out, "Wha…? What happened? Was it really that bad?" Professor Saguaro turned his head away and shook it while sighing.

Dendra awkwardly admitted, "I guess focusing on muscle-building ingredients really did a number on the flavor, huh…"

"Miss Dendra, I believe a simple addition of butter would have done wonders for your sandwich." Saguaro gently guided, "Butter helps to protect the bread from getting too soggy due to the moisture of the ingredients. It can also work to enhance the sandwich's flavor."

"Butter! That makes sense! Thank you for teaching me that tip, Mr. Saguaro! But... why didn't you tell me that while I was making the sandwich?"

Saguaro explained, "Ah… well, you see… when I saw you, I had not realized you had begun you, ahem, food prep. I thought you were simply trying to destroy my classroom."

Dendra blankly looked at Saguaro, "And you think that destroying your classroom isn't as bad as…" She suddenly remembered, "Oh no! Juliana!"

At that moment, Arven walked into the classroom and approached the two teachers, "What's going on?"

"Ah, hello Arven. Good to see you again." Saguaro greeted him. Arven looked at the splattered mess on the ground in front of them, "Is everything okay here sir?" He inquired. It was then when he noticed Miss Dendra's awkward facial expression, Saguaro turned his head and sighed again.

Arven crossed his arms, "Okay, what happened?"

Juliana burst through the door of the bathroom and flung herself into the first open stall, she collapsed over the toilet and began to dry heave. The sounds echoing off the walls. Thankfully, she felt better after a few minutes and was able to stand.

"Oh my gosh… what was that?" Juliana muttered to herself. She went to the sink to wash her hands, rinse her mouth, and splashed her face for good measure. After drying off with a paper towel, She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath, then she adjusted her backpack and left the bathroom.

Once she took a few steps from the door she heard a voice calling her, "Juliana!" She turned to see Arven rushing toward her.

"Arven!" She called out to him. He put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay cutie?" He asked, concern filling his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She assured, "I uh… had a bad sandwich, haha…"

Arven replied, "Yeah, Miss Dendra and Professor Saguaro just explained it to me. Sheesh, I didn't think anyone would be that bad at making a sandwich." His tone carried annoyance during that last sentence.

Juliana attempted to calm him, "It's okay Arven. I feel better now, so no worries!" She looked at him smiling.

Arven shook his head with an exasperated face, "Oh come on, you're making me look like a jerk again! Here, I brought you a lemonade." He handed her a cold can.

She took it, "Thank you, Arven." She immediately popped it open and took a sip, the sweet and tart mixture enveloped her mouth. This made her forget all about the horrendous taste from that sandwich. Speaking of, she remembered that she dropped it, "Oh, I better get back there and clean that mess…"

Arven stopped her, "Don't worry about it, they're cleaning it up already. Miss Dendra also wanted to tell you thanks, and that she was sorry."

Juliana giggled, "It's okay."

Arven sighed, "You are too nice Juliana…"

Juliana looked at him with doe eyes, "But isn't that the reason you love me?"

Arven blushed and fought the urge to grin, but he lost. He grabbed Juliana into a tight hug, making her yelp. He whispered, "Yes, that's why I love you. You're so cute…"

The pair didn't notice a few students just barely poking their heads out of the nearby classroom, gazing at them.

"Awww…" They fawned quietly. Until the voice of Tyme summoned them, "Students, to your seats! It's time for class!" This prompted them to reluctantly return to their seats.

Blissfully unaware they had been watched, Juliana asked, "Arven? Did you want to grab lunch somewhere?"

"Of course, I'm free until this evening. Where did you want to go?"

"How about the Kofu Lounge? You remember the one I told you about the other day?"

"Oh yeah, I remember! Yeah, that sounds good! We can take a flying taxi this time, heheh…"

Juliana grinned, "Thank you Arven, okay! Are you ready now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The couple walked side-by-side, with their arms across each other's backs. Juliana felt her heart racing, she couldn't conceal the smile on her face. She snuck a glance at Arven's face, admiring the bangs that always covered his right eye. Right before she drifted into a daydream, Arven suddenly turned to look at her.

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she tried her best to look innocent. Twisting a portion of her hair nervously.

Arven chuckled, "Are you okay?"

Juliana's face reddened, "Yes… I'm sorry." She put her hand on her face. Arven grinned and leaned to place a kiss on her head. After that, they continued on their way out of the school. Juliana could have sworn he was holding her a little closer.

Not that she minded.