Florian takes Lacey to Mesagoza, and Lacey observes the entirety of Mesagoza.
"Woah! This place looks much more open than Blueberry Academy!" Lacey says in astonishment.
"Yup," Florian says. "It's pretty big. There are shops, fountains, everything!"
"Is that a Pokémon Center? There are none like that at Blueberry Academy, just simple healing machines at rest stops in the Terrarium."
"Yeah. There is even a Pokémart and a TM Machine."
"It looks just like the one in Central Plaza! I didn't know Paldea had this kind of technology as well!"
"Hey, Lacey, do you see those stairs?" Florian points to the large stairs leading to the academy.
"Uh huh. Wait. Do you have to walk upall of these stairs every day when you go to school?"
"Pretty much. Trust me, it's the worst. Look how much there are!"
"Jeez... yeah, I don't even exercise than much anyways... I think my legs will get tired trying to walk up the first time!"
"Well, looks like we're walking them!"
"Do we have to, Florian?"
"Quit acting like a baby and deal with it."
Lacey blushes. "A-Are you treating me like a child or are you making fun of me?"
"Oh, sorry I sounded harsh. Let's go." Florian grabs Lacey's arm and walks up the stairs with her.
After walking to the top, Lacey is panting quite a bit. "Let's... not do that... ever again... I don't see how you got used to this..."
"You literally run around the Terrarium every day, and you're complaining about some stairs!" Florian says.
"Sorry... I guess it's my stamina..."
"Huh? Who's that? She looks familiar," Florian says pointing to a girl with a ponytail.
She turns around and Florian immediately recognizes her. "Nemona!"
"Huh? Nemona?" Lacey asks.
"Meet Nemona! She's one of my classmates and my rival always itching to battle with someone!" Florian says.
"Oh. Hi, Nemona!" Lacey waves at Nemona while smiling.
"Hey there! Looks like you brought someone over, Florian! What's her name?" Nemona asks.
"This is Lacey, a student I brought all the way over from Blueberry Academy in Unova!" Florian says.
"Blueberry Academy? I've heard about that academy! They have many strong trainers there! Are you strong, Lacey?" Nemona asks.
"Um... I guess I'm an elite four member of the BB League at my academy..." Lacey says timidly.
"Your school has a Pokémon league? Now I really wanna go there!" Nemona says with passionately. "Speaking of which, did you know that me and Florian are champions here in Paldea?"
Lacey's eyes widen while covering her mouth. "Wait, he's a champion in Paldea as well? And this region has more than one champion?"
"Well, technically Champion is just a rank in Paldea, but it is granted when defeating the top rank Champion herself: La Primera! And also, did you say "as well"?" Nemona says.
"Yeah! Not long after Florian arrived at our academy the first time he joined the ranks and quickly became champion there as well!" Lacey proceeds to look at Florian. "No wonder you were so strong! You completely swept us! Now you're the champion of two different academies! Honestly, that's really impressive and a bit baffling... I've never seen someone have that title twice... that's... that's..." Lacey starts hyperventilating.
"Easy, Lacey. Calm down. I know it's much to take," Florian says to Lacey.
"I know, but it's just hard to process and take in," Lacey says.
"Wait. Since he is the champion and you're the elite four, than must mean that he had to battle you to gain that rank!" Nemona says. "Florian, I thought we made sure that you only had your battles against me, not another girl," Nemona teases.
"Nemona!" Florian says in a serious tone as Lacey blushes a bit.
"Don't worry! I'm just teasing!" Nemona says. "So, Florian, since you're the champion of two places, how about a fruitful battle?" Nemona requests.
"Oh shoot. She wants a battle," Florian says.
"What about it? It's just a battle," Lacey says.
"Well, you see... Nemona is super passionate about battling... and I meansuper passionate at battling. She won't stop until you accept her battle. You know, during my Gym Challenge, I've encountered lots of moments where she would want to battle me," Florian says.
Lacey chuckles. "I think she likes you!"
"Woah woah woah! Whoever said that?" Florian protests.
"Hey, Lacey! So you're an elite four member, huh? You must be a strong Pokémon trainer! How about a fruitful battle with me instead?" Nemona says to Lacey.
"Huh? B-But... but..." Lacey starts to say.
"C'mon! It won't be long! Besides, I want to battle other strong trainers besides Florian! He's actually beaten me a couple times after being Champion!" Nemona insists.
Lacey contemplates while playing with her thumbs. "Uh... fine. I will."
Nemona jumps with joy. "Alright! Let's battle here! Right now!"
Oh shoot! I thought I could request to do it at a later time and not actually battle her, because I don't feel like battling right now and I'm a bit afraid of her! Lacey thinks to herself.
"Okay then..." Lacey grabs her Nest Ball and throws it in front of her. "Go, Excadrill!"
"Go, Pawmot!" Nemona throws out her Pokéball and out comes Pawmot.
Lacey looks at the Pawmot and gets all excited!
"Oh my gosh! That Pokémon looks so fluffin' adorable! Can I hug it? Please?" Lacey squeals.
"I feel you're gonna shock yourself if you do that, and I feel I won't be able to stop you from throwing caution to the wind, so let's start!" Nemona says.
Lacey sighs disappointed. "Fine, but I can still look at it's cuteness! But I don't want to hurt it either, but it is a Pokémon battle, so I'll have to! Excadrill, use Drill Run!"
"Dodge it, Pawmot!" Nemona says as Pawmot barely avoids the Excadrill's attack. "Now, Close Combat!"
"Dodge it, Exca-" Before Lacey could finish her command, the Pawmot swiftly swoops in front of the Excadrill and rapidly thrashes her Excadrill quickly knocking it out.
"H-Huh?" Lacey's eyes widen as she tries to process what just happened with her hands near her agape mouth. "Is it already over?"
Lacey looks back at Florian and his expression is unfazed. "Florian, are your battles with her usually like this?"
"Nah, but the battles are still tough and fun. You see, Nemona became such a strong trainer that no one wants to battle her, because they weren't capable of beating her, and it actually made her a bit depressed because she couldn't find anyone willing to battle her. Luckily I was there, and we both had such similar strength that we can battle to our hearts' content," Florian explains. "So anyways, don't be surprised if your battle against her lasts less than five seconds."
"Wow... she really is that strong... I guess that makes me feel a bit better about losing..." Lacey says.
"Huh? Did that battle damage your ego a bit? Were you about to go full Kieran mode?" Florian says.
Lacey turns to Florian with an angry expression. "Will you shut up? Especially about Kieran?"
"Okay then! Ready for round two, Lacey?" Nemona says.
Lacey turns to Nemona. "Would you read the room, will you? You're so dense! You can't just keep forcing someone to keep battling you when they don't want to! That's just not right!" Lacey makes an X with her hands.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were in a bad mood," Nemona says regretfully.
Suddenly the Pawmot walks close to Lacey, and Lacey looks at it.
Oh... that Pokémon is so cute...! Lacey thinks to herself. She feels the Pawmot's soft fur.
"Aw..." Lacey coos. "That made me feel much better now. I'm sorry for venting earlier..."
"It's alright," Nemona says. "We all have most moments in our lives! It's normal!"
"Oh, yeah! I want to show you the inside of the school! You coming with us, Nemona?" Florian says.
"I'd love to, but I have duties as a champion, so I'll have to go. See you soon and I hope we can battle sometime, Florian!" Nemona says as she runs down the stairs.
Duties as a champion? Now that sounds awfully similar to my duties as an elite four member...Lacey ponders to herself.
"Lacey? Let's go in!" Florian says.
When both Lacey and Florian go inside Lacey looks at the entirety of the main hall.
"Woah! It's huge! This academy is much bigger than mine!" Lacey says astounded.
"You like it? Yeah, it's pretty big!" Florian says.
"Hm? Is that you, Florian?" a voice says from a distance.
Florian turns to the voice and sees the one that spoke.
"Huh? Director Clavell?" Florian says.
"Oh, it's nice to meet you again, Florian! Did you enjoy your trip to Blueberry Academy?" Clavell asks.
"I'm here to provide research on Paldea for the Blueberry Academy actually!" Florian says.
"Astounding! I'm glad someone of mine is working beyond my expectations as a Champion level student!" Clavell turns to Lacey. "And who might you me, young woman?"
Lacey waves at Clavell. "Hi! I'm Lacey from the Blueberry Academy! Florian decided to take me to Paldea to assist him in researching for the Blueberry Academy! It seems you're the main one in charge of the academy!"
"Oh, you're a student from the academy Florian was invited to! It's nice meeting new people especially from faraway places! How are you liking Naranja Academy so far?" Clavell asks.
"It's nice! It's not as confined or cramped as the Blueberry Academy in Unova; it's much more open and I feel there are lots to explore here!"
"I'm glad you like it! Oh, and Florian, I know you have research to do here before you return to Blueberry Academy. You can stay in Blueberry or Naranja Academy for however long you want, but I hope you come back here once in a while whichever one you want to stay in."
"Don't worry, Clavell. I will!" Florian says gleefully.
"I do hope to hear back from you soon. Now, I must excuse myself as I have an important meeting to get to," Clavell says as he walks off.
"Wow. Director Clavell is such a nice guy! I would love to have as my director. Not that I hate Cyrano or anything, but I do like Clavell!" Lacey says.
"You know, he did so something weird before. When I was talking down Team Star, he dressed up in a wig and shorts trying to look like a normal student, but it was pretty obvious to me, and he tried to play it off as some guy named "Clive". Never expected that from a director," Florian.
Lacey chuckles. "Wow! I bet he is really funny! He must get along with the students here too!" Lacey pauses for a moment. "Hold on. Who is Team Star?"
Florian turns around. "Oh, speak of the devil! There's Penny! Hi, Penny!"
Penny quickly turns to Florian looking a bit timid, but then decides to walk towards him. "Oh, long time no see, Florian!" Penny then looks at Lacey. "And... who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Lacey, a second year student from Blueberry Academy! I'm guessing you're Penny, right? And..." Lacey suddenly sees Penny's Eevee backpack. "Oh my gosh! Is that an Eevee backpack! That's so cute! I want to hug it so bad!"
Lacey starts going towards Penny, and Penny gets scared and backs up a bit, but Florian stops Lacey by doing a really light Karate Chop bonking on her forehead.
Lacey clutches her forehead and looks at Florian miffed. "Ow... was that really necessary? You don't just hit a girl... It's just not right!" Lacey makes another X with her hands. "I just wanted to hug her really cute Eevee backpack..."
"First of all, how did that light tap hurt you at all? And second, personal space," Florian scolds.
"Fine. I'm sorry. I guess I got to carried away with the cuteness..." Lacey says. "Wait, is Penny related to Team Star then since you said"speak of the devil"?".
"Yep. She's actually the leader of Team Star. She went under the secret alias of Cassiopeia and told me to take down Team Star."
"Why would she want you to take down her own team?"
"Because she was concerned about them; she didn't want them getting expelled and they apparently went to far with their antics. It's a really long story, but in the end Team Star has fallen, but they're now well-behaved students at the school, and they're still friends, including Penny."
"Yeah... It was a roller coaster, but it all worked out in the end!" Penny says.
Suddenly a Sylveon comes out of Penny's Pokéball.
Lacey suddenly squeals with excitement. "OH MY GOSH! THAT SYVLEON IS SO ADORABLE!!! PLEASE LET ME TOUCH IT! I'LL EVEN PAY YOU IF I HAVE TO!"
Lacey starts running towards the Sylveon until Florian does a light Brick Break on her forehead.
Lacey stops and clutches her forehead again. "Ow... fine... I won't get carried away again..." Lacey says a bit disappointed.
"Return, Sylveon! You shouldn't be out of your Pokéball!" Penny says. "Anyways, I assume you're busy, so I'll get going now."
As Penny runs off Lacey still looks a bit disappointed. "Aw... I really wanted to hug those cute fluffy Pokémon..."
"Hey, you're get the moment eventually. Just don't get overly obsessed with them," Florian reassures. "Anyways... since we met Nemona, Clavell, and Penny, then the next one we'll meet with be..."
"Florian? Is that you?" a voice says.
Florian turns towards the voice. "Oh, Arven! I was expecting to see you!"
"Expecting? Whatever. How's it going, pal?" Arven says.
"It's going great! Oh, by the way, this is Lacey, a student from Blueberry Academy."
"Oh, looks like you're making new friends faster than me I guess. Don't worry. I'm fine. I'm just catching up with my classes. I'm falling a bit behind."
Lacey turns to Florian. "I'm guessing you also did special with Arven too, right?"
"Yup! Me and my pal went to fight the Titan Pokémon so we could obtain the Herba Mystica from their caves, and we made sandwiches out of them!" Arven says.
"Making sandwiches? That sounds like a Crispin thing..." Lacey says.
"Crispin? I'm guessing he's some kind of chef?" Arven asks.
"Kinda, although he usually only cooks spicy food, and personally, I'm not a huge fan of spice," Lacey answers.
"I bet I could make a Spicy Herba Mystica better than Crispin if that's the case! I do have a Scovillain after all!"
"Scovillian? Is that a Pokémon?"
"Yep! I'd send it out, but it's not with me right now. I only have my Mabostiff with me!"
"Mabostiff? Can I see, please?" Lacey pleads.
"Sure! Come on out!"
Arven sends out his Mabostiff.
"Oh my gosh! It's a doggie? I wanna pet it! It's so cute!" Lacey says with excitement as she pets the Mabostiff.
"Oh. I'm guessing you like cute things, huh? I mean, dogs are definitely cute, I would agree!" Arven says.
"You know, I actually have a Granbull myself! It's so adorable! Just look at it!" Lacey sends Granbull out.
"Uh, I mean I guess it can be cute, although it looks a bit scary..."
"Hey! You take that back! It's cute and I know it! I even sleep on its fluffy tummy! How can it not be cute!"
"She must be this passionate about cuteness, huh, Florian?" Arven says quietly.
Florian nods his head.
"Hey, I heard that, Arven!" Lacey says a bit ticked off.
"Oh yeah, I forget to tell you. The reason he and I searched for Herba Mystica was so I could save my trusted Mabostiff. Before it was attacked by that prehistoric Pokémon, and it was in such a rough condition. The Pokémon Center nor Potions could work, and I was worried I might actually lose my partner. Fortunately I read about this Herba Mystica and it was a miracle it managed to restore my Mabostiff back to his good ol' self! I could've have thanked Florian any more!"
Lacey looks at Arven with sympathy. "Oh... that's such a deep story... I couldn't imagine that happening to a cute Pokémon like yours... What about your parents? Did they help at all?"
Arven stays silent and turns away slightly.
Lacey seems to get the message. "Oh, okay then... sorry..."
"It's alright. I'm still doing fine, and at least I still have my Mabostiff right here thanks to Florian," Arven says.
"Wow. You're even better than I thought!" Lacey says to Florian.
"Anyways I need to catch on my assignments. I'll see you soon, Florian!"
"See ya!" Florian says as Arven walks away.
"Wow! You have made so many great friends! I'm jealous!" Lacey says.
"You have, too! Especially the ones at the BB League!"
"Drayton does not count!" Lacey says with a stern expression while making an X with her hands.
"Sure..." Florian says with a smile.
"Shut up! I don't have a crush on that moron!" Lacey angrily says while blushing.
"Whatever. Anyways, have you seen my dorm?'
"Uh... no actually. I'm curious. What's it like?"
"Follow me then," Florian leads Lacey to his dorm.
Both of them finally arrive at Florian's dorm.
"What do you think?" Florian asks Lacey.
"Uh..." Lacey starts to say. "It's pretty much the same... the only difference is that it's more orange than blue.
"Yeah. Very similar and a bit boring, I know," Florian says. Anyways, it's getting pretty dark. I was planning to do my research assignment today, but I guess the trip to the school and the meetup with my old friends took tons of time. I think we'll call it a day here." Florian goes on his bed in his dorm.
"Wait! Then where will I be sleeping?" Lacey says until she suddenly blushes. "W-Wait! Am I going to have to sleep with you on the same bed!?"
"Huh? Oh no, you don't have to. You can probably ask for a temporary dorm in the school or you can find somewhere else to sleep, or you can sleep on the floor," Florian says.
"There's no way I'm sleeping on the cold, hard floor! And I don't feel comfortable at all sleeping with someone else! I'll just get myself a temporary dorm instead," Lacey says as she ushers quickly out the dorm.
As Florian watches Lacey leave his dorm he lays back on the bed wondering about what will happen tomorrow. He then closes his eyes and waits for the next day to arrive.