The warm water slid soft and warm over every part of his body, taking with it every trace of the soap he had used a few minutes ago. He held his head up, letting the water fall directly onto his face as he ran his hands through his hair that stuck to the skin of his neck, a delicious sensation that relaxed every muscle in his body.
Then he felt two hands that began to caress his sides and his lips began a series of soft kisses that ran along his shoulder and neck.
Kieran laughed, feeling the pleasure and tickling that those caresses caused him, and, pleased by the attention, he turned around to receive his companion's kisses on the lips.
The water continued to fall on both bodies and the steam left a dense fog that made vision difficult, but far from disturbing, this gave them a greater sense of intimacy, emboldening them to increase the intensity of their game. Kieran moved his partner so that he was against the wall, taking control of the situation, before bringing their mouths back together, taking dominance. A hungrier and more demanding kiss was present between them, the caresses also began to be more shameless, some laughter escaped between kisses, but when things began to really heat up Kieran was the one who ended up with a small bite in the lips of other guy.
"Stop, we're at my grandparents' house," he whispered, unable to prevent the laughter from escaping his lips, opening his eyes to look at those of his companion, whose sky color looked back at him with brilliance mischievous.
"Sorry, you're right, I guess I got carried away." The guy in question laughed amused but taking advantage of the moment to give Kieran a quick kiss on his lips before completely separating from him.
"Aoi!" Kieran laughed as the guy ran away from him to grab a towel and take out his snow-white hair.
"Come on, Kieran, I'm excited, I've never been to a mask festival in another region! And besides, it's where your family lives, I'm pretty nervous!"
Kieran shook his head in amusement as he too stepped out of the shower, grabbing his own towel to dry his hair.
"I already told you to stay calm, they liked you, otherwise they wouldn't have let you spend the night in our house, and even less would they let you sleep with me in my room."
"I couldn't tell you, your sister seems to hate me."
"Oh, Carmine hates everyone at first time, then, with a little luck, she'll tolerate you," he shrugged, although a part of him knew that would be a useless hope from the way he saw how Carmine looked at Aoi as soon as he introduced it.
"Will she just tolerate me?"
"She will have no choice, she doesn't have to like you, as long as I like you, she has nothing to say," he whispered with a flirtatious tone of voice, making Aoi raise an eyebrow, returning the smile.
"And you only like me?"
"A lot."
"How much is a lot...?"
"Enough to have a date with you on my favorite festival, in my country and introduce you to my family," he answered, this time approaching Aoi.
"Hmmm, I like how it sounds. You seem to like me a lot ." Aoi whispered in a provocative tone, gladly waiting for Kieran's closeness before he claimed her lips again. "Mmh, didn't you say that we shouldn't do this at your grandparents' house?"
"I think nothing will happen for one or two kisses behind closed doors..."
With a giggle, Aoi approached him again to kiss him and Kieran was already closing his eyes to receive it.
PAM! PAM!
The sound of the bathroom door being slammed completely snapped the two boys out of their reverie, preventing contact from taking place.
"Kieran! Do the damn favor and finish it once and for all in there!" Carmine shouted from outside in an impatient and angry tone.
"I can't believe it..." Kieran grunted, rolling his eyes with boredom.
"And tell that limpet that doesn't leave your side that such dirty things are not done in our grandparents' house!"
"Carmine, leave me alone!" Kieran shouted, red to the ears while Aoi, dying of shame, hid his face in Kieran's shoulder.
"Then hurry up, damn it!" Carmine demanded with another knock on the door, and then listening to the sound of her footsteps walking away from their.
With a sigh, Kieran glanced askance at his partner, who was still hiding his face from him.
"Hey, Aoi, I'm sorry about that..."
"Pffff, that's the most surreal thing I've ever experienced!" Aoi laughed against his shoulder at the embarrassing and funny situation. "So do I still have a chance of Carmine "tolerating" me?"
"No, I'm sorry to tell you that now she hates you more than ever," he returned the smile, relieved that he took that rudeness so well.
"What a pity! But as it is well said, liking you is enough for me... " he said, giving him a quick kiss on his lips before separating from him. "You finish here, I'll go out first and get dressed. I will wait for you in the living room with your grandparents so we can leave together. I'm not even kidding about being alone with your sister now."
Kieran waved goodbye to him before watching him open the door and disappear through it. Taking advantage of being alone again to finish washing himself and then dressing in the yukata, he took his time looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, trying to decide how to tie his hair so that it would look flattering with the new yukata that his grandmother had made for him. He now had his hair a little longer than last year, so he could play around with the type of updo he could do. He started with the simplest thing, a ponytail, but as soon as he saw himself in the mirror, a shiver ran through his body and he immediately discarded it, making his hair fall again over his neck and part of his face. He tried trying other styles, but in the end, he did an updo using clips that cleared his face, but allowed his hair to fall down his neck. He didn't want to keep Aoi waiting too long.
Once he was done, Kieran prepared to get out, mentally preparing himself for the scolding he was going to get from his sister once he set foot outside. But when he came out, he was surprised when who he found was his grandfather, who seemed to be waiting for him.
Yukito looked up and down at his grandson, smiling pleased at how well the yukata that his beautiful wife had made for him looked on him, a black one with red prints in the shape of Ogerpon's mask.
"Look at you, you are already a man, my dear grandson," the man sighed, a little saddened that his youngest grandchild, the youngest in the family, had grown so much. 17 years old, without going any further, he was practically an adult!
"Grandpa! "You're going to make me blush." The young laughed nervously. "Well, now it's your turn to be honest with me. What do you think, Aoi?"
Yukito smiled, nodding.
"He's a good boy, and as long as he makes you happy, he'll be fine with me."
Happy with his grandfather's response, Kieran kissed him on the cheek before going to the living room, without realizing that as he walked away, the old man was erasing his smile.
Upon reaching the living room, Kieran entered ready to announce to his partner that they could leave, but his step stopped short and a cold sensation ran through his veins as soon as he saw Aoi, dressed in a beautiful yukata light blue as the sky, sitting in front of his grandmother, Hideko, at the table in the center of the room, while he held a very familiar turquoise yukata. He exchanged glances with his grandmother, asking her why Aoi had that in his hands, but the poor old woman shook her head, answering that she had nothing to do with it.
"Hey, Kieran, you're here!" Aoi greeted, taking his eyes off the yukata he had in his hands. "Your grandmother was showing me her collection of yukatas, she's very talented! You should have been seen wearing this when you were little! How cute you must have been!"
"That...is a mixed yukata, dear," Hideko corrected, with a troubled expression, discreetly trying to reach it to put it away again.
"Oh, is it from Carmine then? It's hard to think that she would have ever been so small" Aoi was surprised, bringing the yukata closer to him to see it better, frustrating the old woman's attempt to get it back.
Then, as if his body moved on its own and barely saying anything, Kieran snatched the yukata from his hands. With Aoi's bewildered eyes following him, Kieran folded the yukata again before stuffing it into the closet at the back of the room. Once done and closing the closet door somewhat abruptly, he turned to look at him with a radiant smile.
"It's just an old piece of cloth. Do you think we should go to the festival?" Kieran asked.
"Ah...sure, let's go." Aoi agreed, disconcerted by that strange behavior. "Madam, I'm very sorry if I have been invasive."
"Oh, dear, you don't have to worry. Carmine had to get so excited that she wanted to show off her grandmother's talent," Hideko pointed out, taking a look at her granddaughter who was near the exit door, leaning her back against the wall while she saw what was happening.
Kieran, with a fierce gaze, fixed his sharp eyes on his sister who, impassive to the way he looked at her, snorted and rolled her eyes without changing her posture.
What the hell had Carmine intended to do with that?!
The elderly couple, wanting to give the young people some space, decided to go to the mask festival a little later. Although the trip to the cultural center was uncomfortable due to Kieran' bad mood, Aoi's confusion, and Carmine's strange silence, upon arrival, the colorful atmosphere, aromas, and lights seemed to soften the mood a little, especially when Aoi , with a bright look, couldn't decide which stalls to visit first.
"Arceus, everything smells so good! Where to go first? Do I buy noodles...? No! A Pipplup mask! No, no, no, I better see if I can win a Dragonite stuffed animal for my little brother!" Aoi exclaimed, totally fascinated by what he saw, wanting to go to all the places at once, moving forward to see if he achieved the goal of he.
A moment that Kieran took advantage of to take his sister by her arm and look at her with a hard expression.
"What was the point before?"
"What do you mean by that, Kiki?"
"Don't call me that, Carmine, and you know what I mean," Kieran growled, furious to the point of clenching his teeth.
"As far as I know, it is no crime to show the works that our grandmother is capable of creating, you know, she is very talented, as Aoi said!" she shrugged her shoulders, with a mocking tone at the end of the phrase.
"And you expect I to believe that when it's more than clear that you don't like Aoi?" He hissed.
"I don't know what you want me to tell you..."
"Tell me the truth, why did you have to show him Juliana's yukata?!"
Carmine stared at him for a few seconds, before answering.
"That yukata is not Juliana's. As you said, it's an old piece of cloth, an old piece of cloth that both you and I have used at masquerade festivals before she arrived."
"Do not play the fool, Carmine, we gave it to her and she took it to Paldea, it's hers!"
"We gave it to her but she also gave it back to us, remember?" She counterattacked, seeing how her brother's expression broke down.
The same expression that Carmine remembered him having made when, two years ago, the family received a package by mail from Paldea that contained the same yukata that Juliana had worn during the mask festival but that she had never returned until that moment. An expression that could not otherwise be read as that of someone whose heart had been broken.
"And you intend to ruin Aoi's visit with that? Do you dislike her so much that you can play so dirty?"
"How can a yukata ruin that, Kiki? "It doesn't mean anything to him," Carmine questioned back, crossing her arms, leaving Kieran not knowing how to respond to that. "But we both know that if it means anything to anyone, it's to you."
"Why the hell are you doing this to me, Carmine...?" He asked then, with anguish settling in his throat. "I'm here because I wanted to have a good time with Aoi, why is that so much trouble for you?"
"I don't care how many partners you have, Kieran, I will be the first to congratulate you on that but what I am not going to participate in is that you take it as far as involving them with our family."
"What do you mean by that...? Now does it bother you that I introduce my partner to our family?"
"It bothers me because you bring a guy to our grandparents' house that you have only been dating for four months and who has only come to Blueberry Academy for six months. For what, Kieran? Why involve him with us when you and I know that as soon as he returns to his house, your relationship with him will be over?"
Annoyed, because that was true, he was quick to counterattack:
"And does that seem like a reason to do this to me? You didn't put any obstacles with Juliana when we brought her to our grandparents' house!"
"Juliana wasn't your girlfriend, stupid!" Carmine exclaimed, soon realizing that that truth stung her brother but, unable to stop, she continued. "She wasn't mine either. She was just a girl who came camping with her classmates and she became our friend, we offered her hospitality so she could get to know our local festival and our country, a girl who only stayed for how long? one or two weeks? Do you really expect that to be the same as in this case with Aoi, that you have formally introduced him as your boyfriend and that you have brought him from our school?"
Obfuscated, Kieran shook his head, fighting the urge to hit something, but he didn't want to cause a scene in front of so many people, much less in front of Aoi, it was supposed to be a day to have fun! But his sister, as always, had to find a way to ruin his plans.
And the worst thing is that he couldn't blame her for not being right. He liked Aoi a lot and had had a great time with him during the time they had been dating, but one thing is true and that is that their relationship was going nowhere and Kieran knew that from the moment he asked him out. Yes, introducing him to their grandparents as his partner had been a bad move on his part, knowing the importance of introducing a partner to the family, especially the older ones. It was stupid on his part, but he really wanted to enjoy the mask festival of his beloved Mossui Town again and, at the same time, take advantage of the time he had left with Aoi, so he did the crazy thing to take him with him to Kitakami. This knowing that once Aoi returned to his region of origin, they would lose contact until they disappeared completely, and Kieran was not willing to maintain a long-distance relationship either.
"You may be right and it may have been a mistake to bring him here, but it's already done and I will give the necessary apologies later, but now I would like to be able to have a good time with the person who is with me now, or is that also wrong...?"
"You can believe it or not, but I'm trying to help you, Kiki, because although I agree that it's not bad that you have someone to have a good time with, what's bad is that you use them, and in the process us, to bury that. that you and I know.
Kieran, unable to help himself, gave Carmine a push. Surprised, she almost fell to the ground unless she was able to regain her balance and looked at her brother in disbelief. Had her brother really just pushed her?
"Mind in your own business, Carmine, being my sister doesn't give you the right to meddle in mine, and if you do something like that again, you and I will have a problem!" he warned furiously before turning around and going to look for Aoi, leaving Carmine behind with a shocked and defeated expression.
Kieran had to take a few minutes to calm down and try to find Aoi among all those people. The truth is that this year the festival was more crowded than usual! He wondered if the incident with the Loyal Three had been the cause of that result. Arceus, was so angry with Carmine! She was always getting in where she wasn't called and interfering in his affairs, always bringing up the same topic as if he couldn't live on his own.
He had improved a lot since that fateful day. Little by little he had managed to get his life at the academy back to normal, not to what it was before, but to having a normal life for any student. He had managed to make some friends. He had his coaching license restored last year. He was studying to access the university degree that he liked. Even now he was happy in a relationship with a good guy who, although temporary, was bringing him well-being. Why then did Carmine have to come and ruin everything by putting the past back on the table when he left it behind?
He raised his head, trying to find the guy and forget about the unpleasant argument he had had with Carmine, being able to see him from afar talking to the mask seller. More relaxed for having located him, Kieran began walking to meet him, ready to have a good time and teach him many things about the festival.
Until something bright green was caught in the corner of his eye and made his stop in his tracks.
He turned to look, and as he did so, his heart skipped a beat when, in the distance, he could see a familiar silhouette walking slowly, dressed in a cape and hood made of leaves and plants covering a plump body, with long, wooden legs...and a large club that he dragged along the ground.
Kieran felt his throat go dry.
Ogerpon?!
Without thinking twice and forgetting about everything else, Kieran ran, following the Pokémon that was leaving the hustle and bustle of the festival, apparently heading towards Mossui Town.
Kieran ran after his as fast as his legs could carry him, even losing his ogre mask at some point along the way, something he didn't even care about, trying by all means not to lose sight of the Pokémon, however, ven though she was going at a slow pace, it seemed like she was way ahead of him, to the point where Kieran lost sight of her several times before locating her again a few minutes later and resuming the chase.
Until he finally saw her turn the corner of the Peachy´s.
Kieran quickened his pace, trying to catch up her, but once she turned the corner, he found himself alone. The dark street, the store closed for the festival, the noise in the distance, but here only an empty, gloomy, lifeless space, as if only ghosts could be there at that moment.
Ogerpon had disappeared...
But has she even really been there?
He clenched his fists at that intrusive thought.
Ogerpon can't be here.
Kieran bit his bottom lip.
Of course she can't be here, she's far away. She is in Paldea. With her.
Suddenly his body began to shake, his eyes stung and a lump in his throat made it harder for his to breathe than the rush he had had a few minutes ago.
Juliana is not here and she will not spend another mask festival with me again.
With that reality hitting him, Kieran lowered his head, with his hair covering his eyes and revealing his teeth clenched tightly, while a river of tears began to flow down his cheeks and were lost somewhere on the floor, his lament getting lost in the background darkness, while shouts of joy continued to echo through the festival.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/
Kieran was angry. So angry.
But most of all, he was frustrated, nothing was going the way he wanted!
It had been a few days since he had arrived at the Naranja Academy, several days in which he had finally seen Juliana again after seven years of not seeing her.
Well, it hadn't been the most beautiful reunion of all time, but the truth was that it hadn't been the worst scenario that Kieran had come to recreate in his head. And the good thing about that is that he could be sure of one thing and that is that Juliana did not hate him as he had feared but the bad part is that she was reluctant to be in his company.
And she was making it clear to him by staying away from him as much as possible like he was the plague!
He could barely exchange two words with her when they went together to have breakfast with her friends, and to make matters worse they didn't even sit down to eat together. Juliana had gone to sit between Penny and Arven, while Nemona was sitting in front of her, a deliberate move on her part to be surrounded by her friends, so Kieran had to take a seat next to Nemona, it was the most that he could sit near Juliana.
Kieran being of a shy nature, he dedicated more to listening than to participating in the conversations that the group of friends were having, he could not deny that that part of himself found it more difficult to be in social environments. Juliana was the only one he knew, they hadn't seen each other in a long time and the last time they saw each other was a real tragedy. But it was a good opportunity to simply observe the situation and analyze what his chances were of becoming close to Juliana again.
Nemona monopolized a large part of the conversation, asking all kinds of questions regarding the expedition that Arven and Juliana had made, which, to be honest, they could barely answer or were interrupted mid-sentence. Arven was the one who tried to put up the most battle with Nemona who, as Kieran had already learned by this point, was crazy about battles, not just about Pokémon, about battles in general...so the fact that Arven tried to keep up with her, well, she took it very personally.
During breakfast, Kieran took advantage of the fact that he was in the background to observe Juliana, and hoped that she would also return her gaze, searching again for that connection they had had in the Cooking classroom. Juliana, for her part, seemed to try hard not to make eye contact, trying to concentrate on sharing her ice cream with Penny or Arven, and scolding Nemona when she stole a bite from it. But Kieran could see that sometimes she would look back at him for a second before looking away from him again. He liked that, the feeling of not being indifferent to her was more pleasant than he would have expected.
But it all ended after that breakfast, Juliana dedicated a few more words to him, advice on how to get around the academy or places of interest that he could visit, remaining in the role of treating him as if he were just one of her fans, they even took a photo together, but as soon as they separated it was an impossible mission to get back together and Kieran was furious with that.
He was involved in organizing the expedition to Area Zero, while Juliana seemed to have her own affairs apart from her, one that was apparently incompatible to make them coincide even in the cafeteria. Kieran had tried to provoke the meetings but the Academy was huge! And once he separated from Juliana the first time, he was no longer able to know where to look for her beyond waiting for her in the cafeteria or in the Recreation Area when she was having some battle (most of them with Nemona, by the way, seriously? woman never got tired?). If only he knew where her room was...
"How long do you plan to continue making that unpleasant expression of a rabid Poochyena?" someone next to him asked, which made him startle and, when he looked, he found the hard expression of Penny, who was holding some papers in her hands.
"Sorry, I was thinking about some things.." he excused.
"Do any of them have to do with Area Zero?"
"Maybe..." he answered, looking at her out of the corner of his eye but finding that a good opportunity to ask. "In fact, there are some questions I would like to ask you."
Penny raised an eyebrow, with an expression of intrigue and distrust, not that she was very excited about spending too much time with that guy, but seeing that this seemed to have to do with work, she let out a sigh before taking a seat across from Kieran.
"Ok, you say..."
"Well, according to what teacher Briar told me, you and Nemona were at Area Zero a few years ago."
At this mention, Penny narrowed her eyes, almost as if she had become alert and preparing to blurt out something unpleasant if the next thing she was going to hear was not to her liking.
"Yes, that is correct," she answered slowly, with a warning tone.
"You and Nemona were still just teenagers when you went down there, and while Nemona already had her title as champion, at that time you were just another student at the Naranja Academy, and neither of you had permission from Pokémon League to go, so what made you want to go down there?"
Penny let out a small sarcastic laugh.
"Have you never done anything stupid when you were a teenager?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders, as if surprised that Kieran couldn't deduce something so obvious. "You haven't been here long, but I think you've already realized what it's like Nemona and how far her obsession with Pokémon battles goes.
"Yes, I've already gotten an idea..." Kieran whispered, intertwining his fingers and resting his elbows on the table, staring at Penny, as if challenging his with his gaze. "Will you tell me that this has to do with your...thing stupid of teenager?"
"The story is short; Nemona became obsessed with going to the bottom of the Great Crater of Paldea after hearing for so long that there were wild Pokémon down there that were exceptionally rare and, above all, strong, just the way she likes them. Don't you think she's capable of doing the crazy thing of going there? just because she wanted to fight strong Pokémon?"
"And what about you then, Penny?" Kieran asked, fixing his golden eyes on her.
"Me? I was just the fool who let herself be dragged along by her crazy friend." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders again. "Nemona was convinced that an experience like that would bring us closer together, and before I realized it, I was already trapped with her in what deeper than Area Zero.
"How interesting," Kieran whispered, however, his comment sounded more like he didn't believe anything she was telling him, especially because Kieranhad certain information. "And tell me, what did you find there below?"
"The famous Pokémon Paradox that we have heard so much about, primitive-looking Pokémon that are nothing like anything I have ever met. And also some observation units that the researchers from the team that Professor Sada directed."
Bingo!
"Curious that you mention Professor Sada, wasn't she your friend Arven's mother?"
At the mention of her friend, Penny tensed and her eyes once again took on a distrustful expression.
"I see you've done your homework, Kieran, but if you've spoken to principal Clavell then you have to know the answer."
He nodded.
"Professor Sada was a great eminence in her area, Principal Clavell had a lot of appreciation for her, and in her time she was one of the brightest students at the Naranja Academy," Kieran commented, taking a sheet of paper and waving it lazily in the air. "Having someone like that as a mother, it is possible that Arven's life could not be very easy."
"That has nothing to do with what you asked."
"It has everything to do with it... because you and Nemona went to Area Zero, where the research center where Professor Sada was doing research was. I really can't think that maybe Arven wouldn't be very happy that you went to the place where his teacher worked. mother without him?"
"Arven did not know that we were in Area Zero, it was all a hasty decision by Nemona in which I found myself dragged. You may have noticed but Arven is not a man given to adventure beyond the search for the perfect ingredients for any recipe that occurs to him."
"Neither are you, Penny, since from what I know, you already had the people of the Pokémon League on you for having hacked their league points for... some kind of secret operation?"
This time Penny did tense her shoulders. How much did this idiot know? She looked into those golden eyes, intense like those of a reptilian Pokémon about to pounce on his prey, and she immediately felt intimidated by them. This guy was a danger, and if she let him get too deep, he would get them into trouble.
"The questions are over."
-"Penny..."
"I said that I are finished, it is already late and I have lost interest in this conversation. If you'll excuse me, I'll go back to my room, we'll continue this another day."
Without waiting for him to say anything, Penny gathered all of her belongings before practically running out of there, as if she were fleeing from a predator, leaving Kieran in that lonely library, with the crackling sound of the fireplace as background noise.
Kieran sighed exhausted once Penny was out of sight, and had to scold himself for pushing her too hard, as he suspected, while Penny was a competent strategist, she wasn't good at direct confrontation; she seemed like more of the type to she gave orders in the shadows, and not being on the front line of battle. But at least this conversation with her had begun to clarify some things for him, and it was obvious that Nemona and Penny had not gone to Area Zero alone.
He looked at the time, it was late but he still wasn't sleepy, maybe he could still take the opportunity to get some work done. He got up from the chair with his papers, and went to settle into the orange velvet armchairs that were near the fireplace and continued reviewing the notes he had while mentally reviewing his recent conversation with Penny.
The possibility that Arven had also gone simply because his mother's lab was deep in the Great Crater was something Kieran had left on the table just to see Penny's reaction, and it seemed to pay off. It wasn't a confirmation at all, but it was easy to guess if he said that Arven had gone with them to Area Zero.
What he couldn't find was the reason why the three of them had to go down there. Arven could have personal reasons, but the other two did not see the point in doing it, no matter how convincing Nemona's supposed motivation to face strong Pokémon was, because although Nemona was a complete fan of combat, Kieran had been able to realize she had a strong predilection for battles against other trainers, with Pokémon raised and trained by people, and not so much with wild Pokémon. Nemona wouldn't have thought of going to Area Zero herself, much less dragging someone like Penny with her, just to fight wild Pokémon, not when there were many strong trainers on the surface much closer to her reach.
"Then why would those three want to go there...?" He questioned himself.
The three trainers were very different from each other, with different tendencies, behaviors and personalities. What was it that would unite those three to end up going to such a dangerous place together without the permission of the Pokémon League?
"Juliana..."
Her name came out as if by inertia between his lips, almost surprising himself that he had made a connection. For a second he wanted to shake his head, denying that possibility, even if Juliana had the tendency to get into all the trouble in the world and come out of it unscathed, getting into the Great Crater of Paldea was too much even for her. What's more, why would she even go...?
Then the image of the enormous Koraidon came to her head.
With some haste, thinking that he was close to a clue, he searched through the papers that he now had spread across the sofa, finding the document in which the report of Professor Saba's investigations appeared. A list of the Paradox Pokémon that had gone through his research, including one that stood out among the rest; Winged King.
Professor Sada's greatest success in bringing those Pokémon Paradox to our world, her great pride and joy. A Pokémon that had all the requirements to be an excellent combatant that would have ruled the rest of the creatures in its time with a body that was perfectly adapted to any environment, be it sea, air, rocky roads, the king of Paradox Pokémon. An ancestor of Cyclizar...
That made him remember that Juliana had a Cyclizar, which she named Genzaidon...
Koraidon and Genzaidon...
The past and the present.
Kieran wanted to laugh in disbelief that he hadn't been able to notice that detail. When he met Juliana, she already had Koraidon with her, for him it was surprising to meet such a cool Pokémon that he had never seen before but afterwards he never wondered why he had never encountered another Koraidon with another person or in the wild.
For Koraidon, or Winged King as he would actually be, had long since disappeared and, in his place, the zones where he had ruled as king was now occupied by his descendants, the Cyclizar.
Koraidon was one of those Paradox Pokémon, linked to the Pit of Paldea, to Professor Albora. That gave Juliana a reason to go down there if she was even the slightest bit curious about the origin of the Pokémon that accompanied her. Maybe you had more than one reason that linked Koraidon to Area Zero... maybe the teracrystals?
However, how had Koraidon, as valuable as he was to Saba, ended up in Juliana's hands?
Then the sound of footsteps caught Kieran's attention, and he looked up from the papers, puzzled that there would be someone hanging around the library at that hour.
He almost choked on his own oxygen when he saw a blueish hair that he knew so well appear from the stairs.
Juliana?!
TO BE CONTINUE. Maybe.