The two students and teacher were still waiting for Kieran to wake up. Juliana closed her eyes for a small prayer while still holding his head.

Please Kieran. We need you…

She felt her hand squeezed, surprising her. She opened her eyes and looked at Kieran. His eyes twitched and a little groan came out of his mouth. This gave the students and teacher hope.

"He's waking up," said Juliana.

"Come on Kiki… Come back to us." Carmine begged.

Hearing the voices of his sister and Juliana, he opened his eyes just barely. Seconds later, his eyes opened wider.

"Kiki…" Carmine was overjoyed with relief that her little brother was okay.

"Kieran…" Juliana smiled in relief too.

"J-Juliana? Carmine?" Kieran asked in his dazed state but was able to recognize the two girls.

They nodded. "Were here Kiki." Carmine was almost on the verge of tears.

"How are you feeling?" Briar asked.

"Ms. Briar..." Kieran was able to sit up on his own, fully out of his dazed state. "I'm okay…"

"Thank goodness. We were so worried." Juliana couldn't express it enough.

"We thought we lost you, little brother." Carmine added.

"We're relieved that you're well and alright." Briar said her input.

Although he appreciated the kind words, Kieran's thoughts from before that ran through his head. He looked down without facing anyone, worrying the group.

"Kieran? What's wrong?" Juliana asked with worry.

He looked up briefly at everyone. His eyes watered and let out a little whimpering sob. He looked back down in shame. His sobs got a little louder and tears dripped. "I'm…I'm so s-sorry everyone… It's… *Sniffle* It's my fault I *Sniffle* put you all in danger… *Sniffle*" He sniffled and let out more sobs before looking up at the two girls on his left. "Especially you J-Juliana *Sniffle* and you S-Sis…"

Briar had a feeling there was a deeper issue. "Why don't I give you kids a bit of space? Let me know when you're ready to leave." She stood up and stepped aside.

Juliana turned to her three Pokémon and pulled out their poke balls. She had a feeling a little more privacy is needed. "You three return. Thank you for all your help." She recalled them and placed them in her pocket. Now that it was just the three of them, it gave Kieran a chance to say what was on his mind, though he couldn't stop crying and blubbering.

"Kiki, take some deep breaths. We can't understand you with all the blubbering." Carmine calmly suggested while holding his shoulder and occasional rub on his back. Kieran sniffled a few more times but took his sister's advice and breathed deeply a few times. Feeling the back rubs comforted him, quieting his sobbing. Eventually with one final breath, he calmed down and looked at them. He wiped his tears, but still had some in his eyes about to fall.

Juliana did not see anger in his eyes anymore. She saw sadness greater than the amount when she betrayed him in Kitakami. "It looks like there was a lot going on in your head while you were asleep."

Kieran nodded in confirmation. "*Sniffle* There was…" As hard as it was for him to admit, he had to open up. "When I was knocked out… *Sniffle* … All the memories that happened since the school trip flooded in my head. *Sniffle*" He let out a soft sob, "I didn't realize until now how I've been acting towards you two and everyone else *Sniffle* wasn't right… I acted selfish *Sniffle* and downright mean…" He remorsefully faced his sister and cried a little harder.

Carmine turned to Juliana. "Can you give us a minute?"

The Paldean girl nodded. "Take your time." She stood up and joined Briar.

Tears streamed Kieran's face down again, thinking back to a memory he wished he could undo. "Sis I'm… *Sniffle* I'm sorry for pushing you that day *Sniffle*. It was uncalled for. You were just worried about me *Sniffle* *Sniffle* and there's nothing *Sniffle* I can do to *Sniffle* take it back." The regret he felt in his memory with his sister deepened his sadness in his tearful apology.

Carmine couldn't stand seeing her baby brother sad. Her heart ached inside. "Kiki, look at me." Kieran cried for a minute, but he did look her in the eyes. "It's okay. Honestly, the push didn't hurt as much as the thought of losing you. And not just what happened in the Underdepths. You were tired constantly from pushing yourself over the edge every day. You hardly ate or even talked to me. Didn't you feel exhausted?"

Kieran sniffled and admittedly nodded. "Yeah… I did feel sick from the sleepless nights, the cramps in my stomach from not eating. Looking at it now…" He shook his head. "It wasn't worth pushing you away. Especially when I was knocked out, *Sniffle* I kept remembering back when we were little *Sniffle*… How you were always there for me *Sniffle* … Playing together… Standing up to the bullies who hurt me… *Sniffle* … And when I got sick *Sniffle* you were there. *Sniffle* Those memories all reminded me that you cared for me all my life. *Sniffle* I'm sorry for *Sniffle* for being a bad little brother." He closed his eyes and let more tears drip down.

Hearing him open his from the bottom of his heart broke Carmine's, but she knows he's not a bad person. She got closer to him to offer him some much needed comfort. "Come here." She wrapped him in her arms lovingly, and gently squeezed him. Kieran softly gasped and to say he was surprised by his big sister's gesture was an understatement. It was the first time she hugged him in months. It felt warm on the outside and inside. Though hesitant, he tearfully nestled his head in his sister's shoulder and sob couples of times. He put his arms around her back and returned the hug. While holding him, Carmine had something to say. "I'm sorry too…"

"Wha…" Kieran was taken aback by the apology. "You're sorry? *Sniffle* For what?" he asked confusedly.

The older sister took a breath and explained. "For lying to you about discovering Ogerpon. I thought I was protecting you from having your heart broken, but I ended up hurting you instead by not being honest, and I'll be carrying that burden for the rest of my life. I may not be the best big sister," She tightened her hug a little, "But you're my baby brother and don't you dare call yourself a bad one. I love you, Kiki. Since the day you were born, I have loved you. Always have and forever will." She gently placed a few comforting kisses on her brother's forehead to further emphasize her love.

Kieran continued to cry but was touched with relief, hearing and feeling the words 'I love you' from her. "I… I love you too, Sis. *Sniffle* Thanks for being there for me."

"Of course." Carmine rubbed his back to soothe him. "Never forget I'm always there for you when you need me just like I'm here for you now." She told him comfortingly.

Kieran's heart started to heal, and so did his relationship with his older sister. He let a tiny grin appear on his face even if it was just for a second. That was one half of his reconciliation accomplished. He voluntarily gently let go of Carmine and looked up at her. "Can… Can you bring Juliana over here?"

"Sure." Carmine replied yes. She gave him another small kiss on his cheek before standing up and signaled Juliana to come over. The latter nodded back, getting the message and swapped places with the former.

Juliana knelt down to his level to face him properly.

The tears didn't stop, but Kieran wasn't crying to a point of a flood. "Juliana…"

"Yes, Kieran?" Juliana asked anxiously and concerned.

Kieran shakily took a deep breath and spoke. "Listen, I… I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you. I acted so mean to you when you arrived at Blueberry Academy… and I took out all my frustrations on you and Carmine before Terapagos went out of control. But what felt worse was our fight back in Kitakami… *Sniffle*"

"Oh …" Juliana felt sad for him, thinking back to the events.

Feeling a little less hesitant, Kieran opened up the same way he did with his sister, but not without a few sobs and tears. "You were the first person I felt comfortable to be around. *Sniffle* I was really happy when you called me your friend. The school project was fun to do… and you coming to the festival with me was really fun too. But *Sniffle* I ruined our friendship with my jealousy and anger. Speaking of which, I'm sorry for trying to take Ogerpon away from you. *Sniffle* Ogerpon deserved to be your friend… not me." Kieran sobbed and shut his eyes. "I haven't been a good person… *Sniffle* and honestly… it doesn't look like I'll ever be."

"Don't say that." Juliana spoke softly. "That's not true at all." She refused to believe those last words. Like Carmine, Juliana never liked seeing the people she cared most in sadness. She had already witnessed Arven nearly losing his beloved friend, she wasn't going to let Kieran lose someone he cared about too and the same for her. "Kieran, look at me." Kieran took a deep breath and managed to calm down. He looked up at the girl to hear what she had to say. "Listen…" Juliana needed to do what she promised herself when she arrived at Blueberry Academy, have a heart to heart. "I know you and I have been on rocky terms," She sighed, "But I'm the one who needs to be sorry."

"But… But I'm the one who-" Kieran got interrupted by her holding her hand up.

With a sad look in her eyes, Juliana continued explaining. "Back at Kitakami when I first discovered Ogerpon at the festival, I should've told you about her the moment I did, especially since you're the one who personally told me your wish to befriend the ogre. You had every right to be mad at me. You got betrayed by my decision to keep it a secret from you. You even gave me a chance to tell the truth…" She sighed and shook her head in shame, "And I blew it… and when the truth did come out, you were furious and kept your distance from me. That I don't blame you in the slightest. After the school trip was over, you didn't come out and say bye. That's when I started wondering if I'll ever see you again. There hasn't been a day that's gone by where I haven't thought about you or that regretful moment where you got hurt by my deception. I missed you, Kieran. You mean so much to me. More than anything, I just want us to be okay."

Kieran sniffled and looked at Juliana in her eyes. "I missed you too."

"And another thing." Juliana wasn't done yet. "Don't ever call yourself a bad person. You are definitely not by any means."

Kieran sighed sadly. "That's sweet of you to say that, but my actions in the past say otherwise."

"We all make mistakes, Kieran. But I can tell in your eyes that you want to make things right. I see it." Juliana told him empathically.

Kieran agreed with her. "You're right. I do want to change and make things right with not just you but with the League Club and everyone else." He sighed in uncertainty. "It still doesn't help that I can't think of one good thing about myself right now considering everything that happened."

"I can." Juliana thought differently. Suddenly, a certain Pokémon came out.

"Oga."

It was Ogerpon herself. She looked up at Kieran with concern.

Kieran was surprised at this. "Ogerpon?"

"Oga. Ogerpon." The ogre could sense sadness in him, and she wanted to help him. She took her cudgel and with it, she drew something on the ground. It was a heart. She pointed her cudgel at the heart first and then pointed to Kieran. "Ogerpon Oga."

Kieran was a little confused.

Juliana, however, immediately knew what Ogerpon was saying and smiled at him. "Ogerpon says you have a good heart."

This surprised Kieran even more. "R-Really?"

"Ogerpon." Ogerpon said yes and nodded with a smile.

Juliana said her thoughts with comfort. "It's true. The real you, the sweet boy I met in Kitakami…" She placed her hand on his chest and smiled, "Is in there." She went in and hugged him, surprising Kieran. He once again felt the embrace of another girl who cared deeply about him. "You invited me to the festival, and I was honored that you did. It showed your kindness. You're brave too. You took a risk in telling everyone in your village the true story of Ogerpon, and it paid off. You care about Ogerpon just as much as she does about you. She sensed your sadness and wanted to help you. The same goes for me. I wanted to help my friend."

Kieran gasped softly in surprise. "You… You called me your friend?"

Juliana pulled away from the hug to look at his yellow eyes. She kept her smile on her face. "Yes. Because I never stopped being your friend." She went in for another hug, but her smile faded slightly. "I was scared of losing you and that you would lose yourself."

Kieran thought about what she said and thought she was right. "But I did lose myself… I sacrificed my wellbeing and cut myself off from the world."

"But you found yourself again." Juliana's smile returned. "And I'm proud of you. You just need to open your heart and let the people who care about you be there for you. Your family and your friends, both people and pokemon."

Hearing Juliana saying nice things about him along with her encouragement made Kieran realize that perhaps he's better than he thought he was despite his mistakes. A couple of tears came out of his eyes, but not of sadness, but of joy. For the first time in months, a small smile of pure happiness appeared on his face. The smile got a little bigger. He returned the hug and allowed himself to let go of his negative emotions. He pulled away gently to speak to her eye to eye. "Thank you, Juliana. You said what I needed to hear. And you saved my life… twice."

"You're welcome…" Juliana replied. "My dear friend."

"F-Friends…" Kieran chuckled, "I feel all tingly and funny hearing that… Ehehe…"

"Ogerpon!" Ogerpon's happy little chirp got their attention. She jumped for joy. "Ogerpon! Pon! Pon!"

Juliana let out a little laugh. "Ogerpon's happy for you too."

Ogerpon pulled out something from her hood. It was a little piece of white paper folded up and she offered it to Kieran.

"What's this?" Kieran asked as he accepted the little paper. He unfolded it and gasped in surprise. It was a crayon drawing of Juliana, Carmine, and Kieran, standing in a triangle like pattern with Ogerpon in the center. All four of them were surrounded by little pink hearts. "You drew this, Ogerpon?" he asked, extremely touched by the drawing.

"Ogerpon." The female ogre nodded and replied yes.

"Ogerpon drew that to represent our friendship. She's your friend too." Juliana explained.

The little ogre then ran up to the purple haired boy for a hug, surprising him. He let out another little laugh and warmly returned the hug with a smile. "Aw…" Ogerpon pointed to the drawing and then to Kieran. "You're giving the drawing to me?" She nodded back. Touched by the gift, Kieran patted Ogerpon on her head. "Thank you Ogerpon."

Juliana's heart melted at the sight. "I have something for you too." She pulled out three photos from her backpack. "Here."

Kieran accepted the photos and took a closer look at them. The first one was a selfie of the two of them at the first signboard at Loyalty Plaza. Both of them did the peace sign, though Kieran was a bit shy on that first one. The second picture was another selfie of them at Kitakami hall. They did like a jazz hand pose; Kieran was a little into it. The third photo depicted him, Carmine and Juliana at the Festival of Masks. Looking at all three of them and remembering those good times made Kieran's heart grow.

"They're yours to keep. Our memories in Kitakami are something that I'll always treasure, and I hope you treasure just as much."

Kieran nodded back at her and smiled. "I will. Thank you, Juliana. You really lifted me up out of the dark moment I was in." He turned to Ogerpon next. "Thank you too, Ogerpon."

The little ogre jumped for joy. "Ogerpon! Pon! Pon!"

Kieran stored the photos in his jacket and allowed Juliana to help him to stand on his feet. Juliana returned Ogerpon in her poke ball and met up with Carmine and Briar.

"Hey you two." Carmine greeted them. "You feeling better, Kiki?"

"I am. I'm ready to go." Kieran confirmed.

"Me too." Juliana added.

"Well then, time to head back to Unova." Briar led the way out of the cavern and made their long journey back to Unova.

After several hours of traveling, the teacher and students finally made it back to Blueberry Academy.

"Finally. We're home." Carmine was glad to be back.

Briar quickly began thinking about her adventures in Area Zero. "I need to get in touch with Geeta… No scratch that. I need a publisher first!"

At the glint of her eye, Juliana paused her steps and looked at where the sky meets the ocean. Kieran soon noticed his friend wasn't walking beside him. "Juliana?" He met up with her. "What are you looking at?"

"Look over there." She pointed at the sky. A pink light rose above the ocean, revealing a sunrise. Both kids were awed by its beauty. "It's rare that I see sunrises up close. Isn't it beautiful?"

Kieran took a moment to look at the shining pink sky. "It is." He smiled in thought. Just then he wanted to ask something. "Juliana?"

"Yes Kieran?" Juliana asked.

He shyly twirled his loose strand of hair and worked up the question. "Umm… Would you… like to go on a picnic with me in the Coastal Biome?"

She smiled and was really touched by the invitation. "I would love to."

"Heeeey!" Carmine called getting the kids' attention. "We're gonna leave you two behind if you don't hurry up!"

"We're coming!" Juliana replied back before facing Kieran. "Last one to the Coastal Biome is a rotten Exeggcute!" She giggled and took off running.

Kieran smirked cheekily and ran after her. "Hey! No fair getting a head start Juliana!" He laughed a bit and kept chasing her.

With their friendship restored, Juliana and Kieran looked forward into the future with their heads held up high. For them, the memories and bond they share together will always be a treasure.

The End

And that's it for Fallen Low. Kieran and Juliana reconciled and hope their friendship stays strong. Thank you for reading!