Time for some familiar faces and some answers! Chapter 9!

Chapter 9

A Familiarity

No one said anything when they returned to camp, a fact that immediately bummed Nemona out. Neither Juliana nor Arven sought to correct that stance, sitting in silence with their minds mired in fog. Though she tried to turn away, the vines and the general sensation still laid thick, each emotion roiling about in her chest. Combined with the earlier events of the evening, all Juliana and the Pokémon with her could do was eat silently, watching as the cabbie took his rest.

Night deepened around them, but Juliana found herself unable to shut her eyes. Instead, she found her hands roving over her parents' papers, wondering if there was any connection or clue inside that could present reference to it. She found nothing, though, her mind only remaining unsettled as she thought of how to try and resolve it in her brain.

Come morning, nothing much was resolved as they packed up, preparing to make it to Mesagoza by lunch.

"Seriously, you guys aren't saying anything still?" Nemona said. The pout tug at her lips, an action that matched neither her Sprigatito, nor her steadfast partner in Pawmot, her ace Pokémon making a rare appearance at breakfast. "I know something happened last night, so why won't you talk about it?"

"It was nothing. Definitely doesn't concern you," Arven answered. Juliana could feel his eyes on her back, their shared experience and thoughts of what was to come next resting between them.

"Feels like it does, the way you two are acting."

"There was no battle involved," Juliana finally spoke, her voice groggy from the lack of sleep. She rubbed at her eyes, beginning to load her bag inside the cab. With a stoop, she began to enter, allowing extra room for Wattrel, who refused to leave her head. "You would have been bored."

"Hey…" Something changed in the tone of Nemona's voice, but it wasn't followed up on. She simply stood outside for a few minutes, waiting until everyone else had boarded the cab. An audible sigh later, and she was inside, the cab rising to bright and shining sky.

There were no storms today, whatever had been out there the previous night now dissipated into nothingness. As a result, the rest of the journey was smooth sailing, their cab crossing over the fields that stretched all the way to Los Platos and led right to the river that encircled Mesagoza. It came closer with every second, and soon the cab descended to a designated landing spot, where others were arriving and departing with their own Squawkabilly taxis.

"Mesagoza, back at last," Arven said, stretching as he exited the vehicle. "There'll be plenty of restocking to do."

"Wouldn't help to do a bit of prep work first," Juliana suggested, stretching her own limbs. Nemona, also emerging, said nothing. "Let me guess: you're jetting off to your next Gym battle as soon as possible, right?"

"Hm?" The pensive reply took Juliana aback, but she appreciated the relative silence. "Yeah, something like that. Not looking forward to the stairs, though."

"They're not too bad," Arven said in turn. He whipped around, walking backwards to the center of Mesagoza with a grin. "Come on, we can halve the trouble if we climb it together. Let's go!"

Arven's enthusiasm managed to buoy all of them, setting aside their personal grievances to begin the march back to school. It was obvious from minute movements on his face that the night before still weighed on him, forcing him to put on a face for everyone, but Juliana found she could appreciate it all the same. With a wave, she beckoned Koraidon on, and he followed right after, Quaxly and Nymble sticking alongside him.

Wattrel remained firmly planted on her head.

"You're coming with, huh?"

"Ttrrrell…" His lazy answer proved what she had seen the night before; he really did go wherever he liked.

"Well, guess you can stick around long as you want," she said, patting him on the head before leading the march after Arven. She couldn't stop the second, far nastier, thought from entering her head first, though. I'm sure you'll leave sooner or later.

Wattrel chirped in appreciation, nestling in on her head, and they began the first climb to the square of Mesagoza. Juliana looked around, trying to take in the square since she had last been in the city. Not much appeared to have changed, with all the same shops and boutiques set in the wide circle that surrounded the great battle court. To everyone's surprise, Nemona didn't even comment on it, still fuming over her exclusion from the night before. That just gave more time for observation, from the bookstores to the florist and even to the ice cream stand where some kids were. One, from a distance, looked like Hanna, but Juliana didn't spare a second glance at it.

Her eyes were more drawn to the immediate, gaudiest building she'd ever seen. So stunned by it she was that she stopped walking entirely.

"What is this supposed to be?"

"Ah, I see a lady of refined culture has spotted us! What a fortuitous fancy of fate this is!" Juliana blinked, wondering where the voice was coming from, only to realize it belonged to a man sweeping right outside the building. His blue hair clashed with the overly magenta sheen of the storefront, but the smile on his face was real enough as he approached. "You've stumbled upon only the finest beauty studio this side of Paldea. We're a new establishment, but willing to take on students of all kinds."

"So long as ya pay da entry fee."

"Wobbuffet!"

"Meowth, I'm trying to make a customer and applicant here! Don't go scaring them off with talk of finagled finances!" the man snapped at his companions. Juliana blinked again. She wasn't alone, Arven slowly turning back while Nemona's mouth dropped open. All three of them pointed straight at the Meowth at the entrance to the building, his arms folded.

"Is that a talking Meowth?!"

"Wobb…" sighed the great blue lug that was a Wobbuffet. He wasn't alone, the blue-haired man twitching.

"See, now, Meowth?! Now they only care about your ability to speak!"

"You'd tink people would be used to it by now. We've been at da business for five years!"

"It's a new region!" the man snapped back, nearly coming to blows when the door to the studio flew open and someone else stepped out.

Her long, magenta hair flowed down until it tapered off, and her lips shined as red as her hair. Green earrings glittered like pearls and a dress, surprisingly elegant despite some mismatched elements, gave her an air of regality and authority that towered over the man and the two Pokémon. For a moment, she might have almost looked like Serena in terms of radiance.

Then she happened to open her mouth.

"James, what are you lollygagging about with! You're supposed to be out getting customers!" The blue-haired man, James, looked just about ready to pop a vessel at the very suggestion. "You have handed out the flyers saying we were the Number Two school in Galar, right?"

"Jessie…" James growled before throwing his broom down and rounding on the woman. "This is your school, too! You do some of the work!"

"But I do the teaching!"

"Jess, da only teachin' ya do is showin' everyone how to make everyone else do da work," Meowth said. Wobbuffet had a fervent nod in agreement.

"And I'm very successful at it, Meowth! Don't you forget it!" she snapped, reaching down to pull at his whiskers, only to receive a scratch across the face. "Now, where are my customers?"

"Well, we could have had one, but then you appeared," James said, gesturing over to the trio of students that were still staring with equal parts confusion and fascination at Meowth. Jessie blinked. Then blinked again. Then she grabbed James.

"Why didn't you say so already?!" She shook him violently for a few moments. Then, realizing she was being watched, she let go and cleared her throat. "Well then, onlookers of all types and creeds, prepare for trouble and don't be a fool."

"Make it double, we've opened a new school!"

"To protect the world from uneducated masses!"

"To unite this region from… Jessie, do we really still need the motto?"

"James has a point," Meowth agreed. Jessie sulked, her arms folded as she glared at the duo challenging her. Juliana's mind simply started catching up.

"How else do we get students, then? Huh? I don't see you having any ideas!"

"Uh…we already are students," Juliana butted in, finding it almost painful to watch the conversation continue further. "At the Academy."

The trio paused, looking at the younger ones, then up to the Academy, and finally back again. There was a pregnant pause, one in which their minds could be seen working furiously. Then, their bodies slumped against each other, an attempted pose falling flat. Jessie was the first to complain. "Of course…stupid Academy taking all our prospects."

"Maybe tryin' to set up a satellite school in Paldea ain't our brightest idea," Meowth said.

"It certainly hasn't been successful so far," James agreed.

"Wobb wobba…"

"Maybe we should just kidnap students. Would at least get people's attention," Jessie snapped, glaring at the pavement like she could burn a hole in it. The longer she did, the more Juliana started to believe that she actually could. She started to feel bad for them, realizing they had a point about the Academy's overwhelming monopoly on education in Paldea.

"Don't tell me you three are falling for your worst habits again."

"Pika pika…"

Revulsion. Horror. Utter joy. A whole myriad of emotions passed over the group's faces at the newest voice, one that drew attention to it like a magnet. After that wave of expressions came and went, however, James sighed. "Of course, the twerp is here…"

"I thought you guys knew, since Serena mentioned you were thinking of expanding."

"Hi, Rocket Guys!"

"Pi-ika…" At the sound of the younger voice, Juliana changed the inclination of her head to look lower. She hadn't been hallucinating at all, and standing before them was Hanna. At her feet was an older Pikachu, still in his prime but looking seasoned as he scolded the little girl. Trailing up, Juliana could see the girl clasping a Vanillite cone in one waving hand, while the other held a larger hand, this one belonging to a man that she could assume was her father, Serena's husband.

"But Pikachu, they look sad. I'm cheering them up like mama!"

"Great, even the twerp's twerp is taking pity on us… I'm getting wrinkles," Jessie groaned in despair. Meowth scoffed.

"Jess, you had dose for da last fifteen years."

"Say it again, you ungrateful cat!"

Their squabble went ignored as Juliana pivoted her attention to the older man holding his daughter's hand. On closer inspection, she definitely matched him well, both having somewhat similar builds (regardless of Hanna's young age) and an almost exact, matching hair color. The only thing that differentiated them was the man's birthmarks, looking like Zs on his cheeks that his daughter did not share, opting instead for her mother's bright, blue eyes. He was also wearing a hat while she was not, a hat that bore a Poké Ball symbol, while upon his breast looked like the symbol of the League. The picture finally completed itself when the Pikachu jumped back on his shoulder and took a lick of the ice cream he offered.

In that moment, Hanna turned and saw her. She began to tug at her father. "Daddy, daddy, look! It's the girl with Auntie Gloria!"

"What? Where?!" His surprise was almost enthusiastic, as if it was a sense of wonder and curiosity that had not dulled with age. His daughter tug further at him and pointed him straight at the keychain on Juliana's bag. For the briefest of moments, his face went crestfallen. "Oh, I thought you meant you actually saw Auntie Gloria. Ah, Hanna!"

"Ooh, you got more Pokémon!" Hanna cheered, circling around Koraidon while Juliana tracked her movements, her eyebrow continually arching. Quaxly, having recognized her praise from earlier, stood tall with pride. Hanna pointed at him, and then at all the others. "I like this one! And this one! Oh, this one, too! Daddy, when do I get mine?"

"When mommy and I decide what you won't burn the house down with," the man muttered, but he continued to smile at his daughter. Pikachu shook his head.

"Pikapi."

"Oh yeah! You're right, Pikachu. Totally forgot to introduce myself," the man said with a laugh that seemed to infect the air. It wasn't enough to stop Jessie and Meowth from tussling, but James and Wobbuffet took it as a chance to start dragging them back inside. "You obviously know Hanna. But I'm-"

"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!" Nemona's sudden screeches, a complete one-eighty from her earlier silence, made every eye turn to her, and cut every conversation short. Arven leaned over, himself now joining the eyebrow-raising brigade. Considering Nemona was stock still, pointing at the man and close to hyperventilation, there was really no other response.

"Nemona, you okay there?" he asked.

"Okay?! Okay?! I'm better than okay! This is…this is a dream! You're…you're…you're Ash Ketchum!"

"Who?" Juliana asked, hearing Arven's voice right alongside hers. The man, Ash, reached up and scratched at his nose. He laughed again, a warbling chuckle that told Juliana that despite his fame, he clearly wasn't used to that level of quick recognition.

"Yup, that's me. And this is my partner-"

"Pikachu! The best Pikachu in the whole world!" Pikachu quickly shared in his trainer's embarrassment. "He's toppled Leagues and eaten Legendary Pokémon for breakfast! Ah, his battle against the Champion Diantha was nothing short of legendary, itself! I studied every moment of it."

"Of course, you did…" Juliana muttered, turning away to watch Hanna tugging at Koraidon's ears. He didn't seem to mind.

"You're like…like my role-model!" Nemona shouted. It was loud enough that some passersby threw her some annoyed looks, but she didn't appear to care much. Not even when some towards the stairs to school stopped completely, staring right at their group and beginning to walk straight towards them. "The way you shifted your team with every League inspired my own training! It's brilliant! Muy brillante! And, and, and is it true? Your Greninja really does that transformation thing?! I have a picture of it at home. Well, more like an artist's interpretation of it, but still! It's sooo cool!"

"Uh, thanks," Ash said, now rubbing the back of his head, an action mimicked by Pikachu. "I wasn't aware I was all that known in Paldea."

"I'm pretty sure you're just known to Nemona, to be honest. Well, at least to that degree," Arven said. It put Ash's attention on him for a moment, but Nemona's presence was all-consuming, not even affording a chance to speak their names before she was right in front of Ash, hands clasped in fervent wish.

"I can't believe I got to meet you. The videos don't do you or your Pikachu justice. Ah, I gotta shake your hand! No! No! I gotta battle you! Right now! Please?!" Nemona's predictable response stirred boredom in Juliana, her gaze drifting up to the Academy. Their arrival was already being delayed enough.

"Trel?" Having almost forgotten Wattrel was there, Juliana looked up at the bird and his question. She shrugged.

"Don't ask me, Wattrel. I get the feeling we'll be here for a while."

It was a feeling confirmed not seconds later when Ash stretched his grin wider. "A battle, huh? Feels like it's been a while."

"Daddy, you battled yesterday. Mama told me."

"Urk… Well, what mama doesn't know won't hurt her. Pikachu's up for it, right?" Pikachu flexed his muscles, leaping down to the ground and sparking his cheeks in challenge. Atop Juliana's head, Wattrel sparked as well. They really were going to be here a while.

"Ash, please tell me you're not getting into random battles. I applaud the enthusiasm, but you are here on League business, not a usual adventure." This voice took all aback, the lot of them never having realized that the people who had walked towards them before had actually stopped near them. And once they did, all of the students stood up just a little straighter. Not at the one who spoke, but at the one who stood behind the woman who did.

"La Primera!" Nemona gasped out. She looked ready to die of a heart attack, and this time Juliana didn't need to be told why.

"Nemona, a pleasure as always. I hear you're retaking Victory Road. Are these your friends?" The second woman had said it in a cool voice, superseding her companion thanks to her known presence across Paldea. Walking with her hands behind her back, hidden by her voluminous hair, the woman cut a striking figure that all who passed by her knew. From her trimmed suit to her charming face, she was the epitome of all Paldea had to offer as Chairwoman of both the Academy and the Pokémon League.

"Just fellow travelers, Miss Geeta," Arven said, offering a bow to the woman. No, rather to the Champion who cast a warm smile at both of them.

"It's nice to hear Nemona's traveled with someone, regardless. Last I remember, you took the Gyms on solo," Geeta said, inclining her head towards Nemona. The girl turned bashful, silence taking her once again in the presence of so many idols. Now that they were all here, Juliana could feel their presence, too, brief moments of memory coming back to her, like the Pikachu that downed a Charizard, and the woman with long blonde hair who had been a feature on many archeology talk shows of late. "And speaking of Gyms, Mr. Ketchum, I do believe you never reported in regarding the Alfornada Gym Inspection."

"I mean, I was getting there…" Ash said, his body drooping. Both he and Pikachu looked disappointed in their loss of a battle, but quickly picked up their stride. "Hanna wanted to go for ice cream."

"Daddy wanted some, too!"

"Don't tell them that!" Ash motioned to the pair of women, earning some giggles from his daughter. Clearly defeated, he straightened himself with a frown. "But seriously, I was getting to it. I've gotten a lot better at the paperwork, so I don't need a babysitter, Cynthia."

The other woman, her name and role coming back to Juliana with a snap, folded her arms, a bit of drool coming from her mouth as she stared at the ice cream. It didn't stop her from speaking. "I'm not here to babysit you, Ash. I'm retired."

"So is Alder, but you don't see him following me to Paldea." Cynthia didn't say anything to that. Juliana was convinced it wasn't because she didn't have anything to say, though. She had the sharpest feeling that the previous Champion of Sinnoh and well-known star in the research of ancient history was more consumed with finding the ice cream stand. "And besides, it's not like I'm totally slacking off. I think battling people involved with the Gym challenge here is important as part of the job."

"Pika pika, pikachu!"

"Well, I won't say you're wrong, especially against a trainer of Nemona's caliber. She's the youngest to ever reach Champion Rank here in Paldea."

"La Primera! You'll make me blush!" Nemona was cradling her own face, swaying back and forth. The conversation was starting to be lost on Juliana, but her eyes focused on Cynthia, the distracted blonde-haired woman still searching. For some reason, she felt the odd one out, the only retired Champion of the bunch, and Juliana's curiosity piqued. She moved closer.

"Yeah, explain that to me, though. Because she hasn't beaten you, right? So how is she Champion?" Ash asked. Some switch had been flipped in him, the more professional side coming through, and Juliana blocked all of it out. The League was meaningless to her.

Cynthia, however, wasn't. Juliana cleared her throat. "Uh, excuse me, but…you're Cynthia, renowned archeology expert with a focus in ruins, right?"

This time, Arven arched a brow at her, but it matched nothing on the shock that came to Cynthia's face. "Well, I'm normally recognized as the former Champion of Sinnoh. Not that. Can't say I'm not pleasantly surprised, miss…?"

"Juliana," she said, introducing herself. Her conversation now started, Koraidon approached, earning the briefest of appraisals from Cynthia before the woman's eyes went back to her. "I just…I'm not into battling and all that. But researching the past and phenomena are more my thing."

"Makes sense, then. It's good to see young people still having a passion for that these days. Sometimes I worry it's just my own generation still interested in studying the past."

"Oh, no. I can't say I'm super into ruins and the like but…I am studying the mysteries of the world you could say," Juliana said. She felt more embarrassed now, but Cynthia's warm, encouraging smile overrode that. "Is that why you're in Paldea, too?"

"Something like that," Cynthia said with a chuckle. She looked away, over to the great wall that formed the crater, that very sight that drew so many researchers and adventurers with its mysteries. "I was researching old documents and ruins, and started finding connections between the different cultures and ruins of various regions, despite them being oceans apart. You know, my home region of Sinnoh is said to be-"

"The birthplace of the world," Juliana finished, nodding her head. "Yeah, that's pretty well-documented, but I didn't think there'd be a connection to Paldea."

"Mm, but Paldea is old. Older than most people realize. So, if Sinnoh is said to be the birthplace of the world, there's a theory that Paldea is considered the birthplace of all life." The theory sparked immediate interest, Juliana's mind revving up in wonder as to whether there was a connection to Terastallization in all that. "Well, it's just a theory, and I'm trying to research if there are any connections to the Legends spoken of here. All that talk of seals and sins, it feels very…origin of life, if you take my meaning."

"Mmhmm…" Juliana vocalized, her mind already losing the conversation. Terastallization. The birthplace of life. The Legends behind seals. She looked to the Academy, her new burning desire igniting. She couldn't stand around with these people anymore.

Before she could depart, however, Cynthia leaned in. "And between you and me, they added me as a second attaché to the League Liaison. Not because Ash can't handle it but because of missing personnel."

"Missing personnel?" Arven asked, his voice barely audible. Juliana wasn't listening, and in hindsight, perhaps she wished she had, but she was already stroking Koraidon, ready to dash.

"The Champion of Galar hasn't been seen in some time. There were rumors she might have come to Paldea. It makes it priority one to find her while the inspection here is ongoing."

"Interesting… Ah, Juliana, where are you-?"

"Sorry, interesting as it all is, I just remembered something. Something important. I'll see you at school," Juliana said. She spoke so fast, he couldn't speak, but her mind was moving too fast to listen anyway. She mounted Koraidon, patting him softly as Quaxly and Nymble held tight. "To the Academy, Koraidon! Posthaste!"

"Korrai!" The kickback of Koraidon's legs sent dust backwards, interrupting the conversations. Arven called for her, likely some question about next steps, but the rush of the wind in her ears atop Koraidon's back rendered it to silence. She had a new mission, and her eyes were on the prize of the Academy, racing up the steps without issue.

Within seconds, they had broken to the entrance courtyard, any number of students sitting and chatting or studying under the sun. None of them mattered, not even Des, who was wringing out his tie close to the school doors. He looked up, disgust scrawled on his face, and Juliana opted to give him an equally dirty expression with her fingers.

That proved to be the wrong move, as Koraidon pulled to a sharp stop mere moments later, flinging her off and causing her to slide across the pavement. Her elbows were scraped, and Des's laughter rang in her ears, but she picked herself up as the doors creaked open. This time, Koraidon listened, refusing to budge from his place outside the doors.

"Right… I won't be long. We'll get you a sandwich after we're done." Juliana patted him again and then raced right for the interior of the Academy. Once again, she stopped short on almost running into someone.

"Oh, Juliana!"

"M-Miss Serena!" So sudden was the interruption that Juliana felt her breath catch and she began to cough. Seconds later and Serena's hand was on her back, soothing her until she calmed down. "Sorry. In a rush."

"I can see that," Serena said with a laugh. It was as charming as before, not diminished at all by the somewhat tired expression on her face. Juliana guessed it had something to do with the papers she was holding, but the woman showed no other signs. "I see you're back, as well. Successful?"

"Uh…I guess," Juliana admitted. She wasn't sure what to say, or how to say it. "It's a step."

"Mm, steps are a good thing," Serena said. She still had the smile, not wide, but playing subtly on her lips. Juliana felt the tightness in her chest begin to loosen a bit. "Even if they seem tiny, they lead somewhere. It's something I always have to help my students with. They seem to think they can lead off with fancy footwork and if they don't, they've failed somehow. Oh, which reminds me, I know you're busy and all, but have you considered my class?"

"Uh…not really?" Wattrel stirred atop her head, peering up at Serena, but he soon chose to go back to dozing. "Kinda locked in my research. Have a next destination and everything and-" Why am I telling her this?

"Sounds wonderful. Well, if you change your mind, I'd love to have you there. Maybe you can tell me how your adventure out east went." It was too unfailingly kind, her offer. The tightness went away, only for her heart to begin to ache. She wanted to turn away from Serena's smile, but couldn't, as though it had wrapped her up.

Somewhere in her memory, she could recall feeling just like that. Lullabies and holds in the warmth of her parents. But those days were gone.

Now, there was the legacy of theirs that remained.

Juliana sharpened, remembering her task. "Oh, do you know where Miss Raifort is?"

"Believe she's in class-wait, Juliana!" Another warning was shouted to her, but Juliana was already on the move. She had her information and wasn't waiting to get to the bottom of the mystery gnawing at her.

Skipping a few of the steps, Juliana bounded for the elevator to take her to the floor she knew the History classroom was at. She passed by a few students in transit, some of whom called to her, others of whom barely looked up at her passing. For a moment, she thought she saw Penny's multicolored hair, but the elevator doors closed before she got a closer look. There was no one else there this time, most students either studying, out on their Hunt, or in class, leaving Juliana to impatiently tap her foot alone until she was deposited on the right floor. She dashed out, barely thinking, and ran down the hall until she reached the classroom door, yanking it open to the classroom full of older students.

"Miss Raifort, I-"

"Juliana, what do you think you're doing?!" The shout pulled her to a sudden stop, nearly tripping over a desk, to the laughter of the students. She looked up, right at Miss Raifort, the darker-skinned teacher looking down at her with pursed lips and a none-too-pleased expression.

"Sorry, I just heard you had class and I-"

"Decided to interrupt it, apparently," Raifort said, her eyes narrowing into a glare so fierce that even Juliana felt herself wither. Wattrel did, too, drawing into a little ball on her head. "Director Clavell's office. Now."

"But-"

"You know the rule. Go. Or do you want me to call Ms. Tyme's ghosts to escort you?"

The reminder of their math teacher's Pokémon once having done the exact same thing caused a shudder through Juliana. Beaten back down by the threat, Juliana bit her lip, bowed in apology, and then backed away through the door. No sooner had she closed it than the announcement rang out through the building.

"Miss Juliana of Uva Hall, please report to Director Clavell's office immediately."

"They always have to work so fast…" Juliana slumped again, her movements now sluggish and her feet dragging along the floor. She looked up to Wattrel. "You know, this might take a while Wattrel."

"Watt?" Wattrel ruffled his feathers, hopping forward to lean down at her.

"Mind waiting with the others. Maybe get Koraidon a snack before he storms the school or something…"

"Trrrel!" Wattrel's wings flapped, and he shot off down the hall only to bang into a window. He didn't consider it much of an impediment, tapping at it until it broke and permitted him to get outside. Juliana flinched. She didn't need something else added to her record. So, she booked it out of the hall and back to the elevators, riding it straight to the topmost floor, aside from the rooftop battle-yard. The doors were closed before her and she raised to knock.

"You can enter." The door swung open.

Juliana stepped in, shoving her hands inside her pockets. Her phone began to vibrate, but only once, its heat palpable in her pocket. She let it pass, striding through the rows of desks and various papers that made up the headmaster's office. At the opposite end, Clavell sat, toiling through another stack of papers on his desk, the large window that looked out at the entrance illuminating him. He looked up, his glasses wobbling on his nose.

"Well, seems we're here again, Juliana." His tone, to any other, would have been seen as harsh and scolding, but Juliana could hear the kindness underneath; the wish for student safety and success. That just also happened to come with discipline, and knowing it, Juliana sat in the chair directly across from him.

"Guess so. I just wanted to ask Miss Raifort about something."

"And I'm sure she'd be more than willing to answer. Barging into her class is not the way to do it. Not when you tend to skip so many of your own." He signed a sheet and turned it over. None of the papers on the desk had anything to do with her, however, so Juliana perused them no further.

"We have the Treasure Hunt."

"I'm talking about before that, dear girl," Clavell said. He now placed his pen down in order to fold his hands and lean across to her. "Your record of truancy is astounding for one so gifted. Among the best and brightest, even before I became headmaster and director."

"Yeah, I know. You've said it before," Juliana sighed out. She leaned back, almost rolling her eyes before she remembered her manners. "Sir."

Clavell took a sharp breath. "Juliana…"

"Headmaster." The man reached up and rubbed at his temples.

"Please don't make this difficult. I don't want to lose or ostracize such an intelligent student. I know the previous headmaster nearly expelled you for truancy with your adventures, and I'd thought maybe moving you to Uva Hall would make a difference, keep you straighter-"

"I'm perfectly straight. I thought the Academy was all about different ways of learning."

"So long as it doesn't disrupt others."

Juliana glared, now folding her arms. "I don't disrupt anyone."

"Juliana, I just…" Clavell's groan became louder, the man now running his hand through his hair, moving it without meaning to until he adjusted it to a tidy state. "I just don't want you running the way of Team Star."

"Trust me, you don't need to worry about that."

"Isn't that the truth." The crackled voice, muffled by fabric, made Juliana scowl once again. Clavell, on the other hand, sought the source of the voice, his frown etching lines deeper in his face.

"Juliana, do you have your phone on? Are you on a call?"

"Don't blame her, headmaster," the voice on the phone said. Without choice, Juliana's phone soared out of her pocket, placing itself between the two. "I couldn't resist listening in. Not when my old friend was meeting with someone so important."

"Cassiopeia, can you go bother someone else for a change?" Juliana snapped. "This has nothing to do with you."

"You mentioned Team Star. It has everything to do with me."

"Oh, does it?" Clavell said, leaning closer to the phone with every word. "And what would you know of Team Star? Are you a student?"

"Hah, wouldn't you like to know, Know-Nothing Headmaster. Don't be full of yourself." Juliana's eyebrow arched far into her hair. If there was one thing she didn't expect, it was Cassiopeia outright challenging the headmaster like that. Even more surprising was how little Clavell took offense. He sat back, fingers locked.

"I take it you know more." Silence echoed. "Hm, I'll take that as a yes. Clearly you're knowledgeable on the subject…Cassiopeia, was it?" More silence. Juliana started inching her chair backwards, wanting no further part of the conversation. "So, if I'm so ignorant, which I can admit I am regarding Team Star, then inform me."

"Why? It's not like you'd do anything. Your predecessor didn't." Juliana moved further back. Already she could see the door, her chance to escape calling for her. "You're all just looking at the surface, never seeing all the little things that form the bigger picture. So, you let it slide. Sweep it under. You don't care about the hurt until it festers in the wound long enough to make a gaping hole."

"And if I said I wanted to see the bigger picture?" Clavell asked. Cassiopeia had no response to that, so he kept speaking. "Team Star, as you said, was a problem created in the age of my predecessor. I can only gather rumor and speculation. Little pieces. So, tell me, what big picture does that form?"

Cassiopeia was silent, allowing Juliana further distance. Eventually, she answered. "The pain no one wants to see. The one everyone runs away from."

"I see…"

"You definitely understand that one, don't you Juliana?" She stopped, her chair having pushed some distance from the desk. Her phone turned towards her, the little light indicating the camera watching her. "Always running away. Seriously, Juli, when are you gonna stop running away and start engaging with things?"

Engage. That word. Inside, her blood boiled. Her knuckles cracked. Her fingernails dug into the wood of the chair as her lips twisted. Then, she stood, stamping to her feet in a display the shocked even Clavell. "I choose what I engage with. Not you!"

"Of course you do. How's that working out for you? Still alone, I see."

"Better alone than with a snake like you!"

Knock knock

Her phone dropped, going dead. Clavell straightened, the thought of Team Star and the conversation pushing itself to the back of his mind. He cleared his throat and pressed a button, permitting the doors to open. "Ah, Miss Raifort, glad of you to join us."

"Was I interrupting anything, headmaster?" the woman said, waving some of her long black hair aside as she strode up and took the other seat in front of the headmaster's desk.

"No, nothing much. Just an administrative matter."

"Ah, good." Raifort leaned back, and Juliana felt her eyes settle on her. She turned her chair. "Here I thought I'd miss the punishing."

"Don't be so sadistic. My meeting with Miss Juliana was most illuminating, if not by intent. I'm going to try and not be so harsh." Clavell stood now, facing the window and looking out at the courtyard. It seemed as though he was glancing, looking for something out of place, but could find nothing. Raifort took up the broken threads of the conversation.

"Well, that and I wanted to see what Juliana thought was so important to break into my classroom to talk about. Well?" Raifort's eyes were piercing, almost interrogative. It caused Juliana to stiffen and pull from her memory the reason she was even here in the first place.

"Oh, it…it wasn't much. Just…something I found, out in the wilds," Juliana admitted. Now that she was here, she wasn't quite sure how to put it. Raifort leaned forward, hanging on every word from behind the gaze of her glasses. "It was…sort of like a seal. Glowed purple and all, with chains binding it."

"The Treasures of Paldea?" Raifort said, her voice a hoarse whisper. Eyes widened, she began to tap her chin. Even Clavell cocked one of his ears to the conversation.

"Didn't feel much like a treasure to me. It was scary. Like vines, trying to choke me. And then I ran into an…archeologist, and it made me wonder, are there any legends about Paldea that link themselves to the Great Crater? Or Terastallization? Any ties at all?"

Raifort stood at the question, beginning to pace with manic frequency. After a few strides, she started to answer the question. "I can't say anything connects to that, but then the old kingdom of Paldea always had strong ties to the Crater, and it's in their old legends they tell of the Treasures. Objects that came to the king, filled with so much vice and sin they took on a life of their own. They were sealed away, of course, once their ruinous nature was revealed, but that's as far as anyone is aware. They've not troubled Paldea since. Where did you find this seal?"

"Somewhere in Area One. Is there a way they could be unsealed?"

Raifort paused, herself lost deep in thought. Juliana waited with bated breath, hoping the answer would be nothing, but that hope died when Raifort looked right at her. "The Treasures are said to be the embodiment of sin, so to speak, so perhaps those negative emotions associated with sin could possibly break the chains sealing them. But that's just a theory at best."

"And not one that should concern young minds," Clavell said, now turning around with the clack of his foot. "You, young lady, should turn your mind towards your education. Not gallivanting into danger."

"I'm just going where the Treasure Hunt leads-"

"And here we come to your punishment: one week, no Treasure Hunt." Juliana's aghast face at the proclamation did nothing to deter Clavell's sentencing. "And I fully expect you to attend classes."

"But headmaster-"

"No, I've heard enough. Forget all this talk of sin and treasures and the crater. No one but researchers like Sada and Turo know what's down there."

"And my parents," Juliana muttered, but the headmaster did not hear her. She slumped in her chair, conflicted with what she had learned and now having no path to learn more. It made her wish she had stopped to ask Cynthia more about the origins of life and if it was connected to the treasures and their "sin". Maybe that's the sort of thing even Phantom Zero is looking into.

"Juliana, I want you to focus your mind. Your Hunt will be waiting once the week is up."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Juliana said, almost spitting with annoyance. Every plan was slowly coming off the rails and all she had now were her thoughts. She stood. "Is there anything else, headmaster? Miss Raifort?"

"No, that'll be all. You're free to go." Clavell sat again while Juliana stormed off, back for the entrance. "And Juliana, I will be watching."

She snapped the door shut, her mind stewing and fuming. Inside it, all the rumors of Raifort's stories, Phantom Zero, Team Star, the Titans, the Herba Mystica and more swirled together. They were little things, but couldn't add up to a bigger picture. Each of them had so much going on, but so little knowledge.

Well then, maybe a week to do some research would be a good thing. Cortondo can wait. Feeling more assured, Juliana descended the elevator once more, heading for where she'd left Koraidon and the others.

But by the time she reached the bottom, only Raifort's talk of negative emotion breaking the chains was left, and with it, the nastiest thought bubbled to the surface of Juliana's mind, like a fleeting wisp.

Then what's festering underneath Paldea's surface?

She shook it away and pressed on.

Author's Note: To no surprise, Ash and TRio have made their appearance in this story. I've made a promise long ago that certain characters would appear in every book. Well, here they are. More surprising might be Cynthia's appearance. I always like using her, though, and actually feel I've underutilized such a prominent Champion, so here she is. She may serve as a voice of guidance along the way…especially with these seals that now seem to be activating.

All this said, we're about halfway through the first book. I hope you're enjoying, and thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented! Please continue to do so, and in the meantime, Dare to Be Silly.