"Wow! Have you seen that? This is the first time I've seen a Primarina up close!" exclaimed Arven, looking at a small street show that was taking place on the beach, while Juliana was further away playing wrestling with a ball with Genzaidon.
"Aren't they beautiful?" She asked amused, her voice broken by the effort of measuring her strength with her Pokémon, just before it gave a stronger pull and made her fall face down to the ground. "Ouch... Genzaidon! Little cheater, you'll see when I catch you!" She exclaimed with a competitive smile while Genzaidon, happy for his victory, fled from there with his ball in his mouth being chased by his trainer.
Arven laughed at the funny chase. It was hilarious to see a human trying to chase a Ciclyzar and that he was escaping from her using only his hind legs that made him stagger to the sides! He looked at the rest of the group of Pokémon that were spread out on the beach, feeling joy in seeing that everyone was having a good time, some sunbathing, others taking a nap in the shade of a palm tree, some playing on the shore dodging the waves, others stealing some food and others playing in the sea.
Coming to Alola had been a great idea, although Arven had come with the objective of getting ingredients and new recipes, having Juliana accompany him had made the experience much more rewarding than if he had come alone. He was a little embarrassed to admit it, but Arven didn't exactly have an adventurous spirit and when he wanted to do something like that it required a lot of willpower, the last time he went on a big adventure it was to help Juliana with the whole Area Zero problem and because his mother was involved and before that, it was to save his Mabosstiff's life which, said again, he wouldn't have managed to do without Juliana.
He looked at his beloved companion, who was lazily lying on the sand taking a nap in the sun next to Haiba and Scovillain. Arven couldn't be happier to see his beloved companion like this, healthy and happy, after that distressing time in which he wasn't sure if he could make his survive after his solo journey through Area Zero. He had regretted having gone to that place and was sure that he would never return but, again, Juliana made him return and he never regretted it.
Realistically, Juliana had a unique gift for attracting trouble and at the same time she was able to take advantage of each of her situations. She managed to make Koraidon able to regain all of his power after living in fear of his defeat against the other Koraidon; Thanks to her he was able to save his Mabosstiff by finding all the Herba Mystica he needed, he was also able to know what happened to his mother and, although it was not entirely a consolation, he was able to say goodbye to that AI that had taken her voice and appearance, she wasn´t the real Sada, however, Arven was able to feel at peace with himself having been able to say goodbye to her and fantasize that wherever she went she was free and happy.
The feeling of gratitude, love and debt that he felt towards that crazy girl was enormous, he loved her as his best friend, even more than that, like a sister, someone that he had chosen as family and that she reciprocated him.
Of course Arven would say yes to her accompanying him on his little adventure of searching for ingredients, so they could both have a well-deserved vacation. The hotel, swimming in the pool, time on the beach, the delicious food in the restaurants, the people they had met, the number of exotic Pokémon they had been able to see, the local legends and the next objective was to explore the cave area of the Akala Island. Perhaps the only thing that dampened the good time was remembering that Nemona and Penny had not been able to accompany them due to incompatibility in their schedules, their roles as champions of Paldea along with their respective jobs linked to the Pokémon League had them too busy, only Juliana had could afford to take a vacation.
"Arven..."
Upon hearing his friend's voice, Arven turned to look at her and almost laughed in her face when he saw her being carried between Koraidon's jaws as if she were a little puppy, holding her by her white top.
"I'm not going to ask what happened." Of course, if he didn't know the relationship between those two well, he would be afraid to see Koraidon carrying Juliana like that.
"Let's say Genzaidon won the battle with reinforcements," she shrugged, not at all worried. Koraidon only had a happy face and, behind him, Genzaidon bit his ball, making it ring with each bite. "But... I'm more tenacious!"
In a strange and somewhat twisted move, Juliana faced her Pokémon, wrapping her arms and legs around Koraidon's neck and head, making a rare attempt at a martial art lock. The Winged King remained impassive to her efforts, remaining completely still while Juliana put all her efforts into immobilizing him.
"I got it, Arven! He is totally defenseless!" She exclaimed with her voice broken by the effort but in a triumphant tone. Arven just stayed watching that show that he found much more entertaining than of Primarina."Yes...! Here we are, humans and Pokémon Paradox mortal enemies! And we will be the winners of this bloody battle!"
Koraidon arched an eyebrow and effortlessly shook his head causing Juliana to fall to the sand on her back and he slumped on top of her. Crushing her and leaving her pinned to the ground. Genzaidon, who found this amusing, climbed onto Koraidon's back to continue hitting his ball.
"Ouch..."
Arven, making an effort not to laugh, crouched down to Juliana's height.
"Well, how is that legendary bloody battle going?"
"They're winning..." she admitted in a defeated tone but raising her hand to scratch the side of Koraidon's head, who moved his plumage in reaction.
Settling next to her he stared again at the Primarina show, which was now doing a spectacular spin while being surrounded by water and fairy dust.
"I understand that Primarina is the final evolution of Popplio, and is part of the trio of Alolan starters," he commented casually, without being able to take his eyes off that pretty Pokémon. "You were able to see a Primarina up close, right?"
Juliana, now sitting with Koraidon's head in her lap, was quiet for a second, looking at the mermaid Pokémon with some regret reflected in her eyes.
"Lacey, the Fairy-type Elite Four of Blueberry Academy had a Primarina on her team. There were also wild Popplio in the Terarium."
Arven tensed his back when he heard her and looked at her worriedly from the corner of his eye. He wanted to hit himself when he saw that his friend's gaze had become sad despite the tiny smile that appeared on her face. Damn it!he not made that comment so that the bad memories would come back to her head! Not mentioning anything that was related to the Blueberry Academy was a tacit and silent agreement between the entire group of friends, in order to help maintain peace in Juliana's mind.
Of course, Juliana has seen Primarina on other occasions throughout the years that she has been a trainer, however, it is also true that the first time she saw one was the one that girl, Lacey, had on her team. It was only fitting that she was the first person with a Primarina that came to mind. Arven didn't even think about it, he was enthralled by the beauty of that Primarina and had made the comment so that Juliana could tell him some other anecdote related to the shows that this Pokémon put on, not because he wanted it to remember the girl from the Blueberry Academy.
"Have you... talked to her?" He asked cautiously, even though he knew what her response would be.
Juliana shook her head and Arven under his shoulders.
Juliana had not had contact with anyone from Blueberry Academy since the incident occurred, and she had cut off contact with all the friends she had made during her time there, but staying in communication with them would only have meant that Juliana would never have been able to to disassociate herself from the accident and the healthiest thing for her was to cut off all the people who were involved in that school.
Arven had seen Juliana in her worst moments, that incident had meant a before and after for her, it took sweat and tears, a lot of time and a lot of patience to be able to recover something of what was hers. And her former self never fully returned. Something was left broken. And Arven was aware of this when she still had episodes of depression and sadness when she remembered something related to the Blueberry Academy.
Especially when something related to that boy who was responsible. Arven clenched his fists just remembering it. He was sure that he could never forgive him for the pain he caused Juliana.
"Changing the subject, do you remember those two guys we met at the hotel pool?"she asked casually. Arven cut his train of thought and gave her his full attention.
"Yes, the one with blonde hair and the other one with orange eyes."
"Well, that one with the orange eyes, his name is Suguri." she played with her own hair, timidly looking away while Arven raised an eyebrow. "We met again when I was giving Haiba a bath, he seemed like an interesting and interesting guy. We exchange numbers."
"Okey, I think I know where this is going," he murmured, rolling his eyes as he saw Juliana's look full of interest. He was already familiar with that look. That of someone who had found an interesting person to have fun with.
"Oh, come on, don't act like that," she pleaded with a nervous smile. "Don't hate me, but he invited me to go with him to explore the caves of the local deities, and I really want to go with him..."
"So you're going to abandon me for a handsome islander, right?"
"Oh, come on, don't make me feel guilty! And just so you know, Suguri is not from Alola, so I'm not changing you for an islander!" she defended herself.
"...I don't know, I feel angry, we were supposed to explore those caves together and now you tell me that you are going to go with some random guy to take him to bed. I thought your friends came before your flirts," he puffed his cheeks, looking away.
"Come on, you'll always be ahead of my flirts, but I really want this too! I promise that later I will dedicate myself body and soul to you, but I want to meet this guy and have a good time, isn't that an important part of this trip? Come on, dear big brother! Pleaseeeeeeeeease?"
Arven looked at her from the corner of his eye and felt his stomach sink as she looked back at him with her bright, pleading red eyes, something Arven couldn't fight, damn her and her adorableness!
"What do you want me to tell you?" He sighed defeated but letting out an amused smile. "Go and have a good time. When did you meet him?"
"I told him I would send him a message when we get back to the hotel" she said showing her Smart Rotom."When we are in our room I will take a shower and then I will leave with him."
"Okay, but you tries to take your entire team with you."
"Arven."she rolled her eyes but without erasing her smile.
"I will not accept discussion on this, young lady. You're going to go with a guy we don't know and you'll do it when it's getting dark, so I want you to always take your Pokémon with you, if you're going to explore caves there might be wild Pokémon and if that guy, Suguri, does something stupid with you, let's say that I would feel more comfortable knowing that you have someone to protect you, especially those two over there."
Juliana looked where her friend was pointing and by doing so she was able to perfectly capture both Askari's gaze and Jabari's gaze on her without blinking. They even seemed to have a sinister shadow on their faces; despite the distance, she was perfectly able to see this. They, who were enjoying the shade provided by a palm tree, somehow seemed to be aware of the type of conversation they were having and both had activated their overprotective mode.
All of her Pokémon were protective of her, but Askari and Jabari were certainly other words.
"Okay, I'm not going to be able to escape from them," she assumed with a drop of sweat sliding down her face. "What will you do?"
Arven thought for a bit, going over what he could do on his behalf. With Juliana, everything always involved intensity, so maybe he could do more relaxing activities.
"Nemona and Penny asked me to get them some typical things from Alola, so maybe I can take advantage and get some of those things during the party that will take place in the square tonight. Also, I would like to stop by one of those mobile malasada shops. If I'm lucky, maybe I can find some pretty woman to be with, since you're going to be so busy."
They spent the rest of the time on the beach sharing their respective plans until they noticed that the sun had begun to go down, at which point they determined that they should return to the hotel so Juliana could prepare for her date. Even Arven was not entirely comfortable separating from Juliana, even though she was already an adult and it was not the first time he had been with men in circumstances like this, he couldn't help but worry about her. He was always going to have that pang of discomfort every time she left his sight to go have a good time with a stranger, at least he could rest easy knowing that Askari and Jabari were going to be relentless guardians for her.
Juliana sent a message to Suguri and proceeded to take a shower and get dressed for her date while Arven consulted on his Smart Rotom the stores where they could sell the items that Nemona and Penny had asked for at a good price, maybe he could even get something for Suguri. Eri, that woman had been good to him during the previous year and he wanted to have something special with her.
"Well, Arven, what do you think?" Juliana asked coming out of the bathroom, already dressed and ready.
Arven looked her up and down, Juliana had a tomboy style when it came to her hairstyle but he would be lying if he said she had a lack of femininity. Juliana was a beautiful woman and now she showed it herself with those baggy pants and the short-sleeved shirt that hugged her figure and highlighted her curves, and those boots that reached to the middle of her calves. Arven wondered if he was imitating Rika's style; he had once heard mention for Juliana that the Earth-type Elite Four seemed to her to be the perfect example of a sexy woman.
"I think you're going to leave that poor man senseless as soon as he sees you," Arven flattered.
Juliana smiled at him, grateful for the compliment while she put on a small backpack to carry some necessary things for the excursion and adjusted her belt where she had her poke balls.
"Will you accompany me to reception?"
"Do you really think it would be okay for your date to see you arrive at the meeting point arm in arm with another man?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow.
Juliana blushed when she realized that what she said was true, she shook her head, surely that was not an appropriate thing to do. Arven got out of bed and approached her, fixing her bangs.
"Remember, keep your Smart Rotom on at all times. Call or text me if you need me to pick you up somewhere, no matter what time it is."
"Nothing is going to happen to me, Arven, if I know how to do anything, it is to get out of problems on my own. And I have a long list of trouble I've gotten into over the years and come out of it unscathed."
"It's my responsibility, Juliana, we are friends but I'm the oldest here, so stop acting strong and let me take care of you, for once. You do enough taking care of all of us."
Touched by how sweet Arven was, Juliana stood on tiptoe and left a kiss on his cheek. Arven blinked but almost immediately, upon seeing her smile, he caressed her head.
"Have a good time, okay? Try not to return too late."
"And I ask you not to make an effort to wait up for me, okay? I just need to feel guilty that you don't want to go to sleep."
"With you, one can never be calm. What's more, I'm sure that something is going to happen during your date because with you, anything can happen!"
"How stupid you are! Things don't always have to be happening!" She laughed, separating from him to head towards the door."Although it cannot be denied that no one can get bored with me."
Excited, she kissed the air in Arven's direction and walked out the door. Suguri must have already been waiting for her and she didn't want to waste time!
When she arrived at reception, she found the man distracted looking at some of the decorative paintings spread across the wall. Juliana, taking advantage of the fact that she had not yet seen it, looked him up and down.
A tall man three years older than her, dressed in a comfortable tank top, hiking boots, and loose military-style pants. Long black hair held in a ponytail that revealed a dark face and...those eyes. Without detracting from the rest of his body's attractiveness, if Juliana had been attracted to anything about that man, it was those penetrating orange eyes as intense as the sunset. She had always had a weakness for eyes of unusual colors, that were bright, intense and expressive, and of course, the type of look! Every time she ran into something like that, it made her tremble. And Suguri lived up to her expectations.
"Oh, you're here," Suguri greeted when he felt observed and saw that Paldean beauty approaching his direction. He looked her up and down, making it clear that he liked what his eyes caught. "I see that you have prepared well for our excursion."
"You're not bad either," she smiled, winking at him.
"Well, lady, would you be so kind...?" He asked gallantly, offering an arm for her to hold on to. Juliana laughed before taking his arm and leaving the hotel together, this was promising!
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/
Night had already completely fallen, and the black sky was full of stars that Juliana loved to see. She had seen them many times during her travels, whether near cities and towns, in the open countryside, in forests or high up in the mountains, and they always gave her the same effect; she would be gawking at them all night if it weren't because she was accompanied.
Suguri was not only a handsome man, he was also pleasant company. Like her, he was a traveler, however, his travels consisted mainly of capturing Pokémon in images such as photography or portraits, something that Juliana found fascinating and hoped to have the opportunity to see his work, especially the part of the drawings.
They had moved away from the urban areas of the Akala Island, in the distance the commotion that was taking place at the local festivals could be heard while they were lost in the shadows of the natural areas guided only by the light of a pair of flashlights. Although she was used to using Koraidon to get around, Juliana found that she was not as untrained in moving on narrow terrain, congratulating herself for being able to keep up with Suguri.
"The truth is that you are resistance." Suguri commented with a smile and a few drops of sweat on his face, due to the time they had been walking through the steep area. "Don't hate me, but I was afraid that this path could be very difficult for a appointment."
"This is the type of dates that I like, believe it or not, moving through wild areas is normal for me. You give me any landscape to walk, climb or whatever and I will be delighted. So don't worry, I'm very happy to be doing this."
Pleased by her words, Suguri took her hand to help prevent her from falling, those rocks were moistened by the sea. That woman was very interesting.
"By the way, you haven't told me what kind of trainer you are," he commented casually. "Your Arcanine is strange, I've never seen one like it, I was wondering if maybe you were some kind of trainer who travels the world getting hold of unique Pokémon or working with a Professor to find new species."
"Oh, nothing like that, I'm a trainer like any other," she replied with a gesture with her hand, dismissing it. "Haiba was a gift given to me by a person I helped with a job. She had a strange looking Growlithe and she later told me that she had another one, a brother, and she gave him to me."
The shine in Juliana's eyes was lost for a moment when she remembered Perrin, it had been a long time since she had dedicated her thoughts to her and doing so made her feel a pang of sadness. Nor had she communicated with her again after the incident at the Arándano Academy, although she did not know her from that school nor did it have anything to do with what had happened, however, she did know her from her time in Kitakami and was not comfortable with anything related to that place. Because was there where she met him.
Realizing that she had to stop before she fell into a spiral, Juliana shook her head and tried to focus on the man guiding her.
"That is amazing! How lucky you are to have a Pokémon like that, if you allow me, I would like to be able to draw him when possible."
"No problem, I'm sure Haiba will be happy to be your model. Between you and me, he's a little vain! He thinks he is the most handsome in the world."
"And what does the trainer think about him in this regard?"
"Do you have to ask me? I didn't give him the name "Haiba" in vain."
"No, I'm asking what the trainer thinks about me drawing her."
Juliana, who was not expecting that proposition, was silent for a second, not knowing how to respond. Suguri couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"You don't seem like someone who is easy to leave speechless, so let me tell you that your expression when you get it is great to see."
"Oh come on, do you say that to every woman you manage to take by surprise?"
"It depends on the situation and it depends on the woman." Suguri laughed, winking flirtatiously, moving forward a little to jump over some rocks that were in front of her.
Juliana smiled amusedly as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Look, we're arriving," Suguri warned, pointing with his finger at what seemed to be the entrance to a cave.
Juliana smiled when she saw it, pleasantly surprised to notice that despite the rough terrain and the time they had been walking, the time had flown by and she barely felt all the distance they had traveled from the hotel. It that she liked her. Suguri was a pleasant and entertaining company who was able to make her disconnect from the world in that way with a good conversation, every so often, that man was gaining more and more points with her although was still too early to give a verdict.
"This area no longer has much lighting and there will be hidden nocturnal Pokémon, let's be attentive" Juliana said, jumping from a rock to stand next to the young man without stopping walking towards the cave.
"Tell me, is there any type of Pokémon that worries you or scares you?"
"I'm being sincere? I am worried and scared by each and every wild Pokémon I encounter."
"Oh really? I thought you were an experienced trainer."
"I am, but still wild Pokémon are something that worries me often."
"Sorry, it just seems strange to me. All the trainers I have met so far, to a greater or lesser extent, are enthusiastic about finding all kinds of wild Pokémon".
"Being enthusiastic is not incompatible with knowing what to be afraid of as a precautionary measure"seeing his confused expression, Juliana clarified."Like in many places, in Paldea the children begin their journey as Pokemon trainers with only ten years. You go from being under the roof of your home with your family, protected from the wind, the cold, the scorching heat and the rain to having to sleep outside in caves or trees with sleeping bags because you are too far from the Pokémon Center or hotel closest. At first it feels great, sleeping under the stars and feeling like an adventurer like you always dreamed of, look like all the great trainers you've heard your whole life, wake up the next day feeling like another great day is coming and that you're closer than before to becoming a legend"
Suguri, interested, leaned slightly towards her, as if this way he could hear her better.
"Now I suppose comes the ugly part of that reflection."
Juliana laughed at his words, and with the same calmness that she had had until then, she continued.
"But the bad days also come, the days when everything gets complicated and you realize everything you have to handle on your own and that there is only you to handle it all, even if you are sick. The second night you sleep confidently just like the last night but you wake up in a lot of pain because a pack of Houndour has found you and they are hungry. They attack you and you can barely assimilate what is happening, you only notice the bites and scratches all over your body one after another, in the middle of the attack you have to find the pokéball of the only Pokémon you have, which you have left inside your backpack instead close to you and for your bad luck it is at the bottom of it. For a second, when you take out your partner, you think you're safe, but your Pokémon ends up weakened very quickly because it's outnumbered and weak against its opponent's type, and you don't have any more Pokémon with you to fight and, in that moment, you have to manage to escape from there with your partner and leave all your things abandoned. Run and run even though everything hurts while listening to the Houndour chase you, you end up saving yourself because during the chase they end up finding a more substantial prey than you and finally leave you alone. But everything is dark, there is no lighting anywhere and you have lost track of where you were camping, both you and your Pokémon are hurt and scared and you don't know where the Pokémon Center is. That night you no longer sleep, you stay hidden somewhere, while your wounds suffer, waiting for the sun to come out and the light to give you more courage to go to the Pokémon Center."
Shaken, Suguri looked with wide eyes at Juliana, who continued walking calmly and with a smile towards the interior of the cave. Had that woman told him something so brutal and she had remained so calm?
"That...was that your personal experience?"
Amused by her expression, Juliana shrugged.
"That is an experience that any trainer can tell you at the beginning of their journey. Change the Houndour for Spearow if you are from Kanto, for Bellsprout if you are from Johto, or for Poochyena if you are from Hoenn; Most of the experiences of the trainers' trips are not so beautiful but the good things have always been more popular than the bad, otherwise it would be much more difficult to inspire new generations to follow this path. Therefore, one of the first things you learn the hard way is to distrust wild Pokémon, it doesn't matter if they are big or small, they are wild and they are in their daily life fighting to live another day and any of their abilities are capable of ending a person's life much easier than against another Pokémon. You can become their trainer just as easily as you can become their prey or the invader of their territory. Being afraid of them is a form of precaution, and that precaution can save your life."
It was something so normal and natural that Surugi never thought about how dangerous it was to handle this type of creature.
"The life of a trainer is very dangerous," he commented, surprised at the frankness with which Juliana recounted that experience.
He was someone passionate about photography and drawings of Pokémon in nature. The Pokémon he have on his team are the ones he had at home since he was a child and he never had the need to capture one and, of course, he was always in groups when he went camping for work, and his interaction with the Pokémon was more at a distance to capture them in their most natural essence.
Perhaps he could photograph and draw Juliana in order to better publicize the hardest and least pleasant part of the trainer's journey in his works, something that Suguri was convinced he could really like in an art gallery. It was no nonsense to reveal the dark side of this profession, who knows, perhaps that beautiful woman who was his date would have chosen a different path if she had known beforehand the dangers of being a trainer and not having been left alone with the good part of the job.
"Look, you can see the inside of the cave. Did you know about this?" Juliana asked in a tone of fascination, interrupting Suguri's musings.
Just as Juliana had mentioned, the interior of the cave seemed to emit its own light blue light, not something that would dazzle you, but enough so that no type of lighting was needed to see where they were walking. They both entered inside, and were surprised to see that much of the place was made up of what appeared to be glowing mirrors.
"This...is curious, very curious. Is it ice?" Suguri questioned, looking around strangely.
"No, it's not cold, it seems like it's crystal," Juliana answered, touching one of those mirrors, seeing that she didn't detect cold or humidity typical of what would be contact with ice. On the other hand, what type of ice was capable of emitting light? but, at the same time, what type of crystal could emit light?
Then, ironically an idea came to mind when faced with this last question. She knew well what type of crystal could emit light, a light that she could emit of any color. She discreetly pulled her Tera Orb out, and she didn't know whether to be surprised or not as she saw that it was beginning to react to its proximity to these crystals.
"Suguri, to which Alola deity does this cave belong?" Juliana asked, looking at Suguri out of the corner of her eye. The man then took out a small notebook from his pocket to consult.
"Well..."he took a few seconds to read but then an expression of confession crossed his face. "None."
"None?"
"The guardian spirit of Akala is supposed to be Tapu Lele, but his altar is in the Ruins of Life, but they are located south of the outskirts, we are in the north."
"Okay..."Juliana muttered, surprised."That seems to mean that we are in a normal and ordinary cave, but one that has been infected."
"Infected?"
"This..." she indicated, tapping the crystal "It is what in my region, Paldea, we call Terastal, it is what produces the phenomenon terastal."
Suguri felt a chill run through him as he saw the serious expression that now adorned Juliana's face and feared what that could mean.
"How can you be sure that this is the same as those crystals you mention? Paldea is far away," he asked, leaning next to her to see better.
"I'm not sure, but it's the only explanation that comes to mind for a crystal to grow out of nothing. In Paldea this crystal works almost like a plant, if you introduce it to a new environment it will grow and expand as if it were releasing spores, there are several of these in Sinnoh, specifically in the Kitakami and many others in the Blueberry Academy Terarium in Unova, but I didn't know there was also one in Alola."
"Do you think someone put it here?"
"Maybe, it wouldn't be strange if some stupid student from the Blueberry Academy or the Naranja Academy got hold of some Tera Shard, came here and dropped it or did it on purpose to see what would happen. For better or worse, the Terastal is within everyone's reach and there are a lot of idiots on the loose."
After a few seconds of silence, Suguri asked in confusion.
"Do you really think that something so...specific has happened?"
"Most of the students from those two places have money coming out of their ears, so yes, I see it as very plausible that someone wanted to come on vacation to Alola and brought back a rarity like a Tera Shard and then lost it or let it grow here. Believe me, I come from the Naranja Academy and there are some capable of something like that." she said, images of Nemona and Ortega coming to mind, Arceus knew that she loved them both but to be honest, those two were capable of generating something like this by accident or out of curiosity to see what happens.
"Okay...is it dangerous?"
"No, the crystal itself is not dangerous to humans or Pokémon, but it is constantly expanding and can pose a risk to the environment and local creatures of the island, especially to the ancient ruins. I think the smart thing would be to call the authorities to find someone who can remove it."
Suguri, agreeing with her, took out the Smart Rotom from her but when he tried to establish a call, he only received the classic sound of no coverage.
"I'll go outside, there's no way to make a call in here," he indicated, taking his way outside.
Juliana took the opportunity to go a little deeper into the cavern, seeing the entire area that the terastal occupied. Although she did not retract her theory of a student's mistake with a Tera Shard, she also did not rule out that it could be something intentional. Planting a Tera Shard in a cavern on the outskirts of Akala, and with the Ruins of Life not far away, as well as the town, seems intentional.
Juliana, feeling that this could be something more than what it seemed, took out one of her pokéballs and activated it.
Jabari appeared before her. The Gardevoir looked around him in confusion, bewildered to see the teracrystals had they returned to Paldea...?
"Look carefully at this, Jabari," Juliana ordered, making a gesture pointing to everyone around her. "I need you to go look for Arven, he has to see this."
Jabari, understanding what this entailed, recorded what he saw in his head for a few minutes before using his Teleport to go in search of the chef.
Juliana sighed and mentally apologized to Suguri, bringing Arven to her date was not the best image to give, but this looked bad. As Paldeans and directly involved with the Crater of Paldea, this was something they should discuss together, but maybe, with a little luck, Arven would be alone for a moment and leave before Suguri returned.
Barely thirty seconds later, Jabari reappeared in front of her with Arven practically falling onto her butt. Juliana had to suppress a laugh when she saw Arven's expression of bewilderment for being there and, because of the way he was dressed, with somewhat extravagant clothing, he had gone out to have fun at one of the parties that were taking place on the island. That already made her feel a little worse.
"When I told you to call me if there was any problem, I meant by phone, not that you should send Jabari to look for me," was what Arven said between his teeth, looking at Juliana with his worst expression of accusation.
"I'm sorry, but this is important," she indicated, helping him get up.
"Yes, I know, Jabari has already shown me." He nodded, looking around him, surprised to see reality and not the mental illusion that the Gardevoir had transmitted to her. "How the hell did the Terastal get here?"
"I have a couple of theories, but they don't hold up much," Juliana admitted, approaching Jabari and caressing his shoulder, thanking him for his help.
Arven, nodding, took a tissue to take some samples of the crystals.
"Geeta should be informed of this..." said Arven looking at the pieces that rested on his handkerchief. "The fact that it is emerging in Alola out of nowhere does not bode well."
Juliana was going to say something, but she stayed silent as soon as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked in that direction, but she didn't see anything, however, she caught movement again out of the corner of her other eye. But, again, nothing. But her ears could hear a sound, something like a small laugh, but a laugh that she couldn't identify as human...
"Is there anyone...?" She whispered and then, a few meters away, she could see the silhouette of a small Pokémon reflected in the terastal that was moving away from her.
A small, blue Pokémon, with a shape reminiscent of a turtle and... was it made of teracrystal?
Juliana blinked in bewilderment when she saw that little buddy. What type of Pokémon was it? She had never seen one like him. She felt her hands itch at the instinct to go after him, like every trainer when faced with a new Pokémon, especially one she had never seen.
The little guy stopped and looked out of the corner of his eye, making Juliana feel a shiver as she felt that crystalline gaze of his passing through her.
"I found it!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing her finger at her before running away.
"Juliana? Where are you going?!" Arven exclaimed next to Jabari who was calling Juliana.
"A Pokémon made of teracrystals! He has to be the one behind this!" She warned without stopping running.
The little Pokémon smiled and emitted an intense light throughout his body.
"What..?!"
Juliana stopped her running and covered her face with her arm to protect herself from the light as she felt a sensation, as if she were being sucked in, before it died out. Then, she felt a strange noise above her head and a tremor under her feet. Instinctively, she looked up, watching in bewilderment as the rocks that made up the ceiling of the cavern fell away and fell on her head.
"Juliana!"
The next thing she felt was Arven's arms surrounding her and making them both curl up on the ground while the older man used her own body to cover her from the debris. Juliana squeezed her eyes shut as the sound of stones falling around her deafened her and the smell of dust rising from her stung her nose.
She didn't know how long the collapse lasted, but it seemed like it lasted for hours and she stayed still clinging to Arven's back. A minute passed. Another and another. The noise stopped but the smell of the little lingered along with the itch in her nose. Juliana opened her eyes, which coincided with Arven's, who was opening his at the same time as her. Both of them looked at each other's condition, but they didn't see any wounds or dirt on their clothes. Then, they both realized that they were surrounded by a kind of pink shield.
They both looked at Arven's back, and could see Jabari using Protection towards the ceiling, covering them and himself from the debris.
Simultaneously, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Of course, Jabari as a faithful guardian is priceless," Arven commented with a smile, although his shoulders were still shaking from shock.
"Thank you, Jabari!"Juliana exclaimed, Jabari, on his side, nodded with a smile, but knelt next to them to verify that, indeed, they were both okay.
"What were you thinking about? Haven't you learned anything in all these years about not running out of nowhere just because you've seen a strange Pokémon? "Arven scolded, slapping Juliana on the head.
"Oh! "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She apologized, genuinely sorry. "But that Pokémon seemed to be made of teracrystal." Until now I had never seen a Pokémon that could be infected by the teracrystal, so...I thought maybe it was him who infected the cavern or something."
"Well, where is that Pokémon?"
Juliana turned around, determined to point the way to where she had seen, however, her arm fell slightly when she realized that there was no longer a trace of that Pokémon.
"It was there, I swear."
"Where...?"
Juliana opened her mouth, until she realized how absurd what she was about to say was going to be: Inside the terastal. She had seen the Pokémon made of teracrystal, inside, or alternatively reflected, in another teracrystal.
"Juliana, are you sure what you saw...?"
"Yes, really. I do not lie."
"Of course you're not lying, but I'm asking you if you're sure you've seen a Pokémon made of teracrystal. I mean, teracrystals emerged in the Crater of Paldea, their appearance in other places was by human introduction, if there was a Pokémon made of real teracrystals...it should be in Paldea, not Alola."
"Yes, you're right but...I don't know, maybe terastal have evolved? Maybe they infect Pokémon now?" She whispered with a doubtful tone."
"But now the important thing: How do we get out of here?" Arven asked.
Juliana turned her head so fast that she almost felt her neck crack. Damn it, there had just been a landslide!
"Suguri!" she exclaimed, approaching the pile of rocks that faced the exit. "Suguri! Do you hear me?!"
"Wait, was your date here?" Arven asked with his hair standing on end.
"He had gone out to make a phone call but I don't know if he re-entered the cave before it collapsed!"
Hurriedly, Arven pressed his head against the stones, trying to hear something on the other side. A voice, a noise, something...
"I don't hear anything, maybe he's still outside and he's the one thinking that you're the one who's been crushed."
But not content with that, Juliana looked towards Jabari, about to ask him to use his Teleport to get them out of there but:
"Hey! Is there anyone there?!" exclaimed a voice on the other side of the rocks.
Both Juliana and Arven were startled, quickly looking at the place where the voice had been heard.
"Hi?! Yes, we are here!" Juliana responded, approaching the rocks.
"Are you ok?! Is anyone hurt?!" A second voice could be heard.
"We're fine, but this is claustrophobic! Can you help us get out here?!" Arven asked, receiving an arched eyebrow from Juliana. That is, they had Jabari, the truth is that they did not need to be rescued.
"Arven?! Is that you?!" asked one of the voices.
"Oh...? Yes...? "the chef answered with a doubtful tone.
"What are you doing here?! No, wait, tell me later! Hang on, we'll get you out of there right away!" He warned.
"Do you know anyone from here...?"Juliana asked, a little disconcerted.
"I only met one woman." Arven shrugged his shoulders, certainly he had not had dealings with any guy, not at least one who could recognize him in circumstances like this.
A new noise was heard, as if something very large was digging through the rocks, which made them startle enough to jump back when small stones began to fall until an opening opened and some light filtered in. .
"Stop, stop, stop!"exclaimed the second voice from the other side. "If you continue digging we run the risk of there being another collapse! We try to get them out like this!"
Then, both could see how an arm emerged from the opening that gave rise to a gloved hand extending towards them.
"I think this will be enough to get you out of here, but try to be careful, it's not very stable."
"You first," Arven indicated, pointing.
"Arven"
"Don't argue with me, Juliana, you go first or I'll throw you like a sack, you'll see." he warned with a serious look, making the champion roll her eyes in boredom! Sometimes she hated that sense of protection from her friend! So, bringing Jabari back to his Poke Ball, she approached the hand that was extended to her. She took a few seconds to look at it before grabbing it firmly and feeling her being pulled away.
The sunlight surprised her and she had to cover her eyes to avoid being dazzled. But wait, the sun? If it was supposed to be night, it was impossible for it to have dawned during the time they were in the cave! Nor had the walk she took with Suguri taken that long. What the hell...?
"Hey, are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Asked her rescuer with a worried tone.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for..."
She froze.
Suddenly any of her muscles stopped responding and her mind became confused the moment her eyes opened to see the young man in front of her, who was still holding her hand, and who was returning the same bewildered look as she must have been directing him.
Two-tone hair, black and purple...
Gold eyes...
"K...Kieran..."she said barely in a whisper in a totally terrified tone. It wasn't possible. What was he doing in Alola? Why precisely was he there?!
After half a second, she realized that he was still holding her hand and she jerked to try to get away, however, to her horror, not only could she not get away, but now Kieran had his hands all over her arm and grabbed her with both hands held her in place.
That made her breathing stop, she could feel her chest beginning to rise and fall frantically and, however, she was not able to feel the air reaching her lungs. Unpleasant memories began to invade her head and a tingling ran through her body from the points where he had her held and only a broken word could leave her lips:
"Please let me go..."
"Hey, wait..." Kieran said with a bewildered tone"Who are you...? How do you know me?"
TO CONTINUE...OR NO.