A Treasure Most Priceless

by FS Vula'Purrfectest

Florian's entire life was dedicated to honing his skills as a Pokemon Battler. He was on the path to greatness, but little did he know that he was destined for even greater things - becoming a Gestalt Supremest Being.

Chapter One: Unassailable Change

Ever since he could remember, Florian lived, breathed, and shat Pokemon. From an early age, he learned everything about them from every source of information he could get his hands on. By the time he was ten, his statistical knowledge in every aspect of Pokemon had outstripped many Professors researching them. His love and adoration for these miraculous creatures bordered on the pathological and rivaled the extremely linear focus of the autistic mind. Until he and his Mom moved to their new home in the Paldea Region's, this love and the love he had for his Mother were the only two he knew.

Then, he met his new neighbor, Nemona.

He had already decided on Sprigatito as his Starter Pokemon while silently vowing to acquire the other two any way he could, his completionist and perfectionist mindset nearly debilitating enough to prevent his ascension up the social totem pole. The Headmaster of the new school he'd be attending was calm and dignified, but it'd be a while before Florian got his name down pat, having always struggled with names and faces, especially if taken out of context. However, the moment he saw Nemona for the first time, he intuitively knew he'd never have that problem with her.

Cute? Check. Older than him? Also, check, and a surprising kink his horny, shallow teenage ass didn't know he had until he met the upperclassman. Exuding manic energy he could vibe with and similarly obsessed with battling? Check, check, check!

Florian tried his damnedest not to stare at her well-developed, lightly tanned body, which his aversion to extended eye contact made all the more difficult. Still, he reckoned he fared well and made a lasting first impression. Florian had never had a friend before and had trouble maintaining long-term relationships aside from with his Mother and Pokemon. While he was happy with his own company and cared not for social norms, he found himself not wanting to screw this potential friendship up.

He beat Nemona soundly, though Nemona had held back on him considerably and limited herself to using the starter Clavell let her take, which just happened to be the duck. The two of them were inseparable after beating her that first time and taking Nemona's considerable idiosyncratic behaviors in stride.

Things picked up for Florian from there: he met the Legendary Pokemon and the most voracious foodie he'd ever met, Miraidon; he met Arven; he attended his first-ever class at Uva Academy; he met the Champion Level Trainer, the top student and most beautiful girl in school, Juliana; and he helped out a similarly awkward soul as himself with an Eevee-themed backpack. Florian's journey throughout Paldea was proving to be terribly busy and fulfilling.

Between collecting Herba Mystica with Arven, raiding Team Star Bases at the command of the mysterious Cassiopeia and the not-so-mysterious Clive, and participating in the Gym Challenge, Florian's starter and the other members of his multiple Pokemon teams grew ever-powerful.

Catching the Titan Pokemon after defeating them alongside Arven, grabbing everything and raising them all into behemoths of their species, completing the Paldea Pokedex, acing all his classes, beating the gym leaders, simping unashamedly for Iono and Tulip, defeating Arven and Penny, and making friends and hopeful romantic partners along his entire journey, Florian did it all, and no stone in Paldea was left unturned. He had all the makings of a Legendary Trainer on par with Nate in Unova or Red in Kanto. At only 14 years of age, he had his whole life ahead of him and hadn't come close to peaking.

After Hyper Training a sizable majority of his main party, Florian stomped the Elite Four and Geeta before doing the same thing with Nemona when she supposedly held nothing back. Nemona's sheer gleefulness at being handed such a one-sided curb stomp weirded even Florian out a little, though he couldn't blame her. After all, it was lonely at the top, and she'd been dealing with the monotony of her success at an early age for a long while.

Arceus did he ever want to kiss her during that moment, but years of dealing with loneliness and a lack of permanent fixtures in his life had developed into full-blown abandonment issues, and thus, he chickened out. This feeling was amplified since Nemona had given no overtly obvious indicators she was interested in him as anything other than a worthy rival. Being her rival for life was great, but despite wanting so much more with her, when it came to romance, he needed to improve at making all his big talk more than words. He hoped becoming a Champion Ranked Trainer and defeating Nemona at her best would give him the courage to confess his feelings for the older girl, but he supposed he couldn't have everything in life.

With these victories under his belt, Florian was as shocked as anyone when Juliana, who had been standoffish to him from the moment they met and found his eccentricities irritating, challenged him to the first battle she'd fought in plain view of anyone since the day she became a Champion years ago.

Too stunned to say no, Florian restored his team to total health and participated in the first genuinely losing battle he'd fought since coming to Paldea. Unlike his supposed climactic battle against Nemona, Juliana shared Florian's love for competitive battling and had much more time to hone her craft. He was woefully underprepared for such a fight.

When it became clear that Juliana insisted on Double Battles when Florian had only fought Singles until that point, he had no choice but to take the first and most massive L he'd ever received.

"You have potential but haven't capitalized on it meaningfully yet. Come back when you've grown stronger, and I'll happily battle you again." Juliana had said to him dismissively before she returned her Pokemon and walked away like he was just another notch in her extensive list of flawless victories.

Florian was crushed after going from feeling on top of the world to being down in the dumps in mere minutes. Underneath his lamentations, however, he felt a white, hot rage. It wasn't directed at his Pokemon, oh no. It also wasn't aimed at Juliana. He only felt rage towards himself for failing to capitalize on his potential and max out his Pokemons', because Juliana had been right at the end of the day. A lifetime of surpassing society's loftiest expectations and most constraining limitations had made him cocky and arrogant. He'd gotten so used to proving to the entire world that no one in it was superior to him when it came to Pokemon that he'd lost sight of the feelings of insecurity that superiority complex stemmed from and why he felt that way.

His entire life, he'd been treated like an outcast, and society didn't expect him to amount to anything for a long time in light of his isms. He'd realized ages ago that the only way to shut these naysayers up was to prove them all wrong in the most spectacular, grandiosity-loaded manner possible. Today, however, he'd met his match. Thanks to his natural ability to excel, he'd grown complacent in his training and capacity for loftiest aspirations and got absolutely Shreked for it.

However, instead of wading into a pool of misery and depression following his defeat, this just made the fire of determination within him transubstantiate into a full-blown Ultra Bursting Necrozma. His Mom always said he was too stubborn, myopic, and tenacious for his own good. When he decided to set his heart on achieving something, irrespective of its loftiness, no power in the entire world would stop him from self-actualizing.

During the Zero Lab incident, the only thing on Florian's mind was beating Juliana and everyone else who came his way. The aggressive, high-level Pokemon in Area Zero he battled on the way down had proven helpful for training his Team, and he added to his ever-expanding collection with them as well, vowing to revisit this place one day, too.

He'd convinced his friends Nemona and Penny to accompany him and Arven down there, but Juliana had turned him down despite asking her as sweetly as possible. She wished him luck, however, saying this was a golden opportunity to work on himself and his team building and admitting she was rooting for him to beat her one day.

The AI that wanted to put an end to Professor Turo's admittedly horrifying dreams was the second most challenging battle he'd ever fought. Still, despite its claims that its battling prowess was peerless, there was no substitute for human ingenuity, and had she been there, Juliana would've bodied it. The team full of Master Balls containing those strange Pokemon he'd never seen before had been a shock. Still, Florian had adapted quickly and correctly understood many of the Paradox Pokemon's types and weaknesses. Ultimately, it came down to the Turo lookalike's Iron Valiant and Florian's Level 79, Hyper Trained, but not optimally EV Trained Meowscarada, whom he Terastallized to boost his Flower Trick even further. In the end, that initial battle ended in a one-shot, but Florian didn't get to celebrate before the Paradise Protection Protocol was activated and everyone's Pokeballs were sealed.

Well, everyone except for the Professor.

Miraidon vs Miraidon remained one of the most iconic battles Florian ever fought; the sounds of his first real friends cheering him on with all of their souls from the rear, Miraidon fighting his more aggressive, territorial kin on everyone's behalf with everything he had, and that friendship-powered victory and Terastallization, mwah, chef's kiss. Florian intended to use him as his ride first and foremost, but he was also going to EV and Hyper Train Miraidon after this. That guy was an absolute beast and could prove indispensable against Juliana and that Dondozo of hers.

With the incident at Area Zero resolved and Florian's friendships with Nemona, Arven, and Penny set in stone, rematching the Gym Leaders and winning the Academy Ace Tournament were trivial tasks. Juliana turned down the offer to participate when it became clear that the Singles format was nonnegotiable, her reasoning that she'd get very little out of it outside of the money for purchasing held items, vitamins, and mints. Florian was equally relieved and saddened but ultimately settled on being thankful because he knew he wasn't ready to face her again.

After that initial Ace Tournament, things settled down for Florian immensely, and aside from the occasional request for autograph signing or pictures by his surprisingly subby fangirls, he had almost unlimited free time to step up his game on all fronts. And he did, making use of sandwiches, farming Herba Mystica from 5, 6, and the elusive 7 Star Raids, which could spawn Level 100, Hexaperfect Pokemon of many distinct kinds, but mainly starters. He grew tremendously in the following months until, at last, he had entire boxes full of Level 100 Hexaperfect Pokemon. Finally feeling confident enough to rematch the only person who had ever defeated him, Florian rechallenged Juliana, not knowing how much the following battle would change their lives.

XXX

Florian stared across the Mesagoza outdoor stadium at his opponent, taking in her features as she looked back at him steadily.

Juliana had recently dyed her hair a vibrant, neon fuchsia. This, combined with her Caucasian skin tone, golden eye contacts, pretty face, and athletic body, made for a bewitchingly distracting visage. She had foregone her school uniform and wore a Lurantis-themed outfit shipped overseas from the Alola Region that bared her lean, toned midriff.

Her latest look was torture for Julian's constantly overloaded senses, the stimulating, provocative attire she wore distracting him as he redoubled his efforts to get his head in the game.

Juliana caught him staring despite his best efforts and smirked, making him curse. That bloody minx knew what she was doing to him. "Paldean summers are brutal, as you've realized by now. Skimpier clothing is ideal. Besides, I wanted a change to commemorate this momentous occasion. I've been looking forward to this contest for months, and I can tell by looking at you that you're not the same person you were during your Gym Challenge."

"I'm glad you've picked up on that. I took your advice during our last bout to heart if we can even call it that. You destroyed us last time, and I trained like crazy for this moment to prove to you that I'm worthy to stand tall with the best of the best. Get ready, Juliana, because I will topple your golden throne at Paldea's summit!" He exclaimed before adding in a quieter voice and with an uncharacteristically blushing face. "You wear that suit well, by the way. I won't lie and say I'm not a fan of the view, but I'm not about to let that stop me from self-actualizing my loftiest ambitions." He emphasized his statement with emphatic gestures, briefly clapping faster than anyone Julian had ever seen, giving the impression that he was massively overstimulated. However, her focus was more on what he said.

"So, you do have an appreciation for the female form. Given your eccentricities, perpetual bachelor celebrity status, and single-mindedness when it comes to Pokemon, the consensus of the student body is that you're asexual and aromantic." Juliana chuckled.

"Wait, what?! People think that about me?!" Florian shouted in that over-the-top manner only someone with his or Nemona's enormous personalities could pull off.

Juliana deadpanned. "You're intelligent, famous, powerful, rich, ridiculously competent, and specialized in multiple areas, and if I may be so bold, easy on the eyes, Florian. Your dating pool spans the entire Paldea Region and might be global, yet you've shown no obvious interest in anyone. Are you seriously telling me you've not noticed any of that noise? Wow, talk about oblivious."

Florian offered her a Mareepish smile. "Not the first time I've been told I'm unobservant and an uncultured Mamoswine. It never occurred to me that my exploits might've made me popular with the ladies, but I'm interested in women. I've had my eye on someone in particular and never had the balls to come out and tell her how I feel."

Juliana's curiosity outweighed her desire to get to the battle right away, and thankfully, the gathered crowd was interested enough in the conversation. Florian's answers showed that they were okay with the delay as well. The bloody paparazzi were recording everything, doubtlessly eager to discover their favorite poster child's romantic preferences and ready to share them with the world, reminding Juliana why she generally avoided large-scale events like this. This didn't stop her from carrying on the conversation, and Florian's lack of concern with being on camera also intrigued her. "Why? I mean, why not just tell her? You've always struck me as someone with little to no inhibitions and who doesn't hesitate to be true to himself and his heart. Why's this girl the exception?"

"Because my lack of neural inhibitors and blunt honesty has burned a lot of bridges for me in my childhood. I don't want that to be what happens between me and this girl, but I'm also no longer content with maintaining the status quo between us either. I'm caught between a Rock-type and a hard place."

Juliana shrugged. "It sounds like you just haven't found the right friends up until now. Do you want my honest take? I say go for it, regardless of the results of today's battle. If this girl is who I think it is, even if she doesn't feel the same way, she'll always be your friend, and at least you can get these feelings off your chest and maybe move on."

"Thanks, I'll try and keep that in mind."

"No problem, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry for being so standoffish. It was nothing personal against you; I'm just not too interested in being friends with people. But you do interest me. You always have."

"Um, thanks. Likewise, I guess. In all frankness, I thought you found me particularly irritating."

"Nope, quirky, maybe. Peculiar? Absolutely. But you're also sweet, cute, and hyper-empathetic, and your competency as a Pokemon Trainer is undeniable. Speaking of which, perhaps we should get this party started!"

"Couldn't agree more! Let's go!"

XXX

An hour later, Florian cheered and clapped with massively overexcitement as the shiny, max size, Hexaperfect Espathra he'd spent weeks hunting for using Sparkling and Humungo Power Psychic 3 Sandwich Powers defeated Juliana's Level 75 Dondozo and swept nearly all of her team singlehanded. Using a combination of its Opportunist Ability and the Mirror Herb held item, Espathra copied Dondozo's stat boosts twice over, gaining an instant +4 Omni Boost and one-shotting her Dondozo using Stored Power, Unaware ability be damned.

"We did it! WE WON! WE WON! HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" He giggled while jumping for joy as Juliana returned her last two Pokemon, a Cetitan and Maushold after seeing them both get absolutely wrecked by a Dazzling Gleam, the spread move able to hit any number of targets regardless of redirection attacks. A part of her was disappointed the battle was over already, but mostly, she was proud and relieved to have finally met her match.

She wasn't like Nemona. She didn't mind standing alone at the top, but having a solid rival to push her to new heights wasn't something she'd object to either. She'd seen potential in Florian from the moment she first saw him in the Academy halls all those months ago, going over his battle strategies and potential team builds with his party members unusually openheartedly. The way his warm chocolate-colored eyes sparkled, the unlimited hyperactive energy he exuded, and his unfailing kindness to his Pokemon drew her to him.

In the weeks that followed, she admired him from afar, tracking his progress in the gym challenge, seeing him go above and beyond for his depressingly sparse number of human friends, almost to the point of absurdity, and even attending a few of his Gym Battles in person. He never seemed to notice her during those battles, but while she would never admit it as openly as he would, she had become his first true fan long before he was famous.

His blunt honesty was hella refreshing, too. He never hesitated to speak what was on his mind, and the people around him always knew where they stood with him, too. He'd also mastered the art of truthfulness without being needlessly hurtful or even particularly rude, which was an impressive skill. When he noticed a perceived logical fallacy in someone's thinking or didn't understand the method to their madness, he didn't hesitate to question them about it. He did so in such a disarmingly sweet and innocently curious way that they opened up to him anyway. People gravitated towards him, his smile and boundless positive energy infectious, and he left a lasting, perhaps even lifelong, impression on practically everyone he met, no matter the depth of his interactions with them.

She also noticed his detestment for small talk; every conversation with him was profound, involved, and could continue for hours, and he tended to overshare to the point of putting off some people. He had no internal concept of personal boundaries or how much information was too much. He often relied on people's body language and microexpressions to act as his gauge for such things. However, when such people drew away from him, he just shrugged and moved on like he was used to it. This made her heart squeeze with sympathy because even though people gravitated toward him, it was like touching the sun, and precious few could handle him for any extended duration.

Another thing Juliana noticed was that he was brilliant, like freakishly so. She would've been astounded if any standard test could've quantified his IQ. His most fantastic trait was his limitless imagination, at least in her admittedly high opinion of him. The sheer creativity he displayed in his move sets and team builds, even then at this early stage of his career, was past the point of absurdity.

Yes, she'd been watching him for a long time and grudgingly began thinking the world of him. When he'd won the Elite Test and became a Champion ranked Trainer, she couldn't help but come back into the limelight for the first time in years, wanting to give him that final push to hopefully reach the potential she'd seen in him from day one. She wanted him to soar, ascend, and reach heights hitherto unprecedented because he deserved nothing less. He earned the world because some angels weren't meant to fall or be grounded in conventional norms for what's considered realistic. If anyone deserved not to be constrained in any way, it was him.

It was harder for her to stomp him into the dirt than she thought, but she knew it would ultimately benefit him. Aside from his imagination, the other attribute he had that she genuinely considered boundless was his unwavering spirit. He had far too much fight to let a curb-stomp like this demoralize him. Determination and tenacity were his most powerful assets. And her instincts had been right on the money. He'd come back stronger than ever, so strong that he shredded her far worse than she had him.

His entire Team was Level 100, the Level Cap itself and a feat only a few Legendary Trainers and Pokemon in all human history had ever accomplished. Those Pokemon of his undoubtedly lived off a high-energy diet of 3-star and 4-star sandwiches, vitamins, and XL XP Candies. Did Juliana have a bit of a schoolgirl crush? Probably, yeah.

"Awesome, AWESOME WORK Espathra! I'll give you all the sandwiches you want after this! Thank you so much!" Florian shouted praisingly, his words plus the cheering screams of the crowd jarring Juliana out of her reverie and causing the admittedly most giant Espathra she'd ever seen to preen at the compliment. Juliana laughed as it began to prance around with pride, and Florian chuckled good-naturedly, letting him stay out of his ball for now while returning his exhausted Oricorio and walking over to his defeated rival with a dazzling, million-gigawatt smile on his face.

"It looks like you did it. You finally beat me, Florian! Well done. I always knew you could go the distance. I have to admit, your strategy was ingenious. I didn't know Mirror Herb and Espathra's abilities could stack like that. Then again, I've never actually trained an Espathra."

"Thanks, it was a long time coming, Juliana. For many months now, beating you has been my most predominant idée fixe, but simply doing so one time would not satisfy me, I admit. Also, you should consider training one. Espathra is an absolute unit, and his signature move is a suped-up, Psychic-type Acid Spray. Can't go wrong there!" He replied as the two of them shook hands. Espathra stood even taller as his trainer kept piling on the praise.

Juliana made a mental note to remind Florian to be careful about giving his Pokemon an overinflated ego, but that could wait. She was too preoccupied with trying not to sigh with bliss at the feeling of his exceedingly warm, surprisingly smooth, and dainty hand. They weren't particularly feminine, but their grip strength and dexterity were significantly less than Juliana would've expected from a teenage male as tall and gangly as he was. She found herself strangely curious about why that was as well; in fact, she was curious about him a lot. How could someone be so easy to read and honest to a fault and still surprise you?

Thankfully, she mustered the articulateness to respond without too much brain lag. "Hehehehe, I see the strangeness of your vernacular is undiminished. Idée fixe? What are you, Kalosian?" She couldn't help but tease him, reluctantly releasing his hand when he made it clear he wasn't letting go until she did.

"Ha, says the person who uses the word vernacular casually. Also, I lacked the mental capacity to learn a second language growing up. Still, I also spent a lot of my insomnia-induced sleepless nights binge-reading everything I could get my hands on, including multiple Thesauruses from cover to cover."

"Really? Someone as smart as you? I find that ridiculously hard to believe." Juliana responded skeptically, trying to ignore the flashing of cameras and the recording of their entire conversation. Undoubtedly, the tabloids would go wild with this tomorrow, trying to illustrate them as a couple who regularly bantered/flirted with one another. Florian blinked slightly from the flashes but otherwise seemed oblivious to the people around him. Juliana almost blushed at the implication that his vision was tunneled because he was speaking with her, but she thankfully held it together. No doubt he would've picked up on something as obvious as that, him and those damn mentalist powers of his.

"You'd be surprised. Maybe I could learn now, but once upon a time, I was taxed to the limit, just trying to learn how to speak at all, never mind multiple languages. I think I was four when I finally outgrew my echolalia, and the first word out of my mouth, unprompted or not copied by others, was Pokemon. Big shocker, huh?"

Juliana snickered, finding his dry humor highly amusing. She leaned close to his ear in a display of boldness, relishing how his breath hitched. "My dorm room is three doors down from Miss Student Council President herself. My doors are always open if you ever want to talk or hang out. Don't reveal where I sleep to anyone, though, okay? I'm taking a huge leap of faith by trusting you with this information, so, for once, don't run your mouth."

Florian didn't hesitate to whisper back, ignoring the increased pace of the flashes in the background. "Don't worry. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets if it's for a just cause. Thank you for trusting me, Juliana. I hope we can be friends. Also, I'd like to add your contact information to my Rotom Phone if that's okay. Having someone to coordinate with to defeat six and 7-star raids would be stupendous. Charizard was not a fun raid for me to solo, but my Huge Power Azumarill with Belly Drum, Play Rough, and Aqua Jet worked surprisingly well, especially with the item Shell Bell. I know you can use up to four Pokemon in a raid to make up for flying solo, but I've only recently discovered my affinity for battles with more than one Pokemon out at the same time. Plus, I'd need four Pokemon that can synergize well against the Charizard, and four Pokemon of that caliber were hard to come by."

"You soloed the Charizard raid?! With one Pokemon?!" Juliana shouted in the first display of genuine shock she'd shown since this whole exchange began. A hush fell over the crowd of spectators as Florian winced. He responded honestly, however, as he always did.

"Yep. A few times, actually. I'm the first Trainer in Paldean History to successfully capture it, along with a few other Seven Star Raids, like the Cinderace, Greninja, and Pikachu. The right builds make a world of difference, I've found. Though I was trying to keep that quiet for a little longer."

Juliana was floored. Florian had not only defeated four of the known 7-Star Tera Raids, which could sometimes appear at any random interval, but also soloed them with one Pokemon. Even Trainers who used four Pokemon with good synergy and type advantages had never beaten a 7-Star Raid before, and Juliana herself had yet to achieve it.

"Florian, that's amazing! No one has ever defeated those raids before, not even the past Champions at their peaks! You've made Paldean History!" She whispered in astonishment before throwing him a Mareepish smile. "Sorry about blabbing, by the way, and after I just asked you to keep my secret. I'll give you my number, and we can tag team raids whenever our schedules align. I always wanted to farm the rewards from those and the 6-Star Tera Raids, but I never could. With you by my side, maybe I can."

Florian chuckled good-naturedly. "It's no biggie. It's not like I was dead set on keeping it a secret. I didn't want to give these people more reason to hassle me at inopportune times." He replied, indicating the press members still silently recording their exchange.

It seemed wonders would never cease with this boy. Juliana gave him her number with zero hesitation after that bomb he dropped. He thanked her profusely and walked off, his Espathra drawing itself up to its full, impressive height to ward off the press members who looked inclined to follow him. Juliana watched him go, her heart ticking faster when she saw him express his true joy by jumping for joy when he thought no one could see him.

She smiled in wonderment, feeling like she'd hit the Master Ball lotto jackpot. Without any further preamble, Juliana took the opportunity to disappear into the parting seas of the crowd, which had begun dispersing now that the battle and exchange were over. Pointedly ignoring the news Houndstones' attempts to question her on her relationship with Paldea's latest Champion, Juliana found herself eagerly anticipating deepening her bond of fellowship with the remarkable boy who had stolen her heart. First things first, she wanted to learn more about him from the people he was closest to.

XXX

One Year Later:

Florian could hardly contain his excitement as his months-long secret excursion to Area Zero following his near-completion of Paldea's Pokedex and constant usage of Humungo and Sparkling Power Three Sandwiches finally bore fruit. As he returned to society and Uva Academy, he could not figure out why people were pointing and staring at him with widened eyes. Florian ignored it for now and pressed on. He looked scruffy, having bathed in the gorgeous, unnaturally pure rivers in Area Zero's third level and living off the land for nearly half a year. It made sense that people were shocked now that he thought about it.

His beard and mustache had grown out slightly, and he only used a basic wet razor to keep them trimmed down. He'd never particularly excelled at hygiene, but even he had a limit to how gross he could be before it grossed him out. His Pokemon were excellent at incentivizing showers. His Mightiest Greninja was particularly prone to popping out of its designated PC box and dousing him with a low-power Hydro Cannon to get him at least somewhat clean.

Sometimes, he was thankful his current fitness level offset his natural predisposition toward sweating and body order because he could get away with a few days before he began to smell bad enough for people to notice. He'd also gained an unnatural heat and cold tolerance due to all the harsh elements he routinely found himself under or overdressed for at inconvenient intervals. These things worked together, resulting in his built-up tolerance to sweatiness and musk. He noticed a few of his fellow students, particularly the girls, eying him like a piece of candy as he passed them and into the school. He'd contemplate the staring more profoundly some other time. Right now, he was a man on a mission.

Months of regular visits to his new best friend's dorm room, plus their occasional team-ups against six and 7-Star Tera Raid Bosses, had blessed Florian with a borderline sixth sense awareness of Juliana's favorite hang-outs, haunts, hidey-holes, daily routines, and extracurriculars. Juliana's consistency suited his interests because Juliana was the first person he planned to show the latest additions to his collection. Nemona was next on his list of priorities because he knew she'd demand to battle them, and while he was all for showcasing their abilities, he wanted to geek out about the catching aspect as well. For that, Juliana understood his collector's mindset better than anyone. However, he had another reason for wanting to see Nemona and knew he was trying to justify stalling due to nerves.

"Let's see, knowing her schedule, she's probably in her dorm room studying or watching TV," Florian spoke, thinking aloud to himself as he often did. It helped him focus and organize his thoughts, as did pacing and randomly flapping his arms. He'd thought about phoning her to let her know he was back in town but wanted to surprise her. He'd kept in touch with her and everyone else close to him, of course. The Rotom Phone could get a signal even in the depths of Zero Labs itself. He still had no idea how it did that, but his Mom was only ever a phone call away.

Florian's Pokemon often reminded him to check in with them and let them know he was okay because Paldea's latest and alleged greatest Champion was prone to losing track of time when caught up in a passion project. He shuddered at the time he forgot to call Nemona for over two weeks while out collecting Gimmighoul Coins all over Paldea and trying to evolve his Gimmighoul and the chewing out he'd gotten from her for his absentmindedness. Despite that, however, Florian was glad they cared enough to all but demand daily updates and was always over the moon whenever he heard from them. Even a quick text to say hello made a massive difference whenever Florian felt neglected, and he did his best to extend the same courtesy to them in exchange.

With a practiced ease that hadn't faded even in their months apart, Florian's feet remembered the distance to Juliana's dorm room like the back of his hand. Knowing he was always welcome, Florian didn't bother knocking and just flung open the door like he owned the place. Sure enough, Juliana was currently seated cross-legged on her futon watching the latest daily news updates on today's 6-Star Tera Raid Boss, with a fluffy Eevee-themed blanket she'd 'borrowed' from Penny and never given back thrown over her legs for additional warmth. She was already in her Lopunny-themed onesie and retired for the night.

Arceus, Juliana looked so cute. In a perfect world, Florian could be with her, Nemona, and all the other amazing girls in Paldea, but harems were the stuff of male fantasy—peak male fantasy, but fantasy, all the same. Besides, Juliana deserved someone with all the love in the world to give her, not someone whose heart was torn between multiple women. Nemona had been with him a lot longer, one of his BFFs and rivals, and she deserved equivalent reciprocity for the time, effort, and investment she'd sunk into him. He was more secure in his relationship with her and felt she wouldn't mind as much if he were into the idea of harems. All the same, he'd still singlemindedly devote himself to her, his annoying fantasies be damned.

Juliana jolted with a start at his abrupt intrusion. Florian saw her hand fly to her Dondozo's Pokeball with expert precision, only to relax and dazzlingly beam when she saw it was him. To Florian's surprise, Juliana flew out from under her Purloined blanket and towards him with astonishing speed. His breath hitched when she threw her arms around him and brought him into one of the most incredible hugs he'd ever been blessed with. Here, with her, even after months apart with only phone calls to sustain their long absence, Florian felt warm and safe.

"Florian Scarlet, you're back!" She cried out in exuberance as Florian's face felt extremely hot. He didn't deny her, though, and tentatively returned the embrace, trying not to put his hands anywhere inappropriate or hyper-fixate on the swell of her unusually large breasts pushing against his chest. Goosebumps erupted all over his body from the sheer, addictive high that came from such proximity to his admittedly beautiful female friend.

Clearly aware of his reaction, Juliana hesitantly pulled away, even while she inwardly cheered at the prospect of him finally reciprocating some of the feelings she'd long harbored for him, even if it was only biochemically. She knew his heart was set on Nemona and respected that. But still, it was difficult.

Even so, she did what she did best: Juliana embraced her role as Florian's best friend and decided to see what excited him so much that he returned to civilization just to see her.

"So, what brought you back to society? Does anyone else know you've returned?" She wondered, surprised when he shook his head negatively.

"Not at the moment, no. I wanted you to be the first to see everything I've caught." He admitted with a slight blush.

"Ohohoho, should I be flattered? What would Nemona think, hmmm~?" Juliana musically giggled, unable to resist teasing him as steam erupted from Florian's ears in an uncharacteristic display of embarrassment. Juliana inwardly grinned in victory, knowing how hard it was to get him embarrassed sometimes. She knew why he was damn near immune to mortification, of course. Everyone close to him did, and they loved him all the more for his lack of neurological inhibitors. Still, it was nice to know he could sometimes behave like a typical teenage boy.

"It's not like that. You just appreciate my collector's mindset. None of my other friends rotate their teams. Nemona is the only other Trainer who has more than one team to speak of, and I've never seen her use her original team before."

He paused to catch his breath before explaining himself further, something Juliana couldn't help but find amusement in since it was unneeded. "Penny is too obsessed with her Eeveelutions to consider changing them. I can't bring myself to tentatively advise Arven to swap out his sentimental party members to keep things fresh. It doesn't help that their teams have reached the point now where leveling up the conventional way, without candies, is no longer as viable. You and I at least use the XP Candies we farm." Florian spoke almost too fast for Juliana to follow his words, but she'd known him long enough by now to get the gist or remind him to slow down when he became unintelligible.

"Florian, I was just teasing. You didn't need to explain that. I already know Nemona, Arven, and Penny well enough to have discerned that much on my own." Juliana giggled, and Florian threw her a Mareepish smile.

"Now, will you continue prattling on or show me what you caught? After you're done, I expect you to have a proper shower and shave because bathing and cutting yourself with a dulled razor in the wild is not cutting it anymore. You can use my facilities if you don't want to return to your dorm immediately and wish to hang out. I should have a spare set of all your favorite outfits handy around here somewhere, too."

Florian mirthfully shook his head. "Wow, I always forget how prepared you are to have me over for the night, despite school rules forbidding sleepovers between oppositely-gendered students not in a relationship. Are you sure it's not an imposition? I'd be perfectly willing to head back after this. It's been a while since I slept in my own bed."

Juliana snickered, knowing Florian well enough by now to know he definitely wanted to stay over but wouldn't admit it unprompted because he hated being thought of as burdensome as much as he loved the idea of spending the night at a friend's place. Where he got the idea that he was an imposition, Juliana had no idea, but whoever was responsible for putting that thought in his head would pay if she ever found out who they were. Then again, maybe this was just Julian's overactive imagination, envisaging slights against him that weren't there. Either way, she'd have this conversation with him as many times as it took to get her point across.

"Florian, what am I always telling you?" She asked him gently yet firmly, wanting to be sure he remembered. Florian had almost perfect recall when it came to numerics. The stuff he fixated on was always there, but all the RAM for his brain's long-term memory capacity seemed to get used up on those things alone. His ability to remember anything outside his obsessions was hit or miss, including essential elements like eating, sleeping, showering, etc.

Florian chortled. "That I'm always welcome here, no matter what." He added quickly. "Anyway, let me show you what I caught. I won't release the Pokemon here in the living room since they're too big, but I can bring up their summary screens."

He did exactly that, a holographic panel showcasing his current party appearing between them via his use of the System Menu, a mechanic that had been accessible to Trainers throughout the world since time immemorial and which was one of the many unsolved mysteries of the Pokemon Universe. Sometimes, Juliana couldn't help but compare their lives to a video game, yet the RPG elements, stats, leveling systems, etc., were a very real power here. Through years of experimentation, different regions could customize their system menus in numerous ways. Still, certain things remained universally consistent, with Pokemon summaries, bagged item listings, and the Pokedex button among them. Certain things were new, like the portable PC storage access and the ability to relearn all of a Pokemon's level-up and Technical Machine moves without needing an external tutor.

Juliana's eyes comically bulged when she saw the shiny, Hexaperfect, Jumbo Mark-holding individuals of Pokemon she'd never seen before, with strange names like Iron Hands, Iron Valiant, and the like. "Florian, are these those… Paradox Pokemon you told me about from that alternative future?! How in the world did you find the patience, tenacity, and stubbornness to acquire such perfect examples of these species?!" Her eyes widened even further as something else became apparent to her. "Wait, they're all LEVEL ONE HUNDRED?!"

Florian chuckled. "And optimally EV-trained, plus given access to all their Technical Machines, though the amount of Pokemon drop items and League Points I had to farm to make that possible took ages. I probably won't make a habit of doing that, probably."

Juliana could scarcely believe her eyes. "The fact you not only felt the need to get Jumbo and shiny versions of these Pokemon, but also Hexaperfect. You never cease to amaze me, Florian! I can't wait to see you showcase them in battle!"

"I got several other shiny, Jumbo individuals of these specimens during my hunt, but without the perfect IVs. I've hyper-trained them, EV Trained them, and leveled them up to the cap as well, though. You can have them if you want. I also caught that other Miraidon while I was down there. It stuck around and waited for me to return and seems to have calmed down since our fight against it. I knew then and there that I'd found the perfect Pokemon to use Director Clavell's gifted Master Ball on. He's hyper-trained, EV-trained, and at Level 100 now, too. I've already thought of some combinations with him and these Paradox Pokemon I've caught. I'm pretty lucky because I now have a Miraidon I can ride and one for battling purposes."

"Florian, exactly how many Level 100 Pokemon do you have now?"

"Um…" Florian stuttered, looking at a loss as he tried and failed miserably to do a quick head count. Juliana laughed out loud. She couldn't help it. This was so past the point of absurdity and so quintessentially Florian.

"Okay, next question, how many before you lost count?"

"I don't know. Three boxes worth, I guess."

"NINETY freaking Level 100s?! Florian, that's unheard of! Not even the Global Battle Legends have that many! Even I don't have that many, and I've been using the same Tera Raids and candy farming system you have. Wait, have you been soloing six and 7-star raids without me?" Juliana demanded, crossing her arms over her disturbingly well-endowed chest for her age and leveling him with a piercing glare.

Florian sweatdropped nervously, not answering her. Juliana wouldn't have this, and her glare deepened. "Florian…" She growled dangerously, and Florian immediately recognized not answering her wasn't an option.

"Okay, maybe a few here and there, but come on, we don't always have to do them together. And your main team is Level 100 now anyway, primed for taking down most raids if you use four at once. You don't need me for them anymore." Florian said with a gentle half-smile that made Juliana's heart pound despite herself.

"Florian, it's not about needing you. I really liked spending that time together with you, working as a unit to overcome a superior opponent while we both reap the rewards. That was our thing; the one thing we did together was just yours and mine. I'm not trying to guilt-trip you. I know you're not the best team player in the world, and you like proving to everyone that you can do all this independently, but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from and why this upsets me." Juliana whispered while pouting way too cutely.

Florian felt like the world's biggest asshole and brought her into the most comforting hug he could muster. "I'm sorry, Juliana, truly, I am. I should've known better than to assume I was the only one who derived such enjoyment from our raiding together. I just figured that with your school schedule and availability some days; it'd be best if I could learn to operate solely when and where I had to."

"Florian, you know I'll always make time for you, no matter what else I may be doing that day or how busy I am. You always drop everything you're doing to make time for the people you love when they need you, no matter how important what you're doing is. Why can't we do the same?"

"You can; I'm just not used to other people holding themselves to such ludicrous standards of friendship. I know most people have their own lives outside my every whim. I've had to learn that through sheer necessity, and just because I finished all my classes in a few days and have unlimited free time and emotional availability doesn't mean everyone else does or should. I guess I'd just gotten used to holding myself to higher standards."

"Unlearn that as soon as you can, please, because you're not the only one with a lot of free time and availability these days. Besides, just because you have nearly limitless availability doesn't mean your time doesn't have value or that you shouldn't be allowed to spend it however you want. You choose to be there for us when you don't have to because you want to, and you drop whatever you're doing to be there. Just because what you're doing might not be immediately pressing or crunching deadlines doesn't mean it doesn't have value or that you should feel obligated to take away from that unless you truly want to. So, please, stop expecting so damn much of yourself already, and let us be there for you whenever you want or need as well. It's the least we can do to reciprocate the level of devotion and care you show us daily."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Juliana."

"No problem. Now, I believe I heard you mention you caught some more of these shiny Jumbo Paradox Mons for me. I'll happily take them off your hands. I'm assuming the Miraidon you caught is one or two of a kind."

Florian nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, otherwise, I'd give you one of him, too."

"Your matchless magnanimity always makes me swoon just a little."

"Hehehehe, it helps when you have access to almost limitless resources. I don't have to worry about surviving within limited parameters as much, which means I can afford to be generous." He chuckled before endearingly adding. "I'm rubbing off on you. 'Matchless magnanimity' is straight out of my unique wordplay."

"All right, give me my new Pokemon, then get your butt in the shower, Mister. I'll lay out your clothes while you're getting ready. Your current attire has seen better days, by the way."

Florian smiled Mareepishly once more. "Yeah, it's been a while since I bought newer versions of my favorite outfits. Thanks for always having me covered in that department."

"No problem, though we may have to get you resized. You've bulked up quite a bit in your travels."

"Really?!" Florian seemed genuinely surprised by this, and Juliana laughed again as she gave him a playful shove while reminding him to get ready for his shower. Florian good-naturedly chuckled while closing the door to her bathroom behind him with a boisterous, excitable snap, but not before he left a few Quick Balls behind containing her presents. Juliana tried not to think of the fact that he was likely getting naked on the other side, showcasing his taller, tanner, leaner, and more muscular body for only her bathroom mirror to see. Instead, she got to work digging out a fresh set of his favorite, gaudy outfits.

Florian was a massive sensory seeker regarding visual stimulation, and bright, neon colors were the safest bet when selecting his outfit. His hair was dyed bright gold, while his contact lenses were the infamous multicolored variety, an option few people in Paldea ever wore unironically. Despite this, Juliana loved his natural gravitation towards all things pizzazzy. It matched his personality and super-energy vibes.

In fact, Juliana loved a lot about him, like how he was always true to himself and his heart, which seemed bigger than a galaxy in its capacity to love. Honestly, she just plain loved him. Juliana could admit to herself she was head over heels now. Many girls loved and admired Florian, even some of the teachers. But he was in love with Nemona, and she was perfect. In an ideal world, by her standards, Juliana and Florian would be Paldea's ultimate power couple, or Florian would be bold enough to take on multiple lovers. But that wasn't their reality, no matter how idyllic the World of Pokemon seemed to the outside observer. And so, Juliana did her best to bury her feelings and accept her role as his friend because any relationship with the enigmatic boy who took Paldea by storm was better than no relationship at all, wasn't it?

XXX

The next morning:

After letting Juliana sweet-talk him into spending the night at her place despite school rules, (again) Florian had told her of his intentions to confess to Nemona at long last, and Uva Academy's top female student had been nothing but supportive. Still, Florian could tell she was trying to save face. Florian wasn't nearly as oblivious as people thought, at least not always. He could tell Juliana and a lot of other girls at this school were attracted to him at the very least, if not entirely in love. What did surprise him was that this extensive list didn't exclude the School Nurse or his Battle Studies instructor.

Florian struggled to rein in his teenage libido when he realized they liked him too, especially considering they were, as the first Paldean language so eloquently put it, muy caliente. The nurse, in particular, had been the subject of many intense erotic dreams involving prostate massages and mind-blowing ecstasy.

After over a year of exploring Paldea, Florian still needed help with the names of the cities and people here. He wasn't exactly fluent in classic Paldean, to begin with, outside of knowing a few essential words and greetings thanks to Nemona's tendency to bounce back and forth between it and standard Unovan, so the more complex names continued to elude him, even after facing his teachers many times in the Academy Ace Tournament.

As for Juliana's obvious crush on him, Florian would be lying if he said he wasn't flattered or hadn't thought about her like that on more than one occasion. But unless he somehow mastered the art of rizz to the extent needed to charm multiple girls into sharing him, there was no way he could have a relationship with anyone without breaking at least a few hearts along the way.

He hated that he had to break hearts at all, in all honesty, but he'd rather do that than attempt to broach the subject of polyamory to all the girls he'd ever crushed on during his Treasure Hunt. He wouldn't do that to them. They deserved better. It would've been easier if he'd garnered the sole affection of Nemona and only had eyes for her, but like so many boys his age, he could crush on more than one woman at a time.

It was incredibly frustrating being like that sometimes, but that was no excuse not to strive for a monogamous relationship either. So, when it came down to who Florian chose, he went with the choice that made the most logical sense. A, because that appeased his love for pragmatism, and B, because Nemona was his first in nearly every other aspect and always would be. She deserved his firsts in this area, too.

"Man, things were much simpler when I was only concerned with my obsession with Pokemon." He mused aloud to himself, but since starting his Treasure Hunt, since forging friendships he was confident would last a lifetime, he'd grown dependent on these people as much as his Pokemon. Also, he liked girls a lot and always had. He'd just never been especially good at forging friendships with them when he was little. He really hoped he wasn't about to screw his longest-lasting friendship up.

Nemona's dorm wasn't far from Juliana's, only a few doors up the hall. Even so, Florian managed to work himself up into a minor anxiety attack as he realized with a sinking feeling what he was planning to say to her. He'd promised himself he wouldn't Torchic out this time and was fed up with settling for less with her. Besides, how upset could she be?

Like Juliana, Florian knew he was always welcome in Nemona's dorm room. Even so, he pushed the unlocked door open oh-so-slowly, knowing she would've locked it if she went out and thereby aware of the fact that she was here. The second he did so, Nemona stood in his personal bubble with an excited, manic sparkle in her eyes, as she often did whenever he showed up.

"Florian! HEY! Welcome back, neighbor! Buenos Dias! You were gone for ages. I missed you! I hope you've returned even stronger because I've been itching to battle you again! We should totes catch up first, though! Come on in!" She greeted him in her loud, boisterous, high-energy voice with an adorable Paldean accent that never failed to get Florian hot under the collar.

He took a brief moment to study her without lingering on her assets for too long. From a purely objective standpoint, she still looked the same: the same dark hair, warm brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin with a light spotting of freckles on her pretty face. She still wore her school attire, which was pretty much the only form of actual clothing they were allowed to wear and the only ones Paldea's boutiques would sell students, though Nemona made hers look good. The fact he could see her developed chest through her shirt didn't hurt, though he'd keep that particular appreciation to himself. From a purely subjective standpoint, however, she was a Goddess to his sensorily deprived eyes, her radiance, and splendor quenching his months of not seeing her in person. She really was effortlessly pretty.

Without missing a beat, Florian responded to her rapid-fire greeting with matching energy, feeling invigorated despite not being a morning person. "I'm always down to battle Nemona, you know that. And yes, I've grown much, much stronger. I hope you have, too, or this isn't going to be much of a match." He chuckled as Nemona offered him a sheepish smile.

"Leveling up is hard at this stage, but I'm doing my best to revamp my team and its movesets." She admitted, and Florian couldn't help but chuckle good-naturedly.

"If you could take out any of my Pokemon, the XP gained from them would boost yours considerably. That's part of why I taught my Hisuian Zoroark its Egg Move Memento to help my fellow Trainers. Well, that, and I want to get him off the field once I set up Happy Hour. He's a bit of a money-farming addict, that one."

"I know! I love your Pokemons' personalities so much, Florian! It really is great to see you again! Have you told anyone else you're back?! Oh, you should check in with your Mother when you can! If you haven't already, Penny, Arven, and Juliana, too!"

Florian could always count on Nemona's perpetual ADHD, over-caffeinated, sugar-rushed vitality to get him going. It was one of the many things that he loved about her. They never seemed to run out of energy, especially when they were together to build off one another. Of all his friends, Nemona was the only one who could keep up with his rapid-fire speeches and give them back in spades.

"Aside from you, I've only managed to check in with Juliana. Once I got to her dorm, she insisted I spend the night. You know how she is."

"I do, though I can't say I'm too fond of her asking you to risk getting into trouble on her behalf. I'll need to have a chat with her at some point!"

"Please don't use your position as the Student Council Prez to scold Juliana. That's just her way of showing she cares, one of her many ways. In truth, I like spending my nights there. She's grown efficient at accommodating my needs despite my autism. Did you know she has backups of all my favorite outfits stashed away for when I spend the night? I didn't know she even paid that much attention to me or my strong sense of personal style."

"Really?! Wow! I know she was interested in learning more about you after you stomped her in that battle, but I didn't think she'd gleaned so much."

"Wait, what?! She wanted to know more about me!" Florian stammered, genuinely shocked by this revelation. Nemona laughed, pulled him inside her dorm, and sat him down on her loveseat before plonking down beside him as they caught up.

"Yeah, she came around asking Penny, me, and Arven all kinds of personal questions on that very same day. I guess word got around that we knew you best around these parts, and we were happy to fill her in on all your amazing qualities. I hope that's okay."

"Of course, it is. I just didn't expect to make such a lasting impression on her. I know she was much friendlier to me after that day, and she started coming around a lot more to see me and join our group, but I never realized how deep her fascination with me ran."

"It's really not that surprising, Florian. You leave a lasting impression on people wherever you go. You're the first person in the school's history to have ever beaten her, too. Even with my original team, I never could, though you won't catch me admitting that to anyone. Truth be told, I think she has a bit of a crush on you, but you didn't hear that from me. She seems sweet once you get past her defenses, and she's gorgeous, too. You could do a lot worse, and don't think I haven't noticed you checking her and other girls out, too."

"Hehe, guilty as charged. I suppose even I have an appreciation for the female form. I've picked up on crushes from a surprising number of women directed toward me, some a good decade my senior, and while I'm flattered, there's one woman in particular who stands above the rest in my heart."

Nemona, bless her soul, had question marks appearing above her head as she tilted her head adorably confusedly. "Who's the lucky lady?" She wondered idly.

Florian sighed and decided it was now or never. "You are," he said so quietly that he wasn't sure she heard him.

"Oh," Nemona replied in a deceptively monotone voice that clearly masked the surprise within.

Florian stood up to leave when she said nothing else for several moments. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I just wanted you to know." That wasn't entirely true, of course. He hoped for some degree of reciprocity, even if it wasn't equivalent initially. But he wasn't deluded or stupid enough to believe he could force her to change her feelings toward him, either.

He stopped when she suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand before he got more than three steps away, pulling him back onto the couch just in time for her to crash her lips onto his. Florian's eyes widened as Nemona clumsily took the lead with surprising boldness, the feeling of her soft, warm, sweet lips on his sending jolts of unrelenting pleasure surging through his whole body.

It felt like his entire nervous system was transmitting signals of pure, unbridled ecstasy to his brain, and every nerve ending seemed to dance like wild Meloetta in his extremities. As first kisses go, despite their inexperience and clumsy attempts to mold each other's lips, this was absolute magic. More than a couple of times, they knocked their teeth together slightly or bumped noses a tad too hard, but now that they'd crossed this bridge, they couldn't stop.

They only broke away when the need for air became too great, and when they did, Florian noted Nemona's flushed appearance, heaving chest, and goofy grin. "I'm sorry I took so long to give you a response. You surprised me initially, and honestly, I'm not very good at things like this."

Florian snorted. "And you think I am?!"

They both shared a chuckle at that passionate response. "Yeah, I guess we're both hopeless regarding matters of the heart or anything outside of Pokemon and battles. Florian, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for never asking what you felt, for never seeing your feelings for me before, and for letting you stew in ambiguity, thinking I didn't feel the same way. I can only imagine how scared you were telling me how you feel. Hopefully, I've adequately conveyed my own feelings in return."

Florian nodded with a gleeful smile, his relief knowing no bounds. "Message received loud and clear. Sometimes, actions do speak louder than words. And apologies aren't necessary, Nemona. I get it, believe me."

A companionable silence fell between them as they sat on the loveseat, gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. Florian could tell it would be racing pulses and giddy smiles from here on out. Extended eye contact still made him uncomfortable, but never with her. Nemona broke the silence first. "So, what now?"

Florian shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not entirely sure what the social protocol is here outside of maybe kissing and going out to eat meals together on occasion on what typical people refer to as the Date."

"That's a relief. At least I'm not the only one with no clue how to approach this. I do like you, though, Florian, maybe even love you. No, not just like, I love you a lot. Wait! We can still battle, though, right?!" Nemona asked him in a terrified voice, the mere thought of their relationship impacting their dynamic as friendly rivals almost enough to qualify as a dealbreaker for her.

Florian laughed out loud at that. "I swear, we share the same brain sometimes. You have the same one-track mind I do regarding Pokemon battles. Nemona, never change, and yes, we can still battle."

"Whew, thank goodness!" Nemona exclaimed with pure relief before pulling Florian in for another kiss, then another, and another. Suffice it to say, Florian wouldn't be having his battle with her for quite some time.

XXX

"Gosh, that Azumarill is trouble! Quick Lycanroc, use Accelerock!" Nemona commanded quickly as her first party member hastened to comply, disappearing in a blur of Rock-type Infinity Energy to offset the inevitable Aqua Jet she saw coming.

"Aqua Jet to dodge and counter, Azumarill!" Florian exclaimed with an excited fist pump as his Level 100, Huge Power, EV Trained, Hyper Trained, Nature Minted badass he'd caught as an Azurill back on Poco Path. Azumarill hastened to comply and likewise disappeared in a blur of blue, having set up Belly Drum and making use of a strategy that involved Choice Band, Prankster Meowstic, and the rare status move Magic Room, along with Dual Screens to make setting up Belly Drum all the more easy.

Azumarill were tanky even without Reflect shoring up their defense, and Nemona applauded her new boyfriend's genius on the battlefield for what seemed the umpteenth time. It was so quintessentially Florian, and she had to redouble her efforts to focus to prevent herself from swooning outright.

The fact that Florian was only using two Pokemon against her was almost insulting, and she nearly called him out on it until she realized he was probably going to sweep her regardless. Even with Stealth Rocks set up, Azumarill barely felt Lycanroc's first Accelerock and had more than enough health left to maximize its Attack stat, elevating its already insanely high offensive capabilities to ludicrous heights. Nemona knew if she didn't end this now, Florian's brilliant setup would quickly overwhelm her; superior numbers be damned.

Her only hope was Lycanroc's superior speed stat translating to Accelerock. It and Aqua Jet had a speed priority of 1, enough to outspeed most conventional moves and bypass Trick Room. But her Lycanroc was faster, so Azumarill was struck first. Unfortunately, it tanked the hit again, and Nemona couldn't instruct her only priority move user to dodge in time to avoid the follow-up Aqua Jet. Nemona winced when Azumarill exploded on contact with her first Pokemon like a meteor, cratering the ground with his body as the smoke from the wreckage cleared to reveal him prostrate with swirls for eyes.

With a dramatic sigh, Nemona returned him to his ball before sending out her Goodra, her best hope of tanking that first Aqua Jet and retaliating with Sludge Bomb. Unfortunately, because Magic Room had worn off, Azumarill's Choice Band was in full effect, and that plus Huge Power, plus Belly Drum, plus Water Tera, were too much for even Goodra to endure as one Aqua Jet was all it took to bring the tanky Pseudo-Legendary down.

Nemona's heart pounded as a manic gleam grew in her eyes. This was precisely the curb-stomping she'd been missing her entire career. One might think her strange for enjoying getting her ass kicked so much, but when she did nothing but win before, the change of pace alone was utterly worth it. She wondered if Florian was starting to feel the weight of his success yet, or if he was one of those types of people who never got tired of kicking so much butt.

With her last line of defense gone, Florian had already won. However, Nemona refused to give up until the end, so she sent out her Orthworm next with a maniacal grin. Now that they were together, perhaps she should think of some sort of reward she could give him every time he beat her like this, something like an especially soul-searing kiss, something she wouldn't have thought to give him before. Now that he was her first and hopefully last boyfriend, she suspected it was okay to spoil him a little. He deserved it, after all. He deserved the world and so much more besides. If only she alone could give him that.

XXX

A few months later, after the events of the Teal Mask:

A guilt-ridden Florian found his way back to Paldea and Uva Academy, his heart heavy, his steps and body language listless—his time in Kitakami had been mostly well-spent, educational, productive, and fun. He'd even completed its Pokedex and gained a new Charm for his troubles, which boosted the number of Tera Shards he won at each Tera Raid. Mr. Jacq had been disappointed when Florian explained to him that every ancient Paradox Pokemon, the only pages he had left to fill in his Paldea Pokedex, were impossible to locate by any means available to them without the Time Machine.

For some reason, only the mechanical, futuristic Paradox Pokemon were thriving in the Great Crater, and Jacq and Florian spent hours in Kitakami's fields speculating about why that was. Florian, with his love and innate understanding of trans-temporal metaphysics, theorized that while Heath's notes described two sets of Paradox Pokemon from two alternate timelines, only one set of such creatures existed in their specific version of Paldea in actuality at a particular time. Florian had zero doubt the others existed in the myriad timelines. The implications of this were fascinating to contemplate because it implied that Heath's notes were split between two divergent timelines, one set in an alternate past and another a potential future. His recorded findings were, in essence, a trans-temporal linchpin split halfway down the middle between actuality and potentiality.

Jacq, realizing the futility of finding the other set of Paradox Mons without direct access to that alternate past, had deemed Florian's Pokedex as complete as any could feasibly be in the given circumstances. It was the closest anyone had ever come to finishing Paldea's Pokedex, and Florian accepted his new Shiny Charm with as much pride as he could muster, even while secretly hoping he could finish the Dex properly one day if only to appease his perfectionism.

His time in Kitakami was well spent, aside from one detail. Florian had been put in a position he never wanted to be in again. He'd been all but strong-armed into lying to someone he considered a friend, which went against everything he was and stood for.

"Whew! At least he didn't figure out what we were really talking about!" Carmine exclaimed in relief before turning around to face the disturbed Florian with an irritated look. "Don't scare me like that⸺blabbing for the whole world to hear! Don't you have any filter?!"

"No, actually, and I will never apologize for that!" Florian fired back even more heatedly, not caring for Carmine much in those moments. She'd been an asshole to him from the moment they met, and now she'd overshot him and basically forced him to lie to the one Kitakami resident he liked besides maybe the caretaker.

Carmine sighed, evidently sensing she'd crossed some kind of line with Florian and not wanting to say anything that might get him to spill his guts out to her obsessive brother. "Look, you're still new around here, so I'll look past it. You don't know my brother like I do, however. See, Kiki really likes the ogre. Like, really, really, REALLY likes it. So, if he found out we'd seen the ogre without him… I guess I was afraid he'd feel bad, y'know? Feel left out or something… Am I overthinking it?"

"You most definitely are," Florian replied with zero hesitancy, and Carmine seemed to resist the urge to throttle him for his unfiltered candor. She somehow restrained herself from acting on that impulse, and Florian was almost impressed. Almost.

"Sides, I didn't want him running up the mountain to follow the ogre at this hour, either. Well, in that case, we already lied about it, and that's that. Who are you to judge me, anyhow? You can't tell me you haven't lied before."

"I've only ever told white lies to protect people's feelings or surprise them on birthdays. I don't think you appreciate the position you've put me in; how much you forcing me to do this spits in the face of who I am and everything I stand for. Sure, I may not have lied to Kieran directly; that was all you, but my Mom always taught me that lies by omission are still lies. I don't think this is a good idea. I don't like how it makes me feel, and I just know this will blow up in our faces. The truth will always come out in the end, and when it does, well, forgive my crudeness, but the dildo of consequences rarely arrives lubed, and Karma is a coldhearted bitch with a 14-inch strapon."

Carmine somehow went from staring in silent admiration of his unmarred purity to looking repulsed at his vulgarity in seconds. "Arceus above, where do you come up with this shit?!" She took a step closer to him, uncomfortably close. Florian could count the number of freckles on her admittedly pretty face and see the different shades of gold in her eyes as she gave him a pleading look. "Please, just go along with it for now, okay? I'll make it up to you, I promise, anyway I can."

Florian sighed in relent, having never been good at saying no to people, especially pretty girls. Even dating Nemona had not monopolized his wandering eye. Sometimes, he wished his myopia extended to things such as this, but there were many beautiful girls in the Pokemon World, many of whom were Pokemon. Despite his best efforts, Florian's mind went to some lewd places when Carmine told him she'd do anything to make it up to him. "I'll hold you to that." He finally said, never actually intending to collect, and to his relief, she stepped back with a relieved smile.

"Thank you! Now, come on, let's get back to the festival! I'll even dance with you!" She exuberantly exclaimed before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. Unfortunately, Florian was no longer in a celebratory mood.

Suffice it to say, as Florian predicted, Kieran did not take being lied to well, and their budding friendship grew increasingly strained as his time in Kitakami grew more emotionally entangling. The one takeaway from all this was that Carmine stopped treating him like shit and even grew to care for him in her own roundabout way. Now, if only Florian could absolve himself of the guilt he felt. He couldn't help feeling like he'd done terrible damage by lying to Kieran and that their next meeting would be as enemies or, at the very least, unfriendly rivals.

"Poni, Pon." Ogrepon concerningly chirped beside him, spending much of her time outside her Luxury Ball as she and Florian explored Paldea together.

"I'm okay, Ogrepon. Just dealing with a moral dilemma." He assured her with a smile, and Ogrepon nodded understandingly and backed away slightly but was always right behind him. Florian was grateful for her innocuous stance on his introspective moments. Many of his other Pokemon were not so considerate and didn't seem to grasp the notion that there was a time and place for taking the blunt, upfront approach to getting someone to talk about their feelings. Maybe it was because Ogrepon had been alone so long and understood what it was like to be misunderstood and ostracized for being different. She and Florian understood each other in ways few others could, so he refused to leave her alone any longer.

True to form for all his Pokemon, Florian leveled her up to the level cap, EV Trained her, and Hyper Trained her using the Bottle Caps, Vitamins, and XP Candies he'd been hoarding for lack of anything new to train. Capturing the Lousy Three and taming them had been one of his most outstanding achievements in Kitakami, and he'd almost gotten to the point where he could have them on the same team as Ogrepon without her trying to kill them. He suspected having her help him take them down alongside Carmine in their initial fight had been cathartic in the extreme.

Florian didn't have the heart to force her to try and forgive them. She, in turn, understood his need to capture and train every new Pokemon he could and not let those jerks run wild, not to mention that their ability, Toxic Chain, was absolutely insane. He couldn't wait to show them off in the next Academy Ace Tournament. His tenure as a foreign student studying abroad in Kitakami lasted three months. During that time, he'd video-chatted with Nemona nearly nonstop as their budding relationship only grew deeper in his prolonged absence. Despite his mixed feelings regarding Kieran, he was excited to see her again.

He'd made a mistake and would do everything in his power to fix it if he ever saw the shy, awkward boy again. He wasn't the type to dwell on problems, and all this introspection was too much for him. He turned to Ogrepon with an excited smile. "Come on, sweetheart! Let's fly to Mesagoza so I can introduce you to all my friends. You'll love it at Uva Academy, and no one here knows the story about you in Kitakami, so that no one will give you a second glance."

That was the right thing to say as Ogrepon bounced adorably from side to side with a gleeful smile. Florian chuckled and pulled out his Rotom Phone to dial the Squawkabilly Flying Taxi service. Finally, after a long and emotionally stressful school trip, Florian came home stronger than ever. Little did he know how much his life would change later that day.

XXX

A couple of hours later, at Uva Academy:

Finally, after hours spent reuniting with his friends, watching something called Isekai Anime with Penny that was surprisingly good, sampling some of Arven's latest dishes, which had been carefully custom-tailored to suit his hyper-specific preferences, showing his newest catches to Juliana, calling his Mom and catching her up on everything, and being kissed by Nemona until his lips felt raw, Florian finally managed to get away for the night to give his oversaturated mind and senses a much-needed break.

There was just one slight problem.

"Ugh, I hate when I can't turn my brain off." He whined in the safety and relative comfort of his dorm room, staring into space in the general direction of the darkened ceiling as the events of Kitakami continued to plague his mind.

Given what he was, insomnia was always a distinct possibility, and even with his sleeping medication, he didn't always get as much sleep as the average person did or should. He hated how groggy they left him feeling in the morning, so he only took them as an absolute last resort.

He groaned when he checked his Rotom Phone and saw 3:39 AM plastered in bright white letters on the screen. Clearly, he wasn't getting any sleep tonight, and so, doing what he always did when he knew an impromptu all-nighter was impending, he stood up from his bed, grabbed his Pokeballs containing his current team, and snuck out the door to his room.

Wandering the school aimlessly at night was not against school rules, as long as the students were quiet and didn't disturb the others. Uva Academy was well aware of sleeping disorders such as restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and sleep apnea. While it encouraged its students to remain in their rooms during such episodes, most teachers didn't get bent out of shape over the occasional late-night stroll. It helped that most Trainers were fully emancipated in the eyes of the law by the time they got their Trainer's license, no matter their age, and so, most of the child students here were given the same leeway as adults would've been.

Florian didn't have any particular destination in mind, just wherever his feet happened to take him. Most classrooms were locked during the night, but the cafeteria and school shop were always open, with the occasional late-night student cramming for a test and Trainers milling about. The courtyard was also always open, but none of these places were where Florian found himself, having visited all of them countless times during his nightly ventures and wanting a change of pace.

"That sound! What is that?!" He asked, straining his ears to listen for a sound right on the edge of his awareness as he passed by the Entrance Hall for the umpteenth time. Like an itch he couldn't scratch, Florian tried to follow it to determine the source even though he wondered if seeking it out was the best recourse. He could never just ignore things that nagged at him like this, and he passed several more classrooms before it finally grew loud enough for him to work out what it was.

Music. It was music from a remarkably familiar style of flute.

Positively entranced, Florian followed the music source to the slightly open doorway of an empty classroom. Pushing it further open, his sight and hearing were greeted with a familiar flutist from their sister academy of Naranja, Ohara, who visited their academy alongside her friends whose names Florian struggled to remember, to visit Nemona, who had ended up attending the academy opposite theirs.

Nemona said she hadn't had many childhood friends growing up, much like Florian himself, but she did have Ohara and the others. When Nemona had transferred to Uva Academy to nurture Florian's growing talent full-hand, they kept in touch. The relationship between the two schools was amiable, and they were literally next to each other at Mesagoza's northernmost point, so transfer between them was laughably easy. Still, Florian was floored that Nemona gave up her position as student council president at Naranja Academy to dedicate herself entirely to him and his battling career. Sure, she'd earned the student council president position again, and he'd done his damnedest to help get her the votes necessary to reclaim that position to repay her, but her unwavering faith in his abilities, even back then before they became a couple, never ceased to amaze him.

He felt guilty sometimes for tearing Nemona away from her life at Naranja Academy and from her schoolmates, a feeling compounded by most of said schoolmates finding him too strange and eccentric to hang around. Still, Nemona always assured him he was worth the risk. Despite his rocky acquaintanceship with the others, the few times he'd seen Ohara, she'd always been nice to him. It certainly didn't hurt that she was super pretty and cute.

She suddenly stopped when she saw him standing in the doorway, placing her flute on her lap and staring at him with widened eyes. Florian hastened to reassure her with awkward gesticulations. "Sorry to disturb you. I heard you playing somewhere on the edge of my awareness and couldn't resist the compulsion to find the source. Now that I have, I'll just go." He explained, turning away to do exactly that before her voice stopped him.

"Wait!" She exclaimed, and he immediately stopped and turned to face her again as she mustered up the courage to speak. "You just startled me, is all. I didn't think I'd have an audience at 4:30 AM."

Florian smiled. "Insomnia and Restless Feet Syndrome can be pains in the keister." He admitted before curiously adding. "Why the late-night practice session at the wrong school, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ohara winced in sympathy. "Yikes, that sounds rough. I'm a bit of an insomniac myself." She admitted before she added much more shyly. "I was hanging out with Nemona when you showed up from your Anime session with that girl Penny, and she banished me from her dorm room to greet you. It was midnight, and in the time she spent here, she seemed to have forgotten that Naranja Academy locks its doors by midnight, so I didn't have anywhere to spend the night. I decided I'd hang out here and get some practice in."

Now it was Florian's turn to cringe. "Jeez, Nemona! I swear, that girl has less tact than I do. If you're not too uncomfortable with the idea, you can spend the night in my dorm, or I can get you a room at the nicest hotel in the city for the night. Being Paldea's unofficial Top Champion really opens doors in its capital city, you'll see." He joked, earning a smile from her in turn as he added. "Honestly, you'd probably be better off crashing at my place than walking all the way to that hotel at this time of night. I'll assign one of my Pokemon to guard you. I've already resigned myself to not getting any sleep tonight, anyway, and won't bother you."

"So have I, but thank you for the kind offer. You're really sweet. I can see why Nemona cares about you." Ohara sincerely replied, earning a blush from Florian as he unconsciously brushed his lips, which were still raw from the hours-long makeout sessions Nemona had so charitably bestowed upon him as a greeting.

He'd never complain, especially since Nemona had become such a good kisser during their time together. To say he loved every second of it would be an understatement. Kissing Nemona was intoxicating, one of the greatest physical pleasures he'd ever known. And if kissing her felt that indescribable, how much better would specific lewder actions feel? He forced himself out of his internal reverie and turned his attention back to Ohara.

"So, since we've both accepted that we're not catching any Zs, why not play some songs for me on your flute?" Florian suggested while sitting a few seats from the teacher's chair where she sat. Ohara furrowed her eyebrows at him for steering the conversation away from Nemona but eventually eased into an adorable smile that had Florian's traitorous heart thumping in his chest.

"Sure! I don't usually play one-on-one with students from our rival school, but I'll make an exception this time." With that said, Ohara brought her flute to her mouth once more and began to play a simple but beautiful tune. Florian closed his eyes and just listened, having always sucked at playing musical instruments but loving the way some songs sounded. His favorite forms of music were epic Anime, movie, and video game soundtracks, along with high-energy, positive genres like pop, rebellious genres like rap, and breakcore for its sheer ADHD-laden insanity.

Ohara played none of that; her music was gentle and soothing, like the sound of waves washing over the shoreline or rain pelting the window during a torrential downpour. It was serenity, calmness, and tranquility, like the brown noise he sometimes played to help him sleep but better. For the first time since coming back from Kitakami, Florian felt utterly at ease. This was precisely what he needed to feel better. Positively serenaded despite himself, Florian fell in love with the music and the peace it brought to his perpetually oversaturated mind. Within minutes, he was dozing off in his chair, a sense of gratefulness to the musically inclined girl following him into a dreamless oblivion.

Ohara stopped playing when she saw Florian passed out in his chair and smiled at the peaceful expression on his face. She didn't know him very well, but he'd always been kind to her, and she could tell something had been bothering him beyond insomnia and restless feet syndrome. Being able to help the strange, enigmatic, sweet boy who had taken Paldea by storm in any way one could was an opportunity few would let pass, and Ohara was no exception. She only hoped Nemona would forgive her for essentially romancing her boyfriend with her music.

She stood up and quietly walked over to admire his sleeping face, feeling her heart thump in her chest as she caught herself staring at his toned, athletic body. The life of a Champion-Level Trainer had been most kind to him. If even half the things she heard about him were true, then he was Paldea's equivalent to a Battle Legend, a title bestowed only to Trainers who had the potential to conquer the entire world virtually unopposed and who were unofficial global champions. Everyone wanted to be him or be with him, and Ohara would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed that Nemona had gotten to him first.

"Florian, hey, Florian." She whispered while gently nudging him. "Wake up, Florian. I hate doing this to you, but you don't want to sleep the night on these chairs. You'll wake up with horrible back and neck pain. Trust me, I speak from experience." She added with a slight giggle.

A few seconds passed before Florian let out an audible groan. "Ugh, unfortunately, you're right. I should probably head back to my dorm while I'm still in sleep mode." He groggily replied before he gingerly began to stand up. Ohara watched him start to clumsily walk away with a strange sense of guilt and yearning but knew she'd feel even worse if she was the reason he woke up the following day with back and neck cramps.

"That was weird. I can't usually fall asleep sitting up." He unabashedly admitted as Ohara blushed and secretly smiled behind his back. The flutist was flattered that she'd gotten him to do something wildly out of his character.

"Hehehehe, sorry about that." She giggled insincerely, but Florian was too tired to register the unapologetic intonation in her words as she fell into step behind him on instinct.

"I'm not. I'm grateful, Ohara. Your music succeeded where hours of watching kickass Anime, eating Arven's cooking, and kissing Nemona failed." He sleepily replied, even more unfiltered than usual and too tired to think straight, even while he led Ohara back to his room. If he had been more alert, he would've measured his words more carefully or been a little more cagey about letting a near stranger so close to his living quarters. As it was, Ohara's eyes briefly widened at his casual mention of kissing Nemona. She knew they were together. Nemona could not keep something like that secret, though, bless her heart; she tried her best for Florian's sake. But for Florian himself to come right out and say it. He must've been super tired.

Florian was honest almost to the point of oversharing, but even he understood he was entitled to his privacy and didn't hesitate to let people know it when they pried too much into his personal life. His relationship with Nemona was something he tried to be lowkey about, only telling people he was close to. Ohara didn't know him very well yet; under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't have told her. However, Ohara found herself with a unique opportunity to learn more about him. Despite the moral implications of taking advantage of his dreamlike stupor, she didn't hesitate to take advantage of it.

The rest of his statement suddenly caught up with her as she blushed, and her pulse quickened again. "Succeeded at what?" She carefully pressed, not wanting to sound too forward, still following him across the halls and through the Entranceway.

"Bringing me and my stupid, loud brain some much-needed quiet." He earnestly responded.

Ohara's eyes narrowed slightly at the self-deprecation. "Nothing about your brain is stupid, Florian. Your mind is beautiful and powerful, and it is probably one of the first things Nemona fell in love with, the first thing many people fell in love with."

He cast her a sleepy smile over his shoulder and snorted mirthfully. "Thanks, and sorry about that; it just frustrates me sometimes when it causes me grief. Something happened to me at Kitakami that weighs on my conscience more than it probably should, and it got me thinking that I can still potentially screw something up in my current relationships. I know I have permanent fixtures in my life now, but it wasn't always like that. Sometimes, I'm scared I'll wake up, and all the friendships I've forged since beginning my journey will have been just a cruel dream, or I'll say or do something stupid, and everyone will hate mate."

"And then I'll return to being that lonely kid with eccentricities no one understood and steered clear of. That scares me more than anything. I don't ever, ever want to go back to that. My greatest treasure is sharing my victories with my friends, people, and Pokemon alike. I'd lose any battle you like if I didn't have to give that up."

Ohara slowed momentarily to process everything he'd dumped on her just now, but to her credit, she recovered quickly as her heart went out to him. "I can't pretend to understand what that feels like, but I can confidently say you've touched the lives of so many people here, myself included. I know it may be hard sometimes, but please trust that the connections you've forged are real and that they won't abandon you over something silly you say or do. And…" She broke off as a blush overtook her whole body, but thankfully, Florian's back was turned on her as he led her through the interjoined hallways of dorm rooms, knowing this entire school like the back of his hand. "If you ever need me to help quiet that mind of yours again when it gets too loud, come find me at Naranja Academy, and I'll play some more music for you. Rain or shine, day or night, I'm always happy to play my flute."

Florian suddenly stopped, and she almost bonked into him. "Thanks, I appreciate that, Ohara. You've always been kind to me, far kinder than Nemona's other childhood friends. I'd happily take you up on that offer if it didn't put me in their crosshairs."

Ohara positively beamed at the sincerity lacing his tone before she frowned at the mention of her classmates.

"Don't beat yourself up over it too much, Florian. Aliquis has always been kind of a jerk, and I've had my fair share of fights with him because he misconstrued something thoughtless I said. I can't imagine how poorly someone as unfiltered as you would mix with personality types like him."

Florian snorted. "I've met a fair few people like that in my time. I'll be okay. This is me." He said, indicating the door he'd suddenly stopped at, which Ohara unconsciously committed to memory. She didn't intend to visit here without his permission, but knowing where he lived gave her a secret thrill that shocked her to her core. She pushed past that feeling in favor of concentrating on Florian's needs.

"That's good. You should probably get some sleep while you're still groggy." Ohara helpfully suggested as Florian nodded and went to turn the knob to his door before he stopped.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pay for a night at that hotel for you? If that was your concern before, I can lend you my Cyclizar for transportation and protection from unsavory types. He's Level 100, Hyper Trained, EV Trained, and has some powerful attack moves, so you shouldn't have much to worry about. You can bring him back to me tomorrow." He offered again, unaware of Ohara blinking in shock.

"You would trust a near-stranger with the strongest Cyclizar in the world?!" She gasped.

Florian snorted again. "I wouldn't go as far as calling him the strongest in the world. Any 6-star Tera Raid Boss of the same species would knock him out at least a few times in a war of attrition. And yes, I would, without hesitation, pity, or regret. You're one of Nemona's childhood friends, and while I'll be the first to admit I'm a terrible judge of character, I trust you, Ohara." He assured her. "Besides, if you screw me over and don't give him back, I know where you go to school, and all of Paldea will know my wrath!" He jokingly added with a dramatic sweep of his arms.

Despite herself, Ohara giggled. She knew an unrestrained Florian was technically unstoppable, and if he wanted, he could easily conquer the entire region, if not the world. However, judging from her admittedly limited interactions with him so far, she didn't believe he could hurt anyone, never mind an entire Region. "I'll keep that in mind." She teased. "And again, I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine for tonight. It's the weekend, so I'll sleep off my all-nighter during the day when they reopen the doors to my school. On the other hand, you are not obliged to keep me company when you clearly need sleep, now shoe." She playfully teased, making a sweeping gesture at his back.

"All right, I'm going. Have a good night. And Ohara…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks again. You helped me more than you know."

Ohara blushed but managed to nod, which he seemed to somehow sense without looking back. Without another word between them, he opened his door. He closed it behind him with a quiet snap, leaving Ohara alone with her thoughts and a hurricane of growing affection for this fantastic young man who had captured the hearts of so many, including hers. Of course, she'd never act on those feelings because Nemona would probably never forgive her if she did. But she didn't deny having more than just a tiny crush, and she hummed happily at being able to help him in her limited capacity as she finally moved away from Florian's dorm. Ohara had enjoyed tonight far more than she thought she would after Nemona kicked her out, and she didn't blame Florian one bit for unintentionally driving a wedge between them. Ohara even hoped she might be able to play for him again soon.

Little did the flutist or Florian know that the Paldea Region's excellentest Trainer would not be waking up the following day or at all for over a year.