"GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, BLUEBERRY ACADEMY!
This is your morning announcer for the day, Jazzy! How are we feeling, Blueberries? I'm here with the A/V club to bring you all of today's exciting news and announcements on campus, as well as fresh entertainment!
It is a gorgeous day today in the pristine region of Unova! No humidity, clear skies, and sunny weather expected all the way to evening! Who could ask for a better forecast?
Of course, most of you will likely be enjoying the simulated temperatures of our one-of-a-kind Terrarium, but take a moment to head out into the entrance to enjoy that crisp, fresh air. And maybe have a battle or two there!
Speaking of battles, we've just received word that current rankings from this season's BB League circuit should be posted online by the end of the week!
Calculations were being hampered by uhh… more rotations happening in the League's roster. The BB League extends their sincere apologies for the week-long delay.
But hey! In lighter news, we're still seeing new faces coming in from Blueberry's exciting exchange program that started this week! We've got new transfer students joining us from all over! I'm talking Sinnoh, Johto, Alola, and even as far away as Kalos! Bonjour and Alola to all our new friends!
And here's something cool! For the first time ever, we're hosting an extremely gifted student from the Paldea region's own Uva Academy! That's right, the birthplace of the Terastal phenomenon itself! Maybe we can all learn a thing or two about Tera Types from our new longfaring classmate!
We've also got news to share about new clubs starting up, special events being hosted in Agriculture and Musical Arts, and studying tips for the upcoming midterm exams! All right after today's jam session featuring the latest song from Project Voltage!"
Juliana and Cyrano's cart traveled down a long, clear tube that stretched out over the Unovan sea, extending out from the port in Castelia City where their plane landed.
The tube traveled several kilometers offshore towards the site where Director Cyrano told her Blueberry Academy awaits. The top of the tube measured just inches below the surface, meaning the pair were treated to an immense underwater view of the region's oceans.
Juliana had her eyes fixed on the other side of the glass the whole time riding down. She marveled at the pristine water and all the different species of Pokémon she could see swimming around in it, some of them completely unfamiliar to her.
She gasped in delight as two jellyfish Pokémon swam right up to the glass, one of them blue, the other pink. The two Frillish smiled at her and, in a dazzling show, danced in circles around her head before joining their lacelike tentacles and breaking off. Juliana giggled and clapped for their little performance.
"Looks like the wildlife's already taken a liking to ya!" Cyrano chortled.
"Is this the famous Marine Tube that I've heard so much about, sir?"
"Ha-ha! No, darling, that's on the mainland, over at Undella Bay! But I'm mighty flattered by the comparison! I guess you could say it was a major brush stroke of inspiration for how I saw this tunnelway built!"
"Don't tell Director Clavell I said this, but it sure beats taking a huge set of stairs to get to school every day!" Juliana giggled.
"Yeah, I never really got why Velly and those folks at Uva saw fit to torture you students with such an arduous climb!" Cyrano laughed. "The joys of life at an academy should start with the very first steps you take. That's what I say! Now hold on tight as you can!"
"Huh? Oh."
The cart was coming up on a huge upwards ramp. Juliana gripped on for dear life as Cyrano shifted into higher gear and they began climbing the ramp, which to Juliana felt like going up a roller coaster.
"Wooooaaaaahhhh!"
"How's THAT for an entrance!"
Cyrano laughed heartily as he slowed down and parked the cart to the side of a big black door, alongside another cart.
He and Juliana stepped out and made their way up the big door. Cyrano flashed his keycard up to the keypad next to it, and the door slowly opened.
"Ta-daaa! We're here! Ladies first!" he gestured, taking off his hat and making a show of stepping aside. "Feast your eyes, Juliana!"
"Whoaaaa…"
Past the big door at the end of the tunnel, Juliana took her first steps into the mesmerizing entrance area of Blueberry Academy.
A large gray dome overhung above the area, which spread out over a flat, circular roofed building. Unsurprisingly, considering the school's reputation for intense battle training, the lobby of Blueberry itself served as an electrifyingly blue battle arena with audience stands.
Blueberry students walked to and fro and hung around in the entrance area, wearing variants of the same uniforms Juliana recognized on Carmine and Kieran. She was already seeing new Pokémon accompanying several of her new classmates, including Exeggcute, which she had never seen in the flesh before, and an interesting walking duck-like Pokémon whose red and yellow flaming body made its Fire typing obvious.
"Welcome to my grand Blueberry Academy!" said Cyrano. "What do ya think so far?"
"What do I think!? It's—it's amazing, sir! It already feels so different here compared to Uva!"
"I'm pleased as punch to hear that! And if you think that's cool, just wait!" Cyrano teased. "This is actually just the entrance, because y'see… the school itself is mostly underwater! Isn't that amazing?"
"Underwater… That's right, the pamphlet on the plane said that…" Juliana recalled. "I thought it was just talking about the base of it, though! The WHOLE school!?"
"That's right!" Cyrano laughed, taking off his hat and flipping it around. "The whole dang school!"
Juliana was lost for words.
Why didn't Carmine ever brag about THAT part? That would've been an amazing flex.
She felt a tingle in her heart and smiled at the reminder that she was now at the same school as Carmine.
"Oh—and did you notice?"
"Hmm? You mean the battlefield out front—"
"Look at how BLUE this place is!" Cyrano marveled, staring up at all the deep blue and cerulean-colored structures. "I can't tell you how long I spent picking the perfect blueberry color!"
Juliana chuckled at her new Director's excitable personality.
"It's… it is very blue!"
I'd say our academy is a lot more obsessed with the color purple, not that that's a bad thing. Purple's been one of my favorite colors lately… but maybe that's just the Academy brainwashing me. Maybe I'll leave here with a new appreciation for blue!
Cyrano noticed her fanning herself. "That crisp Unova air already makin' you sweat?"
"It's so fascinating how it can be so warm in this region when it's getting colder in Paldea. I really am far from home."
"Ha-ha! The seasons in Unova do tend to shift all crazy-like! Just when you think it's still summer, the leaves start falling! Enjoying this fine winter? Next week, all the snow in Icirrus City might melt! If you don't like the weather here, just wait a month! That's what we all say in Unova!" he laughed. "Let's see now, what else?"
Cyrano hemmed and hawed for a moment, before realizing he was sort of out of things to gloat about, and that his new student was still staring at him expectantly.
"Uhh… perhaps you have something you'd like to ask me?"
"Hmm…"
Juliana had a few questions she went over in her head, like why the rest of the school was underwater, how Cyrano knew Director Clavell… or why he referred to him as "Velly".
But she figured there was plenty of time to seek out the answers to those, so she instead went for the most burning question in her mind.
"Why did you pick 'blueberry' for the name?"
Cyrano was a bit nonplussed. "Really? That's what you're curious about? You're full of surprises, aren't ya?"
"That's what a lot of people say about me," Juliana smiled.
"Hmm, why it's called 'Blueberry'." Cyrano held his head back and tried to think. "Well, it's very simple. You see, it's... uhh..."
Then Juliana heard a girly giggle, and saw a very pretty girl, both her hair and her dress sense screaming all things pink, walking up to them.
"It's because, in the language of flowers, the blueberry is said to represent a fruitful life. I think that's where it came from, right?"
"Yes, exactly! Took the words right out of my mouth!" Cyrano replied, turning to greet his student. "Always on point, aren't you, Lacey?"
Lacey? Juliana felt like she'd heard that name somewhere.
The girl, Lacey, smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh no, it was nothing… aaaand who do we have over here?"
Then she turned Juliana's way, making Juliana's heart thump. It felt just like meeting Nemona all over again.
Are tall girls really my weakness…?
She wondered why meeting Carmine wasn't like that, and realized she was probably too jolted by Carmine's sudden ambush maneuver to be immediately taken in by her beauty.
"Hellooooo?"
Sge was taken out of her thinking by Lacey's call.
"Ahh, s-sorry!" Juliana stammered.
"Hee-hee, it's okay!" she giggled.
"This spunky young miss is part of the exchange program, Lacey. So make her feel welcome, eh?"
Lacey gasped. "Hold on! This is the exchange student from the Paldea region!?"
"Yeah, t-that's right!" Juliana replied.
Lacey extended her hand for a handshake, which Juliana accepted.
"Guess I'm the first friendly face you get to meet here, then! I'm Lacey, one of the second-year students here!"
"It's wonderful to meet you, Lacey!" she grinned. "My name's Juliana!"
"Then it's a pleasure to meet you too, Ju— Wait!"
Lacey's hand dropped and her eyes suddenly went wide, startling Juliana.
"Your—your name's Juliana!? And you're really from Paldea!?"
"Y-yeah?"
Juliana became even more confused as this Lacey girl started looking at her differently. Her eyes gazed up and down now like she was scanning Juliana's whole body.
"No way…" She sounded, almost like she was in awe. "I don't believe it. You're—you're really here…"
"Umm…"
Then Lacey's awestruck expression became a peachy smile again.
"Sorry! You're just… not who I expected to see today, that's all! But it's… wow! It's so nice to finally meet you in the flesh, Juliana!"
"Thanks?" Juliana answered, now very flustered. "So you… know me already?"
"Well yeah—of course!" Lacey nodded. "You're quite the prodigy over in your Uva Academy, aren't you? The girl who became a Champion in just a few months of being a Trainer? You're practically famous to some of us!"
"Ha-ha-ha!" Cyrano threw back his head and laughed. "Why am I not surprised the BB League's been keeping an eye on fierce young Juliana, here? You lot really know a rising legend when you see one, don't you? Now I'm starting to see why you came recommended to me, darling!"
Lacey perked up at that drop of information.
"I'm sorry… did you say Juliana was recommended for this program? You mean to say one of the students requested her specifically?"
"Yeah…" Juliana replied. "That's what I was told, anyway. I was just about to ask if it was you…"
"No, but…" Lacey's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh. ... That's interesting. I wonder who…?"
She seemed to be pondering a mystery for a second, but she decided to let that drop for now and went back to speaking cordially.
"Well, you must be something really special, you know."
"Why's that?"
"It's rare for Director Cyrano to remember the name of a new student."
"Hah! Just call me out, why don't you!" Cyrano shook his head. "Tell you what then! You seem really interested in getting to know this student, and you're a very capable young lady! Why don't you explain how things work around here, Lacey?"
"What?" Lacey's eyes widened again. "You… you want ME to do it!?"
"Well, yeah! You know this tour-guide stuff isn't my strong suit!"
"Well, that's certainly true but…" Lacey looked at Juliana with a bit of a troubled expression. "Still, I imagine there must be someone more suitable than me."
Then she saw Juliana's face, and was upset to see that the girl looked a little hurt.
"Oh!" She gasped and tried to save face. "Please don't take it like—It's not that I don't want to show you around or anything, Juliana! Director Cyrano just… has this bad habit of pushing his duties onto me, you see."
"...Do I?"
"Yes, and it's just not right!" she declared, making an 'X' with her hands.
Juliana snorted louder than she meant to. It was a funny gesture that immediately brought Team Star's "Hasta-la-vistar" greeting to her mind.
"Really letting me have it today, aren't you?" said Cyrano.
Lacey looked away from the two for a second. "I also… don't want to be keeping Juliana, if she really is the Juliana, all to myself on her first day here, because I know that—Mm. Although…" She started to giggle. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be a lot of fun."
Then she swiveled back around and eyed Juliana with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Now that you mention it, this could be my chance to get to know the new student everyone's talking about before anyone else can."
Juliana just reacted with a slightly embarrassed expression, which was beginning to amuse the pink-haired girl at this point, making her giggle again.
"That decides it! I will take on this task!"
"Excellent!"
"Yaaay!" Juliana cheered.
"Now then, let's head straight down this bridge over to the entrance, my new friend!"
"Ha! Right away—Lacey, right?"
"That's my name, sweetie! Don't wear it out!"
Juliana giggled as they started walking. They passed by several more Blueberry students on the way to the arena.
Juliana noticed a few kids looking her way. There were two girls she noticed who were chatting with each other. One of them had pigtails and the other was accompanied by an adorable small green Pokémon with red flowers on its head that looked like a little dancer.
Juliana waved politely to them, which caught the pigtails girl's attention.
"Oh. Hey. Cute outfit. So you're the new exchange student people keep talking about?"
"I sure am!" Juliana cheerily replied, hoisting her Uva Academy bag up.
"Hmm." Then the girl scoffed dismissively. "You don't look that strong…"
Juliana looked a little shocked, as the girls giggled to themselves. She wanted to say something, but decided to leave it alone and keep walking. As she turned her back though, she heard the other girl mutter…
"She's a lot shorter than I expected."
And more giggling.
That's… different from Uva.
Trying not to feel too offended, she ran up alongside Lacey.
"Hey, Lacey…? Do the students here… get along with each other? Most of the time?"
"Mmm, I'd say so, yeah. Why?"
"There's no bullying that goes on here… right?"
Lacey shrugged. "No more than what goes on in any other school, I 'spose."
"You might find one or two of your classmates not trusting a kid from another region, unfortunately," said Cyrano. "But we do try to make sure everyone's getting along right as rain."
"That being said…" Lacey pondered. "One of our clubs, the one I'm in actually, recently underwent some uhh, pretty big changes and I guess not everyone's a fan of them so there has been some tension there lately. But they'll adjust soon enough! And I don't think that's something you're gonna have to worry about anyway."
"Of course, if you ever do run into problems, please don't even hesitate to let me know," Cyrano was sure to mention. "But I think once people see how exceptional your battling talents are, you shouldn't have too much trouble makin' friends around here!"
"Oh yeah! People really love to battle here, don't they?"
"That's right!" Lacey answered. "Our school puts a great deal of emphasis on the art of Pokémon battling."
They had reached the huge battle court in the center of the entrance area.
"We hold official matches on this central court right here at the entrance—and any student can freely utilize this court if it's not otherwise in use. So if you and another student are ever having problems with one another, this isn't a bad place to battle those emotions out! I think it's safe to say that you'll be battling more here than in any other school!"
"Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself!" Cyrano agreed.
Lacey gazed out over the horizon. "…It's really relaxing here, with the sea breeze blowing over you. Even when no one is battling, you often see students sitting around in the stands."
Juliana looked around and noticed the students lazing about in the stands. At least one of them had a book open, at least.
"This looks like it'd be a great study spot," she observed. "Or at least somewhere to unwind and relax, especially to watch the battles that happen here."
"Oh, oh, oh!" Lacey piped up. "If you think that's cool, there's one other quality of our school that you'll likely find very surprising!"
"What's that?"
Lacey crossed her arms with a cocky smile and said, "Wild Pokémon sometimes Terastallize here!"
A sweatdrop ran down Juliana's amused face.
"Yeah…?"
"Huh? Why are you not—" Then she gasped. "…Oh. I suppose that's not anything special to someone from Paldea… is it?" she realized, looking sheepish.
"How does that work, though?" asked Juliana. "I already knew that you guys get your own Tera Orbs here. But in my school, we were taught that the crystals that grow naturally in the Paldea region are thought to be where Terastallization comes from."
Cyrano piqued Juliana's interest by informing her that Blueberry Academy has developed special technology that allows the Terastal phenomenon to be channeled on the school grounds, although Lacey recommended it would be better to explain that on the lower levels. Whatever that meant.
Then she began to think.
"I've got an idea though, Juliana." With a confident look in her eyes, she said, "If you really want to see how tough our battles are here at this school, maybe you and I should have a little friendly match right here and right now!"
"That's the spirit!" Cyrano said excitedly. "Heh. It's like you read my mind, I was about to suggest the same thing."
"Really?" Juliana said in surprise. "Right now?"
"Yeah!" she said, sounding pumped. "I just—I want to make sure your reputation is legit and that you really are who they say you are. I'm a pretty good battler myself."
"There's our modest Lacey for you!" Cyrano chuckled. "In fact, Lacey here is a member of the Elite Four of the League Club we have going here."
"Really?" Juliana perked up. "You… have your own Elite Four!?"
Lacey grunted in annoyance for some reason.
"To say nothing of the influence of her father—one of the Unova region's famed Gym Leaders!"
"Really!? Which one?" Juliana had seen pictures of the Gym Leaders of Unova once or twice, but she didn't think Lacey particularly reminded her of any of them.
"Hey! That's—that's not important! I want to be judged on my own merits, not just thought of as someone's daughter!" She turned angrily to Cyrano. "I wish you wouldn't go around spreading personal information without asking first! It's just not right!"
She made another 'X' with her hands, which at this point seemed like a tick of hers. Juliana found it adorable and decided she did want to get closer to this Lacey girl.
"Okay… sure! I'll battle you, Lacey!" Juliana wasn't expecting a Pokémon battle right out of the gate, but… she concluded this must be what life at Blueberry is like.
The two readied themselves at the battle court as Lacey decided to set some terms.
"Here at Blueberry Academy, we tend to go for Double Battles!"
"Oh… really?" That made Juliana feel a bit uneasy. "Nobody really does Double Battles in Paldea except for one of the Gym Leaders I faced."
"Well, let's give one a try to get to know each other better!"
Lacey sent out her Pokémon first. Juliana was immediately awestruck.
"Plu-Plu!"
"Min-Min!"
"What are those?" Juliana wondered. "Are they a special form of Pichu or something?"
Lacey giggled. "They do look a lot like Pichu, don't they? These are my cutie-patooties, Plusle and Minun! They're basically built for Double Battles!"
The two electric mouse Pokémon gave each other a high five and took their mirrored battle stances.
"Well, my Pokémon are pretty tough! Just watch and see!"
Juliana tossed out two of her team members from Paldea.
"Tinka-tinka-ton-ton!"
"Glooooo-ahh…"
"Ooooh!" Lacey reacted. "That's a Glimmora, isn't it? How exotic! And…" She gasped in delight. "A Tinkaton! Oh my gosh!" Then she squeed really loud. "I've always wanted to see a Tinkaton up close!"
To Juliana's surprise, she ran over to Juliana's Tinkaton and knelt over in childlike delight.
"Tink?"
"Ohhh, you're so cute I could just squeeze your little cheeks forever! And… and WOW! Your hammer is so much bigger than I'd imagined it was! I'm so jealous now!"
Tinkaton brashly swung her hammer around, showering in the compliments.
As Lacey ran back to her spot, she noted, "I usually use Fairy Types in my battles. Did you pick up on that? Most people seem to right away. Or did you send out Steel and Poison Pokémon by coincidence?"
"Uhhh, so you know most Paldean Pokémon already, huh?" Juliana was a little frightened to know.
Lacey giggled. "In the advanced battle courses, they expect us to have every Pokémon that's registered in the National Pokédex memorized! But I hope you don't take my admiration to mean I'm off my guard, or else that'll be your fatal mistake!"
Plusle and Minun moved first and they both attacked with Discharge, which as a wide-ranging move Juliana found surprising until it turned out their electric moves were actually buffing each other's own abilities, Plusle being powered up by its Lightning Rod and Minun tanking the hit thanks to Volt Absorb, and instead just laying down the hurt on Juliana's Pokémon.
"This is already more than most of the Trainers in Paldea strategize…" she muttered gruffly.
Tinkaton was left paralyzed by the attack and disabled from using its own move, which meant Lacey could quietly catalog that Juliana was intending it to use Gigaton Hammer. Juliana at least hoped that she wouldn't notice as the attacks sent Toxic Spikes shooting out of Glimmora's shell thanks to its unique ability.
"Glimmora! Use Sludge Wave!"
Glimmora unleashed a wave of toxic sludge over the electrified pair, which hit both of them and left Minun afflicted with poison.
"There we go!" Juliana pumped up.
But Lacey was unfettered, and ordered Plusle to use Grass Knot on Glimmora, while Minun hit them with another Discharge.
"Alright, Tinkaton… Let's make it work this time," Juliana stressed. "Go, Gigaton Hammer!"
"Plusle, come back!" Lacey suddenly called out, withdrawing her Plusle as Tinkaton charged up.
"Wha-!?"
Lacey flashed a devilish smile, and sent out her ace Pokémon, an unfamiliar mole Pokémon with a steel plating that looked like a knight's helmet.
"What the…"
Tinkaton unleashed its Gigaton Hammer on the new opponent... who seemed to take the attack like it was nothing!
"No way…!"
"Predicting your opponent's moves is key to winning a battle at this school," Lacey informed her. "I knew not just that you were going to try for Gigaton Hammer again, but since my Minun was already Poisoned, and Plusle was the one being powered up by its partner's Discharge… you saw fit to take it out first. A good strat, but also a very transparent one."
She cleared her throat.
"Oh, and I'm sure you were hoping those little barbs your pretty Glimmora sent out were going to incapacitate my next partner, but my sweetums Excadrill here shrugs those icky things off thanks to its Steel type!"
"Man… you lot really are serious about battles here," said an astounded Juliana, who was increasingly beginning to feel out of her element.
"Oh, you're in for a whole new world of fun, Juliana… So. About your Steel and Poison duo… Do you want to know what Excadrill's other Type is?"
"Uh…"
"Excadrill, sweetie! Let's shake them to their core! And Miss Minun… why don't you give that Earthquake a nice Helping Hand?"
"…Uh-oh."
Juliana could only tell her Pokémon to brace for the inevitable as Excadrill started making the ground rumble…
Everything happened so fast after that.
Tinkaton and Glimmora both fainted, but Juliana sent out both her first grassy partner and her trusty fighting Pokémon, who was able to deflect Lacey's Pokémon with Fake Out followed by a convenient Wide Guard…
And then with the sound of a Tera Orb firing up…
TERA-PO-GOO!
"Mieeeen!"
BOOM!
Excadrill went out in a blaze of red sparks, while Meowscarada made quick work of the remaining Minun. Leaving none.
As the dust settled around them, Juliana heard two girls clapping. She glanced at the stands and saw the same two girls who dismissed her earlier.
"Wow, she held up her own against Lacey…" she heard the pigtails girl whisper. "I guess she really isn't someone to be taken lightly…"
Juliana felt a soft smile forming on her face.
"Well done to both of you!" Cyrano clapped after the battle had ended. "You really battled it out Blueberry-style!"
"Thank you, Director!" said Lacey.
"Yeah, thanks…" Juliana chuckled. She turned to Lacey. "Thank you for the really great battle, Lacey. It was a huge learning experience for sure!"
"Thank you very much! But give some credit to yourself! That last Pokémon of yours really threw us for a loop! And the way you Terastallized it… I'll never underestimate you again."
"Aww, thanks!"
"Oh, it wasn't a compliment," Lacey shook her head. "It's me giving you a warning for the next time we meet on the arena."
"Eh-heh-heh…"
How can someone be so cute also… be really threatening?
"Speaking of style…" Cyrano fished out a bag he collected from the reception lady and held it out for Juliana. "I forgot I had a uniform for you!"
Juliana accepted the vacuum-shrunk bag of clothes and gasped in awe.
"My own Blueberry uniform…"
Director Cyrano and Lacey showed Juliana where her dorm room was, and waited outside as she changed.
Juliana eventually came back out, having traded her Uva Academy duds for her new all-white Blueberry Academy spring uniform. She had a bright smile on her face, pleased with the whole new aura she was feeling from these clothes.
"Well, well! Don't my school's colors look fantastic on you!"
"Awwww! It suits you beautifully!" Lacey complimented.
"Hee-hee, thanks!" Juliana blushed.
With a tiny giggle, Lacey pulled out her Fairy patterned Rotom Phone.
"Now… smile!"
"Huh? Oh!"
Juliana was caught off-guard but quickly put on her best smile as Lacey suddenly snapped a picture of her.
"Thanks!" Lacey grinned. "The students who run the school newspaper wanted a picture of the new exchange student for their article. I hope you don't mind obliging."
"Of course not!" said Juliana. "Hope you got a good shot of me!"
"I think I did! You look very cute here. And… send!" Lacey made a big show of hitting the button. "There we go. That should make someone real happy."
She tucked her phone back in her pocket, not losing her grin all the while.
"Anyway, now that you look the part—and hopefully feel it too—I want to show you the pride of Blueberry Academy: our world-famous Terrarium!"
Juliana's head tilted. "Terrarium? Like in a museum?"
Director Cyrano stifled an amused chuckle.
Lacey giggled. "Ours is a tiny bit… more than just that. Come on and you'll see what I mean!"
Just as they were about to start walking, there was a ping sound.
Lacey checked her phone.
"Oh, good! Looks like your picture was received!"
"Yay!"
She put her phone and they started walking down the hall.
But they only made it a few steps before they heard Lacey's phone again.
And again. And again. And again.
Juliana and Cyrano looked at her curiously. With a sheepish grin, Lacey took her phone out again.
Her eyes looked like they were close to bulging out.
"Ummm… Wow! Heh-heh… you're really making quite the impression, it seems. Anyway, moving along!"
She proceeded to walk on as if nothing had happened. Juliana was a bit perplexed, but shrugged it off.
The three walked down another tunnel. This one didn't seem anywhere near as long as the one Juliana and Cyrano took to get from the airport to the school, and it was only completely encased in darkness, illuminated only by the blue lights along the floor.
Along the way, Lacey asked Juliana a lot of questions. Things about her home life, her friends at school, why she started out on her journey, the sorts of things she treasures most.
"Like… in the world? In people?"
"However you feel!"
Juliana felt rather odd about it.
This feels like taking that League Assessment thing with Rika all over again.
Then, Lacey asked her next question.
"So… is this your first time outside of Paldea since you and your mom moved there?"
"No," Juliana shook her head. "In fact, just a few months ago, I went on that field trip to Kitakami. The one with both of our schools did."
"Ohhhh, yeah! I think I did know that, actually! I think that's where I heard your name from, come to think about it."
Juliana was intrigued.
"Really? Do you… do you know either of the students that were there? Carmine and Kieran?"
Lacey nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, I do know of them! I'm pretty sure Kieran's in one of the clubs that I'm in. And Carmine happens to be one of my classmates."
"Really!?"
"Yeah!"
"Did—did Carmine ever talk about me?"
Lacey's eyes drifted as she seemed to rifle through her memories for an answer.
"Mmmm, yeah! Yeah, I think your name came up, at least a couple of times."
Lacey got a little flustered as Juliana inched closer to her face with her eyes getting all big.
"Well, w-what did she say about me?"
"Would you mind not getting so close to me?" Lacey chuckled.
"Oh—I'm… I'm so sorry!" Juliana backed away, embarrassed.
"It's okay!" said Lacey. It was kind of adorable. "Anyway, I think she said you were very kind… friendly. Helped her out a lot. Went on fun adventures. Things of that nature."
"Aww…" Juliana held a hand to her heart, looking genuinely touched. Lacey smiled too.
"Seems like she really values the time you two spent together."
"That's so cool to hear…" Juliana smiled warmly to herself. "I totally feel the same way. I've been thinking about her a lot, especially because she wrote me a letter not too long ago… It was, it was a really sweet letter."
"That makes me happy to hear!" said Director Cyrano. "I remember Ms. Briar saying her hopes for that trip were to unite you kids together so our schools' bond felt like a real unity! I never had any doubt you would all get along fine, of course!"
Juliana turned to Lacey again.
"You said you know Kieran too?"
"That's right."
Juliana's smile faltered a bit. "Umm… how is he these days? Unfortunately, we… we kinda had a big fight right before we left, and he was so upset that we never had a chance to say goodbye. I've been worried about him ever since then…"
"Oh no!" Lacey reacted, looking particularly dour. "That's not good. I never heard about that. Maybe that explains why… why he's been so moody."
"He has?" Juliana replied, looking sullen. "Oh man…"
Lacey gently pat her on the shoulder.
"Well, he has. But…! He's also achieved quite a lot since he came back. Like, a real lot. I think he'd be really excited to tell you all about it if you two met again. You must really be hoping that you can make it up to him, huh?"
Juliana nodded. "More than anything. I still feel so terrible for the way things ended last time… But at least he and Carmine have each other, right? I feel good knowing that much…"
She looked to Lacey for affirmation but… Lacey's face was turned away.
"Yeah…"
Juliana wasn't sure why her new classmate wasn't looking her way anymore, but then Lacey stared ahead and went—
"Oh, look! We're here!"
"Woah…"
"This is it," said Lacey. "The park beneath the sea that has gained renown around the world…"
Juliana was met with an even more impressive sight than the Blueberry Academy entrance.
She stepped out onto a huge golden landscape, with mountains off in the distance and yellow plains as far as the eye could see.
Well not quite as far, because past that she spotted weird white multi-colored walls that seemed to be bordering… even more varied land types? She spotted a lot of mountains under thick clouds, a grassy area way, way off in the distance and… snow caps!? Just feet away from this savannah!?
"Our very own Terrarium!"
"Th… Th—this is the Terrarium?" Juliana was so spellbound she could hardly speak. "It's like a… a whole region! Like a miniature Paldea!"
"I thought you'd be impressed!" Cyrano chuckled. "Better than any museum you've been to, right?"
"We may still be underwear right now, but the projectors built into the walls and ceiling make it feel like we're actually outside, don't they?" said Lacey. "We've been able to create a comfortable environment through technology!"
"How… how did you make all of this? How is it all different climates!? Are those real trees and plants and mud or—or is everything artificial? Are those—there are wild Pokémon living here!? Just… just… HOW!?"
Juliana was speaking at a million words a minute and asking a thousand questions, which made Lacey and Cyrano feel really proud of themselves.
"I designed all this myself!" Cyrano bragged. "And believe me—it wasn't cheap!"
The pair went on to describe the four biomes of the Terrarium to Juliana and how the regulated temperatures in each quadrant means different types of Pokémon can live inside.
Lacey also told her about the self-serve healing machines that serve the same function as Pokémon Centers…
"Right! Yeah! I remember Carmine talked about those."
Cyrano pointed to the giant Terrarium Core hanging right over their heads as the reason why wild Pokémon can Terastallize here, which he said was put together by Ms. Briar and packed with mysterious material from Juliana's own homeland that's constantly emitting Terastal energy.
Before they could answer any more questions, a class bell sounded right over their heads.
"Practical battle classes will commence shortly in the Coastal Biome. Students participating in this class should make their way to the Coastal Biome now."
"Oh! It looks like you're just in time to see a class session too!"
"Really?" Juliana was amazed. "You mean… there are classes out here in the Terrarium?"
"Oh yeah!" Cyrano answered. "Sometimes, the best way to learn is doing so right out on the field!"
"This is too good of a chance to pass up." Lacey turned to Juliana. "Won't you join us, Juliana? You can get your first taste of our school's classes!"
"Yeah, of course!" Juliana beamed. "That sounds wonderful!"
"Tee-hee!" Lacey cupped her hands together. "I love to see that sort of passion for education!"
She helpfully registered the Terrarium map to Juliana's map app so she would know where to go for the class, and Cyrano also sent her the Blueberry Pokédex for her phone so she could start catching some of the Terrarium Pokémon for herself.
"Catch as many Pokémon here in the Terrarium as you please! Don't be afraid to go Sawsbuck-wild!"
"Aye-aye, sir!" Juliana laughed.
"It's your student life here at Blueberry Academy, so remember to live it up to the fullest!"
And with that, the jolly Director of Blueberry Academy left them to their own devices as he walked back through the tunnel.
"And there he goes…" said Lacey. "Well, you can at least count on me to be around when you need me, so there's no call for concern! In fact… we should exchange phone numbers!"
"Oh! Yeah, sure!"
They brought out their phones and did so, which left Lacey extremely pleased.
"Looks like I've got everything I needed from you, Juliana!"
Juliana's head tilted again. This Lacey was a sweet girl, but she sure had her odd moments.
"It's probably time we both head to class! I'll be waiting for you to join us in the Coastal Biome!"
The teacher cleared his throat.
"Alright, all of you! Gather 'round! We're about to start class now!"
Lacey looked around worriedly.
"Where is she…?" she wondered with a frantic face. "I hope I didn't scare the poor girl that hard…"
All the Blueberry students who were standing nearby filed into the small gazebo that served as one of the Terrarium's outdoor classrooms.
Lacey still didn't see any sign of Juliana, and hung her head in resigned sadness.
But just then, the instructor walked up and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Ms. Lacey, there's a student behind the dome playing with Pokémon. Do you know if she's participating in this class?"
"Hmm?"
Lacey peered in the flowery area behind the outdoor classroom and let out a loud snort when she saw what was happening.
Juliana was standing between some pink bushes, looking utterly captivated by a horde of Comfey that had all floated up beside her. The flowery Fairy Pokémon looked like they were all picking flowers and constructing something.
Then, to Juliana's awe and surprise, the group of Comfey used their vines to string all the flowers together… into a handmade lei! That they all gently distributed around Juliana's neck.
"Awww, thank you! So sweet!"
The Comfey all smiled and made happy noises of gratitude to the friendly girl. Lacey couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
She did say you were overly curious and friendly towards all the wild Pokémon…
"Hey, Juliana! Over here!" she called out. "Class is about to start!"
"Oops! I've got to go. Bye, Comfey!" she called out to the group of Pokémon, who all made goodbye chirps back.
Juliana ran up alongside Lacey as they stood at the entrance.
Lacey stood close to her and whispered.
"That looks lovely on you."
Juliana giggled. "Thanks, Lacey."
She whispered even lower. "You didn't have any trouble finding the place then?"
Juliana chuckled and just answered, "Whisper, whisper."
Lacey's eyes widened. "Say again? I didn't quite catch that!"
"Sorry. It's an inside joke between me and my friend Penny—"
"Alola, everybody!" the instructor called out. "Shall we get started? Looks like we have a new face with us today!"
The class was all about the various climates in the Terrarium, and how different Pokémon adapt to live in these areas.
This shifted the conversation to regional forms, how some species of Pokémon have variations with completely different appearances and even change their Type to adapt in extremely different climates.
"And that brings us to today's task! I'd like each of you to catch one of these Pokémon—specifically, an Alolan Form Pokémon! When you've got one, come and report to me. Now get catching!"
"Many of our classes here at Blueberry Academy are practical ones like this," Lacey explained to Juliana as the class ended.
"I see that. So… he said it has to be an Alolan Pokémon, huh?" Juliana whispered to Lacey.
"Director Cyrano gave you the Blueberry Dex, right? That should tell you which of the regional forms you find around here originally came from Alola!"
"Got it!" Juliana brushed up her flowery lei and hoisted her Blueberry backpack. "Guess I should get to finding one then!"
"Don't overthink it! Just do your best for this first class!"
"Got it!"
And much to Lacey's shock, Juliana quickly took off into the unknown of the Coastal Biome, ready to start hunting.
The instructor had a surprised expression on his face too.
"That's the new student that everyone's talking about, right? From Paldea?" he asked Lacey. "She has a lot of energy! I like seeing that in a student."
"Me too, sir!"
"Now I'm intrigued to find out what sort of Alolan Pokémon she'll bring back."
Lacey nodded. "Probably a Grimer. Those are the ones most commonly found in this biome."
"As I live and breathe! An Alolan Sandshrew!?"
The instructor's glasses nearly flew right off his face, and even Lacey gasped at the unexpected Pokémon Juliana had eagerly sent out in front of them.
"Pajoo?"
The thick-plated light blue rodent looked around at everyone, confused by all the attention.
"Yeah! That's… that's an Alolan Form, right?" Juliana said. Then she gasped with her hands over her mouth. "Oh, no! Was I only supposed to be looking in the Coastal Biome? Did I fail the assignment?"
"No, no, you pass! You… you really pass!" the enamored instructor assured him. "It's just… most students do just catch the first one they see right around them, so I'm used to seeing an Alolan Diglett, Geodude, or the occasional Exeggutor."
"Yeah! You went all the way to the Polar Biome to find one of these?" Lacey had to verify, equally surprised. "Isn't it only up on the tall mountains?"
"Mm-hm," Juliana nodded. "I just really wanted to look up and down and see how many different forms I could find of Pokémon I already knew!"
"Wow, that's… that's really cool!" Lacey said in admiration. "You're a real star, aren't you Juliana? No wonder…"
"Huh? No wonder what?"
The instructor watched Juliana's Sandshrew scratch his face and roll up like a huge snowball.
"Aww, adorable! Nobody's ever shown me an Alolan Form Sandshrew before! I've always wanted to get one for myself, but that Polar Biome, so freezing cold… I don't know how you kids can stand it over there."
"Oh!"
Juliana dug out a Great Ball.
"I actually caught another one if you'd like one for yourself, sir!"
"Oooh, what's this?" The instructor looked at her all sly. "First class at Blueberry, and someone's already trying to score some extra credit with the teacher…"
Juliana immediately got all flustered and started sweating.
"Huh!? Oh—n-no! I'm so sorry! I wasn't trying to suck up, honest! I was just offering, really!"
"Really? Well, that's awful sweet of you, miss. But… I still think I want to try to get one on my own someday. It'll be a lot more worth it."
Lacey watched this spectacle and giggled to herself.
"Kind and generous to a fault… She said that too…" she said quietly. "You really are ticking off all the boxes."
She walked up to Juliana and held her hand out.
"I'll take that other Sandshrew off your hands, Juliana! I'll raise it up real good!"
"Gee, thanks Lacey…" said Juliana, her face still red. "I'm so embarrassed…"
"Don't be. You're making a great first impression!"
"Pajoo, pajoo!" Juliana's new snowy friend agreed.
"So battling isn't your only talent, then—you've got a knack for catching Pokémon too!"
The instructor gathered everyone around again for the rest of the class session, going over some examples of different regional forms. Afterward, he stated that for any students who didn't catch a Pokémon in time, that'll be their homework before next class.
As the students all got up and started walking out of the gazebo, Juliana heard a few of them grumbling.
"Maaan, really?" she heard one boy say. "Guess I'm stuck with homework."
Juliana scoffed at this and turned to Lacey.
"That's what you guys get for homework? I don't know about battling, but it sounds like classes are going to be a breeze here compared to all the papers we have to write at my school!"
"Yeah," Lacey chuckled. "I guess it's just a matter of perspective what seems what's fun versus what's tedious based on your own personal experiences. So Juliana, what did you think of your first Blueberry class?"
"It was a lot of fun! Some of the best fun I've ever had!" Juliana beamed.
"Pajoo!" Sandshrew chimed.
"Really!? It makes me so happy to hear that!" Lacey cooed.
Her smile dropped however as she suddenly gasped and realized something.
"Oh! I was supposed to go make an appearance at the clubroom! Shoot! I'm afraid this will have to be the end of our little tour, but let me tell you one other thing…"
Lacey explained the concept of BBQ's to Juliana: Blueberry's own special missions that award students with BP for completing certain extracurricular tasks. Those Blueberry Points apparently function as a currency throughout the school, even in the school store and cafeteria.
Juliana thought it sounded like amazing fun.
"Right!?" Lacey glanced at her Rotom Phone. "Well, that's it for me! Sorry for having to dash, but I really gotta make that meeting! Enjoy your time at Blueberry Academy, Juliana!"
"I will! Thanks for everything, Lacey!" Juliana waved as Lacey began to run.
"Don't thank me yet!" Lacey called out in a singsongy manner.
Juliana let her hand drop with a perplexed expression, watching Lacey disappear into the plains.
"What… does she mean when she says things like that?" she asked her Sandshrew.
"Grrrowl?"
"Alright, well… now that I've got some free time, I want to start knocking out some of these BBQ's and see about meeting new Pokémon friends!"
"Pajoo, pajoo!"
Juliana opened the app that Lacey installed for her, showing a predetermined set of Blueberry Quests for her to complete.
"Let's see. Catch a Rock-type Pokémon, take a picture of a Pokémon that's swimming…" Juliana did a double take at one of them. "Find… Ditto Blocks with some friends? What the heck are those?"
"Grrrr." Sandshrew made a confused noise.
"Oh! Here's one. Sneak up on a wild Pokémon… I can do that! I got really good at sneaking up on tricky Pokémon back home!"
"Pajoo, pajoo!"
"Oooh… and I see a fresh target right over there."
Juliana ducked into a nearby bush as she spotted a much more familiar Pokémon off in the distance.
A pink Oricorio stood out in the Pa'u Style, which made it imitate the moves of a hula dancer.
Although Juliana hadn't seen that particular style of Oricorio before, she had still encountered the other forms of the colorful bird enough to know when it wouldn't be looking.
"And… now!"
She hastily tossed out one of her Poké Balls to bonk Oricorio in the back.
"Cheep-cheep!?"
Oricorio was so caught off guard it wasn't even ready to face the menacing-looking Tinkaton peering down upon it with murder in her eyes.
"Tinkaaaaa!"
"Cheep…?"
"Yes! Hopefully that's good enough t—"
She was interrupted by a sharp ping from her Rotom Phone.
Much to Juliana's astonishment, the "Sneak up on a wild Pokémon!" mission instantly registered as completed, and Juliana watched as 20 BP was automatically added into her digital wallet.
"Uhhh, w-wow! I completed the mission! But…" She looked at her phone in confusion. "How… how does it know that right away?"
She started looking up all around her.
"Are there… cameras watching us or something? Is somebody watching me through the app?"
She was about to tap on the BBQ app to look for more quests, when all of a sudden, her phone flashed that she was receiving a call.
Unknown caller ID.
"…Who could that be?"
She tapped to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey!" came a girl's voice. "This is Juliana's phone, right?"
"Yeah!" she answered back. "Who's this?"
The voice sounded extremely familiar, but Juliana couldn't quite place it over the speaker until she heard a happy gasp that immediately brought her back to—
"It's me! Carmine!"
Juliana gasped in delight and almost fell to her knees.
"Carmine!? Is that really you!?"
"YES!" came a response that sounded more enthusiastic than Juliana was expecting.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so happy to hear your voice!" Juliana exclaimed.
She heard Carmine clearing her throat.
"Me too! Of course! How have you been?"
"I've been doing great!" Juliana beamed, happy as a Clamperl now. "What about you?"
There was a small pause, before she heard that smug voice she remembered so well.
"Ohhh, I've been doing quite alright for myself. But I just heard the news! You got picked for Blueberry Academy's exchange program… right?"
"I sure did!"
"Hah! One of my friends just told me! Oooh… never thought we'd be fellow students of BB Academy!"
Juliana heard a strange thumping sound from the other end, and then silence. But then she almost swore she could hear two people whispering. She was about to ask what was going on, but that's when Carmine continued speaking.
"Anyway, umm, you should totally come show your face! It's been too long already!"
"Yeah! Yeah, I'd love to catch up with you! Absolutely!" Juliana was grinning wide as a mile now. "I've got so much to tell you!"
"Me too!" Carmine replied eagerly. "Now let me think… Where could we meet up? Oh! Have you been to the Terrarium?"
Juliana laughed. "I'm literally standing in the Coastal Biome right now!"
"That's—wow, that's so funny," she heard Carmine giggle. "Well, that makes it easier then! There's a space called the Central Plaza right in the center of the dome! It's like our big hub!"
Juliana craned her neck and tried to look out into the horizon.
"Do you see it?"
Truthfully, there was too huge a mesa in the way for Juliana to see the center of the Terrarium.
"No but… your classmate Lacey installed the map of the Terrarium on my phone, so I can totally find it."
"Awww, that's Lacey for you," said Carmine. "Great then! I'll—I'll meet you there!" Juliana heard a breathy laugh from her. "This is going to be so exciting!"
"Yeah, I'm excited too!" said Juliana. "Alright… see you there!"
"Uh-huh!"
Juliana was about to hang up when…
"Oh, and- Don't keep me waiting if you know what's good for you! 'Kay!?"
Juliana burst out snickering.
Yup, that's Carmine alright.
"No need to worry!"
She hung up, and as soon as she did… she burst out in a huge jump and started hugging the phone tightly. Then she looked around to see if someone saw that, a little embarrassed that she just did that.
"This is so greeeeat!" Juliana whispered in glee. "I've missed Carmine so much!"
Her Sandshrew walked up to her curiously, as did her Tinkaton, deciding to leave the unconscious Oricorio behind.
"Come on, you two!" Juliana declared in newfound delight and confidence. "Let's go meet our friend again!"
"PAJOO!"
"TINK!"
Her entire face beaming with excitement, Juliana and her adorable friends took off towards the Central Plaza for a long-awaited reunion.
The Central Plaza was huge. Much huger than Juliana expected it.
Carmine wasn't kidding about it being like a big hub. There were so many Blueberry students congregated and sitting in different spots on all the multicolored block structures that it was almost like its own little mini-town.
Juliana found herself really wishing Carmine had specified where in this gigantic plaza she was.
It took climbing several ramps and different elevations until she finally reached an enormous second level with a battle court. There was also one of those self-service healing machines, next to some vending machines and a much more familiar TM Machine.
…And standing in front of these machines, was her.
Somehow, she looked exactly the same as Juliana remembered but… a little more put-together?
Carmine ran her fingers through her hair. Her gorgeous black locks that somehow became a bright crimson red on the undersides, like a beautiful devil. Her hair looked… a bit glossier. More well-groomed?
There was no change in her bright, yellow eyes. Striking in color, surrounded in black mascara, and yet so oddly soothing to get lost in.
Her tall, confident build, still clad in that blue uniform Juliana now understood to be Blueberry Academy's winter choice.
Juliana found herself stiffly frozen in place for a few seconds. She was almost intimidated to move forward, for reasons she didn't quite know.
Finally, she worked up the nerve to walk up to them. Carmine was talking to another girl, improbably at the same height as both her and Lacey.
Oh no… not another one! Juliana's heart began to thump again. Is she just… friends with all the tall brigade here? Or—are all the girls at Uva just shorter?
"So yeah, things are a bit rough right now…"
Juliana's heart felt like it wanted to sprout wings and sing out of her chest when she heard Carmine's distinctly husky yet silky voice again for the first time in months.
"I couldn't agree more," said her companion.
As Juliana stepped closer, the other girl, dark skinned with unique silver knots in her hair and thick half-moon glasses, glanced over and spotted her. Before then, she looked like she had been nodding at a rhythm.
"Ah. You have a visitor, Carmine."
Carmine quickly swiveled around.
"Oh!" She did her familiar two-handed wave and smiled sweetly. "Hey there, Juliana! Long time no see!"
"Hi, Carmine!" Juliana greeted warmly. "It's been so long!"
"It sure has!" She did a dramatic flip of her silky locks. "I bet you really missed me, huh?"
Juliana looked the girl over and put on a dismissive face.
"Ehh, no."
"What!?" And then the seething started. "What do you mean no!? Did all your wonderful memories of me just… wither away since we last saw each other!?"
Then Carmine saw the smirk on her face and grumbled.
"Ugh. You're doing the thing again. Like, right away. Five seconds into seeing each other again. Why should I expect any less from you?"
Juliana giggled. All of her favorite eccentricities of Carmine's seemed to be back on display, from her initial cool aura to the seething with her teeth to her exasperated expressions.
Within just ten seconds of meeting, Juliana already felt the huge gap of time between their last meeting shrinking heavily and almost disappearing. Like they had just been doing this yesterday.
"You know I'm teasing," she said. "I only tease the friends I really care about."
"Yeah, you're so complex…" Carmine rolled her eyes. "Compared to me, because I'm the same loving way towards everyone!" she giggled lightly.
Amarys dug out her silver pocket watch to catch the time, clicked a button, and cleared her throat.
"It really is time for me to go now," she politely informed Carmine. "I'm needed in the clubroom. Nice seeing you, Carmine."
"Ahh—OK!" Carmine replied, sounding a little frazzled. "S-see you round, Amarys.."
Amarys briefly stopped to shake Juliana's hand.
"And so long to you as well, Juliana. It was nice to finally meet you."
Finally?
"Uhh, thanks. You… too?"
Juliana felt her knees buckle slightly as she gazed up at Amarys. Walking away, Juliana began to have an uncomfortable thought.
Yup… tall girls are definitely my weakness. I might be in trouble here…
She turned back around to Carmine… just barely in time to see Carmine doing a weird motion with her hands. But then she stood up straight and resumed her calm demeanor.
"That's one of my classmates, her name's Amarys. She's an interesting one!"
"You've got a lot of pretty friends," Juliana smiled.
Amarys… Her name was ringing familiar too. That's when Juliana suddenly remembered.
"Oh, now I remember!" said Juliana. "You talked about Amarys and Lacey in your letter! I don't know why I didn't put that together until now!" Then she looked puzzled. But… that's weird then. Why did Lacey act as if she barely knew you?
"Ahh, right! You met Lacey too, didn't you? Yeah, we were a pretty tight squad—are a pretty tight squad!" Carmine stumbled on her words a bit, but then she smiled. "Mm. It is really good to see you again."
She extended a hand. Juliana responded by embracing her hand followed by the rest of Carmine's body.
"Oh! We're—we're doing hugs now! Okay!" Carmine laughed, almost a bit nervously.
Juliana broke off and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry! It's just... I really missed you a lot."
"Naturally," Carmine smiled. "Speaking of classmates, it… feels kinda weird seeing you here at my school. And in our school colors no less!"
"Yeah!" Juliana dusted herself off and proudly held her chest up. "How does it look on me?"
Carmine gave her a onceover, staring blankly.
"It looks… fine," Carmine shrugged. "You look a little less like the dork I remember you were in that lame grape suit."
Juliana rolled her eyes now. "Gee, thanks."
"I'm surprised you didn't go with the winter outfit like mine," she said, puffing her own chest forward. "But I guess you just knew you wouldn't be able to match my insane beauty."
Besides a couple of stumbles and weird faces, Carmine was pretty much exactly as Juliana remembered, completely cool as a cucumber and very sure of herself in a way that Juliana honestly envied.
"You got that right!" Juliana chuckled. "No one has ever been able to able to match how pretty you are, Carmine. Here, Paldea, or otherwise."
This sparked a massive blush on Carmine's face, an even bigger one than Juliana expected.
"Oh! Y-yeah, totally, of course! Glad you recognize that!" She retreated into herself a little bit, before continuing. "Well, I may not have changed at all, but look at you! You seem like a much more confident person than the last time we met."
"Aww, thanks." Now Juliana started blushing.
"I think you even grew an inch or two taller! And oh, you were even confident enough to bring this silly thing back."
Carmine walked up close and lightly stroked Juliana's braid. Juliana wanted to say something, but feeling Carmine's touch so close to her face was… making her feel a little warm.
Then Carmine let go, and Juliana was treated to her bright smile up close.
"You kept the ponytail, though. I'm real happy about that."
Juliana felt like an oven on the inside.
Their faces remained close. Juliana even felt like Carmine's might be slowly leaning in a bit. She stepped back, and Carmine, as if snapping back to reality, reared herself back and loudly cleared her throat.
"Ahem! Well… as for me! I've been helping Ms. Briar with her research! Hanging out with my friends, and trying to ace all my exams. A-and you may be a Champion now, little girl, but I haven't been slouching with my training either!"
"Oh yeah?"
"I think you'll find my Pokémon are a lot stronger now than the last time we battled!" Carmine cast a wicked smile. "Ehehe… you wanna see?"
Juliana's eyebrows lit up as Carmine pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Ohhh, you totally wanna see. Well, we have a battle court right here… What do you say, Juliana? Another battle with your best pal Carmine?"
Juliana smiled wide as a mile.
"Bring it on."
Carmine beamed right back.
"Now we're talking! Get into position!" She quickly sprinted to one side of the court. "You won't know what hit you!"
Juliana took her position too. She was excited for another battle between friends but… mostly, it just warmed her heart to see Carmine so excited.
"It was you, right…?" Juliana decided to break the ice.
"Me what?" Carmine called out.
"You were the one who submitted my name and invited me here, weren't you?"
She couldn't quite read Carmine's face from this far away, but she did see Carmine's eyebrows flare up.
"Ohhh, so you were recommended and you want to know if it was me, do you?" She could see Carmine's cocky smile now. "I'll only tell you if you win, alright?"