Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! Sorry this one took a while - I built a new PC between last chapter and this one and it took upwards of a week to get it entirely set up and all my files (including my writings) transferred to their new home. All that said, I'm fairly pleased with the way this chapter came together!

With American Thanksgiving coming up next week, the next chapter will probably take a bit of time as well, but it'll happen sooner than later for sure. I have the whole story outlined and planned out and I hope you enjoy where we're heading! Anyway, please enjoy the new chapter and I'll see you on the other side! Thanks so much for coming back for more and Happy Thanksgiving to anyone celebrating it next week!

Chapter 4 – Tension

Carmine slowly came back to consciousness, blinking several times as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. How long had she been asleep anyway? If it was still this dark, it couldn't have been very long. Why was she even awake right now?

As the fog of sleep began to lift from her mind, she became aware of two things. The first was that Juliana had rolled much closer to her during the night; she could smell that citrus shampoo in her hair even more clearly than before she'd fallen asleep and, now that her eyes were adjusting, could even begin to make out the shape of her angelic face and the near proximity of it.

The second thing she noticed, however, was that Juliana's soft hand was resting in her own, their fingers interlocked.

The older girl sputtered for a moment. Juliana had surely just rolled over in the night, right? But…why were they holding hands? That hadn't happened while they were both asleep. At the very least, their fingers hadn't magically threaded together like this while they were both dreaming the night away.

Had…Juliana done this intentionally?

As the thought crossed her mind, she felt that warm hand squeeze hers and her eyes shot back to the girl beside her. The brunette was watching her, eyes wide open, as she allowed a peaceful smile to spread across her face.

"Hey, Carmine. I'm sorry I woke you," she murmured, her voice soft.

"N-no, it's…it's okay," Carmine managed in return. "Um…is everything okay?"

"Everything's perfect. I just…wanted to be close to you."

Carmine felt her face flush at once and, even through the darkness, it seemed Juliana could tell.

"I'm sorry, am I being too clingy?" the younger girl asked, her voice a whisper in the muted night.

"No…I don't…mind…"

A content look spread across Juliana's face as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good. I was afraid I was overstepping."

"You aren't, not at all. Um…"

Carmine hesitated for several long moments. How in the world was she supposed to say what she really wanted to right now? There was just no way…

At last, Juliana came to her rescue.

"I might have an idea of what you're thinking."

"R-really?"

"I can ask it as a question if that makes it easier. That way you don't have to say it."

"Um…uh, I…s-sure…"

"Can I come closer and cuddle with you, Carmine?"

A vicious blush exploded to life across her face, ears, and neck…but she managed a tiny nod.

"Y…yes…please." Her voice was so miniscule it was almost unintelligible.

Juliana said nothing more, instead scooting closer to Carmine and wrapping her other arm around her body, that second warm hand coming to rest on her upper back. She nestled in tight, her forehead pressing into Carmine's chest as she tangled her legs around the older girl's.

Carmine could barely draw breath, so overwhelming was the sensation of having Juliana pressed so closely against her. Her heart was racing and this time there was no chance the brunette couldn't hear it. As if on cue, she spoke again, her voice a little muffled thanks to her position.

"Your heart is beating so fast, Carmine."

"Y-yeah…it is…" That was all she could manage.

Juliana moved her face back and shifted her arm, taking Carmine's free hand and placing it against her neck.

"Mine too."

Carmine shivered as she confirmed it for herself. Juliana's heartrate was almost mirroring her own. She could feel it racing away beneath her smooth skin; she was nervous too. Could that mean…

"Carmine," she murmured. "Can I tell you something?"

The Kitakami girl could no longer form words or even coherent thoughts. Her mind and body were completely overwhelmed to the point that all she could manage was a timid nod.

"I've wanted you for years," she whispered into the still night.

Carmine's mind all but imploded in on itself as her crush continued speaking in a whisper.

"I've had dreams about you for so long. Dreams about this. Dreams where we cuddle all night long. Dreams where I snuggle up in your arms and have the best night's sleep of my entire life."

"That sounds…amazing…"

"I've had other dreams, too, you know," she continued, her eyes locking onto Carmine's and shimmering. She was so close. "Dreams where we hold hands like this."

She gave Carmine's hand another gentle squeeze.

"Dreams where you stroke and caress my hair."

She guided Carmine's hand from her neck up to the side of her head.

"Dreams where we get so close there's almost no distance between us."

She drew even closer, her lips inches from Carmine's now. Chills exploded down her arms and back as she felt the brunette's gentle breathing splash across her face. The one leg that was between hers began to inch upwards, Juliana's knee slowly tracing a line up her inner thigh, cautiously moving higher by the second.

"Dreams where I kiss you so hard we can barely breathe afterwards."

'Wait, what did she just-'

Carmine's mind came to a screaming halt as their lips finally met in one perfect, heavenly moment. The tantalizing delicacy of her kiss was nearly suffocating. Intoxicating. Addicting. Carmine could barely think, barely breathe, but not a single part of her dared move away lest she shatter the spell of the moment.

What little breath she did have caught in her chest and she swore she almost passed out as Juliana's kiss slowly grew deeper and hungrier. In a few mesmerizing moments, Carmine went from being caressed by a cloud to being stricken by the most intensely gratifying lightning she'd ever experienced. The electricity that coursed through her body was enough to remove any lingering bits of sleep or disorientation from her mind and she found her body growing hotter by the second.

When Juliana finally pulled back, they were both breathing heavily, Carmine's hands trembling from nerves and need. Juliana grabbed them in hers and placed several soft kisses along her knuckles.

"I've even had dreams where we…do even more."

Carmine's heart was pounding out of her chest, as if she had sprinted hard for a good few minutes and came to a sudden stop. Her stomach was knotted into a ball of need and nervousness. She was almost frozen from indecision.

Juliana leaned in close and placed a gentle kiss to her lips once more, lingering just long enough to send a shiver of delight and longing cascading down Carmine's entire body.

"Carmine…?" she began, her mouth so close she could feel the brunette's words brushing against her lips. "Do you want…to do even more?"

"Juliana…I…"

She hesitated for a long moment, the nerves inside her twisting her to near paralysis. Was she taking advantage of the situation? Was Juliana even being serious? No, that was ridiculous; she'd kissed her like she'd never experienced in all her life. But…was it right to go down this path with someone who had once been her very best friend in the world before she'd stupidly pulled away from her?

As she gazed at Juliana's gorgeous face, the face she saw almost nightly in her dreams, she thought back to how madly in love she'd fallen seven years ago. She had always been thinking about her. Always. Even outside of her dreams, there wasn't a day that passed where Juliana wasn't on her mind in some way.

The answer really was that simple – Carmine wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let this moment go without showing her just how much she meant to her. Without finally admitting and expressing her love.

"I've…I've been in love with you, Juliana…for so long. Of course I want more."

Juliana smiled the most dazzling smile Carmine had ever witnessed before she swooped down upon her and took total control of the moment.

As their lips crashed together again, Juliana brought her leg up quickly, her knee pressing firmly between Carmine's thighs and sending shockwaves of pleasure surging through her body. As an involuntary moan slipped from her mouth, she tangled a hand in Juliana's auburn hair and pulled gently. The smaller girl moaned in turn and Carmine felt her heart skip several beats, the heat at the very core of her body burning hotter and hotter in response.

'More. More. I need more. I need you, Juliana.'

Juliana kissed her even harder, more desperately. Her tongue pressed forward, eager to explore. Carmine felt herself respond all but automatically, parting her lips and allowing her entry. They pressed their bodies closer and closer together, damning any distance that still existed between them. She shivered as Juliana seized her hair and pulled gently in the same way Carmine was doing for her. Chills of satisfaction and delight raced down her body, mingling with that volcanic need deep inside her.

She wasn't even aware that her hips had begun to gyrate against Juliana's leg, but the brunette certainly took notice, pressing her knee more firmly against Carmine and rubbing it against her. She kissed her even more assertively at the same time and Carmine couldn't stop herself from moaning loudly into her lover's mouth.

They finally separated to catch their breath, but Juliana didn't stop moving her knee, surges of pleasure rocking Carmine's body. Small hands beginning to trail down the taller girl's body, that hot need blazing with incredible intensity.

"Juliana," she moaned.

She gasped as she felt those warm hands sneak beneath the top of her pajamas, delicate fingers coming into contact with the skin of her stomach and hips.

"Carmine…"

She froze in desperate anticipation as those same soft fingertips began to tease the waistband of her sleeping pants, timidly slipping just beneath the fabric. It was barely a few centimeters, but it was enough to set Carmine's core alight with the fire of the sun as she became almost dizzy with need.

"Juliana…!"

Carmine seized her wrist and guided her hand lower, the warmth of her lover's fingers slowly coming closer to intersecting with her determined knee.

"Carmine?"

Her eyes shot open in an instant.

She was still lying in bed in Juliana's apartment, of course, but even ignoring the morning light clearly present around her, it was clear from a quick glance to her right that she had been dreaming just moments before. Juliana herself was still lying next to her, but she was a respectable distance away – just as she had been when they'd fallen asleep – and gazing at her curiously.

"W…what happened?" she finally mumbled, trying her best to take some slow breaths to recollect herself. She was still reeling from her vision.

'None of that…was real…?'

"You were tossing and turning a little bit," Juliana explained. "I was worried you were having a nightmare, but I didn't want to shock you out of it, so I just kept saying your name until you woke up. You were responding to me for a second there, but I don't think you could really hear me."

"O-oh."

Carmine did her best to keep a fiery blush from exploding to life across her cheeks. She could still feel every sensation as if it had really happened – Juliana's soft lips against her, her warm hands on her body, those delicate fingers disappearing beneath her waistband…

She tried to shake off the memories for now; she couldn't exactly explain that it wasn't a nightmare she'd been having but instead the greatest dream she'd ever experienced in her life. But…it was a more convenient excuse than she probably could've thought up in her current state.

"Uh…y-yeah, it was a bit of an…intense dream, I guess," she mumbled, averting her eyes. It was almost impossible to meet Juliana's gaze right now.

"Aw, you poor thing. Need a hug?" Juliana offered with a bright smile.

It was all Carmine could do to keep from sputtering and hiding beneath the covers.

"N-no, I'm…I'm okay. T-thanks, though, really…"

"Any time."

Carmine took a long, slow breath in an attempt to calm herself down before taking in her surroundings more deliberately. The muted morning light was spilling into the room from behind the curtains Juliana had drawn across the window the night before. It seemed she had slept through the night after all, which meant her tossing and turning likely hadn't been what had awakened Juliana.

'Good, at least I don't have to feel guilty for that, too.'

But that did raise a few questions.

"How long have you been awake for?" she asked, rolling onto her side to face towards the younger girl. She felt calm enough now that she could at least meet her gaze without dissolving into a blushing, stammering mess.

"Hmm…probably twenty or thirty minutes."

"How come you're still just hanging out in bed then? I figured you'd be up and at 'em the second your eyes opened the way you always were at Blueberry."

Carmine laughed as she remembered the way Juliana used to vault out of bed and start making lists of all the things they needed to do together with the short time they had before she returned to Paldea. It was a warm, fuzzy memory that filled her heart with joy.

So it was with no small measure of surprise that she witnessed a gaze that looked deeply hollow eclipse Juliana's eyes. She replaced it with a smile in an instant. She'd done it so fast that Carmine wasn't even sure if she'd really seen the expression at all. Maybe she'd just imagined it in her overwhelmed state…

'Still…is she okay? Maybe she actually did have a bad dream or something…?'

Before she could question it aloud, Juliana met her gaze, her eyes significantly brighter now, and gave her a wink and a thumbs up, her hand peeking out from beneath the covers.

"I just wanted to watch you sleep."

That was plenty to derail Camine's musings after the dream she'd just had.

"W-what? Why!?"

Juliana broke down into a fit of giggles that took her several moments to recover from, all while Carmine tried to calm her fierce blush.

"I forgot how easy it is to tease you," Juliana managed at last, quelling her laughter. "I'm just kidding, don't worry. It's just cold out there; I don't wanna get up yet."

"You know what? I get it. I do that in the winter, too," Carmine conceded.

"It's nice, isn't it? Especially this bed and especially with this fluffy blanket; I could probably just lay here all day if I didn't have anything to do."

"Honestly, that sounds like a great way to relax to me. I'll make us some hot chocolate and we can really get warm."

"You're enabling me!? I should've invited you to stay over a long time ago!"

Carmine grinned at her, the butterflies and tension still left over from her dream finally starting to disappear entirely as she settled into the familiar banter that filled her heart with joy. It was a totally different kind of satisfaction, but it was hard to deny that it was wonderful in its own way.

"Hey, what can I say? You're just too hard to resist, Juliana. Besides, it's not like I wouldn't get anything out of it myself," she added with a wink.

"Good point. Let's just do it then!"

"Huh?"

"Let's really just have a totally relaxing day in bed! It'll be an all-day pajama party with food and movies and games and girl talk!"

In truth, the idea of being alone in bed with Juliana for an entire day sounded like heaven. It wasn't quite what she'd always dreamed spending a day in bed with her might be like…though it certainly wasn't a bad thing either. But…

"That sounds great, but you mean, like…today?"

"Why not?"

"I dunno…I just figured there might be something going on you have to take care of."

"Nah, I called Penny yesterday while you were inside; I'm on vacation for the end of the year, just like we talked about! I've got nothing going on for the next two weeks!"

"You didn't have to do that for me…" she murmured, actually feeling a bit guilty now.

Juliana just smiled at her.

"I wanted to spend time with you. And now we even have the perfect excuse to stay right here all day!"

Laughter replaced that feeling of guilt in Carmine's heart in just seconds. It was something Juliana had always been able to do for her. Now, instead of feeling bad about it, she felt like laughing and teasing the girl just like she normally did.

"Wow, you're really into this whole 'spending the day in bed' thing, aren't you?"

"Are you not?"

"No, I am! I'm just surprised by how little it took to get your heart set on it."

"You always did tell me I'm spontaneous!"

"…I guess past me was right on the money, huh?"

The girls broke out in laughter and Carmine was suddenly stricken by an urge to reach out and hold Juliana's hand. It had felt so natural in her dream, their fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly together. Would she ever really want to hold hands like that? Would it make her happy or would it upset her? Was it something that would ever be possible in reality?

Should she find out…?

As she was toiling over whether or not to inch her hand forward beneath the covers, the loud ringing of a Rotom Phone sounded from the nightstand behind her. It was Juliana's judging by the ringtone and the brunette sighed heavily before rolling her eyes and forcing herself to move.

With Juliana on the inside of the bed, she had to reach over Carmine to get to her phone, something that might normally be a bit inconvenient. The younger girl, however, made the most of it, sighing again as she dragged herself forward before flopping across Carmine with all the grace of a freshly fed Snorlax passing out for another long wave of sleep.

This didn't stop Carmine's heart from nearly leaping out of her chest at the sudden and casual contact. It was very different than the intimate dream she'd seen – there was a stark contrast between desperate kisses and lazy body slams – but it still overwhelmed her to feel Juliana's body so close to hers like this.

Juliana, meanwhile, groaned in annoyance as she plucked her phone off the nightstand. She fiddled with the screen, grumbling as she did.

"I told her I'm on vacation starting today…"

Carmine, curious what was going on, watched as Juliana answered her phone, choosing to only connect with audio just as she'd done the day before.

"Penny? What's up?"

"Sorry to wake you," a breathless voice sounded from the other side.

"I was up anyway," she reassured her friend. "But I'm supposed to be off right now…"

"I know and I'm sorry," Penny responded as the sound of a door loudly closing behind her echoed across the line. "We've got a situation here. I'm so sorry to interrupt your time off, but I'm gonna need you, Juliana."

The brunette's disappointed face shifted, curiosity present in her gaze now.

"What's going on, Penny? You sound serious."

"My system recorded a strange energy spike late last night in Area Zero."

"What?"

Juliana's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. She was fully awake and alert now, her prior lethargy vanishing into the air around her as she rose onto her elbow and seized her phone tightly.

'Area Zero? Isn't that the place in the Great Crater that Ms. Briar took us to? The place we met Terapagos way back then?'

"I know how it sounds, but there's nothing wrong with my equipment…I have a video of it, too," Penny assured her, though she didn't sound happy about it. "Something happened down there last night. I don't know what, exactly; it's possible it was as simple as an abundance of Terastal energy being released from the crystals around the Zero Lab by some wild Pokémon. But after what happened seven years ago, I don't want to take any chances, you know?"

Juliana nodded, her face grim and set.

"Of course not. I don't either. My vacation's on hold for now; what do you need, Penny?"

"Nemona's coming to my office in an hour so we can talk about this and come up with a response. Will you come too?"

"Absolutely. I'll be there."

"Thank you. I'm so sorry to interrupt your time with Carmine; I know you said you were really looking forward to it…"

Carmine perked up a bit. She was? Had she said that to Penny when she'd called yesterday too?

Juliana's cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pink before she shook it off and focused on the task at hand.

"It's not your fault at all, Penny. Hey, speaking of Carmine, can I bring her too?"

"Sure, I don't mind. I doubt Nemona will care either."

'Are you sure…? Sounds like some high-level League security stuff…I probably shouldn't be involved in something like that, right…?'

"Thanks, Penny. We'll be there in an hour then, promise."

"Thank you, Juliana. Sorry to interrupt your time off, again. I'm gonna try to make heads or tails of some of this data in the meantime, so I'll see you then."

"See you soon."

With that, Penny ended the call and Juliana tightened her grip on her phone. Carmine could tell she was tense and worried about whatever was going on. She wasn't fully sure why but she knew she could at least offer an ear to listen.

"Hey, you okay, Juliana?"

She seemed to snap back to reality at the sound of Carmine's voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I was a little lost in thought there."

"That's okay. Area Zero is that place we met Terapagos, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. The Zero Lab is where we went onto the elevator that took us to the Underdepths where he was."

"And you're worried something may have happened at that Zero Lab?"

"Maybe…after what happened seven years ago, I don't like to take chances with that place. I'm sorry it's interrupting on our time together though…"

"Hey, don't even worry about it! It's not like it's your fault," she offered, trying to give Juliana some encouragement to hold onto. "Besides, you're the strongest trainer I know; it's no surprise your friend Penny needs you for this. And if it's really okay for me to tag along to this meeting, then we're not losing any time together anyway!"

Juliana gave her a small smile at last, the grip she had on her phone relaxing as she shook off some of the tension that had overcome her.

"Look at you, putting a positive spin on things. Thanks, Carmine; I needed that."

"Any time. We should probably get moving, huh?"

"Probably," Juliana sighed.

Carmine took a long, slow breath before clapping her hands together, tossing the blanket off the both of them, and jumping to her feet. Juliana wore an expression that seemed to intersect at the exact midpoint of impressed and disappointed. The taller girl extended her hand and grinned with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Alright, let's get going! We have plenty of time to get ready and grab a bite to eat! No important Area Zero business without breakfast first!"

'I was going to cook you breakfast but I don't have enough time for that now…maybe tomorrow instead.'

Finally, that familiar smile laced with warmth reappeared in full force on Juliana's face and her foggy eyes seemed to clear entirely. She reached out and took Carmine's hand, allowing herself to be hoisted from the bed and onto her feet.

"Thanks, Carmine. You're the best."

She didn't let go of Carmine's hand right away…something that the taller girl tried to downplay in her mind by continuing their playful banter like normal.

"Takes the best to know the best."

Juliana grinned up at her.

"I'm gonna remember you said that."

"Write it down on a flashcard and you can cash it in later like a raffle ticket."

"Deal."

The two girls laughed and let their hands fall at their sides again, Carmine a little disappointed to feel the warmth beneath her fingers vanish in that moment. It was okay, though; they'd still be together even if they weren't holding hands.

As the two began to get ready, the calmness of the morning somewhat restored, Carmine took a moment to try to piece everything together. Juliana seemed particularly invested in and worried about Area Zero and whatever was going on down there. But she also seemed pretty disappointed that their time together was being interrupted because of it. And she had told Penny she was really looking forward to spending that time with Carmine…

'I guess I really do have a lot to think about…but no matter what, I just have to make sure Juliana's still able to smile and be happy while I'm here. That's what's most important to me. So wherever that takes us is fine by me.'

The two trainers arrived at Penny's office right on time following a satisfying breakfast and a series of chats that were obviously meant to preserve a sense of calmness and normalcy as much as possible. It had only worked so well.

Juliana would normally have knocked or at least poked her head in and announced herself like she had two days before, but she was so on edge about whatever was going on in Area Zero that she simply yanked the door open and headed inside, a rather surprised Carmine following closely behind her.

Nemona was already there, standing behind Penny's chair as the head of security pointed out something on her screen and spoke in a hushed tone. They both glanced over their shoulders as Juliana approached, Nemona offering a small smile – it wasn't nearly as relaxed as usual. It echoed what she felt inside almost exactly.

"Buenas, Jules. Sorry to ask you here when you're supposed to be off."

"It's okay, Nemo. It's not your fault at all."

Nemona turned her attention to Carmine behind them and grinned, extending her hand.

"And Carmine! It's good to see you; it's been so long!"

The Kitakami girl shook her hand and smiled in turn.

"You too, Nemona. It really has been a while, huh? Congratulations on becoming Top Champion!"

"Thanks! It has its perks! The downside is when something like this happens, I'm the one responsible for it," she murmured, letting her hand fall back to her side while an unusually pensive look eclipsed her face. "I'm lucky to have Penny during times like these."

"Well on that note," Penny herself interrupted, "why don't I show you all what I've found?"

"Yeah, good idea," Nemona agreed.

The girls all crowded around the desk, eyeing the center monitor as Penny began to pull something up. Juliana bit her lip, a sense of unease settling over her. Area Zero was a source of a lot of trouble for Paldea…but it was also home to a lot of innocent Pokémon who might end up caught in a mess they didn't ask for.

Carmine settled next to Juliana, leaning in close as she tried to see the screen as well. Their height difference was still great enough that she could see right over Juliana's head, which helped her line of sight more than anything else.

Still, it felt nice to have Carmine so close right now; her presence was comforting in the face of the unknown. Not that it wasn't nice to have Penny and Nemona there too…perhaps it was just because she hadn't seen Carmine in so long. Or maybe it was even just the fact that Carmine was physically closer to her right now.

'You know, now that I think about it…Carmine doesn't actually know what happened down there seven years ago. She and Kieran were there when we discovered Terapagos, but Geeta never told anyone else about Professor Turo and his time machine. She told us all to keep it a secret too…'

"So take a look at this," Penny began, her sharp voice breaking through Juliana's thoughts. She gestured to the monitor and everyone watched with bated breath.

A camera feed appeared, clearly not live judging by the presence of the moon and stars above. They watched in silence for fifteen seconds and just as Juliana was wondering what would happen, an enormous beam of sparkling light shot out of the Great Crater and high into the sky. Dread pooled in the very core of her being as she saw it, reaching out and instinctively grabbing Carmine's hand.

She felt the older girl tense up for just a moment before squeezing her hand, trying to comfort her. Funnily enough, it really did help. The idea that the energy was emitting from the Zero Lab again, that the long-defunct time machine had been brought back to life, was the first thought that occurred to Juliana. And the idea rightly terrified her now that she was older and could understand the implications of it better than when she was fifteen.

After about ten seconds, the column of light vanished again. It didn't reappear. Penny, meanwhile, began pulling up charts and graphs on several different monitors. Juliana didn't want to ask what they'd just witnessed; maybe it wouldn't be real that way. But the head of security pressed onwards, undeterred by the stunned silence that filled the room.

"As you just saw, at about 2:00am this morning, there was a massive energy spike that came from Area Zero." She pointed to a graph that clearly displayed an enormous peak at the time she had indicated before gesturing to several more still images of the column of sparkling energy they'd just seen.

Nemona leaned in a bit closer and frowned.

"What exactly is this measuring? What kind of energy did we just see spike?"

"Terastal energy," Penny explained. "You can almost see it by the crystalized artifacts in the column of light itself, but I also set up sensors around the region a while back to scan for general use of Terastal energy, just in case. I pick up blips here and there every day as trainers and Gym Leaders and even members of the Pokémon League use it, but they barely register on this graph. See? This is from your battle yesterday, Nemona."

Indeed, there was a tiny bump at the bottom of the graph, but it barely amounted to a few pixels on the screen. Juliana bit her lip and gazed at the enormous peak again.

"So this phenomenon…is a lot more than just a sudden light show," she murmured.

"Probably," Penny confirmed with a nod of her head. "Now that doesn't necessarily mean it's dangerous. We've all seen the Zero Lab; there's an insane concentration of Terastal energy in those crystals down there. It's why Turo set his lab up there in the first place. It's entirely possible a few wild Pokémon tapped into that energy and it caused a reaction that released all of it that had built up around the lab over the years. That could easily produce a response like we just saw."

An uneasy silence filled the air before Carmine spoke for the first time since they'd started.

"But if you were convinced it was just that, you wouldn't have the two strongest trainers in the region here in your office, right?"

Penny glanced back at Carmine and gave her a resigned smile.

"Yep, you got it. It's nice to see you again, by the way. Sorry I didn't say anything earlier; my head's all over the place today."

Carmine just shook her head and grinned.

"Nah, I get it. Keep doing your thing."

"In that case…I have a theory."

Juliana felt her left hand ball into a fist but when she tried to close her right, she was surprised to find that Carmine was still holding it. She had completely forgotten she'd reached out like that. It was almost a little embarrassing. She thought about taking her hand back, apologizing to Carmine for being so clingy out of nowhere, but Carmine hadn't reacted negatively. In fact, she seemed perfectly happy to keep holding Juliana's hand, something that was both a little surprising and very welcome.

Especially in the face of whatever was happening with Area Zero.

Penny began speaking again, her voice low. Though she projected as much calmness as she could muster, but there was no way to soften the words she said next.

"I think…that light could also signify a reaction that occurred inside the Zero Lab."

Juliana felt her heart plummet. She had been afraid of that possibility ever since her phone call with Penny an hour ago. She squeezed Carmine's hand tighter.

"How?" she began, trying to keep her mind in check. "I mean…Turo's gone, right? He didn't just come back and activate the machine again; that's impossible. Could a wild Pokémon have accidentally turned something on?"

Penny frowned and zoomed in on the graph on her monitor. The enormous peak left the screen from the top, but instead there was now a steady line traveling across the bottom, zero movement at all.

"If a Pokémon had turned that machine back on, I'd expect to see a steady wave of energy after the fact. That peak could've been the gateway opening, but a wild Pokémon wouldn't know how to turn it back off. In fact, it'd probably get startled and run away. And if the gate remained open, you'd expect to see constant energy emission to sustain it as a result. But look – the energy completely disappears after that."

Nemona's eyes widened.

"So something…or someone…turned it off again?"

"Bingo."

"But who…?"

"Couldn't tell you," Penny muttered, switching to a different monitor and pulling up a different set of graphs and data. "These are my Area Zero logs. Once every few weeks, I send drones to the upper level and our team of flyers down to the lower levels to scope things out. They've never found anything interesting…aside from what we already knew was there, of course. That hasn't changed, even as recently as last month's expedition…"

Juliana felt a chill pass down her body as a possibility occurred to her. Her hand squeezed around Carmine's again, this time earning a comforting one in turn. It only did so much to ease her nerves though.

"So if someone really is using the Zero Lab and its machinery…they know we're watching Area Zero. And they're being very careful to avoid your surveillance."

"Could be…"

"Hang on, though," Nemona interjected, stepping back and drawing everyone's gaze. "You said yourself that it could've just been wild Pokémon accidentally tapping into the Terastal energy around the Zero Lab, right? If that's the case, then the energy spike would disappear after their battle ended, too. So it could still be either one. We don't really know."

"You're not wrong, Nemona," Penny agreed. "The problem is…we don't really know. It could just be that some Pokémon got into a fight down near the Zero Lab; I hope that's all it was. But I think we should be prepared for the possibility that someone managed to enter the structure and reactivate the time machine last night-"

"The what!?"

Juliana turned as she felt Carmine's hand leave hers. When her eyes fell on her friend, she saw her mouth wide open, a look of abject shock on her face as her hands covered her mouth.

"Oh, that's right," Nemona suddenly exclaimed. "Nobody ever knew about that but us and the Pokémon League!"

'Nemo…'

"You…you can't be serious, right? That's just a…a code or something, isn't it? 'Time machine' means it's something so old it might as well have been buried since ancient times? Or it's so advanced i-i-it could be from the future?" Carmine sputtered, her wide eyes darting around between everyone's faces as she looked for signs of a joke or exaggeration.

She found none.

Juliana reached out and took her hand again, hoping to ground her a bit this time. It worked, it seemed, as Carmine's startled gaze trained on her, waiting for some kind of explanation. Before she spoke though, she glanced at Nemona.

"Hey, Nemo? You're the Top Champion now – can I tell our League secrets to Carmine? She's already been to Area Zero, anyway. Even into the Zero Lab itself."

Nemona grinned at her.

"Esta bien! She's been one elevator stop away from the truth then. Plus, she's seen the energy spike from last night. May as well let her in on all of it at this point!"

Juliana sighed inwardly at Nemona's casual approach to such delicate information…but she also couldn't' help smiling. It was nice to have her blessing to tell Carmine such a heavily guarded secret.

She turned her attention back to her long-time friend and took a long, slow breath.

"Brace yourself, Carmine; I've got quite a story for you."

Carmine was absolutely reeling from the tale she'd just heard.

"So…so let me get this straight," she began, her mind still trying to catch up to reality. "Seven…seven years ago…you went down to the Zero Lab with your friends. And on your way down, you met a bunch of Pokémon from the future. And then you found an A.I. robot copy of the dead Professor Turo and found out the original had built a time machine…and you beat this A.I. in a battle to override the security protocol…and then he went into the time machine and sent himself into the future to shut it down? I got all that…?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Juliana conceded with a sheepish grin. "Sorry to drop all that on you at once."

"Well, you should be!" she cried out, her fists balling up in front of her. "What kind of story is that!? It sounds like something out of a kid's book!"

Penny glanced over her shoulder with a small smile.

"I'll definitely give you that it sounds insane and impossible. But the three of us and Arven were all there; I promise it really happened that way."

Juliana drew Carmine's attention again.

"Don't you remember when we went down to the Area Zero Underdepths with Briar and Kieran? Briar mentioned that Geeta had told her about a defunct machine in the structure but that she wasn't allowed to touch it or even see it. She was talking about the time machine."

"You know…now that you mention it, I do kinda remember something like that being said."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Carmine."

She felt herself relax at long last…as much as she could in light of the new information she'd learned, at any rate.

"I know, Juliana. Don't worry, I'm not upset. Just…that's a lot to take in at once!"

"I know; it really is."

"Well," Penny spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention, "now that Carmine's been clued in, I want to share the plan I've come up with. I don't love it but it's the best I can think of right now."

"Let's hear it," Nemona encouraged as they all waited expectantly for Penny to speak again.

Carmine felt the tension much more clearly now that she fully understood just what the energy spike the night before might mean. The air felt significantly heavier with this newfound knowledge.

"I want to send a scouting pair down to the Zero Lab to confirm just what it is we're dealing with here."

Nemona was the first to respond, a bright twinkle in her eye and completely unaware of the weight that had settled on everyone else but her.

"That sounds like a great idea! Jules and I will go! Whatever's down there, we can handle it easy!"

Penny spun in her chair and pointed at Nemona, a surprisingly aggressive action for the so-far reserved girl.

"No, you and 'Jules' will not go. You, Nemona, have potentially four official Champion matches today; everyone's trying to get their League challenges wrapped up before the end of the year like always. And our biggest goal right now, aside from confirming what's happening in Area Zero, is keeping the public from panicking, don't you think?

"How would people react if they happened to see that explosion of bright light burst from the Great Crater last night and now this morning the Top Champion is suddenly too busy to honor her challenges? Someone people know is obsessed with battles, by the way. They'll all flip out!

"We livestream and televise these things now, you know! The whole region would find out at once that there was something so pressing going that Top Champion Nemona suddenly vanished! You're the face of the Paldea League now; you've got to make sure you take that into consideration in times like these."

Nemona sighed and hung her head. It wasn't the reaction Carmine had expected.

"So…I have to just stay here and do my job while Jules goes down into Area Zero and has all the fun for herself…?"

'Fun? She's…still a weird girl…'

Penny spun around in her chair and met Juliana's gaze.

"As much as I hate to say it, that is why I asked you to come today. I want you to take point and lead a partner into Area Zero to confirm what happened last night at the Zero Lab. I know I'm asking a lot here but you're probably the strongest trainer in Paldea right now. Will you do it?"

Juliana hesitated for just a moment, seeming to steel herself silently, before nodding with confidence.

"Of course I will. I don't want Paldea to be endangered by this. And if it turns out to be nothing, then at least we know for sure."

"Thank you, Juliana. I took a look at the personnel we have to work with still and…it's not much. A lot of the security division is already off for the end of year holidays and most of them left to go back to their hometowns and spend time with family. So I'm afraid our selection pool isn't that deep. I guess since I asked you to go, I should let you pick who you want to bring with you, huh?"

Nemona brightened up across the room.

"Are you sure I can't go with her? We'll be back before mid-afternoon if the two of us go together!"

Penny rounded on her again, her gaze exasperated.

"You. Challengers. Livestream. Panic. How much more clearly do I have to say it?"

Nemona hung her head again and sighed, genuine sadness on her face.

'But if Nemona can't go down there with Juliana…that means she's going with a total stranger? How can I trust someone I don't know at all to keep her safe…?'

"I'll go with her."

Carmine wasn't even aware she'd spoken until her ears took in the sound of her own voice. It was such a natural and automatic response she hadn't even questioned it. The person she was in love with was going into a potentially dangerous situation; there was no way she was going to leave her safety to someone she couldn't trust…even if Juliana was the strongest trainer in Paldea.

The brunette in question smiled up at her but Penny looked horrified.

"N-no way! I couldn't ask you to put yourself in danger like that for the Paldea Pokémon League! We're here because it's our job to protect this place; you don't even work for us part-time or anything! You're here on vacation! I can't let you put yourself in danger for us!"

"You're not asking me to do anything; I'm offering," Carmine insisted.

Penny still seemed unconvinced but Juliana spoke at last, her now-unwavering voice calming the nervous energy in the room.

"Penny, don't worry. Carmine's a strong trainer; every bit as strong as any of us. And honestly, I'd feel so much better having her with me than somebody I don't know very well. I trust Carmine completely to have my back."

Carmine couldn't stop the blush that appeared on her cheeks. It felt wonderful to hear that Juliana had such trust in her, especially after the way she'd pulled away the last few years. To be given that gift of unconditional trust was so wholly flattering and sweet that she never would have been able to resist the feeling.

"Well, I'm sold," Nemona agreed with a grin before turning her attention to Carmine. "Normally I'd insist on a quick battle just to make sure I can entrust my sweet, delicate Jules to you…but I probably don't have time for that right now, huh? And even if I did, we should get this Area Zero thing figured out as quickly as we can."

Carmine was a bit surprised by the nagging pang of jealousy that enveloped her at Nemona's words. She kept her face calm and set, but inside she was seething and grinding her teeth, her fists clenched in that familiar way.

'What do you mean your sweet, delicate Jules!? She's not yours! If anything, she's mine; I'm the one who shared a bed with her last night!'

Penny, thankfully, interrupted the conversation before Carmine had to respond, the no-nonsense air she'd possessed since the meeting had started serving as quite the relief now.

"Alright, alright, if everyone insists, I'm fine with it too. Juliana and Carmine will go down into Area Zero together and investigate the Zero Lab. I'll act as your real-time support like always, but this time every other mission is on hold. You'll have my full, undivided attention and focus."

Juliana gave Penny a bright smile.

"That's comforting! Don't you think, Carmine?"

"Yeah! I have no idea how half the stuff on that desk even works but I'm glad someone so smart is guiding us."

Penny blushed and hid her face, turning back towards her monitors and beginning to type a little too aggressively.

"N-no, that's…that's not true. B-but anyway! We should get started!"

"Agreed," Juliana offered, trying to take the focus off the head of security.

"Here, take this," Penny offered, reaching into a desk drawer and pulling out a square case. A shimmering, blue CD rested inside that Carmine immediately recognized.

"Is that the Indigo Disc?"

"Sure is," Penny confirmed. "The League took it back after your trip to the Area Zero Underdepths with Briar. I figured it might be good to send it with the two of you just in case you need to get inside the Zero Lab; it overrides anything else in the system that might try to keep you out, after all."

"Great idea, Penny," Juliana sang. "Why don't you hang onto the Disc, Carmine?

"Me?"

"Yeah! We're a team after all!"

Carmine fought the urge to blush again as she accepted the case from Penny, tucking it carefully in her bag.

"Also, it's probably a good idea to pick up Miraidon from Arven," Penny continued, turning her attention back to Juliana. "You shouldn't try to fly directly into the Great Crater after the energy spike; there's a chance the wild Pokémon are riled up and aggressively defending their home right now. But even still, you might need its power if you run into something dangerous."

Juliana nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

"That's a good idea, too. And don't worry! Between Carmine, Miraidon, and all our Pokémon, we'll have plenty of firepower if we need it!"

"Then let's get to it."

The rest of the morning was a blur to Carmine. Juliana left for Arven's lab to pick up Miraidon, asking if Carmine would collect their partners. She headed out to the Pastures and organized her own team quickly, choosing Sinistcha, Ninetales, Toucannon, Excadrill, Scrafty, and Mighyena for her party. She decided to leave Morpeko and Leavanny behind this time – both were plenty strong, but if they were descending into a place where shockingly powerful Pokémon from the future infested each and every dark corner, Morpeko's size and Leavanny's gentle disposition might cause them to be overwhelmed more easily than the others.

For Juliana's team, she'd asked for Meowscarada, Ogerpon, Garchomp, Tinkaton, Araquanid, and Iron Valiant, a Pokémon Carmine now understood to be from the future. The creature had always stricken her as rather strange and alien, but she understood next to nothing about the ecology of Area Zero and figured it was something similar to Rotom in the way that it could inhabit a seemingly mechanical body. Now that she knew it had come from a portal to the future, she was filled with countless questions.

Those were questions for another time though; they had a mission to accomplish first.

Carmine reunited with Juliana in front of the League Building where Nemona saw them off. The two climbed atop Miraidon who blasted off into the air and began heading towards the mountainside entrance to Area Zero on the northwest side of the Crater. Carmine normally wasn't a fan of flying on any creature that wasn't her Toucannon, but she'd known Miraidon long enough to trust it. It also gave her a wonderful excuse to hug Juliana around the waist and hold on just a little tighter than perhaps she needed to…

When they arrived, Juliana recalled Miraidon and greeted the guard by the gate, who opened it for them and wished them a safe trip. And finally, they stood before the large metal compound that overlooked Area Zero. Carmine had only ever been here once before and it still inspired a sense of wonder and awe in her, as if the very world stood still outside of the Great Crater of Paldea.

"Even just this place is…incredible. It never gets any less impressive, does it?" Carmine mused as she took in the sights alongside Juliana.

"It really doesn't. I've seen the Great Crater and Area Zero a lot over the years and I'm still just amazed that something like it even exists."

"Is it really as dangerous as Penny seems to think?"

"Don't you worry; I'll keep you safe," Juliana teased, nudging Carmine with her shoulder.

Carmine grinned down at her.

"You'd better! The Top Champion didn't even argue when Penny called you the strongest trainer in the region; you have a title to defend down there!"

Juliana rubbed the back of her neck and gave a sheepish laugh.

"I don't know if that's true, honestly. Nemo's an amazing trainer and she always has been.

There's a reason Geeta asked her to be her successor."

"Oh, come on; this is me you're talking to. You're just being humble, right?"

Juliana hesitated for a long moment before grinning up at Carmine.

"…well, I did beat Nemo in an official Champion match…kinda just for fun."

"You did what!? When was this!? No wonder she didn't argue with Penny before!"
"Well what else was I supposed to do!? She's been my greatest rival since I was fifteen! Battling her on the biggest stage in Paldea seemed like the perfect setting to face off!"

Carmine was surprised to find that hearing Juliana refer to Nemona as her greatest rival didn't really bother her. She had never really wanted to be Juliana's rival so much as her friend, anyway. And these days, she wanted to be something else entirely…

She put that thought aside for now.

"Hey, I don't blame you! I'd probably have done the same thing if I were you."

Just then, a ringing from Juliana's Rotom Phone interrupted their conversation and she quickly answered it. It was Penny, unsurprisingly, ready to provide backup for their mission into the Crater.

"Looks like you two are in position," Penny began. "I'm tracking you here with my radar system. I can't see exactly what you see, but I have eyes on you all the same. How does it look?"

Juliana studied the area before turning her gaze skyward, Carmine following suit. There was quite a bit of distance between the ground they currently stood on and the top of the cliffs surrounding them, but they could still make out the swirling silhouettes of many flying Pokémon circling in the sky high above.

Juliana frowned and spoke in a serious tone.

"Seems like we were right – there are tons of flying Pokémon defending the entrance to the Great Crater. They must've been agitated by the energy spike last night and feel threatened."

"Weird that they're not attacking each other if they're so worked up," Carmine mused.

"That is a bit strange," Penny agreed. "But the Pokémon in Area Zero have always had this strange camaraderie it feels like. The times I've been able to observe them, they almost seem like a sort of found family, watching out for each other and all doing their part to defend their home from anyone who means them harm. So just be careful while you move around in Area Zero today, both of you. While the Pokémon down there may not consider you a threat normally, they could be hostile today."

"We'll be careful," Juliana promised her. "We're gonna head into the observation building and route power to the teleporter system. Hopefully we won't even have to worry about the wild Pokémon that way. As long as the bottommost receiver is still intact, we can warp almost straight to the Zero Lab."

"Good idea," Penny agreed. "In the meantime, I'll see if I can get a drone or two close to the Great Crater's mouth and see what's going on with the Pokémon up there."

"Let us know if you learn anything. I'll contact you when we get to the Zero Lab. We'll be in touch soon."

With that, the call ended and Juliana turned towards Carmine, her gaze nervous.

"Hey, all joking aside – even with the danger that could be waiting for us, you still really want to come with me? You don't have to."

Carmine's heart fluttered at the obvious concern Juliana had for her, but she covered it up with a confident grin, even shooting a wink her direction for good measure.

"Like I'm scared of any robo-Pokémon from the future! Besides, I'm not letting you go down there by yourself; you're not the only one who feels better about you going to Area Zero with me than with some stranger."

"Ooh, how reliable! My hero!" Juliana sang, batting her eyelashes up at Carmine. "Really, though…thank you, Carmine. I'm really happy you're here with me."

She wasn't sure if she was able to fully conceal her blush this time.

'Besides, if anything happened to you, I couldn't live with myself. If I'm right next to you, at least I can keep you safe.'

Juliana took a few steps forward and paused. A moment later, she took a long, slow breath before clapping her hands together, the sound reverberating off the sheer rock faces around them.

"Alright then! Shall we?"

Carmine pushed her secret feelings to the side for now and focused her mind in on the task at hand. There would be plenty of time for discussions of romance and wrestling with her emotions later. For now, she needed to fully commit to supporting Juliana in her mission to Area Zero. There was no chance she was going to let something bad happen to the girl she loved.

"Let's do it, partner. I'm right behind you!"

11/22/2024