Author's Note: WHEW! This is a long chapter! I am so taking a break now! Haha…

Sorry to have kept you waiting, I came down with a sinus infection, plus is acting buggy and wouldn't let me upload. I had to get a little creative to get this chapter up. Grr…

Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Juliana looked out her window to the setting sun, knowing that within an hour, she'd be making a grand entrance in Nemona's mansion. Or at least, that's what she's hoping for. Her mother trotted up the steps of her loft with a small basket of hair tools in one hand and a stool in the other, "All right Juliana! Let's get you all dolled up!"

Juliana sat down in the chair that she would normally keep at her desk, "Okay, I'm ready mom."

Setting the stool behind her daughter and placing the basket next to her, her mother quickly got to work. First, she took a brush and a bottle of conditioner and began brushing her daughter's shoulder length hair.

"So, what did you have in mind mom?" Juliana asked.

"You'll see." Adeline replied, "Trust me, when I worked at the Celadon Gym, the other girls would always ask me to fix their hair for them. And believe me I always did a good job."

Juliana was intrigued, "Whoa, really? I didn't know that!"

"Then of course, I had a daughter." Adeline added playfully, "So, it's important to know these things."

Juliana giggled lightly at that, "Working at the gym must have been fun."

"Oh, yeah. Those were some good days." Adeline reminisced. She put the brush down and began making side braids.

"I bet they were sad to see you leave." Juliana noted.

Adeline took a bobby pin to fasten one side, "Oh yes, they were. But they were happy for me. Oh, you should have seen how they were when your father came back because he wanted to see me." She grinned.

That made Juliana laugh, "That must have been fun!"

"Oh, they knew right from the start that there was a connection." Adeline recalled, "I'm so thankful to have met him." She finished braiding the other side and fastened it with pins, "You know, we've had our Christmases together, and many wonderful gifts were exchanged. But the best gift he had given me, was you."

Juliana felt embarrassed, "Mom…"

Adeline created a bun at the center of the braids. She then picked up a mirror from the basket and handed it to her daughter, "There you are, what do you think."

Juliana's expression lit up; half her hair was held up in a loose bun that had a few strands left loose to frame her face. The rest of it cascaded down to her shoulders, those locks curled slightly. Her bangs were parted down the center and curled away from her face. Adeline took a moment to admire her handiwork, "It suits you very well, don't you think?"

"Yes, yes it does!" An excited Juliana exclaimed, "Thank you so much mom!"

"You're welcome, dear." Her eyes lit up, an idea had crossed her mind, "Wait! Hold on a minute."

She ran from the loft, Juliana listened to her feet running down the steps. A minute later, she heard her running back up. She had a can of hairspray in her hand, "Close your eyes dear."

Juliana did as instructed and held her breath as her mother lightly spritzed some hairspray. Once she was done, her mother placed a simple pearl headband right above her bangs for that perfect finishing touch.

When Juliana saw herself in the mirror, she was in awe. She twirled this way and that, "Is this really me?"

Adeline smiled, "It sure is, darling."

Juliana giggled, "I'm so excited for this party now."

A knock at the door caught their attention. Adeline teased, "Ooh, I bet that's Arven! Let me go get that."

Juliana's heart beat a little faster, "O-Okay!"

While her mother was occupied, she slipped on the simple black pumps that Esperanza had gotten for her. Luckily, the heels were only two inches high, so she was able to move quite easily in them. The best part was they didn't hurt her feet.

"Juliana! Arven's here! You can come down now!" Her mother called from below. Juliana called back, "Okay mom!" Her hands began to shake.

Juliana took the longest, deepest breath that she had ever taken in her life before she was ready to go down and face Arven. Approaching the steps, she took the rail for safety and slowly descended. Her heart stopped when he came into view. He was dressed in a grayish-blue two-piece suit with a white undershirt, black dress shoes, and a navy tie. His long hair was tied back in a low ponytail. She couldn't help but blush at how handsome he looked.

Arven nearly fell backwards, "J-Juliana?" He reacted, clearly stunned by her glamorized appearance, "I…wow… You're so…"

An embarrassed Juliana reached the bottom of the steps, "Hi Arven…" She greeted him shyly. He approached her and lightly took her hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss it, "You look so beautiful…"

She met his gaze with her own dazzling eyes, "Thank you… and you look very handsome." She whispered.

It was now Arven's turn to blush, "Heheh… I guess I am capable of cleaning up nicely…"

Adeline watched them quietly with a proud smile before walking away.

"So, are we ready?" Juliana asked.

Arven replied, "If you are."

Juliana nodded the affirmative, and they joined hands. Walking out the door after saying bye to Adeline. The streets of Cabo Poco were silent, except for the sound of the breeze gently shaking the palm trees. Juliana's teeth started to chatter from the cold, which Arven noticed and held her a bit closer.

"T-Thank you, Arvie." She looked up at him.

Arven smiled, "You're welcome."

Juliana paused before asking, "So, how's the Alcremie I gave you?"

Arven chuckled, "Oh, she's doing great! She loves hanging out with Mabostiff and is always teasing him. Thanks for giving me such a great Pokemon!"

Juliana laughed, "Oh, that's so funny! I'm glad to hear that!"

"How about the Skwovet I gave you?"

"She's going great!" Juliana affirmed, "She gets along so well with my mom's Skwovet that we're both worried that one day we'll wake up and find multiple! Tee hee!"

"Oh geez, what have I done?" Arven put a hand to his face.

"It's okay!" Juliana assured, "You know, the Tinkatink I had given to Kieran. You wanna know how I ended up with her? My little firecracker came up to me one day during a picnic holding that egg. Sure enough, that Tinkatink hatched out."

Arven laughed out loud, "Ahahaha! No way! Really!? That's wild!"

Juliana was laughing too, "Now, I have no idea who she…. Made that egg with… She wouldn't tell me. But yeah, that's what happened!"

"That's pretty hilarious." Arven replied, "And hey, that's how I ended up with that Skwovet I gave you! My Greedent just rolled up one day holding an egg!"

"Oh my goodness!"

It was then when they reached the front door to Nemona's mansion, a housekeeper opened it, "Good evening you two. Please come in, Nemona is waiting."

"Thank you." Juliana thanked her. Arven was apprehensive, but he held onto his beloved as they entered. The interior was tastefully decorated with garland and warm white lights. Candles were placed in decorative trays on the small coffee tables next to armchairs and couches. But the most eye-catching piece was the grand Christmas tree in the center, adorned with ribbons, delicate glass ornaments, and the same warm lights. A golden star glimmered on top.

Juliana was completely hypnotized by the tree, and even more so at how tall it was, "Oh my goodness…"

Arven also had his eyes glued to the tree, "That is the tallest Christmas tree I had ever seen."

A housekeeper noticed their intrigue and explained, "That tree is thirty feet tall. It took much effort to set up and decorate."

Arven threw his arms up, "Thirty feet!? Sheesh, the tallest tree I've ever had was only seven feet. That's crazy!"

Juliana giggled, "It's really beautiful…"

Nemona was speaking with her sister when she spotted them and rushed over, "Juliana! Arven! You're both here!" She was wearing a strapless, embellished gold ball gown with a fluttered hemline. Her usual tomboy ponytail was replaced with a modern beehive look.

Juliana complimented, "Nemona, you look so beautiful!"

"Thanks Juliana! My sis helped me out with my dress and hair. I would have never been able to do this myself! Haha!"

Arven couldn't resist a chuckle, "Ha! You have no idea how strange it is seeing you look so refined."

"Aw, come on Arven!" Nemona replied, "It's not that strange, right?"

Arven shrugged, "I suppose not, since you're from a rich family. It's Penny that would look odd for sure!"

Juliana looked to the door and saw Penny being let in, "Speaking of… she just got here."

Nemona waved, "Penny! Over here!"

Penny approached, "Hey guys, how's it going?"

Juliana smiled, "You look great Penny!"

Penny was bashful, "I feel so weird, but at least I'm able to walk in these shoes." She pointed at the silver flats she was wearing.

"They match your dress!" Nemona noted, "I see my sister did some work on you! Hahaha!"

"Yeah, she sure did…" Penny muttered.

Arven was snorting behind his hand, Penny shot him a glare, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. Just seeing you, little miss anime, in a dress is hilarious is all."

Juliana nudged him, "Don't say that, Arven!"

Penny retorted with a smirk, "It's all right Juliana, he's just projecting. He knows he's outta place here too." Comically whispering, knowing full well Arven could hear her.

Arven flinched, "H-Hey!"

Juliana giggled at the two quietly bickering before glancing over at Esperanza, speaking among a small group of adults. She had on a light blue satin one shoulder high-low gown.

"She looks so glamorous!" Juliana admired.

Nemona chuckled, "That's my big sis for ya! I hope you liked shopping with her."

"Oh, it was so much fun!" Juliana replied.

"That's great to hear! She and I have gotten closer recently."

Juliana's eyes lit up, "You have? That's wonderful, Nemona!"

"Thanks to all the great things happening, I'm able to speak with her more!" Nemona enthused, "You played a part in that Juliana, so thank you so much!"

"Oh Nemona…I'm glad to have helped!" Juliana responded before asking, "So, where are your parents?"

"They couldn't make it." Nemona answered, "They're so busy all the time. But it's okay! I'm happy my sis was able too!"

Juliana felt a bit disappointed, "Oh, I see. Well, yeah. Happy to meet your sister at least!"

Suddenly, they were interrupted, "Hey, hey! Rika here, at your service!"

"Rika! You made it!" Nemona exclaimed, clapping her hands. The ground-type specialist was dressed in a dark green velvet blazer with matching high-rise pants. Underneath she had on an ivory turtleneck and black chelsea boots on her feet. She still kept her signature long ponytail.

"But of course!" Rika remarked, "I wasn't gonna miss this!" She turned to notice Juliana staring, "Hey there, kiddo. I know I look prettier than usual, but no need to get intimidated or anything." She teased, a clear callback to what she said the first time they met.

Juliana became flustered, "Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to…"

"Nahaha!" Rika laughed, "I'm just joking around, you're so fun to mess with!"

"Uh… I knew that!" Juliana smiled impishly, "The only time I really have to be intimidated by you is if I'm trying to sneak into Area Zero again."
Nemona covered her mouth, hiding a laugh.

"Oho! Someone's got jokes!" Rika replied, "But hey, remember what I said before. Ol' Rika isn't gonna tolerate any more Area Zero shenanigans, got it?"

"Yes Rika." Juliana replied. Nemona was nodding in agreement next to her.

"Wow, it sure feels good to be back home again, doesn't it?" Rika noted, "The Blueberry was sure a lot of fun. I met trainers from all sorts of regions and made a lot of connections. The boss was especially appreciative. She really has high hopes for you, kiddo."

Juliana smiled, "I won't let her down!"

Rika chuckled, "That's the spirit. Of course, I know you won't."

"Say, where's everyone else from the Elite Four?" Nemona inquired.

Rika looked around, "Huh, they're around here somewhere…"

Poppy came rushing over wearing a long-sleeved, red velvet dress with white fuzzy trimming on the hem and sleeves, resembling Santa's outfit. Her stockings were red and green striped and she wore black Mary Janes on her feet. She had a red ribbon in her hair, "Miss Juliana! Miss Nemona!"

Juliana gasped and squealed, "Aaah! Poppy, you look so cute!"

"Thanks!" Poppy grinned, "I found this dress at the store! But come look! Mr. Larry is dancing!"

Juliana blinked a few times, "What…? Larry? You mean, that Larry?"
Rika had a look on her face like she couldn't believe it. Nemona bust out laughing.

She took Juliana's hand, "Come see! I'm not lying!"

Juliana was dragged to meet with Hassel, he was dressed in an olive green suit. He smiled, "Hey there Juliana! Great to see you!"

Poppy spoke, "I came to show Juliana that Larry is dancing!"

Hassel let out a laugh, "Ah yes, he's over there."

Sure enough, Larry was next to the speaker busting a move to Jingle Bell Rock. Waving his arms and tapping his feet. What made it funny was that he had on his normal nonchalant expression.

"Oh my goodness…" Juliana whispered.

Rika joined them, and after a moment of shocked silence she cheered, "Woo! Go Larry!"

Nemona caught up and whispered to Juliana, "See? What did I tell you? He's enjoying himself!"

"I believe you now!" Juliana whispered back.

Much to everyone's enjoyment, Poppy jumped in and began dancing next to him. He noticed her, but didn't mind at all. Juilana glanced over to the side and saw Geeta watching from a distance, a playful smile on her face. Juilana went over to greet her, "Hi Miss Geeta."

"Why hello, Champion Juliana. It's wonderful to see you here. You look quite lovely."

"Thank you, Miss Geeta! You do too!"

Geeta was dressed in a sparkling black dress with a dark blue blazer and matching blue heels on her feet.

"Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yes, everything's been fun so far." Juliana answered, "I didn't fully believe Nemona when she said Larry was a secret party animal, but now I do!"

Geeta giggled, "It's quite a surprise, isn't it? It just goes to show we all have our hidden depths."

"Yeah." Juliana replied, "You're right about that. Hehe…"

She turned to see Nemona and Rika having a conversation. A few minutes later, Nemona excused herself and rushed over to her older sister. Juliana saw Rika watch for a minute before obtaining a sad look on her face. It reminded Juliana of the face she was making on the plane ride before Poppy shook her awake, something she had completely forgotten about until now.

Juliana looked back at Geeta, who had a peculiar expression. It made her realize that Geeta probably knew what was going through Rika's mind. The two watched as the latter strolled across the room and out the door.

Geeta muttered under her breath, "Oh my…"

Juliana was worried, "Miss Geeta, what's going on with Rika?"

Geeta closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Juliana while keeping her composed smile, "May I speak with you in private, Champion Juliana?"

Juliana felt her stomach flip, was she in trouble? She uneasily followed Geeta to the other side of the room where there wasn't anyone in earshot. Once Geeta affirmed no one was listening, she asked, "Juliana, what was it that made you want to re-enter Area Zero to save that photographer?"

Juliana was made even more nervous by that question, "Well I… Perrin is my friend, and I didn't want her to get hurt or… worse. Especially since I know how dangerous Area Zero is…"

Geeta nodded, "I see, well that's understandable. I know how much you care about your friends."

"That's right!" Juliana affirmed, "You see, ever since my… dad died… I've been extra afraid of losing the people I care about. It's something that has always stuck with me. Because of that, I always want to take action if someone close to me is in trouble. Even if it means putting my own life on the line…" She averted her eyes as a single tear fell.

"Oh my…" Geeta responded quietly, "I never knew that."

Juliana could feel the emotions coming, she fanned her face, trying to offset them, "I know I shouldn't be so reckless. My mom would be absolutely torn apart if something terrible happened to me."

Geeta noted, "She wouldn't be the only one…"

"Yeah, I know. Arven, Nemona, Penny…" Juliana listed, "They would be too…"

Geeta answered with one word, "Rika."

Juliana was confused at this, "Hm?"

Geeta regained a refined smile, "Juliana, you may not have heard this from Rika. But she had a younger sister."

Juliana's eyes widened with interest, "Really? She does?"

Geeta nodded, "Mm-hmm. And she was a lot like you. Her name was Liliana, very similar to yours."

It was then when Juliana realized Geeta was speaking in past tense, "What happened to her?" She asked in a reserved tone.

Geeta paused before revealing, "She passed away in a rather tragic accident five years ago. They were in the Johto region in the middle of winter when she fell through an icy lake."

"Oh… oh no…" Juliana whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

"Rika tried to save her. Putting herself at risk to do so. Help arrived and got her out, but she was already gone. To this day, it still bothers her."

Another tear fell from Juliana's eye, "That's terrible… I didn't know that something like that happened.

"You two are similar in that way. You're both willing to risk your lives to save the ones you love."

Juliana nodded, "Yeah, looks like it."

Geeta chuckled, "I've said this before, Rika cares about you a lot. But it's not just because you remind her of her little sister. It's because of who you are as a person. You're empathetic and pure hearted, almost to a fault. You're also a real go-getter; you never give up no matter what you're up against."

Juliana reddened, "I… thanks Miss Geeta…"

"People like you are sadly going extinct it seems. It would be a shame if you were to leave too soon, or if you lost yourself and became bitter. It would be best that you take care so that doesn't happen. Then, one day, you'll be an amazing leader." She grinned.

Juliana was deep in thought, for the first time she truly thought about what a terrible thing she must have put Rika through when she ran off into Area Zero. At the time she didn't because of how overwhelming the whole situation was. She felt a small twinge of guilt, it was true that she didn't know. But that didn't make her feel any better.

Geeta, her smile just a bit warmer, spoke softly, "Believe me, I know more than anyone else that Rika can get a little too harsh sometimes. But her heart is in the right place. She, like yourself, is afraid of losing her loved ones."

"I understand. I'll be more careful from now on, Miss Geeta." Juliana assured, "Or at the least, I'll do my best!"

Geeta smiled, "Wonderful…"

After everything she heard, Juliana felt strange. But it wasn't in a bad way, rather, she felt refreshed. She never imagined having such a deep conversation with the Chairwoman. But thanks to that, she understood Rika a lot more. She was much more than her Elite Four title. She had depth, experiences, and unfortunately, some scars too. But they were a part of who she was. As far as she was concerned, that didn't detract from the caring, down-to-earth woman that she knew.

Suddenly, she felt an immense urge to speak to her.

Juliana declared, "Miss Geeta, I'm gonna go find Rika!"

An understanding Geeta smiled, "Go right ahead."

Juliana hurried as fast as she could manage in the dress and heels to the front door. By the time she reached the door, she was out of breath, but she didn't let that stop her. She opened the door to find Rika a fair distance away, looking up at the dark sky.

"Rika!" She called to her.

Rika jumped, whirling around to face her, "Whoa! Hey, what's up kiddo? You scared me there!"
She was abruptly cut off by Juliana rushing to her and hugging her tightly. Rika gasped lightly, but quickly returned the embrace, "Heheh… what's going on with ya, kiddo? You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Juliana answered quickly, "I just… I've learned a lot of things. I'm so sorry for worrying you Rika! I didn't think about it before, and that was wrong of me…"

Rika blinked, puzzled as to what brought this on, but then chuckled, "Haha… I'm not sure where this came from, but… thank you, Juliana."

Juliana felt a small bolt of adrenaline; Rika had used her name instead of kiddo. She fought back the urge to grin. The Elite Four member put a hand on her shoulder, "You better keep that up, got it? Especially since you'll be the next chairwoman of the Pokemon League."

Juliana took a nervous breath, "I'll do my best!"

Rika smiled, "Atta girl."

Not able to contain herself anymore, she grabbed Juliana and gave her a hug so tight that Juliana thought her ribs would crack, "Don't ever put yourself in danger and scare me like that again, got it?"

"I… can't breathe!" Juliana choked out, "I won't Rika, I swear! I'm sorry!"

"You better not!" Rika insisted, fighting back a tear, "I'll beat you if you do!"

"I won't, I won't!" Juliana pleaded, "Now please, I'm gonna pass out!"

Satisfied, Rika let her go. Juliana inhaled much needed air. Rika put a hand on her neck, "Sorry about that kiddo. Think I got just a little carried away there!"

Juliana put a hand over her heart, "Whew! Ahaha! It's okay!"

Arven, Nemona, and Penny all came out the door to find them.

"Juliana! Rika!" Nemona called, "We were looking for you!"

Penny explained, "Miss Geeta asked us to go check on you two."

Rika snapped herself out of it, "Ah, sorry about that! Me and Juliana here were just getting some fresh air is all. Then we just got to chatting! My bad!"

Arven looked at his beloved, "You okay, cutie?"

"Yeah Arven, I'm okay!" Juliana replied.

Suddenly feeling playful, Rika got in front of Arven and put both hands on his shoulders, "Oy Arven! You better be good to Juliana, got it?"

Arven was caught off-guard, "What the? Of course I am! What made you say that all of a sudden?"

Rika smirked, "Because, I'm looking forward to you two's wedding of course! Hey, I better get a front row seat!"

An embarrassed Arven threw his arms up, "Wha!? WEDDING!? What are you-!?"

Juliana blushed, "R-Rika! Please stop!"

Nemona and Penny were laughing behind them. Rika grinned, "Nahaha! Kidding, kidding!"

The group bantered a bit more before the cold was starting to get to them. Back inside, Arven and Juliana strolled close to the Christmas tree hand-in-hand. She looked at him, "Rika's such a jokester, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she sure is." Arven replied, "Although…"

"Hm? What?"

Arven blushed slightly, "Ah, nothing! I'm just happy to be back home!"

Juliana smiled, "Me too, Arvie. Even though I miss everyone."

"We'll see them again one day." Arven assured, "Perhaps during spring break, we can take a trip!"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Juliana agreed.

They spent the rest of the party slow dancing, Juliana looked into the eyes of her beloved, looking back at her with pure love. She thought about what Rika said.

"Arven, I know Rika was joking around when she said that. But… I truly hope I can stand by your side forever! Whatever happens in the future I want you there with me! Arven, I love love looooove you!"

From a distance, Rika watched the two with a glass of sparkling water in hand. From the look on Juliana's face, she could read exactly what she was thinking. It made her heart swell with joy.

"You're thinking it too, aren't you kiddo?" She whispered, "I'm so proud of ya." Perhaps, she was ready to stop blaming herself and look toward the future.

After all, there was much to look forward to.