Today was an exciting day at Blueberry Academy's League Club. At the start of every semester, the BB League held a special potluck, open to all club members. Everyone who attended was encouraged to bring something special that could be added to either the snack platter or meal platter, and then everyone would gather for an evening of activities, food, and shared experiences.
This semester's potluck was particularly special. With the BB League finally resuming seasonal activities under a stable leadership again, they decided to use it as a celebration for the start of the new BB League circuit.
On top of that, Juliana's friends from Paldea were all invited as special guests since it was their last day at Blueberry before they were due to head home. Juliana thought it would be a great idea to include them, and was surprised to receive no pushback from it: Lacey and the rest of the League were eager for a better chance to meet the rest of her friends too!
Arven, Nemona, and Penny were very humbled to be invited to such a fun event, and eagerly brought their own items to the mix.
Nemona brought enough frozen Clauncher to prepare a marinated shrimp bowl for everyone. Arven made a whole platter of sandwich sliders of all sorts of varying types, including several specially marked vegan sandwiches. Penny found a pre-made dozen chocolate cupcake set at a store in Castelia City's airport and hoped that sufficed.
The three Uva students were all together setting up their additions to the party at the table, when they all felt a pair of arms slinging around them.
"Hey guys!" and the cheerful voice they all knew.
"Hi, Juliana!"
"Hey, Jules! How's it going?"
"Hi," Penny said meekly.
"Great lectures today, huh?" Juliana said, smiling cheerfully at all of them.
"Oh yeah, totally!" Arven nodded. "It was great to see some of our teachers from Uva show up!"
"Not to mention the Gym Leaders!" Nemona gushed. "Who knew Larry would be such a stimulating man to listen to?"
Penny looked aside as her face went red. "I just… think it's really cool that Iono came to Blueberry Academy just to—just to give a special class. Y-you were the one who asked her, right?"
"Yup! Wasn't even hard," Juliana recalled. "I told her how fun this place was and that I was here with all my friends—I even mentioned you guys by name, and she wanted to be here 'quick as a flash'!"
"That makes me so happy…" Penny mumbled, "I still can't believe she actually remembered me from the convention… It'd sure be nice to think Iono flew all the way out here just because I'm a loyal fan."
"You guys all brought something, huh?" Juliana jumped up happily. "I'm so excited you get to take part in this potluck!"
"I'm really glad your Blueberry pals let us be a part of it, Jules!"
"Of course they did, cause they're awesome!" said Nemona.
"It's… always nice to be included in things," Penny said softly.
"Yeah, my new friends are all really swell!" Juliana beamed. "Err- not that, you guys aren't still my friends too, of course! You're all great, really! I—Oh gosh." She held onto the ends of her restored Carmine-styled hair, having made herself feel flushed in an instant.
"It's okay Juliana, I got what you meant!" Nemona laughed. "You're still a real fun ball of emotions, huh?"
"Life at Blueberry must be treating you well!" Arven grinned.
"Ha-ha! Yeah, it's been extremely great being here again!"
"Having a cool girlfriend now must be even more of a cool bonus for you," Penny chuckled.
"Ohh, uhh— yeah! It, it sure is!" she chuckled back.
Penny raised an eyebrow. Why are you all shy and blushing about it…?
"Oh! Arven! I meant to tell you umm, that class you gave yesterday about your parents was really cool! It really felt like all the research you've done about them has paid off, and in a way, it's like everyone who came to your lecture got to know Professors Turo and Sada a little bit too!"
"Yeah, ha-ha! Thanks, Jules. I totally feel the same way."
Nemona smiled proudly at her boyfriend as she spoke up. "Last night actually, after Arvie gave that class he was telling me about how… how that was the first time he spent so long talking about his parents like that without feeling even a little sad."
"Awww. Is that really true, Arven?"
Arven thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It's funny, ever since that… thing that happened at the Crystal Pool, I feel a lot closer to my mom and dad now than—I ever did while either of them were alive." He looked at all his friends with an insecure expression. "That's not… weird, is it?"
Penny shook her head. "Not at all. I think that's great that you let go of all the issues you had with your dad and now it's like you can see him as the same great professor that everyone else does." She frowned a little. "If anything, it makes me kind of jealous. My parents are both still alive and yet I wish I had a great relationship with them…"
"But isn't that more of a you problem, Penny?" Arven crossed his arms.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked crossly.
"Every time you've described your parents, they've always sounded super nice and caring!" Nemona insisted. "And yet your biggest problem is how much they care about you?"
"Yeah, but—but… my dad's super annoying and my mom, well… it's really complicated."
"Whatever issues you've got with them, they're still your parents," Arven sighed. "And… like you've said, your folks are both still alive. So you've still got the opportunity to sort those issues out with them. I was lucky to be able to do that with my mom and dad in ANY fashion…"
Penny's head slumped down. "…You're right. I guess that's fair. Sorry for bringing the mood down."
"You didn't bring it down at all, Pen-Pen!" said Nemona.
"Yeah," Juliana agreed. "It's great that you guys are talking about stuff like this! Once you've gotten all that nasty stuff you bottled up inside off your chest, you feel so much… freer!"
Juliana emphasized that last point by not just saying it a sing-songy manner, but also twirling in a circle! Much to her friends' surprise.
"Man, no kidding!" Arven laughed. "Did you and Carmine like… finally unshackle all the burdens you were carrying when you hung out yesterday or something?"
"Ohh, uhh, yeah!" Juliana replied, stuttering a little. "Yup, totally unshackled! That's– how I would describe us now!" she smiled while giving two thumbs up.
There it is again, Penny noticed, her eyebrows furrowing. Why are you acting all weird…?
"Ummm, Juliana?" Nemona meanwhile, had her hand over her mouth and a sudden look of concern. "Are you okay? Did– did a Pokémon attack you or something?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I thought I saw something just now while you were spinning around …" Nemona walked behind her and began to pull down the collar of her jacket. "Yeah! On the back of your neck, are those… bite marks!?"
"UMMM!" Juliana's eyes suddenly flared up really wide and she hastily grabbed the back of her jacket and covered her neck up. "NO! That's– that's not– Trust me, nothing bad happened!"
"Are you sure?" Arven didn't get a good look at her neck, but now he was alarmed too. "Juliana, if you got hurt or something, you don't have to hide that from us, you know that right?"
"I know!" Juliana covered the back of her neck with both her hands now and her eyes darted around extremely frantically. "Trust me, n-nothing's wrong! I didn't get hurt, I just– I… I GOTTA GO! I think someone's calling me!"
Much to their even further shock, Juliana turned tail and sprinted away.
"Juliana!?" Nemona exclaimed.
"Wow, that's… very un-Jules like behavior," Arven said worryingly. "I hope she's not like… in deep trouble or something."
"Hmmm?" Nemona looked over at Penny and noticed her face looked unusually pale. "Pen-Pen? You doing alright? Are you worried about her too?"
"Uhhhh…" Penny's voice cracked as she watched the direction Juliana left. "I don't… think Juliana's in any sort of trouble."
"What do you mean?"
Penny turned around to them, her expression still stunned. "Those were bite marks on her neck alright. But they didn't look like they came from a Pokémon…"
The couple peered at her, confused.
"They looked like… h-human teeth."
"W-what!?" Arven's face shook.
"You're saying… a human bit our precious Juliana? Penny, that doesn't make any sense. When would something like that have even happened? I mean, I thought she was with Carmine all day yesterday. And they even slept in the same room toge–" Then Nemona stopped in her tracks. After a few seconds of thinking about it, her eyes widened in realization and she gasped. "ANDA! Ohhhh, qué sorpresa!"
"What?" asked Arven. "I don't get it."
Nemona leaned over and whispered in his ear. As she did, Arven's face grew wider and wider.
"O-ohhhhh. Is that… really a thing some girls do?" She nodded, and Arven crossed his arms. "Huh. Well I… guess that explains why she felt so embarrassed about it and didn't want us to see!"
"You two sure are accepting about something that freakish," Penny grumbled.
"I mean… hey! However Juliana and her animal of a girlfriend make each other happy, you know, that's— certainly no business of mine!" said Arven.
"Yeah, and besides, It'd sure be hypocritical of us to judge how Juliana gets frisky, considering well…" Nemona fluttered her eyelashes lovingly at her boyfriend. "We got pretty wild on our first night too, didn't we?"
"Heh-heh, oh man…" Arven blushed.
"Ahh! Eww, eww!" Penny recoiled. "Definitely TMI! I do not need to know how my friends are– d-doing it at all!"
"Wait a minute though… Penny." Nemona pointed an accusing finger at the short girl. "How did…" And suppressed a giggle. "How did you learn what human teeth marks on the skin look like anyhow?"
Penny's face instantly turned white as her skin stood on edge and…. some old memories began to resurface.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Quit it, Marn! That feels so weird, but it also tickles… Ha-ha! You've got worse teeth than an Obstagoon!"
"...Penny?"
"I– I GOTTA GO TOO!" Penny sharply blurted out and took off like an Espathra, leaving Arven and Nemona both surprised and confused.
Eventually, it became time for the potluck to begin and Juliana's friends all gathered in the clubroom. Her Paldean group, her friends in the BB Elite Four, and the Kitakamite siblings too.
This get-together turned into an exciting melting pot as all of Juliana's worlds finally met each other, and some very interesting conversations were struck up, such as Arven being approached by the BB Elite Four Amarys.
"I never knew that Juliana was friends with the offspring of a renowned Professor, nor such an exemplary woman in the scientific field! It would've seemed logical for her to want to boast such a tremendous connection in her friend group!"
"Gosh, you sure are kind, Amarys," Arven said, bashfully rubbing his head. "I used to have some uhh, issues with my folks, especially my dad, which is probably why Juliana didn't go spreading that around. But that's all in the past now. I'm proud of where I came from."
Arven had his tamed Slither Wing out in the clubroom to meet everyone, and it growled happily next to him.
"That's good," she nodded. "I've actually been just reading the book Briar published on Professor Sada's research."
"No way?" his eyes lit up. "That's great! I'm glad my mom's work is already reaching so many people now!"
"Indeed. Umm…" Amarys turned away a bit shyly. "I know this probably sounds like a silly request, but… if you wouldn't mind it, I would love to exchange numbers with you."
"Hmmm… I'd be down for that, but only so long as you're looking for a friend and not just a brain to poke."
"O-of course! It's not merely out of my admiration for your parents that I ask this, but I'm also looking to expand my inner circle to friends who are clever and of an academic background like I am, and your lectures have inspired me so."
"Wow, you—you really think I'm clever, huh?" Arven blushed, feeling a little humbled at this girl's compliments. "I gotta say, that makes me feel pretty good! Sure, Amarys, I'd love to have more conversations with you!"
"Thank you…" she said meekly. "I'd love to hear more about your remarkable specimen as well."
"Ulllgaaaaamoth."
Crispin had run over and buried his face in the giant bug Pokémon's white fuzz. "Man, you weren't kidding, Arven! Not only is this giant bug big and friendly, but it gives such cozy hugs too!"
Slither Wing, standing upright, gave a noise that sounded it like it was cooing, and Arven proudly pat it on one of its big arms.
"I really do like to think of this big buy as being like a final gift from my mom. She was certainly a lot more considerate that dad leaving me with that brute!" he laughed. "And what about you, uhh, Crispin right? I remember hearing you say you were hoping to get my number too."
"Oh! Uhh, yeah!" Crispin eagerly broke off from Slither Win. "Cause I totally feel the same way as Amarys—umm, that I want more clever friends too!"
Amarys blinked at him a few times.
"Crispin… you want to become friends with Arven so that you can learn the sandwich recipes he was showing off, don't you?"
"Ehh!?" Crispin balked. "That's—that's not true!" He held out his trusty frying pan in front of him as he got defensive. "It's like you said, I'd love to have a bunch of… academically, umm, whatever conversations too! Honest!" Then he said a little quietly, "…But y'know, if—Arven and I got close enough that he happened to share some of his awesome sounding sandwich recipes with me…"
Arven laughed. "You guys are such a fun bunch! Neither of you have to worry, I'm in the market for more friends too and there's always plenty of Arven to go around!"
He gave both of them a huge thumbs up, making Crispin and Amarys smile and laugh at each other a little, their whole argument already feeling silly.
"Oh, hey Amarys!" said Crispin. "Can I have some of those supplements that let Pokémon fly?"
Amarys looked at him blankly. "…Why do you want them?"
"Cause I wanna fly!?"
"Ulga?" Slither Wing tilted its head.
Arven laughed. "You're a real jokester, Crispin! I'd love to be friends with you!"
"I'm concerned he is not joking," Amarys whispered to him.
"Wait, so…" Juliana, her eyes wide, pointed between the two girls in front of her. "You two—already know each other!?"
Lacey and Nemona both giggled, and Nemona said, "Well you never mentioned that one of your cool new Blueberry friends was Lacey herself! Honestly, part of the reason why I agreed to your request to come here was because I was hoping to run into her again!"
"And if you had ever told me that you were friends with none other than the legendary Nemona, I definitely would've told you we met once before!" Lacey agreed.
"Well, I don't know about legendary…"
"Though I guess at some point, I should've connected the dots with you two attending the same school in Paldea and both being Champions there. It really has been far too long though, Nemona! I don't think we've met since that party, have we?"
"Party…?" Juliana asked curiously.
"I was my daddy's plus one for this huge inter-regional business party a few years back," Lacey explained.
"Ditto for Father asking me to tag along! It was like, all the biggest business and tech people between our regions and, even folks from Galar and Kalos or something like that, right?"
That's right, Juliana remembered. Penny mentioned something while we were in Area Zero about Nemona's dad being on the board of the Rotom Phone company. …Huh. What does Lacey's dad do?
"I can't believe you remembered me just from that one time we met!" Nemona gushed. "That's awesome!"
"Oh no, it's no more impressive than you remembering my name in return! And besides, how could I forget you?" Lacey chuckled a bit. "You created such a stir, challenging my daddy to a battle right there in your fancy party dress!"
Juliana snorted loudly. "That sounds like Nemona alright."
Nemona's face turned a little red. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. Once I heard he was a Gym Leader, I just couldn't help myself…"
Now Juliana made a soft gasp. She started running through all the Unovan Gym Leaders she knew off the top of her head, trying to figure out which one would be at a business party.
"But Daddy was so pleased with you! Do you know what he said?" Then Lacey quoted, in a very thick Southern accent, "Nothin' wrong with a young missy who knows what she wants!" And giggled.
Nemona laughed too. "I'm glad! Clay's very kind!"
The gasp that came from Juliana this time was much sharper.
"CLAY! The big cowboy guy!" she pointed. "That's who your dad is, Lacey!?"
"Hey, whoa! Not so loud!" Lacey frantically shushed her. "I try to pick and choose who gets to know that and I don't want you yelling it out to everyone. It's just not right!" she said, crossing her arms.
"Awww, we're among friends though," Nemona assured her. "Nobody here would ever blab out your secret."
"Sorry. It was just bugging me for a while ever since Director Cyrano mentioned you were a Gym Leader's kid." Juliana grinned meekly. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess you have a little bit of the same accent he does though."
"She used to have an even bigger Southern drawl!" Nemona laughed. "It's a lot more subtle now."
"Is it really?" Lacey gasped. "I don't want daddy to start grilling me for sounding posh. Maybe I need to practice putting my throat back into country mode. How's this?" She cleared her throat, and the voice that emerged afterwards was certainly different. "So how are ya girls doin' today? Mighty fine day for some sunshine, ain't it? I'm really lookin' forward t'a some sunbathin' later!"
"Uhhh…"
Juliana started laughing. "You just sound like Kieran now!"
"Oh! R-really?" Lacey's face quickly flushed red, and she started pulling the lapels of her cardigan over her face. "That's umm, not what I was going for. I guess all I can say to that is… wowzers, right?"
"Hey!" said Nemona. "Why are you acting all shy now, Lacey?"
"Sooooooo, Juliana told me that her little friend was interested in meeting the Drayster!"
"Umm, yeah, that's right," said Penny.
"It's my good looks, right? Or maybe my awesome battle potential?" Drayton brushed back his quiff and tried to look dapper. "Frankly, I'm not surprised that people from all over this world want to fly all the way to Unova just to meet me."
Penny made a face. Juliana had warned her that Drayton had a rather… big personality, but he was already well exceeding her expectations.
"Well, actually, the reason I wanted to meet you was to thank you."
"Thank me, huh? What for?"
"For creating the BB League."
"Creating the BB League?" Drayton scoffed. "I don't know what you heard girl, but nothing about the BB League was my idea."
"O-oh. Really?" Now Penny felt embarrassed. "I'm… sorry. I guess I just thought, because you've been President of this club for as long as I've known about it…"
"Hey, it's no sweat off my back. I'm more than happy to take all the credit if you're giving it to me!" he grinned. "I don't want to brag, but I am kind of the big tentpole that really holds this club together, you know."
"…Right." Penny skeptically lowered her eyebrow. "Well anyway… I owe a lot to you BB League guys because, when I first heard about this Blueberry school having its own Elite Four that kept everything organized and helped students find an outlet for their competitiveness, that was—actually what inspired me to try to start my own team at Uva Academy, to combat bullying and try to bring people together."
"That so? Well, I'm super glad to know that I was that much of an inspiration to you!" Drayton crossed his arms and beamed proudly.
Well, it wasn't just you who inspired me, especially if you really aren't the one who started this club…
"Phoebe or something, was it? I think Juliana told me a bit about you. Your little team kind of fell apart because the rest of the students and teachers were all terrified of you guys, right? I mean, that sounds like a dream to me!"
"Yeah, but everyone saw us as the bad guys so it completely backfired…" Penny lamented. "Maybe I just wasn't a good enough leader like you were. We just didn't have the structure to really establish ourselves like you did."
"Well don't knock yourself too badly, little tennis ball queen. After all, isn't your dad also a former Champion?"
Penny reared back. "Huh!? How do you even know about that!?"
"You kidding? I used to be a huge fan of Peony's! Now there was a cool cucumber of a Champion. His super tough Duraludon was one of the things that made me want to train up one of my own."
Then Drayton started chuckling.
"You and the Lace-meister are all so weird, not wanting to wear the awesome people you came from on your chest! Not to mention Professor Handsome over there!"
"Yeah, well… ever since my Uncle Rose engaged in secret experiments to awaken a super-ancient Pokémon and bring about a huge apocalypse that almost destroyed the whole Galar region, my dad hasn't exactly wanted to be in the spotlight much anymore."
"Oh! Uhh… right." Drayton rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess I kinda forgot about that whole thing."
"That, and my dad's also super annoying."
"Well I'm glad that's the only reason you don't talk much about him and not because he hates you for swinging both ways or anything like that."
Well THAT came out of nowhere. Penny tilted her head. "Is that… why you're estranged from your parents? And your grandfather Drayden?"
"GRK!?" Drayton's swagger instantly vanished, and his hairs all stood up on end. "Wha—NO! What are you talking about?" he laughed nervously. "Who even said anything about me having family issues?"
"Carmine did."
"Little snitch," he snarled. "Guess that's the last time I ever try to hype her up when she's down."
"So that is why? Your family never accepted you for who you are inside and that's why Juliana says you never put any effort into anything?"
Drayton turned away from her and laughed sarcastically.
"Those two sure are real blabbermouths, huh. When did this turn into a therapy session? Can you go back to thinking I made the BB League and praising me for it? I liked that a lot better."
Penny was silent for a moment, wondering if she should say anything further.
"…I get it, y'know."
"Hmm?" Drayton cocked his head back.
"That fear of disappointing your family, and how it makes you not want to succeed in anything. If you already think you're worthless to them, then why bother trying, right?"
Drayton dared not to show any emotions, but Penny could see him biting his lip.
"But… that's no reason to let your grades slip and throw away your chances at success. You shouldn't let your family's opinions of you rule your whole life. Otherwise—isn't that kind of like letting them win?"
"…"
"Besides… there's always something to strive for. Like being an inspiration to people… like me. And if you tried a lot harder at your education, maybe you could do something really amazing and be, like—a hero to a whole new generation! And really, once that happens… who cares what your family thinks, right?"
Drayton held his chin up, but kept from turning around… lest Penny see that he was shedding a tear or two.
"Geez. Who made you such a wiseman, shortie?"
"That's a good question," Penny chuckled. "I've never talked this much before, my throat actually kind of hurts."
But she looked in the direction of Juliana, who was chatting eagerly with Arven and Crispin, and smiled.
"I guess my friend inspired me too."
Drayton chuckled too. "Well… I gotta compliment you, it was a nice attempt. Really tugged at the heartstrings. But if I ever decide to start attending my classes more, it won't be because of you and your little pep talk. And it certainly won't be because of your pal Juliana's manipulative tactics. It'll just be for me! … And whenever I decide I've had enough of this school's food."
Penny laughed softly. From what little she's talked to Drayton, she figured this was probably the closest she was ever going to get to a sincere word of gratitude from the white-haired "upperclassman", and took pride in that.
Noni's tips on communicating really are coming in handy…
Then she noticed Drayton had turned around again, but he was staring past Penny now, a strange grin coming upon his face.
"What are you smiling like that for?"
"Oh, nothing. Just admiring your tall… rugged friend," he said, throwing his arms behind his back. "I heard Arven say there's plenty of him to go around, right?" He murmured in a way that kind of shook Penny's nerves. "Who's to say I don't want to learn some of his secret recipes?"
Penny tried to keep herself from wincing. "I hate to tell you this but… Arven's straighter than a plank."
"Yeah?" He continued to gaze unaffected. "So's spaghetti until you get it wet…"
Now Penny definitely felt her face twist up at Drayton's lecherous tone.
"He's also dating Nemona."
This finally seemed to rattle the smuglord a bit. "N-Nemona, you say?"
Nemona, who was talking with Lacey and Amarys, perked her head up upon faintly hearing her name, and glanced in Drayton's direction for a second with her eyes that sparkled like an alpha.
Drayton stepped back a bit, his face clearly unnerved. "Right. There goes that ship off the dock, I guess. Suppose I'll have to find someone without that huge a wall around them. Someone soft and easy…"
Much to Penny's disconcertion, his eyes drifted downward to her again.
"Say… now I remember. It's Penny, right? I don't suppose you—"
"I—I have a girlfriend too, like I already told you!" Penny nervously backed away from him, her eyes darting around the room. She looked Juliana's way and it almost looked like she was giving Drayton a stink-eye from across the room. Then Penny saw her walk over to Carmine…
"I get that, but with all your little Eevee friends, clearly you're not a newbie to sharing the love!" Drayton continued to prattle obliviously. "Maybe if I tell you the benefits of polyamory, we can—"
But then a soft, shrill voice suddenly whispered behind Drayton's neck that made his hairs all stand on end.
"Leave Juliana's friends alone or I'll show you MY recipe for a knuckle sandwich down your throat, freakazoid."
Drayton turned around, doing his best to hide his voice trembling. "Oh y-yeah, princess? Well how are you going t—"
But he was confused to see Carmine not behind him at all. In fact… she was already back in front of the punch table, talking blissfully with Kieran. …Apart from the middle finger she was flashing from her backside.
Drayton gulped.
"I'm not the one going insane this time, am I…?"
"PENNY!"
Both he and Penny were startled even further by his pink-wearing BB League colleague running up to her excitedly.
"All the other kids in the League Club told me that you have an entire team of Eevees! Is that really true!?"
"Uhh—yeah," Penny answered her with a bit of sweat running down your face. "W-why do you ask?"
"That's so ADORABLE!" Lacey gushed. She drew out her Poké Ball with a gleeful smile. "Forgive my eagerness! But I love seeing people's cute Pokémon, and I just HAVE to battle someone with a team full of Eeveelutions! Especially since Juliana told me how strong of a Trainer you are!"
"Well, gee umm, that's very nice of you to say Lacey. But do we really have to—"
"Did someone say a BATTLE!?" came Nemona's voice from the other end of the room. Her head cocked like a Noctowl as her wide, excited eyes cast on the group like lasers.
Drayton definitely felt sweat coming down his face now. "You know… maybe facing up to my Grandpa doesn't sound so scary after all."
Carmine watched with a cup of punch in her hands and a shaking head. "Man, don't want to be those dillweeds, huh Kiki?"
Kieran giggled. "Now Drayton's getting the full Nemona experience!"
Once all the students had gotten a few hours to break the ice with each other, they transitioned into their next planned activity: a trading party!
Lacey led the group into one of the student lounges where there were a bunch of trading stations set up. With each of them having chosen a Pokémon, and some even having specific people in mind to trade with, a lot of colorful interactions ensued inside the lounge.
"Tinkaaaa-tink!"
"You remembered!" Lacey squeed upon seeing her new Metalsmith Pokémon. "I'm so happy!"
"Of course I did!" Juliana laughed. "You were very serious about making sure I caught a Tinkatink to give you when I went back to Paldea."
"That's right," she said in a deadpan voice. "I'm glad you remembered that. Or else there would've been consequences."
"Uhhh…" Maybe it isn't that much of a surprise she's Clay's daughter after all. "Soooo, what did you give me?"
Juliana sent out the Love Ball she'd received from her end, and out popped an adorable pink bulldog Pokémon.
"It's a Snubbull, Juliana! That's what evolves into a Granbull! Remember when you first met my Granbull on the trial and mentioned you might want to catch one for your mom back home?" Lacey giggled, having resumed her cheery personality. "You can tell her it's from me if you'd like! I really don't mind!"
"Wow!" Juliana picked up her new Snubbull in delight, who barked happily at her. "I'm impressed you remembered that, cause I totally forgot!" she laughed sheepishly.
"Yes, it's a good thing for your mom I did." Lacey's voice once again became sharp. "We can't all be so careless with the promises we make."
Juliana gulped. "Okay… you can seriously stop that now."
She giggled again. "Stop what?"
"A Poltchageist!" Amarys lit up upon seeing the tiny Matcha Pokémon appear on her screen. She and Carmine hadn't chosen the Surprise Trade option like the others. "Because you remembered how intrigued I was the first time you showed me yours? How thoughtful of you."
"Intrigued, huh? I specifically remember you telling me you were JEALOUS, Mar-y!" Carmine grinned wickedly.
Her Sinistcha giggled behind her. "Sees-sees!"
Amarys looked down. "Perhaps I was blocking that out of my memory… Anyway, here's what I'm giving to you."
Carmine gasped. "A Ferroseed!? No way!"
"Indeed! You've never asked for one before, but I figured with a Pokémon such as this, you could—"
"—evolve it into a competitively viable Ferrothorn and squash every single little peon when I retake the BB League challenge again!" Carmine declared with raging fire in her eyes.
…
"That is one outlook, yes."
Arven opened the Quick Ball he got from Crispin, and was both surprised and delighted as a red monkey Pokémon emerged and instantly started climbing his head.
"Woah! Who's this little guy?"
"Pan-seeeer!"
"That's Pansear! It's one of the three elemental monkeys that we get here in Unova!" Crispin informed him. "It's a really cool Pokémon, Arven! It learns some great Fire moves and is a handy helper in the kitchen, especially when it evolves!"
Arven let Pansear jump down on his shoulder, where the monkey Pokémon started doing a happy dance.
"He sure is a funny little guy!" Arven laughed.
"Yup! A real party animal! So what'd you give me?"
"Funny enough, I had a similar mindset to you, Crispin. Thought it'd be cool to give you something I know you can't find in the Unova region."
"Really? What is it, what is it!?"
Crispin opened his Poké Ball, and upon seeing the Pokémon that appeared in his hands, looked bemused.
"…I got a rock?"
"Nacliiii!"
"Oh!" Juliana realized. "You were going to trade me this Rhydon before, right?"
"Yup!" said Kieran. "That's why I figured we didn't have t'a do a Surprise Trade. Thanks for the Ceruledge, by the way!"
"Cerull!" Juliana's former fiery knight cried, intrigued with its new partner.
"No problem! I bet you two will go great together!"
"So… why don't you call Rhydon out and see what happens?"
Juliana gave him a funny look. "Okay?"
Not knowing what was up Kieran's sleeve, Juliana pressed a button to receive Rhydon's Poké Ball from the machine and sent it out. Upon doing so, Rhydon immediately became bathed in a glowing light!
"WHAT!?" Juliana said in surprise. "It's evolving!? Rhydon's… one of those Pokémon that evolves through trade?"
"If it's wearing a Protector, yeah! Cause watch!"
Once Rhydon had grown to sufficient size before Juliana's eyes, the glowing light dissipated, and the Drill Pokémon had merged with its Protector to evolve into a much larger, stronger form.
"RHYYYYYPERIOR!"
"That's Rhyperior, Juliana! Thanks to that protective armor, it's so much bigger, bulkier, and COOLER than any other Rhydon!"
"That's… amazing!" Juliana was starry-eyed at her huge new rock partner. "Is Rhydon the only Pokémon in the Terrarium that has a secret evolution through trading?"
"Nah, there's a few more. Electabuzz, Magmar… And a Porygon-Z like mine!" Kieran sent out his Porygon-Z, and it excitedly flew around while making beep-boop noises. "You'll uhh… you'll definitely want someone else's help gettin' a Porygon all the way like this."
"Huh. Guess I'd better… let Mr. Jacq know that I haven't quite completed the whole Blueberry Pokédex after all. Hold on! You said Magmar can evolve?"
"Yeah, but it needs a special item too. It's called a Magarizer or somethin' like that? I know you can buy one from the school store."
"Hey Crispin!" Juliana called out with a bit of a smile on her face. "You been hunting down a…" Snort. "Shiny Magmar, by chance?"
"Huh?" His eyes leered at her, confused. "How'd you know about that?"
Penny opened up the Timer Ball she received from Drayton, which contained a Dreepy.
"Dreepy-eepy!"
"Guess you could call this my thank-you for that big pep talk earlier!" Drayton said coyly. "Not that… you know, I needed it for anything. How cool is it you get to have an exotic dragon Pokémon from the place you call home? It's a very frustrating Pokémon to find and catch over there, believe me!"
"Umm…" Penny looked aside pensively.
"What?"
"Dreepy are actually… very common to find in Paldea."
"Seriously?" Drayton uttered in disbelief. "You mean I wasted all that time in the Wild Area for nothing!? Err, I mean—Well I hope you still appreciate a gift from your fine friend Drayton nonetheless!"
"Sure, but…"
Penny's eyes peered as she looked upon Dreepy's information on the computer screen.
"Why is it nicknamed 'Dreepster'?"
"NO WAY!" Nemona gasped in shock. "You're—you're giving me one of those Paradoxes you caught in Area Zero!?"
"Yup!" Juliana grinned. "I thought about it for a while, and the truth is… I only caught Scream Tail to save our hides when it was threatening me and Arven, but I don't think it really has a place on my team. It seems to be both Fairy and Psychic, but I already have Indeedee and Tinkaton on my team to take care of those moves."
Scream Tail floated in the air above the two Trainers, smiling blissfully with its fanged mouth.
"Puurin?"
"I can't really release it into the wild, being a Paradox Pokémon and all… so the next best thing is—to give to someone I know I can trust."
She smiled warmly at Nemona, who beamed from ear-to-ear.
"Awwww, Julie!" She gave Juliana a big, squeezing hug. "I'm so happy to have you as a best friend! Especially for giving me an exciting Pokémon that's not only adorable but looks mega strong! My kind of Pokémon!"
Then Nemona stood up to give her new floating Paradox a hug, and Scream Tail cooed happily at the affection.
"This little ball of fun Pokémon could be a great choice for me to bring to Pasio actually!"
"Oh yeah, that's right! You got invited to that Masters Tournament thing, right?"
"Yup, I went there once before with my pal Pawmot and I'm going there again very soon! This time, they told me to bring the most unique Pokémon in my team to make an awesome Sync Pair with… What do you think, Scream Tail? Want to be positively pink in Pasio together?"
"Puu-piruu!"
"Oh my! You're giving me an Applin, Kieran?"
"Umm, yeah, that's right!" Kieran was fidgeting his fingers around very nervously. "Cause uhh, there's an old story that—that Applin, umm…"
His throat closed up for a second, and it strained him so much that he gave up on what he was about to say and concluded, "…isareallygreatPokémontohaveonyourteamifyouwantacutedragon!"
Lacey leaned over and stared at Kieran blankly.
"Umm… okay then! Well, buckle up for what I'm sending to you!"
The image appeared on Kieran's screen.
"Oh, I know that Pokémon! It's Luvdisc, isn't it?"
"That's right! You know in Hoenn, umm… people consider Luvdisc to…"
Lacey hid herself behind the computer screen, not wanting Kieran to see her blushing.
"…to be a sign of—of good health and long living!"
"Ohhh, r-really?" said Kieran, tugging at his red undershirt. When did it get so hot in here?
"I guess we—both love symbols, huh?"
"Y-yeah, I guess so!"
Kieran had little time to think over his exchange with Lacey too deeply, as Juliana quickly summoned him and Carmine with a special offer for both of them—one that left them both stunned.
"For real!?" Kieran exclaimed with wide eyes. "You want to… s-share the Loyal Three with us!?"
"Just… BACK UP FOR A SECOND HERE!" Carmine cried out. "Cause first of all, I—wh—when did you even CATCH those lousy things anyway!? Was that part of your stupid secret Kitakami trip-slash-fun adventures in making poor Carmine paranoid!?"
"Oh yeah, guess you missed all that on account o' being too busy dancin'…" Kieran chuckled.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask both of you about that." Carmine gazed at them both with a fierce look in her eyes as her fists started shaking. "Neither of you took any videos or anything of me doing that mochi-mochi dance, right!?"
"N-none at all, sis! Honest!"
"Yeah! I was too scared out of my brains to ever take out my camera and start recording!" Juliana insisted.
"Well thank goodness, because I don't care if a Pokémon was controlling me, that was still the most embarrassing thing I've ever done… Anyway, yeah, so let's dissect this. Somehow, you have those Lousy Three in your possession—and you're going to give two of them to us?"
"That's the idea! Remember the other day, Kieran? We were talking about Pecharunt and the Loyal Three, and you were mentioning how those Pokémon were under Pecharunt's control, just like how it controlled us like puppets. And that maybe they were never so bad either?"
"Yeah, I had a feeling that's what got you thinkin' about doing this…"
"Those Pokémon are THUGS!" Carmine seethed. "I don't care what you two think! It's cool that you both want to see good in everyone, but at some point this just gets too ridiculous! If you think I'm just gonna accept one of those brutish monsters, you've got another thing coming, Juliana! I don't care how many kisses or lovey-dovey eyes you give me to try to change my mind!"
"Really?" Juliana said slyly. She held up a screen on her phone. "Not even if I was thinking of giving you… Fezandipiti?"
Carmine's stubborn expression softened, and she gazed at the screen.
"Fezandipiti? You mean the… really gorgeous phoenix one?"
"That's riiiight. Remember you were gushing really hard about how glamorous it is? When I thought about who deserved such a shining… amazing symbol of beauty, you were the first person I thought of… a big beautiful phoenix for my tall beautiful sweetie."
Carmine began blushing heavily. "Y-you don't say…? I mean, I won't lie… Ever since we saw that big phoenix, I—I was always, really enamored by its beautiful looks…"
"Y'know, now that I think about it… out of all the three of them, that big dog-like thing. What's it called?" asked Kieran.
"Okidogi."
"Yeah, that one! I always thought it… looked really cool, and how much I'd love to have a big tough Pokémon on my team."
"Well, that's fantastic, because Munkidori is the one I was hoping I would get to keep!" Juliana beamed. "This works out perfectly for all of us! What do you guys say?" She held out her hand. "Want to become the Loyal Three's new commanders together and make them not so lousy?"
"Hmmm…" Carmine grumbled, still unsure.
"You know what?" said Kieran. "It sounds kinda crazy, but… I bet it'll also be fun! And it seems like I've gotten really good at tamin' big bad monsters now! I'm in!" he decided, putting his hand over Juliana's.
Carmine huffed. "Well, if you're gonna be like that, I don't want to be the party pooper. But I'm doing this for Fezandipiti, okay? I'll bravely take on this mission to turn around its wicked ways and fashion it into a glamorous model who uses its amazing looks for good!"
She reluctantly put her hand over theirs.
"Then it's settled!" Juliana declared. "And… BREAK!"
After the trading party was finished, the sun began to set in Unova as everything died down to a more relaxed vibe. Juliana had a sudden epiphany and declared that with Penny and Kieran both in one place, this was the perfect opportunity to finally host that anime night.
The three of them, along with Crispin, all sat down on a couch in the student lounge to watch a vampire-themed anime, whose cool blood-sucking Pokémon like Zubat, Gliscor, and surprisingly Gorebyss, excited Kieran and Crispin. Juliana and Penny meanwhile were taken with the… surprisingly hot teen girl protagonists.
Amarys also came by and stood against the couch alongside them, much to Crispin's surprise.
"I thought you said you didn't care for anime, Amarys."
"It's not to my particular tastes, but… enjoying any kind of entertainment is fun when you're among friends, right?"
"Awwww, so true!" Penny gushed.
"Even if the realism of biology and physics in this show is much left to be desired…"
Meanwhile, Carmine and Lacey had introduced Nemona and Arven to Blueberry Academy's battle simulator machines and were cheering on as the competitive couple kept coming up with crazy scenarios to try to one-up each other.
"Come on Arven, go go go!" Carmine pumped him up. "Fissure has like, a 30% chance of just— knocking that Mega Kangaskhan out in one go!"
"Don't let them shake your nerves, Nemona!" Lacey chanted. "Arven's team needs RNG to win, but you've got power and speed on your side! Latias is faster than that bully Flygon!"
Arven aggressively tapped buttons for his commands, while Nemona was reading every status screen available to her, looking for the perfect window to victory.
Eventually, it was Nemona who came out on top, as Fissure missed, Mist Ball took out Flygon, and Mega Kangaskhan's Parental Bond-boosted Reversal sent Arven's virtual Regigigas packing, resulting in a big Champion's Cup hologram appearing on Nemona's side.
"YES!" Nemona pumped her fist into the air excitedly. "I won!"
"Darn!" Arven relaxed into his chair. "Good game, Nemona."
"You too, Pepper! Woof… I almost want to go again just to ride off this high, but I'll be honest… I just don't think this is quite as fun as having a real battle with Pokémon you caught and raised yourself."
"Yeah, I feel the same way," Lacey nodded.
Carmine leaned in close to Arven. "Soooo, you totally threw that, right 'Pepper'? Just to satisfy your hyper-caffeinated girlfriend? Unless you're just that bad at knowing when to use Endure and Light Screen and shit."
Arven chuckled and whispered, "Nah, I realized at the last second that if I really pulled through on Nemo with such a cheap win, we'd be at this for another hour at least and… boy, are my eyes getting droopy."
She giggled. "Don't blame ya at all."
"Heh-heh, since when did you start talking just like your bro?"
"What? I'm not! I'M NOT!" Carmine seethed angrily. "Damn it, Lacey! You've infected me with your little hick accent now!"
Lacey just looked at Carmine oddly and smiled, "Now what in tarnation are y'all talking about, missy?"
"STOP THAT!"
Arven and Nemona both laughed. "What a fun crowd you guys are! I'm so glad to have gotten to know you!" Nemona said cheerfully.
"Yeah, it feels weirdly assuring to know that Juliana made friends who are just as chaotic over here!"
Amarys walked over to them and said, "It was just as enriching to meet all of you. I definitely hope you'll come back to teach and—hang out with us again! I look forward to our next get-together!"
"Awww, that's the most you've ever come out of your shell, Mar," Lacey said, affectionately rubbing the girl's shoulder. Amarys blushed shyly in response.
Finally, nightfall hit the Unovan coast. For the last phase of the special BB League Paldean Friends potluck, the students decided to split into two sleepovers segregated by gender.
Drayton offered up his dorm room for Arven, Kieran, Crispin, and himself to use. Crispin assumed Drayton did it just to show off some of his personal memorabilia, but it turned out there was a practical reason for it: his room came preloaded with a big, white coach with a pullout bed.
"Sometimes, I just crash into it instead of my bed when I'm feeling really, really lazy for the night," he explained.
Crispin tilted his head and spoke quietly to Arven. "Hmmm. Y'know, I wonder… Sometimes one of us will tell Drayton that we're gonna need his help with something the next day, and then he comes in next morning and he's all these like, neck cramps or joint pains and stuff like that. And he uses that to take a raincheck on doing any work—"
"Total coincidence!" Drayton confidently interrupted him.
"Hmph." Arven decided to hit the lever and give the couch a testfire, and immediately made surprised noises of comfort as she slithered in. "Oh, oh wow! I can see why you can like this so much, Drayton! It's a lot comfier than I thought it would be! Like a giant futon made out of… marshmallows!"
The Paldean boy stretched outwards and put his hands behind his back, feeling a whole new world of relaxation.
"Hey… this might be kind of weird but, can I sleep here for tonight? I feel like I'd be more than well rested enough to fly back to Paldea after sleeping on this!"
"Oh… really?" Drayton's quiff drooped for some reason. "You don't have to, Arven. In fact, I was going to offer—rather, insist! That you share the bed with me for tonight."
"Huh? Why's that?" Kieran asked him, confused.
Because even if I can't have that hunk, I could at least pretend for a night and sleep like a happy man!
"Oh, you know just…" Drayton kicked his foot. "I don't want to admit this to you guys, but I do get pretty lonely on my own sometimes… It'd be nice to—to have a friend next to me. Someone who's pretty tenacious like me."
"I'm plenty tenacious!" Crispin eagerly piped up. "I'll sleep next to you, Drayton!"
"Ummm…" Drayton winced a little. "You know, thanks for the offer and all squirt, but maybe I don't need someone after all."
"But you just said you get really lonely at night!" said Kieran. "I know what that's like. Better than anyone! My Sis used to let me get in bed with her when we were kids." At least until she hit puberty and got all insecure about it… "I don't mind doin' that for someone else!"
"Wow uhh, thanks ex-Champ but—"
Kieran looked frustrated. "Why are you still calling me that?"
"Hey! We could both be brothers-for-hire and sleep next to Drayton to help him out!"
"Wait—"
"Really? You wouldn't mind that?" Kieran asked him.
Crispin slung his frying pan over his shoulder. "Haha! Have I ever mentioned how many brothers and sisters I have? In a lot of ways, it'd be just like being home again!"
"I didn't think about it like that!" Kieran chuckled.
"That sounds like a great idea," said Arven, stretching his arms out. "Then I could have this whole couch to myself…"
"Then let's do it!" Crispin said eagerly, his eyes lighting on fire like a stovetop. "And I'll even cook bacon and eggs for all of us in the morning and we can have breakfast in bed like a family!"
"Coooool!" Kieran clapped.
Drayton put on the best non-smile he could. "Man, I… sure am lucky to have you two knuckleheads looking out for me."
But while the two boys were clamoring in excitement, Drayton turned around and started mumbling quietly to himself.
"Great, what have I done? I was so willing to overlook my space issues just to have a chance to spoon that tall chocolate sundae… How did this backfire so much more than my last master plan?"
He sighed and started taking off his Maschiff jacket, that smug aura having fully left Drayton's haughty person.
"Guess you really flew too close to the sun this time, Drayster…"
Meanwhile, inside Lacey's dorm room, Lacey was aligning her Rotom Phone, tongue sticking out as she concentrated. Nemona and Penny were both hovering over her excitedly, while Amarys was already asleep behind them all.
"You gotta get the possible shot of this, Lace!" Nemona whispered. "I want to capture this moment so badly!"
"I'm going for the cutest angle possible," Lacey responded. "Do you want me to use this moving hearts filter?"
"YES!" Nemona covered her mouth realizing how loud that shout was.
Lacey quickly shushed her. "Don't wake 'em up!"
Who were they trying to capture without making a stir?
Juliana and Carmine. Who had both fallen asleep girls on the air mattress they were sharing. And Carmine was wrapping her whole body around Juliana, who had a big smile on her face as they spooned each other in a serene state.
"So cute…" Penny gushed while whispering.