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Nemona’s knee bounces restlessly, her chin in hand as she stares out the classroom window. She usually loves biology class, but she can’t help but feel fidgety. Tonight, she gets to battle Juliana, her true rival, her best friend. That’s all well and good, as Juliana is almost always up for a Pokémon battle, but the reason why she’s restless isn’t just from excitement this time.
“Psst. Hey.” A whisper catches her attention behind her, and Nemona glances over her shoulder. Juliana is pointing at a post-it note on the edge of her desk. Scrawled in neat handwriting, it reads, You okay? :)
Her heart flutters as she grins, lifting her gaze back up to her friend. She nods, whispering her answer so Jacq does not hear. “Si, si, just excited!”
Juliana seems reassured by that answer, a smirk appearing on her face. “You’re going down,” she murmurs, and Nemona has to turn around to hide the blush that creeps up her neck, gripping at a fistful of her skirt.
It’s even harder to concentrate for the rest of class. Nemona wonders if she’ll ever get rid of the hotness in her face when the bell finally rings and Jacq dismisses them. As they pack up, his gaze falls on her. “Oh! Nemona, would you mind sticking around for just a minute?”
Her heart sinks, wondering if she might be in trouble. She puts on a smile. “Sure, Mr. Jacq!” She glances toward Juliana, still smiling. “Go, you don’t have to wait. I want you to be fully prepared tonight!”
Her rival seems to hesitate a moment, but ultimately decides to agree. She smiles, adjusting her hat and bag. “I’ll see you in the courtyard later. Bye, Nemona. Bye, Mr. Jacq!” She waves happily as she leaves, and their homeroom teacher waves back. Nemona, keeping her chin high, approaches him with her usual energy as best she can.
“Qué pasa, teach?”
Jacq gazes at her, his eyes large and full of quiet understanding behind his hexagonal glasses. He tilts his head. “Are you okay?”
Furrowing her brows, she tries not to panic. There’s no way he can know, right? “Okay? Of course I’m okay. I’m more than okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“Well, you’re usually not so distracted in my class,” he replies with a chuckle, not unkindly. “Something’s on your mind, huh?”
Her heart skips a beat. “I-I’m just excited for tonight, is all! Juliana agreed to give me another all-out Pokémon battle.”
She can’t help but wither slightly under his gaze, as if he can read her mind. He smiles warmly. “Ah, I know you love those battles. But, if I may, I have some advice that might help you out.”
“A-Advice?”
Smiling as though he has a secret, Jacq stands up and walks toward his bookshelf, looking though it for a moment. “Ah.” He pulls out a purple-bound book, moving back to sit on the edge of his desk beside her. Holding it in his lap, he tilts his head. “Did you know I’m married?”
The question seems to come out of nowhere, but she’s too caught off guard to think about it too much. “ Married?!” The question rips from her throat, and suddenly her worries about Juliana disappear for a moment. “R-Really? To another teacher? Are you married to Ms. Raifort?!”
“No, no,” Jacq laughs good-naturedly, shaking his head. “No, my partner’s not a teacher. I met them when I was studying in Galar a few years ago. They’re actually a farmer.”
“Whoa, cool,” she muses, still unsure of why he’s talking about this, but too interested to care. “Was it love at first sight, Mr. Jacq?”
He smiles, reaching up to adjust his glasses. “Not quite, I’m afraid. They didn’t like me at first, you see. I spent a lot of time working on the beginning of the Pokédex app back then, but when my time in Galar was running out, I realized just how special they were. They’re a wonderful Pokémon Trainer, and they taught me a lot about nature. I couldn’t stop thinking about them, I could barely eat or work or sleep. I wouldn’t ever meet someone like that again, so I had to do something to show how I felt.”
Nemona blinks, looking curiously at him. “What did you do?”
With a soft blush rising against his cheeks, he turns to the book in his lap, opening up to a dog-eared page, and flips it around for her to see. She looks over the pictures while he explains. “One of the oldest traditions in Galar is to give an Applin to the person you love. So, I searched all the trees I came across for an hour until I found one. I caught it, and presented it to my partner. They knew of the tradition, being Galarian themself, and it meant a lot that I’d done that just for them.” He sighs. “We got married a year later, and now we live here.”
“Wow,” she murmurs. “I had no idea, Mr. Jacq. You don’t ever really talk about yourself.”
He chuckles, clearly amused. “I know, I know. I don’t think Director Clavell would like it much if I spent most of class talking about my personal life instead of teaching.”
“So, why are you telling me all this? Oh, is your partner coming to visit the academy?” she asks, suddenly excited by the prospect. “I’d love to show them around, if you’re too busy or something! I am student council president, after all!”
Closing the book gently, Jacq shakes his head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that, although I’m sure they’ll want to tag along to see the next Ace Tournament. I was explaining this to you because I have a feeling you are going through something similar right now.”
Her heart skips a beat again. “Similar…?”
“I recognize that far off look in your eyes, Nemona, and I know you are in love. I thought I might offer some advice to you. Tell your friends. Don’t keep it bottled up inside. It will only end up exploding in your face someday. You don’t have to catch an Applin, but you should act on your feelings.”
Heat creeps up to her cheeks again. She hides her face in her hands. Is she really so obvious that her homeroom teacher can tell so easily? “Ay, dios mío, Mr. Jacq!” She wants to deny it. She wants to leave and never return. But…she can’t help but think he has a point. If it worked for him, maybe it could work for her. Sheepishly, she lifts her head, finding him looking at her with slight pity. “…What do I do if she doesn’t feel the same?” she asks, her voice uncharacteristically small. “She’s my rival. She’s my best friend.”
Jacq stands up, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure you’re her best friend, too. If your feelings aren’t reciprocated, that, at least, won’t change.”
Nemona looks up at him, taking in his expression. He’s always been kind, but there’s a certain warmth in his expression now that she hasn’t seen before, like he truly understands what she’s going through. She lets out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and moves forward, embracing him.
“Gracias, Mr. Jacq,” she murmurs into his chest, squeezing her eyes shut. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
She can feel him stiffen beneath her, but he soon relaxes to return that embrace. “I’m glad I could help.” Though her chest bursts with fear, she notices there’s an undeniable excitement there too, not unlike the feeling of getting into a really good Pokémon battle. Perhaps he’s right.
A few moments later, she pulls away from him with a new sense of determination. “…Can I borrow that book?”
***
“Would you stop pacing? You’re making me nervous.”
Penny, sitting on the edge of Nemona’s bed, grips at one of her backpack straps as she watches Nemona walk back and forth, holding a book so tightly in her hands that her knuckles are white. Penny glances toward Arven, who’d made his home at her desk chair, straddling it to lean his arms against the back of it.
He agrees with her. “You told us to come over right away, and that it was important, and you’ve barely said a word. What’s so important? C’mon, don’t tell me you’re scared.”
“Scared?!” Nemona stops in her tracks, hugging the book to her chest. She sighs, her shoulders sagging as she looks down. “Sí, sí, you’re right. Okay. Here goes. Don’t laugh. I…have a crush on Juliana.”
She expects exclamations of surprise, or laughter. What she doesn’t expect is complete silence. Penny breaks it first. “That’s it?”
“What?” Her head snaps back up to look up at her friend, who looks thoroughly bored. Arven has an amused grin on his face.
“We knew that already, prez,” he continues, his grin widening a little at the look on her face. “You’re pretty obvious.”
Letting out a low groan, she places the book on the desk and sinks down onto the floor, laying face-down on the wood below. “You have to be joking.”
“We wouldn’t joke about matters of the heart.” Although she can’t see her face, Nemona thinks Penny must be grinning right now. The bed creaks and footsteps move past her, the sound of pages being leafed through filling the air. “Oh, this one’s dog-eared. Disrespectful. Nemona, you’re a heathen.”
Quickly sitting up, she shakes her head defensively. “It’s not mine! It’s…oh, nevermind that. Wait.” She blinks dumbly. “Penny!” she exclaims, making the other girl nearly drop the book in surprise. “You’re from Galar, too!”
Raising a brow, Penny stares at her, somewhat unimpressed. “Yeah. Glad you remember that.”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean. Look!”
Penny sighs, looking down at the page. This time, when she gasps, she actually does let go of the book - leaving Arven to scramble to catch it, looking over the page himself. A rare smile pulls at Penny’s lips. “You’re going to give her an Applin?”
“Wait…” Arven’s brow furrows, and he doesn’t look up from the book. “Giving an Applin is a sign of love?”
Getting to her feet, Nemona tries to ignore the way her face heats up this time, trying to seem confident in her decision. “Juliana’s from Galar, so…so I think it would be nice. Right?”
Nodding some approval, Penny steps forward. “Yeah, she’d probably like that. Only problem is, none of us have an Applin.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Arven stands up, shutting the book with a satisfying, resounding slam. He places it back down, smiling at the two. “I know a place. My dad used to research them.”
“Too bad we won’t have Miraidon. I don’t like Fly Traveling…”
“A-Are you sure?” Suddenly, Nemona feels small again. “You guys don’t have to help…”
Her friends exchange a look. Arven sighs, smiling warmly. “Sure we do. You’d do the same for us. Plus, seeing you like this is kind of depressing.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Penny agrees, shaking her head. “Come on, Nemona. We’re your friends.”
Jacq’s words echo in Nemona’s head. Tell your friends. Don’t keep it bottled up inside. It will only end up exploding in your face someday. As if through magic, the weight on her chest lessens slightly. She smiles, genuinely. “Thank you.” With a newfound strength, she turns to Arven. “Lead the way, amigo.”
***
The warm sun filters through the tree leaves, leaving gold patterns along the grass and pathways. Different varieties of Pokémon frolic through Tagtree Thicket, playing tag, eating berries, or napping under the trees’ shade. Arven, with a hand on his forehead, keeps his eyes tilted upward, searching for a speck of red. Nemona chooses to do the same, while Penny huffs and looks around the grass, just in case.
“It feels like we’ve been walking for hours,” she complains. “Arven, are you sure there are Applin here?”
“Yes,” he answers, though he sounds less confident than he had the last time he’d been asked that question. “My dad used to find them here. A-And the Rotom Phone wouldn’t lie about habitats!”
“He’s right. We just have to trust him!” Nemona announces, because she doesn’t have much more of a choice. When the sun sets, she has to meet Juliana in the courtyard for a battle. There’s only a little more daylight left.
Her ears perk up as she hears a very quiet rustling. She stops in her tracks, which makes Penny walk right into her. “Ow! Why’d you stop?”
“Shhh!” Nemona looks around wildly, focusing in on a certain tree branch. Quietly, she steps closer, avoiding a twig on the ground, and finds exactly what she was hoping to find. A grin spreads across her face as she reaches into her bag, pulling out one of her Poké Balls. With all her might, she throws it, and it makes contact with the Applin, catching it off guard. “Yes!”
Out of her Pokéball emerges a Tinkatuff, her most recent catch. She’s not nearly as good at catching Pokémon as she is battling, but with Juliana’s help, she’d been able to add more to her Pokédex. Today, she’d have to use what she’d taught her to catch one for her.
The Applin hops down from the branch, landing quietly in the grass below. It bellows, immediately on guard. Nemona knows she can’t go all out here, or the Applin will faint. Tinkatuff looks over its shoulder at her curiously, waiting, putting all of its trust into her.
“C’mon, Nemona! You can do it!” Arven shouts, pumping his fist.
“You gotta catch this one! We might not find another if you don’t!” Penny adds, but after a swift elbow from Arven, she groans. “Just work with Tinkatuff, and you’ll be fine!”
Breathing in, Nemona places her hands on her cheeks, slapping them gently. “Okay. Vamos.” She gives Tinkatuff an encouraging smile. “Okay, mi amiga! Use Play Rough!”
Tinkatuff lets out a cry and rushes forward, and when the Applin retaliates, Nemona’s Pokémon is barely hurt. She fumbles in her bag for a spare Poké Ball, remembering Juliana’s words of encouragement when she had caught the Tinkatuff. Just breathe, Nemona. Relax.
She throws it. It soars through the air, seemingly in slow motion, but much to her delight, it opens up and pulls the Applin inside. The Poké Ball lands on the ground lightly, and as it shakes, all three onlookers hold their breath. It feels as though an hour passes before the resounding click finally fills the air. Nemona stares at it for a moment, dumbfounded. Then, a loud whoop escapes her. She rushes over, scooping Tinkatuff up into her arms, speaking rapid Spanish encouragement as she pats its head and belly. Tinkatuff seems to thoroughly enjoy the attention, while Arven steps forward to pick up the ball that holds the Applin.
After making sure it’s received all the love it deserves, Nemona recalls Tinkatuff back to its ball, then walks up to her friends in incredibly high spirits. “I can’t believe I caught it!” she muses, taking the ball from Arven gently. She releases the Applin and it sits in the grass, small, wounded, and shaking with fear. “Hola!” Quietly, she bends down, reaching into her bag. “Here, this’ll make you feel better.” Nemona gives it a Potion, and the moment it kicks in, the Applin perks up. “See, I’m not so scary, am I?” she chuckles, offering her hand. The Applin sniffs it, then hops up into her palm. With a wide grin, she turns around to present the spectacle to her friends.
“That’s a great Applin,” Penny says, unable to keep herself from smiling.
“You really worked in sync with Tinkatuff back there. I bet Juliana will be super happy,” Arven adds.
The weight of what she’s about to do suddenly crashes down onto Nemona. Her heart skips a beat, but strangely enough, when she looks into Applin's eyes, she just imagines the look on Juliana’s face when she had caught the Tinkatuff. Even if she doesn’t accept her feelings, Nemona knows her rival will be happy to know she used her advice to catch a Pokémon all by herself.
Placing Applin up on her shoulder, where it promptly dozes off, Nemona smiles and launches herself forward, pulling Penny and Arven into a hug, much to their dismay. “Thank you! Thank you! Gracias!”
“Wah! Nemona!”
“C’mon, prez! You’re squishing us!”
She can’t help but wonder what she did to deserve such wonderful friends.
***
When Nemona walks out on the courtyard, she finds it the emptiest she’s seen it in weeks. She can’t help but wonder if that’s her friends’ doing, or maybe the other students just know to clear out before the class president appears and asks for a warm-up battle. Tonight, she’s grateful for that.
Her hand curls around the Poké Ball as she stands in the middle of the court, waiting. Her knees feel weak, and her heart gallops in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She closes her eyes, breathing in the fresh night air, listening to the sound of Nymble chirping around her. Thinking of Jacq and his partner, she can’t help but sigh. Jacq seems to really love them, and she knows he’s right; she has to tell Juliana the truth.
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so relaxed.” A familiar voice pulls her from her thoughts, and she opens her eyes. Her rival stands just a few feet away, a fond grin on her face. “Usually, you’re so amped up before a battle, you can hardly stand still.”
Nemona smiles slightly. She knows her so well. And despite what she’s about to do, Juliana’s right - she feels strangely calm.
“Well, before we battle, I actually got you something. S-So, if you don’t feel like battling after, I understand.” She holds out the ball in her palm, staring at it for a moment, noticing Juliana frown out of the corner of her eye. There’s no going back once she throws this. Taking a deep breath she tosses the ball, and Applin takes form on the ground in between them, looking up at Juliana curiously. “Um, Mr. Jacq told me about this Galarian tradition…” Her face heats up as a speechless Juliana kneels down, reaching out to Applin with one hand. “Have you heard of it? Ay, what am I saying, of course you have…”
Juliana gently picks up Applin, who seems quite content with its new trainer, its eyes betraying a smile. Nemona can’t really see her expression, even in the moonlight, so she pushes on.
“Ever since you came to Paldea, my life’s been so exciting. It’s been so much better.” The words start falling out effortlessly, and she can’t stop. “I realized recently that I don’t just look forward to our battles; I look forward to seeing you . I-I told myself that was normal best friend behavior, but I know it’s not. I think you’re amazing . I’ve been keeping it a secret because I…you’re my rival first, so if you don’t feel the same way, I get it, but I hope you’ll still battle with me and train with me and -”
“Nemona.”
She stops talking. Juliana finally looks up. She’s smiling and her eyes are full of tears.
“Juliana?”
As if in slow motion, Juliana steps forward, and Nemona’s breath hitches. Her smile is so raw, so real, Nemona can’t breathe. “I feel the same about you.”
Time freezes. Nemona thinks she must be dreaming, but the goosebumps rising up along every inch of her skin prove otherwise. “Y-You do?”
Nodding, her rival smiles even more, and envelopes Nemona in a tight hug, the Applin between them. She wastes no time in returning it, feeling like she can breathe again. “Giving me an Applin was very sweet. It reminds me of home,” she murmurs into her shoulder, tightening her grip, holding on so hard that it feels as though she’s afraid she might disappear if she lets go. Nemona blushes again.
“I’m glad you like it.”
They hold each other for a few minutes, and then Juliana lets out an incredulous laugh, pulling back and wiping at her eyes. “Okay, guys, stop hiding. I know you’re in there.”
A string of quiet curses rise up from a nearby bush as Penny and Arven stumble out of it. They bicker, blaming each other for being obvious, but they don’t get very far before Juliana continues to laugh loudly. Nemona stares at them blankly. “What are you guys doing?!”
“We wanted to make sure everything went smoothly!” Arven insists, his cheeks flushing a little.
“Yeah, and if they didn’t, we’d swoop in and save you from embarrassment,” Penny adds, which made Juliana laugh harder.
“You guys…” Nemona sighs, but she’s too elated to be annoyed. Instead, she joins in with Juliana and laughs, until all four of them are laughing. To everyone’s surprise, Nemona suggests they forgo the Pokémon battle for the night, and instead choose to go to the dining hall for ice cream.
And when they walk into biology class the next day, Nemona takes Juliana’s hand. She catches Jacq’s eye, returns his book, and smiles. He smiles back.