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“Fanks again for retting me shtay wif you,” Nemona said as she stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth. “Itsh like a shlumber party.”
“No problem at all, Nem,” responded Juliana from her bed, her eyes glued to her Rotom Phone, “Mi casa es, uh, your casa.”
Since she was one grade above Juliana, Nemona’s dorm was in a different wing of the school. In that wing, however, there had recently been a burst pipe which had caused some minor flooding. The students affected were to be relocated for several days while repairs were made. Uva Academy had offered vouchers for the students to stay at a hotel in town during the interim, though some students whose families lived close enough to commute opted instead to stay at home. Others, preferring the convenience of being on campus, made arrangements to stay with fellow students. Nemona was one such student.
“Your Paldean shtill needsh shome work,” the guest said to her host.
“Well, so does your toothbrush-ese.” Juliana grabbed the nearest projectile she could find— a small Jigglypuff plushy— and locked onto her target. As she looked up from her phone however, she wasn’t prepared for the novel state her target was in.
Instead of the Uva Academy summer uniform Juliana was used to seeing, the girl in front of her wore a heather grey camisole and a pair of Pokéball themed pajama shorts. Her hair, still slightly damp from the shower, wasn’t in its usual ponytail either. Instead, it was flowing freely, the inky black strands cascading down her shoulders and back.
“I’ve never seen you with your hair down. It looks cute.”
“There’sh too much of it,” Nemona replied, walking back into the bathroom. “It get—” She quickly spit and rinsed. “It get’s everywhere. That’s why I keep it tied back. It’s easier for battling and stuff.”
“Well I think it’s pretty.” Juliana absentmindedly twirled her own brunette locks as she spoke in an almost wistful voice, “I wish I had pretty, long, black hair like you.”
Nemona walked across the room to the bed where her temporary roommate was reclined on top of the covers. “I think how you have it now suits you better,” she said with a genuine smile, “Very… Juliana.”
A silent moment passed, and Juliana found herself looking up into the eyes of the girl standing above her. “Oh, I know!” She said excitedly, pulling herself from the trance, “Let me play with it.”
Nemona replied only with a look of confusion. Confusion, with maybe a hint of concern, since her host now looked like a Pyroar ready to pounce.
“Your hair! You gotta let me play with it,” the younger girl hopped up and grabbed her upperclassman by the wrist, “C’mon. It’s a slumber party, right?” Without waiting for an answer, she dragged Nemona to the bed and sat her down.
“Well, I guess I don’t mind.”
Plopping down onto the bed behind Nemona, Juliana sank her fingers into the Champion-ranked trainer’s luxuriant, raven locks. She had never really noticed before just how gorgeous her friend’s hair was, but now it was all she could see. She savored the silky softness as she pulled and twisted pitch black strands, imagining all the different ways she could style it. Dragging her fingers through this lustrous mane slowly, as if through sand, she felt the slightest shiver beneath her hands.
“That kinda tickles,” said Nemona, in a soft voice as foreign to Juliana as her hair-down, pajamaed appearance. A gentle crimson tint appeared on the older girl’s ears, wholly visible as a length of hair was pulled behind them.
Nemona’s bubbly nature and seemingly boundless ambition meant that she usually ended up dictating the pace of everyone around her, not unlike a skilled trainer controlling the tempo of a heated Pokémon battle. However, she was so reliable and earnest that most of the time, people didn’t mind getting swept up in her dazzling current. That was something Juliana always admired about her rival. She was certainly content just trying to keep up with this force of nature. That was why seeing Champion Nemona so vulnerable, blushing beneath her fingers, was something that Juliana felt she could become addicted to.
“I guess this does feel like a thing girls do at slumber parties,” Nemona said, seemingly back to her usual self.
“Yup!” Juliana took on a slightly sarcastic tone, “After I do your hair, we’ll paint each others’ nails, maybe flip through the latest PokéBeat…”
“Yeah, then talk about our crushes.”
The girls couldn’t help but laugh. Nemona was certainly not the type to bring up that sort of thing. The Poké-maniacal tomboy was always much more interested in talking battle strategies than in girl talk.
“Do you have one though?”
“One what?”
“Someone you like. A crush.” There wasn’t a shred of irony in Nemona’s voice.
The question caught Juliana off guard. But when Nemona, with her endearing sincerity, asked such a question in earnest, it deserved an answer.
“I might have a teeny, tiny,” continuing to aimlessly cross strand over strand of pitch black hair, Juliana spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully, “Flabébé-sized crush on someone.” As she spoke, her eyes began to wander along the length of the black strands, to the point where they met the bronze nape of Nemona’s neck. Delicate wisps of hair stuck out along the hairline like eyelashes. Her gaze continued down the length of the neck, and traveled along the bare shoulders made visible by the heather grey camisole. Now incredibly aware of just how close the two girl’s were to each other, Juliana’s face grew hot. “It’s a secret though.”
“Don’t tell me,” Nemona swung around to face Juliana, “It’s not that jerk is it? The guy with the,” she gestured vaguely around her head with her hands, “hair. You have been hanging around him a lot lately…” Leaning in dangerously close, she narrowed her copper eyes in suspicion.
The guy with the hair? Maybe she was too distracted by the sudden closeness of Nemona’s face, but Juliana couldn’t fathom who she had meant. Then, it dawned on her. “Do you mean… Arven?” The absurdity of her relationship with the often disagreeable, bemulleted son-of-a-famous-professor being so wildly misinterpreted was enough to cause Juliana to burst into laughter. “Oh Arceus no,” she said, trying to compose herself, “I mean, he’s an alright guy and all…” She didn’t dislike Arven. In fact, she had even started to consider him a friend. But there was just no way. Especially since, if she were to explain it in a way Nemona would understand, Juliana was a Fairy type. “But there is definitely nothing going on with us. I didn’t realize you felt so strongly about him though.”
“He just makes me angry,” Nemona turned back around, muttering and trailing off, “With his stupid… face. And dumb… sandwiches.”
Juliana couldn’t let herself become too distracted by the adorableness of the rarely-seen Pouty Nemona. She needed to fire back with her own question. “Well, what about you? Do you have anyone you like?”
Rubbing her chin with her hand, Nemona thought it over for a moment. “I guess not,” she said, “I’ve never really thought about it.” It really did seem like this was something she just hadn’t ever considered. “If I was gonna like someone though,” she continued, “I guess they’d have to be good at Pokémon battles.”
Juliana grinned as a feeling of relief washed over her. Never change, Nem, she thought, before replying with a chuckle, “I’m glad to see you have your priorities in order.”
Then, as if she was just thinking out loud, Nemona said dreamily, “You’re good at Pokémon battles.”
It was unclear if she meant it the way it sounded, or if it was just a non sequitur. Regardless, Juliana was glad Nemona was faced the other way, unable to see the Pokéball red blush that she now donned. Unsure of how much more of this she could take, the amateur hairstylist decided to stop dallying and finish the do she had been molding these black locks into. Affixing the final bobby pin, she announced, “All done!” before grabbing a handheld mirror from her nightstand. She positioned the mirror and her Rotom Phone in such a way that her subject could see all angles of the new style. “Take a look. Lemme know what you think.”
The silken strands that were usually pulled back into a merely utilitarian ponytail, were now molded into what they called at Salon Renacer in Mesagoza the romantic tuck. A simple yet sophisticated style, it imparted a look of maturity onto the student council president. In the back, the hair was tucked behind her ears and folded up into an elegant braid, resembling the braided texture of a Fidough. Strands in the front were brought down, alongside her signature green streaks, to frame Nemona’s tan, freckled face. In a word, it was stunning.
After taking a moment to admire her underclassman’s handiwork, Nemona’s eyes lit up as she spoke, “This is amazing, Jules! I never would have even thought about trying a style like this. I feel so,” the excited grin turned into a goofy attempt at a suave leer as she turned towards Juliana, “cool. Sophisticated. I feel like La Primera!”
“No one could ever mistake you for cool or sophisticated, you goofball,” Juliana laughed, playfully punching her friend on the arm. “No, but seriously though, I think it really suits you. You look… great.” She hoped that “great” would suffice to convey everything she wanted to say but couldn’t quite find out how.
“Aw shucks, Jules.” Nemona sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as the reddish hue returned to her ears. “But jeez. On top of being, like, really good at Pokémon battles, and good at schoolwork to boot, you’re also secretly an awesome hairstylist! What can’t you do?”
“Well, my Paldean needs some work.”
As was often the case, the girls’ gentle teasing devolved into giggling and play-fighting. The attempt at a quintessential slumber party had evidently ran its course, as the roommates were now acting more like boys in the schoolyard. This impromptu wrestling match, complete with a surprise run-in from a certain Jigglypuff plushy, eventually resulted in the victorious Nemona pinning her opponent’s shoulders to the mattress.
“Got you,” she said with a triumphant grin.
“You got me,” Juliana softly replied, face flushed and out of breath. Gazing at the girl hovering above her, she noticed that her new hairdo had already become slightly disheveled. Along with the stray strands of black hair sticking out, one strap of the heather grey camisole had begun sliding down her tanned shoulder.
Giggles slowly subsided as Juliana’s hazy stare was met with one of equal intensity and a pregnant silence filled the room. An unfamiliar tension hung over the two. To Juliana, it felt like a fever. Before her body could consult her brain on the matter, the younger girl reached upwards and gently grasped a handful of black hair. With a single tug, the braid was undone, causing raven locks to cascade like Casseroya Falls down around her.
Nemona’s lips moved, at first without sound. Silent mouthings gave way to audible murmuring as words began to form under her breath. The word “battle” was the first Juliana could fully make out. Slightly increasing in volume and confidence, she continued, “Battle… We should battle.” Then, pulling herself up off the bed with an unexpected urgency, she spoke again, now much more clearly directed towards Juliana and not just to herself, “Yeah, let’s battle! I kinda feel like battling. Whadya say, Jules?”
The sudden disappearance of Nemona’s weight and body heat yanked Juliana from her feverish daze. The girl who a moment ago had been delicately straddled above Juliana now stood beside the bed, her usual exuberance thinly masking an evident feeling of unease. Juliana had never seen the usually confident Pokémon Champ like this. “Nem, you know we’re not allowed to use the battle court at this hour,” she said with a smile as her friend and rival restlessly paced around the dorm room.
“Oh yeah, wow, look at the time!” Nemona exclaimed, checking the nonexistent watch on her wrist. “I guess it’s about time to turn in, huh?”
A gentle blush or bashful grin was one thing, but right now she was truly flustered. Did that mean Juliana wasn’t the only one who had felt so overwhelmed just moments ago?
“Yeah, I’m seepy,” the brunette said through a yawn. “My offer still stands by the way. I really don’t mind taking the floor if you want the bed.”
“No way, mi amiga!” Nemona was already beginning to put down her bedroll. “You’re already letting me stay here. I’m not about to kick you out of your own bed.”
“Whatever you say…”
Having acquiesced to Nemona’s stubborn selflessness, Juliana was curled up in her familiar bed. On the floor directly beside her was the Tauros-headed girl in question, lying on the bedroll she used when camping across Paldea. In the darkened dorm room, the only sound was the gentle hum of the air conditioner.
“Hey Jules, you awake?” A whisper broke through the silence.
Juliana was absolutely awake. Restlessly sorting through her thoughts and trying to make sense of the awkward exchange earlier that evening, sleep seemed impossible. “Mhm. What’s up?” She responded.
After a brief silence, the whispered voice continued, “That person you have a crush on… What are they like?”
“Clueless,” Juliana whispered back without thinking, “And the biggest dork I have ever met in my life. But sometimes cool and charming. And super sweet, ambitious, earnest to a fault, crazy smart, and really, really cute. And she— this person will probably never feel the same way about me. And I’ll probably never tell them how I feel either. I’m too much of a coward.”
“Hey, that’s not true. You’re like the bravest person I know. The way you’ve been taking on the gyms, even though you hadn’t even battled once before coming to Paldea. You are not a coward, Jules.”
“It’s just… I’m afraid that if I confess my feelings, I’ll just end up screwing up the way things are now. And I really don’t wanna lose what we have just because I was selfish and decided that it wasn’t enough.” Another silence fell over the room. Maybe Juliana had said too much. One she started, she couldn’t stop, and now she had made things awkward. “I’m sor—”
“Look. I don’t know anything about love, or whatever,” the other girl spoke again, “But, if you saw a shiny Pokémon, you’d wanna catch it, right?”
“Uhhh…”
“Say you were out around Poco Path. And you saw, I dunno, a Pawmi. And it was shiny! I’ve never even seen a shiny Pokémon in the wild. You could just hide in the bushes, try not to scare it, just sit and admire it. Eventually, it would scurry off, but you’d be happy to have even seen it at all, right?”
Juliana wasn’t entirely sure where Nemona was going with this, but she could hear the excitement in her voice as she talked about Pokémon, even if it was just for the sake of a metaphor.
This excitement took on a slightly more serious tone as she continued, “But, and I don’t know about you, I’d pull out a Pokéball and let that sucker rip. Maybe I’d catch it, or maybe it would run away and I’d never see it again. But at least I tried, right? Or something like that.”
That was a mostly expected perspective from the fearless, ever driven Champion Nemona. She always went into things full tilt, regardless of what the outcome might be. That was one more thing Juliana loved about her. But maybe things really were that simple. Laying in her twin bed in the dorm room she was sharing with her best friend, Juliana thought it over. Just let that sucker rip, huh?
“Say, Nem…” She began after another brief stretch of silence, “This person that I like… might be you.”
With the utterance of that final word, Juliana felt a slight sense of panic. She had just let these words slip out, like when she was little and accidentally let the ribbon of a balloon slip through her fingers. In the mere moment it took for her to realize her mistake, the balloon had already floated far too high for her to reach. It just kept floating higher and higher. The balloon was lost forever, and there was nothing she could ever do to take back these words now that she had said them. There was something terrifying about that. But there was also something comforting in knowing that it was out of her hands now. All she could do was swallow hard and wait for Nemona’s response.
Juliana waited for a response, but was met with only silence. “…Nem?” she nervously whispered. Still, silence was the only reply. No. Not just silence. She listened more closely and, through the air conditioner’s whir, she could make out a faint snoring. Unsure whether to laugh or cry, Juliana decided it was best to just try to sleep. There was always the morning.