Chapter Text
The first time Juliana laid eyes upon Nemona, she had Growlithe at her feet and was desperately trying to keep the three Pokemon Director Clavell had briefly entrusted to her from destroying the yard of the fancy house.
She had just managed to grab the Fuecoco to prevent him from burning anything larger than an orange, when the tall, tanned girl emerged from the house, her dark hair in a ponytail with swoops of green in front of her face.
The girl walked out alongside the proper Director Clavell, and immediately brightened at the sight of Juliana and the Pokemon she was wrangling.
“Are you these four’s trainer?” she asked excitedly, all up in Juliana’s face. Her eyes had an amber hue, glowing with intrigue.
It took a moment for Juliana to find her voice. It was considerably quieter than the girl’s. “Uh, no. Growlithe- Blindside, is my partner, the other three-“
The girl crouched down to inspect the canine-like Pokemon, interrupting Juliana. “That’s a Growlithe? I’ve never seen one like that before. It’s darker all around, it’s mane covering its eyes, rougher fur…is it a regional variant perhaps? Does it have different typing? Oh, he’s so cute…” She scratched Growlithe under his chin.
The girl’s momentary silence allowed Juliana to respond. “There’s other Growlithe variants? We just brought Blindside from Sinnoh, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s a fire and rock type…”
The girl looked up at her. “Fire rock? The four times water and ground weakness isn’t ideal, but imagine the offensive possibilities! And wait, you’re from Sinnoh? Buenas, you’re just enrolling at Uva, so you just moved here, didn’t you?”
Juliana nodded. “Yeah, just down the path.”
“The house down Cabo Poco? Oh my gosh, I’ve been dying to know more about our new neighbors! Welcome to Paldea! I’m Nemona, and you are?”
Juliana’s side braid smacked against her face as she rapidly looked up to answer the question. “Juliana. And, thank you-“
Director Clavell coughed. “Pleasant introductions, I see. Miss Nemona, I expect you to guide Miss Juliana through her academy experience and provide help if she needs it. Now, Miss Juliana, you’ve spent some time interacting with these three Pokemon, and now you have the chance to choose one to accompany you. They’re all battle bred, and extremely affectionate. I expect you to form a strong bond with the partner you choose. Now, go on.”
Juliana observed the three Pokemon before her, listening as Director Clavell distinguished them. Quaxly was a pompous water type, a big poof of blue feathers on his head with a constantly chattering beak. Fuecoco was a fire type, looking up at Juliana with beady eyes and a slightly open jaw to show his singular tooth. Sprigatito was a green feline, grooming herself and giving off a calming aura.
Juliana felt drawn to the last. She reached down to pick up the Sprigatito, smiling as she looked at her with huge, pink eyes. “We’re going to be good friends,” she whispered.
Sprigatito meowed in response, touching her nose to Juliana’s, causing Juliana to laugh.
Nemona turned. “Director Clavell?”
“Yes, Miss Nemona?” Clavell responded?
“I know I’m already a champion, but can I choose a Pokemon so I can help Juliana and train it alongside her? Please?”
“Hm. You’ve already gotten a Pokemon from the academy, but I like how you’re so eager to help Miss Juliana. I’ll allow it.”
Nemona turned to Quaxly, grinning down at him. “You wanna come with me, bud?”
Quaxly jumped, quacking happily. He waved his tiny wings up and down, as if attempting to battle.
Nemona looked back to Juliana, fire in her eyes. “Now, let’s have a fruitful battle!”
______
At Juliana’s command, Sprigatito hit the last Leafage at Quaxly, spitting leaves from her ruff to cause him to collapse. With the type advantage, the battle shouldn’t have been too hard, but Juliana’s lack of experience made it so. Even then, she had done her best to guide her Pokemon through, and she succeeded.
Juliana let out a sigh of relief and joy, gratefully letting the ocean wind run over her. Her and Nemona had battled on Nemona’s private battle court down from her house on the beach, where Wingulls and Wattrels had taken over the sky.
Gently holding the fainted yet otherwise uninjured Quaxly, Nemona ran up to her. “That was awesome!” she exclaimed. “And you said you don’t have much battling experience? You have potential! Now, I want to try a different strategy—“
Director Clavell seemed to have appeared behind her, and cleared his throat. “Miss Nemona. Though I agree that was an impressive battle, I do believe it is time for you to head to the academy so you can make it to your classes on time, as it’s quite a hike from here.”
Nemona jerked her head around, startled out of her ramble by Clavell. “Oh, yes Director. I’ll lead Juliana to the academy. She’s in good hands with me!” With that, she returned Quaxly to his Pokeball, and ran off, clearly expecting Juliana to follow.
With no other option in sight, Juliana hurried after her. Little did she know, the previous was the first of many, many battles with Nemona.
______
Not knowing many others at the Uva Academy, Juliana was grateful to know that she was put in the same homeroom class as Nemona. And so, the two quickly grew closer.
Around Nemona and her enthusiasm, Juliana’s innate curiosity for Pokemon battling grew. It came to a point where every day, after classes, the girls would head to Nemona’s dorm room and sit thigh-to-thigh at the foot of her bed as Nemona explained the workings of battles with fiery passion. Their partners would lounge around the room, as the world shrunk to their common interest of Pokemon battling.
“Grass, water, fire is an easy type triangle to memorize- I’ve explained type triangles to you, right?”
Juliana nodded, recalling that a type triangle was three types whose effectiveness against eachother was rigid, and therefore, a triangle.
“So your Sprigatito has an advantage over Quaxly because of her type advantage, right? But not only that. Sprigatito is so much faster than Quaxly. With speed, she’s going to be more frail, but is gonna be much more likely to get more hits in and avoid others. And so, you’re going to want to train her as a glass canon-“
Juliana ended up tuning out the rest as she zoned out staring at her friends' warm, glowing amber eyes.
______
Days and nights went by in a blur, until the students of Uva Academy were released for the yearly Treasure Hunt. They were expected to go out into the land of Paldea, and as the name suggests, find their treasure, literally or metaphorically.
Juliana found Nemona and her new friend Arven arguing at the school gate. Well, Arven was arguing. Nemona was having a pleasant conversation.
Juliana approached the two, Miraidon, the Pokemon Arven had given her at the beginning of the school year, at her side. Miraidon, in its non-battling form, was mostly metallic purple. It walked on all fours, but brought out its electrified wheels when increasing speed. Despite its robotic appearance, Juliana found it incredibly cute.
“She has so much potential as a trainer! The gym challenge would be great for her!” Nemona was saying as she walked up.
“But she won’t have time for the gym challenge if she’s helping me hunt the Titans, It’s- really important, you wouldn’t understand.” Arven finished the sentence with a choke in his voice.
Juliana, approaching, immediately deciphered what the exchange was about. In the previous weeks, both have told her about possibilities to dedicate her treasure hunt to. Nemona wanted her to take the gym challenge- the task of defeating eight gym leaders across Paldea to get the chance to challenge the Elite Four, and then, the Champion. Arven had told her about five titan- very large Pokemon that guarded “herba mystica”- plants with healing properties - that he wanted to study. She would come into play by helping him defeat the Titans. And she hadn’t told anyone yet, but a mysterious figure named “Cassiopeia” had hacked her phone to urge her to participate in “Operation Starfall”- a plan that involved defeating five bosses of Team Star bases to bring down the organization. She still didn’t know what it was truly about, but she was offered money.
Arven, his messy, layered blond hair as always covering one of his pale blue eyes, shouted out to Juliana upon seeing her. “You’re helping me with the Titans, right?”
Juliana laid a hand upon Miraidon’s neck, seeming to search for permission from the Pokemon for what she was about to say. “Yeah. Actually, I was planning to do that and the gym challenge.”
Arven only stared at her in stunned silence.
Juliana laughed. “What use am I going to be defeating the Titans if I don’t get any stronger? The gym challenge will help me. Nemona, you’ll help me train, right?”
Nemona smiled brightly, clearly excited for her. “En serio? Of course I will! Cortondo has a great battle court, and is also where the Bug gym is, meet me there, okay?” Her joy was truly contagious, and her eyes sparkled as she let Pawmi out of his Pokeball and took out her Rotom Phone to show him the route they would take.
Holy Arceus, she’s so sweet, Juliana couldn’t help but think.
Not wanting her heart to pound any louder, Juliana climbed onto Miraidon and sped away into the world of Paldea.
______
Arven was walking Juliana to Cascaraffa to take on her fourth gym, soon after they had narrowly defeated the Quaking Earth Titan. The two were coughing up dust, covered in dirt. Juliana was about to comment on how tough the battle was, but was silenced by the feeling of her guts being squeezed and her feet being lifted off the floor.
Juliana was speechless for a moment, before finding her voice. “Oh, hey Nemona.” She let her arms rest comfortably on Nemona’s shoulders.
Nemona was beaming, taking her for a quick, dizzying spin in her arms. “Juli, Fourth gym already? Do you know how talented you are? You might need a warmup before you challenge Kofu…let’s battle, right now.”
Juli? That’s a new one.
“Might be easier to battle if you…put me down.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.” Nemona quickly set her back on her feet, scratching the back of her neck in slight embarrassment. “Meet you at the battle court! Oh, I am not holding back!” With that, she ran off in her typical Nemona fashion.
Juliana couldn’t help but grin at the sight, squeezing Meowscarada’s Pokeball in anticipation. After a moment, she glanced towards Arven, who was smirking at her.
“Oh, shut up,” she said.
He took a mock offense. “I didn’t even say anything. But you might want to get to that battle.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. I’ll call you when I’m free to head to the next Titan. Seeya.”
______
Nemona hadn’t lied, she wasn’t holding back. On the opposite end of the battle court, Juliana’s mind was running as quick as Mudsdale, thinking of a possible way to victory. Nemona had worn her down to only her Floragato, who she had dubbed as Clovers, who was struggling. She had already used her Tera Orb on Tinkaton, and when she fainted to Quaxwell, the crystals had beautifully shattered from her form as he retreated to his Pokeball.
Currently, Juliana decided the easiest way to win was to play evasion.
As Nemona shouted “Water Gun!” Juliana yelled “Dodge to the right, try to get a Trailblaze in!”
The ground under Floragato’s paws glowed green as she ran, leaving echoes of flowers behind her. Surrounded in the grassy aura, she tackled Quaxwell, sending him flying back.
Nemona, fiercely concentrated, could see that this would only give her Pokemon an advantage. “Acrobatics, now!” she commanded, throwing out an arm to emphasize it.
Quaxwell used the height he had gained to do several impressive, graceful tricks in the air, until he had gained enough momentum falling to crash down hard onto Floragato.
It happened so quickly, Juliana could barely process what was happening, and scrambled to guide Floragato through. “CLOVERS, QUICK ATTA-“
She was too late. Quaxwell plummeted into Floragato, causing her to roll back, tufts of slightly damaged fur all around her. She meowed loudly as she pushed out her claws and grabbed at the battle arena floor to stop herself from tumbling further. Juliana ran to help her up, but paused when she had already jumped to her feet. And that was when she began to glow.
A thin, shimmering aura of rainbow appeared around Floragato as her form glowed blindingly bright. Juliana shielded her eyes from the light, and when she removed her arm, she saw an entirely different Pokemon standing before her.
She pulled her Rotom phone from her pocket to identify it. The robotic voice told her: Meowscarada. The Magician Pokemon. With skillful misdirection, it rigs foes with pollen packed flower bombs. Meowscarada sets off the bombs before its foes realize what’s going on.
Floragato, no, Meowscarada, had grown taller, earned a dark green mask over her face, had the semblance of a double-cape extruding from her back, and a flower bomb floating above her shoulder. Juliana found it hard to take her eyes off her newly evolved partner. Meowscarada was so incredibly captivating, wanting and succeeding in stealing the show.
Suddenly, the battle court was cloaked in darkness. An invisible spotlight flicked on above Meowscarada, bathing her in luminosity. With a smirk, and lack of direction from Juliana, she strolled intently forward, throwing an arm out. A flower bomb appeared above Quaxwell’s head, exploding his terastal energy everywhere. Shards of crystal disintegrated throughout the battle court, as he fell and retreated to his Pokeball. Against all odds, Juliana and Meowscarada had won.
With the world’s biggest smile on her face, Juliana sprinted down and wrapped her arms tightly around Meowscarada. Her Pokemon was now tall enough to hug like a regular human, yet simply looked confused by the action. Still, the corners of Meowscarada’s mouth perked up looking at Juliana’s smile.
Juliana took Meowscarada’s paw, and stroked the toe beans like she did when Meowscarada was only a little Sprigatito. “Clovers. We’re going to get so much stronger. Together.”
______
Across the battle court, Nemona lovingly held Quaxwell’s Pokeball, internally channeling her gratitude towards the Pokemon into it. After a moment, she looked up to see Juliana hugging her newly evolved Pokemon, nothing but joy and warmth emanating from her face. Oh, the way her lips quirked. She looked so proud of her partner, so joyful, ready to take on the world with a smile.
There were two reasons Nemona enjoyed her battles with Juliana so much more than anyone else. The first, of course, was that Juliana was a worthy opponent. She didn’t realize it, but she was a truly strong trainer, and unlike with most people, when their teams were equal in terms of power, Nemona actually found their battles challenging.
The second reason was Juliana’s smile.
Juliana smiled wide during the climax of a battle, pumping up her Pokemon. She smiled when she won, when she lost. The girl was shy, but her smile was not. She smiled when taking her Tera Orb up to the sky, unlike most, showing no fear of the energy she was harnessing.
Her smile could light up Paldea, and Nemona loved to see it.
______
Sweat running down her face from an invigorating Champion battle, Juliana, alongside Geeta and Meowscarada, stepped out of the Pokemon League building into the moonlight.
She had won. At an extremely young age, Juliana had reached Champion rank. She and her team had reached the top, they could take on any trainer, the world was theirs to explore. She’d done it.
At the sound of a familiar voice, Juliana turned her head. Her friend was running up the hill, waving her hand above her head with an expression of pure glee on her face.
“Juli! Juli!”
Nemona ran up to her and hugged her tightly, but Juliana’s lack of anticipation for the strong gesture caused them both to tumble backwards.
Juliana fell onto her bottom, Nemona’s arms still around her shoulders. Geeta and Meowscarada just stared. Nymble chirped in the night, arising the awkwardness of the moment. Despite feeling heat rising to her face, Juliana laughed. Loudly. And so did Nemona. They could laugh these things off, even as the stars watched.
After a moment, Nemona pulled herself up, lending a brown hand to Juliana. She took it, savoring the quick but pleasant warmth on her own palm.
Nemona was the first to speak. “Oh man, I can tell just by looking at you! You did it, didn’t you?”
Juliana tilted her head, teasing with a smirk. “I did what?”
“You became a Champion! Oh, I’ve known all along, La Primera notified me the moment you cleared the Elite Test! Oh my-“
“I know, I’m excited too,” Juliana chuckled.
“But, Juli, I’m a Champion! And now you’re a Champion! Which means we’re true equals, both Champion Ranked trainers! Oh, Juli, this is amazing! Now, I have one more thing to say..”
“And that is?”
Nemona placed her hands on Juliana’s shoulders.“Let’s be best rivals for life! Please? Pleeaaase?”
Juliana was pretty sure she was blushing now. Equals? Rivals? For life? Forever?
It sounded like an incredible way to elevate their friendship. They would only push each other to get stronger, battle for their own and each other's benefit. Having watched enough Unovan movies, Juliana knew that having a rivalry was incredibly beautiful.
She finally responded, yet could only pull three words from the back of her throat. “I’d be honored.”
Nemona grinned like a kid at an amusement park. Even in the dim light, her amber eyes glittered. She took Juliana’s hands, hopping on the balls of her feet. “Then all that’s left, now that we’re equals, is to have a battle! C’mon!”
______
With Meowscarada following, Nemona dragged Juliana all the way down the hill through the tunnel to Mesagoza. They wove between the crowd, finally making their way to the middle of the city. With the battle court empty, the two claimed it, checking Pokeballs and supplies in preparation for battle.
Though it was getting late, the city was bustling with activity like it always was on weeknights, and it wasn’t long before locals and tourists alike noticed the two trainers donning Champion badges pulling out their Pokeballs.
Nemona was as wired as a Rotom, and if she was honest with herself, Juliana was too. She took a glance at her surroundings. She recognized classmates, some of her teachers, and even caught Geeta’s eye.
The Top Champion wanted to see this battle.
Besides acquaintances, there seemed to be dozens of locals ready to cheer, as well as tourists pulling out their phones to record.
Nemona spoke loudly over all the surrounding chatter. “You ready for a battle between Champions? ‘Cause all these folks here seem ready to watch. Word got around, I guess!”
Juliana did the same, and this shouted pre-battle conversation seemed to quiet the audience. “It’s not everyday that two of the top Trainers in Paldea decide to battle.”
“And out of every single person gathered here…I’m the most excited by a mile! The stage is set, it’s my all-out power, versus your strength in full fruition! Let’s see who comes out on top!”
“Don’t you dare hold back!”
They each planted a kiss on the Pokeball they were holding, then sent out their leads.
The crowd cheered.
______
Mechanically, the battle ended almost exactly the same as their very first.
But the differences made it all the better.
At Juliana’s command, Meowscarada hit the last Flower Trick on Quavaval, the tiny flower bomb causing the Tera crystals around him to explode and fly in all directions, though causing no harm.
The battle had come down to a one versus one, both Pokemon terastalized and low on health from earlier pivoting. But against all odds, Juliana had managed to guide Meowscarada through to victory.
Nemona buried her face in her elbow as if she was hiding tears. The crowd fell silent.
A small jolt of panic ran through Juliana. Is she crying? Did I do something wrong?
Nemona's voice sounded ever so slightly choked. “You…”
Juliana began to step forward. “Nemona…”
“You…YOU DID IT!” She revealed her blindingly enthusiastic face, sprinting over to crush Juliana in a hug. It felt like forever until she let go, settling for holding Juliana’s hands. “This is legit incredible, Juli, you’re the strongest out there, you knocked me flat, and I was giving you absolutely everything I had!”
“Well, I-“
“No, you’re amazing, Juli! Like, actually. Oh, Pokemon Battling, it’s so much more incredible…more fun than I ever knew. You beat me for real this time!”
Juliana finally let herself smile. “You battled really, really well too. You don’t know how much I struggled, I-“
“Rematch me soon!”, Nemona interrupted, “Promise?”
Juliana nodded. “Promise.”
______
They were alive because of Miraidon.
Before sending itself to the future to disable the Time Machine and save Paldea’s ecosystem, the AI Professor Turo had first battled Juliana with a team of futuristic Pokemon. It was a tough fight, but she scoped out their weaknesses and helped her team win.
Even so, she’d never battled like that before. The AI’s Pokemon weren’t only going for her Pokemon, they were attempting to attack her. It was horrifying, and the dread in her system still remained. When Clodsire was fighting, Meowscarada had broken out of her Pokeball to take a hit directed towards Juliana. It could’ve killed her.
When she’d won, her friends- Nemona, Arven, and Penny, had just run in, and they thought it was over.
That was when the AI’s programming had forced the Paradise Protection Protocol to activate- locking them in, and locking all Pokeballs not registered to Turo’s ID. The danger was created when the AI Professor released the other, larger, stronger Miraidon, its fiery eyes trained on the intruders.
On a whim, Juliana released her Miraidon from its Pokeball, knowing that it had once belonged to the professor. With the power of survival instincts, Terastilization, and cheers from her friends, Miraidon, finally in its battle form, had pulled through, and saved them all.
Now, the beautiful creature, crackling with electricity, levitated down to the floor. Everyone was understandably shaken from the experience, and Arven was still processing the fact that his dad had been dead for years and his AI replacement had just traveled to the future.
Still, Juliana was aware that her precious partner had just gone through a lot too, defeating its stronger, malicious counterpart. She dropped to her knees and hugged Miraidon around its neck, letting out silent tears for her own fright.
Nemona wrapped her arms around Juliana’s shoulders.
“It’s all over,” Nemona whispered into her ear.