Chapter Text
It had been Drayton's idea.
Normally, that wouldn't be a good thing in anyone's opinion. But if there was one thing Drayton was good at, it was parties. So, for once, his ideas weren't a dreaded thought.
It was a get-together with the Student Council and the higher-ranking members of the League Club. A way to breach the tension, so the students could get to know each other better before working together for the next few weeks. Prom was apparently a very serious thing at Blueberry Academy.
"A way for students to take a break for a while and celebrate the end of the school year," was the way Director Cyrano had sold it to Juliana after she had asked about it.
Prom was allegedly common in Unovan schools. A way to celebrate the end of the school year. Naranja didn't have anything like it, except for the graduation fiestas, but those were exclusive to, well, the graduates.
Prom at Blueberry was something different from other schools (not that Juliana had any frame of reference whatsoever.) Blueberry Academy, being the battle focused school it was, featured a bracket-based battle challenge, where the finalist got to challenge the Elite Four and Champion without having to join the League Club. The winner was granted the title of "Prom Champion."
(In all in all, it sounded a lot like the Ace Academy Tournament, just with fancier clothes.)
It seemed like something to look forward to, especially after the League Club's... dissonance earlier in the year.
Juliana didn't mind working with the Student Council for the event, nor did she mind the idea of an icebreaker to get both groups together.
But Juliana had always hated parties.
It was held in the Coastal Biome, along the beach. An extra table set up for snacks and drinks and a few towels thrown on the ground to sit on.
It wasn't bad, people were talking, not hating each other, and Amarys, for all her general inexpressiveness, seemed to be having a pretty good time watching her two responsibilities mix.
But there were too many people.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The party had originally been set up for the Elite Four and the Student Council alone, but other students heard, and saw, and asked. And now suddenly, the entire school is on the small beach in the Coastal Biome, chatting and playing, and a few even having mock battles for practice.
It's loud. And bright. And Juliana feels overdressed because there is no way in Distortion she was going to wear a swimsuit.
So, she sits on a small island not too far off from the shore, holding an embroidery hoop in her hand, and cursing herself for losing the needle in her bag.
She shouldn't be here, far away from the event planned specifically for her and the rest of the League Club. Amarys and Lacey had given her the go ahead to sit back and let them handle things (because Drayton would never do anything related to work, even as the technical "second-in-command.") But Juliana still feels terrible anyway, because Amarys is here as Student Council President and shouldn't have to worry about League Club duties, and Lacey's been handling the League Club paperwork since Drayton had first become Champion. And she's left them alone because she can't handle noise and people.
(The noise and the people weren’t the worst of it, she could’ve braved through it if necessary. But she was overwhelmed by the way people look at her with raised eyebrows and head tilts, and it was easier to claim overstimulation than to say, "people keep asking me why I'm not wearing a swimsuit, and I don't feel like talking about my body insecurities right now.")
So, she sat on her island, wearing her school uniform, holding a half-finished piece in her hand, and watching as her Quaquaval happily swam around.
What a wonderful "Two-Time Champion" she is.
Her Dachsbun sat next to her, occasionally digging in the sand or nudging against her leg to get her attention. Juliana would oblige, petting the dog Pokémon while staring at the ground.
She looked back to shore for a while, watching the other students splashing around and talking on the beach. She'd have to go back eventually. She still had the rest of the Student Council to talk to. To discuss with. But there's still too many people, too many questions she doesn't want to answer. So, she'll stay on her island, until the crowds die down.
Juliana puts her hoop back in her bag. There's no reason to stare at it when she can't even work on it. Instead, she traces shapes in the sand, feeling the grains settle in her school glove and already irritating her skin. How fun.
The synthesized sun sinks lower, starting to set over the... horizon? edge of the dome? She doesn't know, she doesn't want to think about it too much. The party is still going, and for some reason, more students are coming instead of less.
Just her luck.
She looks back at her shapes in the ground and wipes them away for a clean slate. Dachsbun starts barking, and nudging her side, not giving Juliana the time to start on her next less-than-mediocre art project. She looks up, a slight shadow over the rest of the water as a Dragonite lands a few feet away.
There's only two people in Blueberry with a Dragonite, and she'd really rather it not be the first option.
Luckily, Kieran slips off the back of his Dragonite with a small "oof," stumbling a bit in the sand. He dusts himself off as Dachsbun goes running up to him, sniffing his shoes and eventually jumping up onto his leg.
Juliana whistles, calling her Pokémon back over. She loves Soda, but the Dachsbun is on the heavier side for the breed (she'd take full responsibility for it, if she was guilty) and she doesn't want Kieran to fall over into the sand.
The Pokémon, however, doesn't move. She stays perched on Kieran's leg, barking and begging for attention from someone other than her trainer. Juliana was about to whistle again, only to be stopped by the sight of Kieran reaching down and petting Soda's head. She heard small, almost inaudible comments slip past his lips, but the more she listened, the less sure she was that Kieran was even speaking Galarian.
Still, it was a cute sight and tugged on her heart in ways that she wasn't quite ready to admit yet.
Juliana whistled again, and the Dachsbun reluctantly got down, kicking up sand as she padded closer to her. Juliana sighed, and patted Soda's head as she sat, resting right next to her.
"Um..." Kieran begins, he's scratching the back of his head, his Dragonite already digging around in the sand to make itself a nest. "It got real loud, so I asked Lacey 'f I could go, 'n she said you were over here to get away from all the noise, too. So, um..." He's smiling his best awkward smile, and Juliana pats the place in the sand next to her.
(She's proud of him. A month ago, he would've apologized for intruding and offered to leave immediately. Maybe he's thinking it, she doesn't know. But she's glad he's starting to understand that he's wanted.)
Kieran's face lights up, his smile much more genuine than before. He plops down into the sand next to her, reaching his hand out to pet Soda again.
Juliana looks at him, still wearing his League Champion tank top and jacket, the same thing he wears every other day. It makes her feel a little better.
"I... wasn't expectin' so many people, y'know? I thought it would just be the seven 'f us 'n the Student Council.... Got too loud 'n colorful too fast, started gettin' a headache." He laughs a little, trying to break the silence just a bit. Juliana nods, staring out over the water again.
The sun sinks lower, and eventually darkness falls over the simulated walls. The beach is still lit up with games and people and food. A few people head out, but there's still too many to think about heading back now.
"Julie? Do... you wanna do anythin'?" Kieran asks, and Juliana shrugs, grabbing her Rotom phone from her bag.
"We can just talk. Zzt!" She didn't feel like swimming, or eating, or doing anything else really. But talking with Kieran was always good.
"Ah... I was hopin' I could practice some sign, but I guess it's too dark for that, huh?"
Juliana nods. She signs in the dark all the time, really. But most of the people she signs to know the language well. Kieran is just starting out, and as much as she appreciates his willingness to learn, she doesn't want to burden him with it.
There's silence again for a while, but it isn't as awkward as it could've been. It's nice. But Juliana had suggested they talk, so talk she would. (As best as she could, anyway.)
"Were you having fun before everyone else showed up? Zzt." She wants to know if it was just the noise, just the loud, or if maybe, Kieran hated parties as much as she did.
"I guess so? I dunno. Sis made it seem like this whole big 'mportant thing. She even went shopping 'n everything. But I thought it was just meetin' people, y'know? So, I didn't expect a lot." He laughs a little, although it sounds more awkward than genuine.
"Carmine went shopping for a get-together?" Juliana tries to change the topic, Kieran probably didn't like parties either, from the way he talked about it, and Carmine is always a good topic to get him distracted. Going shopping for an ice-breaker event seemed like a bit too much, but then again, Juliana isn't exactly one to go shopping for anything except sandwich supplies and berries.
Kieran laughs again, more bubbly, full of more life. "Yeah, she said 'cause it was a beach party, she needed a swimsuit. So, she forced me to go shoppin' with her. She spent like, half an hour tryin' to find one. I thought it was kinda stupid 'cause we can't swim, but Sis kept sayin' it was all 'bout "lookin' the best" or whatever. She made me get a pair of swim trunks for whatever reason. I didn't wear 'em though, it felt weird goin' out 'n just those when I can't even swim." He rambled.
Juliana liked it when he rambled. When he talked without fear of what to say or who he's saying it to. She liked it when he just... talked, like she was someone who could talk back just as easily.
(She was still getting used to that, functioning conversations outside of those with her family. Still getting used to people talking to her and not at her. It was a nice change. But it was taking some time.)
"Yeah, zzt, I don't like bathing suits much either." She didn't elaborate, and Kieran didn't ask her to, which she was thankful for. She paused for a moment, the awkward silence of Kieran clearly not knowing what to say next, and Juliana's own lack of social skills weighing slightly.
"Wait, you can't swim?" She had only just registered that part of the conversation. Swimming was kind of a given in Galar, beaches surrounded the whole island, and even if she didn't leave Ballonlea much, she still went to Hulbury at least once each summer.
"Oh, yeah. There's not really many places to swim in Kitakami. Well, I mean, there are. Technically. But the rivers are too shallow, 'n the Crystal Pool is sacred. But Wisteria Pond 'n Fellhorn Gorge could've been good places to swim, I guess. I dunno, but Carmine 'n I never really learned." That beautiful rambling again. Juliana wished he did it more often.
But he looked worried, glancing at her every few seconds as if to double check that his ramblings were okay. Or that he wouldn't make fun of her.
"I guess if you never had a need, there's no real reason to. Zzt!" She says.
The conversation peters out, the silence covering them once again.
"Do you want to learn?" It's probably not the best question to ask. It's dark. The water in the Coastal Biome is supposed to simulate the ocean, rather than calm swimming pools or natural lakes. But Juliana asks it anyway, because she'd do anything to spend just a little bit more time with him.
(She knew she was bad. But she didn't think it was this bad.)
Kieran's eyes light up, and Juliana's heart clenches in her chest because he looks so happy and all she did was offer him a chance to learn to swim.
"You would teach me?!" He sounds so excited. Juliana can't say no now. Not when that look and that voice have such a strong grip on her very being.
She nods, lightly nudging Soda off her lap, and letting the Dachsbun settle back into the sand to dig. She sets her stuff down by one of the palm trees. Her backpack, her shoes and socks, and her uniform tie. Kieran follows her, placing his own stuff next to hers.
She walks over to the edge of the island, letting the small waves lap at her toes. She lets out another whistle, and soon enough, her Quaquaval's head pops out of the water with a "quack!"
Juliana steps into the water bit by bit, not minding as her uniform starts to get wet. Eventually, she's waist deep in the ocean, her Quaquaval treading water right in front of her. She left her phone by the tree, and it's still too dark for any other form of written communication, so Juliana returns to the basics of charades. She dunks her head underwater, staying there for a moment before reaching out. Her starter is by her side in seconds, scooping her out of the water and awkwardly holding her head above the waves. She gives Kieran a thumbs up as he stays standing on the shore, but he eventually nods.
"So... Crackers is the lifeguard?" he asks, hesitant.
Juliana gives two thumbs up, patting her Pokémon’s shoulder to signal for him to put her down. She wades back to the island and grabs Kieran's hand, leading him into the sea.
(It's a fluttery feeling. Her body is so cold from the water, but his hand is so warm in her own. Arceus above, she's utterly hopeless.)
Juliana does her best to teach him, and to keep him close to the shore, just in case. Kieran's a fast learner, and they barely spend any time with actual lessons. Soon enough, they're racing to lap around the island, or to see who can swim to the main shore and back the fastest. It's the most fun Juliana's ever had at a party.
Eventually, the fold up tables on the beach have been packed away, and the lights are put out. They don't really notice. Their clothes are soaked, they're splashing each other in the face and laughing, and everything is okay.
Maybe it wasn't that bad of a party after all.