#specially julinemo's

[provecfy]

This was once an idea for a one-shot but I don't know how to properly walk the line between platonic and romantic I'm going for, so I will just post the headcanon here

I think Juliana and Nemona trade a lot

But I mean like, a lot lot.

I think their definition of rivals doesn't just mean to grow alongside each other but also together. To compete as much as collaborate. Like, I don't know how to properly put it into words but the fact that they are becoming stronger with each other is as much a point as the competition and the growth themselves.

So the logical conclusion is that they trade pokemon. Not just for competitive strategy or even as a reminder of each other, but as a promise.

In trading they are saying: "train this pokemon alongside your team, so that a part of me always grows strong with you and I am always there to make you stronger".

Of course, there are certain pokemon they are too attached to trade (Koraidon, Pawmot, their starters), but eventually their teams become almost interchangable. Maybe with some team members they even forget which pokemon belonged to who originally if they don't see the original trainer ID. The other's strenght is so integral to themselves they become indistinguishable from their own identity.

There is a kind of comfort and also a kind of closeness in the way they trade that feels like giving away a part of themselves but is also as natural as breathing, because it's the one person who will always carry that part with them.

[destiny-smasher]

JuliNemo Week - Day 4: Rest

The only thing I have to share for this event is an excerpt I've written from an unposted fic featuring Nemona and Scarlet Koito (PokeSpe manga) remixed into SV's game plot. I think it fits the theme well enough... Though my take on this ship is a little complicated... ^_^;;

Enjoy this excerpt/preview from Operation: Comet Punch!

-- (Author's note: the following scene is a flashback directly based on a scene from the book きみと雨上がりを ['After the Rain With You'] by Ayano Takeda, remixed for the purposes of this narrative.) --

The air was chilled by the falling rain, and Nemona's skin was clammy and damp. Her clothes were heavy, stuck to her skin—the added weight was making each step more difficult. Her waning strength was pitiable, and she was already out of breath after only a few minutes of wandering in the rainstorm, desperate to find her crestfallen friend... her crestfallen future Rival, she hoped.

The visage from earlier that afternoon of Scarlet's face when they'd lost to Larry... it was affixed to the back of Nemona's vision. Seeing Scarlet so shaken, so disappointed, so frustrated... That image was even heavier on Nemona than all of this Arcdamn rainfall. It had been the first time Nemona had seen Scarlet actually lose. And they'd been so pumped to get their fifth Gym Badge, too... Nemona, in truth, hadn't lost against any of the Gym Leaders in her rise to the top. She'd cared too much about looking cool to come to any of them unprepared. Maaybe-... Maybe this was her fault? Maybe she'd pushed Scarlet too quickly, made the Gym Challenge too pressing, rushed them to complete it... Nemona knew she could be a little reckless sometimes... Maybe her advice, her eagerness, was instilling a hasty nature in Scarlet?

And now, Scarlet wasn't answering Nemona's calls, wasn't texting back... even though they'd said they would after they'd fought Larry. It made Nemona's stomach sick—a real possibility with how cold she was in this rain. Stupid, stupid... forgetting an umbrella on a trip across Paldea. But Nemona didn't think ahead if it wasn't a Pokemon battle; she only focused on the present. And right that moment, the very pressing, suffocating present was screaming at her like a flustered Noibat: 'Your friend is hurting, your friend is in pain, they need you, they're alone and cold and damp and probably really down on themself!'

So Nemona kept pushing on, despite her pounding heart, despite her aching feet, her burning thighs, her trembling hands, and the steadily crushing weight of the rain against her being... Her Pawmi had rounded a corner, meeting up with her after scanning a few blocks in the time it took her to cover one. She could tell the little guy was getting impatient and a bit confused by her gasping and whimpering in this rainfall. His ears were flopped downward, letting the rain roll off, and the tuft of fur on his head was soaked flat against his skull.

He made a concerned chittering noise as Nemona trudged to him, wiping rain out of her eyebrows. Her ponytail slapped against her back when she rolled to a stop, its water weight stretching at the skin on her scalp.

“Y-...You-... Oh, Arc...” She gasped, needing to take a second to catch her breath. Sniffing and wiping rain off her upper lip, she asked him between huffs, “You... see them... anywhere...?”

Her Pawmi shook his head, flinching when a heavy water drop plopped right onto his head. He shivered, and Nemona sighed. Poor guy had run practically the whole length of the town by now, he'd done his part and then some.

“H-Here...” she croaked, her breath still short as she pulled out Pawmi's pokeball. “Take a break, I'm... I'm sure I'll find her, Bud...” She wiped at her mouth with a groan, uttering out, “Thanks... for looking...”

Pawmi gaped at her with some concern. He could tell this situation was really getting to her. She lamented than she'd spent time brushing and tending to his fur just a half hour prior, only to have that work ruined by this storm. The same could be said for her own hair... But just because something got messed up over and over didn't mean you gave up on ever cleaning it. It was why you had to be vigilant in tending to things.

With Pawmi back safe in his pokeball, Nemona assessed her situation. Maybe... Scarlet had just left? But... they'd agreed to meet up for the fireworks that evening. So they had to still be around, right? They wouldn't just... ditch Nemona, would they? They were becoming best friends so quickly and everything, or so Nemona had thought... For the first time since she'd met Scarlet, Nemona found herself questioning if she was getting ahead of herself, fated to drive yet another potential friend away... It was an eerie and familiar fear that gripped at her heart, but she was eager to cast the doubt aside.

Nemona shook the feeling off for the time being and pressed on, advancing to the last few blocks of the town she presumed were unexplored. After a couple minutes of rain-drenched drudgery, she saw irregular movement out of the corner of her eye, coming from an alleyway. The spindly legs of a familiar Spidops were gesturing at her, sending her childhood born fight-or-flight response off... But she suppressed her instincts, as she often did when bug Pokemon appeared unexpectedly. The Spidops' other two legs were weaving at... some kind of net? Or-...?

Oh! It was Scarlet! Their Spidops was tending to a makeshift 'tarp' between two wall of the alleyway Scarlet was sitting at the edge of – an attempt to protect them from the rain. Scarlet was pitched against the alleyway wall, barely visible from outside due to the setting sun. They looked... asleep? With a book in their lap.

“Leh-... Letty!” Nemona coughed out, using the appointed nickname she'd given her weeks-old friend. She hustled to the alleyway and cautiously scooted herself beneath the cover Spidops was providing, making sure to not let it detect any semblance of fear from her. It seemed to recognize her presence despite her soaked state and welcomed her beneath its webbing, a bit of rainwater trickling off and nearly splashing into her.

“Letty,” Nemona pressed again, her voice a bit lowered as she knelt above her no-doubt disappointed companion. “Hey...”

“Mmrgh...” Scarlet moaned, coming to fairly quick. Their sunken, dull eyes stared up at Nemona like piercing daggers, rusted over by their loss that afternoon. “Nemona? The hell're you doing here...?”

“H-Hah, I could... I could ask you that!” Nemona chuckled nervously, suddenly self aware of her wet clothes stuck to her body, and her soaked bangs clinging to the side of her face. She probably looked extremely un-cool... Good thing Scarlet was the only Academy student around to see her like this.

“Damnit,” Scarlet sighed, closing the book in their lap and pulling their Rotomphone out of their pocket. “Must've conked out,” they grumbled with a “Tch,” shaking their head. “Missed call from you. Sorry 'bout that. Didn't miss the fireworks, though, right? Nah, 'nother half hour... What, uh-...” Now Scarlet was looking confused, having noticed the messy state their new 'Bestie' was in. “Somethin' happen?”

Nemona's brows raised as she blinked dumbly. Scarlet... actually seemed less fazed than Nemona had anticipated. Part of her was actually a little disappointed—she couldn't be a shoulder to cry on if... no one was crying, after all. She realized in that moment how weird it was that she'd been looking forward to being a shoulder to cry on...

“Wh-... I, uh...” Nemona untied her ponytail, and the cascade of dripping jet blackness slid down her shoulders and back. She flicked her head a little, shoving it all behind her shoulders. That was something you were supposed to do in a situation like this, right? All wet, hair down... You showed that off a bit, tried to make it look, like, 'attractive', or whatever, instead of lame. Yeah? That was totally what her Big Sister would've advised she do...

Scarlet didn't seem impressed by the gesture too much, though.

“You look like crap,” they cited flatly, reaching for their pack. “Heh, I feel like it, too,” Nemona eked out, unsure if the remark was teasing or discouraging... Scarlet pulled out a small towel and chucked it over without another word.

“Gosh, thanks,” Nemona cooed, a nervous giggle spilling out.

Scarlet had made a kind gesture! For her! A smooth act of kindness! Ahhh~!

Nemona tried to contain herself as she dried her hair off. Before she could think of what to say, Scarlet explained what had happened—though it wasn't new info to Nemona.

“Oh, erh... Tried my luck against that doofy Gym Leader.” Scarlet snorted a laugh. “Larry? Man. Just a... guy. Love it. Tch. Anyway-... ” They ran a hand over their forehead, brushing some stray raindrop-laden bangs off their skin. “Got my ass handed to me, so...” Letty fluttered their lips in a disparaging sigh, gazing downward.

“A-Actually, I saw,” Nemona revealed, her voice muffled a bit by towel. Shaking the tips of her ponytail off, she specified, “Isn't he great?” She recalled how Larry was actually a member of the Elite Four, on top of a Gym Leader, but didn't want to spoil the surprise. “He's, um... He's tougher than he looks,” she added cheekily, eyes squinting with a smirk.“I've got a sparring match with him tomorrow, jeje. You rolled up right after I'd sealed the deal, and so, well... I just had to spectate!”

“Ugh, you watched that match? Seriously?” Scarlet's gaze drifted sideways, flat and dull as usual as they hugged their knees. “Total shit show. Can't believe I lost...”

Nemona didn't know how to process Scarlet's phrasing. Swear words were so not her thing, too 'unbecoming' or whatever, like Big Sis would say.

Holding a rain-dampened towel in her hands, Nemona awkwardly offered, “I'll, um... get this washed, and return it to you!”

Scarlet's lower lip propped out as they shook their head indifferently, reaching an arm out for it.

“Nah, 's fine.” They took the towel back and shoved into into a wrinkled up grocery bag inside their pack, tying it up tight. As they stuffed the tome they'd been reading into the bag, as well, they asked, “So... Why're you here? Anyway?”

“W-Well, I saw how badly you lost,” Nemona spat out, instantly regretting her phrasing. ('Thank Palkia, they don't seem to mind...') Nemona began fiddling with her largest, green bang, its wet texture slick against her fingertip. “You, erh, looked pretty down on yourself when your left, and... and then you didn't return my call? So, I, umm...-”

“Thought I was upset, or somethin'?” Scarlet said, brow raised. “Tch. As if. Sure, got lil' pissed off when it happened, but, like... Enh.” They shrugged, glancing away from Nemona's intent staring. It made Nemona self conscious that she was looking too hard... Scarlet went on, “Just needed to cool off. Gotta get used to losing at some point, yeah? A loss is still a win, long as ya learn somethin'.” They looked back at Nemona, crossing their legs and crossing their arms. “Now? I've got info on what team he uses. I'll come prepared next time.” The pair of them shared a knowing smirk for a fleeting moment.

Nemona's heart soared at their conclusion. And they'd arrived at it all on their own! Yes, yes! This was exactly the kind of mentality she'd been looking for in a prospective Rival!

Clasping her hands together abreast, Nemona nodded, bobbing up and down once on her toes.

“Totally~! You so get it! Aw, man, just-... Yes. I could-! I could help, y'know? I'm fighting him tomorrow! Haven't had a match with him in like a year or so, but I could analyze his strategy when we battle, and-... and I could so put together a list of ideas to counter him. We could meet up for dinner, maybe? Go over my findings? Put together a plan of attack and stuff!” She pumped her fists. “Augh, Arceus, I'll make sure you destroy him the next time you battle!” She shadowboxed a little in her anticipation. “Like, just, wipe the floor with him!”

By the time Nemona let her over-excited ass come back up for air, she noticed Scarlet was staring, slack-jawed a bit, eyes narrow as ever. She couldn't tell if Scarlet was... interested in this plan, or not...

'Shoot! I'm doing it again, huh...?'

“Tomorrow?” Scarlet replied after a silence that made Nemona feel queasy. “'Mona, we're hanging out today. Met up yesterday, too, for ice cream and stuff? I got... things to do, y'know? Besides the Gym Challenge. Gotta make cash to pay my way n' stuff. Tomorrow, meetin' up with Arven. Gotta help him hunt down the next Titan Pokemon.”

“O-Oh, sure.” Nemona tapped at her cheek, gazing sideways as she made a sheepish offer, desperate to come off as casual. “Tsh, yeah, y'know, I wouldn't mind lending a hand, if you think-” “Nah, we're good. Got it handled.” Oof. Had been worth a shot, anyway...

“Hah. That's my Rival-In-The-Making, for ya.” Nemona swiped a hook at thin air. “Takin' on giant, crazed Pokemon like it's... no big deal.”

“It's kinda not. You'd think it would be, but... Engh,” Scarlet shrugged, trailing off. “And, erh. Between all this Gym training crap, it's... kinda nice to just... spend some time in nature. And whatever.”

“Oh, for sure! Paldea's got so much to offer, doesn't it?” Nemona pumped her elbows down to her hips, trying to keep the mood up.

“It-...” Scarlet blinked off to the side, then back to Nemona. “I mean. 'S got a lotta... hiking trails, I guess... Not even well kept ones, to be honest. With how much money rolls through some o' these towns, you'd think they could at least keep the damn roads functional...” At Scarlet's blunt critique, Nemona felt herself shrink a little bit. She supposed it was easier to see the flaws when you hadn't grown up here. Scarlet kept ranting, “Big surprise, there, not like I couldn't find miles of hiking trails where I came from... Tons of open space, sure, but... nothing much to do in Paldea, huh?” Nemona was feeling dragged down by Scarlet's mood, here, and opted to keep maintaining the optimistic approach.

“Wh-?! Sure, there is! You can battle to your heart's content, for a start!”

“Rrrright. Pick fights with strangers just moping around in the middle of nowhere? I'll pass. Mainly, though, just need to keep finding as much treasure as I can. Don't really care where it comes from. But the stronger my team is, the easier it'll be to find more. So. Yeah.” Scarlet bobbed their head sideways and pinched some water drops from the little tuft of bangs they had.

“Of course!” Nemona encouraged. “So you can graduate some day—fulfill the Treasure Hunt and everything?”

“Uh... Sure.” Something about the way they'd said it made Nemona suspect something else was up. When it came to the Treasure Hunt, they'd get real cagey, though Nemona couldn't figure out what kind of secret they had to hide about it. She knew better than to pry—she'd hate it if Letty was prying into her personal life, after all...

Nemona tried to push things onward, this was giving her such a bad vibe... She felt like something was off but was too scared to draw attention to it. It stung a little, knowing that Scarlet, brand new to Paldea, was already making all these friends and stuff, going off on trips and whatever? Meanwhile, Nemona was so wrapped up with keeping up her grades, maintaining her reputation, handling Student Council business, and training up her multiple teams... She just didn't have, like... people? Individual, specific people, that she wanted to spend time with?

Why and how did Scarlet become this exception to the rule? She just needed to keep spending time with them, regardless. That was all that mattered, really. She wouldn't bother putting much thought into it until she needed to. The excitement, the buzz, that was all she could focus on for now.

“What about the day after tomorrow?” Nemona offered. “To meet up and dish Larry strats. I mean.”

Scarlet's eyes did a weird, uncertain thing, looking at Nemona as if some unspoken rule had been broken somehow. Then Letty shrugged, glancing out at the dissipating rainstorm, not making eye contact.

“Uh, look, Nemona, I'm not sure how long this trek with Arven's gonna take, so... Why don't I just... call you?” They finally looked back with a small smirk. “When I'm ready to rethink Operation: Kick Larry's Normal Ass?”

Nemona burst out a giddy giggle. She loved Scarlet's little 'operation: etc.' bit. Sounded like they'd picked it up from this Cassiopeia person—who Nemona was still way suspicious of... She wished she could insert herself into that mess, help bring Team Star down, and make sure Scarlet didn't get in over their head... But, then again, their loss to Larry besides, Letty was holding their own super well, here, all things considered. Which, naturally, was all the more promising regarding their prospects as a future Rival. “Sounds, uh, sounds good!” Nemona complied, ready to re-tie her hair into a ponytail. Pumping her fists with resolution, she assured, “I'll write up a detailed plan for us to go over when you're ready!”

“Cool,” Scarlet said with a simple nod. Nice! Yes! Nemona was so looking forward to it. People never wanted to dish detailed plans or strats with her...! UGH, this was just the best. Oh, yeah, and the fireworks were about to happen soon! That was a total bonding moment opportunity!

“Can't wait,” Nemona put out there, unable to contain herself. Fluffing out her still drying hair, she wondered, “So, uh... Any word on the fireworks show? You think it's still on?”

“Oh. Good question.” Scarlet checked their Rotomphone. Nemona was in suspense for a few moments. She desperately wanted to experience fireworks together with Letty. It was something special she'd never gotten to share with anyone outside of her family... Letty replied casually, “Huh. Yep, still on.”

“Nice!” Nemona cheered quietly. “It's gonna be awesome, just you wait.”

As Nemona bobbed on her toes with anticipation, Scarlet tucked their phone back away and gazed up at Nemona with a slightly amused, quizzical look.

“Gettin' hungry,” Scarlet said, rubbing their stomach a little as they shoved themselves up. Strapping their pack back on, they summoned their Spidops back into its ball. “Gonna go grab something. Uh... Wanna come with?”

“I'd love to,” Nemona belted out, having hoped they'd offer. “I know you're strapped for cash, so let me cover you!”

“Enh, but you did yesterday when we had lunch...” “It's so not a problem, seriously. 'Sides, you had a rough battle, you deserve a treat to cheer you up!”

Nemona knelt over and extended a hand down to Scarlet.

“Heh...” Scarlet smirked in this timid way at Nemona, a way that Nemona had only ever seen reserved for her. A softness, a vulnerability, was briefly revealed from beneath those rusted shields for irises. Their eye contact lasted just long enough to make them both flustered, until Scarlet at last replied, “Yeah, all right...” Scarlet reached up and gripped Nemona's arm bracer tightly, and Nemona pulled Scarlet up, beaming with giddy warmth. “C'mon, Letty. Let's go!” "Guh-...! Slow... Slow the hell down...!"

[hamofjustice]

y'know, sometimes I focus a lot on the implications of Juliana/Florian maybe possibly being Nemona's official Greatest Treasure for the semester but not fully confirmed as such, or the undertones of her wanting them to promise to be "rivals for life," when I rant er I mean discuss how it'd be really messed up if she got left behind when they transferred to Blueberry Academy in The Indigo Disc

but I can't believe "I've relished every day since you moved here" is an actual unedited line she says. I just assumed I had embellished that one in my head. nope. there's no way to misread that, no embellishment needed, she just says it! and then gets kind of embarrassed about it and she says she's gonna blush when they say either variation of "you too"

not to be like "there is no platonic explanation for this," because there totally is, but if she's going to be shipped with anyone I think it's really hard to justify it being with anyone else as long as the player character is in the picture

[roxannarambles]

Title: The Bloodmoon Graves (Part 1/7)

Ship: Juliana/Nemona

Rating: T/PG-13 (for Spooky Scary)

Summary: Nemona learns about the rumors of a fabled "Bloodmoon Beast" and decides they should all go for a camping trip out in the Timeless Woods to search for it. They end up finding a bit more than they bargained for.

Tags: Action/Adventure, Horror, Romance, Established Relationship, Halloween Special

Warning Tags: Blood/Injury, Body Horror, Claustrophobia, Pokemon attacking humans/humans attacking pokemon

Chapters: Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Epilogue

Notes: Okay look. I know it's December but look. I just really wanted to try writing a horror story, so here's your Halloween special. 🎃There's a bit of Julinemo fluff in here too as a treat but this is mostly a horror story. So. I hope somebody reads it despite it not being super ship-focused lol

This is technically a sequel to my Teal Mask fix-it fic but that's not required reading. Just know the Paldean Pals joined Juliana on her trip to Kitakami. As it should be.

“Penny! Hey, Penny! You gotta hear this!”

Penny glanced up from her laptop, sighing. She had been hiding out in the Community Center, playing games, but seemed she’d been discovered. Nemona and Juliana bounded up to her.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding. You been avoiding us?” Juliana teased. Penny answered,

“No. Not avoiding. Just . . . taking a break.”

“From what?”

Penny shrugged,

“I dunno, all the majestic nature and junk, I guess. Some of us aren’t as outdoorsey as others, you know.”

“Oh, okay, I thought you were gonna say you were taking a break from us.”

“Well, that too.”

Juliana opened her mouth to protest, but Nemona impatiently cut her off, waving her hands,

“Nevermind all that! Penny, Jules and I just heard something awesome! There’s rumors of this super-powerful, super-rare Pokemon that lives in Kitakami, and we’ve been talking to the townspeople about it, and it’s been living out in the Timeless Woods for like ages and everyone’s scared of it but it’s really reclusive and mysterious and only shows up on really foggy late nights when it’s all spooky, isn’t that cool?!”

Nemona had her hands curled into fists, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Penny blinked at her.

“Uh . . . I . . . guess so?”

“And get this– it’s an Ursaluna! That’s already a super rare Pokemon, but this one’s a special Ursaluna, it doesn’t look like the others at all!”

Juliana cut in,

“Tell her what the townspeople call it.”

“Oh right, right! Hehehe, get this Penny, the townspeople call it– The Bloodmoon Beast! Isn’t that awesome?!”

“They say the mark on its head glows blood-red like the moon during an eclipse!” Juliana added, pointing at her forehead. Nemona agreed,

“Yeah! And on those nights, the Beast’s blood boils and it goes mad with fury, seeking to avenge its fallen fellow Ursaluna!! Or that’s what some kid told me, anyway.”

“Uh-huh. If you guys say so,” Penny said flatly, looking back at her laptop.

“Hey, it’s real! Probably,” Juliana replied.

“Yeah, it’s definitely real! Some famous photographer got some photos of it not too long ago. Gimme a sec,” Nemona said, flicking through her phone. She pulled up the photos posted to some website and angled the phone at Penny, cycling through them. Most were very blurry, depicting a hulking figure in the fog, but the bright-red mark on the blurry figure’s forehead was very noticeable.

“I guess that’s probably a pokemon,” Penny conceded. Nemona nodded,

“Yeah, this photographer lady is legit, I think her name was Perrin? She posted a firsthand account, so we know it’s real! She went out camping in the Timeless Woods to spot it. She only had her Growlithe though, so she barely escaped with her life, apparently, after she took those pictures.”

Penny had pulled up an article on her laptop with impressive speed and hummed,

“Mmm-hmm . . . Perrin Kongōseki, 26, multi-award-winning photographer of international fame, recently has released controversial photos about the folklegend ‘Bloodmoon Beast’ from rural Kitakami. While locals have hailed her as a hero, critics have argued it to be a transparent grab for media attention, as the once highly-popular photographer’s reputation has slipped in recent years . . .”

Juliana scowled and crossed her arms. “Oh, c’mon Penny, why do you gotta try and suck the fun outta this?”

“I’m not, I was just curious! Sorry. I agree it’s probably a real Pokemon, though maybe not anywhere near as impressive as these stories claim . . .”

“Well that’s why we’re gonna go find out!” Nemona said, beaming. In a tone that suggested mild concern, Penny asked,

“And how’re you planning on doing that?”

Nemona grinned,

“We’re all gonna go camp out in the Timeless Woods tonight and look for it!”

Her concern quickly increasing, Penny said,

“Wait, all of us? I don’t recall volunteering for this–”

“Weren’t you just doubting the Beast is even all that scary?” Juliana asked her quickly. Penny frowned, grumbling,

“Well I– it’s not that, it’s just– l-look, I’m not real big on camping out, you guys–”

Nemona said,

“Aww, it’ll be fun, Penny! When’s the next time you’ll get a chance like this? The Caretaker said we’re supposed to explore Kitakami while we’re here, remember?”

“Yeah. I was hoping he wouldn’t notice I wasn’t doing that,” Penny mumbled. 

Juliana chuckled. She said,

“I know camping isn’t your favorite, Penny, but one night of camping can’t be too bad, right? Arven’s got everything planned out for us, and we’d hate for you not to be included.”

Penny’s brows lifted.

“He does? I’m kinda surprised he wanted in on this too.”

“Well, I think mostly he wants to do it because he enjoys hiking and camping, he’s a bit indifferent about the Bloodmoon Beast, but still. Even if we don’t find a super rare pokemon, it should be a fun time.”

“Yeah! And if we DO find the Beast, we can fight it and maybe even catch it! It’s a win-win,” Nemona agreed with enthusiasm. Both girls looked at Penny expectantly.

Penny sighed.

“All right, fine . . . I guess I’ll go.”

Nemona cheered,

“All right! This is gonna be the best!”

“You should get packed and ready, then. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“But it’s only like, two o’clock. I thought you wanted to look for this ‘beast’ at night?”

Juliana nodded.

“Yep. But the Timeless Woods is a three-hour hike, plus we wanna do some exploring before it gets dark, y’know?”

“Three hours?”

“Eh, three, three-and-a-half, something like that. We’ll meet you in front of Peachy’s, okay?”

“Wait, wait–”

Penny groaned as her friends bounded away from her, too excited about the trip to notice Penny’s protests. She was regretting this already.

~

The hike out to the Timeless Woods was indeed a long one. There actually were two different routes they could have taken, and the path through Fellhorn Gorge was technically much shorter, but it was also far more rugged. Thus, they opted for the longer but flatter path through the Wistful Fields, then past the Paradise Barrens, and on through the Kitakami Wilds. Arven and Juliana carried the heavier packs that included the tents, as they both had more experience with backpacking. Of course, things would have been much easier if they had brought Koraidon along, but the oversized lizard had been particularly lazy that day; besides, Arven had encouraged them all to not rely on their ride pokemon too much when it came to hiking. Juliana eventually let Nemona and Penny switch off riding her Tauros anyway once they were tired enough.

Their trek took a little longer than expected due to the number of breaks they took– it was summer and the weather was pretty sweltering during the day– but once they arrived at the gorgeous old-growth forest that was tucked away in a valley like a special little secret, it was far, far more comfortable. They took a little time to dip their feet and splash around the idyllic little pond there, just relaxing and unwinding from the hike. However, before long, Arven was up and telling everyone it was time to set their campsite up.

“Arven, we just got here! Sunset’s still a few hours from now, what’s the rush?”

Arven put his hands on his hips.

“Yeah, and we need to get everything set up well before it starts getting dark. C’mon guys, work first, play later.”

“Unnnghh,” Nemona groaned, leaning against Juliana where they lay in the grass, making no move to get up. Her feet dangling in the water, Penny stared at her cellphone and pretended she didn’t hear Arven.

“Guys, c’mon, I’m serious.”

When still nobody moved, he scowled and said,

“All right, if nobody helps then I won’t be making dinner or setting the tents up. Or building a campfire. Did I mention it cools down a lot at night? Enjoy your cold trail mix and sleeping in 4 degree weather without shelter.”

Everyone grumbled and reluctantly got up.

“That’s more like it. All right, we’re starting with the tents. Everyone help me scope out a nice flat spot over on the high ground this way.”

Once they chose a good site, they cleared the ground, unpacked and pitched the two tents, while Arven explained to the camping novices how to put things together. When Juliana and Nemona finished, they tried to leave, but Arven stopped them.

“Where are you two going? You need to finish your tent.”

“It’s finished! See?”

Arven shook his head,

“You haven’t put the rainfly up yet.”

“Arven, it’s not going to rain!”

“There’s a 20% chance of precipitation tonight.”

“Oh my god Arven–”

“Better safe than sorry. Put it up.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“It doesn’t take that long, and it’s good practice. Just do it.”

Juliana grumbled and they returned to the tent.

“Is he always this bossy about camping?” Nemona asked.

Juliana sighed.

“Yeah, unfortunately. Let’s just get this finished, he gets bent out of shape if things aren’t done right.”

After they futzed about with the rainfly and eventually got it into place, Arven doled out more tasks to help prepare the campfire and cooking equipment. Everyone dutifully did their chores, unpacking equipment and arranging some seating. Penny was then sent out into the woods with the joyous task of establishing a bathroom site, and Nemona and Juliana were tasked with clearing an area for a campfire.

The moment Arven turned his back, though, Juliana grabbed Nemona’s hand, holding a finger to her lips and grinning. They snuck away quickly before he noticed; eventually Arven realized what was going on and he shouted after them, so they broke into a run, laughing.

~

It seemed Arven soon gave up on pursuing them, and the two were able to wander the forest in peace. Juliana let Ogerpon out of her ball; the pokemon was thrilled to be back in the Timeless Woods, hopping up and down in excitement and trilling happily. They spent the time just meandering and exploring, letting Ogerpon choose the direction. When they spotted a little pink Gligar skulking through the underbrush, they gave chase for a while, trying to catch it. Alas, the pokemon proved to be too illusive for them, somehow sneaking off and giving them the slip. However, the sting of disappointment was soon forgotten when the two girls stumbled across a cave entrance they’d never seen before. Hopeful for some excitement, they ducked low and poked inside. Ogerpon followed after, chirping curiously.

“Oof. It’s dark. Dunno what I expected though, I guess that makes sense,” Nemona giggled.

“Yeah. I wish we had a . . . oh wait sec, we do. Where is that . . .”

Juliana fiddled around with her bag until she located the headlamp Arven had given her. Sticking the strap to her head, she flicked it on.

“Oh, much better!”

Juliana aimed the light around. The cave was rather bare, a few Spinarak on a web in one corner, and a dozing Munchlax in another. It didn’t take them long to walk the length of the little cave, which sadly didn’t turn up much beyond rocks, dirt, more cobwebs and a lone Dunsparce.

“Aw, man. I was hoping for something really cool,” Nemona sighed, sitting down on a large rock. Juliana nodded.

“Yeah . . . me too. I guess Kitakami caves aren’t as exciting as Paldean ones.”

Ogerpon had been wandering about the cave, apparently very much at ease in such a setting– likely due to how much time she’d spent in one. Nemona and Juliana took a few minutes to rest, sipping from their canteens and chatting about one of Juliana’s camping trips with Arven when they’d been hunting the Titan pokemon.

“. . . and he sounds like a Snorlax when he sleeps! I could hear him half a mile away, I swear.”

Ogerpon began to chatter excitedly, but the girls didn’t notice at first.

“Ahahah, oh my god! How did you deal with it?”

“Well I got my own tent, but I still could hear him, so I had to pitch my tent further and further away from him– Ogerpon, what’s up?”

The excited pokemon had vanished from sight, which worried Juliana. Both girls got up and went to the corner of the cave.

“Oh, Ogerpon, be careful– I don’t think you should go in there!”

The little pokemon had located a small gap, very well hidden, near the floor in the darkest corner of the cave. She had crawled inside and was climbing deeper and deeper into the secret tunnel.

“Ogerpon! Come back, wait! Ugh. Well . . . there she goes.”

They could no longer see her, but they could hear her further in the cave, making her excited, happy cries. At least they knew she was all right for the moment. 

“Right, well, better give me that light, Jules, I’ll go after her.”

Juliana frowned as Nemona plucked the headlamp off her.

“We could just call for her to come back? She’s bound to get bored in a few minutes.”

“No, no, we gotta follow. She could be in danger! Lost and scared!”

Opergon’s giggles echoed from deeper in the cave. Juliana raised a brow.

“. . . if you wanna explore the creepy secret tunnel you could just say so.”

Sticking the light’s strap to her head, Nemona clasped her hands together and said excitedly,

“Okay, yeah, I really wanna explore the creepy secret tunnel!”

Juliana laughed.

“I mean, I do too, honestly.”

“I thought you were claustrophobic?”

Juliana took a moment to consider the gap Ogerpon had disappeared into; it was definitely pretty small and would probably require a human to get down on their hands and knees, a thought that made Juliana’s chest squeeze a little. It wasn’t so much the tight space itself as the thought of it caving in and burying them alive. Which was admittedly unlikely.

She answered,

“Y-yeah, I am a little bit, but sometimes my curiosity wins out over that.”

“Well, okay, but I don’t want you doing anything that makes you too uncomfortable . . .”

Juliana was poking into Nemona’s bag.

“Nah, it’s okay. If I start feeling too anxious I’ll back out. I think there’s– yeah, here it is.”

She took the second light from her friend’s bag.

“Oh, I had one too? I didn’t even realize.”

“Arven passes them out right away before camping. Safety and all that. He can be kinda annoying but I admit it does come in handy sometimes, too.”

After getting their headlamps properly attached, they squatted by the tiny tunnel entrance.

“You want me to go first or you?”

“Take point, my fearless leader!”

Nemona laughed.

“All right then. Let’s go!”

Nemona began to crawl into the tunnel, Juliana watching her progress for a bit. It actually didn’t look so bad; yes, she was on her hands and knees but it still looked pretty roomy, as far as creepy secret tunnels went. Juliana got down and started climbing in after her. The ground was a bit damp and muddy and it was a little hard on her knees but she felt okay. Of course, it helped that she had Nemona with her.

“Ooh, I can see the cave gets bigger just a little further ahead! Almost there!”

After a pretty short crawl, they both emerged into a larger cave, one that dropped in elevation at a fairly steep angle but was still easily walkable. They looked around the space, casting their lights about and taking it all in. Nemona said,

“Yeah, there’s a whole hidden section to the cave here! That’s so cool. And look, I think it opens up even more that way!”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

They stepped along the declined ground, careful not to slip, daring to explore further and further into the cavern. After ducking under an especially low portion, the two girls gasped at what they came upon.

The pocket of cave they had found opened up before them, and it was full of shimmering, glittering light– the light of their flashlights being bounced back at them by hundreds and thousands of crystal formations. They were the same exact rainbow-colored crystals of the Area Zero caverns.

Nemona turned to Juliana, saying,

“Oh my god, Jules!!”

She squealed back,

“I know!!”

They rushed in to explore the crystal-encrusted cave, admiring all the formations, in awe of their discovery. Nemona exclaimed,

“It’s exactly like Area Zero! You think this is why the pokemon in the Kitakami region can terastallize? I mean, this looks even more concentrated than the crystal pool’s formations are, there’s gotta be a ton of energy here.”

“Probably! Although the water from the crystal pool feeds down into the river, and I noticed the water was all glowy from the tera energy, so that probably does a lot too! One thing’s for sure, Paldea isn’t the only place on the planet to have this phenomenon. Kitakami is loaded with this energy.”

Nemona nodded.

“Definitely. This is so wild.”

The cave also appeared home to some Pokemon; mainly Carbink, although the girls woke up some Noibat snoozing from the ceiling and a few Geodude rolled about underfoot. Juliana watched the Carbink slowly drifting their way over to them, their glittering eyes curious. She then realized that there were some Glimmets floating among them. That made sense; Juliana had really only seen Glimmets and Glimmora in the presence of these tera crystals. 

Outloud, Juliana mused,

“So . . . I always thought maybe the reason for the tera crystals in Area Zero was because the meteorite that caused the crater was carrying something special. But there’s no craters here. I bet there’s nothing special about that crater after all– it just happened to expose the deep caverns where the crystals were already growing! And some caves just grow them naturally, ya know? Like here and the crystal pool. Carmine told me the crystal pool has a cave attached to it, and the water itself seeps up from an underground cavern.”

Nemona angled her headlamp away so it wouldn’t blind her friend and enthused,

“Ooh, I didn’t know that! That makes sense, though. You should totally tell Mrs. Briar your ideas, I bet she’d love them. Oh man, if you could help her figure out how tera energy works, we could bring tera battles to other regions! Imagine!”

Juliana grinned at the thought. 

“That would be pretty incredible.”

Nemona bounced a little and said,

“Oh, oh, and we should go explore the crystal pool’s cave too! We gotta remember to do that!”

Juliana laughed,

“Okay, but we should probably finish exploring this one first, don’t you think?”

Nemona grabbed onto her and giggled,

“I knowwwww, I’m just excited and planning ahead!”

Juliana felt a wave of affection for the wonderfully silly girl holding onto her. She tilted her head back and nuzzled against Nemona a moment, then placed a soft little kiss to her lips. 

“You’re cute.”

Their relationship still brand-new, Nemona was flustered by the casual compliment. She squirmed and glanced away, mumbling with a smile,

“No’m not.”

Juliana grinned at how easily she was flustered. She leaned in again and pressed her lips against Nemona’s ear and murmured to her,

“You are unbearably adorable.”

Nemona squirmed harder and made a delightfully embarassed noise that only confirmed the truth of Juliana’s statement; Juliana squeezed her and they both giggled.

The familiar cry of Ogerpon brought them out of their antics, reminding them of why they were there.

“Whoops. We better go find her.”

“Right.”

Once they ventured a little further in, they easily located Ogerpon, who had been busy chasing the Carbink and Glimmets with a gleeful smile. Apparently she liked how they sparkled. It was a relief to see that Ogerpon was fine, although they hadn’t been too concerned to begin with– Ogerpon had proven she was very good at taking care of herself. Albeit, she did have a tendency to wander. Juliana leaned down.

“Try not to wander off without telling us, Ogerpon, okay? We don’t want you getting hurt. I admit you did lead us to a pretty awesome cave, though.”

“Jules, look! I think there’s an underground pool here!”

Juliana glanced to where Nemona was headed– the ground slanted downwards as the cave continued deeper into the earth. Quickly, Juliana and Ogerpon followed her.

When they’d gone deeper, they found it was indeed an underground pool . . . just not the sort they’d expected. Juliana had envisioned crystal-clear, cool waters, bathed in the light of beautiful columns of tera crystals. 

Instead, the pool contained a thick, goopy, pitch-black substance. Steam was rising from the pool, and sticky, viscous bubbles slowly formed and popped in the pool.

“What the heck?”

Nemona ventured closer, staring down into the strange mess.

“What is this stuff?”

Juliana hazarded a guess.

“It looks like . . . tar?”

As she came up beside Nemona, her face wrinkled.

“Euugh. Smells like tar, too.”

“Tar? Why the heck would there be a pool of tar here? Who’d do that??”

Juliana shook her head,

“No, I think– well, it’s naturally occurring sometimes. Uncommon, but not unheard of. There’s some pretty famous tar pits back in Unova. They study them because lots of ancient pokemon fell inside so there’s lots of fossils in there.”

Nemona looked thoughtful.

“Huh. That’s wild. So this could be an important scientific discovery?”

“Yeah, it might be, if nobody else knows about this!”

Nemona laughed and patted Ogerpon’s head.

“You could be famous, Ogerpon! If they discover any new pokemon fossils here, they’ll have to name them after you!”

Ogerpon chirped, not understanding but happy for the attention. Juliana stared down into the dark bog. She mused,

“It looks like it’s pretty hot, too. I wonder how hot it is? And how deep it is?”

“Hey, I think I see something poking out in the middle there.”

“Where?”

Nemona leaned against a large column of crystal growing from the ground along the pool’s edge, pointing towards the pool’s center.

“There, sorta around the middle but a bit further back, it looks like–”

“Careful, Nemona.”

“--might just be a stick but it could be a bone–”

There was a cracking sound and the crystal Nemona had leaned against started to fracture. Eyes wide, Juliana grabbed onto Nemona and pulled her back, the huge column of crystal giving way soon after and tumbling down into the tar pit, making a huge ‘gloppp’ noise and splashing tar about before slowly sinking into the black. They watched it vanish into nothing, the foul stench of tar the only thing remaining.

The girls looked at each other. Nemona laughed nervously.

“Ahahaha . . . maybe we should stop messing around near the tar pit.”

“Yyyyeah . . . why don’t we head back to camp?”

“Sounds good.”

The three quickly retraced their steps and exited the cave. Had they remained just a little while longer, they might have heard a strange rumble coming from the tar pit, bubbles forming much more rapidly than before and the surface of the pool roiling in strange shapes . . .

[provecfy]

Hi, everyone!

I've finally gotten around to making a pinned post! It has only taken... forever. My name is Provecfy, but people have called me Provec, Vec, Vecfy... choose what you might prefer. And whether you're here because of my fanfics or because you just find me funny, thanks either way!

If you stay around prepare to see lots about:

■ Pokemon

Specially to hear me talk about either the fifth generation or...

About this young lady (my surrogate child)! You're specially welcome if you ship Julinemo.

□ RWBY

Hardcore fun until the end, still crossing my fingers for Volume 10.

■ One Piece

Pic of my fav character on the left (Yamato my beautiful king).

□ Fanfic writing

You can find me here on Ao3:

■ And much more... !

Other shows, games and book I might wanna talk about

Find even a bit more of me to enjoy on Twitter (quickly, before Twitter self-destroys!):

[roxannarambles]

Btw, for any newcomers looking for Julinemo/Terajules fics (or people who prefer to read on ao3), my spoooky Halloween Special Bloodmoon Graves is up on ao3 and my fluffy Christmas Special Home for the Holidays is up there now as well!

I hope you all are having a cozy Xmas Eve (or just a cozy winter day if you don't do xmas)! ❄️