Battle Studies was a lot more fun than expected. Adalynn and her pokemon were getting to freely test their strength against other strong students. For once, she could prove herself and show everyone what she'd learned.

"Dragapult, use Dragon Darts!"

Dragapult took aim at the pair of opponents, an Oinkologne and a Cyclizar. The pair of Dreepy in her horns were launched like missiles. One hit Cyclizar, knocking it out. Oinkologne was hit as well, but still managed to stand.

"Finish it, Garchomp! Dragon Claw!"

Garchomp rushed in before the foe could avoid him. His glowing claws raked over the pig pokemon, causing it to faint as well. The trainer returned his pokemon with a disappointed frown. Adalynn, on the other hand, was nearly tackled by her dragons who happily celebrated their victory.

"Osu! Well done, Adalynn!" Dendra was grinning from the sidelines. "Your pokemon moved effectively as a team! I can tell you aren't new to this!"

The compliment made the girl smile. Upon hearing someone approach from behind, Garchomp jerked his head and growled out of instinct. Adalynn turned to see the opposing trainer coming over, so she placed a hand on Garchomp's arm to silence him. She was tense, almost expecting the guy to have some kind of angry remark or something.

"Good battle," the boy said. "You're really strong. And your pokemon were awesome."

"Oh, thank you." His words made her blush, and Dragapult swayed happily back and forth to show her joy. "You were great, too." She smiled, relieved that her fears were misplaced. There really weren't a bunch of bullies anymore. Her friends were right.

"Woohoo! Go, Addie!" The sudden shouts from Eri embarrassed her further. Returning her pokemon, Adalynn went over to her tall friend. "You have got to battle me! Your dragons have become so incredibly strong!"

"Thanks, Eri, but I can't right now." Adalynn glanced at the darkening sky and checked the time on her phone. "Battle Studies was a lot longer of a class than I expected. I've gotta get going."

"What for? Got plans?"

"I do, yeah." She grabbed her backpack, trying to act nonchalant. "I'm, uh, meeting up with Giacomo."

A big grin appeared on Eri's face. "Oooh, I see. It's about time." Adalynn felt her face heat up. She really hadn't noticed how obvious their feelings had been until now, and knowing that most, if not all, of their friends saw it made her feel extremely stupid. "Well, go on, then. Don't wanna keep him waiting."

With a quick nod, Adalynn hurried out of the schoolyard and to her dorm room. She still had plenty of time, but she also wanted to fix herself up a bit for the occasion. It was their first date, after all. She wanted it to be special.

~~~~

Giacomo sat quietly at a table in Barato's, staring down at his soda. There was a whole mix of emotions and thoughts making his head spin. What if she doesn't show up? What if my letter weirded her out? What if she doesn't like me? What if she doesn't wanna be friends anymore? The negative possibilities almost made him sick to his stomach. Slumped forward in his seat, he grimaced.

"This was stupid…" he mumbled. "She's not gonna show up. Why didn't I just keep my big mouth shut and tear up that letter?" His fingers pressed into his can of soda.

Lost in his thoughts, Giacomo didn't notice Adalynn enter the little restaurant, not until she was right at his table and standing over him. "Hi, Momo."

Giacomo stared up at her, mouth agape. She wasn't in her usual Noivern dress, nor was she in school uniform. Instead, she had on a pink Goomy print shirt with a white skater skirt and brown wedges. For once, her long hair was down, the turquoise streaks blending right in. She was smiling, and oh, how he could melt from that radiant expression alone.

"A-Addie…I, um…I didn't see you come in." He wanted to pull his cap down to cover his flustered face yet didn't want to obscure his view of her. "You look…really…p-pretty…"

With a blush, she sat down across from him. "Thank you." She reached over to place a hand on his arm. "Please don't be so nervous. You're gonna make me all jittery if you act like this the whole time."

He managed a grin while anxiously looking away from her. "Sorry. I just…really wasn't expectin' you to show up."

"How come? There was no way I could miss out after that letter you gave me." The light pink dusting her cheeks made her look even cuter. "And, for the record, I like you too, Momo. You've always been there for me since my first day at Naranja, so of course you mean a lot to me. I just didn't think you felt that way."

A relieved laugh escaped Giacomo. "Are you kiddin' me? This whole time I thought I was the weird one for crushin' on you! Man, we must be bad at this romance stuff."

Adalynn giggled softly. "We're just new to it, is all. I mean, I've gone out before but never with a guy I cared about this much."

The boy's mood dropped in an instant. "You've been out with other guys? Since when? Do I know them?"

"It was before I enrolled here. Don't be upset, Momo. It was never anything serious." She smiled when his lips turned up again. "Now, how about dinner? I don't know about you, but I'm super hungry."

They both ordered a Salisbury Steak with Fried Fixings. Enjoying their delectable meal, the pair talked, laughed, and caught up on a lot of things that had happened. Giacomo explained in greater detail of what transpired regarding Team Star after she left. And Adalynn told him of the wondrous things within the Great Crater where she did most of her training. After finishing their food, they agreed to split the bill before leaving Barato's together.

"So, where to?" the girl asked.

With a soft hum, Giacomo looked around at the mostly empty streets. "Maybe a walk to the park? There's a nice view of the stars tonight."

"Sounds good to me."

Adalynn slipped her hand into his, smiling when his fingers intertwined with hers. Their walk was slow, as if to further prolong the date. When they arrived in the small park area, they sat at one of the benches. With his confidence boosted by her small advances, Giacomo slid his arm around her shoulders. She, in turn, scooted closer to lean into him.

"Dinner was nice," Adalynn began, "but this beautiful view of the stars is far more romantic." A giggle left her lips. "You sure know how to treat a girl."

"Glad you're havin' a good time." He paused, turning his gaze down to her. "I've been meanin' to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Well, while you've been gone, I've been creating all kinds of sick music for the team and everything. Some of them even have lyrics, and I always imagined - hoped, even - that you might sing 'em."

Adalynn gasped softly. "Me? I mean, I'd gladly sing anything you wrote, Momo, but…" She turned her head away. "You know I get stage fright."

"What if you just sang 'em for me?" Giacomo offered. "You don't have to get up in front of a crowd. If you can sing for your pokemon, then you can for me too, right?"

The girl rested her head on his shoulder so she wouldn't have to look at him while she thought it over. "I guess I can try. Besides, I'd like to be able to perform for all our friends…at some point…when I'm brave enough. I mean, there are some great songs I know they'd enjoy if I just had the courage to sing them in front of people."

Giacomo chuckled softly. "Nice! Then I'm gonna help you conquer your stage fright. I'd do just about anything to get you singin' something I wrote."

A few long moments passed in comfortable silence. The boy was so infatuated that he felt like spending all night there with her. He wanted to savor the time he had with her. Having her right next to him, their bodies touching, her head on his shoulder with his arm around hers.

"Does this mean we'll go out again?" he asked, breaking the peaceful silence. "You know…together…as a couple."

Adalynn laughed, picking her head up to look at him. "You really have to ask? Yes, I'd love to go out again as your girlfriend."

Despite the blush on his face, Giacomo was practically grinning from ear to ear. "You. Are. The best!" He suddenly pulled her into a brief hug, one that was over before she could return it. "Hey, wanna come back to my room?"

That simple question made Adalynn's face flush. "Wh-what?!" She lightly shoved his arm. "This is our first date, Momo!"

Giacomo's eyes went wide and he too started blushing furiously at her assumption. "Oh! N-no! I didn't mean it like that! I was askin' if you wanted to hear my new songs!"

Embarrassed, the girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh…my bad." She nervously laughed off her ridiculous conjecture. "Yeah, I'm really interested in hearing them. To your room, then."

Hand in hand, the pair walked back to the academy. They walked down the dorm halls until they reached Giacomo's room. He unlocked the door and welcomed her inside. It was the first time she'd been to his room in a year and a half. He'd changed it a bit. There were colorful lights everywhere, and posters of music stars like Ryme on the walls.

"It's been a long time since you've been in here," the boy said, retrieving his laptop from his desk. He also slid his headphones around his neck.

"And it's very you, Momo," Adalynn replied with a giggle, earning a smile from him.

He sat her on the bed and sat beside her, opening his laptop and positioning it between them. "So, here's the theme song I made for the team. The others love it. It's always blastin' from the speakers in their bases."

He clicked on the file on the screen, playing a cool beat that had Adalynn bobbing her head in time with it. "That's awesome! I love those beat drops! If I had my own base, I'd be playing this non-stop!"

Giacomo bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, thanks, Addie. Here's another one. It took me months to figure out the right mix of notes for this one to work."

He played another one that sounded like something that would be playing in a club. Then another that was inspired by Ryme's concerts. Adalynn liked all of them, and wished she could listen to them on repeat every day. But finally, Giacomo introduced her to a song with a fun, uplifting melody. It had lyrics on screen that went along with the rhythm.

"Is this the one you want me to sing?"

Giacomo nodded. "Yeah. There's a few others too, but this is my favorite one." He hooked up his headphones and handed them to her. "Wanna give it a go? Please?"

Adalynn hesitantly took his headphones and put them on. The song was playing loud and clear through them, and it had small audio cues for the change in notes. After listening a couple times, she tried her best to block out his presence enough to test a verse.

"You make me feel
Like my troubled heart is a million miles away
You make me feel
Like I'm drunk on stars and we're dancing out into space
Celestial"

Her boyfriend was grinning at her and she fell silent when she realized. "That was perfect! Exactly like I imagined!"

Adalynn was quick to take off his headphones and pass them back. "Thanks, but I'd need a lot of practice to get even close to performing that. The song is great, though. Definitely uplifting."

"So wait, you're actually thinking of singin' that for the team?"

The girl rubbed her arms uncomfortably. "Well, yeah. I told you I'd like to…maybe at some point…work up the courage to sing it for our friends, at least." She started to get up. "I'll get there eventually. Singing in front of you already isn't as nerve-wracking as I imagined. Anyway, if that's the last one, I should probably go. Got classes in the morning I don't wanna be tired for."

Giacomo set his things aside and stood as well. "Me, too. Guess I'll see ya tomorrow, then." He followed her to the door where they both stopped and smiled at each other. "Can I have a goodnight hug?" He stretched his arms out.

Adalynn laughed lightly. "Of course." She moved closer to wrap her arms around him, feeling his go around her in return. It was nice, cozy even. "In fact, I can give you more than a hug."

Before he could question her, she leaned up to plant her lips on his cheek. When she parted, she giggled at the stunned expression he wore before the corners of his lips turned up. It was her turn to be surprised when his hand moved up to gently take the side of her jaw. He leaned down to peck her lips, causing both of their cheeks to redden.

"Night, Addie. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Momo. Have a good night."

Adalynn left his room, only just then realizing the rapid beating of her heart. She touched a finger to her lips and smiled. Her first kiss, while only a peck, had her heart soaring. She could hardly believe how much Giacomo meant to her - how much she'd grown to love him. And in his room, the dark type user was in a similar state of bliss. Falling asleep that night proved to be difficult, as their budding romance was at the forefront of their minds.