The Class Reunion
Night had fallen over Starlight City.
Inside the hotpot restaurant at the heart of the city, most of the old classmates had already gathered. Half a year had passed since graduation, and many of them had shed the last traces of high school awkwardness, dressing and carrying themselves with a new kind of maturity.
The private room buzzed with energy. Young men and women who hadn't seen each other in months talked over one another, trading stories about university life and the latest gossip — who was dating whom, and who had caught what Pokémon over the summer.
Of the original class of about fifty, roughly thirty had shown up tonight. The rest were either repeating a year or genuinely too busy to make it.
"Why aren't Jacob and Kyle here yet?"
"He's probably tied up with something. Let's give him a few more minutes."
"Jacob's basically a celebrity now, so it's no surprise he's running late. I called him a minute ago — he said he's close."
Meanwhile, the very subject of their conversation was creeping along in a car, feeling less like an honored guest and more like a man walking into a trap.
Kyle was driving. Amira sat up front beside him, while Amelia, Jacob, and Julia were packed into the back seat.
"Amelia, you look really lovely tonight," Julia said, breaking the silence.
"Thank you — you look wonderful yourself. Julia, what brings you all the way to Starlight City? If I'd known you were coming, the three of us would have picked you up together."
Amelia and Julia fell into easy conversation, chatting like old friends who'd known each other for years.
Wedged between them, Jacob kept his head down and said nothing, doing his best impression of a Torkoal retreating into its shell. He just wanted this ride to be over.
"We're here!" Kyle called out. "You three head in and grab us a table — I'll park the car."
"I'll do it!" Jacob cut in quickly. "You go on ahead with your girlfriend and save us some seats. I've got the car."
He shot Kyle a meaningful look as he said it.
Kyle blinked, then caught on. "Oh — right, right." He tossed Jacob the keys. "Appreciate it, man."
"It's nothing, really."
Grateful for the excuse, Jacob wasted no time driving off, leaving the tension behind — at least for a few more minutes.
"Kyle's here!"
The moment Kyle walked in with the three girls trailing behind him, sharp-eyed classmates spotted them immediately.
"Amelia! Wow, you look amazing tonight!"
Amelia had dressed differently than usual — a long white scarf, a pale pink trench coat, white pearl earrings, understated makeup. It was a completely different look from her usual style, but no less striking.
"Look at our campus belle, even prettier than before."
"So are you seeing someone these days?"
"Ha, forget it — she's studying in the Imperial City now. She's definitely got someone."
Attention soon drifted from Amelia and Kyle toward the two girls beside them.
"Wait... is that Julia?" A few people recognized her right away.
Julia's Dragonite had left a lasting impression on the crowd during the High School Cup finals. If she hadn't run into Jacob — who half the class still swore fought dirty — the championship might have been hers.
Amira, on the other hand, drew fewer stares. She had also reached the High School Cup national finals, but her run ended in the first round, so few people remembered her face.
"Everyone, I brought two guests tonight," Kyle announced. "This is Julia — most of you already know her. And this is Amira, my girlfriend."
"Oh!" The table erupted in surprised laughter.
"Not bad, Kyle — landed a girlfriend in just half a year."
"Lucky guy."
"Come on, big guy, teach me your secrets. I'm still single over here."
Once the teasing died down, every eye turned to Julia, admiration written plainly on their faces. Jacob, for the moment, was completely forgotten.
Julia had dressed up for the occasion — a soft striped sweater, a short white skirt, tights, and small round boots. The whole look was undeniably charming, the kind of effect that might as well have come from using Attract.
"Julia, come sit with us!"
"Over here, it's been forever — sit by me!"
"No, no, our table!"
"Hold on," Kyle said, waving them off. "There are five of us, and we still need to save a seat for Jacob." He found a quieter table and sat the group down.
"Speaking of which, where is Jacob?"
"Guy's acting like a real celebrity tonight."
"Dr. Jacob better hurry up — everyone's waiting on autographs. My sister told me I'm not allowed home unless I get one."
"Relax, relax," Kyle laughed, waving off the jokes. "Jacob went to park the car for me."
As if on cue, Jacob walked in from the entrance, spotted the table, and made his way over.
"Jacob, you made it!"
"Dr. Jacob, we missed you!"
"Jacob—"
The whole table greeted him warmly as he approached. When he reached Kyle's table, he saw that the only open seat left was between Amelia and Julia — not conveniently near either one, but squarely in the middle of both.
Jacob sighed inwardly and sat down anyway, offering his classmates a polite smile. "Sorry I'm late, sorry I'm late. You all got here early."
"Of course — we haven't seen each other in ages, we couldn't wait."
"Well, let's order already, what are we waiting for?"
With Jacob's arrival, the gathering finally got underway in earnest. Pots of hotpot came out, conversation flowed, and everyone traded stories about their old high school days. The mood only grew livelier as the night went on.
Jacob mostly sat back and listened, chiming in only occasionally. Most of what his classmates talked about — relationships, coursework, Pokémon training, job prospects, graduate school entrance exams — felt distant to him now.
It struck him, quietly, just how far he'd drifted from the people around him. While his old classmates worried about exams and careers, Jacob's problems looked a little different: Meyer, the reigning Champion of the Empire; Huxley's Dawn Society; and the shadowy organization known only as God's Coffin.
Still, the night stayed warm and easy. As the drinks flowed, cheeks flushed red across the table, and — just as Kyle had predicted — more than one classmate worked up the courage to confess their feelings to Amelia.
They all knew the odds were slim, but faced with her, they couldn't help trying anyway. Maybe, just maybe, they'd get lucky.
Amelia turned each one down gently. She'd been through this enough times to know exactly how to let someone down without making things awkward.
Julia, sitting beside Jacob, received no such confessions. It seemed everyone at the table had already quietly decided that she and Jacob were together — and, if anything, they were a little envious of him for it.
Jacob really was fortunate. He was already dating the young lady of the Su family.
By the time dinner wrapped up, the group — thoroughly buzzed — was ready to head out for karaoke. Jacob, though, wasn't in the mood. He said his goodbyes to his old classmates one by one and got ready to head home.
"You all go ahead without me. I've got something to take care of tomorrow, so I'm heading home."
"Take care, Jacob."