By the time Seulgi and Irene got home that night it was well past the stated curfew and the two of them had to sneak back onto the campus after putting Leeteuk’s car back in one of the League garages downtown. Seulgi was a little worried, she’d never been the type of girl to break the rules. Irene was bringing out her wild side, and admittedly she kind of liked the rush of adrenaline that accompanied sneaking past the large wrought-iron gates of the Academy. A rush that was not unlike the one she got when kissing Irene.

They waited with bated breath by a grove of trees just outside the Academy until the night security walked by, accompanied by a trio of Mightyena. As soon as he and his Pokémon were far enough away they slipped in through a break in the fence and hurried back to Dorm One.

Where they were immediately spotted by Moonbyul, who was waiting for them in the common room. The Hoenn Champion was relaxing on one of the couches, legs crossed and eyebrows raised. Irene whispered something in Seulgi’s ear and gently nudged the other girl in the direction of their room. Seulgi cleared and bowed her head to Moonbyul in greeting before skirting past the dorm captain and hurrying to their room.

Which left Irene to deal with her friend.

“You didn’t get back until after curfew,” Moonbyul accused, though the mischievous twinkle in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She mimed wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I am so proud.”

Irene blushed, “Please stop talking, Byul.”

“And do my eyes deceive me or is your lip gloss smudged?” Irene unconsciously touched her lips with one hand. Moonbyul had to stifle the laugh that was threatening to burst out. “You guys had fun I take it.”

Irene looked over in the direction of their room as if to check and make sure Seulgi hadn’t re-appeared. Confident that they weren’t about to be overheard she mumbled, “She’s amazing. And I know it’s still too early to say anything yet, but I think I found someone I want to be with for a very long time.”

Something about Irene’s almost love-stricken expression whenever the older girl talked about Seulgi reminded Moonbyul of when she and Yongsun first started out. There was definitely a spark between the Kalos Champion and her roommate and Moonbyul couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out.

“I’m glad you’ve found someone, Joohyun,” Moonbyul said sincerely. “I know you haven’t been in many serious relationships before, and if you decide to take things further with Seulgi things won’t always be sunshine and roses. You’ll have to work through your problems and communicate with each other.”

Irene nodded seriously. A good sign, Moonbyul thought. She was taking this to heart. “I really like Seulgi, Byul. I know I’m not the most open person, but I’m learning to let down my walls around her. It’ll be hard sometimes, and I’m not looking forward to our first argument but she’s worth fighting for.”

“Good. That’s all I can ask for. Know your value and understand your partner’s value too.” Moonbyul stood up and drew Irene into a hug.

Irene wrapped her arms around her friend and hummed in contentment. “Thank you for waiting up for us.”

“I’m a good dorm captain, Joohyun. I take the welfare of all my fellow students seriously.” As they pulled apart she added, “But I’ll definitely give Seulgi the ‘break her heart and I’ll break your legs’ talk. I even have a script written out.”

Irene laughed and playfully smacked Moonbyul’s shoulder as the Hoenn Champion left the common room to go back to her room on the second floor. Unable to keep the smile off her face, Irene walked down the hall and opened the door to their shared room.

Seulgi was sitting at her desk, sifting through a small pile of past homework assignments and organizing them by date so she could better access them in the future. Upon hearing the door open she swiveled around in her chair, brows knit in concern. “Are we in trouble?”

Irene quickly shook her head, depositing her team in one of the overnight healers. “Far from it. Byul just wanted to make sure we got home safe.”

The worry melted off Seulgi’s face. “Oh. Good.”

“Who do you think told me about the break in the fence that was never properly fixed?” Seulgi’s mouth dropped open. “She and Solar were quite the adventurous couple back in the day.”

“The more you know…” Seulgi said in disbelief. She placed her papers in one of the desk drawers and stood up, stifling a yawn. Irene had gone into the bathroom and Seulgi could hear her brushing her teeth. “Joohyun?”

“Mmm?” came the muted reply.

“Never mind, I’ll wait until you’re done.” Seulgi took the next several minutes to put her own team away for the evening and slide into a pair of pajamas.

Irene came out of the bathroom wearing her sleepwear. She sat on the foot of her bed and plugged her tablet into the outlet so it could charge. Finding Seulgi going through their stock of battle items she asked, “What were you saying earlier?”

“I just wanted to say I had a lot of fun tonight.” Seulgi looked down, unsure if she should say anything else. What more was there? Irene had gone above and beyond to make sure their date was not only fun, but relaxing as well.

Irene, meanwhile had already decided what she wanted to say next. The moment seemed right. “Enough fun for me to ask you out on a second date?”

The smile Seulgi gave her meant she had her answer. “Definitely.”

She climbed the stairs that led to her loft above Irene’s bed and the Kalos Champion could hear Seulgi collapse on her bed with a thump. Irene found the light switch and blanketed the room in darkness.

Neither of them were able to fall asleep though, as both of their tablets suddenly began to