Jesse and James weren't worried.  Their grades were among the highest in their level, and their experiences training Ekans and Koffing gave them a hands-on approach that the students who battled on computers just didn't have.  Being normal teenagers, they made plans to go to a party the night before the test instead of studying.

        James watched Jesse get ready from a corner of the room.  She was fixing her hair as it had been years before, the pointy style that stuck out at a slight angle behind her head.  She put on the round emerald earrings that she constantly wore, then looked to him for approval.  He had forgotten how she looked with her hair like that, and with the earrings and her short black dress, she looked even more beautiful.  He smiled and nodded.

        His crush on her hadn't gotten any better since Christmas.  In fact, it had grown.  He stared at her whenever she wasn't looking, hung on her every word, and watched her fall asleep every night.  He was completely infatuated with her, but it was more than infatuation.  He had even written a song for her that he kept with him all the time.

        He looked up from the small square of paper.  Jesse was standing over him expectantly.  He shoved the song back into his pocket.  "Aren't you ready yet?"

        "I'm not going."  How could he go there and see her dancing with everyone but him, hanging out with her other friends while he sat in a corner somewhere and daydreamed about their almost-kiss on Christmas?

        "What do you mean, 'not going'?  If you don't go, who am I going to talk to?"  She smiled and held out her hand.  He was being irrational, he knew it.  He and Jesse were the only friends they had, so who else would she talk to or dance with?  Grinning, he grabbed her hand and stood up.  They had a party to go to.

        Jesse and James walked through the room, occasionally saying hello to other people they recognized but didn't really talk much to.  Jesse was being strangely quiet and hung onto James.  Not that he minded.  A slow song started to play, and she  turned to him, smiling and catching him completely off guard.  "Do you want to dance?"

        He gulped.  "Umm... I don't really... know how to."  What are you doing?! he screamed at himself.  Isn't this what you wanted?  Stop being such a wimp and just dance with her already!

        Fortunately, Jesse didn't fall for his excuse.  "You're trying to tell me that Mr. 'My Parents Want Me to be a Gentleman' was never taught how to dance?"  He smiled weakly.  "I don't buy it, James."  She slid into his arms, and his hair stood on end.  Jesse grinned at his nervousness and tightened her arms around him.  "See, you can dance."

        Gradually, he relaxed.  He had no reason to be nervous around Jesse, and he wouldn't get anywhere by acting that way.  He pulled her even closer, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.  People were starting to stare at them, but a glare from James made them go back to minding their own business.  His mind began to drift towards the future.  If they passed the exam tomorrow, they would stay together.  They had to pass.  There was no way he would let her go again.  If they failed, they would have to go back to their old lives, Jesse in the orphanage and James with his evil fiancee.  He shuddered.  That wasn't an option.  No, if they failed, they had to work something out, and he knew what it was.  "Jess?"

        "Hmm?"
        "Remember when we were little... and we talked about going on a Pokémon journey together?"
        "I remember everything from when we were little, James."

        He was thinking through his idea too much to notice her tone of voice.  "If we fail tomorrow-- if we fail-- is that Pokémon journey still an option?  I'd hate for us to go back to our old lives..."

        "Of course it's still an option."  She smiled up at him.  "You're my best friend, and I'm not letting you go again."
        "Right.  We have to stay together."

        "Forever," she whispered, staring at him.  For the second time, they were inches away from kissing.  It seemed like they actually would that time.  The song ended abruptly, and she pulled away, looking nervous and a little frightened.  "So...  Pokémon journey.  Right.  If we fail, we'll go on a Pokémon journey."

        She was jumpy for the rest of the party, and when they got back to the room at four a. m., she went directly to bed.

        Jesse stared at her blurred test paper, vowing never to stay up that late again.  If she could just make a passing grade...  She glanced over at James.  His forehead was on the desk, his blue hair falling everywhere.  She smiled and looked back to her own paper.  Number one...

        You are battling against the gym leader of Cinnabar Island.  If he sends out a Charizard, which Pokémon would be best to use against him?
        A.  Magikarp
        B.  Oddish
        C.  Gyarados
        D.  Seel

        Barely thinking, she filled in the bubble for "B" and promptly fell asleep.

        "I didn't want to be part of this school anyway," Jesse grumbled, throwing a few last items into her suitcase.  "It shouldn't matter if we failed the test!  We had high grades in all our classes!"

        "We not only failed," a sulky James added.  "We failed miserably.  Lowest scores ever..."
        "I only filled in one answer, and I said I would use Oddish to fight Charizard!  Oddish!"
        "I didn't even get a chance to pick up my pencil," James whined.

        She lifted her suitcase, and they headed out of the room together.  "At least we have Ekans and Koffing, and we can go on our Pokémon journey.  Where to first?"

        "Let's head back towards Sunnytown.  I want to see that old shed again."
        She smiled.  "Okay.  We'll go to Sunnytown.  But after that, we really need to try to get some badges."

*  Japanese song "Rakki Rakki"--  I made it sound like he's talking about Jesse!  ^_^