-17-
Spring passed quietly in the small town of Gardev and summer was now in full swing. Another joyous occasion was coming up: one that Mack and Aura had also been looking forward to. In a little more than a week, Fredrick and Sakura would at last be married. The previous day, Fredrick and Sakura had said goodbye and the next time they would meet would be on their wedding day in their grand splendor. It was another quiet day in Gardev, much to Mack and Aura's relief. There were only two things that were bothering Mack as he stood in his bedroom, despite the peaceful, sunny day. First off, he and Aura never found a trace of Cedric, Jake's Houndoom. It was strange that Cedric had vanished the same day as when the Guardians, their family and friends had dealt the final blow against Cipher in the Gardev region. Mack had wondered for quite some time if there was some significance to having Cedric and the Black Pendant vanishing on the same day. Mack quickly banished the thought from his mind as he laid his eyes on Aura: she was getting ready for Sakura's bridal shower. Of course, this didn't require much effort from Aura. All she had to do was make sure her flowing gown was clean and maybe straighten up her hair. One other thing that Mack found out about Gardevoirs was how their hair almost always maintained its usual shape without much effort.
"So, will you alright without me this evening?" asked Aura with a mischievous smile.
"Somehow, I'll survive," replied Mack with a grin. Aura decided to take one last look at herself in the mirror.
"Just think," said Aura happily, "Not only are we going to Fredrick and Sakura's wedding, but that day will also be our first anniversary."
"One year together," said Mack with a blissful sigh, "Where has the time gone? Now that I think about it, we haven't had to save Gardev from a single, horrible disaster since last summer."
"Mack, as the Guardians, our main job is to be peacekeepers and help the people of Gardev when needed," explained Aura with a smile, "The natural disasters that apparently 'Plague' this valley, such as forest fires, avalanches, floods or landslides, only happen once every 3 or more years. Is it too quiet here for you, my love?"
"After all the other places I've been, nothing could possibly be too peaceful or to quiet for me," said Mack, "I'll tell you all about my other exploits one of these days."
"Well, I better get going," said Aura as she walked up to Mack and kissed him, "See you later tonight, handsome."
"I'll be waiting for you, my princess," said Mack tenderly. Meanwhile, downstairs in Warren's large dining room, Enrique and his parents were visiting Alexander and Aurora.
"Ah! Carl, is it? Nice to meet you!" said Alexander with a friendly smile as he shook hands with another male Gardevoir.
"A pleasure to meet you, too, Alexander. I've wanted to meet you for quite some time." said Carl happily as he held his mate close, "This lovely creature is my wife, Samantha."
"Hello," said Samantha with a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you both," said Aurora happily as she stood next to her husband.
"So, Enrique, is there another reason you wanted us to meet Alexander and Aurora besides that delicious dinner we just had?" asked Carl with curiosity.
"Well, there is," said Enrique nervously as he faced Alexander.
"Go ahead, Enrique," said Alexander gently, "Did you want to ask me something?" The two pairs of Gardevoir parents could easily tell that Enrique was very, very nervous, but was just dying to ask a question. Carl and Samantha placed their hands on Enrique's shoulders.
"Is something wrong?" asked Carl.
"I…I don't know if I can ask Alexander…" said Enrique as he bowed his head with dismay.
"Ask me what?" asked Alexander, "By all means, Enrique, you don't have to be afraid. Now, what is it?"
"Go ahead, Enrique," said Samantha tenderly. Enrique gathered his courage as he faced Alexander.
"Alexander, I came to ask for your permission to marry your daughter, Anna," said Enrique, "I wanted you and Aurora to get to know my parents more before I asked."
"You want to marry Anna, eh?" said Alexander with a chuckle, "When would you want the wedding to be held?"
"Next year," replied Enrique, "On the same day as your and Aurora's wedding anniversary."
"Oh, I see," said Alexander as he stepped forward and stood face to face with Enrique, "You do realize the responsibilities you are taking on by marrying my daughter, don't you?"
"I understand," said Enrique with confidence.
"Very well," said Alexander as he stood next to Aurora, "You have my permission and my blessing."
"I do? Really?!" exclaimed Enrique with great joy. Alexander nodded his head.
"Oh, I get to help another bride get ready on her wedding day!" said Aurora with excitement as she embraced Alexander.
"So, my son, why don't you introduce us to your bride to be? Is she around here in Gardev?" asked Carl.
"Oh! That's right!" said Aurora, "Anna was helping Simon get some treats ready for Sakura's bridal shower! We'll find her in the chapel kitchen."
"Then let's be off," said Samantha.
"Oh, no you don't!" said a gruff, feminine voice. The Gardevoirs stopped in their tracks and faced the entryway to Warren's kitchen. Agatha stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a tray of fresh-baked cookies.
"There's no way I'm letting any of you out of here until you've had desert!" seethed Agatha as she placed the large silver platter on the table.
"Of course, how rude of us," chuckled Alexander as he and Aurora sat back down at the large table.
"Congratulations, my son!" said Carl with warm laughter, "In little more than a year, my son will have a mate!" All seemed to be going well. Thought only half an hour had passed, Mack was becoming increasingly restless. The time was 7:45 PM and the sun was starting to set.
"May as well take a walk," thought Mack, "Or a quick flight." Mack soon had left his bedroom, managed to get out of Warren's house unnoticed and was walking down the quiet streets of Gardev. The one thing that had Mack wondering was all the empty houses and stores along the streets. Mack had learned the village of Gardev had once been famous for wine. For centuries, some of the finest wine in this world had been produced in Gardev. In fact, Gardev had been founded for just that reason. As Mack's thoughts trailed on, he wondered just why the wine industry had come to such an abrupt halt. Warren never mentioned what had happened and all Mack knew was how the last bottles had been produced over 40 years ago. He and Aura got to partake of one of the last bottles of Gardev wine on their wedding day.
"Speaking of weddings…" thought Mack as his gaze fell on the large church just ahead. He watched as other female Gardevoirs entered through the front doors. Sakura's bridal shower would be starting within a matter of minutes.
"Maybe Simon and Anna might want my help?" thought Mack as he walked towards the backdoor nearest to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Simon and Anna were working hard on snacks and treats for the upcoming party. Though everything was coming together very well, the two Poke'mon continued to grate on each other's nerves.
"How are things going over there? Are those cookies ready?" asked Simon calmly, doing his best not to loose his temper.
"They're all set," said Anna with a fake smile as she carefully stacked the trays of cookies on top of each other. She started to pick up the stack of trays to carry them to the room where Sakura's bridal shower was being held. However, before she could take one step forward, Simon quickly slid his claws under the trays and used his limited telekinesis to gently pull the trays out of Anna's hands.
"You'd better let me handle this," said Simon, "A weak Psychic-type like you has no business dealing with heavy objects."
"Weak? Weak?!" growled Anna, "What do you mean 'Weak'?!"
"Just look at your fragile body," said Simon with a grin, "And look at mine: my body is built like a rock!"
"With a head like a brick!" snapped Anna. Simon growled with anger. He had been putting up with this abuse for over an hour now. Anna, on the other hand, was getting very tired of listening to Simon drone on and on about honor, his adventures and the greatest battles he had ever fought.
"I may be hard headed, but at least I don't look like a moldy bed sheet!" snarled Simon.
"Is that the best you can do, you oversized cockroach?" said Anna as she narrowed her eyes at Simon.
"Alright, you little pest: one more insult from you and I'm going to let you have it," warned Simon, "I'm in no mood for any more mischief from you. Now, give me those pies and let's get moving. The party will be starting shortly."
"Call me a pest, will you?" thought Anna as her anger burned. She grabbed a fresh, apple pie from one of the counters.
"Did you hear me, Anna?" asked Simon impatiently, "Give me that pie! The guests will be here soon!"
"You want this? Here! You can have it, cockroach man!" shouted Anna as she smashed the pie square into Simon's face. The ancient Kabutops stood still, surprised at Anna's reaction. He just smiled as he wiped his face clean.
"You're out of your league, Anna," said Simon, "I've had enough of you. Now, you will pay for assaulting me."
"And what are you going to do? Blast me?" asked Anna.
"No, you're going to pay…" said Simon as a few platters behind Anna floated into the air, "In spades…or should I say…?" Anna looked behind her just as the trays flew towards her face.
"…Tuna," said Simon. Anna shrieked as tuna and crackers smashed into her face and into her hair. Anna screamed with rage as she hastily wiped the fish and crackers off her face and off her gown. Simon just stood there with a big grin on his face.
"Have you had enough?" asked Simon.
"This means war…" snarled Anna as she used her power and had several more pies float into the air, poised to strike. Simon smirked at his rival as he had more trays float into the air, ready to fling at his infuriating opponent.
"I couldn't agree more," said Simon. Meanwhile, just inside the church, Mack was heading towards the backdoor of the kitchen when he heard an unearthly scream from the kitchen.
"What on earth?!" thought Mack as he pressed his left ear against the door. He could hear Anna and Simon yelling and screaming at each other amongst a din of breaking dishes, clattering silverware and clanging pots and pans. Mack quickly grabbed the brass doorknob and flung the door wide open, but before he could say anything, he was forced to hastily close the door as a rogue apple pie nearly hit him square in the face. It was almost satisfying to hear the muffled splat against the wooden door, followed closely by the clang of the pie pan as it slipped off the door and onto the tiled floor below.
"That was too close," thought Mack as he sighed with relief.
"Good evening, Mack!" said a friendly voice from behind the frazzled Guardian. Mack quickly turned around just as Alexander and Aurora walked towards the kitchen with Enrique right behind them. Behind Enrique were two Gardevoirs that Mack had never seen before.
"Ah, hello," said Mack as he extended his right hand towards the male Gardevoir, "And who might you be?"
"I'm Carl, Enrique's father," said Carl as he eagerly shook Mack's hand, "And this is my lovely wife, Samantha."
"Nice to meet you," said Samantha with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you too," said Mack nervously, hoping these Gardevoirs were not heading for the kitchen, "Is there something you needed here at the church?"
"Yes," said Carl with happiness, "Something very important." Mack glanced at Enrique and could tell that something was making him very nervous.
"I've given Enrique permission to marry Anna," said Alexander with joy, "Enrique wanted us to witness his proposal."
"Now might not be such a good time…" said Mack reluctantly as he eyed the kitchen door.
"I can't wait to see the look on Anna's face," said Aurora blissfully, "I'm looking forward to helping another bride get ready on her wedding day…"
"I really don't think this is such a good idea right now," said Mack, trying to hide his fear, "Especially since Simon and Anna are very…busy right now."
"We've already spoken to Sakura. She doesn't mind at all if the food is late," explained Aurora.
"That's not what the problem is…" said Mack as he eyed the door once again and focused his power. For some reason, the kitchen had become eerily quiet.
"Well, I could always ask her tomorrow," said Enrique with a shrug, "The wedding wouldn't be until next summer anyway." Mack kept his focus on the kitchen.
"Great…" thought Mack, "Either they've killed each other or they're done fighting and there's a monumental mess just waiting for us behind that door."
"Enough of this," said Carl with some impatience, "I want to meet my son's bride-to-be and it's getting late."
"If you insist," said Mack with dread as he pointed to the kitchen door, "She's in there with Simon." The five Gardevoirs walked past Mack. Carl opened the door and gasped at what he saw. There was food, dishes, silverware, pots and pans littering the floor and the walls. At the center of this apocalyptic disaster stood Anna and Simon, eying a strange sculpture right in the middle of a large table at the center of the kitchen. Mack and the other Gardevoir's were absolutely puzzled and bewildered at this sight.
"I still think it looks like Glacian," said Anna as she gazed at the unstable sculpture. Anna was covered head to toe with what may have been tuna, crackers, various pies and pastries.
"I do agree with you," said an intrigued Simon, "It does resemble him to some degree, especially if you ignore the odd colorations and especially the smell." Simon looked equally bizarre with his new, edible and Technicolor appearance.
"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded a shocked Alexander.
"Oh! Hi, dad!" said Anna as she faced her father with a smile.
"Ah, good evening," said Simon as he also turned about to face the small group of Gardevoirs.
"Well?" asked Alexander with growing impatience, "What on earth happened in here?!"
"Not much," said Anna.
"Indeed," replied Simon.
"You call this not much?!" asked Alexander as he pointed around the messy kitchen, "Sakura's bridal shower is going to start in a few minutes! Sakura and her guests are eagerly looking forward to some delicious treats and all we have for them is this mess!"
"And one ugly Gardevoir sculpture, I might add," said Mack with a grin, "I think Glacian would be horrified if he saw this thing and people were saying it looked like him, don't you agree?" Alexander, Aurora, Carl and Samantha tried their best to stifle their laughter.
"Yeah, I don't think Glacian would appreciate that," laughed Enrique, "But Gloria might get a kick out of it."
"Just relax," said Simon calmly, "Anna and I are going to clean this place up before the night is over."
"That's one thing," said Alexander gruffly, "But what about Sakura's party?"
"Not to worry," said Simon as he opened one of the large refrigerators in the kitchen. Inside, there were several boxed fruit pies and cheesecakes.
"Where did those come from?" asked Anna with curiosity.
"I always have a 'Plan B' just incase of an emergency," said Simon, "I'll have these served up in a few minutes after I get cleaned off."
"Oh! I'd better get cleaned up, too! I don't want to miss Sakura's party, either!" said Anna as she raced out of the kitchen and towards one of the restrooms in the church. Carl glanced at Alexander and grinned.
"So, my son will be marrying an…interesting one, isn't he?" asked Carl.
"You have no idea," chuckled Alexander. Several minutes later, Anna walked into one of the large rooms of the church. There, Sakura was having her party. Anna entered the room just as Sakura was trying on her wedding dress. The other female Gardevoirs in the room were stunned and delighted at the sight of Sakura's wedding splendor. As Glacian had promised, exact copies of his and Gloria's magnificent wedding attire were given to Sakura and Fredrick. The thousands of small diamonds on Sakura's shimmering white dress sparkled brightly in the light.
"Wow! Wait until Fredrick see's you like this!" giggled Anna.
"Oh! Hello, Anna!" said Sakura with happiness, "I was hoping you would show up. How do I look?"
"What can I say?" said Anna with a smile, "You look perfect."
"Thank you, Anna," said Sakura as she embraced her dear friend. The party continued for a few hours with Sakura and Anna just having fun with the other guests and eating the food that Simon had hastily unboxed and served to the waiting guests. As the party wound down and the last of the delicious treats had been consumed, Sakura faced Anna, wanting to ask her a question. Anna glanced at Sakura as the young, beautiful bride-to-be said something that Anna would remember for the rest of her life.
"Anna?" asked Sakura gently and quietly as she sat in a chair in her wonderful, sparkling dress, "Why do you smell like fish?"
