~ Chapter 19 ~

Floaroma Town, The Festival of Honey

"Floaroma Town was truly a beautiful place. I have never seen so many flowers in one place before, and to this day I have yet to see a place that matches the beauty that is Floaroma—although, if we are counting places I'm not supposed to talk about, I think a few places we've visited in the coming years beat it. We showed up at the perfect time too. When we arrived, it was the start of the Festival of Honey, and annual event that celebrates Floaroma's honey and Bug Pokémon. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of catching to be done that day."

The group woke up that morning with a sense of excitement in them. They quickly devoured their breakfast, and then ran towards the videophones—having registered for Festival of Honey last night—hoping to get their Pokémon transferred and their routines done before the festival began.

Sam first dialled his grandmother's number, so that he and Jeremy could speak to their families, and Jeremy could speak to Professor Rowan about his recently caught Luxio.

"Jeremy, Pikachu, good morning!" cried Mrs. De Oliveira as she picked up the phone, "I was wondering when you were going to call."

"Pi-Pika!" responded Pikachu cheerfully.

"Hey, mom," said Jeremy.

"Hello, Sam, Alyssandra and Niya," greeted Jeremy's mother cheerfully to the others. Everyone else returned the gesture. "Oh, Sam, your grandmother wanted me to tell you that she's at the store," explained Jeremy's mother, "Just in case you called while she was out."

Sam nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," said Sam graciously; then he stepped back from the videophone slightly, allowing Jeremy to talk to his mother, while also being close enough to respond if he was asked a question.

"How are you kids doing?" asked Mrs. De Oliveira, "Have you been keeping safe?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Relatively," he said, "We're in Floaroma Town now." "Oh, Floaroma Town! I heard its filled with flowers; it must be so beautiful!" swooned Jeremy's mother, "Many of the flowers in my garden were brought from Floaroma—oh I wish I could be there with you."

"So how are things back home, mom?" asked Jeremy. "Oh, we've been keeping busy," smiled Jeremy's mother, "We miss you around here, but we're so proud of you, all of you! And we know you're going to go far."

Jeremy smiled. "Thanks, mom," he said, "You know, I've been thinking recently about what I might do with my life. Sam's going to be a Trainer and all, and Alyssandra's a Coordinator—Niya can be both."

"What is that son?" asked Jeremy' mother, "What do you want to do?"

Jeremy paused, then with a small smile he waved his hand. "Nah, it's nothing," he said, "It's not really anything—never mind. Is Professor Rowan there?"

Jeremy's mother paused as she watched her son, and then looked behind her. "Yes, he's down in the basement," she explained, "He spends much of his time down there or in the garden—that's where he studies your Pokémon you know. You guys have caught quite a bit of them, and some of them are so cute! Alyssandra, your Mime Jr. and his friends were just adorable."

"Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," smiled Alyssandra, "I only wish I didn't have to send it to Professor Rowan, but I know he needs to study my Pokémon and Mime Jr. doesn't want to leave its friends."

"It sounds just like you guys," joked Mrs. De Oliveira, "Completely inseparable. Now, I'll go and get Professor Rowan for you Jeremy, I know you must be in a hurry."

Jeremy's mother disappeared from the screen, and after several minutes of waiting and silence, Professor Rowan appeared on the screen.

"Hello, kids, and hello there Pikachu!" he said, "I see you're keeping your Pikachu out of its Poké Ball now, huh?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah," said Jeremy, "I figured—well I just thought Pikachu might like it better."

"I'm so glad to hear it!" exclaimed the professor, "Now, I believe Jeremy, you had a question for me?"

"Yes, Professor," answered Jeremy, "I wanted to know how the Luxio's doing? It looked a little too skinny and a bit sickly when I caught it, I wanted to know if it was all right and healthy enough for me to use in my permanent roster."

Professor Rowan nodded and scratched his beard. "Oh yes, the Luxio," he said with a small smile, "It's perfectly all right actually, but from what I could tell it hasn't eaten as much as it should've. It could be that it's native habitat is running low on food—perhaps from an overpopulation of Pokémon in that area."

"Is that all?" asked Jeremy, "So what should I do? I mean, I'm it's Trainer right, I should care for it."

Professor Rowan smiled, "Yes, of course," he said, "What you need to do though is feed it. But whatever Sam and Alyssandra's Luxio eat, double it for yours. Keep it like that for a few days, a week at the most; just until it starts to fill out like a normal Luxio. And don't forget to exercise it! You don't want it to become too overweight or lethargic, and activity will help strengthen its muscles again."

Jeremy nodded, "All right, I will," he said, "I don't suppose I should use it to battle?"

Professor Rowan shook his head. "No, I don't think that wise," he explained, "It's still too weak for that, but once it's ready, by all means. It will need to build up its strength again anyway."

"All right, thank you so much Professor," said Jeremy with gratitude, "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's nothing," said the professor with a hearty chuckle, "I owe all of you children for everything you've done. You've helped me with my research, you've saved my life and my research from Team Galactic, and you, Sam, gave Pascal and I a place to stay while we're in hiding. If, one day, the time comes for you to ask a favour, no matter what it is, ask and I will do it. Now, here, let me transfer your Luxio over to you Jeremy, and I shall get back to my research."

"Thank you, professor, again," laughed Jeremy, "And don't worry, we'll be sure to collect on that debt if we need it—but truly, we were only happy to help."

"Oh, and Jeremy, if I may provide you with a bit of advice?" asked Professor Rowan.

Jeremy nodded, and the Professor continued.

"Don't be afraid to tell your mother about your ambitions," he said intuitively, "I know you want to be a Pokémon Ranger. Nancy mentioned it to me yesterday over dinner, and I think that's a wonderful idea. In fact, it's a perfect job for you."

"I just, I feel bad that I want to go off and go on adventures and help people when my family is at home worrying about me," explained Jeremy, "Being a Pokémon Ranger isn't exactly the safest job in the world."

"That shouldn't stop you from fulfilling your dreams," said the Professor, "That's your family, and they love you no matter what. They would want you to be happy."

"Yeah, Jeremy," said Sam supportively, "Remember when I first left home to start this journey with you guys? I felt so guilty because my grandmother was left home alone, but my grandmother was so happy that I went out to follow my dreams, and she stands behind me through everything. And your mother was so supportive, and Professor Rowan too, they help her out now that I'm not there."

Jeremy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I suppose," he said, "I'll bring it up to her next time I call."

"Good, and don't be afraid," said Professor Rowan, "If you need help to interpret what you want to say, you can ask me. I'm good with these sorts of things."

"Guys, hurry, the festival if starting soon!" said Alyssandra in a rush.

"Oh, you guys had best be off then! The Festival of Honey is not something you want to miss," said Professor Rowan, "Your Luxio is in transfer now, I'll speak to you all later! Good luck catching today!"

"Thank you!" replied the kids, and the screen went black.

Just as it did, a Poké Ball appeared in the transporter capsule, and Jeremy eagerly picked it up and placed it on his ball belt.

"I'm going to quickly give this to Nurse Joy and see if she can feed it while we're out catching," explained Jeremy before darting off to the front desk.

"I'm going to be a second longer," said Sam, "I want to get my fossil transferred, I'll meet you guys at the festival. Just go on ahead, all right?"

Alyssandra looked flustered but kept her cool. "All right, but hurry," she said, "I don't want you being late. They won't let you in if you are."

"I always seem to make it don't I?" joked Sam.

Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at him then walked off with Niya, heading towards the door with Jeremy quick behind them. Sam turned back to the videophone and quickly dialled the number he wrote down last night, calling up the Oreburgh Museum. Suddenly the screen shot to life, and none other than Roark answered the phone.

"Hello, Oreburgh Mining Museum," he said, "How may I help you?"

"Roark? Hey, Roark, it's me, Sam!" said Sam with surprise, "How are you?"

"Sam? Hey! I'm great," he replied, "How are you?"

"I'm great, I'm headed to Eterna for my next Gym Battle," explained Sam, "But we stopped by Floaroma Town for Alyssandra's contest, and now we're participating in the Festival of Honey."

"That's cool," said Roark, "Glad to hear you're well."

"Yeah. I didn't know you worked at the Museum," said Sam, still in shock.

"Yeah, my grandfather opened this place, and my father worked here before me," explained Roark, "Now I work here. It's part of the duties that come with being Gym Leader. That and being in charge of the Oreburgh Mine."

Sam laughed; he understood what Roark was talking about.

"So, what can I do for you?" asked Roark.

"I have a Pokémon fossil here actually," said Sam, "I found it in the Ravaged Path. I think it belongs to a Cranidos."

"You want it restored then?" asked Roark intuitively.

Sam nodded. "Correct," he said, "Just tell me what it costs, and I'll send it over with the fossil."

"Don't worry about it," said Roark, "I'll do it for nothing. After that Gym Battle you gave me I owe you one. I've never been so challenged in a battle like that before. You were smart to teach your Pokémon those moves."

Sam smiled. "Well, I had help from my friends," he admitted, "They gave me the advice to teach my Pokémon those moves. But are you sure? I feel bad that you're doing it for nothing."

"It's fine, really," said Roark, "Now, just send that fossil over and I can get to work. It may take a few weeks, maybe one or two, but I'm sure I can get your Cranidos to you before your next battle."

"No worries," shrugged Sam, "Take all the time you need. I'll give a ring once I reach Eterna to see where you're at, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he said, "I should be finished by then. You just call me up and I'll send it over."

Sam nodded, and placed the Skull Fossil inside of the transporter, and sent it over with the push of a button. "All right, it's sent," he said, "Now, I got to get going. The festival's about to start and Lyss will kill me if I'm not there on time."

"Yes, I got it on this end. Now go, you don't want to keep her waiting," chuckled Roark, "It was great to see you again!"

"You too!" said Sam in return, "Bye!"

The screen went black again, and Sam quickly turned towards the door and dashed out. Sam ran down the main road of the small town, listening to the sounds of the crowd that gathered in the meadow just outside of the town. Sam ran for ten minutes before finally reached the festival grounds. He pushed through the crowd, weaving between people until it finally reached the participants line up. Sam slipped himself in between Alyssandra and Jeremy, both who shot him glances while the opening ceremonies began.

"You made it just in time," whispered Jeremy.

"Not a moment too soon," said Alyssandra with a hint of bitterness.

"Oh relax, I said I'd make it, didn't I?" joked Sam, "And I made it."

The group fell silent as the local Nurse Joy went up on the stage to speak.

"Welcome, citizens and travellers," she said in her usually soft voice, "And welcome to the fiftieth annual Festival of Honey!"

The crowd cheered and whistled, supporting the festivities with everything they had.

"As you all know, this celebration is held once a year at the end of spring and the beginning of summer to commemorate the rich wealth of honey and Bug Pokémon that this town has," explained Nurse Joy, "As part of the festival, these young Trainers here who had signed up as volunteers for the catching contest, will be given each a jar of honey to lather on a tree and to attract the most Pokémon in fifteen minutes."

Nurse Joy turned towards the competitors and looked at each of them. "Competitors," she said dutifully, "Apart from a jar of honey, you will be given each fifteen Poké Balls. As I said, whoever catches the most Pokémon in fifteen minutes wins the contest, and a year's supply of honey. All you must do is toss the Poké Ball at the Pokémon once it is distracted by the honey, and hope you catch it!"

"I hope none of us win," said Jeremy out of the corner of his mouth, "We don't have any room for the honey in our bags."

Nurse Joy then walked down from the stage and began to walk down the line of contestants. She handed each contestant a small basket with fifteen Poké Balls and a small jar of honey. Once everyone had received their honey and Poké Balls, she returned to the stage and caught the attention of the crowd.

"Now, if all of the participants will pick a tree," said Nurse Joy, "We can begin the contest."

Sam dashed from the line-up instantaneously, hoping to get one of the bigger trees. The bigger the tree meant the more Pokémon lived inside of it, and that meant that it would be easier for Sam to attract Pokémon—at least that's how it worked in his mind.

Sam chose one of the biggest trees in the meadow, right near the victor's table too, ironically. He quickly lathered the honey all over the trunk of the tree when he was told and waited for the starting bell to ring.

Within minutes the bell gave a distinctive ding, and Sam jumped behind a nearby bush, waiting for Pokémon to appear, but nothing happened. Other people had Pokémon flock to their tree almost seconds after the honey was placed there; even Alyssandra already had two Burmy licking honey from the bark of her tree, but nothing came to Sam. Sam became antsy and nervous, wondering how he was going to win with no Pokémon coming to his tree; he was very competitive.

He waited for five minutes, but nothing happened, then ten, and still nothing. Everyone else had already used up most of their Poké Balls, and Sam was starting to get nervous.

"Come on," he said confidently and hopefully, "Come on."

Suddenly, with only a few minutes' left, a Mothim appeared at Sam's tree, slowly licking the honey off of it, not noticing Sam. Sam smiled, knowing this was his chance, and he quickly threw his Poké Ball. The Poké Ball shook, and after a minimalist attempt to break free on the part of the Mothim, it was caught.

"Yes!" cheered Sam, looking over at Nurse Joy, who had just rung the ending bell.

"All Trainers, please come over to the victors table now and present your Pokémon," said Nurse Joy, "The judging will begin now."

Sam dashed back over to his friends, quickly entering the line towards the back.

"What did you guys catch?" asked Sam.

"I got two Burmy, a Kricketot and a cute little Cherubi!" said Alyssandra happily.

"I got a Mothim and a Wormadam, you?" he asked, satisfied with his haul.

"I don't feel too bad then," joked Sam, "I only managed to catch a Mothim. I guess it's really all in the luck, you know?"

Alyssandra nodded. "I know what you mean," she said, "I never expected to catch this many Pokémon—but I doubt I'll win, I saw some boy use all of his Poké Balls and them some of his own!"

"I know, I saw him too," exclaimed Jeremy, "Man he's gonna be tough to beat. I feel bad about Niya though, she only stayed on the side-lines as a spectator—isn't she ever going to catch some Pokémon?"

"She said she didn't want to catch Pokémon," explained Alyssandra, "The only Pokémon she's ever caught are on her team. Anything more is unnecessary to her."

"She's adamant about that huh?" asked Sam with amazement at Niya's stubbornness, "I mean she's almost as stubborn as me."

"Almost," joked Jeremy, which prompted a laugh from everyone.

The judging was soon over, as Alyssandra, Jeremy and Sam showed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy. After minutes of deliberating, Nurse Joy and the local Officer Jenny had decided on the winner.

"And the winner is, Tommy!" exclaimed Nurse Joy, which gained a massive cheer from the crowd.

A boy with short jet-black hair and a tall stature walked up to the stage and received the golden trophy that was shaped like a beehive. As the crowd continued to cheer, Nurse Joy managed to control them temporarily before speaking again.

"Now that the catching contest is over, everyone may now join in for games and other contests!" said Nurse Joy, "As you can see to my left we have set up the small carnival, and we would be delighted if you could all join us!"

"Come on!" said Alyssandra enthusiastically as she grabbed Sam and Jeremy's hands, "Let's go get Niya and we can go play some carnival games!"

Alyssandra then charged off into the crowd with a look of bliss and determination on her face, dragging Sam and Jeremy behind her.