Chapter 24 – Ice Cream
Opelucid City
After the training session yesterday, we were told by one of the nurses we could leave the next day, but on the day Aqua and I were training together we found out Vaporeon and Pichu were leaving the city to continue with their journey. They were heading in the opposite direction, so instead of going to Opelucid City where we were heading, they were doing to Driftveil City to face the gym leader of that city to earn another badge and with all eight badges they would go on to face the elite four. Turned out the date Vaporeon and Pichu's trainer didn't go so well and wanted to leave, and so they left the day after the festival to continue on.
Our time together was short, and we really did want to spend some time together during our stay in the city until Aqua's wounds had healed up. But we wished each other well and hope our journeys end well; their trainer as champion and us back home.
It had been several hours, passing through route 09, but we finally made it to Opelucid City. It was a somewhat lively city today, children with their parents and Pokemon, most with a plastic cup and eating something out of it with a plastic spoon. At first I tried to get a look on what it was they were eating but couldn't since no one in the city stood around and were hurrying to somewhere saying 'The next flavour is this way'
Hanging across buildings were the same hanging light decorations the Pokemon Center had in the garden, only these hanging lights were larger and appeared to be in the shape of an ice cream cone… or a drop of water. These people were celebrating something, but right now we weren't interested in what they were doing and wanting only to continue on through to route 11 and the Village Bridge.
"The training went really well yesterday, I'm feeling stronger now. Check it out; I levelled up a whole lot!" Aqua cheered as she flexed her arm to show off her muscle to me.
"Nice work, Aqua. I'm seeing some improvements." I smiled amusingly at her cheerful dancing around, something which look almost identical to the dance Aqua and I were doing during the festival.
"Some? You mean a lot for how much experience I gained. I believe that if I keep it up, my training I mean I should have my moves mastered." She smiled and walked by my side with her paws behind her back as she walked. "You gotta keep up, Zack, or I'll easily dominate you; making you eat all of your food on time, finish you training, go to bed early. And there will be nothing you can do because you will be too weak to do so." She teased as she shot a mischievous grin at me.
"Then I'll turn into a rebel and run away from home. Nope, I couldn't stand being with my bossy mom." I pointed at Aqua before lightly pushed her and began running.
"Shut up." She laughed and quickly caught up with me and the two of us decided to run together further in towards the city. But the running while aiming to run towards the city exit stopped about halfway into the city when I stopped and looked up at a banner flapping in the wind.
'Ice Cream Convention' a large banner hanging between two buildings with many flavors of ice cream to the side; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. Sure ice cream is delicious, but I wasn't hungry. One of the flavors I caught was one called 'Blueberry' I don't know why I stopped when seeing that flavor, but for some reason it felt familiar to me, a good feeling. In the past, this ice cream flavor was my favorite, had it all the time for my birthday. Sneaking down stairs at night when I was still a kid and into the kitchen to grab a bowl full of the stuff for how good it was despite only being told not too by mom.
"Zack?" I looked down to see Aqua. I looked back up.
"That ice cream." I pointed at the ice cream flavour; Blueberry. "I don't know why… but I feel as though I remember something about it, something from my past."
"Blueberry Ice cream? What is that?"
"It's a frozen desert… uh, I think…? There are many flavors of ice cream; a lot of them are good." I said to her not remembering anything about ice cream except for how good they were, but not the taste. I tried to remember, but everything came up blank about them.
"Do you think if we tried this ice cream flavor, you might remember something from your past?"
"It's possible. It wouldn't hurt to at least try it out."
"Well, if it'll help you remember then we can't pass it up." Aqua paused briefly before turning to face the building where most of the ice cream flavours were being kept. "I would've liked to have kept on going, get as far away as we could from Purrloin and her gang. But we have travelled far from Mistralton City arriving in the afternoon. I suppose we could have a little break from travelling and get ourselves something nice."
Ice Cream Convention – Entrance
Well, this was something I had never seen before but it was a sight to behold. Hundreds and hundreds of different flavors of ice cream on every table for people to taste, flavors in the past I had before, seen but never tried, and many of them I had never heard of before. The building on the outside made it seem like the interior would be small, but the inside was huge able to fit about a few hundred I'd say, most lining up to get a taste of the popular and the rare flavours.
There weren't many Pokemon besides us inside, mostly Vanillite's travelling round with staff, and a Psyduck standing in line with its trainer for the coffee flavored ice cream, one of the few stalls that had less than ten people lining up for.
"Wow, look at all of this!" Aqua gasped as she looked at all of the different flavors of ice cream. "Popcorn, orange, banana, cheery, rum raisin, white chocolate, and mint?. What is all of this? They sound good, but I have never had it before. Can we try some of these flavors?"
"I suppose we could try at least a few of them." And as if on cue, a member of staff approached us with a tray of small plastic cups of sample ice cream.
"Hey you two, would you like to try some ice cream? I bet ya do." The man asked as he picked up one of the cups of ice cream and handed it to Aqua. Aqua looked back at me, and I nodded giving her the all clear for her to go ahead and try some. After taking the small cup, the man handed her a little spoon for her to dig in and gave me one while passing the same cups of ice cream to children that had gathered behind us to get their own little cups of ice cream.
Me and Aqua both got the same flavor of ice cream; Vanilla for us to try. It was a new experience for her trying food like this since all she has ever had were dry and hot foods all her life. I wasn't sure how she would react at her first taste of ice cream; panicked that food could be ever eaten like this, shocked, or maybe find it inedible. She scooped up the ice cream with her spoon and cautiously nibbled at it… then gasped. She then blushed and then smiled as she ate more from what was left on the spoon and then scooped up more.
"Yummy, it's so good! How have I missed this all of my life?!"
I ate my ice cream, the first time in a long time. But vanilla didn't help spark any memory from my past. All that happened in the moment was me enjoying the taste of vanilla ice cream, and the sight of how Aqua looked when she ate more ice cream, liking the inside of the cup for whatever was left. Aqua grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the stalls behind us.
"Zack, c'mon let's try some more flavors. I want to try the chocolate one next. The uh…" she twisted her plastic cup around to check what the flavor of her ice cream was called. " 'Vanilla' this flavor was really good, I want to see what a chocolate version of ice cream is like. Please!"
I wanted to get the blueberry flavor first. Then after we could have a few flavors of ice cream and get out without wasting too much time. Then I thought that maybe some of the other flavors of ice cream could may as well help with memory on the same level as the blueberry one.
"Hmm… alright, we could try a few of these flavors." I said while being dragged with her to the chocolate ice cream stall to line up. "Hey, what's the worst that can happen? Aqua goes on an all out ice cream spree and wants to taste every flavour out there?" I thought… oh I just had to think of that… and it happened.
And what turned into a small quest to hunt down and try out the blueberry flavored ice cream then turned into a long 'taste every ice cream' quest and go back for seconds or thirds due to how much Aqua really wanted to have more.
It had been a while, but we finally found it; the blueberry flavour ice cream stall. A stall with plenty of ice cream for everyone inside the convention if they lined up for it… unfortunately for us that was what the line was like for how many there were. But it didn't last forever thankfully and instead lasted nearly an hour, for me at least since Aqua left the line to go to another stall nearby to get herself some ice cream a couple of times. And when I finally reached the front of the line, grabbed the cup of blueberry ice cream for the both of us to enjoy together, I had to drag her out of one of the lines so she could join me for the moment when I tasted the blueberry flavor ice cream for the first time after losing all of my memories.
"Oh wow, this is incredible! Ice cream is the best!" She cheered as she finished up her lemon ice cream and set it aside so she could start with the blueberry. "Is this the flavor you were looking for?"
"Yep, this is the one." I nodded my head. "I hope this amount of ice cream will at least be enough to get something out of it. A memory as to why this flavor stopped me in the middle of the street after looking at it."
"Um, you can have mine if you want. Anything to help you remember who you were before all of this." She offered me her ice cream, but I declined and shook my head.
"No Aqua, that's your ice cream. Go ahead, I have got mine. It'll be alright with what I have got." Lifting the plastic cup up with one paw and the spoon in the other to dig in, I smiled. "So let's enjoy this flavor together."
I scooped some of the ice cream in the spoon, enough that would safe to eat and not give me brain freeze. As soon as the blueberry ice cream hit my tongue, the memories of how much I loved this flavor, the nights of me sneaking downstairs just to grab myself a bowl, every birthday I would have this as a dessert with my sister Yuri, my mom, and Latias… nothing came. I swallowed the ice cream expecting the memories to come at any moment now. Then I scooped up some more and ate it, savored it. The only thing I got out of it was that it tasted good, and nothing else.
Disappointed, I sat down near the wall next to one of the stalls trying to figure out why exactly I felt as though I knew that flavor of ice cream. "Zack, what's wrong? Did you remember something about that flavor? Was it something bad?" Aqua sat beside me.
I shook my head. "I remembered nothing from eating it. I thought I would. When I saw that flavor outside the building, I had a feeling I knew it somehow, that eating it would help with my memories. Maybe I was just imagining it…"
"Maybe you weren't imagining it." She placed her paw on mine, and I looked at her. "Before when you stopped outside the building looking at the blueberry flavor ice cream, you were focused on it. And you said it yourself, you felt like you knew it, that you had it before. Plus you also knew it was cold and there were many flavors. Maybe you knowing what kind of food it was were your memory coming back in a way. That you remembered having it before."
"Yeah." I sighed. Still disappointed that I didn't remember anything about my past. But she did have a point; I did know what ice cream was without even trying it after I lost my memory. So perhaps something kicked inside my head when I saw the words 'ice cream' on that banner, just a little bit. Regaining memories were a tricky process indeed…
"Even though you didn't get your old memories back, at least we made some new ones today." She placed her paw on mine; I looked at her and saw her smiling at me. "We at least got to try this delicious desert. When I lived with my parents in Castelia City before I met you, I had never had food like this, not even close. But you know Zack; we still have time before the convention closes. Want to stick around and try out some more flavors? Instead of it being about trying to remember your past, how about we do this for fun?"
"Okay, let's go." I smiled and agreed to stay at the convention a little while longer. Trying out the other flavors we didn't try out yet; a lemon one, birthday cake, wasabi, and a few others. Well, only those three were the ones we hadn't tried and then went back to the other flavors we had. We must've tried the vanilla flavor six times… well; Aqua did while I only had it twice and gave up on ice cream after getting brain freeze too many times.
An hour or two I'd say of watching Aqua eat ice cream made me almost forget how long we were in there for, only realizing the place was closing within the hour when hearing the voice over from the announcement telling us about the closure. Something which didn't end too well with Aqua since she wanted to stay and continue to eat more and more flavors nonstop, but somehow I managed to pick her up and carry her out of there without any problem what so ever.
"Ugh… so full… and yet I am still wanting more ice cream… so tasty, I want more…" she cried in my arms when carrying her out of the city, waving back at the building where the ice cream convention was.
"Once we get home, we'll get you some ice cream then. How does that sound? You can eat all you want." Aqua relaxed and cuddled into my chest and nodded.
"Alright… but all of those flavors… so many good flavors… *sniff* they were soo good!"
"Heh, I'm guessing you really liked those ice creams, huh?" I chuckled. "Yeah, they were nice."
And on that fateful day turned Aqua from a happy Oshawott talking about medical to a happy Oshawott talking about ice cream flavors almost non-stop. Chocolate this, vanilla that, the talk of ice cream somehow crept itself into almost every conversation we had. Although I didn't remember anything from my past except liking that flavor of ice cream, it may have been something small, but at least we had a lot of fun that day.
To be continued...
Character Interaction
The following is a conversation between Shiny Latias and Purrloin in an old building somewhere south within Castelia City before Purrloin took her gang to find and bring back Zack and Aqua. This conversation listened in to the entire talk without attracting any attention from them or the guards nearby. Through the window, the Pokemon who has asked to be remained anonymous can see in the room Purrloin sitting on a child's chair at a plastic table with Shiny Latias levitating very close to the ground her paws resting on the plastic table.
"I was once with my mother and father in the city, living and enjoying our lives carefree. But then they wanted me to leave them so I could find my calling in life." Purrloin spat as she reminisced about her past to Shiny Latias. "I knew what they really meant; they didn't want to be with me anymore. But family is supposed to stay with each other forever. So I killed them for betraying me."
"Sounds like you have family issues Purrloin. No offence, but I have a little family trouble myself."
"Hmm… none taken. It would take me a week or so when I was hunted down by humans for killing my own parents, seeing me as nothing but a violent and vicious Pokemon who if in the hands of a human child injure or kill them or their Pokemon." Purrloin scoffed. "So I killed these people called The Savior's for trying to kidnap me and kill me, viewing me as a monster when all I ever wanted was a loving family. Is that too much to ask?"
"Nope." Shiny Latias shook her head "I'm glad it was members of The Savior's. People who joined that group should all die a painful death. So well done on that."
"Well anyway; later I found Lucian the annoying Buizel who is always following me around as if I'm his mate or something. Gained more Pokemon to join my gang and we have all lived together under the same roof as one giant family."
"Until Zack managed to find his way into your life. Something you hated since now you and all of your 'family' are out here?"
"No, far from it. If there are a few things I hate in this word is that are humans are trying to hurt me believing I am a threat to them, Pokemon who betray me and run off, and Oshawott's who dare try and steal Zack from me. It's her I hate, not him."
"Uh huh…" Shiny Latias nodded, bored now as she rolled her eyes from listening to Purrloin for ten minutes almost.
"This ability you have, you say you can control them?" Purrloin asked her new ally Shiny Latias. Shiny Latias would hurt anyone who ever asked her questions like that or pried into her life, surprisingly she didn't with Purrloin. Perhaps she saw her as a real friend, or perhaps as a tool for getting her close to finding Zack. SH ewould need all the help she could get if her plan would ever succeed.
"Of course. Anything from my victims such as them revealing to me their darkest secrets, doing whatever I command of them without any resistance." She smiled. "I can even control their breathing; make them stop if I want."
"And you have used it on a good amount of victims?" Purrloin asked as she leaned in her seat. Shiny Latias smiled and nodded, lightly scratching into the plastic table.
"I have used it… against my own soldiers whenever they fail a task I give them." She chuckled. "The look on their faces… It's so hilarious when they realized they have failed only to be then tortured by me. I have even used my ability on Zack's allies I have captured after he escaped."
"Sounds like you two have had quite the history. Dare might I ask how it is you two know one another?"
"Very well…" Shiny Latias chuckled. "The Dewott has been my enemy of mine for a long time. Long ago I once lived in a large building full of humans, soldiers I once called my family. Then the Dewott came into the picture and took everything from me, my family, burnt down my home, and killed my father." She held up her paw and examined her claws. "When I have everything I want, I will exact my revenge on Zack, make him kill all of his friends and allies… and then I'll end his life a slow and painful death."
"I see." Purrloin smiled and nodded. "But you know, I am after Zack. I want him back, he means so much to me. He understands me…" she twirled her finger on the table, but then slammed her paw on it hard. "But then that Oshawott had to interfere with my plans and take him away from me!"
"You… like him?" Shiny Latias had a look of disgust on her face. Then she smiled. "So tell me Purrloin…" Shiny Latias says without looking at Purrloin's eyes. "How much of Zack do you know?"
"He lost his memory, only except for his name. He also speaks… differently from any other Pokemon I have met. And not just the way he speaks, but it sounds oddly familiar to the way humans speak."
"What would you say if Zack was not all that he seemed to be? That he was… different from you and me, from your entire gang?"
"We are all different. All born to different families, grew up differently. No one is the same regardless how we are born, what we learn. But the choice to befriend them is there, the reason to hate another is there. Whatever you say Shiny Latias, It'll have no affect on me whatsoever. Zack a murderer, a wanted criminal, a famous Pokemon, the most vile Pokemon to have ever lived hated by the regions humans and Pokemon, all of that and more will not affect the way how I feel about him. So do your worse. Tell me what I do not know about him, cause nothing you say will undo that."
Shiny Latias leaned forward and smiled, looking Purrloin into her eyes. "Really? We shall see about that."
Conversation End
AN: Yeah, kind of a short chapter and more like a filler chapter. But it was all I got. Next chapter will be up sometime soon. So until then, take it easy ya'll.