Back at the apartment, Jonathan and Sam prepared for a fancy dinner at Le Palais, along with a chance to meet the restaurant owner herself; Jeanette von Platter. Jonathan opened the wardrobe to reveal an array of clothes, from t-shirts to coats, and from short trousers to long jeans, even several hats. Sam looked at all the clothes, astounded.
"Oh, wow..." Sam said, taken aback by the amount of clothing. "Why do you have so many?"
"I don't have this many!" Jonathan contradicted him. "You live in my apartment too, remember?"
"Oh, right..."
Me, Arthur, Spark and – the one I hate the most – Adam, just watched as they choose their clothing for the dinner event.
"So..." Sam started. "What is Lee Palaice anyway?
Jonathan just sighed, trying his best to tolerate him. "It's Le Palais, Sam. It's a french-themed restaurant with the exterior and interior of a palace." He explained. "They also have a pretty strict dresscode. You can't just walk in there all dishelved and messy; you have to look like a gentleman, a proper family man." Sam just rolled his eyes hearing his choice of words.
"So, I think... this one." Sam picked up a white blouse and a pair of black jeans. "Classic black and white, right?" He asked Jonathan.
Jonathan looked at it, and he looked impressed. "Nice choice." He said. "Maybe you can pair it up with a tie... if you want to." While Sam thought about whether or not to wear a tie, Jonathan grabbed himself the tux and jeans he wore from last night.
"I'll guess I'll go with this." He said, not too pleased he did not have any more fancy clothes. "It worked last night."
"All done, John?" Sam asked his partner.
"Done. We'll leave at six. For now... I don't know what to do."
Sam just laughed. "Why don't you take me around Jubilife City? I haven't gotten a good look of the place."
"Good idea. You might get lost on the way to Le Palais, he he."
Then something strange happened. I heard Sam complain to Jonathan: "I'm not a little kid, you know!?", yet his lips did not seem to move, and Jonathan doesn't seem to have heard it. Weird.
"So, what about them?" Sam asked, pointing at us. Thank god he remembers we exist.
"...Just keep them here."
Sam looked surprised at Jonathan's response. "Really? In this tiny, cramped, boring apartment room? Why?"
"Well, what use is it for us to bring them around? We're just looking around."
"Seriously?" Jonathan then shot Sam a deathly glare, making Sam submit. "Alright, fine! But can't we at least leave them... elsewhere? Like... the park?"
Jonathan just sighed. "Fine. We'll leave them at the park. Now come on, let's go."
Jonathan, without a second thought, called back his Pokémon back into their pokéballs. Sam, on the other hand, seemed a bit reluctant, but in the end called us back as well. "Alright then, let's get going."
...
It was all dark. Just... empty space. But I can still hear the outside. After what felt like an eternity, I heard Sam call. "Alright guys, come on out!" I felt the tiny ball open, and me being... well, I don't know how to explain it. It's a funny feeling, really. I'll just say... it's like being waken up. A rebirth, if you like.
Looking around, we were at a park, which seemed to be specifically made for Poké were slides, swings, mini swimming pools, and tons of other toys. I looked beside me, and Arthur was standing there, his eyes sparkling. "Oh. My. God. KEITH!" He yelled excitedly at me, way too close to my ears. "Look at this park! Today's gonna be fun, fun, fun!" I didn't hear some of his words, thanks to him for deafening my ears.
"Yeah, sure, go on ahead Arthur." I said, looking at all the other Pokémon playing.
Arthur looked back at me. "You're not coming?"
"Later."
"Oh..." Arthur mumbled, looking disappointed. Then he ran off into the crowd and I lost sight of him. Looking around, I spot Spark playing over by the swings, and Adam at some sort of tunnel labyrinth. I just sighed.
"...Should I?" A voice spoke in my head, clearly my thoughts. "Should I play with Arthur? This looks ridiculous." But then I spot Arthur looking at me from a playhouse, sadness written all over him. For a moment I heard him say something: "Why isn't he coming to play with me?", although I swore that his lips didn't move at all. I remembered the small conversation me and Arhtur had, just after leaving that café earlier on this afternoon.
"...Wanna play later?"
"...Sure."
Some sort of... strange feeling started growing in me. In my heart. It was even starting to hurt a little. I shook the feeling off and tried to distract myself by thinking something else. But I can't. All my thoughts were about Arthur. Looking again at the playhouse, Arthur was still looking at me. When I looked into his eyes, I felt another tiny spike of pain in my chest. What was this feeling? I've never felt this before in my life...
There was another feeling... more powerful than before. It was some sort of urge to just go over there, to Arthur. To apologize to him, to say sorry for not playing with him, and then to play with him all day long and forget everything that's happened before. Glancing back at Arthur once more, I realized that he's still looking over at me, as if he's waiting for me to come over to him. I saw him look away, and I heard him whisper: "This is hopeless..."
Whatever that feeling was, it was starting to overpower me. I might have been caught off guard, since I've never felt this feeling before in my entire life. Maybe it was lack of mental preparation, but I gave in to that feeling. And I just... went with my gut. To go over to Arthur.
Running over to him, I called him. "Arthur!" I saw his ears twitch, and he looked back. When he saw me, he started smiling. Running inside the playhouse, I stopped right in front of him.
"Keith! You finally came to play!" He exclaimed happily. "Come on, let's go!" Arthur happily scurried off to another part of the playground. As I ran after him, I felt another strange feeling. Some sort of... relief, washed over me, erasing that other feeling I felt earlier on. It felt like... I had just released a weight off my chest. I actually cracked a smile.
"Wait for me!" I called after him, hurrying up to catch him.
...
Two hours after our trainers left us at the playground, Sam and Jonathan came back. "Hiya guys!" Sam chirped, bending down to pet us. Arthur got a nice pet, but when Sam stretched his hand to pet me, I dodged him. "I guess you still don't like being pet. Spark and Adam also had the same treatment from their trainer.
"Come on guys, we're going to Le Palais." Jonathan said plainly. He was about to suck them back into their pokéballs when Sam stopped him. "Wait! Why can't they just eat beside us?"
Jonathan frowned at him. "Seriously?" He groaned. "Have some logic! You think Pokémon are allowed to eat beside us in a fancy restaurant!?"
Sam looked insulted. "Well, I read in this tourist guide," He took out a small book from his pocket and opened it. "and it says that Le Palais is actually one of the very few fancy restaurants that actually allow Pokémon out of their pokéballs while inside... as long as they don't cause a mess." To prove his point, Sam flipped the pages all the way to the 'Food Section' and showed him Le Palais's description, which stated the exact same thing that he had just said.
Jonathan seemed embarrassed. "Ugh, fine. We can bring them along. But if your Pokémon cause a mess then it's not my fault!"
"Yours too." Sam said.
"Fair. Can we finally move now?"
...
Half an hour later, we had finally arrived at Le Palais. The first impression it gave was that it was an elegant restaurant. The exterior was painted with white, along with large columns and french windows. There were also bushes and flowers too. Looking up, I can see the restaurant's name, Le Palais, written in italic. Jonathan looked at his cellphone for a time, and he was relieved to see that he was two minutes early.
Jonathan walked up to the front entrance, followed by Sam. A servant opened the door, letting them in. "Good evening to you, gentlemen." He greeted them politely. "Do you have a reservation? Or do you not?"
"Well, Madam von Platter's daughter invited us here." Jonathan explained to the servant. "So I assume... yes?"
"Let me check." He opened up a small, black book and started flipping through its pages. "Ah yes, Mister Jonathan and Samuel. Your seat is at table thirteen, over in the corner." He pointed at one of the restaurant's corners, where there was a table with two women were already sitting there. "You're a minute early, and I'm sure she'll be pleased to see that you two boys can be punctual."
"Thank you." Jonathan gave a small bow, and headed for the table. Sam looked around for a bit before he hastily followed. Reaching the table, he quickly sat down alongside Jonathan. Arthur sat on Sam's lap, Adam was on Jonathan's, while me and Spark just sat under the table, trying to not cause traffic in the space between tables. A servant then came over to our table, carrying some drinks and placing them down on the table.
From underneath, me and Spark can still see our trainers and the von Platters. Catherine was still the same as yesterday, while we saw the restaurant owner, Jeanette von Platter, for the first time.
Madam von Platter was wearing a long purple gown that went all the way down to half her leg. She was also wearing bright red heels. On top of her head was a large purple hat, which covered some of her long, brown hair. There were flowers on top of her head too. Other accesories include a pearl necklace, gold earrings and a stylish watch.
"She looks gorgeous, doesn't she?" Spark whispered into my ear. The word 'gorgeous' gave me a tiny urge to laugh.
"...She looks great, I guess." I replied curtly. Spark just stared at me.
"You're lying. Again. Why can't you just honestly say what you actually think about something? Or someone? Or anything at all?"
I sighed. "You wanna know my honest opinion?" He nodded. "She dresses like an old grandma." Spark nearly burst into laughter but he (somehow) managed to catch himself.
"I guess that's somewhat true." He chuckled, looking back at the 'grandma'. "Don't tell Arthur I said that." I only gave him a smirk, which made him slightly uncomfortable. "Shh... I think they're talking now." We both fell silent, keeping our ears open for anything that sounds interesting.
...
After the servant with the drinks left, a lady's voice came out, presumably Madam von Platter. "I will admit, that I was actually surprised to see you boys a minute early. Most teens I invite come at least five minutes late."
"Well, it's important to make a good first impression." Jonathan laughed in response. Sam only sat quietly beside him.
"True indeed. And I apologize that Catherine's first impression to you... wasn't the best."
"No worries, that's water under the bridge now."
The restaurant owner smiled at him. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. As you might know, I'm the restaurant owner of this place, Jeanette von Platter. You already know my daughter Catherine of course."
"Ah, yes. Me and Sam met her at a café nearby." Sam was just rolling his eyes, annoyed at Jonathan pretending to be so polite. Me and Spark giggled at his behaviour, and apparently, so did Arthur and Adam.
"Now, now, don't look so grumpy." Jeanette must have noticed Sam looking unhappy. "Is there something wrong?"
Now another weird thing happened. It was as if Sam said two completely different sentences. The one that matched his lip movement was : "Nothing, Madam. Just a little uncomfortable." But at the same time, he said something else : "Why the hell are we doing small talk!?" But when I asked Spark about it, he said that he only heard one sentence.
"Are you sure that you heard two sentences, at the exact same time?" He asked me.
"I'm positive. I heard it with my own ears!"
Spark just stared at me. "...Are you sure that you didn't eat anything funny before we arrived? Or did you bonk your head in the playground?"
"Spark!" I was getting pissed now. But then I decided to end the argument there and keep on listening.
"I've actually been wondering, Madam von Platter," Jonathan said. "has your entire family been this successful? I am well aware that your family is one of the most successful in the Sinnoh region."
Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but her mother stopped her. "Oh yes, but not all of them. No one is absolutely perfect. I once nearly lost this restaurant due to a poor investment!"
A waiter walked over, carrying the appetizer. "Here is the appetizer, we hope you enjoy." The waiter said, giving a warm smile.
"Thank you, Michael." Jeanette said to the waiter. "I see you're improving."
"Yes, the special training has been very helpful, my madam. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head back to my station." The waiter gave a small bow, then left. Sam and Jonathan looked at their appetizer, and their mouths started watering. Jonathan was about to dive in when he remembered that Madam von Platter pays close attention to etique and table manners, so he kept his posture. Catherine did the same. Sam, on the other hand, just eated normally, instead of extremely slow and delicate like Jonathan and Catherine.
"Now... Samuel," Jeanette turned to look at Sam. "I heard that you're not from around here?"
"Yes, Mrs. Platter, I'm from Johto."
"Ohoho, Johto! What brings you to the wonderful Sinnoh region?"
"I heard Sinnoh has a lot of great things, from competitions to adventures; it got me interested and so here I am."
Madam von Platter nodded, then started eating. Spark nudged me. "Dude," He whispered. "This is really boring. Like, we're not even getting food!"
I just shrugged. "I dunno. I don't really care about eating that much. I'm just... thinking..."
"About what?"
"About today." I told him about the strange feelings that I've felt in the playground. "It's so weird... I've never felt anything like that!"
Spark blinked a few times at me. I can definitely see that he thinks that I'm either stupid, or I've gone mad. "...Are you sure you're not hearing things? Or are you just feeling guilt?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "What's... guilt?"
Spark shook his head in disbelief. "You don't know what guilt is!?" I shook my head as a response. "Well, guilt is –" Before Spark could continue, Jeanette started talking again.
"So... do you kids have any dreams?" She asked the two boys. "Having your future planned out is very crucial."
"Well..." Jonathan began. "I wanted to be the best Pokémon trainer in Sinnoh, but... I changed my mind. I'm pretty good at math, so maybe I'll be an accountant. Or a bank manager. Or even better!"
Jeanette smiled at him. "Such high expectations. What about you, Samuel? Do you have any dreams?" Sam seemed reluctant to tell the businesswoman his dream. "Don't be shy. We all have different dreams, whether their small hopes or sound far-fetched.
Sam sighed. "Alright... well, I want to become an explorer. I've always been fascinated by old myths and legends about –" Sam stopped. He noticed that Madam von Platter's expression, along with her daughter, had grimaced. "Uh... Did I say something wrong, Mrs. von Platter?"
Madam von Platter simply shook her head. "No. Nothing at all." She answered curtly. "But... you do remind of... Richard..."
"Who's Richard?" Sam asked.
Madam von Platter didn't seem to want to talk about it, but Catherine spoke up. "He's my uncle." She explained. "For years he has always been fascinated by old myths and legends, just like you. But... my uncle was... obsessed with them." Everyone at the table – other than Madam von Platter – seemed eager to listen. "My uncle had always dreamed of finding many legendary and mythical Pokémon, like Arceus, Groudon, and Jirachi. But the one Pokémon that he always wanted to find was a Mew."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "A Mew?" He repeated. "Why did he want that of all Pokémon? Finding Arceus or Kyurem would have been good enough, yet your uncle had set his sights on a flying cat!?"
"It's not like that!" Catherine said angrily, banging her fist onto the table, catching everyone's attention.
"Catherine!" Her mother scolded her. "How dare you cause a commotion in here!"
"But –"
"No buts! Richard was a disgrace to this family, so I don't care whether or not these two boys speak ill of him."
There was a dreadful silence in the restaurant. The friendly mood had instantly vanished. The kitchen, normally bustling of life and shouts from waiters and chefs, had now became eerily quiet. The guests sat uncomfartably in their seats, quietly eating their food. The waiter that had come to serve the table where we sat was literally sweating from the fear of being yelled at. When he finished placing the food on the table, he hurriedly ran away.
...
After we had finished eating the mains, the silence still continued. Finally, Jonathan decided to break the tension. "Madam, I am so, so sorry for the... inconvenience that Sam here had caused." He glared angrily at Sam. Sam just looked at the floor and whispered to himself, "How is any of this my fault!?"
Madam von Platter took the apology. "But... Mrs. von Platter?" Sam spoke up, "What did Mr. Richard exactly do? Why did you call him a disgrace to your family. Madam von Platter's expression was unreadable; as if she was trying to decide whether to yell at Sam or explain the situation. But since she took so long, Catherine was the one to answer.
"My uncle had very different dreams." She explained. "While everyone else imagined creating skyscrapers, mass-production factories and big companies, he imagined finding rare, legendary, even mythical Pokémon. Most of family couldn't understand his dream, let alone support him. He was left all alone. One day, he finally decided to leave the house in search of a mythical Pokémon named Mew. He said that it was 'the key to the future of mankind'."
"Why did he think that?" Sam asked.
"My uncle says that Mew was not just a very powerful psychic-type Pokémon, but also a shapeshifter. According to a scientist's notes – which he had somehow gained access to – that Mew could rearrange their genetic code easily from one Pokémon to another's. It was even said that Mew could be the ancestor of all Pokémon. He believes that if he managed to find Mew, and then capture it, it might finally be the first stepping stone to improve our ability on genetic manipulation, and even gain powers that only Pokémon normally have."
"That sounds like a huge goal." Sam said, impressed. "Genetic manipulation... but then if it's that good, why did not of your family approve?"
"Because they thought that it was an impossible dream to achieve." Catherine explained. "Big game-changing companies and advanced security systems? Surely possible, with all the money we have. It could probably be achieved in a matter of months, maybe even less! But hunting a Pokémon that even scientists and professors think have become extinct? Sounds impossible, even for our family. It would probably take years, and who knows how much money he would have used on radars, maps, tools."
"So... what happened to him?"
"He left. He left to achieve his 'absurd' dream. I heard from Dad that before he left he called our family 'pathetic and unsupporitve of him'. He even said that he was going to cut his ties to the family. Our dad bit him back by calling him 'a disgrace to this family' before he stormed out, never to be seen again..."
"You never heard from your uncle again?"
"Well, not exactly. He got married a few years back, but he followed his wife's surname. That made a lot of people in our family angry. He didn't even invite any of us to the wedding, just distant relatives. Then he formed a club, although I don't know what its name is. I heard that Uncle Richard found other people who wanted to find legendary and mythical Pokémon just like him, and so the club was formed. I heard from a friend that it was a rather ambitious group, the main goal to be finding Mew and extract its power, so I'm sure that the anonymous group she was talking about was my uncle's club."
"That's enough, Catherine." Madam von Platter said stubbornly to her daughter. "I don't want to hear another word about my brother ever again. Richard was a fool; a foolish, deluded, insane fool. A disgrace to the von Platter bloodline."
The table went quiet again. A few minutes later, desserts came, but the talk did not continue. Arthur hoped off Sam's lap to come join us. "Hey Spark, Keith?" He tapped our shoulders. "What was that all about."
"A family with problems." I answered simply, then went back to stare off in the distane.
Arthur frowned at me. "Come on, Keith. You used to be so energetic back when we used to play by that river..."
"I'm not that Vulpix anymore, Arthur. Those are just childhood memories now."
"...So they mean nothing in the present? At all?" I can hear a tone that signified that Arthur would cry soon if I didn't say anything comforting. But I couldn't think of anything, so I just shook my head. "O-oh... you know... sometimes I wished that you were the same ol' Keith I used to know. The one who would always play with me, likes to swim with me, have fun with me... just like the old times..." Arthur sadly walked away and hopped back onto Sam's lap.
Spark looked at me. "You hurt Arthur's feelings, you know?"
"What was I supposed to say!?" I barked at him. "I've grown out of that Keith. I'm more mature now."
"And boring..." I glared at him. "Hey, you and I both now that's the truth. So does Arthur! Why can't you just be a normal, happy Vulpix instead of... whatever you are now?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, honest! I guess... I just lost that spark now... I can't seem to find anything funny anymore..." Spark just nodded, then continued eating his dessert.
...
After a cold farewell, Jonathan and Sam (and us) left Le Palais. Outside, Jonathan started yelling at Sam. "Dude, come on! Don't you have any respect for Madam von Platter!? You got her pissed all because you wanted to hear about her disconnected brother!"
"Hey, you and her aren't the only ones who are pissed!" Sam yelled back, defending himself. "She insulted my dream of becoming an adventurer!"
"Well then maybe you shouldn't become one." Jonathan said. "Stupid Mew..." He then walked away, leaving a shocked Sam.
"Did he... did he just..." Sam was about to run to Jonathan to punch his teeth out if Arthur hadn't tugged on his pants and distracted him. Sam picked him up and started petting him. "Haa... why did I end up in the same room as this guy..." He sighed.
"Hey!" Jonathan called. "You coming or not!?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Sam groaned, rolling his eyes.
While Spark and Adam were talking, I just looked at the empty streets. No vehicles at all, only several trainers walking. "Well, I guess the day's over..." I thought to myself. "We'll never get a day like tonight ever again..."
...
...
...
But I was mistaken...