To WyldClaw: You might be onto something...but what? You'll have to figure it out.
On the horizon, small structures began to form as the trio approached. A bustling village filled with strangely costumed people and Pokémon danced and paraded down the central street.
Taki heard the sounds of merriment first.
"Do you hear that singing?" she asked.
"No, but can you smell that food?" added Louis.
The pieces were starting to come together as Totodile, Taki, and Louis worked out what was going on.
"Singing? Food?" pondered Totodile.
"A festival!" All three exclaimed in unison.
Momentarily, they arrived at the village gate, where they met a surprisingly happy guard. Flowery decorations adorned their weaponry.
'ASAGAO VILLAGE' a sign read from above.
As the trio approached the gate, one of the guards spoke.
"Here for the festival?" he inquired.
The group stopped and shifted their attention to the tall guard.
"Um, we don't know what this festival is about," said Taki.
The guard chuckled.
"Many years ago.." he began,
"..our village suffered a horrendous drought. We were mere days from abandoning this place, and then, something happened."
Taki's expression changed to intrigue.
"What?" she questioned.
"During the night, we heard a tremendous yell from the middle of the village, and armed, we rushed to the central plaza…"
– "Go on..." motioned Louis, sensing the guard quite enjoyed recalling this story.
"...where we saw a Celebi standing amidst a flourishing fruit tree… one that had dried up three months prior."
"The Pokémon revived the tree?" questioned Louis.
"Indeed. But, it didn't stop there. It then flew the border of the village, and where it passed, life began to follow. By the morning, we had a green town again."
"Toto-dile!" cheered Totodile.
"Hehe, I guess Totodile likes the story," said Taki.
"However," continued the guard. "This took its toll on the little Pokémon."
Almost immediately, Taki's face dropped in sadness.
"It didn't die, did it?" asked Louis.
"Fortunately, no..." answered the guard.
"...but it was very weak. We carried it back to its forest and placed it in a lake to recover. After it healed, the little one flew away."
"How long ago was that?" inquired Taki.
"Almost thirty-four years to the day," replied the guard.
"Thirty-four years?!" exclaimed Louis.
That's incredible!" praised Taki.
Another group of travellers approached the village gates, drawing the guard's attention.
"Ah, more festival-goers," he said.
The guard returned its attention to the trio.
"Enjoy the day!" he called.
With smiles on their faces, the group stepped through the gates. They could see paper lanterns hanging from above and numerous shops draped with floral and fruit displays. In the distance, as the crowd ebbed and flowed, they could make out a granite statue of Celebi.
"That's Celebi?" asked Louis.
"Aww, it's so cute," said Taki.
It was then that a familiar scent invaded Louis' senses. He immediately recognised the aroma as his eyes twinkled at the thought of it.
"Curry," he muttered.
Louis dashed towards the source faster than a Jolteon. Taki and Totodile followed to discover a vast curry emporium. Numerous tasty dishes lined the counters as a Mr Mime used its psychic abilities to add herbs and spices to each dish lining the counters.
"Diet...limit...off!" exclaimed Louis.
In the blink of an eye, Louis took his seat in front of the counter, grabbing onto a fork and spoon. Taki and Totodile approached the boy from behind.
"You do realise that there are other places to eat, right?" asked Taki.
"I know, but it's curry!" responded Louis. "How can I say no to this?"
From the other side, the chef took a slight glance at Louis and immediately saw the excited facial expression depicted on his face.
"Looks like someone's enthused," he said.
"Mime Mime," replied Mr Mime.
Taki, Totodile, and Louis inspected all the plates of curry on display. Then, one particular plate drew Louis' attention. This dish consisted of bright orange, rich vegetable curry with hot, steaming rice beside it.
A price on display next to the particular plate read;
'Three-hundred and seventy-five.'
While still gazing at the food, Louis slapped four-hundred Pokédollars onto the counter. He scooped a mountain of food onto his spoon and slammed it into his mouth.
Taki looked at the boy with a bewildered expression. She turned to Totodile, who just shrugged.
A look of sheer bliss displayed on Louis' facial features, with his eyes twinkling.
"Wow!" he said. "This is just like how my Mom makes-"
He stopped. Then, sheer white-hot panic invaded Louis' mind.
"AAHHH!" yelped Louis.
This outburst startled everyone around the area. One bystander accidentally dropped his plate of food, splattering onto the ground below.
"Aww, I've been waiting all day for that," groaned the bystander.
The chef and Mr. Mime walked over to the trio.
"Are you alright?" questioned the chef. "Is something wrong with the food?"
"N-...no!" replied Louis.
"I gotta contact my Mom! I just realised I haven't told her where I am!"
"You haven't?" asked Taki.
"No," answered Louis.
"I said that I'd be home before bedtime, but then...this happened."
"...what day was that?" inquired Taki, slightly worried.
– "...yesterday."
"Uh oh…" muttered Totodile.
"There is a Pidgeotto mail-service in town," said the chef. "You could always use that."
"Where would we find it?" asked Taki.
Mr. Mime snapped its fingers and pointed towards a small shop front near the statue.
"Over there?" questioned Louis.
He rose to his feet and turned to leave. However, he dashed back over to his seat and quickly finished his plate of curry.
"Thanks," he said with a mouthful of food.
The trio pumped their legs, sprinting to the shop front. The small building looked like a house that was converted into a postal service. All three walked through the door as a bell announced their arrival. Inside, numerous brightly coloured perches adorned the walls, each one supporting a Pidgeotto.
The trio walked over to a nearby desk, grabbed a sheet of paper and Louis began to write. When finished, the letter read;
'Dear Mom,
Hi, It's Louis. I must apologise for not returning home last night, but I think I'm involved in something quite big at the moment.
You see, I've been tasked with reforming a certain crystal. I can't say much more right now, but I'm safe and thinking about you and Dad.
At this stage, I don't know when I will be able to return. Don't worry, I'm with friends.
Love you lots,
— Louis. x'
He folded the sheet of paper in half, slid it into an envelope and approached the counter. Louis looked at the price list and realised that sending one letter would cost seventy-five Pokédollars. Louis reached into his pocket and noticed that, unfortunately, he only had twenty-five Pokédollars.
"Ugh, me and my stomach," grumbled Louis.
Hey kid," called the shopkeeper.
Louis looked to the counter and saw the shopkeeper pointing to a sign near her.
'All deliveries are free during festivals...thank you, Celebi.' it read.
A wave of relief washed over Louis. He quickly wrote down his home address on the letter and placed it on the counter. Moments later, it was in the clutches of a brown and cream-coloured Pidgeotto. It stretched its wings, chirped twice and flew out a window, skyward.
"Good luck!" called Totodile.
"Phew. That was close."
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