She walked back to the beach, where her Pokémon and even some of the braver Grass types were starting a kind of barbecue. It smelled wonderful already, but something was missing. Natsume looked around in the darkening landscape. Hadn't Erika returned yet? Her senses told her she was nearby, but she couldn't spot her anywhere. She was about to go search for her, when all of a sudden...
"Natsume! I'm back! I'm sorry I took so long, but look what we brought!" Erika cried as she and Gloom came out of the forest, carrying armfuls of flowers. She picked a whitish-blue rose out from the others, setting them on the ground. She wrapped the Psychic girl in a hug, and handed her the rose. "Can you believe these grow in a rainforest?" she laughed. "There's such variety here, I don't know half of these."
Natsume was still trying to take in the first words, but Erika continued to chatter like a gossipy young girl talking about some guys she had seen at the mall. "And there was a huge bush of tulips...that's right, TULIPS! I don't know how that happened, but they were in all different colors, there was red, orange, yellow, GREEN, even blue and purple!" she cried excitedly, holding her hands up to her face. "And that's not all, we saw at least 12 or 13 new varieties of lily!!" Gloom nodded. "And there's bananas, plantain, coconuts, berries, roots, mushrooms, and all kinds of other stuff to eat near the top! Plus there's grass to braid and make baskets, flowers to smell, sap to tap..."
Natsume blinked. "Ok..." she shook her head as if to clear it. "Well, we're ready to cook the fish. Jynx had a good idea, we could put some large rocks into the fire for a few minutes, then cook the food on there so it won't be so flammable. Everything but the Gyrados, we set up a spit for that." she said, pointing to the speared Gyrados being rotated above the fire. "Oh, and...thanks for the flower."
Erika smiled sweetly. "You're welcome! We also brought more for braiding and stuff. Ever learn how to make a daisy crown?" Natsume shook her head slowly. "What is a..."
"Ooooh!" the smaller girl squealed. "Can I make you one to show you!?" The Psychic smiled weakly. "S-sure.."
Natsume and the Pokémon set up the stones and started cooking the smaller fish, while Erika busily gathered flowers from her pile and started weaving them together. Gloom and Alakazam were talking to each other in their own strange languages. Natsume had just finished putting a few finished pieces of fish onto some leaves/plates, when she felt something light and soft fall over her eyes.
"Wha...hey what is this...???" she stammered, struggling with the object. She could hear Erika giggling behind her. When she finally got it off, she turned the object over in her hands in the light of the fire. It was a band of flowers, intricately braided into a crown. Natsume did something rare. She started to laugh.
"You scared the hell out of me...I thought that was some kind of huge insect of something wrapping itself around my head."
Erika laughed too. "It looks really pretty on you, but I think it's a little big!" She burst into a fit of giggles again as Natsume tried to wear it without it slipping over her eyes, but it was impossible. Eventually, she just let if hand over her eyes, like a decorated blindfold. "It's too dark to see anyway!"
"Natsume! I'm back! I'm sorry I took so long, but look what we brought!" Erika cried as she and Gloom came out of the forest, carrying armfuls of flowers. She picked a whitish-blue rose out from the others, setting them on the ground. She wrapped the Psychic girl in a hug, and handed her the rose. "Can you believe these grow in a rainforest?" she laughed. "There's such variety here, I don't know half of these."
Natsume was still trying to take in the first words, but Erika continued to chatter like a gossipy young girl talking about some guys she had seen at the mall. "And there was a huge bush of tulips...that's right, TULIPS! I don't know how that happened, but they were in all different colors, there was red, orange, yellow, GREEN, even blue and purple!" she cried excitedly, holding her hands up to her face. "And that's not all, we saw at least 12 or 13 new varieties of lily!!" Gloom nodded. "And there's bananas, plantain, coconuts, berries, roots, mushrooms, and all kinds of other stuff to eat near the top! Plus there's grass to braid and make baskets, flowers to smell, sap to tap..."
Natsume blinked. "Ok..." she shook her head as if to clear it. "Well, we're ready to cook the fish. Jynx had a good idea, we could put some large rocks into the fire for a few minutes, then cook the food on there so it won't be so flammable. Everything but the Gyrados, we set up a spit for that." she said, pointing to the speared Gyrados being rotated above the fire. "Oh, and...thanks for the flower."
Erika smiled sweetly. "You're welcome! We also brought more for braiding and stuff. Ever learn how to make a daisy crown?" Natsume shook her head slowly. "What is a..."
"Ooooh!" the smaller girl squealed. "Can I make you one to show you!?" The Psychic smiled weakly. "S-sure.."
Natsume and the Pokémon set up the stones and started cooking the smaller fish, while Erika busily gathered flowers from her pile and started weaving them together. Gloom and Alakazam were talking to each other in their own strange languages. Natsume had just finished putting a few finished pieces of fish onto some leaves/plates, when she felt something light and soft fall over her eyes.
"Wha...hey what is this...???" she stammered, struggling with the object. She could hear Erika giggling behind her. When she finally got it off, she turned the object over in her hands in the light of the fire. It was a band of flowers, intricately braided into a crown. Natsume did something rare. She started to laugh.
"You scared the hell out of me...I thought that was some kind of huge insect of something wrapping itself around my head."
Erika laughed too. "It looks really pretty on you, but I think it's a little big!" She burst into a fit of giggles again as Natsume tried to wear it without it slipping over her eyes, but it was impossible. Eventually, she just let if hand over her eyes, like a decorated blindfold. "It's too dark to see anyway!"