Authors Notes: 07/19/06- I changed the title, added a few scenes.

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine. Neither are the characters.

Chapter 2

Arrival at The City of Color

People of Zeldinwere anxious about the Cherry Blossom festival held every three years in their idyllic little town. By now, the children were enjoying frolicking around the cherry tree tops, resting under their cool shades, gathering rosy-pink colored petals that falls underneath cherry groves, playing hide-and-seek behind the trees with their friends. It was truly a wonderful view. The children's innocence matched the freshly born trees that spell bound tourists quite mercilessly.

Ash, May, Brock, and Max walked along the streets of Zeldin. The lampposts were decorated with multicolored light bulbs coupled with festival ornaments that glimmer under the sun. The houses and buildings were decorated with shimmering streams of colors silver, blue, yellow, orange, pink, purple,and red. Standing proud, tall, and graceful throughout the town are the cherry blossom trees bearing a mysterious and inviting aura.

May gazed happily at the cherry blossoms. She was stunned at how regal and beautiful they looked. She blushed as she witnessed a number of couples enjoying the shades under the cherry groves.

"This is so romantic!" chirped May, clapping her hands together. "Look at all the happy couples, spending a gorgeous day like this under the cherry blossom trees. Don't you think so, guys?" She glanced over her shoulder to her three traveling companions.

"That would sound great, May, if there is somebody who I can romantically share this day with." Brock grumbled.

Like an answer to a prayer, a gorgeous blue-haired lady passed by. Brock's eyes glittered. Like a speeding bullet, he swiftly went up to her and held her hands.

"It must be destiny we've met in this fateful hour. Your beauty radiates like the sun and it has casts a spell on me!"

"Oh really…" The girl smiled, warningly. Her hand slid inside her purse and sought for something inside.

"You're a vision of love and of light. Let me glorify your grace with my overflowing lo-OW! OW! OW!" It turns out a lady he was hitting on was carrying a pepper spray inside her purse.

Brock quickly raised his right elbow and brushed it against his eyes.

"Stay away from me, you freak!"The ladymuttered and quickly walked away.

Brock hung his head in heartbreak as he continued lagging on behind his friends.

Max rolled his eyes at him. "Isn't he used to it by now?" He broke his attention on Brock and shifted to the city instead, which looked oddly familiar to him.

He thought. "Hmm… Haven't I been here before?"

"Hey, sis." He called to May. "We had a family outing once, remember? Mom and Dad took us to the Cherry Blossom Festival years ago."

"Oh yeah!" May replied, suddenly remembering the family trip. "No wonder it feels so nostalgic."

"What's this festival?" Ash inquired, as the group continued strolling along the sidewalk. He had a curious expression on his face. On his shoulder, Pikachu gazed excitedly at the colorful, glittering ornaments and at the cherry trees.

"Oh, it's the most wonderful and romantic celebration ever!" May chirped, cheerfully. She beamed, her eyes glittering excitedly. "Right, Max?"

"Yes, indeed." Max nodded, grinning at Ash. "During the festival, there are special events being held, like a pokemon exhibition show, a concert, fun games, carnival, fireworks, and all these other stuff."

"Wow." Ash exclaimed. "Those sound like fun! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" It said, happily.

"Ahhh, you missed out the most important thing, Max!" May said, frowning. "The legend of the star-crossed lovers, Lord Locke and Princess Zelda!"

"The what?" All three boys said simultaneously, giving the sandy-brown haired girl airy looks.

May sighed. This is what you get when traveling with men.

"The love story of Locke and Zelda, of course!" She said, pointedly. "It is the heart of the Cherry Blossom Festival! It's what this festival is all about. The reason for this celebration is to commemorate Locke and Zelda and to honor their tragic tale of love, hardship, and glory. Isn't that sweet?" May gazed at the cherry blossom trees, dreamily.

"It appears that she lost it again." Ash muttered.

"My sister has gone loco…" Max added.

"The legend does sound interesting." Brock said, completely recovered from the incident a while back. "Well, the festival sounds fun, guys. Let's stay in Zeldin for a while so we can-hubba-huba!"

Brock's jaw dropped, his face was burning crimson.

A curvy, slender, blonde bombshell clad in a figure-hugging sleeveless mini red dress just passed by him. To her opposite, a brunette beauty wearing a backless periwinkle top and a white long skirt walked gracefully across the group.

"Besides…" Brock began, the tone of his voice rising in excitement. "There are so many banging babes gracing here in Zeldin!"

Max and May sweatdropped.

"Well, Brock will always be Brock," May whispered to her brother.

:-:

Ash chuckled lightly as he watched his old friend, Brock, drool at the sight of beautiful women. He can't lie to himself, but after years of traveling together, Ash has gotten used to Brock's mannorisms. Even though he often felt sorry for Brock being rejected by women, Ash found his friend's fancy for pretty girls quite amusing.

There were other things he grew fond of.Ash remembered his first steps of his journey in Kanto. Those days have been glorious...The youth won't forget the time he met the world and traveled to the depths of vast lands and seas, encountered adventures, met with danger, came across various pokemon, and battled in fierce pokemon battles. It was more than he could have hoped for.

Ash had two devoted companions back then. Ash, Brock, and one fiery, hot-tempered redhead he could never forget. He couldn't even bear to think of what could have happened if he hadn't met Brock and Misty. Because he was embarrassed, Ash wasn't able to let those two know that he always treasured them. They were more than his traveling companions, more than his friends. Brock and Misty were his family amidst an unknown land, filled with uncertainty, mystery,and danger, luring young adventurers across seas to unravel its secrets.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu whimpered as helooked up at its master. Its stomach was growling.

Ash broke from his thoughts and turned his head slightly to face Pikachu, who had a helpless, hungry expression on its face. He grinned and gave his pokemon a gentle pat at its head.

" You must be hungry, huh, Pikachu?"

All of a sudden, Ash caught a sudden whiff of saucy, meaty, delicious barbecue in the air,arousing his nostrils. He took it in the delightful aroma as his stomach grumbled loudly.

Brock, May, and Max stared at an oblivious, starving Ash with peculiar expressions on their faces.

"Errr..." Ash flushed in embarrassment.

His friends exchanged a silent word, and laughed heartily.

" Your stomach sure knows when to speak, Ash!" May chuckled, amusedly.

" Well, his stomach is quite demanding." Brock added and grimaced at an embarrassed Ash.

"A healthy growing boy can't help it when his hungry!" Ash retorted; his stomach grumbled again. He looked down on his stomach and put both arms over it, around his waist.

All three paused and blinked at Ash, who was red in the face. After a while, they started laughing madly again.

:-:

The sun was setting, welcoming the night ahead. Misty stretched her arms up towards the sky. It wasn't a bad trip, as she had expected. Yes, most of the time during the journey, her sisters haveraved endlessly over Leon. During those long hours, she, in turn, had found something to do to keep herself entertained. Misty amused herself by mimicking her sisters' shrilly, high-pitched voices and made fun of their behavior behind their backs.

She could have vomited in her mouth as she watched her sisters' vanity play like a never ending sop opera rerun. It was better that way, she pondered, for she did not wish for the topic of "Ash" to come out of the blue again and put her in a very awkward situation. Misty hated Daisy, Lily, and Violet prying in her business and making her feel uncomfortable by teasing her about him.

For the first time, Misty was glad Leon Rivers existed to distract the thoughts of her older, nosy siblings away from the "taboo". But, as she observed the vibrant, beautiful, and colorful city with bright eyes, Misty thought it was worth coming.

"All right, girls." Daisy beamed, gesturing her sisters through town. "The Cherry Blossom festival is tomorrow night, which means we have time to shop for our kimonos for the celebration!"

Violet nodded in agreement. "Oh yes! How right you are, sis!"

" Leon's like going to be here." Lily quipped. "We have to look extraordinarily our best!"

"Oh please. We've barely rested." Misty rolled her eyes. "Is looking good for some guy all you ever care about?"

"OH YES!" All three girls snapped. Misty was taken aback.

"We've waited for this for, like a very long time!" Daisy cried out.

" For nights and days.." Violet snapped.

"We'd do anything to see him again!" a love struck Lily reasoned.

"We were even forced to take you along just because Leon wants all the Waterflower sisters to attend the festival!" Daisy went.

Misty's eyes narrowed. Her sisters' true motives finally reared its head out.

Daisy noticed her mistake and covered her mouth.

Lily and Violet looked at her, pointedly.

Busted.

"Oh, what I meant was um, was…" Daisy searched Lily and Violet for answers.

"She uh, meant…err… Umm…" Lily stuttered, staring helplessly at Violet.

"What Daisy meant was umm," Violet said, examining the red head like a time bomb about to explode. "Was that we were all suppose to-"

"So the reason you took me was because you wanted to impress this guy?" Misty interrupted. She hung her head low.

The three of them exchanged guilty glances.

"So all those things you said about sister bonding…" Misty continued, her voice shaking, "All those things about making up to me, all those things you said…"

"Misty, we're like, sorry, ok?" Lily said, sincerely.

They continued to watch Misty frozen in her place, her face listless.

"We were going to tell you soon, but-" Daisy started.

Misty faced up, her green eyes blazing. Daisy, Lily, and Violet stepped backwards in fear. Being her sisters, they are aware of her fiery temperament.

"Just forget it!" Misty snapped. "I'm going home!" With that final note, she stomped her way through surprised townsfolk who were watching their fight.

"Misty!" Daisy called out after her.

:-:

"Hey!" May blinked. An advertisement nailed to a brick wall of a building caught her eye.

After checking in and eating a full meal (due to the nuisance that is Ash's growling stomach) at the Zeldin inn, she and the boys were exploring the town that evening. Multicolored lights, decorating the streets, now vivid in the evening, elicit a festive aura. The stars blossoming in the night sky were a pretty sight, casting radiance upon Zeldin. The regal cherry blossoms dance in tune with the cool wind. Townsfolk, travelers, pokemon, and tourists alike were mingling around, preparing for the Cherry Blossom Festivities.

"Oh wow..." She whispered, trying to hold her excitement.

Ash, Brock, and Max looked at what May was referring to. The poster had a picture ofa masquerin posing gracefully in midair.Scribbledon the imagewas an announcement:

Come one, come all!

Unleash your pride and glory

Coordinators alike

Your moment has come

Show us what your pokemon's got

Unparalleled skills, talent, and beauty

Here at the one and only

Pokemon Exhibition Challenge

Cherry Blossom Festival

" A pokemon exhibition for coordinators!" May squealed in delight and excitement. "This is definitely meant for me!"

" A pokemon exhibition show, huh." Max said. "I remember watching one of those."

" So how is it different from pokemon contests?" Ash inquired. He patted Pikachu, who was resting on his shoulder.

"Ah, yes. I remember hearing about it." Brock said. "It does not involve pokemon battles, in which coordinators go head to head against each other."

" Right." Max nodded in agreement. "Pokemon show off their best skills and moves, hence its name: Pokemon exhibition challenge. Sis, you don't remember watching it a few years back?"

"Apparently not." May chuckled, quite embarrassed. "I didn't care about pokemon back then, remember?"

"No, I thought you just have a bad memory." Max said. He fixed his glasses and pretended to ignore an irritated May.

"Why you…" May muttered angrily under her breath. She was about to retaliate but was too overwhelm with the sensation of a pokemon exhibition show.

She sighed and decided to focus her attention instead on the upcoming event.

"Ok, then!" She clasped her hands and beamed at her friends. "I'm in!"

:-:

Misty was aware she was lost in the city, but she didn't care. She found herself a temporary sanctuary under the cool shades of a cherry blossom, away from the buzzing people, especially away from her selfish, lying sisters.

Near the tree was a pond. Hovering above the water were fireflies, glowing amidst the night sky.

She leaned, her back against the cherry blossom tree and slid down until she sat on the ground. Misty hugged her knees, feeling vulnerable.

She rested her head on top of her knees.

"Why was I born into such a cracked up family anyway?" She mumbled quietly to herself.

Ash's beaming face slowly formed in her mind.

"Misty!"

"Ash…" She said. "What would have happened if I chose to go with you?"

With that thought, she reached her communicator inside her backpack. She stared at it, wondering.

A strong, freezing wind suddenly blew. The cherry petals swished, releasing an incredibly eerie sound. The cherry tree glowed an uncanny light.

With strong emotions building inside of her, Misty was about to be spellbound by the cherry blossoms and she was totally unaware of it.


A/N: So I've decided to add bits to make it more dramatic. I'm sorry for making you put up to my mess. Hahaha. As one of you have pointed out, I need to work with my POVs. Badly. ;;

Tell me if it still confuses you. I'll be fixing it. -