As the sun rises from the horizon, Pokemon of different shapes, colors and sizes fill the many streets of the lively city of Tabindagat. Now that the parade is over, many Pokemon start setting up their stalls in the streets, empty lots and even in alleyways, displaying their many items to sell to the cityfolks and tourists alike.

"Are you sure I'm not heavy, big bro?" the Nickit asks with a concerned frown.

The Eevee chuckles. "I would have dropped you already if you were."

Pouting at that, she bites one of his ears.

"Ow ow ow! I was joking!"

Sitting on her brother's back, the two siblings walk through the heavy traffic of Pokemon in the busy street. The young and excited Nickit smiles wide as she looks left and right and other directions, happy to be able to have a better and clearer view of everything around her. Who knew the world was more than just feet and paws?

Her ears twitch to the strange new sound. Turning towards the source, her wide smile widens even more as she points at one stall with a paw. "Big bro! Look! Look!" she says excitedly as her brother rolls his eyes and makes a beeline towards the colorful stall. "Whoa...! Cool!" she breathes in awe as her twinkling eyes gaze at the spinning wheel container thing.

The merchant behind the stall sticks a...stick in the machine, and soon enough, he hands a fluffy pink cotton candy to an excited child as its parent pays the merchant.

"Cotton candy!" the Nickit exclaims. "So that's how those are made!"

"You want one?"

She shakes her head. "No. I think it's too early for sweets."

The Eevee blinks. He shakes his head and buys one anyway. "Well, boo you. I'm buying you one."

Pouting, she leans forward and blocks his view with her up-side down frown. "No!"

He winks at her. "Too late; already paid for it."

"Here you go, young miss!" the merchant says as he hands the candy to the sighing dark-type. "Do enjoy your day!"

Well, she already has it, so she might as well eat it. After taking a bite, she shivers, and sticks her tongue out in disgust. "Ehk... Too sweet."

"Well, it is made of sugar after all," the Eevee explains, and blinks. "Huh... I wonder how sugar is made in this world."

She frowns. "Big broooo...! It's too sweet!" She frowns. "I told you I don't want one!"

Despite the bustling street, they find an empty bench and the siblings take a seat. She hands him the barely-eaten cotton candy which he accepts with a sigh.

"I should have listened."

She pouts at him. "Yes, you should! Bad brother!"

He chuckles, and opens his mouth to—

"Oh! What's that?" the Nickit asks in wonderment. She jumps off of the bench and runs up at the stall next to the bench.

Shrugging, he opens his mouth but then sees a small Totodile looking up at him, or rather at the cotton candy he's holding. He blinks at the water-type, its fanged maw hanging open.

Well, he doesn't want the candy either anyway. "Here," he says as he hands it to the young water-type. "Go back to your parents, okay?"

Smiling, the Totodile happily nods and then viciously chomps down the fluffy candy in one big bite.

Chuckling, the Eevee slides off of the bench and walks up to the Nickit, unaware of two Pokemon walking by.

"Almost silver, huh?" the Sentret asks with a faint blush on his cheeks. "That's really cool." He the puffs out his furry chest. "My team and I are halfway towards gold."

"Oh?" the white Vulpix replies with a smile. "That's great."

He smiles as he scratches his head. "Sorry... I realized that I sounded so boastful."

She shakes her head. "It's alright. So how did—"

"Oh, hey, look!" the Sentret suddenly says, smiling wide as he sees the cotton candy stall. "You want one, right? Wait right here!"

"But I—"

And off he goes.

She smiles a strained smile and sighs. Well, he told her to wait, so she looks around, smiling at the lively atmosphere—

"Here you are!" the Sentret suddenly says, startling the white Vulpix a bit. With a large grin, he hands her a fluffy white cotton candy on a stick. "And look! Mine's brown, like me!" He blinks. "Wait... I forgot to pay." He quickly returns to the stall and apologizes to the laughing merchant.

She chuckles, and then looks at the candy. "...Would have been nicer if he only bought one."

"Sorry about that..." the Sentret says, scratching his head in embarrassment as he approaches her. "So uh, where do you want to go?"

She shrugs. "The festival attractions start in the afternoon."

"Ah, right." He then rubs his chin on thought. "Hm... There's not much to see 'til then."

Perhaps they can start getting to know each other now? And in a quiet and not busy place. "Maybe we should..."

"Oh!" the Sentret suddenly exclaims. "I know a place!" He grins at her. "And it's not far from here, too!"

Well, so much for getting to know him more in a quiet place, the white Vulpix thinks, but the day is still early so there should be plenty of time for that later, right? As the Sentret gestures for her to follow, she blinks and turns to the drooling Totodile staring at the fluffy candy she is holding. Making sure that the Sentret isn't looking, she quietly gives it to the thankful young water-type and runs after the Sentret.

"So after lunch?" the Eevee asks.

"Aye," the merchant says and nods. "The fun rides and all that will start in the afternoon."

"I see. Thanks." He grabs a necklace with a single white pearl and shows it to the young Nickit. "You still want this?"

She shakes her head. "No. I mean..." She looks away. "They're really pretty to look at, but..." Her ears droop as she hangs her head. "I can only wear them at home."

He blinks and tilts his head. "Uh, what's wrong with that?"

She looks up at him with a sad frown. "I wanna wear it to school, too!" She hangs her head once again. "But I can't."

"Why not?"

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "I...m-might lose it." She quietly pulls the pink badge from her chest and stares at it, her sad reflection looking back at her. "I don't think I can bring this to school either." With a sigh, she sits down and embraces the tiny badge. "E-even if I really want to."

He frowns in confusion.

...and then it clicks.

His eye twitches. Is it really that bad? No wonder she couldn't get out of her shy little shell when he first met her! Thank goodness for her friend Soma, but he can't rely on the kid all the time. He needs to do something about this.

But not now.

Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath to calm himself down. All in due time, he thinks to himself. He then turns back to the merchant and pays for the necklace, making the young dark-type look at him in confusion.

"But..."

He glares at her. "Hush, you," he says as he opens the paw-friendly clasp and wraps the necklace around her furry neck. He smiles down at her as she grabs the light pearl dangling on her neck. "I'm your brother; I'm allowed to spoil my little sister," he says as he ruffles her furry little head.

She glares up at him, but she can't stop the smile to come out of her. They share a nuzzle, and she then hops on his back.

"We should probably start heading back," the Eevee says as he walks through the busy traffic of Pokemon.

She nods in agreement.

"But we can stop and check something out if you see something interesting."

"Like that?" the Nickit asks as she points at something. She then smiles down at her brother. "Let's go check it out!"

He chuckles and walks toward the stall she finds interest in, unaware of the yellow Shinx walking by with a sigh.

"And there I was, thinking you were..."

"I was what?" the Shinx's companion, a smirking Cyndaquil, asks with a smile. "Come on, give me some credit here!" She playfully punches the electric-type's shoulder. "They're a good couple, don't you think so, too?"

"I guess?" the Shinx says with a small smile. "I'm just glad they're willing to give it a try."

The fire-type snickers. "I can't believe you were trying to stop them from getting together!"

He sighs. "Don't remind me."

"Cheer up!" she tells him with a smile. "All's well that ends well, right?"

He manages a smile. "Yeah, I guess." But he lets out yet another sigh. "I kinda feel bad for him though..."

"Who? Jay? Pffft... Forget that guy," the Cyndaquil says, dismissing his worries with a wave of a paw. "Vixie deserves someone better."

"I guess," he says quietly as he decides to push the issue aside for now. "Should we continue tailing them?"

"They're both adults," she thinks aloud as she stops walking. "I'm sure they'll be fine." She turns and smiles at him. "Besides, I'm hungry." She shakes her head. "I didn't eat much back in the restaurant, and when I was about to, the owner kicked me out."

He rolls his eyes with an amused smirk. "I wonder why."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She then looks around, trying to see which restaurant to dine despite the sea of taller Pokemon walking around. She frowns as she turns to him. "Can't really decide where to eat."

"How about back at your place?" he asks with a sly smirk.

"Oh, hush," she tells him with a frown. "I'm seriously hungry, Shino."

He chuckles, looks around, and picks one. "How about that place?"

She shrugs. "Sure. At least I can blame you if they serve shit."

He rolls his eyes as they approach the establishment. "I should have known that was a trap."

As the two walk inside the restaurant, in another one across the road, a Sentret and a white Vulpix are seated on a table across from each other, with a waiter jotting down their orders. With that done, the waiter bows and walks away.

Well at least he's not mean to the waitstaff, she thinks to herself as she watches him look away and scratching his head.

"S-so uh," he starts, "do you want to, uh..." He gulps. "Er, I mean. Wanna get to know each other?"

She blinks at him. Huh... Getting to know each other in a restaurant didn't even cross her mind. Perhaps the thought got spoiled because of the earlier incident with the Eevee.

She smiles at him. "Isn't that why we're on a date?"

He chuckles. "Oh, right. Ah hah hah..." He closes his eyes and clears his throat, trying to calm himself. "Right..." He then mentally flips through his vast knowledge of first date questions and randomly picks one. "What's your name?"

Off to a great start, it looks like.

As the Sentret mentally kicks himself, the white Vulpix finally recovers and giggles. He really is nervous, huh? In all honesty, she is also nervous as well, but, well, she can't get anything if she keeps on being shy. "I'm Vixie," she tells him with a teasing smile. Best to ride with the humor of his little blunder to help him calm down. "What about you? What's your name?"

And it seems to be working as he blinks and manages a small yet embarrassed smile. "Ah, well, I'm Linik," he tells her. "And I'm a rescuer."

"Oh? What a coincidence," she says with a smile. "I am a rescuer, too."

He chuckles. "Okay, okay. I got a question for real this time."

She nods.

"So uh, what do you like to do in your free time?"

She blinks, and hums in thought as she lifts her gaze up to the ceiling, completely unaware of the Sentret mentally giving himself a pat in the back for a job well done. "Hm... Nothing much, really." She shakes her head. "Shino, Cindy and I have been doing missions after missions ever since we signed up to be rescuers."

He blinks. "Wait, really?" He rubs his chin in thought. "Huh... You know, now that you mention it... Lately, Shino only hangs out with me for drinks after his missions."

She sighs. "Yeah, and I never even realized it until you asked." She slightly tilts her head. "Well, we did take a one-day break, but, well..." She hangs her head, her ears drooping.

He blinks in confusion, and then he remembers. "Oh, uh..." Stupid! You made her remember that bad night of hers! "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright," she quickly says with a small smile. "Let's just move on."

He nods. Right, it's best that they do. This date's on a rocky start. Good going, Linik.

Unaware of his internal shaming of himself, she asks him: "So what about you?" she asks with a smile. "What do you do in your free time?"

He hums in thought. "Well, aside from drinking with your yellow friend, I work out sometimes."

"Oh?"

He smiles. "Yeah. Not to brag, but I've been hitting the gym at least once a week." He frowns as he lifts an arm up. "I can't seem to grow more muscle though, so I can't show anything to back that up."

She giggles. "I think you look great."

Caught off guard, he quickly looks away as his face reddens.

She realizes what she just said as a faint blush graces her cheeks as well.

With a shy smile, he scratches his head as he shifts his gaze on the table. "Y-you really think so?"

Well, he does look...okay? Okay is good, right? She opens her mouth—

"You look great yourself, Vixie..."

Okay, that one she was expecting him to say, but it still didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat after hearing it. "T-thanks."

A warm silence starts to linger between them, their shy gazes not on each other. Recovering from the warm and fuzzy feelings, the Sentret once again mentally flips through the many questions before the silence turns awkward. "So uh," he quietly says as he randomly picks the next question. "How many siblings do you have?"

Siblings... "Fifteen."

Eyes growing wide, the Sentret lets out a low whistle. "Wow..."

She chuckles and shakes her head. "What can I say? My parents really, really love each other." Her ears droop as her gaze falls on the table. "Can't say the same to how they treated their children though."

Goddamnit, Linik! Again? You really love making her remember sad memories, huh? "Vixie, I uh..." He winces. "S-sorry... I didn't mean to..."

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "It's okay."

No, it's not.

She reopens her eyes and smiles at him. "You didn't know anyway." She sighs. "So uh, how about you? How many siblings do you have?"

He frowns. "Three." He closes his eyes and shakes his head. Damn, for someone so beautiful, she seems to have a pretty ugly history. "Okay, I think I'm really bad at this questions thing." He smiles a small smile. "How about you ask the questions this time?"

She says nothing as her gaze falls back down on the table. The date just started, Vixie. Come on, don't be sad. He didn't mean to make you sad.

She lets out a sigh. "You mind if I use the restroom?"

Oh, shit. It's that bad, huh? "S-sure," he quietly agrees as his ears droop.

Without looking back at him, she slides off of her seat and heads toward the restroom. "I wont be long," she tells him as she passes him by.

"Sure," he quietly mumbles as he watches her go. He looks back at the table, closes his eyes and sighs. "Great job, Linik," he grumbles to himself as his entire features droop.

The white Vulpix pushes the restroom door open and walks inside the clean and tiled and empty room. She stands in front of the sink, blinking at the sad-looking ice fox looking back at her in the mirror. A sigh escapes her as she turns the faucet on and washes her face, letting the cool water run down her furry face and paws, the running water echoing off the walls.

Another sigh escapes her as the door swings open, and a Pokemon walks inside the restroom. After a brief exchange of smiles and nods, the white Vulpix shuts the faucet off, her gaze on the small droplets of water falling down...

...on the nose of a blinking Nickit. Curious, she looks up and sees a thin veil of gray clouds hovering above the city as tiny droplets of rainwater start showering the earth in a light drizzle. Her ears then twitch after hearing a chorus of surprise yelps from many Pokemon as many of them start running for cover.

"Aww," the Eevee says with a frown as he looks up. "What a party-pooper."

She looks down at him and giggles. "You said poop."

He rolls his eyes in amusement. "Of course you find that amusing," he says as the drizzle stops.

With the young Nickit on his back, the Eevee walks up the road leading to the upper portion of the city, along with many other Pokemon walking and floating and gliding in the air.

The young dark-type lies down on the normal-type's back, her chin resting on top of his head. She closes her eyes and smiles at the cool, salty and constant breeze brushing against her fur. "Big bro," she quietly calls.

"Hm?"

She slowly reopens her eyes and gazes at the road ahead. "Can I ask a question?"

He chuckles. "You already are."

She pouts, lifts her head up, and then allows gravity to pull it back down on his head.

The Eevee lets out another chuckle. "Alright, fine, shoot."

"Why are you so nice to me?"

He blinks, his smile fading somewhat. "Well... Because you're my sister."

She frowns. "But I'm not really your sister, and you're not really my brother." She closes her eyes. "Even if I really want us to be."

"Pfft," he pfft's in amusement. "What are you talking about? Of course we are." He smiles. "We don't have to be the same specie or be blood-related to be a brother and sister, you know."

She blinks at that. "Really...?"

He carefully nods. "Yeah." A frown, and then a sigh. "Yeah, really."

Silence.

And then...

"So..." the Nickit slowly starts, blinking ahead. "...do brothers and sisters leave at some point?"

There it is. The Eevee closes his eyes and sighs. "Well, I guess, yeah."

"But why?"

He shrugs. "Well, when they're old enough, they leave to start a life for themselves, I guess." At least, that's what he thinks the Pokemon here do anyway. "You know, like... Start a family of their own? Have kids, raise them, and stuff."

"Oh," she quietly says. "But, you're going back home, right? To your home?" She frowns in confusion. "So you already left to make a life, but why are you going back?"

"It's..." he says with a wince. "...complicated, Plu." He sighs, his ears drooping. "I didn't leave by choice." He glares at the road ahead. "I was taken away from home by force."

"Really?" she asks in surprise. "But why?"

He carefully shakes his head. "I have no idea."

She doesn't really understand much, but she understands enough. At least she thinks she does. What a mean thing to do, forcing her brother to go away from his home. Is that why he became a rescuer? To get stronger? Is that how they forced him out of his home, because he can't fight? And no one helped him?

What a bunch of meanies! No wonder her brother also has a meanie attitude to others. She can't imagine what she'd do if someone tells her to leave.

"Okay," she suddenly says, making the Eevee blink a curious blink. She lifts her head up and nods, glaring down at him. She'll be sad to see him go, and to never see him again or spend the days with him, but she understands now. "But promise me you'll visit."

"But Plu," he says with a sad frown. "I already told you that I couldn't..."

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Just promise that you'll try." She lies down once again, her paws wrapping around his neck. "Please?"

He takes a slow breath, and exhales. "I'll...try," he says as he finally reaches the upper portion of the city, the restaurant now in sight.

That's good enough, she thinks to herself. Unwrapping her paws around his fluffy neck, she jumps off of him, runs ahead and stops in front of him, smiling a confident smile at him. "So!"

He blinks. "Er..."

She points at him. "It's not lunch rush yet, so we practice!"

Another blink. "...practice what?"

She beams at him. "Swift! The meanies will think twice if they try getting you away from home again once you get stronger, right?"

And another blink. What has gotten into her little head? "Uh..."

"So come on!" She turns around and points at the restaurant. "To the backyard!" And she then runs through the traffic, leaving the confused Eevee behind.

Shaking his head in amusement, he walks after her as a light drizzle starts showering the earth once again. He looks up at the sky, staring at the white and gloomy clouds...

...walking by him. The Sentret blinks as he looks at the white Vulpix climbing up her seat and smiling at him.

"Sorry for the wait," she tells him.

"Er, uh, no!" he nervously says, making his date look at him in puzzlement. "I mean, it's alright! Ah hah hah..."

She frowns. "Linik, did something happen?"

He sighs. "No, it's just that..." he trails off, his ears drooping. "I thought you made a run for it after I messed up."

She blinks and tilts her head. "Linik, you didn't mess up." She closes her eyes and sighs. "I mean, you didn't know, but now you do. Kinda." She looks back at him with a smile. "So we learned a little bit about each other." A sad smile. "It just so happens that I...have really bad answers..."

The waiter suddenly walks up to them, holding two paper bags. "Your take out, sir."

She blinks at the bags, and then back at the nervous Sentret. "...Uh, take out?"

He sighs. "I, yeah, I thought you already left."

"Ah," the waiter suddenly says. "On behalf of the restaurant, please accept our sincerest apologies, miss," he says with a bow. "I shall deliver your meals right this instant!" And he runs back to the kitchen, leaving them behind in bewilderment.

"Well, we are in a three-star restaurant, after all," the Vulpix says and chuckles.

"Yeah, I guess." The Sentret then rubs his chin in thought. "How does the restaurant's star rating work anyway?"

She blinks. "Huh..."

He chuckles. "I guess we both don't know the answer to that."

She shakes her head. "Nope. I guess not," she replies as the waiter brings their meal on plates, and places it on their table.

"Please enjoy," he tells them before leaving.

The Vulpix stares at their meal. It's not much, but, "I was expecting a bit more than this." Especially with that price tag slapped on it. Well, it's a good thing they already ate earlier... Somewhat anyway.

"Yeah," the Sentret agrees. "Here's to hoping it tastes good at least."

The two start eating their meals, and while it's not the greatest thing they've ever had, it's good nonetheless, although, from the way they look at each other, they both mentally agree that it's not worth the price.

But what can they do about it? Best to just enjoy their meal and continue getting to know one another as a few more customers walk inside the restaurant...

...and the young Nickit walks up to them to take their orders. The lunch rush started a little earlier than they had thought, so instead of practice, the two siblings decide to help instead.

"So I notice Plu has a necklace now," the Pangoro remarks as he places a small pile of dirty dishes on top of a small stack on the sink. He turns and smirks at the grumbling Eevee. "Are you really sure nothing's going on between you two?"

"I swear, I'm gonna stab you in your sleep."

The Pangoro laughs as he ruffles the annoyed Eevee's furry head. "I'm looking forward to what will happen later tonight once you two return."

"Daaaaaaaaaaad!" the Nickit calls from outside the kitchen, her face burning a bright red. "It's not like that!"

The Pangoro's laugh resounds through the restaurant, adding to the lively chatter of their diners. The Nickit happily welcomes customers, takes their orders, and occasionally boasts about her badge and necklace to the curious few. The Pangoro brings out their meals with a large grin on his face, and clean up their tables as his daughter bids them goodbye. The Miltank cheerily handles the cooking, manning multiple cooking pots with practice and ease. And the Eevee washes and cleans the dirty dishes with a frown on his face, which worsens with the Pangoro's every visit, and breaks into a momentary smile each time the Nickit visits the kitchen.

Inside another restaurant in the lower portion of the city, two dating Pokemon are finishing up their meal, taking their sweet time as they continue learning about each other, growing more and more comfortable with each other's presence. The white Vulpix happily asks a question, and oftentimes it makes the Sentret blush as he nervously answers, making the Vulpix giggle before she gives her answer to her own question, making the normal-type smile with great interest.

As they continue on, two other Pokemon take a peak inside, happy to know that their friends' date's going really well. Sharing a nod, they leave them alone as they walk through the busy crowd, the Shinx listening to the Cyndaquil as she expresses how excited and happy she is that their friend has finally found love.

The sun above the clear sky continues moving sluggishly to some, but quickly to most, especially to those working in the restaurant, as the happy Nickit jumps out of the establishment, greeting the outside world with a wide smile as the chilly afternoon breeze greets her back.

"You still have the key with you, right?" the Pangoro asks.

The Eevee nods before walking out of the restaurant. Standing beside the Nickit, he lets the young dark-type nuzzle his shoulder, making him chuckle. He then looks back at the Pangoro. "Are you guys sure you don't want to come along?" He frowns. "Can't you close the place for an hour or two?"

"And lose potential cash flowing in?" The Pangoro laughs. "No can do, kiddo. Besides..." He winks at him. "The rides will still be there tomorrow."

The Eevee shrugs. "I guess that makes sense."

The Nickit then tugs his paw with a pout. "Big bro, come on! Come on!" She then smiles wide. "I wanna try riding that roller thing mom and dad kept talking about!"

The Eevee looks at her, his eyes growing wide in a panic. "T-there's a roller coaster ride?!"

The Pangoro laughs out loud. "Have fun!" He then goes back inside and closes the door behind him, leaving the terrified Eevee to his demise.

"Er..." The Eevee gulps. "They probably need help with washing the dishes and—"

The Nickit tightens her grip on his paw and tries her best to drag him down the road to the lower portion of the city. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Noooooooooo!" he cries as he halfheartedly tries to stop her from dragging him. "Plu, have mercy...!"

The two siblings run down the road towards the lower portion of the city, the afternoon sun shining down on the many Pokemon of different shapes and sizes who go from stall to stall, many of them trying out the many food products the merchants are selling, especially those from outside the city, and even from outside the region as well, the delicious smells being carried by the breeze.

Finally, after asking around, the two siblings finally reach the large open park of the city, where many fun rides now stand, with many Pokemon lining up to try them. The Nickit smiles big and wide as her twinkling eyes marvel at the tall metallic structures of the rides, the screams and shouts of the patrons resound in the air, making the Eevee's ears droop as he gulps.

"Let's go!" the Nickit chirps as she grabs the yelping Eeveen's paw and drags him through the moving Pokemon, worming their way towards the young dark-type's target.

After a few loops and twists and turns, the train finally stops, and the workers lift the safety bars and help a few of their customers to remove their safety belts. One nauseous patron wobbly walks off the platform, collapses on all four, and starts unloading his lunch on the ground, making those in line to wince in disgust.

Both Vulpix and Sentret gulp as they take a step out of the line. "Er..." the Vulpix voices out. "W-wanna go to the carousel instead?"

The Sentret quickly nods his head and—

A pair of paws grab them both, rooting the nervous couple in place.

"Where do you two think you're going?" the Cyndaquil asks with a smirk.

Sharing her wicked smile, the yellow Shinx forces the Vulpix to move as the workers let those next in line to move up the platform and help them take their seats on the train.

"C-Cindy, please!" the Sentret begs as the fire-type forces him to sit on one of the seats of the train.

"We've changed our minds!" the Vulpix yelps as the grinning electric-type forces her to sit beside her date. "Shino, please!"

The Sentret is about to ask again, but shivers when both Cyndaquil and Shinx smile very malevolently at them, complete with a dark twinkle on their eyes. The normal- and ice-type hug each other out of panic and sense of self-preservation from their evil friends, not realizing that the workers have fastened their belts and brought down the safety bar on them, locking them to their fate.

"Don't worry, you two," the fire-type whispers menacingly, as she and her partner slowly move to the seat behind the frightened couple. "We'll be right behind you."

Somehow, that sounded even scarier than the ride itself.

"We're gonna die," the Sentret whispers to her.

The Vulpix slowly nods, and the two then let out a frightened yelp as the train starts moving, shaking them to their very core, while the other couple a seat behind them is having the time of their lives as they laugh at the nervous wrecks in front of them.

Needless to say, after screaming their hearts and some of their lunch out for three minutes straight, which felt like forever, the new couple swear never to ride the roller coaster again as they each fill a paper bag with the rest of their lunch while their two other friends rub their backs in a mixture of mirth and disgust.

"Wanna ride the other roller coaster?"

For some odd reason, there are two of them! The new couple pull their sickly faces from their bags to throw death glares at the other couple. The yellow Shinx and the Cyndaquil share another laugh as their friends busy themselves with their bags.

"Plu, can we please not?"

The Shinx blinks and turns toward the voice, and sees the Eevee trying but failing to stop a very excited Nickit from jumping into the seat of the train.

"Big bro!" the Nickit yells at him with a pout. "Stop being a baby and get inside already!"

"But I don't want to!" the Eevee cries in protest.

After a few more seconds of their little banter, the Shinx and the Cyndaquil look on as the Eevee finally gives in and reluctantly takes a seat beside the very excited Nickit.

"Yey!" she chirps as she hugs him. "See? I knew you could do it!"

"Is it too late to convince you to ride something else?"

The workers then wrap and lock the belts around them. The Eevee's eyes grow wide as his pupils turn to pinpricks as the Nickit grins up at him.

"Too late!" she says and sticks her tongue out at him as the workers lower the safety bar, which she then grabs ahold of.

And then the train starts moving, making the nervous Eevee yelp. "Plu!" he cries. "If I die, I'll haunt you forever!"

And he starts screaming along with a few others as the train starts climbing up its first hill.

"Huh..." the Cyndaquil voices out with a smirk, turning to the Shinx. "Who knew he's a scaredy cat like these two?"

The Shinx chuckles as their ears are bombarded with the screams of the riders. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

Their other friends have finally recovered, and wants to take a breather but the other two stops them and informs them why. Soon, the train slows and stops, and the Nickit jumps out with a big smile on her face.

"That was so amazing!" she exclaims as she turns to her dead brother, and blinks. "Big bro, what happened to you?"

"Uuuuuuuuurgh..." the Eevee urgh's as he slowly moves past her in very slow and shaky paws. He eventually blinks very slowly, looks down very slowly, and blinks very slowly at the grassy ground. A very dead smile creeps through his dead features, and he then collapses on the ground. "I love you, ground..." he mumbles.

Five pairs of eyes blink at him. The fire-type then leans closer to the electric-type to whisper, "Is he dead?"

Frowning, the Nickit walks up to him and starts poking him. "Big bro! What has gotten into you?!" She pouts and pokes him some more. "Big broooooo!"

"Plu..." he slowly mumbles. "I'm dead..."

Frowning, she jumps and lands on his back, eliciting an 'oof' from the normal-type. "Well, stop being dead! Come on!"

"Should, uh," the Vulpix starts as she turns to her other friends. "Should we wait to make sure he's okay?"

The Cyndaquil and the Shinx share a look, and then turn back to the other two. "Nah," the Cyndaquil says with a shake of her head. "You two go on ahead." She smiles at them. "Shoo! Go be all lovey-dovey with each other!"

"We'll stay here with them until they're good," the Shinx tells them with a smile of his own.

"You guys sure?" the Sentret asks with a concerned frown.

The Cyndaquil waves a paw at them. "We'll be fine. Now go!" She smirks. "Before I force you two to ride the other coaster."

The Sentret lets out a yelp. "No thank you!" He then turns to the equally-terrified Vulpix. "S-shall we?"

She nods at him. "We shall!"

With that, the two scamper away, leaving their two other friends behind. The Cyndaquil then lets out a sigh as he gingerly lifts the Nickit off of the Eevee.

"You okay, bud?" the Shinx asks as he helps the normal-type back up on four wobbly paws.

"N-never again..." the Eevee mumbles to himself, making the electric-type chuckle. His droopy ears slightly twitch, and he slowly turns to see his little sister listening attentively to the Cyndaquil. "W-what...?"

The Shinx sits beside him, looking at the two females with a smile. "Cindy's explaining what's wrong with you." He chuckles as he turns to him. "I still find it hard to believe that you're the same Eevee who's always angry at us."

Frowning, he hangs his head, his gaze on a blade of grass.

"Hey, you alright?"

He closes his eyes and sighs. "I will be, eventually."

The Shinx blinks at him. Huh. He didn't expect him to answer his inquiry. Should he push his luck? "So uh, I'm curious. If you're here, then who's washing the dishes back in the restaurant?"

The Eevee slowly shakes his head. "Probably that damn Pangoro," he grumbles. He's still feeling a bit nauseous, but not as worse as a few minutes ago at least.

The Shinx frowns at him. "You, uh, want us to help you back to the restaurant?"

He shakes his head. "No." He slowly lifts his head up and blinks at his sister still talking to the Cyndaquil. "It's Plu's first time to enjoy the festival." He frowns. "And here I am, ruining it."

"Hey, hey," the Shinx says as he pats the Eevee's shoulder. "No need to beat yourself up over this." He smiles at him. "This is normal, and you'll be back to normal in no time."

"I know," he grumbles, and sighs. "But right now, I hate feeling like this." He glares down at the blade of grass. "Feeling so helpless."

The Shinx frowns, and nods in agreement. "Yeah. I know that feeling." He shrugs. "But hey, that's what friends are for, right?" He smiles, and smiles even wider as the Eevee looks at him. "Friends help each other out!"

He frowns at him, sighs and closes his eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself." He reopens his eyes and looks at his sister, who glances at him with a worried frown. "...let's start with being acquaintances."

The Shinx blinks. However small it may be, progress is still progress. He smiles and nods. "I think we're okay with that."

"Big brooo," the Nickit says in a worried tone as she approaches him and nuzzles his paw. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to ride it with me."

He chuckles as he wraps his paws around her, pulling her in a hug. "Don't worry about me, you little devil," he tells her with a small smile. They then break the hug and he smiles down at her frowning face. "What's important is you had fun," he says as he boops her nose.

"Weird," the Cyndaquil says as she stands beside the Shinx, the two watching the siblings having a quiet exchange. "He looks like a completely different Eevee."

"I know, right?" He shakes his head. "And guess what?" he asks as he turns to her. "He's friends with us now."

She arches a non-existent eyebrow. "Your pulling my leg."

"Well, acquaintances, but it's better than nothing, right?"

She frowns at him, but shrugs. "Eh, I guess. So what now?" She frowns. "Don't tell me we'll have to continue babysitting these two."

He shakes his head. "Nah." He then approaches the Eevee. "You feeling better, bud?"

The Eevee looks at him with a frown. "...I guess, yeah." His frown stretches further down. "And don't call me that."

The Shinx chuckles. "Would you like me to call you by your name instead?"

"You can call me bud if you want," the Eevee immediately answers back.

The yellow Shinx blinks, and laughs. "Alright, bud." He looks back at the fire-type, and then back at the siblings. "You want us to tag along, or...?"

The Eevee shakes his head. "You two can shoo away now."

"Shooing away now," the Shinx then turns around and walks back to his girlfriend. "See ya later, bud!"

The Eevee grumbles under his breath, making the Nickit frown at him.

The three pairs continue to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the other rides, and meeting one another in passing as they continue towards their next destinations. The Nickit finds the other rides boring compared to the roller coaster, but doesn't want to ride the other one because she doesn't want her brother to feel sick again, even though the Eevee suggested that he'll just sit it out and wait for her. They take a curious peek at the Swanna-shaped boats, but the Nickit finds it boring, so the siblings then decide to check out one of the large tents as one of the boats approach a dark tunnel, making the Sentret and Vulpix feel nervous, their red faces looking elsewhere.

Taking a peek inside the very large and tall tent, the Nickit blinks and yelps out, making the Eevee wonder what's up with her. He takes a peek inside and chuckles as his ears hear the screams of terror from the scary-looking haunted tunnel. He steps out of the tent and smiles at his frowning little sister.

As they draw closer to the dark tunnel, the Sentret's and the Vulpix's blushing faces burn brighter and brighter, their eyes barely meeting one another. Who even suggested for them to take this ride in the first place anyway? Neither of them can remember. All they know is that they simply picked the next ride at random and immediately fell in line, only to realize later one what this ride is.

Should they do it? Do they even want to do it? In the dark?

Why not, right? They're in a date anyway, so it's only natural.

...right?

As the darkness slowly consume them, they finally manage to lock their gazes on each other. As they slowly lose sight of one another from the darkness, they slowly lean their faces toward each other, feeling the breath of the other brushing against them, and then...

Their boat eventually emerges from the other side of the tunnel. A worker grabs the wing of the boat, pulling it for the two to jump back down on the ground, their blushing faces barely turning to one another.

"S-so, um..." the Sentret starts, his voice trembling. "Wanna go, uh, grab a bit to eat?"

She nods. "That sounds good."

"Right, um, let's go."

Why are they back to being nervous wrecks once again? They were already comfortable with one another, so what changed this time?

The white Vulpix takes a breath and exhales. It's probably just nerves, and as they take a seat under the shade of the tree and eat their snacks together, they eventually rediscover their sense of comfort with one another as they share a topic to talk about.

"So," the Sentret says, "hypothetically speaking, if you were to only date either Shino or Cindy, who would you pick?"

She blinks at him. "Shino, of course. Because he has..." She blushes. "...erm, you know."

The Sentret chuckles and scratches his head. "Yeah, I guess that was a stupid question."

She glares at him. "Hey, no fair. You didn't answer!"

"I kinda thought it was already obvious." He shrugs. "Cindy, of course, even though she's too much to deal with sometimes."

They continue talking about random things, not realizing the sun has already set until the chilly night air brushes against their furs.

"Holy shit," the Sentret exclaims. "It's night already?!"

"Time flies fast, huh?" she tells him with a smile. "When you're with good company?"

He smiles back at her. "Heh, you know it." They share a smile, the silence between them warm and comfortable...until he awkwardly looks away with a blush. "So um... W-want me to walk you home?"

She chuckles. "Aww, no dinner?"

"I'd love to, really, but..." He sighs. "My team is assigned to patrol the city during the night."

She blinks. "Really? But you've been up for a while now!"

He shrugs. "Eh, nothing I couldn't handle." He smirks at her. "What? Don't tell me you're worried."

She blinks once again, and shakes her head, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Erm..."

He chuckles. "I'm only teasing." He stands up and smiles at her. "So, let me walk you home."

She smiles back at him. "Sure."

The evening sky suddenly lights up, and then the sounds of fireworks soon follow. The night sky lights up in bright and colorful fireworks, making the audience ooh and ahh in awe.

"Pretty," the Vulpix whispers.

The Sentret looks at her with a smile, and takes a breath to steal himself. "N-not as pretty as you though."

She blinks, and slowly turns to him, his smile lighting up with the fireworks.

And slowly, their faces lean towards each other again, their eyes slowly closing, and then...

On the inclined road on the face of the cliff, the Eevee, along with the rest of the Pokemon on the road, stop and stare at the light show in the night sky. He smiles, appreciating the show for a short moment before he shakes his head and resumes his walk up the road, with the Nickit sleeping soundly on his back.

Inside one of the car of the ferris wheel, the Shinx and the Cyndaquil stare in awe at the fireworks. She turns to him, smiles, and the two lean towards each other for a kiss.

They pull away, panting, their eyes locked on each other. The Sentret then smiles at her as he scratches his head. "Um... That was..."

She looks down on the ground and nods. "It was..."

"W-wanna go now?"

"I..." A sly smile. "...could go for another."

And they share yet another kiss under the fireworks.