It was a busy day deep in a forest. The Carnivine family was hard at work in their berry garden. Carla watered a Nanab Berry sprout. Carnivine buried seeds in the soil. Camellia picked Oran Berries, Cheri Berries, and Sitrus Berries off several bushes and placed them in a basket.
"Don't take too much of 'em," said Carla. "We still need the remaining ones for our dinner in case we won't be able to buy enough food."
"Don't worry, ma, I won't," answered Camellia.
Carnivine took the basket from her. "Well, I'm off to the market."
Camellia perked up. She had never left the forest before, and since she had recently turned fourteen, she believed her father would finally allow her to go to the city.
"Can I sell the berries this time, pa?" she asked.
"How many times must I tell ya?" Carnivine scowled. "You already work at home. That's enough for ya."
Camellia frowned.
"But I'm old enough not to get lost in the city," she insisted.
"It doesn't matter," said Carnivine. "This is for the man of the house to do."
"Actually, she's right," Carla chimed in. "You gotta at least give her a chance."
"Listen, Carla, my foot is down," Carnivine disagreed.
"Why can't ya be more flexible?" Carla demanded. "Ya can't just keep her home forever. She's gotta grow up at some point. And besides, she wants to help us, too. Can't ya be grateful for that?"
Carnivine let out an annoyed huff and handed the basket to Camellia. "Fine. But just sell them an' come right back home. No detours or nothin'."
"Thank you, pa," said Camellia.
"Just keep goin' east and you'll find the city," advised Carla. "And when you get there, go northeast till ya find the marketplace."
Camellia nodded and set off. With a spring in her step, she skipped through the forest, whistling an upbeat tune. Oh, the things she would see!
After some time, Camellia reached the end of the woods. She pushed her way through some bushes and there was indeed the city. She was amazed; she had never seen such tall buildings before. Just then, the clocktower struck two. Camellia watched as a bunch of children ran out of a nearby school. A Wurmple was carrying a textbook in his mouth next to a Munchlax.
"Can you help me study for the geography test?" asked the Munchlax.
"Mmhmm," answered the Wurmple. He couldn't say anything else with his mouth full.
Camellia cocked a brow. She knew she had. As she continued, she saw that there were many establishments, including a post office and a library. Despite her curiosity about the places, though, she knew she had a job to do, so she never stopped for long. Soon, she came across the marketplace and she was even more awed when she saw how many shops had been set up. There were street vendors selling snacks, flower shops, and medicine stands. Then she caught sight of her destination; a stand selling fruits and vegetables. A Cherrim was running the stand. Camellia approached her.
"Howdy," Camellia greeted her. "I'm here to sell this basket of berries. How much will it cost?"
"That'll be forty-five coins," said Cherrim. Camellia handed her the basket and Cherrim gave Camellia the coins.
"Thank you, miss," said Camellia.
She began to make her way home. As she walked through the city, she passed by the library. She looked at it longingly for a few minutes. She was plagued with curiosity over what could be inside. However, she knew she had a promise to keep, so she kept going.
Later, she finally arrived home.
"Welcome back," said Carla. "How was it?"
"It was amazin'," answered Camellia with a blissful expression on her face.
Carnivine looked at her in suspicion. "Ya better not have gone anywhere else."
"No, of course not," Camellia shook her head. To get his mind off his surmise, she handed him the coins. Surely enough, he grinned.
"Nice work," he chuckled.
Later that night, Camellia lay on her bed. She wistfully gazed out the window, thinking about what she had seen. She wished to see what else the city had in store, but she doubted that her father would ever let her go there again. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," said Camellia.
It was Carla.
"Hi, ma," Camellia said with a sigh.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" asked Carla.
"Well…" said Camellia hesitantly. "Can ya promise not to tell pa?"
"Hmm, sure," nodded Carla.
Camellia inhaled deeply and exhaled. She looked down at her feet. "I wanna explore the city some more, but pa's probably gonna be mad again if I ask to go."
"Oh, don't ya worry yer pretty little head about him," winked Carla. "I'll give you permission to go there. I think it's fine for you to try out new things."
Camellia looked up. "But what if pa finds out?"
"We'll just keep it a secret from him," said Carla.
"How?" wondered Camellia.
Carla put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Camellia hugged her mother. "Thanks, ma."
"No problem," replied Carla.