Autumnal Festival, Chapter 61
"Do be careful on your travels, Star! I hope to see you again!" As you can already guess, this was the standard farewell given by practically every Nurse Joy. I was once told they were all sisters, part of a big, happy and identical family. What if they were all clones?
"Thanks, I will," I said, strapping my belt of Pokeballs on my waist. I was back in Mauville City, two days after the events in the Petalburg Gym. A long road awaited me still, made longer still by the fact I didn't own a bike anymore. Still, one look at Vulpix's happy face at the prospect of more adventures made it all feel worthwhile. After all, you couldn't properly take in the sights zooming by on a bike!
My travel plan was to head north to Fortree City, a settlement nestled deep within the woods of Northeastern Hoenn. The journey would take a couple days on foot, so my first priority was stocking up on supplies. Mauville had a pretty beefy little market, despite the size, with everything a trainer on the move needed. This time I also made sure to pick up at least three Pokeballs, in case the opportunity presented itself to catch new critters. The battle with Norman was a close one, and I couldn't just keep relying on the same tactics nonstop. If I was going to at least participate in the Battle Frontier at the end of all this, I wanted to get past round one at the very least. I wasn't going to strive for champion, as I honestly didn't stand a chance.
When I got up to the front counter to pay, I watched intently as the clerk scanned each item before me. My gaze was fixated on the total, which continued to climb higher and higher with each item. From ¥3000 to ¥5000 and higher still. I was just about to ask him to stop scanning when he gave me the grand total.
"That'll be ¥6780, miss," he said politely, making my inability to pay all the more humiliating. I reached into my bag slowly, holding my purse inside as I counted what little money I had out of view. It just barely topped ¥3000. Swallowing hard, I looked back at the clerk, who was patiently waiting with a smile.
"Um, excuse me," I started, almost whispering to him, "what happens if I can't afford it all?"
"Well," he said, leaning in close and whispering in the same fashion, "I'd have to ask you to please return the items you cannot afford to their proper place in the store. Short a hundred or two?"
"More like four thousand," I corrected him sheepishly.
"Oh my, looks like you'll be putting a lot of things back on the shelves, then." At least he was being friendly about it all. He placed all the items back into the basket, and handed it to me. "I hope you'll visit us again soon."
Dejected, I went back into the aisles starting with the Pokeball section. When I reached down into the basket, my eye caught a glimpse of something rolling around inside my bag. I reached in to grab it, and my eyes shot wide open when I realized what it was. It was that golden nugget I found way back in Cherrygrove City! Ecstatic, I jumped right back in line, and within seconds I was standing in front of the clerk again.
"Welcome back to the Mauville City Mart," he said with a smile. "Manage to save up enough already?"
"I think so," I said, showing him the nugget. "Is this worth anything to sell?"
He took the nugget and examined it closely. After flipping through a book behind the register, he nodded and asked for the basket of items.
"We can discount ¥5000 from your total in exchange. Sound fair?"
"More than fair! Thank you very much!" With the nugget, the total dropped to just under ¥2000, which still left me a bit broke but stocked to the teeth with food and supplies for the trip. If those nuggets fetched a similar value in other shops, I'd make sure to keep an eye out for them next time I was in the mountains.
~o~
Route 118 was to the east of Mauville City, and if the Pokenav was to be believed, it was a short trip before turning north on Route 119. And for once, the Pokenav was right! The western end of Route 118 was surprisingly dull and devoid of any trainers. The real threat here was the mouth of a river that reached all the way to Fortree City, which cut into the road and forced trainers to swim across. As you're well aware, I can't swim, so I had Vaporeon surf me across. Pelipper carried Vulpix by air.
Once on the other side, things actually began to liven up. There were more trainers about, the usual fare when traveling, but quite a few of them were actually headed north. Ever the curious cat, I decided to ask the first person I could about what was going on.
"Excuse me, why are all these people going to Route 119?" The woman I had asked turned around, and I instantly recognized her. To my dismay, more than anything.
"Oh! If it isn't Star! Just who I wanted to see!" It was Gaby, and not too far off was her faithful cameraman Ty filming a Pokemon battle. I sighed, resigning myself to yet another interview. Gaby latched onto my shoulder, making sure I didn't run away like most other trainers she undoubtedly tried to interview, and called for Ty. Once the young man was set up to film, Gaby produced her microphone.
"Hello and welcome back to another edition of 'Eyes on Hoenn'. I'm Gaby, your trusty reporter, and today I have a trainer all of Hoenn recognizes and loves: Star! So Star, what brings you to Route 118? Are you on your way to the Autumnal Festival like many others?"
"Autumnal Festival? Is that what's going on?"
"Oh you kidder, you! Isn't she just adorable? Tell us, Star, no doubt you've heard about the various events at the festival, and their rewards! Share with us, are you aiming for the top prize Pokemon?" Gaby put the mic to my mouth again, eagerly awaiting a response. This wasn't the way I wanted to get my information, but I was sure to get it if I indulged her.
"Why, yes. Yes I am! I'm ready to battle for the best!"
"What fire! Well, you've seen it here on 'Eyes on Hoenn'. Be sure to tune in next time as we cover the Autumnal Festival LIVE! This is Gaby, signing off." Gaby stood frozen there for a few seconds with what looked to be a painful smile.
"And we're done. Great take, Gaby," said Ty as he turned off the camera. Gaby let go of that smile and massaged her cheeks.
"Thanks again, Star. I swear you're always around when I need a story the most." If by sheer coincidence in her favor. I felt Vulpix nudging at my legs; even she was eager to get away from Gaby.
"So what's the Autumnal Festival for?" With the interview complete, I was hoping I'd get a straight answer out of her. Vulpix noticed I was continuing the conversation, and whimpered.
"To celebrate the autumn season, of course! The Hoenn Weather Institute is holding it this year, which is strange considering what they've been through the past few weeks."
"Oh?"
"I'm amazed you didn't hear. Their lab was broken into by one of those teams: Lava? Water? Anyway, they made off with this rare breed of Pokemon that has power over the local weather, and they've been hurting to find a replacement ever since. The Hoenn Festival Committee was actually looking at Winona of Fortree City to host it, but they really wanted to do it to get their minds off of work for a day." Of course, the Pokemon Gaby was talking about was Castform, whom I had saved from Team Magma back in Meteor Falls.
"Oh, I see. Where's the festival being held?"
"Route 119, just outside the Institute building. Best get a move on, Star, it's quite a hike up there. Ty, load up the van, we're moving out!" As Gaby and Ty made for their vehicle just off to the side of the road, a lightbulb went off in my head.
"Hey, Gaby? Is it okay if I hitch a ride with you guys?"
"You want to ride in the back with all the equipment? There's no room for you up front."
"Sure, I'll ride in the back!" Of course, I was assuming the back had a somewhere to sit.
"Then sure thing. Let's move people, we have to get there before the other reporters!"
~o~
The van door slid open, and I fell out of the van face first into the cold grass. Vulpix followed after me, both of us carsick and bruised from bouncing around with all of Gaby's recording equipment. Had we been traveling on a steady road, it wouldn't have been as bad, but Route 119 wasn't paved. And rather than give me a helping hand, Gaby just shook her head at me.
"Honestly, Star, a young lady shouldn't be rolling around in the dirt like that!" Oh how I wanted to use a bad word at that moment, but I remembered my manners. Sucking it up, I got up from the ground and brushed away the dirt on my dress.
"Thank you for the ride," I said before turning away from Gaby. Any longer in her presence and I probably would've exploded.
"Anytime! Ty, hurry up! We could get a shot of them setting up the festival for tomorrow!"
Leaving those two behind, I wandered into the fairgrounds. It wouldn't be open until later that night, so most of the stalls were still being set up. Watching this process was entertainment in itself, actually; the scientists and researchers setting up obviously had no clue what they were doing for the most part. Amidst these scientists were people actually experienced in these activities, and they were setting up stalls three times as fast. I let Vulpix wander around for the time being, as there were other small critters playing nearby, and took a seat by the Weather Institute to watch.
Gaby was trying to get an interview with someone once she was set up, and like before, everyone was turning her down. As she got more and more frustrated, her gaze shifted towards me, and I knew what was to follow. Once she started towards me from the other end of the grounds, I got up and ran into the building to hide. Because most everyone was outside setting up for the festival, the institute was empty, and I was free to wander around. It was clearly not designed to be a museum, so the walls were bare and computer monitors outnumbered the places to sit. It was rather serene, with all the machines beeping in tandem, until Gaby entered. I quickly ducked under a desk to hide from her.
"Drat, I thought I saw her enter here," she said, looking around for me. Ty followed her in, making sure to get good shots of the institute while Gaby composed herself.
"Why don't we just do a bit on this place?" His suggestion almost insulted Gaby.
"Our ratings would plummet. Oh, Star! Where are you?" I remained silent under the desk, even going so far as to hold my breath. After a few moments, Gaby sighed and gave up.
"Fine, we'll do a bit on this place. You get some good shots?" Ty nodded, and signaled for Gaby to start talking. She took a deep breath and put on her biggest fake smile.
"Welcome back to 'Eyes on Hoenn'. This time, we'll be discussing the Weather Institute here on Route 119, which has chosen to host the Hoenn Autumnal Festival this year. As you know, keeping track of Hoenn's weather is an important job, and the scientists here are always the first to learn of any anomalies that may pose a threat to the residents of the island region." Gaby walked over to a random computer screen.
"As you can see here, this is just one of the dozens of computers constantly at work making heads or tails of the information gathered by the institute. I'm no meteorologist, but from what I can gather, there's been some rough weather on Route 127, just south of Mossdeep City. To all my viewers in the area, Gaby wishes you the best of luck, and hope the bad tidings pass soon. That's all for this mini-session of 'Eyes on Hoenn'. I'll see you guys later tonight for a special LIVE coverage of the festival. 'Till next time!"
"And... we're done," Ty said, shutting the camera off. Gaby sighed and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Maybe I should retire this gig, I just can't do it anymore. Let's get back outside, see if any of those eggheads wants an interview now."
Once they were out of the building, I was finally able to crawl out from under the desk. I walked over to the monitor Gaby was using for the recording, and looked at the screen. Indeed, the area just under Mossdeep City was flashing red, and that never meant anything good. My curiosity satisfied, I went to the glass door to peek outside. Gaby was still lurking about, so I decided to hide out in the institute until later that evening. I also caught a glimpse of Vulpix, who was happily playing around with a Caterpie and Venonat in the middle of the fairgrounds.
~o~
"Excuse me, miss?" The voice shook me gently, rousing me from my nap. I stretched my body a bit before I opened my eyes, looking straight at a middle-aged man in a lab coat.
"I'm sorry," I said, trying to hold in a yawn, "I must've fallen asleep. What time is it?"
"Just past nine. The festival started a while ago, in case you were planning on visiting." The man gave me a hand in getting up off the ground. I looked down at where I was napping, and saw Vulpix curled up next to where I was. She must've tired herself out playing with those other Pokemon.
"Um, is it okay if Vulpix stays here? I don't want to wake her up."
"Sure thing, we'll be closing the door, anyway, Feel free to leave your bag, too. It's safe with us."
Taking the man's advice, I left not only my bag, but also the rest of my Pokemon next to Vulpix. I grabbed my purse, naturally, despite it being rather light. Suddenly all those supplies I bought felt like a waste compared to the fun I could've had spending at the festival. All the same, I stepped out of the institute, and into a completely different world.
In the dark of night, the festival was a sight to behold. Lights of all colors adorned the paths, and all sorts of people walked up and down the path of stalls, indulging in the activities offered. One of the people walking down the path seemed familiar at a distance from her dress. Curious, I caught up to her, and now up close, I could almost be certain it was one of the Kimono Girls from Ecruteak City.
"Excuse me," I said, tapping on her shoulder. She turned to face me.
"My goodness! If it isn't Star, was it? How pleasant to see you again!"
"I know! You're Miki, right?" She smiled and nodded.
"Indeed. My sisters and I were so worried about you, after what happened at the Burned Tower. Why did you leave so suddenly?"
"It's a long story," I chuckled. "Anyway, what brings you to Hoenn?"
"Well, after the incident at the tower, the police and media were all over Ecruteak for Giovanni. We decided to close the theatre for a while, until the media craze died down. We all went our separate ways, and I just happened to end up here in Hoenn."
"But wasn't that like more than a month ago already? Don't you think you should head back?" It was amazing how time flew. Miki shook her head, smiling.
"The theatre won't open again until all of us are back. And between us," she said, leaning in close, "I don't want to go back quite yet."
"Trust me, I can relate." Since my return home after my Kanto journey, I hadn't shown my face anywhere near Pallet Town. Somehow, I had a feeling if I ever went back, I'd find myself chained there. If not by Mom, by an attraction to Deneb. Wait... scratch that last one, you didn't hear that!
"Well, care to accompany me during the festival? It's always more fun with a friend, you know."
"Of course!"
And so I accompanied Miki, which in itself was a good and bad thing. I was happy to have someone to partake in the festival with, but because of her attire, many of the other people there approached us throughout the course of the night with questions. Where was she from? What kind of outfit was that? Did she have a boyfriend? Would she have a friendly Pokemon battle? And each time she was asked something, Miki would stop in her tracks and answer most politely. In turn, I'd be forced to wait around, so most of the time we were together, I was actually watching other people play the little games set up around us.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Star," she said to me after the ninth person asked her about her kimono, "I'm not being much of a friend tonight, are I?"
"No, it's okay," I replied, not wanting to be mean about it. "What you're wearing is pretty rare and nice to look at. I guess it's only natural you'd get asked."
"Strange, though. Hoenn used to have a much richer culture, no different than Johto. I would think there are still some places here that wouldn't find my kimono so foreign."
"Guess time changes things. Now everyone on Hoenn seems to be more interested in watching TV and seeing what Gaby the reporter has to say about it all." From the corner of my eye, I could tell my statement had downed Miki's spirits. I sighed, suddenly feeling down myself. We were in the middle of a festival, and we were talking about culture and history. Determined to snap us out of the funk, I clapped my hands loudly.
"Well, how about we play one of these games? I don't have much money, but I can treat you to one."
Miki smiled at me. "I'd like that. In return, I'll treat you to something to eat. Agreed?"
I nodded, and looked around for something to play. Most of the little games looked to be of the money-making sort; that is, they were designed against the player so the shopkeeper could make a killing. I was no stranger to festivals, as Mom would take me up to Viridian City for yearly events back when I was still living in Pallet. After a few minutes of searching, I spotted one stall that was set up quite out of the way, by the river, actually. Curious, I grabbed Miki's hand and led her to it, where the person tending the stall was instantly eager to receive a customer.
"Welcome! It's only ¥200 for a chance to fish out a rare Pokemon from the river!" The man offered us both fishing rods. Miki took it with a smile, but I hesitated slightly. The last time I went fishing, the Pokemon that latched on dragged me in and quite a ways upstream.
"Um, isn't this a bit..." I struggled to find the right word, one that wouldn't have me calling the man a money-grubbing scam artist. "You're charging us to fish in the river?"
"I'm charging for the distinct privilege to fish in this river with one of my very own, patent-pending Ultra Deluxe Rods!" The man pointed to the name sloppily painted on the rod in his hand. I wasn't impressed.
"What guarantee is there we'll fish anything out at this time of night? And how do you know it'll be rare? It's a river!" I actually couldn't believe how I was acting, but I couldn't stop myself either.
"Do try and lighten up, Star. Aren't we here to enjoy the festival?" Miki smiled.
I sighed, taking the rod from the man. After forking over the cost for borrowing the rod, he handed us each a few pieces of bait. After hooking it at the end of the rods, we both cast our lines out into the river. As you could imagine, there wasn't much to be had at that time of night.
"Star," Miki whispered into my ear, "I don't want to be rude, but isn't this a bit... well, boring?"
"I agree," I said loudly, before looking over to the man, "this is boring! I want my-"
At that instant, both our lines were yanked by something. Miki was so startled, she let go of the rod, which was taken by the Pokemon into the river. The man went into a panicked frenzy, while I tried to reel in whatever had bitten my hook. As Miki worked out an arrangement with the man to pay off the rod, I continued to struggle against the Pokemon in the water.
"A little help here, please!" I could feel myself getting dragged closer and closer into the river. Miki grabbed onto me, which stopped me in my tracks. For a moment. Before long, we were both being dragged into the river. This time, the man called out for help, while he grabbed onto Miki and started pulling us both away from the river.
Naturally, at the cry for help, many of the visitors ran to the stall. No one did anything to help us, but that didn't matter at that point. Whatever was trying to pull away had finally been reeled in, and in one swift motion, we pulled it out of the river. It wasn't just one Pokemon, but over a dozen or more, all bunched up around the hook fighting to take the bait. The mass of Pokemon landed on top of us, and instantly it became mayhem.
"Catch those Pokemon!" Someone called out.
Instantly, Pokeballs started flying at us, everyone desperate to capture one of the free Pokemon flopping about in the grass. The guy in charge of the stall scrambled to it, and gave us each a Pokeball. Without thinking twice, I threw it out into the mess of fish, hoping I'd catch something. It took a few seconds only, but the chaos died down, with most of the Pokemon now trapped in Pokeballs, and what fish remained had flopped back into the river. Now came the truly hectic part: sorting out the Pokeballs' owners.
~o~
"That was certainly exhilarating, wouldn't you say?" The commotion had died down, and Miki had indeed treated to something to eat, as agreed. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was fried and tasted really good.
"Exhausting is more like it," I replied with a sigh. As you'd no doubt expect, every trainer in the area started fussing over which Pokeball was which. It got so bad, the scientists from the Institute had to step in and help sort the mess out. Every Pokeball that was recovered was taken back to the building to be identified by the trainer ID number. At least one of those Pokeballs was to be numberless, as the Pokeball given to me by the man at the stall was clean and unmarked. I'll spare you the details, and just say that the scientists were working on handing back the Pokeballs to their rightful owners.
"I'm almost sad I didn't throw my Pokeball into the crowd," Miki said giggling. "But in all that commotion, I wasn't sure what to do."
"I wonder what I caught," I said, trying to remember the kinds of Pokemon that were pulled out. The majority of them were Magikarp and Tentacool, rather common critters of the sea. There were a few others, but being Hoenn Pokemon I couldn't say what kinds they were.
"You're about to find out. The head scientist just came out of the Institute."
I disposed of my trash, and ran up to the crowd surrounding the man. He started calling out ID numbers, and slowly the crowd began to dissolve back into the festival as people collected their Pokemon. I had to wait for the last Pokeball, being unmarked.
"I take it this last one is yours?" He handed me the Pokeball. Though I was eager to see what I had caught, I knew I had to label it as my own, as per league rules. That also meant I had to send one of my Pokemon to the PC Storage again.
"Thank you, sir. Is it okay if I go inside to collect my things?"
"Certainly. Follow me." The man led the way, and I grabbed Miki's hand so she could go inside as well.
Vulpix was still asleep, so I decided not to make too much noise as I fumbled around my bag for my trainer card. After registering the Pokeball to my name, I sent back Ariados to the storage. Now that the Pokemon inside was rightfully mine, I quickly opened the Pokeball to see just what I had caught. The critter inside was certainly...
"Oh my, it's hideous!" Miki pretty much summed it up. Even I was taken aback by the foul critter I had caught. It was a dull brown color, marked all over with darker spots that looked like it hadn't washed in weeks. And despite being out of water, it looked perfectly fine. I scanned the... thing.
"Feebas, the Fish Pokemon. It is a shabby and ugly Pokemon. However, it is very hardy and can survive on little water." And judging my the abilities it was capable of, it wouldn't be of much use in battle. Feeling bad, I put the Pokemon back in its Pokeball. There were plenty of computers around, so it was still possible to get Ariados back.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did."
"It's okay, I felt the same way," I told Miki. "I don't want to just throw him back into the river, though. I'll hold onto him, maybe he'll grow on me?"
"And if he does, Star, you'll have a bigger heart than I. I don't think I've ever been so repulsed by a Pokemon in all my life."
I chuckled slightly. "Least it was fun to catch him, right?"
"Indeed. Now, I'm afraid it's time for me to be going, Star." Miki rose from the floor.
"Where? It's the middle of the night, and Fortree City is still a few hours away."
"Oh don't worry about me, I know how to get around even at this hour. Farewell, Star, I hope we see each other again soon. It has been a most enjoyable and memorable experience."
Miki gave me a polite bow, and walked out of the Institute. It was certainly abrupt, but I couldn't exactly force her to stay, either. I sighed, and yawned for the first time all night, as well. Right at that moment, the middle-aged scientist from earlier arrived with a pillow and blanket.
"There's a couch on the second floor you can use for the night. Wouldn't want you wandering around at this hour." He handed me the items, and pointed out the staircase.
"Thank you, sir. I wasn't sure where I'd stay tonight."
"Don't you worry about it. Feel free to turn in at your leisure."
Standing there, in the empty room surrounded by computers, I smiled. No matter where, I was always extended a helping hand. Though grateful, I sometimes felt like a burden to those around me. I picked up my things, and then Vulpix, who still didn't wake up, and marched upstairs. A comfy couch awaited me, as did my dreams.