Lexi opened her eyes and pulled the cover tighter around her, the room was colder than she liked. She had gotten used to the warmth Serafine created around her as she slept with them. But this time Serafine had to stay in her pokéball, the room was way too small. Lexi yawned, flicked on the light next to her bed and looked at the orange walls that were decorated with small paintings, showing various flowers and ocean views. A small column separated Aiden's bed from hers, so she could only see his legs beneath the purple sheets. Lexi turned off the light again and thought about the day before, while she waited for Aiden to wake up. The worry she felt when she had to fight in the darkness, the stress when she was about to lose, the joy when she held the badge in her hand.
Lexi looked to her side again. Aiden didn't have it yet, would he be able to get it his second time or would he go away without one like she had done in Crocuta?
(_)
Aiden woke up hungry, so they quickly walked through the empty hallways and ate their breakfast in an almost empty restaurant. ''I didn't think we were this late. Everybody seems to be working already.'' Aiden took another bite of his egg.
''So, what are we going to do? I mean, I need some time to wake up a little, but after that we could have a little practice fight?'' Lexi suggested.
''Nah, maybe later. I heard something about a castle yesterday when I asked around, let's try that.'' Aiden wiped his hands and stood up.
''Sure, do you know where it is?''
''No, but if we can find a random stranger in a unfamiliar town, then I'm sure we will be able to find our way this time.'' They both laughed and picked up their backpacks. Before searching for the castle, they let out their pokémon in a nearby park. Aiden and Lexi prepared the food as the pokémon enjoyed the fresh air. Hoothoot investigated his surroundings with Pidgey following close behind, while Serafine ran around aimlessly, bucking as she went. Pero had found a spot in the shade were he waited for his food and Krabby stood on the bench next to the food bowls, staring at Aiden's hands.
After they had been fed and cared for, Aiden and Lexi put them back into their pokéballs. ''Don't worry, we'll let you out again when we get back.''
Aiden asked around for direction's while Lexi got them both some ice cream.
''The castle is quite a walk but easy to get to. There are stairs that go to the top of the hill and end at an old road, that leads straight to Pampu Castle. Oh thanks,'' Aiden took the ice cream cone.
Lexi smiled and licked hers, ''Hmm, I think the ones back home are better, I don't think these are made with miltank milk, I wonder what they used.''
A small group of people were walking in the same direction and together they reached the black and white stairs that led up the hill. It was quite a hike to get to the top, but the view was very special.
''I don't think I've ever been so high in my life. Look at all those farms,'' Aiden pointed, breathing heavily from the climb as well as excitement. ''They look almost fake, like toys.''
''And look at the forest we went through, and maybe even the river we crossed. Though I'm not sure,'' Lexi squinted. ''And look, I think that is the silhouette of the castle behind us, it's pretty far away though. We better start walking.'' Lexi followed the other group of people walking the grey road that was built across the hill range, and looked at the short broken walls that stood at the sides.
''We didn't talk much about the battles yesterday, are you feeling better?''
''Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm sure we will be able to win next time. But now I rather just focus on something else… like that man's hat'' Aiden laughed and pointed to a man whose head looked like it was being swallowed by a tiny gyarados.
Lexi laughed as well, ''I can't wait till I get my own. I'm going to find the strongest magikarp there is.''
''Why do you want a magikarp, why not just start with a gyarados? Seems more efficient.''
''It's a tradition. Every year trainers from our town catch magikarp and battle them till they evolve. It's based on a legendary event that once happened, or at least people say it happened.''
''Can't wait to see it…I am allowed to come right? Or is this something private?''
''No, everyone's allowed to come and see, it's just the battles.''
''So, if I catch a magikarp, I'm not able to join the festival with it?''
''No, sorry, those are the rules.''
''I understand, I don't really want a magikarp anyway.'' Aiden shrugged.
''What kind of Pokémon dó you want to catch then?''
Aiden though for a while, ''Maybe an toxicroak. Or an staraptor, it would be fun to have another bird. My brother wants me to catch a horsea, but those are incredibly rare here, so I doubt that will happen.''
Aiden tilted his head. ''Is there a problem? You keep fiddling with your straps…''
''It's my backpack, my shoulders are starting to hurt''
''Here, I'll take it for a bit'' Aiden carefully took the bag and put it over his shoulder. ''So, what kind of pokémon are you planning to catch, other than the magikarp?''
''I really want a flying type on my team, so I was thinking a yanma or a taillow. Other than that I hadn't really thought yet, maybe a crobat, they're pretty cool, or a nidoran.''
The road got a little busier when a group of people, who had probably just left the castle, tried to pass them. Lexi and Aiden were pushed closer to the broken walls, and Lexi looked to her right, where she could see the sea down in the distance.
''Hey look, down there. That beach is covered with orange stuff, is that like seaweed or garbage? I'm not sure but it doesn't look normal.''
Aiden stopped to look as well. ''Maybe it's like small bushes? I'm not sure either, maybe we can go look at it tomorrow. Let's first get to the…hey?'' Aiden caught a feather that fell right between them. When they looked up they could see multiple people flying above them on big winged pokémon.
''Wow, look at how high they are.'' Lexi shielded her eyes from the sun, trying to keep sight of them.
''Would be a good way to travel, goes a lot quicker and takes less of a toll on my feet.''
''Maybe one day your Pidgey will be big enough,'' Lexi reminded him.
''Maybe, if I haven't outgrown her by that time.''
The castle was now close enough to see the red flags on the sides waver in the wind. Its thick brown walls looked withered and damaged, but the pointy blue roofs on its towers looked clean and intact. Around the castle was a big moat filled with duckweed and right in the middle was a red drawbridge. In front of it was a small shed with a man who sold the tickets.
''Just go over the bridge and wait by the door, the tour guide will be with you all shortly.'' The man answered in a monotone voice to each person who bought a ticket.
The tour guide was an middle aged man dressed in an orange coat with black fur on the sides. He tapped his big circular hat and held up his hands.
''Good afternoon everyone, I am here to lead you through history. Life as it was 700 years ago, as this place was not always the filming location or wedding venue it is used as nowadays. I want to ask you all to stay with the group and not touch anything unless stated otherwise. Okay? Good. Follow me.'' The man walked through the gate and the group, consisting of 14 people, followed behind.
He stopped in the middle of the castle and gestured around, ''This is the courtyard, or ''Ward''. It might not look that big to you but this is where many people lived their lives. There were stalls to the side selling the harvest, pokémon pulling carts. Yes, it was like a small city inside these walls, with its own courthouse and prison.'' He pointed to several striped doors and told something short about what was behind them before opening a small one closeby and asking them to follow. Lexi almost fell down as she walked up the narrow stairs but Aiden was just able to catch her.
''These stairs are specially designed to make it difficult to go up and down, as it helped defend the castle.'' Lexi heard the man's muffled voice and wondered if that was his normal talk or if he had heard her trip.
''The narrow stairs gave them not much room to fight and all the steps are uneven, making it easy to trip and fall. This is of course not the only precaution they took, the whole castle is a bit awkward to move around in, with halls suddenly ending or things only having one way in, but all those things together made it difficult for outsiders to find their way and take over.'' The man stopped talking and they climbed the rest of the way in silence.
Lexi followed the person in front of her through a door halfway up the stairs to a room filled with mannequins. They all wore old timey clothes, male and female, some with colorful hats. They had some pokémon clothing as well, bright yellow collars, hats covered with frills and blankets with the family weapon on it, two dewgong protecting a blue shield. The man told them a bit about the history of the items and continued through another door, which led to a room filled with armor and weapons. Everything was safely behind glass, except for 2 small harnesses near the doors and some type of metal sheet on a table.
''There have been many battles in the hundreds of years since the castle was built. Luckily most of them happened long ago. Some of the items here, like this helmet, have been used in battle. You can see the big dent on the side, and the discoloring of the metal. Sadly, most of what we display here has either been reconstructed or found unused. We're trying to get some more objects but we are competing against the museums of Branta City and haven't had much luck.'' The man took the metal thing of the table and unfolded it. ''This chain mail armor belonged to a small pokémon as you can see. People have been discussing this for a long time, but we are pretty sure that this has been worn by one of the houndour owned by count Florence, who was either the first or the second person to rule this castle.''
Lexi patiently waited for her turn to hold the armor, which was quite heavy, and moved her fingers across the dull metal. She passed it along to Aiden and waited for the rest of the group. The guide put it back on the table and motioned to the door. ''If you would please follow me to the next door.''
They continued on again, going up and down several stairs, through rooms they had already been or back to the courtyard just to use one of the other doors they hadn't been through yet. After seeing the dungeon, kitchen, dining room, several towers and the guard lodging, Lexi was ready to go. Her legs were getting tired and her head was starting to hurt from all the information that was getting thrown at her. But Aiden showed no signs of weariness so Lexi continued, shuffling at the back of the group.
They stopped for a moment on a wall walk, so they could take a closer look at the arrow loops people had fired through all those years ago. As everybody crowded around the wall, Lexi stood of to the side, resting her feet and looking for something less overstimulating. She looked at the courtyard below her and noticed that the dark grey bricks on the floor created a pattern around the well, shaped like a flower.
''As you can see, the castle lies very close to the sea, this is of course on purpose. We all know that nowadays Uniqi is famous for its trades overseas, but this was no different in the past. Though the height of the hill gave an advantage in protection, it made it more difficult to get all the wares safely to the ships below, that's why they made passages underground. Sadly many of those have not stood the test of time and have collapsed, so we are not able to show them to visitors.'' The man looked at his watch and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
''We are almost done with the tour, the only thing left for you to marvel at is the great hall and the garden. If you would all follow me,'' the man declared before squeezing himself awkwardly through the group of people.
The great hall was very decorated. Each wall had at least 4 paintings that were being lit by two big golden chandeliers. The floor had a fancy checkered pattern, with on top of it many dark wooden chairs, tables and closets. ''This is the Great Hall, one of the most beautiful places in the castle. This is where count Florence received his guests and friends. Some things are slightly different though, like those closets over there. In the time of count Florence, closets didn't existed yet, instead people used wooded chests.''
The man moved around the room telling something about every painting. Most had people on them but there were a few nature scenes and one big painting showing the castle itself, with the towers looking smaller and lighter in color.
''This painting shows count Florence his children, as you can see he had 9 of them, 6 boys and 3 girls, sadly all but one died before they reached puberty…. And lastly we have an old tapestry, which we believe was a gift from a royal friend of the count, who lived in Kanto. It depicts an image of our legendary pokémon, the great Liuw.''
The man nodded towards the door and starting herding the group towards it, but a woman held up her finger and asked ''Excuse me, but I don't know what that is. Could you explain it?''
The man frowned for a second before putting on his work-smile again, ''I take it you're not from this region?'' the woman shook her head, ''Well, there is an old legend that says this land we're standing on has not always been here, but was created by a big strange colored hippowdon which used its orange sand to create the region. If you want to know more about it I'm sure you will find something in the local library. But if you ask me it's just a fairytale.''
Lexi looked at the tapestry which showed the image of a pokémon she knew very well. Her mother had told the story many times, the hippowdon that created the region. Bigger than any other hippowdon ever seen, with its darkbrown body, yellow back and grey feet, no one could tell if it was male or female.
''If you would follow me,'' the man bowed his head and gestured to the door. They walked up one set of stairs and down two others, through the courtyard and across the drawbridge.
The garden, which stood to the side of the castle, was filled with many colorful flowers which were enclosed in small hedges. There were two statues made in the image of women that had been important in the life of the man who owned it, and a small tree in the middle with a circle of benches around it. Everything was very symmetrical and well kept.
White gravel crunched under their feet as they followed the guide through the garden. ''This garden has always had two uses. One was food and the other was beauty. Everything you can see now is just for show, the prettiest and most colorful plants have been shipped to this castle to enrich it and amaze all who saw it. However if we keep walking, you'll see that behind this tall hedge the garden continues. These plants were used for food, but also to make paint and medicine. They probably don't look very recognisable, because they are made with very old seeds. The same seeds they used 500 years ago.'' The man let them look around for a while and Lexi walked back to Aiden, who had been at the head of the group throughout the tour.
''Hey, what do you think of the tour?''
''Pretty fun, didn't know most of it. Do you mind if I give back your backpack, my shoulders are starting to hurt as well.'' Aiden took off the backpack and handed it to her. ''Are you okay? You look tired.''
''I am,'' Lexi put her backpack on with a sigh, ''the man said this was the last thing right?''
A loud bang interrupted their conversation. Most of the group stood in place or moved back, but Aiden and a few others ran towards the noise to find out what it was. Lexi hesitated for a moment before slowly following them. She saw someone from her group climb on some slightly damaged hedges, but decided to search for the doorways as to not harm the foliage any further. Lexi found Aiden and the others at the edge of the garden, looking through a neatly trimmed square in one of the hedges. In front of them was a large open field with stands to one side. A group of men were scattered across the field, all wearing shining armour and colorful feathers on their helmets. Some of them were swinging their swords while others commanded their pokémon, who seemed to fight aggressively.
''Arcanine, use Takedown!'' a knight with a low voice and orange feathers shouted, sending his own armored pokémon towards the garchomp of a knight with green armor. The sound of metal scraping against metal made Lexi cover her ears as she watched their tour guide hastily run towards the knights.
''Excuse me!'' he shouted, trying to get their attention. Some of the knights stopped fighting and lowered their swords. The guide huffed and pushed his hat back in place before walking up to one of them. Lexi couldn't hear what he was saying but it didn't look very friendly. Eventually their guide came back and ushered them back to the group.
''Don't worry everyone, they are just practicing for the big festival in september. Just a lot of acting and waving things around, nothing dangerous. Okay, everybody had a good look around? Good, then we are done with the tour, if you want you can follow me to the giftshop, we've got some wonderful new pencil sharpeners shaped like canons. You could also eat something in the café, it's right next to the giftshop.''
A woman with two children parted from the group but the rest followed the man back to the castle. ''Do you mind?'' Lexi pointed to the exit.
''No, it's fine, let's go.'' Together they walked back to the grey road where they sat down on the mossy walls. ''I don't think we sat down since breakfast...what time is it?''
Lexi checked her pokédex, ''It's almost three! I think it's best to go back to Pandam and lunch.''
Aiden's stomach growled, ''I don't think I can wait that long. Why don't I just go back and buy some food to go, then we can eat it on the way back.'' Aiden turned around and ran back to the castle. He came back ten minutes later with two big muffins. ''Here you go, I got you a plain one cause I forgot to ask what you liked.''
''Oh that's fine, I prefer plain ones.'' Lexi took a big bite.
They strolled back, both enjoying their muffin. Suddenly Lexi saw something out of the corner of her eye. ''Yanma!'' Lexi's hand shot to her belt. ''It's a yanma! Serafine, come out and help me catch it.'' The yanma flew slightly below them between the tree tops, but its red body went out of sight as soon as Lexi ran towards it. Aiden jumped over the low walls and followed them down.
Lexi ordered an Ember attack, stopping the pokémon for a moment.
''If you want to catch it, I would suggest some weaker attacks. You're going to roast it like this.'' Aiden yelled from a distance.
''Fine, do Tackle. Or…wait… which one is the right one.'' Lexi looked up at the sky, where 6 yanma were hoovering.
''It's using Double Team, just attack them all.'' Aiden coached from behind her.
''This is going to be risky, Serafine use Ember on them all.'' The ponyta shoot 6 balls of fire towards her foes, the five copies evaporated as soon as the fire hit them but the real yanma dodged the attack. Its eyes glowed blue for a moment and Lexi's could see this becoming a long battle. Hoping to finish it early she took an empty pokéball from her belt and threw it, hitting the pokémon on its wing. The ball dropped between some wildflowers and shook once before it shot open, breaking the pokéball and releasing the yanma.
Lexi groaned and grabbed a second ball, ''Serafine use Tackle.''
She could see her pokémon jump up high and try to hit the yanma, but Serafine was only able to touch its tail as it turned to fly away. ''Wait!'' Lexi threw her second ball but missed, hitting a nearby tree. Serafine took the initiative to fire another Ember in front of the yanma, forcing it to a halt. Its eyes glowed blue again and it effortlessly dodged another fireball before using Double Team once more.
''Which one is it this time?'' Lexi looked up at the ten yanma flying above her. Serafine tried a couple more embers, but none of them hit their target. The yanma flew in a circle around the ponyta, seemingly taunting her, and Serafine pinned her ears, snorting.
Lexi had grabbed more pokéballs out of her bag and quickly placed it on the ground next to her before continuing after the yanma, ''Could you look after it for a second?'' she yelled over her shoulder. Serafine had been able to take down some of the copies, so now there were only 4 yanma flying parallel to the road. One of them moved away slightly when a ledyba crossed its path and Lexi knew that had to be the real one. She threw another ball and for the second time the yanma got sucked into a pokéball. Lexi stood next to Serafine, breathing heavily as she looked at the blinking light.
The ball shook and blinked, but just as Lexi was sure that she had it, the ball broke and the yanma was released again.
Lexi decided to try one more time and ordered a Flame Wheel, but the yanma was too quick. After losing a third pokéball to it, she gave up and let it fly off. ''Well,'' Lexi picked up one of the broken pokéball pieces, ''that is three gone, four probably as I doubt I'm able to find the one that hit the tree.''
Aiden searched near the tree as Lexi cleaned up the rest of the broken balls, but when he concluded it had probably rolled down the hill, they went back to the road. ''Hey wait,'' Lexi rummaged through her bag, ''this isn't right, I'm missing a pokéball.'' Lexi sat her bag down counted them again, ''see there are ten, there're supposed to eleven.
''Are you sure?'' Aiden asked.
''Yes, I got five from the professor and bought eleven from the store. I've used one to catch Pero, and now lost four to the yanma. That means I should have eleven.''
Aiden held his chin as he thought. ''Maybe Hoothoot did miss one while we were catching Krabby.''
Lexi exhaled loudly in frustration. They had almost reached Pandam town and could already see the blades of the windmills. Accepting the facts Lexi looked back one final time before walking down the stairs.
''Well, I hope I made someone downstream happy with it.''