Chapter 17

Festival

Aurora and her small team had been traveling back towards a certain mountain cave the past few days. Though the team was exhausted, they were relieved to know they had finally reached the mountain they had set off to in the first place. Sitting beside them was a cave entrance that had a slight whistle escaping itself.

The team consisted of Aurora, a gardevior, a lombre, a magnezone, a magmar, and a ledian. The whole group all wore a necklace that radiated a colored light, signifying they were royal guards of the Princess. Well, everyone excluding the magnezone. Aurora had hand-picked the entire group in hopes of finding a use for every type on her team.

As far as she was aware, the gardevior was the only linguist on the team capable of decoding Avarian. The rest of the team primarily existed in case there were more bandits on the roads, something Aurora specifically didn't want to have a repeat of.

The gardevior, known as Willow, carried a book in her left hand. A strange, blue aura emitted from between its pages. Her right hand was occasionally fiddling with her sea-green necklace. She looked over her shoulders occasionally and even rubbed over her left arm, giving more than obvious signs that she was on edge throughout the expedition.

The lombre, nicknamed Wetleaf, wore a leather belt around his waist that carried metal spikes in a side pouch. His necklace reflected a light similar to the swampy green color of his skin. His expressions were more... bored compared to the rest of his teammates.

The magnezone, Diode, was more of a tanky pokemon in the group. What he lacked in wits were clearly outweighed by his fearfully powerful electric attacks. Diode was the only one on the team who didn't wear a necklace, and he didn't much need one either as he was the only recognizable magnezone around Whitestone.

Both the magmar and ledian were relatively new recruits. Aurora had picked the two to get them in the hang of errand running and she hadn't really expected too much trouble within the cave either. Both of the rookies seemed pretty eager to begin their adventure and were now on the edge of their seats to begin exploring the cave.

The six pokemon made their way through the cave at a rather decent pace. Throughout it all, one thing was stuck on the back of Aurora's mind, and that was the fact that the cave felt... different. She'd heard the rumours and myths about mystery dungeons but never really wanted to acknowledge their existence. Still though, she couldn't exactly figure out what felt so different about this cave all of the sudden. There were rocks everywhere, poor lighting, a cave's breeze, and the usual stuff expected out of a cave. She decided not to wrap her mind around it for too long and continued walking through.

Diode was the first to break the long lasting silence. "So, Aurora, why exactly did ya choose on bringin' me instead of Rykon?"

Aurora rolled her eyes at the whole topic. "He's being rather stubborn, trying to stay back in Whitestone so he could attend that festival."

"Festival?" Wetleaf replied. "When did Rykon all of the sudden care for those?"

"Rykon isn't really interested in it, he's just being a fuck boy as usual."

"Who's the unlucky girl this time?" The magmar, Magma, asked.

"No one I've met personally, but it's that buizel with the duel-colored eyes that Mystic is training right now."

"You mean Nixie?" Willow asked, now butting into the conversation. "I haven't really talked to her too much, I usually see her talking to that growlithe and sometimes an eevee too."

"How do you feel about all of this, Aurora?" Asked the ledian, Redwing.

"I don't know, sounds like some dumb drama if you ask me. I don't really care about it too much."

"Oh? You're not even slightly jealous?" Wetleaf asked.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"I don't know, I thought you and Rykon had a little something going on a while ago."

Aurora stopped to think a little bit. "Oh, that. No, no, no. Rykon and I are just friends with benefits." The whole group was silent after that. "What? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No," Diode continues, "it's just...a lil shocking. Didn't really see that one comin,' y'know?"

"I didn't think it was that much of a surprise. I thought it would have been easy to tell from all of the gossip that spreads like wild fire."

"Honestly, the only gossip about you is that you're a bitch," Wetleaf replied rather bluntly.

"Well, at least there's no false accusations about me," Aurora said prideful like. "Any other gossip you guys heard about?"

"I heard that growlithe was gettin' that Princess puss," Magma said.

Aurora stopped in confusion from the magmar's slang. "What?"

"You know, like theye're clappin' checks, the flying-types and the the combee."

"Are you implying that they're fucking?"

"That's just the gossip I've heard lately."

"I wouldn't see the Princess doing that, Flint's too new around here. Also the princess is rather reserved towards sexual tendencies."

"Eh, whatever, I don't care too much." Diode said. "After all, it's just gossip. Nor is it my business. Also, it looks like we're approaching a room now."

Just as he finished his sentence, the group found themselves in a spacious room. Aurora notices it looked very similar to the room they fought Frostbite in, but it also looked different at the same time. The room was still a large circular shape, but now it lacked the pillars that stood in its center. The pillars were now replaced with a pond of shallow water. The ceiling was decorated in random paintings displaying various scenes and various pokemon.

In the center of the pond was a stone obelisk, something Aurora was quite tired of already seeing, already having flashbacks of her previous time spent in the cave. The stone was a pale gray color with brown engravings in it. Aurora's initial reaction was to approach the obelisk. As her hoof contracted the water, she felt a chill, which she found odd considering she was an ice-type.

"I would not continue, if I were you," a new voice broke into the room.

All six of the pokemon turned towards the sound that came from the shadows, ready to attack. Emerging from the darkness was a honchkrow, covering its eyes was a band with the symbol of a yellow eye.

"Who the hell are you?" Diode asked, attempting to be intimidating.

"I am known by many names, none of which are important. My presence here is to bring about a warning of your actions. Should you proceed, you will start another snowball alongside one that has already been set in motion."

"What are you talking about?" Aurora asked.

"This room you see before you is a monastery." He said while using his wings to make hand gestures. "A holy ground for a higher being. A guardian of a titan."

"I should care, why?"

"Did you not listen to what I had just said? Proceeding now will only cause trouble in the future, I'm trying to prevent that future from happening. I will not force anything upon you, as you are bound to your own sense of free will, but I implore you to consider my warning and the fate of the future for what it's worth."

"I don't have time for mind games, either get to the point or get out of here. We're royal guards doing official business here."

"I'm aware of who you are, Aurora, and I know your original intent on coming here. Now you have been tempted with curiosity, a type of curiosity you should not feed into."

"How do you know my name?" Aurora asked a little on edge. She never recalled meeting a honchkrow.

"I don't like the looks of this guy," Magma stated. "He's a dark type too, you can never trust those."

"What the hell's wrong with dark types? Seriously, I think I'm the only person in Whitestone who doesn't care about them being from Zerith." Aurora replied. "Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Listen here, honchkrow, you're giving off really bad vibes. This is your last warning, we will attack."

The honchkrow titled his head. "Why would you attack me. I've yet to show any sign of hostile intent. In fact, I'm trying to save you all in the long run."

"That was your warning. Attack!"

A storm of electricity, fire, and a combination of other sort of energies merged together to attack the seemingly defenseless honchkrow. As everyone's attacks died down, they saw nothing within the debris.

"Just what the hell was that?" Redwing asked.

"Probably the dungeon playing tricks on us." Wetleaf replied. "Don't let anything get to your head."

"Anyway, let's check out this obelisk," Aurora said, "those seem to be a favorite in this cave."

Aurora continued through the strangely cold water. Each step she took closer towards the obelisk, she felt a vibration growing, as if it were generating from the strange pillar. Another thing she noticed was that an aura of light began emitting from the engravings as she drew closer towards it. Finally she reached it, just unsure what to do.

"Well this is fucking dumb."

Suddenly, the room started shaking causing everyone to lose their balance (excluding the magnezone, for obvious reasons). Seven orange wisps of light propelled out from within the pond and levitated in the room. The balls of light eventually began spinning around the room, softly closing in on each other, until the were just above the obelisk.

Aurora had regrouped with her team just in time to witness the event in shock. The lights then aligned in a symmetrical design: three on one side while three formed on the other while one connected in between the two rows of three. The obelisk began morphing into various shapes until it transformed into a humanoid build. After the transformation, the lights aligned along its head completing the finished result. A regirock.

"Oh gods," Aurora whispered, "what did we walk into...?"

After one long journey, Tenebris, Frostbite, and Xandora had made it safely into Mardol without being detected. They were located on the far eastern side of the country, nearly entering the terrain of Rakail. The sun had just barely set, a blanket of dark ready to sweep across the land.

"We're nearly there..." Tenebris said.

"How much further would you estimate?" Frostbite asked.

"It varies. I'd say maybe a week depending how we travel from here. We could have Xandora take the form of a faster creature, but I don't want to alert anyone of my presence. We're so close now, and failure is not an option."

"If we're trying to be unnoticed, I'd recommend walking over that mountain." Frostbite said while pointing to the much visible mountain that pierced into the skies. "Most commoners prefer traveling around it because of its sheer size. There's a few caves too, but their mainly last resorts. I've heard rumors of them being 'mystery dungeons' too. Whatever that means."

"Hmm." Tenebris thought. "The mountain seems like our best bet. It'll most likely be cold, nothing I'd worry too much about considering where we currently reside."

Before another word was spoke, tenebris continued forward. Frostbite followed closely behind him while the two of them continued dragging Xandora along the whole way.

Xandora clenched his fists. Soon... he thought. Soon you'll get what you've had coming.

The morning sun slowly stretched into the sky, its powerful rays of light radiating against the natural architecture of Whitestone. A new day for the town. In one house in particular, a buizel and an eevee had awoken from their slumber, ready to embrace what the day had in store for them.

"So what exactly is this whole festival thing that's going on today?" Rose asked Nixie, who was currently brushing the eevee's fur.

"The way Mystic explained - or rather a more simplified version - was that it is a celebration of the progress achieved throughout the summer and spring seasons this year. Mardol apparently takes farming rather seriously and they are grateful for the output of crops each year, constantly trying to produce more than previous years."

"That sounds so pretentious," Rose said flatly.

Nixie stopped brushing. "Do you even know what that word means?"

"No... but it sounds right. I mean, constantly out producing from last year would eventually lead to surplus which would eventually lead to most crops being wasted."

Nixie just shrugged while finishing what she had started. After finally grooming Rose, her brown fur was more sleek and flowed more smoothly along her body. Rose looked herself over using a mirror and donned a content smile from her new look. Being a quadruped, Rose often had trouble keeping herself groomed to a higher standard and Flint usually lacked the ability to due so.

"Wow, Nixie, I look great! Thank you," Rose beamed.

"It's no problem," Nixie waved off, "but I have just one more thing to add."

Nixie then reached for something and then placed it between Rose's head and ear. Curious as to what it was, Rose again looked in the mirror, this time to see a yellow flower held up by her left ear. Not just any flower, but a yellow rose.

"I was once told that each color of a rose represents different things," Nixie said. "Yellow represents friendship, white for neutral feelings, pink for friendly love, blue for happiness, red for a passionate type of love, and black for... sorrow."

Rose thought about it for a while. "That's strange..." Nixie gave her a confused look. "All of the different roses have different meanings because they have different colors... I wonder if I was named Rose because of the broad spectrum of evolutions available to me?"

"That's... definitely a possibility," Nixie replied, not too sure what else to say.

"You know, I still wonder a lot about my existence... how I came to be, who my parents were, if I even had any parents or if I somehow just started existing one day. Everybody I've met has a backstory. Flint grew up in a colony and was banished for reasons I don't know, Kindle was a thief who turned her life around to better herself, Tesla was a guard, you came from Zerith and escaped to better your life, and then there's me. I'm just a few months of existence with so much mystery behind it all..."

The way Rose talked, Nixie could tell she had been struggling with these thoughts for some time. Almost everyone knew about the same amount of information about Rose as she herself did.

"Sometimes I feel my existence is to fulfill a single purpose further down the river of time," she continued. "I feel like I'm being tested against fate itself. I'm not too sure what to make of it, but I continue on each day hoping to eventually find more answers." There was an awkward silence between the two before Rose continued talking. "Anyway, I don't mean to monologue and all. I'm just venting. I bet Flint would have enjoyed coming to this festival."

Nixie just decided to bite her tongue about how suddenly she changed topics. "Yeah, I'm sure he would."

"Uh, that reminds me, I meant to bring this up to you earlier, but you cling to Flint a lot. Have you ever noticed that?"

Nixie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Is it really that noticable?"

"Yeah, kind of. Flint's made comments about it too."

Nixie couldn't help but feel embarrassed now. "W-what kind of comments?"

"Relax, from the sounds of it, he hasn't caught on to the crush you have on him."

"Y-you know about that, t-too?"

"I mean, you do make it pretty obvious, just look how flustered you're getting. I don't even know why you're that embarrassed, it's not like he's here or knows."

"It's just the fact that you know, eventually he'll find out."

"So? It's not like he'll hate you or feel disgusted by the fact that you like him. He'd probably be flattered, even."

Nixie's blush slowly softened. "Do you think he would... like me back?"

"Ehh..." Rose paused, her ears flattening slowly, "I can't really confirm or deny that. Flint's ... indifferent about relationships. He uses the excuse that a relationship would distract him from being able to take care of me, but at the same time, you've done a good job looking over me so far. And also, Flint doesn't really show the same interest towards girls as I do when I'm around guys I'm interested in."

Nixie thought that over a bit. "Wait, is there a guy you're interested in?"

"No!" Rose blurted out almost too quickly. "Don't change the subject. Also, if you like Flint so much, why are we going to this festival with Rykon?"

Nixie had almost forgot that small little detail. "He invited me a few days ago. I didn't want to seem rude or anything."

"Didn't want to seem rude? Just stand your ground. I don't even know Rykon all that much, not to mention the other kids at the daycare talk negatively about him, too. They say he's constantly visiting their mothers, mostly when their fathers are out of town, or something like that."

"It doesn't look like I have much other options. I already told him I'd go. Well, I never really said yes initially, but he kept asking more frequently as the day started approaching."

Before Rose could give her input, a knock sounded from the door, which then Rose followed Nixie to answer the door. Standing on the other side was Rykon. He wore a confident grin as he stared at Nixie.

"Well hello there. You about ready to head out?" He asked.

"Yes, the two of us are," Nixie replied.

Rykon apparently hadn't seen Rose at first and just now took notice of her presence. "Oh, you're that growlithe's dependent. I was unaware she'd be joining, too."

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Rose asked.

"No, of course not. I just didn't really expect you to be interested in going, most kids these days are too interested in playing outdoors or reading rather than partaking in cultural traditions."

"Well, I'm not like most kids."

The three pokémon headed down into the heart of Whitestone. The streets were congested of various pokémon of many different types and breed. Rose noticed how many other females also wore flowery decorations around their bodies. Most people were busy dancing to the festive music, others enjoyed the art many talented pokemon were capable of crafting, some were simply just enjoying the site of the festival itself.

Something Nixie decided to take advantage of were the farmers who had traveled to Whitestone to specifically sale their crops. Most were exotic berries, others were the common oran berry. A few farmers also specialized in creating jams, jellies, and marmalade. What's more, a good portion of the crops were rather cheap due to the festival.

After Nixie felt satisfied with what she bought, she kept her berries in a sack - which she conveniently received during the festival - that was strung around her shoulder and hung down to her opposite hip.

"Now that that's taken care of," Rykon said, "where should we head next. Does anything here pique your interest, Rose?"

Rose pondered on the question before answering. "Music. I want to spectate some of the performers."

And so they did. Almost at every corner on the streets had pokémon playing their hearts out to the music they passionately enjoyed performing. Fingers, claws, and paws danced along necks of stringed instruments. Pokémon without arms to play typically carried easy to use instruments that created sounds from movements, such as a tambourine. Something that brought a smile on Rose's face was when she saw pokémon using natural sounds to create music, such as kricketune and maractus.

Rykon could see the gleam that shone in Rose's eyes. "You must really enjoy music, huh?"

Rose turned to face him. "I feel like I love music. You see, Flint and I are originally from Rakail, the land east of here. We stopped in a few taverns that had bards and bands, but nothing really stood out. It wasn't until I met a bard who gave Flint and I a ride into Mardol that I started appreciating music. The bard showed me the song 'Her Majesty,' and I instantly fell in love with it. Ever since then, I've been keeping a special ear out for music. I even ended up learning the song the bard sang to us."

"The way you put it, loving music still feels like an understatement," Rykon said.

"I just wish I had brought my instrument, I've been meaning to practice."

"You know, the castle has music instructors. If you ever needed some practice or just wanted to play, you could try joining. Though, they're usually during the same hours as the daycare services."

Rose instantly shot pleading eyes towards Nixie. Nixie laughed too herself. "Rose, I already told you I wouldn't make you attend the day care if you didn't want to. I can already see how much you love music, so I'll let you attend the classes."

"What about when Flint gets back? What do you think he'll do?"

"Honestly, I couldn't imagine Flint not letting you do something you wanted to. I'm sure if you reasoned with him and had him see eye-to-eye with you, I think he would also be fine with you practicing music."

That definitely brightened Rose's mood.

"Wait," Rykon then said, "When Flint gets back? That would imply he's gone. I suppose that explains why Rose is with you, Nixie. But where is Flint?"

"He left with the Princess on that underway for the new ship," Nixie explained.

Suddenly Rykon had multiple thoughts running through his head. She's saying it so calmly. As if she doesn't already know, or maybe she doesn't want Rose to know? I would assume Nixie would know, she works with Mystic after all, and the information was exclusive to the Royal Guards only. Then again, it is possible Mystic hasn't told her at all.

"Hey, Nixie," a voice called from within the crowd. Emerging from the hoard of people was Mystic and Hocus. "I see you happen to be enjoying our annual festival. Oh, and Rose and Rykon seem to be accompanying you."

Rose began ignoring the adults as she went straight in for a conversation with the espurr. "Hey, Hocus, what's up? Also, where's Pocus?"

"Oh, hey, Rose! My sis is somewhere else with my dad right now. Oh well, at least you're here though, that's more interesting than whatever mom and I were about to do. Oh, by the way, we have another 'mission' in a couple of days. I'll introduce you to the other players."

"Sweet, what should I bring?"

"Just bring your instrument and anything else you feel like bringing along with you. So you enjoying this festival thus far?"

"I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. I was really enjoying the music, though I wish I could try playing with them too."

"Yeah, that's a bit of a shame. You know the castle-"

"-has music instructors. Yeah, Rykon told me already."

"Oh, well, excuse me. I was unaware you knew everything now," Hocus said lightheartedly.

"You're the one who's a psychic-type, you should already know what I know and am thinking," Rose shot back, joining the banter.

"You wouldn't want me using my psychic powers on you."

"Yeah, you're right, I doubt they'd even work anyway."

"Oh-ho-ho, you challenging me now?"

"Hmm, maybe," Rose giggled. "What I'm I thinking right now?"

Hocus put his hand to his temple and stuck a portion of his tongue out the side of his mouth, pretending he was exerting himself with thoughts. "You're thinking, 'this really good looking espurr has no idea how to read my mind.' "

"Oh, shut up," Rose laughed while lightly pushing him. The two continued talking and joking a bit longer.

"Hey, Rose, I have an idea. You should tag along with me and I'll show you some cool stuff here around the festival."

Rose smiled. "I'd be happy to. I should just make sure it's fine with Nixie first."

Sure enough, it was. The two young pokémon then scurried elsewhere in the crowd to enjoy whatever else there was to do in Whitestone. Meanwhile, the adults carried on their own conversation while walking through a bustling market.

"How often of an occurrence are festivals here in Whitestone?" Nixie asked.

"The answer to that question has the possibility of multiple answers," Mystic began. "Though the main purpose of this festival is to give a great acknowledgment to those hardworking farmers put in the labor and many of hours of work within the production process required for producing crops of excess amount, the festival also pays homage to the turn of seasons as we are currently in the transition stage for summer."

Rykon decided to jump in before Mystic could continue, saving a great deal of time. "Basically, there's festivals for the turning of each season, a festival for the turning of years, and there's also a day to remember lady Mirrosa. Those are our more common festivals, but there also comes time for other celebrations, such as the Crowning Festival."

"What exactly is that?" Nixie asked.

"The Crowning Festival - as the name implies - is a festival to celebrate the crowning of our new ruler. Starshine was crowned not even five years ago. Before that, I think the last Crowning Festival was twenty years prior. It's one of the more favored ones around Whitestone due to how infrequent it is."

"As for the Harvest Festival, is there much else to do aside from buying crops for decent prices?"

"Of course there is. Some of the other districts do various things. I believe the northern district has games and interactive events, which is where I'd assume Rose and Hocus took off to. There's also a voluntary event right before the end of the day that consists of getting a symbol painted on your body prior to sunset."

"What's the purpose of that?"

"Well, to make a long story short, farmers had a total of ten symbols they occasionally scattered through their farms in hopes of bringing them good luck. The tradition followed into the festival, and pokémon will have a random symbol painted onto them wishing themselves good luck in the coming year."

"I think I'd be interested in getting one then. I want to experience as much as I can at this festival. Just, everything about the way people are so friendly to each other and a smile is on everyone's face. It's something that feels too foreign to me."

Rykon decided to lead the way in search for a scientific vendor in the market. After a not so lengthy search, he found what he had been looking for. Inside of a tent we're various psychic pokémon chatting with others attending the festivals while painting various symbols in a broad spectrum of colors.

Nixie decided to be the first in the group to approach one of the psychic pokémon, this one being a chimecho. The two had a brief conversation before the chimecho continued. The pokémon had Nixie hold out one paw. The chimecho then closed its eyes and wrapped it's ribbon-like appendage around the hand. Psychics where elected in charge of the vendor for the purpose of reading a pokémon's emotional drive in life and then choosing which symbol they felt best suited their client.

After the chimecho was content with what it percieved, it grabbed a brush and began painting a design on Nixie's forehead. The symbol was something rather simple. Colored in an off grey was a spiral circle surrounded by triangles, creating an image similar to the sun. Rykon decided to get a painting next. His symbol was painted on his shoulder. In a red color was a simple sword with an S-shaped swirl coiled around it. Mystic decided on not getting one and the rest of the group continued walking around in the city.

Just as Rykon had predicted, Rose and Hocus found themselves having fun in the northern district. Hocus was engaged in some game that required toppling a tower of stacked objects. Rose couldn't help but laugh at his first several failed attempts. Hocus eventually gave up on that and decided to look for more stuff to do.

After a few hours, the two decided to rest a bit and share a plate of assorted berries. While eating, Hocus had decided on engaging in small talk involved about his life up until Rose had met him.

"... and, of course, I don't really recall the first year of life all that much. Mardol has a school system dedicated to helping psychics train in their abilities. Mom and dad sent Pocus and I there. Everything was fine at first, but putting siblings together only results in problems later," Hocus forced a laugh. "Pocus and I were always up to some sort of mischief. I had these elaborate plans on pranking our instructors which always ended poorly in my favor. It got to a point where our parents had to intervene.

"Needless to say, I felt guilty for getting my sister involved in my own mess and confessed to my parents it was all my doing. So Pocus continues her lessons while I was home-schooled. That didn't last too long, unfortunately. My dad is currently a royal guard and has been one for at least as long as I've been alive. Since he's a royal guards, he's constantly leaving on various missions. Mom was free for a while, until Starshine took the crown. The two happened to be best friends, so my mother swore to be an immediate assistant for my mom.

"All of that stacked together and had really set back where I'm currently supposed to be with my powers. But I said screw it. Eventually I then made up this game I showed you after accidentally finding out there was a mystery dungeon in my back yard. It gave me something to do while mom and dad were away. And that's basically me for the most part."

"Your parents never tried sending you to some other psychic instructors?"

"Nah, I'm honestly fine with it though. I've mainly been teaching myself everything after what basic knowledge I already had learned."

"That's pretty impressive. Well, as for me, my past is a bit of an enigma. The furthest back I can really remember is from first meeting Flint. He found me alone in a forest and became my care taker. At the time, Flint was on his way to a place called Iron Frost where he tried leaving me at an orphanage. I don't know, I kinda bonded quickly to Flint, he's the first pokémon I got to meet. I was persistent and found a way out of the orphanage and began following Flint.

"After a long debate, he decided on looking after me rather than leaving me in the orphanage. Turned out he was a bounty hunter. He began doing various contracts to try and make a living off of their pay. Honestly, not all of them payed too well. He eventually came across a contract that had a pretty high bounty, a main catch being the fact the mission was a lengthy trip away.

"Flint used a good portion of the currency he had to buy a caravan to travel into Mardol. That mission basically lead us here to Whitestone where he was offered a job in the castle and now we live here. Flint recently went on a business trip and that's why I'm now under the care of Nixie."

"Whoa! You did bounty hunting mission?" Rose nodded "That's so amazing. It's like you got to play our game, only it wasn't a game, it was the real deal. Oh, I'm jealous."

"Eh, it's not the most glamorous life. Had we continued doing bounties, I wouldn't have had the chances of meeting people like Nixie, Pocus, nor you. The lifestyle is constantly moving and you never really have time to make friends."

"From a different perspective, it seems like the best thing ever. You've gotten to explore and visit places many others will never get to go. I've been living in Whitestone all my life and don't even know a single thing beyond the waters or walls. Maybe a life with the elements of both would be best, like being a bounty hunter with the friends you made in life."

Eventually the two finished their berries and decided on walking around while continuing a conversation. At one point, Rose took notice of a tent similar to one Nixie and Rykon had received their painting. Hocus explained the process which seemed to pique some interest out of Rose. The two collectively decided on getting a painting. Hocus was given a symbol on his chest. In a blue color was a circle with a knot tied in the center. Rose was painted on her side. A pink heart with two white feathers crossing over each other.

As the time passed, Mystic eventually opted for searching for her husband and left Rykon and Nixie to themselves. With not too much time left in the day, Rykon brought up the suggestion of going to the beach in which Nixie agreed to. Though not the easiest task, the two eventually found an area that wasn't too crowded.

"This is a bit more relaxing," Rykon stated, deciding to lay in a comfortable position in the sand. "Finally being able to get away from the crowd."

"I agree to that. As nice as the festival has been, I'm not such a big fan of crowds."

"You came to the wrong city for that type of mentality," Rykon joked. "I take it your colony wasn't all that big, was it?"

"No, not really. Everyone was also a bit more niche with the groups they decided on staying in, not really too welcoming to allowing newcomers."

"I don't want to intrude too much, as I understand it's not the best subject for you, but what was your colony like?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked cautiously.

Rykon sighed. "Look, Nixie, I'm just trying to learn more about you. You're a really unique person and there's a bit of a mystery to you. I simply want to know more about you."

"I can't help but get the feeling that your intentions are more than just to learn more about me. I've heard multiple rumors about you, you know?" Nixie said, asserting herself with how straight forward she was being.

"Okay, yes there are rumors about me, and I won't lie to you that they are, for the most part... accurate. I'm going to tell you the truth because I want to be honest and upfront with you, Nixie. I'm wanting to let you know right now that I'm attracted to you."

"I wasn't only told of rumors, but I've also been warned about you."

"I understand, and you have every right to be cautious. You're different, though, and because of you, I want to change my ways. I want to show others that I'm more than a man who only carries about how much sex he can have with different women, because that's not what defines a man. A man is someone who is both loyal and trustworthy to their significant other."

"What makes me so different from other women then?"

"The way you carry yourself is a lot different from the typical female demographic here in Whitestone. You were born and raised inside of a colony, many pokémon don't comprehend the actual necessity of working together and setting aside differences to help those that live among them." Nixie found that coment ironic, considering her condition back at the colony. "On top of all of this, you're genuinely an intelligent and pretty girl. You wouldn't be working directly for Mystic were you not intelligent, and your beauty shines through your personality and your physique. Most importantly, you're eyes are the most beautiful thing about you."

Everything momentarily stopped for Nixie. It were those two words and that one wish. She suddenly had a memory remember wishing to a star that others would find her eyes beautiful. The memory then jumped to when Her and Flint first met. The two both overlooking the moonlit sky. Flint looking into her eyes as she looked into his and that he was the first and only pokémon to ever refer to them as beautiful. Then suddenly, the memory replayed Rykon's last sentence.

She didn't know how to feel. Part of her felt overwhelmed, another part anxious, and an even other part feeling confused. She couldn't describe it, it almost felt trivial sometimes to develop the feelings she had for Flint over a small wish. However, she now felt a spiritual-like tug whenever the conditions of the wish had been met. She almost felt moved by Rykon's words. Deep down inside her, though, her subconscious tried staying on the alert of the whole situation. Still, she had this new feeling overwhelm her, it caught her completely off guard.

Nixie apparently took too long to respond as Rykon took the initiative in continuing. "At the least, just give me a chance. Give me a chance to show you I can be more than what everyone else has made me out to be"

"Rykon... as flattered as I am, I just can't." Rykon titled his head. "I still have this gut feeling about you. You asked that my colony was like, and if you want the truth, I'll tell you. It wasn't the best place for me. I was, for the most part, an outcast. Hated by everyone, used, had my emotions played with. I stopped trusting people and now find it hard trusting people here in Mardol. There are a few exceptions, like Rose a Mystic. Lastly, I've already developed emotions for someone else."

Rykon just sat there, absorbing more than he was expecting. He gathered his thoughts before replying. "I had no idea about your conditions in the colony, and I express my remorse to you. It's completely understandable to not trust people, smart even." Rykon then stood up off of the sand and lightly bowed his head. "I do apologize for inconveniencing you, and I wish to take my leave."

Nixie wasn't really expecting Rykon to just leave like that. She found his sentence a little weird, his wording hiding a tone of self pity. She decided not to think on it for too long. Besides, she still needed to find Rose before too late.

Rose and Hocus had found their own location to observe the sunset. The two sat side-by-side on the rooftop of Hocus's house. Rose had fond memories of watching the sunset the day Kindle and Tesla had left. Something about the ones that occurred in Whitestone were more beautiful than any other she had previously seen.

"You know, this has been a great Harvest Festival," Hocus said, his gaze primarily on the horizon.

"I'd say it's probably the worst one for me," Rose said bluntly.

"Wh- What do you mean by that?" He responded, fixing his gaze on her.

"Well, it is my first Harvest Festival, therefore it's both the best and worst I've had."

"Oh, right," he laughed. "Then let this be your worst harvest festival." Rose gave him a questioning look. "In a good way." The two shared a laugh before falling silent and staring at one another. A gentle breeze brushed over them. The sun now almost halfway set.

Hocus looked back out into the horizon. "I take that back. I want to make this the best Harvest Festival for you."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Hocus looked back at Rose. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited for the answer to her question. Hocus brought his paw to the side of her face and slowly made his way to the yellow rose that was placed along her ear. She froze, as she watched Hocus take the yellow flower. Before she could question it, she saw Hocus reaching for something else. She now watched as he replaced the yellow rose with a red one.

"Yellow represents friendship," she heard Nixie's voice repeat in her head. "White for neutral feelings." She felt her heartbeat picking up. "Pink for friendly love." Hocus kept his paw on her cheeck as the two stared into each other's eyes. "Blue for happiness." Slowly, they moved their heads closer to each other. "Red for a passionate type of love." And just as the sun had finally set, the two shared what was each of their first kiss.