Private/Closed A Starless Sky

[EspeonTheBest]

It was still strange to look up and gaze at the stars.

Brisk, biting breezes whipped through the deep valleys of Oreburgh City, clawing its way up and around the surrounding caves with a harsh whistle. Not a single sound intruded upon the cacophonous sound, not even from the inky mines in the southern half of the city; which usually are brimming with ugly metallic clanks and the ear-wrenching grinding of steel upon steel. Not this night, when every hard working soul was granted relief from their arduous jobs and given a day of rest. The disgusting plumes of smoke and pollution from the mines that invade the air ceased for the first time since anyone could recall, releasing its suffocating grasp for a blissful twenty four hours.

Yet, even though she knew they were there every night, above the fog, it was strange to look up and gaze at the stars.

Valerie Alva stood still, completely silent, surrendering herself to the cold wind eating at the exposed spin on her face and hands. It has been a full thirteen years of her life since the last time she properly looked at the stars, ever since they moved from Kalos to this rugged city. The stars glittered and splashed the darkened sky like specks of illuminated paint in a dark room; erratic and bright, glowing like individual house lights of a city far in the distance. With a gentle glow of orange, the horizon added it's own work to the masterpiece, tinting the sky with warm colors before it disappeared for the night. Truly, the stars were beautiful.

"Val! By the word of Arceus it's like the Frost Caverns out here!"

She turned without surprise; even from miles away she could identify the thick Kalosian accent and the annoying sound of the speaker's voice. Her twin, Varian, approached, halting a couple feet away and stamping his feet in the ground as he shivered.

Valerie sighed and pulled her numbing hands into her pocket, "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting for tomorrow when the mines start back up?"

"I'm not going to waste such a perfect night! Look how beautiful the stars are!" Varian laughed, "Besides, I should be the one surprised about you being here. Stay much longer and you won't make it for the morning festivities."

Her hand fished around in her pocket absentmindedly, finding satisfaction in feeling the stiff, formal edges of the invitation letter. Just three days ago, a rather pestering representative from Hearthome had arrived in Oreburgh, looking for Valerie. As she recalled, the somewhat rude gentleman had been fairly abrasive in his conversation with the residents and miners, resulting in many scowls from her neighbors when she accepted his invitation. An odd thing to do, to formally invite her, because she had no interest in participating in the battles or the contest that are held for this annual celebration: The Galaxy Festival.

The soft edges of twilight glimmered out of sight, allowing the night's blackness overwhelm the sky. It wouldn't be too much longer until she needed to be on her way.

Valerie sighed gently, looking up to lock eyes with her twin, "I'm well aware. A simple walk through Mount Coronet will hardly take much longer than an hour, I'll make it in time."

She paused to take in the sky again. "But must I leave when the skies here are more spectacular than ever? Hearthome offers me nothing but needless stress and trivial interactions with people whom I'll never see again."

Varian glared at her; she could feel his eyes burning through hers. "You're being ridiculous. It's about the memories you form there, not necessarily the people. Besides," he broke into a smile and put his hands on his hips, "they specifically invited you- they must have heard a rumor or something saying that you're a really good battler, because obviously they think you're special or something."

Shooting him and annoyed glance, Valerie hid a smirk. "Well at the very least I'm a competent person who doesn't get shooed out of places because I let my Pokémon pillage a food pantry."

"That was one time!"

"Don't care." She poked back in his protest, trying to mask the humor in her eyes.

Varian's breath puffed out in a silky white cloud as he huffed in annoyance. Slight movements behind her brother drew Valerie's eyes away from his act, and she shifted slightly to the right to see around him. Small, hurried puffs of air swirled around the tiny figure racing towards them; seemingly in a mixture of frenzy and of effort. At second glance, the figure was a bright yellow, sticking out against the ashy background of this mining town. The realization felt like a ton of bricks hitting the young woman.

"Saffron! What on Earth are you doing?" Another wave of realization set in when she noted the large brown bag the tiny Pichu was dragging behind her, "Oh. I totally forgot all of my belongings, didn't I?"

The laughter burst from Varian like a volcanic eruption. "You did not actually FORGET your Pokémon and all your items...! Arceus, Valerie! I'll never let you live this down!"

She shot a glance at her brother, who was preoccupied with doubling over in his laughter. Rolling her eyes, Valerie crouched down and retrieved the bag from Saffron, who sighed in relief at the weight being removed. The tiny Pichu proceeded to find a perch on Valerie's shoulder, partially huddling beneath her coat and partially covered by the mess of hair spilling down. She turned back to her brother.

"Well if you're quite finished, I need to head out. I'll be back within a fortnight." Valerie stated, backing up a step or two towards the exit of the sullen city.

Between giggles, Varian responded. "Good luck Valerie! If you ever need anything, I'm just a mountain away! Bye!" And he simply turned and walked back towards their humble abode.

With a small shake of her head and the ghost of a smile plastered on her face, Valerie turned and began her journey to Hearthome, gazing at the stars the entire way.

"Saffron, this will be one interesting excursion, that's a given."
___________________

The sun shone brilliantly along the morning horizon, playfully splashing various shades of pink, orange, purple across the rising dawn, cleverly setting the stage for the vibrant people and Pokémon who were anxiously awaiting their chance to glow in the fire of festivities on the brink of commencing. It was almost poetically gorgeous; as if it had been stolen directly from a story book. Clouds hugged close to the earth in spectacular pillars, mirroring the stunning sunrise with its own nods of color upon the canvas of sky.

Even for a town of considerable size, like Hearthome, the myriads of people navigating the streets were overwhelming. However, the warmth and excitement in the air mimicked that of the sun's, and despite the bitterly cold weather, not a trace of negativity hung over the brilliant city. Pop-up vendors were alive with activity, hopefully attempting to draw festival goers to their merchandise to make an extra buck, families were dragged by children racing towards the next activity, and Pokémon flitted between crowds, happily playing chase or running to find a quiet spot for a moment of rest. Smiles seemed to have infected every single thing that breathes in the town.

A small twinge of doubt manifested within Valerie's mind as her eyes drank in the sight of all the activity, tugging at her heart and prompting her to step back. She couldn't do this, there were too many people, too much conversation, not enough space- but her thoughts ended abruptly as the little yellow mouse's weight dropped off her shoulder and onto the frosty pavement.

"Saffron...?"

"Pi! Pichu pi!"

Saffron's tiny voice was blaring with anticipation and pure elation as she tugged wildly on Valerie's pant leg, subconsciously sending little biting shocks up her leg. Huge, pleading eyes met Valerie's own blue ones, holding a touching gaze for a brief moment. A small sigh passed her lips, and the young adult bent down to meet her Pokémon on eye level, smiling from ear to ear. The trainer nodded, motioning for the Pichu to lead the way. Saffron matched her trainers smile and eagerly pulled her into the crowds.

For a crowded area, Valerie noted that the atmosphere was not entirely dreadful. The people were fairly rude, and some rather disgruntled guests figured that pushing and barging into others was an intelligent idea, but overall, the sheer amount of people did not bother her as much as she anticipated. With a contempt expression, she glanced back at Saffron, who had once again found comfort on her shoulder. The tiny mouse hardly spared a second to look up at her trainer, for the candy cane wedged in her mouth was far more important. After a moment, Saffron met her gaze, donning the silliest expression possible.

Valerie erupted in laughter, happiness swirling from head to toe. "Saffron, you silly goose! Did you get your candy cane stuck in your mout-"

A sharp pain seared in her right shoulder as someone rammed their body into hers, knocking her off balance and throwing Saffron off her shoulder. With a quick movement, her attacker swiped her medicine bag off of her shoulder- and her two other Pokémon.

"W-wait!" Her mind spun with incredulous disorientation; for a dizzying moment, her brain could not comprehend what had just occurred. "Wait that's my bag!"

White hot fear stabbed her chest as her feet raced to peruse the thief, but the pitiful, heart wrenching cries that emanated from the space at her feet. Valerie's eyes instantly identified the source of the sound: Saffron. The sickly Pichu laid on the ground, right arm twisted backwards. Without a second thought, the young trainer scooped up her injured friend and raced to the nearest building- the Chapel, and sat outside on a bench. The thief could wait.

Violent needles of panic invaded her system, threatening to drive Valerie's brain into a frenzy. Her hands move quickly- noting that the bone was not broken, but dislocated and maybe fractured. Without hesitation, she reduced the dislocated area back into place, breathing only when the searing pain etched on Saffron's face ebbed.

"All better?" She asked softly, lacing in tender threads of reassurance into her tone with hopes of soothing the frightened Pokémon.

The Pichu nodded her head slowly, seemingly contemplating the sore spot. At this affirmation, Valerie sighed and pressed her back into the wooden bench supporting her nerve wracked body. Her bag was less than a faint memory; right now all she wanted to do was sit down and breathe.

((Your posts don't need to be this long... I kinda get carried away with openings!))

 

[Peachy Ace]

((OKAY, talk about a big opening, dang it Espy xD))

"Three badges, now five to go," exclaimed Ace. He held up Relic Badge, watching the sun bounce off of it as soon as he exited Hearthome City's Pokemon Gym. He took the time to soak in the sun's rays. It felt like he had been in the gym for over an hour, he had used up many potions and revives during the Gym. Lucky, his partner and Riolu was defeated; it wasn't the best idea to take a fighting type into a ghost type gym, but Ace did it anyways, and regretted it deeply. It wasn't normal for Ace to usually go against a type disadvantage, but he knew the upcoming fight in Vielstone City would be difficult with his current team. Bruiser, his Mightyena would be decimated by the strong fighting type moves. Kiara, his Luxio would hold her own, but she doesn't know many super effective moves against a fighting type, and what more; she hardly listens to Ace anyways. He was relying on Lucky most of all, being a fighting type himself, and having overall stronger moves then the other two members.

Ace took the time to return the drowsed Riolu, who was practically limping by his side, to his Pokeball. He would send out Bruiser in his stead, and the Mightyena would walk by his side, identically to Lucky. Ace let out a deafening yawn, stretching his arms towards the open sky, and with it a deep inhale, followed by an exhale. Feeling somewhat refreshed, he smiled, using his hand to gently pat the wolf Pokemon beside his feet, "well I guess now is a better time then ever to head for the next town." Bruiser gave Ace a nod, which Ace took note of. "Alright, let's head out!"

Unfortunately, Ace was a bit caught up in the moment with receiving his shiny new badge, and exiting the gym, that he hadn't realized the hoards of people and Pokemon on Hearthome's streets. He was almost trampled by a flash mob, before Bruiser had bitten his jacket, restraining him from moving. Ace groaned in disbelief, "why's everyone acting like a bunch of animals?!" Ace could shout this out, but it was apparent that no one would listen. Everyone was far too caught up doing as they pleased, but Ace was still unaware as to what exactly was happening.

"Well, but of course darling, it's the the Galaxy Festival today!"

Ace and Bruiser turned around in the blink of an eye, spotting none other then Fantina, the Hearthome Gym Leader they had previously faced. "Fantina?" Ace walked over, Bruiser followed. "What's the Galaxy Festival," Ace asked.

"Why darling, I'd be absolutely glad to tell you," Fantina practically jumped for joy upon being asked the question. "But unfortunately, I'm not very sure myself," she stated, a bit embarrassed of herself as she turned away, whilst still striking a similar pose.

Ace was a bit taken aback by this, but remained interesting. "Well, does that have to explain why everyone is going crazy in Hearthome?"

"Well, I don't see any other way they'd be this riled up, and filled with excitement, every last one of them at that!" Fantina would strike yet another pose.

Ace turned back around the the crowds of people hoarding the streets, "it's going to be a pain to try and get past them," Ace sighed.

"Well deary, why don't you enjoy the festival? I'm sure you'd find it quite the adventure in itself before you head on to Veilstone City!" Fantina then consecutively took three poses, and on the third one she held out a folded envelope to Ace. "As a Gym Leader, and a master Pokemon Coordinator, I was naturally given an invitation, nay, in fact, I was given two! Why don't you go have fun, I'm sure your Riolu needs it most after our stunning battle," Fantina smiled, as if she had no remorse for her injured Pokemon, or Lucky, but she did.

"Really?" Ace was eager to take the invitation, but didn't make any notion towards taking the envelope. "It's be a pleasure, but me and my team had better start training if we want to win the next Gym Battle, this festival will most likely cause a distraction to our training," Ace protested.

Fantina scoffed, and grabbed Ace's arm, not to roughly, but not gently either, somewhere in between. She pulled apart Ace's clenched fist, and slid the invitation into his hands. "Nonsense, don't you know their will be plenty of Pokemon battles happening throughout the festival? It's a perfect opportunity to train your Pokemon, but make sure they get plenty of rest first!" She let go of Ace's arm, and winked.

"Really now? I guess it wouldn't hurt..." Ace was persuaded easily, and he took the envelope and put it into his bag. "Wait a second," he glared up at Fantina, "how do I know if you're lying or not, you said earlier that you had no clue what the Festival was itself!"

"No comment," Fantina turned away quickly, and made her way back into the gym, where Ace wouldn't see her again in a long time.

"...I guess it would be a shame to waste a perfectly good invitation," Ace looked down to Bruiser. Bruiser stared confusedly at the situation. Ace shrugged, "well, let's get going I guess..." Ace took in one more deep breath, returning Bruiser to his Pokeball and rushing straight into the hoard that flooded the streets.

Unfortunately for Ace, he didn't last very long in the crowds before practically being spat out onto the sidewalks. He groaned, "maybe I should wait until everyone has calmed down," he said to no one in particular. He pulled himself up onto a bench, which was occupied with a Pichu and a female Trainer. He hoped they wouldn't mind as he took a seat on the bench they inhabited, sitting on the side opposite to them both.

 

[lady of the sewers]

Maisie was stressed, to say the least. She knew she had to be up at an ungodly hour the next morning if she wanted to get into the festival and enjoy it to the day's end. Ungodly, to her, being 5 AM, was a pain. She already deprived herself of sleep all too often, and it was already nearing midnight.

"Olive, why do I do this to myself?" She chuckled, petting the sleepy Leafeon's head. Luckily, she had reserved a room at a hotel close to Hearthome early enough before all the rooms were taken by other people desperate to get out of the house or have a good time and use the opportunity they had gotten from that lovely invitation letter.

She had pondered the thought of setting up a humble stall at the festival to take commissions for drawing Pokemon or people, but she declined the idea after she realized that she not only did she not have enough motivation, but she also had too much insecurity on the quality of her work that anybody would actually want to commission her. The cherry on the top was the fact that it might be illegal to set up a stall without the permission of the people running the event

Lying down on her bed, she glanced at the window that overlooked onto the vast forests of Sinnoh. She remembered when she received the invitation; how her mother was asked to open a contest, what with her being a retired winner of many contests across the region. She remembered the roll of her eyes and the offer she made to her to go. It was a slow point in Maisie's life. She needed to get out and travel. She didn't care where or what the situation was, she craved the idea of ditching town to have fun somewhere, even if it was just her alone. She had her girls. She could make a friend there if she tried hard enough.

Suddenly, a nudge on her face. Olive bunted her gently, and curled back around to rest at her feet, kneading gently before plopping herself down at her feet. "My personal foot warmer," she chuckled, and shut off the lamp next to her bed and set an alarm before sighing and imagining how tomorrow would play out. Maybe she'd hastily get herself into a battle with some stranger. She had been training Olive and Eris lately, not for any particular reason, just to prepare for the day that maybe she'd go on a "journey" or something to get out of town. Quickly, she fell out into a dream. Olive peered up at her every now and then to see her talking in her sleep.

--

Maisie hit her alarm maybe four times before finally giving up and remembering she had a festival to attend, and things to do. She skipped coffee, and quickly refreshed herself for the day before hastily heading out the door, Olive trotting behind her.

Complaining softly under her breath, she remembered that it was a longer walk than she thought from the hotel to Hearthome. About 30 minutes. Not to mention it was at the coldest time of year. She puffed out cold air as she walked for her amusement and cracked her knuckles as she begun the walk.

"This'll be worth it in the end, I should hope..."

 

[Void_Nugget]

Renwick Blake stood looking at the waves, despite losing both parents to the sea he never truly blamed the ocean, it was the Sharpedo's fault, as he thought of the crazed Sharpedo he looked down at his leg and sighed, "Renwick, you should consider leaving" a gravely voice came from behind him, he turned to see his Grandfather, Renwick turned and walked towards the old man, he hugged him saying "I'll miss you, you know that right." he gave a little smile. Behind his grandfather stood Shade, his Greninja, Shade was holding his bags. He grabbed his bags from the frog Pokémon and sent out his two other Pokémon, Aeris, his Espeon and Jay, his Joltik. He lifted Jay up placing him in his shirt pocket. Aeris and Shade walked beside him. "And we're off" he began to make the long journey to Hearthome.

They were almost nearing the end of their journey when Shade pointed out a small clearing, "yeah that looks like a great place to stop, good job buddy" Renwick and his team walked over, They sat down near one another and Renwick began to sing softly,
"This is gospel, for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories"
as he sang Shade pulled out the guitar he was carrying and began to play softly, Renwick smiled and pulled out a kind of smaller keyboard and handed it to Aeris who joined the song,
"If you love me let me go (Oh-oh-oh-oh)
If you love me let me go (Oh-oh-o-oh-oh-oh)
'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars
The fear of falling apart
And truth be told I never was yours
The fear, the fear of falling apart".
As they finished they ate a few snacks and set off again.

Finally they reached Hearthome, he looked around at the bustling crowds and the many different pokemon. He saw a chapel off to the side and decided that would be a good place to busk. He reached the majestic building and place his bags on the floor, he placed a small box on the floor which Jay sat in ready to count the money as it was thrown in, Shade got his guitar ready and Aeris prepared her keyboard. Renwick began to sing

"This is gospel, for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories"
As he sang he looked around at the pure beauty of the place he was in.

(Sorry for the short post I was in a rush.)​

 

[Red Gallade]

Upon the darkened road which slowly began to get brighter as the sun rose over the horizon. Zack rode atop the back of Mala; a proud and strong looking Arcanine who looked back at Zack with a smile. "Yeah, the sunrise is great, Mala. Now let's make our way to the festival, yeah? By the looks of our distance and your amazing running, I'd say we'll get there in maybe... thirty minutes?" Zack suggested as he held Mala a little tighter whilst the Arcanine looked back with a now determined look and began to pick up her pace until her speed matched that of a moving car, Zack smiled faintly as he barely remembered the last time he had a good ride with Mala. Once they were in close proximity of the festival, Zack hopped off Mala and looked at her with slight concern. "You seem like you need a good rest, I know you can run even more, but I don't wanna take you for granted and I need my exercise as well from time to time." Zack said as he got out Mala's Poke ball and returned her to it.

Zack put his hands in the pockets of his long jet black coat as he took a look at the crowd of people who blocked the road like a stampede and sighed in annoyance. "Getting a postcard is gonna be one hell of a pain in the backside..." Zack said as he looked around and took what ever opportunity he had to get through the crowd. Once through, he found a little open spot near a fountain, he briefly looked into the waters to see his reflection. "A face only a mother could love." He joked to himself before he got out a coin and flicked it into the fountain, whatever he wished for was anyone's guess. He proceeded to find a postcard stall whilst he checked his phone for any messages, the wallpaper on his phone showed a picture of him and a beautiful black haired girl in black clothing... but no messages so far.

He looked back up to see a woman be pushed down by a man who appeared to have stolen her bag... and injure an adorable little Pichu in the process. The scenario secretly angered Zack who decided to quietly pursue the thief and take the bag back, but also to punish the man who would harm a Pokemon, he didn't care if it was an accident or not, because the Pichu wouldn't be the only one wit a broken leg when Zack was done with him.

He followed the thief into an alleyway and the thief began to look through the bag for anything of value. This was the moment for Zack to strike, but he decided to bring out a certain Pokemon that would certainly provide intimidation to his demand. "Hey, you!" Zack called to the thief who instantly looked over at Zack. "You've stolen a woman's bag and injured a Pokemon in the process. Hand over the purse and I might leave you unharmed." He added. "As if, I stole this thing fair and square, why should I care who gets hurt over it?" The thief responded.

Zack sighed, got out a Poke ball and threw it upward. The Poke ball opened to reveal a large and terrifying looking Hydreigon, the shade between the buildings made it's appearance almost hard to see. "Give the bag back... or I will beat you down." Zack said in a more sinister and demanding tone as the thief flinched and lightly stepped back at the sight of Zack's Hydreigon. "No...?" Zack asked rhetorically before he snapped his fingers and the Hydreigon charged toward the thief who screamed in terror. "Okay! Okay, I'll give you the bag!" The thief shouted as he held the bag up to the Hydreigon who gently took it off him and gave it to Zack. "There, was that so hard?" Zack asked rhetorically as he took the bag off of his Hydreigon with a smile and walked toward the thief.

"T-there's no need for any more trouble... I won't steal again... p-promise!" The thief said before he attempted to leave. "You're right... you won't." Zack said as he tripped the thief up and took a knee down at him. Outside of the alley were faint sounds of punches before Zack came out with the woman's bag and returned his Hydreigon to his Poke ball. "Good work Hades. Now let's go find the owner of this bag." He said as he put his Poke ball away and returned to the fountain. He held the bag in a place so it was easy for the owner to see as he didn't get a good look at the victim of the theft.

 

[DragonFlye]

Arienne Kyle blinked rapidly as she left behind the harsh beamlights of the Contest's stage for the blissful dimness of the backstage area. Trick's sharp claws clicked on the wooden floor as he walked by her side, and the silver bell around the Weavile's neck chimed lightly with each step. She smiled down at him.

"Good job, buddy," she said, reaching down to scratch at the feathers behind his ears. The cat-like Pokémon leaned slightly into the touch. "Rough go of it, huh? We'll place first in the next one, for sure!"

Footsteps and giddy laughter followed on their heels as the other contestants followed her after their own bows.

"Wow, the house sure was full today, huh?" Said a bright voice from beside her. She turned her head to see her fellow contestant, Jacob Carter, beaming so brightly that Ari was surprised that the Cherrim cradled in his arms didn't burst open. She grinned in return.

"Yeah, for the Galaxy Festival, right?" She asked, blown away by the passage of time. She thought back to the letter in her locker, nestled safely in between the layers of her street clothes. The letter had come in the mail only a few days prior, citing her recent streak of high-placing Contest performances as a reason for the personal invitation to the Festival. Despite having lived in Hearthome for most of her life, she'd never made the effort to attend the Festival before; there was too much to do, to many performances to choreograph, too many classes to take and workshops to attend. She supposed that now that she was invited, she'd have to go.

"Of course," Jacob chatted easily, but he paused after a moment. "I'm not gonna be able to attend, though. I've got a ship to catch back to Hoenn. At least I've finally got a Sinnoh win to show off when I get there!"

Arienne chuckled and shook her head. She'd met Jacob only a few months prior, when he was looking for inspiration in planning a performance for his newly evolved Sunflora and Cherrim. If he wasn't so persistent, he'd like have never registered on her radar, with how focused she was on her own career. As it was, the two of them had put their heads together and come up with something that had ultimately blown the judges away. She couldn't even be disappointed after her own placement in second today, only fired up and, admittedly, a little proud. Besides, it wasn't just a one-way street; the other Coordinator had helped her see a few holes in her own performances during their brief friendship.

"You'd better not come back to compete in Sinnoh," she teased. "I'll destroy you if you do."

Jacob laughed. "You'd better promise, Kyle. Have fun at the Festival!"

She rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "Yeah, but you'd better catch your boat before you miss it!"

They parted ways to their separate locker rooms, and once Ari was changed into a more casual outfit, the Coordinator and her Pokémon companion exited the Contest Hall onto the bustling streets of Hearthome. Instantly, her nose was filled with the rich scents of homemade treats being provided by vendors that had slowly cropped up through the morning in preparation for the upcoming Festival. She inhaled deeply.

"Hey Trick, want a Poffin?" She asked the Weavile at her side. She supposed they could all use a short break.

 

[BurbleBurble]

Sulfa clung to Peony's shoulder, perched as a bird would be. The Salandit was scouting- searching for something or someone interesting in her violet shaded eyes.

And Peony's eyes were scouting too. She hadn't expected such a big crowd, but just as her luck would have it, the day she arrived in Hearthome was a big festival day. Surely the gym wouldn't be entertaining any trainers today, especially not with crowds this large. So instead, Peony was simply looking for curious sights; baubles, trinkets, festival foods, stuff they wouldn't have back in Alola.

Sinnoh had a very different culture than Alola, that was certain. Alola had a certain beat to things- a very consolidated region, with no real influence from the outside world until as of late. Whispers and rumors spread of a Pokemon League atop the tallest mountain of the region, Mount Lanakila, had spread. But aside from that league, there were no gyms- only trials of varying merit. But here in Sinnoh? The league was a prize, a grandiose achievement that all could strive for, not just a passing mention. And the gym challenges were far more straight forward. If one could even compare the trials to the gyms.

And, unlike Alola, where she often observed awkward tourists, now she found herself in those boots.

She had gotten a little less awkward since Oreburgh, but some of that unfamiliarity still remained. And perhaps that's why she was looking for stuff from the festival- to fit in with that Sinnoh aesthetic. Or something like that.

In any case, Peony's festival journey came to a close as she sighted something odd near the Hearthome chapel. Firstly, the massive man who appeared to be singing- and she meant massive, the dude had to be as tall as her father or perhaps even taller- but, that wasn't exactly the important thing. No, the important thing was the positively adorable Espeon playing the keyboard. It wasn't to downplay the man's singing skills, he was obviously a good singer, but the cat Pokemon playing the keyboard just warmed her heart. Warmed it enough to want to donate a few dollars to their cause.

"Aww," She said as she approached the playing duo. "What a sweet little lady!" Peony knelt to add a few dollars to the box. Sulfa continued to watch from her perch, her eyes scouring the box. Aside from a few shiny coins, she noticed a small yellow thing among them. The lizard couldn't tell what exactly it was, and as much as the Salandit wished to grab those shiny coins...no doubt Peony would scold her about it and make Sulfa give them back. And there was no telling what the yellow thing would do. So Sulfa would restrain herself.

Well, she'd restrain herself for now at the least.