Small Town Festivities (Andrew)

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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Sandy sat up in her Bedroom, the house phone up to her ear as she listened to her mother talk. Sandy had come back home for a while, taking some down time to enjoy the small festival New Bark Town had every year. This festival was called the New Starts Festival, and it was something everyone could enjoy, really. It was normally a time for a party of two or more people to enjoy food, games, and during the special event, the town had people that came in and taught the basics of Pokemon care. What food to give them, how to groom them, and a Fireworks show at the very end of the day. Sandy’s mother wasn’t going to be attending due to a business meeting this year, so, there went the person she normally spent the day with.

“Yes Mom, I know…No parties, no boys, and don’t burn the house down, I’ve got it. I’ll be outside all day anyway. Yeah, right. Love you too, bye.” The Phone clicked and Berry turned to watch Sandy from her place at the window sill. There was no need for it anyway, because the blonde got up and came to the Squirtle’s side to look out the window with her. People from town were setting up outside, including her four friends, Brent, Alyssa, Kenzy, and Joshua. She had been hanging out with them since she started living in the town, and she kept in touch with them even on her travels. Of all the kids in town, these were the only four that actually really talked to her, so it was nice to have them.

She turned and headed out the door of her room, and Berry followed behind her, not wanting to be in the room alone. Sandy looked down at her phone as she came to the front door and rolled her eyes.

“You know, it’s like mom thinks I’m going to destroy the house or something.” Berry sighed, giving her trainer a shrug.

“Squirtle Squirt…” Probably because you are fully capable… The snow was falling steadily as they headed outside, but it wasn’t heavy, and actually it was quite bearable, perfect for the festival. Brent caught site of Sandy and waved to her.

“Hey! What’s up Sand?” he asked, ruffling her hair a bit. Sandy quickly took to adjusting her hair so it looked okay again and shrugged.

“My mom is acting like I’ll kill her house if she doesn’t remind me not too.” Alyssa chuckled, looking down at her friend from the ladder she was sitting on, stringing decorations to a booth. She threw some down to Sandy, who began stringing them onto the ledge of the counter.

“Probably because you would.”

“Funny, I think my Squirtle said the same thing.”

“Squirt!” Exactly! There was another thing about her friends. Sandy didn’t hang out with them much during the festival, because each was paired off. Alyssa was dating Brent, and it was the same for Kenzy and Joshua. So she only hung out with them and played a game or two if they asked, but she left them alone for most of the time. An older woman came to Sandy’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Sandy dear, I need you to start greeting out of town guests.” Sandy nodded and rushed over to the entrance of the small town, bowing as each visitor started to pour in.

“Welcome to the New Starts Festival!” She repeated to every person who came in, Berry mimicking her actions.

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Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

Andrew Shortall
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All this time spent in vain; wasted years; wasted gain…

Andrew’s legs were beginning to ache. He’d been walking non-stop for so long that his Pokémon were actually staying inside their Poké Balls voluntarily. Another festival was about to start and he was excited to check it out. Since arriving in Johto he’d already attended two – The Bon Festival in Ecruteak, and one centred around a faraway region called ‘Unova’. Granted, this one would be a lot smaller than the other two but Andrew still had high hopes for it.

Since he hadn’t yet obtained a better means of transportation, Andrew had to travel by foot. The festival would be taking place in New Bark Town, the place where Andrew had first met Glint. Determined to be on time for something in his life, he hadn’t bothered to stop in Cherrygrove and had only made a quick visit to the Violet Pokémon Center to withdraw his Sandshrew, Darryl. Though he’d captured the ground-type quite a while ago, he hadn’t really spent much time with her yet. The friendly atmosphere of New Bark Town would be the perfect place to be properly acquainted.

At last, Andrew took his first step back into the familiar New Bark Town. It seemed a lot different from the last time he’d been here but it still had that warm, welcoming vibe. Though one thing was for sure, there were a lot more people around. ‘Welcome to the New Starts Festival!’, the sign read. “Hm, sounds pretty cool,“ Andrew decided. “I wonder if this festival is for beginner trainers.“ He glanced around, watching the locals finishing up their preparations. He seemed to be a little early but that suited him perfectly. This way, he could get a good look around before the crowds got in the way.

“Where to go first?“ Andrew questioned. He quickly grasped onto a Poké Ball, after realising he was beginning to talk to himself. “Glint, we’re here now so you don’t have to do any more walking.“ the trainer promised as he released the tiny turtle. Glint appeared beside him, yawning loudly. He stretched out his arms and looked around disappointedly. This wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.

“Oh, come on. It’ll get better!“ Andrew assured the Squirtle. “Pfft, should have picked a happier Pokémon... Oh wait, I know! I brought Darryl along! Maybe she’ll be a little more enthusiastic!“ Andrew stopped for a moment and summoned Darryl. The rodent materialised beside Glint who seemed indifferent to her presence. “Hey Darryl, it’s good to see you!“
“Squirt-“ Glint shrugged.
“Shruuh?“ Darryl replied uncertainly.

“So where do you guys want to go?“
For Glint, the question spoke for itself. Away. But within the boundaries of New Bark Town, he really didn’t care. “Screw you, Glint. What about you then?“ Andrew asked Darryl. The Sandshrew looked around, carefully. She checked out the stalls and activities one by one from where she stood.

As the Sandshrew considered the different options, Andrew began to look around. Other people were beginning to arrive now and him and his Pokémon still weren’t moving from the spot. “Okay, why don’t we just follow these guys? And if you think of something, let us know.“ Andrew laughed lightly, forcing the Sandshrew forward. If they didn’t get going soon, the festival would be over. “Glint, keep up!“ Andrew ordered as they began to head towards a food stall. “Glint?“

Andrew swung around to see the Squirtle pointing at something. “Sshh, don’t point! People will stare!“ Andrew corrected him. The water-type frowned and continued to point anyway. The trainer groaned but tried to see what had made his Pokémon so enthusiastic.
“Oh, come on. We’re not going home yet.“
Glint shook his head and pointed again. “Squirtle!“ As Andrew began to focus a little better, he could make out people over by the entrance. Then, a voice he recognized spoke.
“Welcome to the New Starts Festival!”

“Hey, you’re right. Sandy’s over there, and Berry’s with her. Let’s go over and say hi.“ Andrew gestured to Darryl to follow as he and Glint made their way towards Sandy and Berry. The Sandshrew seemed confused. These guys were constantly changing their minds. If they kept it up, they’d never get around to seeing the whole festival. She preferred to plan things out in the beginning.
“A bit repetitive, no?“ Andrew smiled, pointing to the sign he’d read upon arriving. “That message is going to be drilled into my brain for the rest of my life.“ he joked as he watched Glint predictably dash towards Berry.

…All is lost; hope remains; and this war's not over

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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Sandy had been greeting people for a while now. She stopped for a moment to dust the snow from her shoulders, the gray sweater she was wearing was a bit wet from where the snow had been, but it wasn’t too bad. Once she had finished, she had gone back to greeting guests, so busy bowing to each person that came in, she hadn’t noticed Andrew until he had spoken. She looked up, a slight blush on her face as she had realized who it was talking to her. For a moment, she was about to assume it was Brent messing with her or something.

“Andrew, hey!” She greeted, once again dusting some of the quickly accumulating snow away, this time out of her hair. She laughed a bit, remembering exactly what he had just said.

“Yeah, well you know, we’re a small town, so not only do we have to remind you that you are Welcome here with writing, we also have to remind you by saying it to you” she answered, looking around for any sign of Ms. Kennith, who had assigned her this job. When she didn’t see her, she added.

“I will admit though, this job gets a little boring.” Berry waved at Glint, still gathered around Sandy’s feet for slight warmth.

“Squirtle, Squirtle Squirt!” Hi Glint! She was cheerful, because well, how else was she supposed to be during a festival like this. Sandy glanced down nervously at Berry for a moment. She hoped Andrew wouldn’t notice the scar that Berry was now sporting. She didn’t want him to think she had done anything horrible to her; much less did she want to explain how the turtle had gotten such a thing. She was snapped out of thought by a sudden screech as a purple monkey in a little white T-shirt came tearing through the crowd of people.

“Aipommm! Aipom Aiii!” Sannnndyyy! Help meee! The Aipom leapt into the girl’s arms, burying herself against her form.

“PenPen? What’s gotten into you?” Scatter walked up behind her, casually flicking his tail at Andrew in a greeting when he saw him.

“Mya Mya Mya.” She Stole Ginseng’s Pokeblock. Sandy looked down at PenPen, who stared back up at her innocently. Sandy shook her head and her onto Scatter’s back.

“Just take care of it, okay boy?” Scatter nodded and trotted back into the crowd, Berry snickering at him as he left. At least she didn’t have to babysit for PenPen. Sandy glared at Berry a moment.

“Do you want to go with them?”

“Squirt…”No… Sandy turned back to Andrew, sorry she had taken so long scolding her Pokemon.

“Sorry about that Andrew, anyway, I hope you can find something to do here, I mean, it isn’t as Fancy as most festivals, but trust me, it’s fun!” Sandy looked for something to point out, and finally found something.

“They’ve got a bunch of games over there, if you can win you get vouchers for food and prizes and stuff. The Vouchers can get you up to half off on the food we sell here.” She informed him, remembering that was all she and her mom did last year.

“Why don’t you be his tour guide then, instead of just standing there Sand?” A voice from behind her asked. Sandy jumped and turned, startled to see Kenzy behind her. She blinked and sighed.

“I can’t…I have to stay here and greet people.”

“I’ll find someone to replace you. You need a date anyways Sand. Hanging out around the New Starts Festival with your mom is no fun.” Sandy froze a second. Was everyone out to put things the wrong way for her in New Bark Town?

“K-Kenzy! It’s not like-“ Kenzy rolled her eyes, already aware of what Sandy was going to say. So she ignored the girl and walked a bit past her to Andrew.

“You’ll let her show you around won’t ya? After all, hanging out at this thing with a local is way more fun.” She explained, turning back to watch how flushed Sandy became. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hang out with Andrew, it was the way Kenzy was putting it. Berry however, was having a fit of laughter on the floor beside her. Sandy wanted to flip her over onto her shell, but she left her alone for now.

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Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

Andrew Shortall
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All this time spent in vain; wasted years; wasted gain…

Andrew laughed as Sandy explained her job to him. When he saw her glance around, the boy realised he was lucky he hadn’t gotten her into trouble. “Yeah, I can’t say I’d like to trade places with you.” he laughed; now sure that it was safe to comment. He brushed his hand lightly over the top of his hair, wiping away the snow while at the same time trying not to mess it up. The snow was a little cold but he’d spent so much time outdoors lately that it had stopped effecting him by now.

Glint made his way towards Berry who seemed to be in a good mood. This was perfect. The turtle grinned to himself, outstretching his arms for a hug. Though Andrew hadn’t picked up on it, Glint was alarmed when he noticed a scar on Berry’s head. He began to stare rudely before pointing at it. “Squirrr-!“ Whaaa-! He sure wasn’t going to earn himself any points this way. Luckily, everyone had suddenly become distracted by a louder scene.

“Whoa...” Andrew reacted as PenPen shot into Sandy’s arms. “Oh hey Scatter,” Andrew laughed as the Delcatty greeted him. He turned back to Sandy to see what was going on. “An Aipom? Awesome. I take it that’s one of your newer Pokémon?” Andrew asked, as the girl dismissed the Pokémon. “I can’t keep up with all of them.” He looked down at the two Squirtle. He hoped Glint wasn’t going to make this an embarrassing encounter.

He then remembered that he’d also let Darryl out of her Poké Ball. He checked around frantically before realising the Sandshrew was standing by his foot. He felt bad for not including her. That defeated the whole purpose of bringing her along in the first place. “Oh, this is Darryl by the way. We met her in Cherrygrove a while back but we haven’t really spent much time together since. I thought a festival would be the perfect way to do that.” Andrew announced, picking up the mouse Pokémon. “Heh, and don’t worry, I’m not really in the mood for something over the top. A quiet day where there’s a lot to do sounds perfect to me.”

Andrew finished his sentence, quickly noticing that someone was walking up behind Sandy. He wanted to move away but at this point it was too late to say goodbye and walk off. He was just going to have to stand awkwardly while these two talked. Andrew prepared to pretend he was talking to his Pokémon but then he realised that this conversation seemed to involve him. He didn’t really need a tour guide. What was this girl doing?

He soon found out what her intentions were when she inappropriately mentioned something about a date. He wanted to raise his palm to his face and saunter off but Darryl was in his arms. Andrew decided not to react and looked down over at the festival stalls pretending he couldn’t hear. “So Darryl, you want to try and win some vouchers?.” he said calmly. “We might as well save some of our money. Who knows when a new TM might be up for grabs.”

Andrew was doing his best to keep the ramble going but he was starting to sound like an idiot. Suddenly, Sandy’s friend addressed him directly. “W-what was that?” Andrew said to make it sound like he hadn’t been paying much attention. “Yeah, I don’t mind. I guess it would beat this job.” Glint was puzzled to see Berry rolling around on the ground having a laughing fit. Whatever had caused that scar on her head really must have been serious, though for him that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Either way, now seemed like a good time for that hug.

…All is lost; hope remains; and this war's not over

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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Kenzy smiled loosely at Sandy before nodding at Andrew and strolling off. Sandy shook her head and watched as she went back to a guy not too far from them, her boyfriend and Sandy’s own friend if she was correct, but at the moment she didn’t want to pay too much attention to it. She exhaled deeply before turning back to Andrew.

“Sorry about her…she says…weird things…shut up Berry!” The trainer finished sharply, looking down at Berry who was still laughing. The turtle snickered even as she had stopped laughing, earning a softer glare from Sandy. Sandy looked down at Dayrrl, just noticing she was there. She had heard Andrew intoroduce her before, but then Kenzy came along. Sandy smiled at the young Sandshrew, who was currently in Andrew’s arms and thought for a minute.

“Hey there Darryl, nice to meet you.” She said, reaching into her bag. “Hm…I know it’s around here somewhere…” she muttered, finally pulling an orange piece of fabric from her bag. She stepped a little closer to Andrew and Darrly and wrapped the cloth around Darryl’s neck nicely but loosely, so it didn’t hurt her or feel uncomfortable. Sandy looked her over and nodded.

“There, that works perfectly.” She said. She hoped Andrew and his Sandshrew didn’t mind, but she had looked perfect for that scarf, unlike any of her Pokemon. Sandy shivered a bit and wiped some more snow from her shoulders, and suddenly noticed Glint seemed concerned, and it was probably about Berry’s scar. She knelt down next to Berry and gave a nervous chuckle.

“Oh…Glint, you don’t have to worry about Berry okay? She’s fine it’s just from…we had an..an accident…” she said uncomfortably. Berry blinked, and shook her head at Glint. She was telling him that that wasn’t what happened, but neither trainer or Pokemon wanted to talk about it at the moment. Berry allowed Sandy to scoop her from the snow as she got up.

“Well, come on, we might as well go get some vouchers.” She offered, attempting to get herself back on track. She led the way into the crowd of people, trying to keep at Andrew’s side so she didn’t lose him among all the attendants of the festival. Looking around, she finally eased from her earlier mood and looked over at Andrew.

“So Andrew, how have you been doing? I guess it’s been quite a while since we’ve crossed paths after all.” She had actually been wondering what a lot of her friends she had met on her Journey had been doing, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Andrew, with all that had been going on since then. She let Berry climb onto her shoulder while they were walking, so her arms weren’t too tired. It had been a little while since they started walking from the entrance of New Bark Town, and they had ended up near the booths for games and such.

“Hey Sandy!” It was a male voice that had called her this time, and she turned to see Brent at an interestingly colored stand, throwing a bean bag up into the air and catching it as it fell back down. Alyssa was next to him, holding some vouchers in her hands. Sandy motioned back to Andrew for him to come with her, and she headed towards her two friends from town, stopping when she had gotten to them.

“Hi Brent.” Sandy said simply, waving to Alyssa as well. Brent threw another bean bag at a target shaped like an open mouthed Gulpin, and he got the bag in without many problems.

“And that’s another five Vouchers.” Brent chuckled to himself, getting them from the person who ran the stand and giving them to Alyssa. Alyssa, unlike Brent, had noticed Andrew behind Sandy and looked at him.

“Sand, who’s that?” She said curiously. Sandy looked back at Andrew, trying to let him know that Alyssa wasn’t nearly as crazy as Kenzy.

“This is Andrew, Alyssa. He’s one of the friend’s I’ve met while traveling.” She answered. Alyssa nodded and chuckled.

“Well then Hi there Andrew. I’m Alyssa, nice to meet you.” Brent had been paying attention, but hadn’t introduced himself as he just looked at the other teen, tossing a bean bag up and down. Alyssa had noticed his rudeness and nudged him hard in the side with her elbow.

“Ouch! Alyssa!”

“Introduce yourself!” Brent snorted, putting the bean bag on the counter and turning to face Andrew.

“Hey out-of-towner, I’m Brent.” Sandy placed her face into her palm and Brent turned his coal colored gaze onto her.

“What’s your problem Sandy?” Sandy shook her head.

“You didn’t have to call him that, even if he is from out of town.” Sandy answered defensively. In Brent speak, being an ‘out-of-towner’ was a bad thing. Brent put his hands up in a defensive motion.

“Alright Alright.” Sandy’s face was a little red as she sighed.

“Sorry Andrew, Brent is-“ Brent cut her off suddenly.

“Say, Andrew, Why don’t you play Gulpin Toss? It’ll do you some good to throw around some bean bags. Vouchers, food, you know, that kind of thing.” Alyssa rolled her eyes and quickly muttered an apology to Sandy. Sandy and Brent were friends, but Brent wasn’t exactly the go to person for polite manners and a calm attitude. Though now Andrew would need to answer him, and Sandy gave a quick huff. She really wished her in town friends were normal sometimes.

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Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

Andrew Shortall
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All this time spent in vain; wasted years; wasted gain…

Andrew quietly sighed with relief now that the questions had come to an end. Andrew laughed nervously as Sandy apologised. “No problem. My friends are a lot worse.“ In a way, he wasn’t lying. His friends were constantly embarrassing. However, thankfully they were less forward with things. Andrew gazed down as Sandy tied a cloth neatly around Darryl’s neck. “Wow, that looks pretty cool. You seem to like accessories.“ Andrew smiled, noticing that Berry was also wearing something.
“<<Huh?>>” Darryl seemed a little nervous at first but once she realised what it was, Sandy had given her, she was fascinated by it.

Andrew looked down curiously to see what Glint had pointed out. He then realised the scar, though Sandy didn’t seem comfortable explaining it. Andrew’s face went slightly red. Why did Glint always have to embarrass him? As Sandy picked her Squirtle up, Andrew noticed that Glint was staring up at him. “<<How come I have to walk?>>.“ Andrew quickly picked up on what the Squirtle wanted but he just smiled and nodded towards Darryl in response.

“Sure, that sounds good. I haven’t really checked out much yet.“ Andrew followed Sandy through the crowd. A lot more people had arrived since he’d got here. Time must have been passing quicker than he’d thought. Andrew, despite being short and slightly underweight found it difficult to get passed people, especially with Darryl in his arms. Glint practically clung to his trainer’s leg to avoid getting stomped on but Andrew knew the turtle would attract attention if he needed to.

“Things are pretty good. I haven’t made too much progress with badges really but I’m doing my best to train up all of my Pokémon. My sister sent over a Pidgey from back home so I’ve been trying to train her for the Azalea Gym. How about you?“ Andrew asked. Last time they’d met, they were at a relatively even level but Andrew was starting to notice that he was taking things at a slightly slower pace than others.

Andrew glanced around at the booths. It had been a good idea to take that tour from Sandy. This place seemed a lot more exciting than the spot he’d briefly checked out earlier. Hearing another friend of Sandy’s call made Andrew feel a little awkward again. He looked down at Glint to avoid any further questions but the Squirtle just smiled menacingly, crossed his arms and strutted over to Sandy. “<<You should’ve picked me up>>.“

Before he could respond to Glint, Andrew heard someone whisper something. He stepped forward as Sandy turned back to introduce him. “Hey Alyssa. It’s great to meet you too.“ he smiled. The other guy finally introduced himself as Brent. “Hey.“ Andrew responded, unsure of what else he could add. Andrew could tell that some sort of awkward question was coming soon. Andrew bit his lip as Sandy confronted him but Brent quickly began to talk over her again. “Em, sure, I guess. Where is it?“ Andrew looked over at Sandy to see if she’d cut in. He really had no idea what he should say. He wasn’t usually good with new people.

…All is lost; hope remains; and this war's not over

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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Sandy, who just a few minutes ago had been annoyed with Brent, sighed and let it go. Brent chuckled and motioned towards a booth over more towards the center of the area. Alyssa shot Sandy an apologetic look, but Sandy shrugged. As long as Andrew played the Gulpin toss thing at least once, Brent would leave them alone. Shaking her head as she watched Brent retreat, she smiled at Andrew, glad he had gone along with Brent’s silly game.

“They’re a little out there aren’t they?” She asked jokingly. She had known that she had become friends with four of the weirdest kids in New Bark Town, but she kind of liked them anyway. Now that she about it actually…

“Then again, most of the people that live here are old, retired trainers, they come here because they want to see new people start off on their journey’s or something.” She looked around for an example and motioned to Ms. Kennith.

“Like Ms. Kennith. She claims to remember every trainer that’s left New Bark Town in the last three years…but I don’t think she can even remember what she has for breakfast in the morning anymore.” She heard Brent calling them from far, and kind of rolled her eyes, grabbing onto Andrew’s arm and pulling him forwards.

“Come on, The faster you play, the faster Brent will leave us alone.” Berry kind of began snickering, and Sandy glanced at her.

“What?” The Squirtle shook her head, finding it funny Sandy didn’t even realize what she had just said, even if she didn’t mean it in that way, that was something Berry would keep to herself.After all, maybe she was the only one who wanted to hear it in another meaning. When they reached the booth, Sandy let go of Andrew’s arm, and Brent was busy trying to warm up. He sure took these games seriously.

“Does he know how to play?” Brent asked, looking back at the Gulpin shaped basket in the booth, where a man stood watching over it. Alyssa rolled her eyes.

“Brent, all he has to do is shoot as many bean bags as he can into the basket, it isn’t that hard to figure out.” Brent patted his girlfriend on the back, giving them all a shrug.

“Well he is an out-of-towner.” Sandy cleared her throat.

“Brent!”

“What? It’s true!” After a short while of Brent staring at her, and Sandy half glaring back at him, Brent turned away, a bit unnerved. Damn these girls, and he could tell Alyssa had enjoyed him losing that stare down too. Sandy turned her back on Brent to speak to Andrew, and she did catch him muttering something about her not getting a Christmas present, and she kind of resisted rolling her eyes again.

“Well Andrew, the game is pretty easy, it’s basically what Alyssa said earlier, but the Gulpin basket spins and opens and closes, so you just need to have good timing. If you do well, you can win about ten vouchers! I’d play but, you can ask Brent at Alyssa, I kind of suck at aiming anything but a Pokeball.” She sighed and then laughed nervously, turning when Brent called her name and then Andrew’s.

“Five please.” Brent said, taking five beanbags from the man and waiting for him to turn on the basket. When he did, the Gulpin basket sprang to life, spinning around while it opened and closed its mouth. Brent threw beanbag after beanbag, until he got to the fifth one. Sandy fell to one of her knees in the snow, picking up a bundle in the gloves she was wearing and shaping it. She looked at Alyssa and she nodded. Sandy chucked the snowball, and instead of hitting Brent, it hit the side of the booth, still startling the boy and making him miss his mark.

“Missed…” Sandy commented. Alyssa laughed as Brent was handed Six vouchers.

“Sandy! You suck! You missed me and somehow I still lost my shot!” Sandy shrugged a bit, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well I was aiming for you, but as long as you missed…” Brent looked over at Andrew.

“His turn.” Sandy pushed Brent over towards Alyssa, and then chuckled.

“Brent’s hard to get along with sometimes, but he means well…I think. Even if he wants us to stay after you play, we can go get something to eat or whatever, because Alyssa likes to spend time with just him sometimes, and he insists on hanging out around everyone.” A barking disrupted them as a Mightyena ran by, two children clinging to her back as she ran along. Alyssa was staring at Sandy, expecting her to react badly, but instead she called out to her.

“Hotaru, be careful with them you hear me?!” The Mightyena turned her head and barked in response before weaving back into the crowd, and Sandy smiled.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with her, she’s been full of Energy ever since we left Slowpoke Well….but anyway, go ahead Andrew.” She said, motioning to the booth. She just wanted them to be done quickly, since she felt bad for Alyssa, and Andrew for getting roped into Brent’s “I want to be better then you” competitions.

------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

Andrew Shortall
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All this time spent in vain; wasted years; wasted gain…

Andrew followed as Brent directed them towards the Gulpin Toss booth. “Oh no, my friends are worse!” he insisted again. He was slightly afraid that Brent would overhear their conversation. Before Andrew could respond to her comment on Ms Kennith, Sandy had grabbed a hold of his arm and hauled him forwards. “Whoa,” Andrew laughed, struggling to keep up with her pace. Andrew hadn’t picked up on what Berry was trying to imply. Before he even knew what he was supposed to be doing, he realised that they’d arrived at the stall.

“<<Ugh...>>” Glint frowned. These games were boring. There was nothing here for him to do, and he didn’t even have time to talk to Berry with all of this moving. The Squirtle began to sulk as the trainers focused on the booth. Andrew placed Darryl down in order to try this game that Brent was so desperate for him to play. “Don’t wander too far,” Andrew joked, fully aware that the Sandshrew would probably never make up her mind where she wanted to go. “Sure, I think I can probably do that,” Andrew replied, standing back to let Brent take the first few shots at it.

He noticed that Sandy was scooping up some snow which she decided to aim at Brent. Andrew took a step back to avoid being hit, though the snowball completely missed the target anyway. Still, Brent messed up on his shot so Sandy still achieved her goal. While he was slightly under pressure, Andrew knew he’d have to at least make an attempt at the game. “Sure, that sounds great. Well, I suppose I’d better get this out of the way.” Andrew laughed. “I’ll take five as well, please.” Andrew said, turning back to see where the barking was coming from.

“Another new Pokémon?” Andrew asked, before he was handed the beanbags. While it occurred to him that Sandy had been afraid of Mightyena last time he’d checked, he didn’t want to bring it up, especially not in public. “Alright then,” Andrew turned back as Sandy motioned to the booth. The basket had started up and everyone seemed to be watching. Even Glint had stopped his sulking, in order to watch his trainer. Andrew didn’t want to hold everyone up so he began to toss the beanbags.

To his surprise, he managed to get the first shot. “This isn’t so bad...” he whispered, trying it again. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to get one in the basket again until the fourth shot. He breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of whether he got the next shot, at least he’d done better than Brent had. With the last shot, Andrew managed to hit the basket, but his timing was off so the beanbag slipped off. “Okay, what happens now?” Andrew asked, unsure of what he could do with the tokens, or how many he’d get for playing.

…All is lost; hope remains; and this war's not over

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

------------------------------------------------

Sandy smiled as she watched Andrew play the game, looking down at Daryll, who had been left close to her feet. Gently, she kneeled down and picked her up.

“Snow is cold, you know? You’ll be a lot cozier up here.” She promised the shrew gently, watching as Andrew finished up his game. Brent looked like he was going to say something about the boy’s aim, but the looks both Alyssa and Sandy gave him told him he should probably stay quiet. Sandy walked over to stand next to Andrew as the man handed him Six vouchers.

“It’s a pretty hard game because its moving, so that’s why you get more vouchers here” Sandy explained, watching as the booth manager turned off the basket. Brent and Alyssa walked over to stand by them, the look in Alyssa’s eyes telling Sandy they should go.

“So, what are you going to do now Sandy?” she asked. Sandy shrugged, looking at the vouchers Andrew had just won.

“Uhm…well, we we’re probably going to get some food, and then maybe go see how the Pokemon care class is running. See you two later!” She said before Brent could open his mouth, turning and lightly pushing Andrew, urging him on but trying not to be too pushy. When they were far enough away, Sandy, who still had Daryll in her arms, chuckled lightly.

“Sorry about that Andrew, but Brent probably wanted us to stay…Alyssa, didn’t want us too, and I could understand why…Brent never thinks of it as just spending time with her…but, enough about girl troubles, we should go get some food. Everything is around three vouchers, some are more, but the ladies here are pretty nice." She felt like she was being pretty well, annoying, but she lightly slipped the vouchers from Andrew’s hand, and replacing them with Daryll. After finding a booth, she gave the lady at it the six vouchers, who exchanged them for two boxes, filled with different things.

“Thank you, Mrs. Ponasdi” Sandy said with a kind tinge to her voice. The woman smiled and handed Sandy three dispensers, one brown and the other two blue.

“Your welcome dear, and take those too, your Pokemon will like them.” Sandy thanked her again and led Andrew to the porch of her home, where she sat in one of the chairs under the awning. She then motioned for him to sit, putting his box of food down on the table, and handing the dispensers to Berry, Glint, and Darryl respectively.

“Squirtle, Squirtle.” Just press it, and the food comes out. She demonstrated to the other two pokemon by hitting a button, then eating the Pokemon food that came from it. Sandy smiled at Berry and then looked at Andrew.

“Sorry If any of that seemed…well annoying, but I guarantee you that those boxes are pretty good.” She promised, looking down at her own.

“Have you been liking the festival so far Andrew? I mean, I can understand it if you don’t, but festivals in New Bark Town are always like this.” She explained simply, as she watched Hotaru trot passed the porch on the trail of Scatter. There was also really nothing meat based in the box, because Sandy wasn't a big fan of meat (Mainly, because she didn't know what...kind of meat it was), but she did like the vegetable rolls that the ladies in the town always made.

------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

The puzzled expression on Andrew’s face didn’t last long as Sandy was quick to explain the situation with the vouchers. “Oh, now I get it.” Andrew laughed, feeling slightly more comfortable now. “Thanks for explaining that.” Still unsure of where to go next, Andrew was relieved to hear Alyssa ask what they’d be doing. He had to admit that Sandy had some interesting plans. The festivals in this town were certainly much different to anything that he had seen back at home. He was actually really enjoying his time here.

“I guess we’ll talk to you guys later!” Andrew said as Sandy and him began to move in the opposite direction to her friends. After a few minutes, she explained the situation to him. “Yeah, I figured that could be it!” Andrew smiled, remembering the looks that Sandy and Alyssa had exchanged. “And food sounds great! Wow, I just about managed to win those six vouchers! So I guess if you can’t aim, you don’t eat, right?” he joked as he let Sandy slip the vouchers from his hand. Andrew held onto the Sandshrew as Sandy collected their food. As she brought the food back, Andrew began to realise just how hungry he was. “That food smells great!” he commented as Sandy brought him to her porch.

Glint and Darryl happily accepted the dispensers from Sandy. They both watched as Berry demonstrated how to use the dispensers. After following the female Squirtle’s instructions, they tried it for themselves. Glint tapped the button and everything worked fine.
“<<Man, that tastes good!>>” he commented, clicking the button rapidly. As he turned to Darryl, he noticed that she couldn’t get the food to come out. “<<Let me do it!>>” he insisted, grabbing it from her. As he attempted to press down on it, he noticed that the button was jammed. Making a fist, the Squirtle pounded heavily on it which loosened the button but also cracked it. He tried it again and the food came out though just about. “<<Eh, at least it sort of works now...>>” He sort of felt bad but at least he’d given it a shot. Darryl nodded as if to thank him before attempting to squeeze the food out. She couldn't manage to do much else since Glint sort of scared her.

“Oh, no it’s okay! I wouldn’t have known what those vouchers were for anyway and since you’re used to this, I’m sure you know of how to use them!” Andrew said as he began to eat. “And yeah, this food is amazing!” Andrew was relieved that there wasn’t any meat in the food that Sandy had brought back, and even more so that she’d brought back vegetable rolls. He hadn’t eaten one of those since he’d left the restaurant at home in Viridian. He wasn’t sure if he told her he didn’t like meat before or not. By the time he’d thought of it today, she’d already ordered the food and he didn’t want to sound rude after she’d already gotten it. Now, it all just seemed irrelevant. “Don’t worry, I think it’s a lot of fun! I can’t say I’ve been to something like this before – which is definitely a good thing! And your plans for the day all sound great! I’m really looking forward to seeing what else is here.” Andrew responded to Sandy’s question. “And by the way, nice house!” he smiled as he continued to eat the food.

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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As he commented on her house, sandy stopped eating to look back towards the blue door of the home they were sitting in front of. It was nice of course, and since it fit both she and her mother, and Matt and her father when they came to stay for a few days, it was cozy.

"Oh, thank you! We actually used to live in one of the other houses around here, but you know, sharing a room with my mom was something I didn't really want to do for a long time." she explained, pausing to see how the Pokemon were getting on.

"But it's a lot bigger than where we used to live. All the houses in Fortree were styled like tree-houses. Which meant plenty of cracks in the logs, it typically wasn't the best place to live if you didn't want Wurmple squeezing their way into your house." She mentioned thoughtfully, recalling where she had lived back when her parents were together.

<<Berry, could you keep your friends any quieter? I'm trying to sleep?>> Came a gruff voice from behind the scarfed Squirtle. Berry turned to see Munchy standing there, his eyes half closed, only getting like that when he had been startled awake. Berry blinked, observing him carefully.

<<Where did you come from?>> he motioned to a shadowy corner of the deck, and Berry nodded.

<<That's not shady...>>

"Munchy, come here!" Sandy called suddenly. Munchy pushed passed Berry and made his way over to Sandy, placing his paws onto her knee and hoisting himself up so he could rest his head on them. Sandy rubbed in between his ears, where the fire would have appeared during a heated battle.

"Oh, if I knew you were out here, I would have gotten you a dispenser or something." Sandy mentioned.

"Andrew, this is Munchy, I'm not really sure if you've met him formally, but he's been on my team for quite some time now." She explained. Munchy's ears pricked up suddenly as he realized Andrew had even been there, and he allowed his eyes to narrow, emitting a low growl that was quickly hushed by Sandy.

"He's also a little cranky around people he doesn't know." She had seen the trouble that Darryl was having with the dispenser, and she stood up, excusing herself from Andrew's company for one moment to enter the house. Munchy walked back over to the small group of Pokemon and sat down with an annoyed look on his face.

<<Well, someone looks like they've been hit by a truck.>>

<<Shut up Berry, who's that?>> Berry motioned to Glint and Darryl.

<<Their trainer.>> The Quilava took a moment to look from the back to Andrew before grunting.

<<I don't like him.>> Standing up, he quickly walked back into the house through the slightly open door. Berry watched him go, and then turned back to Glint.

<<Sorry about that. Munchy's a grouch and says what he wants, there's nothing we can really do about him.>> she clarified. Sandy appeared again moments later, a small bowl of food in one of her hands. Setting it down in front of Darryl, she knelt down and gave her head a quick pat.

"There, that might work better for you. Those things don't work really well all the time." Standing up, she then headed back over to Andrew and sat down.

"There." she finished a bit more of her food before looking out in the direction of the path to the lab, which wasn't too far away from where they were.

"We could head over there now if you want. Professor Elm hosts the care classes right outside of the lab, so that's probably where everyone is going. Then I believe you just wander around until the fireworks. It's always a nice display." she added, remembering that last year, it had featured many different Pokemon-shaped kinds. Though, she waited to see what Andrew wanted to do.

------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Andrew slowly finished the remainder of his food while Sandy informed him of the past houses she’d lived in. “That sounds really cool! I had no idea how different Hoenn is from Kanto and Johto. I’ve never actually been there but maybe I will someday.” Andrew thought about his own home. Nothing really stood out as much there. “The only thing that sounds vaguely similar to the houses in Fortree is a secret base that my friends and I made when we were younger. It’s above Viridian Forest so we used to see quite a few bug-types but there are actually probably more flying-types there.” He decided to finish there, afraid that he might accidentally waste the day telling Sandy his life story.

Glint frowned as a grumpy-looking Quilava approached them. He was slightly insulted by the fire-type’s comment. “<<Well, go sleep somewhere else then before drown you with a Water Gun...>>” Glint mumbled. “<<Who does this guy think he is?>>” he glared over as the mouse-like Pokémon crawled over to Sandy. While Darryl agreed that Munchy was a little bit of a grouch, she realised that they had disturbed him and it was only natural that he’d be annoyed. The Sandshrew was surprised by Glint’s sudden change of personality. He must’ve felt intimidated for some reason.

Andrew noticed that Glint’s death glare which suggested that he some sort of problem with Munchy. As tried to work out what was wrong, he heard Sandy call his name. He quickly turned as she introduced the Quilava. “You have a Quilava too? How many other Pokémon are you hiding away?” Andrew laughed. “Nice to meet you, Munchy!” It didn’t take him long to notice that the Pokémon was a bit hostile. Andrew looked back over to Glint, wondering if the Squirtle had something to do with it. However, Sandy quickly explained that it was just part of his personality.

Glint sneered as Berry casually insulted the Quilava. He took a deep breath to calm himself as Munchy stated that he disliked Andrew. Spitting a Water Gun at the fire-type was becoming more and more tempting. Fortunately, he decided to leave after making the comment. If Ruffle had heard his comment, a whole other scenario would have occurred.
“<<He makes it hard not to like him.>>” Glint said sarcastically. “<<I think we should get out of here before he comes back.>>” For once, Glint wasn’t totally focused on making Berry like him. Munchy had completely stirred things up.

Darryl beamed as Sandy returned with some food from inside. The girl had been really kind to her all day. She was glad that Andrew was friends with her. The Sandshrew rubbed her head against the girl’s arm and began to eat. This certainly beat using that broken dispenser. “Thanks for sorting things out for Darryl! She’s a bit quieter than Glint so sometimes it’s hard to know when she’s having trouble with something.” Andrew explained as Sandy returned to her seat.

Andrew watched as she pointed out Professor Elm’s lab. “Sure, I’d love to see what’s happening over at the lab! I never properly stopped off there when I first came to New Bark Town. I love fireworks too so I’m sure I’ll be entertained! We can head over there whenever you’re ready.” he declared, holding the empty food box in his hand. He glanced over at his Pokémon. They all seemed to be finishing up their food too. Darryl had just got her food but she never seemed to eat too much so he was sure that she wouldn’t mind heading over to the lab too.

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

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Sandy suddenly felt embarassed to the fact that Munchy had acted so rudely. It was clear that Glint already wasn't a big fan of him, and it was only when Andrew thanked her that she actually tuned back into what was going on.

"Hm? Oh, no, don't worry about it! Scatter tends to be almost the same way these days. I don't know why, but I think I just learned how to deal with it." She explained, glancing around and frowning slightly when she couldn't spot the cat anywhere close to the porch. Berry meanwhile, blinked in confusion. She hadn't known that Glint was even able to be that worked up, but she supposed everyone could be, and Munchy could be quite aggravating.

<<Don't worry about it Glint. If I know Munchy he won't be coming back, but I think Sandy and Andrew are going to go in a moment anyway.>> She mentioned, looking back at the two trainers. Noticing Andrew had finished his food, Sandy snapped out of her void of thought.

"Oh, you're finished? Sorry, I haven't been paying much attention to how much we've eaten with all the um...excitement." She mentioned, glancing up a moment at the festival taking place just outside her doorstep. She took the empty tray along with her own and dropped it in the trash on the side of the porch. Though she heard the phone ring, she was quick to walk off the porch, motioning for Andrew to follow. Berry tapped a foot impatiently.

<<Sandy! That's probably your mother calling! Sand- Oh nevermind.>> Motioning for Glint and for Darryl in a similar fashion as her trainer, Berry hopped from the porch and kept an even pace at Sandy's side. Sandy looked down, satisfied that she knew Berry had followed, and she was quick to dust away more of the annoying snow that was gathering over her hair again.

"So Andrew, you mentioned a secret base earlier? I bet that must have been pretty exciting! Or...maybe I just think anything with the word 'Secret' in it sounds exciting. The closest thing my brother and I had to a secret base was the back alley behind Winona's Gym, which was pretty fun unless it was raining." she explained, interested in what Andrew had to say about his own base. It wasn't until they were close enough to the lab though, that Kenzy came storming up to Sandy, placing her hands on her shoulders and shaking the more confused girl a bit.

"K-Kenzy! What is it?" she asked nervously, trying to make sense of what her friend was doing.

"Men! I can't stand them." before Sandy had a chance to answer, the other girl pushed her slightly into Andrew and wlaked straight past her.

"...That was weird..." she commented to Andrew after Kenzy was well out of her sight.Though Joshua came up to them not to long after this, and looked around.

"Sand where's Kenzy?" He asked quickly, seeming a bit anxious about something. Sandy whispered a quick apology to Andrew for bumping into him and straightened herself out.

"She just passed us. Joshua, what happened?" Joshua rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, the normally quiet guy seemed pretty riled up.

"I tried giving her a tip for running the care class, and she got mad at me. You know, Typical Kenzy? Anyway, looks like I'm going to have to run the class on my own now." Sandy was beginning to think that Joshua probably was giving Kenzy the wrong message when she got mad at him, but she didn't say a word. Instead she offered him some help.

"Well, I know you don't have Pokemon, but a couple of mine are running around here, if you see one of them go ahead and ask them for a hand. You know which ones they are." Hearing a curt thank you from Joshua, she watched as he hurried ahead of them to get back to the lab.

"Kenzy tends to overshoot things just a bit." Sandy mentioned to Andrew once they could start walking again. The snow was still falling a bit heavily, but it didn't bother Sandy that much.

"You know, I'm also glad you like fireworks. Since the sky is still clear enough, they'll happen. I was afraid with all the snow around that we wouldn't be able to have them." She explained with a slight shiver. By the time they had reached the lab, Sandy noticed that Joshua was off in front, Hotaru wagging her tail excitedly at his feet.

"Looks like he found someone." She mentioned to Andrew, happy that the Mightyena would help anyone...though, sometimes that could also be a bad thing. As Joshua began speaking, he explained quite a few things as far as Pokemon care went. He demonstrated the proper way to brush out a fur coat, and explained that certain berries, such as Lum and Leppa, could help keep a good shine on Pokemon like Squirtle and Bulbasaur, who didn't have fur to brush.

"And don't forget that if your Pokemon becomes ill, and you're nowhere close to a Pokemon center, that there are many natural remedies that can help your Pokemon, at least until you can get them proper help." Professor Elm, who had been standing next to him, held up a book and explained that they could pick them up in the lab if they wanted a guide to natural remedies. Though it had been at least an hour and a half, Sandy felt like the class had been short. Though, the sky was getting dark, so maybe it was just her.

"I hope that was interesting for you Andrew! I mean I've seen this class done at least three times but they always add something new." If he had wanted to pick up a book, she'd wait.

"When you're ready, I know a hill on route 29 that has a better view than we can get here. The fireworks probably won't start for another hour, but it will take us a bit of time to get there anyway." They could also always just chat, even if they did get there early, so Sandy wasn't too worried about it being awkward. Hotaru trotted up to them and sat on the floor, wagging her tail as Berry greeted her.

------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't have to give a reason why...

[Andrew]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Glint was glad to hear Berry say that Munchy probably wouldn’t show his face anytime soon. The male Squirtle had seen enough of him already. “<<Good, because if I see him again, I know I’ll just want to drench him. >>” He looked over at Sandy and Andrew who seemed to both be finished with their food. Darryl had also stopped eating which meant they’d probably be heading somewhere else in a while. “<<Yeah, it looks like we’re going...>>” the water-type said, awkwardly trying to change the subject of the conversation.

Andrew handed the tray to Sandy as she stood up. “Thanks, that food was really good!” He stood up slowly and stretched out before realising that Sandy was gesturing to him as if she wanted him to follow her. His Pokémon followed Berry in the same direction. “Glint, Darryl, you both here?” Andrew asked, turning back to see his Squirtle wave at him with a smirk on his face. He seemed to be in a better mood again, now that they were heading somewhere else. “Just making sure! New Bark Town might not be very big but it’s still easy to get lost in the crowds.”

He turned back to Sandy who seemed to be brushing a thin layer of snow from her hair. “Oh yeah, the secret base! Well, it was pretty cool at the time, yeah! We were hanging around Viridian Forest one day and we noticed an opening in some rocks on a ledge way above the trees. We decided to check it out and then one of my friends thought it’d be fun to make a secret base. So we decorated the place and spent hours up there. It was really hard to get to and eventually it became so dangerous that we couldn’t climb up to it anymore. I’m pretty sure you’d need to fly to get up there now. So you sort of had a base behind a Gym? That sounds like a lot of fun...” he suddenly trailed off, remembering his own experiences with the local gym back home. He decided that this wasn’t a good time to bring up something like that though.

As they approached the lab, Andrew was startled as Sandy’s friend dashed towards them. He turned away and scratched his head awkwardly as Kenzy proclaimed her hatred of men. He turned back as Sandy was knocked against him while Kenzy took off once again. “Yeah...that was a little weird.” Andrew agreed. His eye caught sight of another person moving towards them. “Don’t worry!” Andrew whispered back as Sandy apologised to him. He listened as Sandy referred to this new guy as ‘Joshua’. He’d disappeared again before Andrew could say a word. Andrew found it funny that Sandy’s friends all seemed to be worked up about something on a day like this.

“I’ve seen worse than Kenzy! My sister’s can be like that too!” Andrew laughed, understanding exactly what Sandy was trying to say. “That’s good to know! Fireworks are definitely a nice way to wrap things up!” As they arrived at the lab, Andrew instantly recognised Hotaru from earlier. The care class was even more interesting than he expected and ended surprisingly fast in his opinion. He’d definitely picked up a few things from listening, especially regarding berries which he still hadn’t become accustomed to using. They seemed just as good as the items he could buy at the Poké Mart.

“Whoa, it really got dark fast!” Andrew announced, looking around him. “It’s still pretty cold too!” He suddenly realised that Sandy had said something to him. “Sorry, I sort of zoned out when I realised how late it was! Yeah, the class was really cool. Thanks for bringing me along!” he smirked as he thought back to Professor Elm’s book. “I think I might pick up one of those books! He really wanted to get them out there.” he laughed. He took a few steps towards the lap before noticing a queue had formed. “Okay, that line’s a little long. Maybe I’ll stop by on the way back! Route 29 sounds great actually! I haven’t been there in a while. I’m ready when you are!”

He quickly glanced back to make sure his two Pokémon were still behind him. He noticed that Darryl was shivering and decided to pick her up. “Wow, you’re really cold, Darryl! I think you’re better off staying off the ground.” He looked over at the Squirtle. “Are you alright, Glint?” he asked, although he sort of already knew the answer. “<<Dude, if I can use Ice Beam, I think I can handle a little snow.>>” He turned back to Berry and watched as Hotaru made her way towards them. He seemed to have forgotten about Munchy and was back to normal now.

[Kataya]

Sandy Katayko

Not wrappin' this in ribbons...

------------------------------------------------

Sandy laughed a bit as Andrew came to the realization as to how long the line was. Elm's books were quite popular. For a second, she caught Joshua's eye, and he mouthed something to her, which received a positive nod from her in response. Joshua nodded and then walked casually past the line into the lab, and Sandy sighed to herself. He'd take care of what she wanted while they were out.

She glanced for a moment at Darryl, and she knew since the Shrew had skin made of such a substance that it was, she was probably freezing, but Andrew picking her out of the snow made Sandy feel a lot easier about the Sandshrew's condition. She knew Berry was alright where she was, pawing through the snow beside Hotaru.

"Darryl doesn't complain all that much huh? I mean, if one of my Pokemon were cold, they'd never let me hear the end of it." She mentioned to Andrew, fascinated by Darryl's level of patience. She brushed her hands over the sleeves of her sweater a couple of times, warming herself up a bit as they walked.

"You'd think being born in winter would make me like snow more. I mean, it's pretty, but I kind of prefer being warm" she joked lightly as the snow continued to crunch quietly under boots. Hotaru barked suddenly, making Sandy jump slightly, but she quickly recovered her wits and turned around to see Hotaru wagging her tail heavily.

"Oh, I see what you want." She drew her bag off of her shoulder and took out a ball, throwing it as far out ahead as she could. Hotaru barked again and thundered after it, leaving only hasty paw prints in her wake.

<<That dog is more energetic than a freaking mew.>> Berry commented to Glint as she carried on behind Sandy. Sandy looked around at the darkened root and frowned slightly. She didn't travel out on the route close to night time much, and the tall grasses and trees that surrounded it provided cover for more than just wild Pokemon. though she hadn't been nervous the previous year, it had been because of what happened while she was with Ein and Matthew, a short couple of months after the festival, although that had happened in the early morning. She didn't exactly want to know what could happen at night.

She moved a bit closer to Andrew, letting go of her breath that she had been holding for quite a while. That was when she realized she probably hadn't talked in over three minutes.

"I'm sorry if I've been a bit quiet, I was thinking!" she explained quickly. She stopped very quickly to look around, and then turned to the left.

"It's just up there." She said, Hotaru already standing near the destination holding the ball. She must have found it an excellent place to roll around in. Berry picked up her pace and headed for Hotaru, kicking up snow as she did, and Sandy laughed.

"At least someone's enjoying this weather." By the time they had gotten up the hill, Sandy stopped to look down on the town, glittering from the street lamps and decorative lights that had been set up. That was always why she had come up here, because the Fireworks always looked better the closer you were to the sky. She leaned against the lone tree that stood there, and watched as Berry tried to tackle Hotaru for the ball.

"She's different...i-if you were wondering." She said suddenly, her vision trained on Hotaru as she bounded through the snow. "I caught her to keep her away from Munchy but I wasn't treating her like I should have been. I'm still working on getting over the fact that she's a Mightyena, but I couldn't keep acting how I was while she was still a Poochyena." She didn't know why she felt like she had to explain all of this to Andrew. Maybe it was because he was one of the only people outside of her family who knew about her fear, since they had been pretty surprised about Hotaru themselves, but she had just said all of that on impulse.

"Ahem...Sorry." She fell silent for just a little while, before she shifted the subject to something different.

"Do you ever feel a sort of nostalgia coming back here Andrew? I mean, it's been a long time since either of us started out right? I guess it's not for me because I live around here, but I always wonder what it's like for trainers that don't live around here." she asked, a level of interest glistening just behind her eyes. It was really something she had been trying to figure out for a while, not only something she had just thought about to implement a subject change. Looking at her watch for only a minute, it told her it wasn't going to be long before the fireworks started up.

------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't have to give a reason why...