Chikorita slowly woke up in a daze, her sleep gradually fading away due to the noise around her. She blinked groggily, staring ahead with hazy eyes.
Luther and Mai were already up and moving. Although the sky still looked dark, it was actually 6 a.m.
Watching Luther and Mai busily packing up around the tent and the nearby Pokémon yawning as they gathered, Chikorita tilted her head and suddenly realized that she hadn't slept in her tree hollow last night.
She stood up and felt a small blanket slip off her body. A chilly breeze swept by, making her shiver.
She had no memory of how she fell asleep, only a vague recollection of lying outside the hollow, thinking for a long time. 'Where did this blanket come from?'
Espurr waved her hand at the blanket, making it float up into the air and return to her. She patted it clean and handed it back to Mai.
Before setting out on the trip, knowing the weather would get colder, Mai had bought several blankets based on the Pokémon's sizes. She had taken the time to tailor them like little cloaks, lined with cotton, usable as both wearables and covers. They were especially handy when the Pokémon were out of their Poké Balls or taking night shifts.
The one covering Chikorita had belonged to Corsola.
It was Eevee and Kirlia, on night watch, who had found Chikorita sleeping outside the tree hollow. The rustling they made searching for the blanket had caught Mai's attention, so she had taken Corsola's and gently laid it over Chikorita.
"Do we still have enough food?" Luther asked as he checked the night shift Pokémon's health and inspected the Pokémon eggs.
Mai confirmed the supply count and replied, "We're good. If we stick to three meals a day, we have about four days' worth left. If we keep heading north and cross this forest, we should reach a village. It shouldn't be a problem."
"Good."
Luther added the kindling they'd gathered the night before to the campfire and lit it.
Breakfast was simple. Chansey's delicious eggs solved most of the problem, Pokémon loved the taste. To ensure Chansey had enough energy each day to produce fresh eggs, the other Pokémon often shared some of their own food with her.
Chansey didn't take night shifts. At night, she helped Luther inside the tent with the Pokémon eggs. Sometimes, a Pokémon on night patrol would get bored, wander off, and come back with Berries to share with her.
Luther and Mai quickly finished their food. Looking up at the sky, they saw it was still overcast. Without their phones telling them it was morning, they might've thought night had just fallen.
After eating, they recalled the Pokémon that had stayed up overnight, letting them get some proper rest. Then, they continued on their journey.
Chikorita watched Luther and Mai walking away and froze for a moment. Then, biting into a Berry, she darted after them and blocked their path.
She placed the Berry on the ground and pointed toward her tree hollow.
Luther crouched down and patted her on the head.
"You want to trade more Berries with me, right?"
Chikorita let out a breath of relief. Finally, he understands what I mean.
"Alright. I accept. Those Berries are mine now."
But just as she was getting excited, Luther changed his tone.
"And now I'm giving them back to you. Oh, and I'll throw in a little something extra."
He placed a small pouch of Lum Berry concentrate on top of Chikorita's large leafy head and waved goodbye along with Mai.
"Have a good winter! We'll come visit again next time we pass through."
Chikorita stood there dazed, trying to make sense of Luther's logic.
→ My Berries → I used them to trade with this person → He didn't want them → I decided to give more → He accepted all of them → Then gave them back to me
It felt like she had won again, but… something still felt off.
Chikorita returned to her tree hollow and began rummaging through her pile of Berries in a flurry.
When she reached the very bottom and uncovered something buried deep beneath, Chikorita's eyes lit up. She bit down on it and dragged it out, patting off the dust.
It was an item left behind by a traveler passing through the forest. Chikorita had only picked it up because she liked the dark green pattern on it but now, it seemed like it could finally be put to use.
Meanwhile, Luther and Mai had been walking for a long while when a winding and steep canyon opened up before them. Both cliffsides were dotted with holes of varying depths, some large enough to fit two people, others barely the size of a Pokémon Egg. How they formed was anyone's guess.
Unlike the forest behind them, where one might still spot Pokémon making final efforts to prepare for winter, the entire canyon was eerily quiet. So far, Luther had only seen a Staraptor glide overhead; there were no signs of Pokémon living within the gorge.
That didn't mean it was completely barren, leafless trees jutted out halfway from cracks in the rock walls, and there were traces of green grass on the canyon floor. Luther even spotted a pool of water being fed by a small spring, with vegetation growing around it. There was a water source, there was plant life… but no Pokémon.
Luther and Mai looked at each other with confusion, a subtle sense of unease creeping in. Their phones hadn't flagged this as a danger zone, but a place with such a noticeable lack of Pokémon presence felt… wrong.
They didn't know how long they walked before the canyon finally gave way to open plains, and in the distance, a town came into view.
Luther squinted.
"Is there something in the sky above that town?"
Mai took a closer look too and noticed the same thing.
"Looks like a lot of Flying-type Pokémon are circling overhead?"
But a lot didn't even begin to describe it. From where they stood, it looked like a massive cloud was swirling through the sky.
As they got closer, they spotted a wooden sign by the roadside. It read:
"Falling Feather Town"
"We cherish the sky, and from them, we feel the breath of the heavens."
A paradise for Flying-type Pokémon lovers.
The closer they drew to the town, the more astonished Luther and Mai became.
A family of Pidgey were happily feasting on a giant pumpkin by the roadside. Even when Luther and Mai approached, they merely glanced up before continuing their meal.
A short distance away, a group of Spearow circled a Fearow, pecking contentedly at scattered Berries. Luther walked right by them, and again, no reaction.
Upon entering Falling Feather Town, the Flying-type presence became overwhelming.
A Swellow perched on a shop sign.
A Noctowl tilted its head from atop a mailbox, eyeing Luther.
A Hoothoot sat like a mascot by a shop's entrance.
A Staraptor led a line of Starly down the road like a marching band.
A Honchkrow, somehow carrying a Feeding Bowl, fed a group of Murkrow chicks.
Around a fountain, Chatot stood evenly spaced in a perfect circle.
The townspeople, for their part, didn't seem bothered at all by the Pokémon frolicking freely through the streets.
Or rather, not only were they not bothered, judging by the decorations, the colorful banners, and the smiles on everyone's faces… the entire town was in the middle of a celebration.
Luther stopped a passing young man to ask what was going on and finally learned the truth.
"You two must be visitors, right? This is Falling Feather Town's annual Falling Feather Festival, the town is named after it," explained the young man named Tatsuya patiently.
"Did you pass through a canyon on your way here?"
"You mean the one with no signs of Pokémon activity?" Luther pointed back in the direction they came from.
Tatsuya chuckled. "Of course, there wouldn't be any Pokémon there right now. The Pokémon who usually live there are all in the town today."
Luther and Mai stared in shock at the roughly hundred or so Flying-type Pokémon moving about in the sky and on the ground, then asked in unison:
"All of them are here?"
Tatsuya scratched his head. "Well… maybe not all. Some might not like crowds and choose to go somewhere else. But it's safe to say, most of them are here."
"Our ancestors and forebears settled here, right by that canyon. The canyon is a paradise for Flying-type Pokémon. At its peak, the cliffs were covered in their nests."
"Every so often, the townspeople would collect leftover Pokémon food and place it in the canyon, letting the Pokémon take it as they pleased. If an injured Pokémon was found, the townsfolk would nurse it back to health and return it to the canyon."
"Then one day, the Flying-type Pokémon living there suddenly emerged in full force. According to the stories passed down, it was a terrifying sight, feathers blanketed the sky, and the sun was blotted out."
"They circled the town a few times and then flew south. The town elders, alerted by their Pokémon, felt that the coming winter would be extremely harsh and made early preparations. Sure enough, that year's winter came early and was brutally cold. Many unprepared towns suffered losses, even casualties. But our town made it through safely, thanks to the Pokémon's warning."
"Ever since then, every year before winter, we go into the canyon and collect their fallen feathers, weaving them into feather crowns. In return, we bring out our yearly harvest and offerings for them to enjoy."
"In the beginning, only a few Pokémon would come. But over time, more and more joined, until it became what you see today."
Tatsuya looked up at the skies filled with Flying-types, pride evident in his expression. This tradition, passed down and grown over generations, had become a festival they could be proud of.
"No one here would ever harm them. Every Flying-type Pokémon that comes knows the rules, no unauthorized battles, and all food displayed or placed around town is free for them to enjoy."
"Oh, and right, every year around this time, many Pokémon Trainers also come here to take part in the Flying-type Pokémon Tournament. The winner gets to adopt a Flying-type Pokémon Egg and receives one of the feather crowns made this year. Did you two come for that?"
Luther and Mai exchanged a smile and said in unison:
"We just stumbled in here while wandering around."
Mai actually had a few Flying-type Pokémon back home, but she didn't have any intention of adopting a new one for now.
Luther, on the other hand, suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He had just realized that he didn't own a single Flying-type Pokémon, in a world where they were a convenient means of travel, he had yet to acquire one.
"No worries, guests are always welcome. I own a restaurant not far from here, and there are already quite a few visiting Trainers inside. You might find some folks to talk with."
It was then that Luther noticed Tatsuya was holding a bag of ingredients in his hands.
(End of Chapter)
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