Caran Palace was adorned with festive decorations. The streets were bustling with a vibrant crowd, filled with the cheerful energy of a grand celebration.
Warm-colored lanterns hung above, and the streets brimd with stalls of all kinds. People in various attire walked through the lively streets, many accompanied by their Pokémon.
Johan and his companions were no exception.
"The crowd is impressive," Johan remarked, taking in the sights.
"Caran Palace hosts this festival every year. It's said to commorate the legendary Aura Guardian, Sir Aaron, who once saved the city," Roxanne explained, flipping through her notebook.
Flannery's eyes lit up with excitent. "That ans there's bound to be a big battle tournant, right?"
In the Pokémon world, festivals and battles often went hand-in-hand—a cultural hallmark of their society. Pokémon battles were woven into everyday life, becoming an art and a form of entertainnt.
"Ka-kah!"
Gengar perked up at the ntion of battles. It hadn't yet tried legally "acquiring" an opponent's held item during a match. Surely, in a festival battle, such items wouldn't need to be returned?
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix, however, seed distracted, still thinking about the pink figure it had seen in the lake's reflection earlier.
"What's up?" Johan asked, noticing the little one's unusual behavior.
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix shook its head.
Must've been a trick of the light, it thought.
"Not just a large tournant; there's also a team battle event," Roxanne added to Flannery's excitent. "The royal family hosts a banquet to honor the victors, and the ultimate winner is bestowed the title of 'Aura Guardian.' It's Caran Palace's highest honor."
Aura Guardian.
Johan's mind wandered.
Surely, without Ash present, there was no risk of triggering the plot of the Lucario and the Mystery of w movie, right?
This should just be a routine festival held annually.
With that thought, he relaxed.
No plot involvent? No problem!
"Our goal is to beco Aura Guardians!" Flannery declared, pumping her fist with determination.
"Ka-kah!"
Gengar mimicked her with equal enthusiasm.
Steven chuckled. "It won't be that easy. Trainers from all over the world are competing."
Which explains how Ash won the title in the movie—sothing must've been rigged, Johan mused.
Either his protagonist aura got buffed, or Pikachu stopped holding back.
Probably the latter.
"Our task here is to participate in the team battles, right, Professor?" Roxanne asked, turning to Johan.
Johan snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "It's more of a showcase match, so there's no need to stress. I'm confident in you three."
With his team of "aces," Johan felt any team battle would be a breeze.
"If you want to join the tournant battles, feel free to do so," he added.
Thanks to Steven's private jet, they had arrived earlier than most. The official festival events wouldn't start until the next day, including the showcase match.
However, the tournant battles had already begun today.
Many people dressed in retro-style outfits, so accompanied by similarly adorned Pokémon—an unspoken mark of participation in the festival battles.
Of course, dressing up wasn't mandatory, but it added to the festive atmosphere.
Flannery and Gengar seed particularly excited about the battles, while Steven and Roxanne were less interested.
"We've got plenty of ti. Let's explore for now," Johan suggested.
Caran Palace's celebratory vibe was infectious, even making the usually shy Vulpix eager to join in.
As they wandered through the city, the group gradually drifted apart, each pursuing their own interests.
Johan only reminded them to regroup by evening, allowing them to explore freely.
For instance, Gengar and the others had found a small crowd of children playing a ball-scooping ga.
For 20 Pokédollars, you could scoop five balls. Whatever you managed to scoop, you got to keep.
It seed easy at first glance, but...
"Chu!"
Tinkatuff tried scooping, but its strength was too much. The paper scoop tore instantly, spilling water everywhere.
Its sheer power was unsuited for the flimsy scoops.
Johan sighed. Tinkatuff has great strength, but its control is lacking.
It seed clear Tinkatuff would need training in precision and restraint. Otherwise, it might grow up to be all brawn and no finesse.
For now, though...
Gengar had already scooped four balls. Dratini, though unlucky, managed two. Vulpix, with its fine control, rarely missed, netting a ball nearly every ti.
anwhile, Tinkatuff still had none.
"Chu!"
"Again!"
"Chu!"
"Again!"
"Chu!"
The stall owner chuckled, delighted at Tinkatuff's repeated attempts. It was like having an automatic gold mine in front of him.
Johan, however, felt his wallet bleeding.
Rolling up his sleeves, he declared, "Tinkatuff, let show you how it's done."
Tinkatuff's eyes sparkled with hope.
"Chu!"
Scoop it!
"Don't worry," Johan assured, patting its head. "This is child's play."
The stall owner's smile faltered, sensing a challenge.
"Five more tries," Johan said, handing over 20 Pokédollars.
Taking five new scoops, Johan set his sights on a Pikachu-patterned ball. But...
The scoop broke.
"Hmm. A simple mistake," Johan muttered.
Tinkatuff nodded vigorously. Yes, yes!
The second attempt failed too.
"This one's tricky. Let's switch targets," Johan said, frowning.
The third scoop went for a Gengar-patterned ball... and broke again.
"The paper is too thin!"
By the fourth attempt: "The water level is too high!"
The fifth: "The handle is too long!"
By the sixth: "Five more tries!"
At this point, the stall owner realized Johan was no master but a novice.
So much for looking intimidating, the owner thought, his fear replaced by amusent.
Sensing Johan's growing obsession, Gengar called the others to help pull him away.
Just then, Vulpix noticed sothing—a pink glow darted past its face, disappearing beneath a nearby cart.
"...Oowu?"
A fire Vulpix peeked out from under the cart, smiling sweetly before retreating back underneath.
Then a Pidgey flew out from the other side.
"...Oowu?"
Vulpix tilted its head in confusion, a question mark practically hovering above it.
"Ka-kah! Ka-kah!"
Gengar's call snapped Vulpix out of its daze, prompting it to rejoin Johan. It hopped onto his shoulder, exhaling a soft puff of cold air to cool him down.
Johan shivered as frost ford in his hair, forcing an awkward smile.
"Haha... Thanks, Vulpix."
The ultimate cure for overheating—Vulpix!
Despite the failed scooping adventure, the group continued enjoying the festival.
As they strolled, a shopkeeper called out, "Sir, would you like to dress your Pokémon in festival outfits? They're so cute!"
"Oowu?"
Vulpix blinked at her with wide eyes.
The shopkeeper instantly lted, heart-shaped pupils replacing her irises.
"Adorable!"
Gengar tugged at Johan's sleeve, pointing to the shop.
"Ka-kah~~ She called cute!"
Johan sighed, deadpan. "Trust —no one but thinks Gengar is cute."
Gengar gave him a side-eye. Yeah, right.
Seeing his Pokémon so eager, Johan decided to oblige.
After all, festival attire seed fitting.
During the academy festival, Gastly and Vulpix had worn costus. Gengar had even evolved into Haunter back then just to fit into a suit of armor.
"Alright, pick sothing you like," Johan said.
The Pokémon cheered and dashed inside.
Vulpix quickly chose an Ice Eevee costu.
"Adorable!" cried the shopkeeper, helping it try on the outfit.
"Ka-kah..."
Gengar grumbled, regretting not keeping the knight costu from the academy festival. Nothing here seed to fit quite right—its odd proportions made finding a costu tricky.
Just as it was about to give up, Johan spotted sothing.
"Gengar, this one's perfect for you!"
"Ka-kah?"
Gengar floated over skeptically, eyeing the red armor Johan had chosen.
"You sure about this?"
"Trust ," Johan said confidently.
Soon, Gengar stood clad in red armor, resembling a multi-ard deity.
"Perfect!" Johan declared, grinning.
Gengar smirked at its reflection, satisfied. Not bad.
anwhile, Tinkatuff donned a martial artist's garb, and Dratini chose a Milotic-thed outfit.
The costus were a hit, especially with Vulpix's charm earning them a steep discount.
Dressed to impress, the group continued
wandering, attracting plenty of attention.
As they walked, they noticed a commotion ahead—a battle between two young trainers had drawn a crowd.
In festival battles, participants could battle almost anywhere, with referees recording results for scorekeeping.
This free-for-all setup contributed to the festival's lively atmosphere.
Johan finally understood how Ash had won in the movie—sheer battle enthusiasm and volu.
"Sir," soone said, approaching him. "Care for a festival battle?"
The surrounding crowd perked up, eager for another match.
"Ka-kah!"
Gengar grinned wickedly, ready for action.
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Powerstones?
For 20 advance Chapters: /michaeltranslates
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