Pokémon Mars

Chapter 84: Harmony

Returning the van at the airport, the group boarded a long flight to a sunny city in shades of the desert that surrounded it. When the sun rose the next day, they saw the silhouettes of the famous pyramids that peeked over the city's skyscrapers. They took a bus and then a Camerupt ride to see the pyramids and the equally famous Luxray statue up close. After a few days spent exploring the city and vast deserts, they boarded another flight to Zafrane City in Gharab.

Jin was their tour guide once again, although he talked about his parents' Gharabian adventures as much as the local history. His friends were enthralled by their surroundings of ancient medinas, minarets, valleys and mountains, so they weren't really listening to Jin. Praise left every souk with more bags of souvenirs, although some of these were actually practical: teapots, tagines and clothing that could protect him from the vicious Martian wind.

'Are you opening a restaurant?' Sonnet asked, 'Or perhaps a Gible-product enterprise? Because you'll need an entire room of fridges to hold all those magnets.'

'Maybe I will open a restaurant. Rudolph kept going on about the great food in Ironville, but the "Seri" food there was tasteless...'

Sonnet hated surfing, but found he loved sandboarding in the Hariya Desert. Spheal was stressed by the heat, so he sent it to Mercury's PC Storage System and withdrew Pheromosa. As he hoped, it liked that white-sand desert. It reminded it of the Ultra Desert it came from. It even beat Jin at sandboarding, but no-one could beat Zorua. The Water-type Pokémon enjoyed swimming while Thalassa, Callerya and Firmino went kitesurfing. Eden's Charizard was surprisingly eager to try it. It was actually a strong swimmer and didn't complain when it fell off. Nyx's Zoroark had a go, but it was too hot. It sat with Nyx in the shade of a café's umbrellas. She didn't feel well. A rest in the shade was a relief.

From the port in Massia City, they caught a ferry to Paldea and drove on, through vast expanses of green countryside and bustling cities, to Kalos. They only planned to spend an afternoon in Kiloude City. Firmino's aunt, uncle and grandparents awaited them in Lumiose City. A feast would certainly be on the table. It pained Callerya to miss food made by Siebold's descendants, but she said she would catch up later. She was sure she would find another Frontier Brain at the Battle Maison.

Unfortunately for her, Julien's aunt was a Battle Chatelaine. He tended to exaggerate his exploits, so his aunt told stories of Mars that terrified the Trainers there. No-one wanted to go. She didn't miss the food for no reason, though: she won Expert Battler Ribbons for herself and her Pokémon. When she wasn't battling, she and Praise enjoyed chatting and listening to busking accordion players in the bistros that lined the quaint and colourful streets. Makuhita and Sliggoo were as wide-eyed as their new Trainer. They never expected to see the world beyond the grounds of the mansion, let alone beyond Seri.

Their friends were on the train to Wyndon by the time Callerya and Praise caught the train to Lumiose City. They didn't mind. They wanted to see the Battle Chateau and Parfum Palace once they explored the wide boulevards and tried the food in Lumiose City. The sights were beautiful and romantic, but Callerya's favourite moment was when she was surrounded by adoring Flabébé, Spritzee and Swirlix in a riverside flower field. She caught one of each to take to Mars.

'I'll make it a place you'll love! I promise!'

The Pokémon trusted her. They were in awe of any Pokémon wearing Expert Battler Ribbons.

Callerya and Praise caught up to their friends in Turffield, where they stayed with Khalid and Vega. Sonnet met the fierce Charmander who guarded their country home. The guests were surprised to see Apple Yakhin, Luke's rival architect, at the kitchen table. She was once Vega's best friend. Vega was so exasperated when Callerya and Praise arrived that she didn't even notice them dragging a massive suitcase in.