Pokémon Swirl & Spiral

Chapter 2: Proclamation

The automatic sliding doors that comprised DYSK's front entrance never looked so inviting until right then. With a swipe of her keycard, Kairi felt a wave of relief as the slightly chill air of the building reminded her that she was home. Bringing her bags in, no one was present in any of the benches that lined the walls of the office entrance.

"Cufant!" a high pitched voice greeted her. Kairi approached the reception desk to see the Pokémon lying comfortably in the Receptionist's chair.

"Hey, little guy." she answered, scratching behind its ears. "I guess Phil's too busy to man the front desk right now, huh?"

"Cu..." Cufant responded, approving her gesture.

"I'm sure he'll get you before the ceremony starts. His shift ends soon anyway." she reassured. "I'm going to go deliver some groceries now to the chefs. I'll see you later!"

She turned to the right hallway where the kitchen was located. That brief interaction with Cufant had eased her up a little, even if only slightly. For a moment, she almost forgot what she had seen twenty minutes ago. She did her best to allow her mind to dwell on something else.

During her many years living in DYSK, Kairi befriended every Pokémon that lived under the shelter's roof. Every now and then new people would stay and bring their Pokémon and vise versa. It was the people who left with their Pokémon however, that was the more painful side to living at the shelter for as long as she had.

That Sandshrew was such a sweetheart. Hopefully Mrs. Trias is doing well.

Kairi entered the double metal doors to the kitchen, using one hand to carry her bags. She barely had a foot in the door when the aroma of spicy curry hit her. The entire room smelled delicious. 

"Kairi!" The main cook, Jordan, called. He left the bread that he'd been seasoning and grabbed the bags from her. "Thanks again for heading out for us. We appreciate it. Sorry again that it was on such short notice."

She smiled, glad that her arms could rest. "It was no problem, really. Mom's telling me I should be more independent now anyway."

Even if that meant exposure to public annihilation.

"That's great, kiddo." Jordan responded. "Because of you we can finally get to speed on decorating the rest of the pastries. They'll be a major hit tonight."

"I'm sure they will. I'm sure you and the others have made several thousands, the whole Sector's visiting." Kairi mentioned.

That night the entire region of Arim was conducting a region-wide banquet. An annual tradition, every single Sector would see its people gather together for a large dinner with the almighty Hera on the holo-screen. It was issued as a celebration for another successful Arimian business year.

DYSK had hosted the event for the Sector of Xevl for the last nine years, with each year never failing to be compact and busy. The main living quarter that served as every resident's communal bedroom had to be renovated to accommodate for the massive influx of people. As a result of this, it became the designated safe area for Xevl in the case of any deadly national emergency.

Kairi was neutral when it came to the regional dinner. Outside of the obvious pleasure that derived from consuming such extraordinary homemade cuisine, she was always too young to really understand its overall importance. From the previous years, she only remembered watching with everyone else the capital's presentation of Arimian propaganda videos and updates on the region's economy and health from the region's senators. It was all stuff that was mostly handled by the adults. As Kairi was much older now, she knew she had to start paying attention. The most memorable portion of the presentation would always come in the event's conclusion with Lady Hera delivering a brief final word then toasting the entirety of Arim to a glass. That moment was everyone's favorite, as a sense of patriotism and triumph would always arise afterwards.