My Name is Marcus: Umbra

III. Memories

After a slight rerouting, the gothic duo found themselves in front of a small single-story house by the end of the road. The abundance of greenery was certainly noteable. Red potted-flowers dotted the frame of the entrance beyond the mossy-stone fence. Leaves and foliage climbed up the walls of the house and onto the thatch roof. Flowered shrubs, bushes, and hanging plants hugged the perimeter of the house. This place felt very much like it was one with the nature that surrounded it, and the small groups of Pokemon that surrounded it - Butterfree, Wooloo, Catterpie, Rookidee, etc. - only emphasized that notion. A couple of Budew hummed cheerfully at the siblings as they passed by.

"So this is where Galar's champion hails from", Marnie said as she took a knee to have a closer look at the Budew, who were happy to be acknowledged. "It's real pretty, yeah?"

Piers raised a brow. "What's with you today?", he asked bluntly. "You never usually talk like that about anything."

Marnie shot her brother a defensive glance. "What? We don't have plants and flowers and stuff like this back in Spikemuth. Maybe I just like it, alright?"

"Alright, alright", Piers replied, his arms slightly extended as he performed a disarming gesture with his hands. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in front of Leon's house. "There ain't nothin' wrong with it, sis, I just ain't used to it, s'all I'm saying."

The two siblings approached the door and paused, seemingly apprehensive about proceeding. After what happened at Leon's house, maybe they should come up with some kind of a plan?

"You wanna do the honors this time?", Marnie asked.

"Y'know, I think a Blipbug's touch is exactly what we need", Piers teased, a wry smirk subtly gracing his lips.

Marnie glared in resentment. "Very funny", she said as she turned her back to him and faced the door.

Tap tap tap-tap tap

A brief moment of silence followed.

"Muuuuuunch",

Something could be heard from just behind the door, letting out a long, strained, and exacerbated sound, as if whatever it was was stretching deeply. Marnie and Piers shot up a curious brow at one another.

Was that a Pokemon?

"Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch", the Pokemon muttered as it toddled from the door. "Munch! Munch!"

"Oh, is somebody at the door, Munchlax?", a woman's voice could be heard asking from inside.

A few more seconds of silence passed before the green wooden door opened. Standing behind the door frame was a woman and her Munchlax. The woman looked a bit dazed, as if she had been doing a great deal of running back and forth, but greeted the guests at the door with a warm smile. She wore floral boots, denim overalls, and a white button-up cotton shirt. A seafoam-green ribbon tied her rich brown hair back into a ponytail that rested on her left shoulder. Her amber/brown eyes seemed to gleam behind the lenses of her silver-framed glasses. "Why hello, there!", the woman chimed cheerfully, "What can I do for you two today?"

Marnie couldn't help but notice how soft the woman's facial features were as she looked at her, observing the similarities between them and those of the champion. This must be Marcus's mom, she deduced to herself. "Hi, y-yeah, we're uh", she stumbled awkwardly, trying to form a cohesive sentence. What a strange day this had been for her so far. She certainly wasn't used to feeling this far out of her element. "We're here for the party? For Marcus?"

The woman gasped, her eyes lighting up with delight as she smiled wide. "Oh, I recognize you!", she declared as she looked at Marnie. "You were in the Gym Challenge! You must be his friend, Marnie!"