Team Petal-Purr
Day of the Summer Festival
Part 1-One Day Before
Part 2-Morning
"Blossom's Day"
After wandering away from Heidi, Blossom wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. It was rare that she ever went anywhere without her older sister and she was missing her already. The empty, lonely feeling that grew within her made her feel queasy. Though Blossom often appeared to be the more mature of the two, she knew just how much she had always relied on Shelby for guidance and reassurance. It was something she had been thinking about a lot since leaving home and at this moment, it weighed heavily on her mind.
The journey to get here had solidified the fact that the two were no longer children. Since the fire that upended their peaceful lives, they had quickly grown into young adults, who had now made the choice to step out on their own. Though she had always thought of herself as capable, Blossom now worried that maybe, she never really knew what it meant to grow up. She didn't feel "grown up" at all. She still felt like the same little girl that wanted nothing more than to play and explore with her sister.
Desperate to regain the feeling of lighthearted joy she felt when first setting foot on the festival grounds, Blossom forced herself to focus on the many stalls as she passed them. She stopped and watched as other Pokemon participated in the challenges that had been set up. A large crowd had gathered around one attraction, where many had lined up to throw a heavy ball at a target. When the target was hit, a Cyndaquil would be dropped off a platform and fall into a large tank of water below him. Blossom winced as a strong looking Pignite threw a perfect shot, sending the small Cyndaquil tumbling into the tank as the crowd cheered. She looked on in horror as the poor creature heaved himself out of the water and climbed back up to his platform. For reasons she could not understand, it seemed that she was the only one that found absolutely no entertainment from seeing this. She could not bear to watch any more and ran away so she would not have to think about it.
-"What a horribly cruel thing to do to someone! Especially a fire type."-
Leaving the unpleasantness behind her, the young Bulbasaur had not walked very far when something else caught her eye. A table full of beautiful dolls and soft toys were displayed by one of the games, every one of them a prize that could be earned. One of the dolls had been knocked to the ground, its tiny black body heaped over into a sad little clump. Blossom rushed over to pick it up, fearing that someone may unknowingly step on it.
She held the little cloth doll in her claws and gently brushed away the dust and grass stuck to it. It was a Gothita, though much smaller than a real one, with white satin bows and glass eyes that sparkled a bright baby blue. Looking down at its tiny purple face, she became enamoured with how it seemed to stare back at her. A sudden voice broke her out of the trance.
"That isn't free, y'know. You can't just take it."
She looked up and was shocked to see the same white Vulpix she had seen practicing his drums the day before. This time, he seemed to be the one running the stall. She wondered if he was still going to perform with his band. He looked at her with a hint of suspicion and Blossom tried not to feel hurt that he thought she was the sort of Pokemon that might steal something.
"I know. You have to win her by throwing those darts." She replied softy, placing the doll back on the table and arranging it neatly, before turning to look at the vendor. "How does it work?"
"Basically just like that, you got it in one." The Vulpix smirked to himself and picked up one of the frozen shards in his paws, holding it up for her to see. "Throw it dead center, win a prize. The usual fare."
Blossom looked over the bales of hay set up beside them, painted with round markings to act as targets. With another glance at the little baby doll, her expression hardens and she reaches into her bag.
"How much?"
Her first shot was way off as she fumbled the icy dart in her claws and struggled to keep her aim. Balancing on her hind legs wasn't an issue, but her arms were too stubby to properly draw back and throw with any real precision. She apologised to the Vulpix manning the stall, though she didn't really know why. He looked bored with the whole thing, holding his head up with a single white paw against his cheek.
"Why don't you just use your vines?" He asked, sounding as if he was barely paying attention. Blossom's eyes went wide at the suggestion and she shrunk down and spoke timidly.
"My mother always taught me it was rude to use your vines in public. They're only for battling."
The vendor didn't change his expression.
"That's dumb. Almost every grass type I know uses their vines all the time."
"R-really? Just for everything? So it's not bad if I do it? Just this one time, though!"
"Literally nobody cares, dude. Do you want another throw or not?"
She could feel his patience with her running out and had to make a quick decision.
"Yes. I can do it!"
She slowly uncoiled a trembling vine and held it out as gently as she possibly could, taking another dart from the Vulpix. To her surprise, he simply passed it to her casually and made no remark. He wasn't horrified, he wasn't offended and nobody in the vicinity seemed to take any notice of her at all. This gave her a feeling of freedom she had never realised she was missing until now. She already knew how to throw things with her vines, but had never attempted it in front of anyone but close family.
She took a deep breath, lined herself up with the target, focused her vision, and thought of the sad little doll that needed a home. With a light flick, the shard of ice was launched from her vine and flew swiftly through the air. It landed directly in the center of the target, chipping off a large chunk of itself as it pierced the hay.
"Does that count?" She looked over at the Vulpix with bright, hopeful eyes.
"Sure." He shrugged and then held his paws out over the table of prizes, as if presenting them.
There was no choice to be made and Blossom immediately swept the Gothita doll into her arms, cradling it like a newborn baby.
"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed, placing a single claw on the toy's soft head. "She's beautiful. I'm going to name her Greta."
"Aren't you a little old for dolls?" He replied and Blossom's excitement was dashed in an instant. She knew that he was right.
"Yes..." She sighed as her ears drooped down a little, trying not to show that it had bothered her. She was sure he wasn't trying to be rude. His expression softened a little and he rolled his eyes at the sight of her.
"Sorry. That was mean."
She smiled at the strange white Vuplix and tucked the doll halfway into her bag, so that its head and arms peeked out of the top.
"It's ok. I don't mind."
As she walked away and was sure he couldn't hear her, she looked down at Greta and gave her a tiny kiss on the head.
"I'll look after you now, you don't have to feel lonely." She whispered lovingly. "You can be on our team."
The next hour or so was spent taking Greta back around the rest of the fair to show her everything. She stopped and explained each stall and attraction to the doll, treating it like a young child that needed comforting. Blossom found that speaking to it like a friend gave her a sense of control over her own emotions, allowing her to express herself without fear of judgement.
Greta didn't mind that she felt isolated and overwhelmed by the fast pace of Capim Town. Greta didn't laugh when she admitted she was scared. Most importantly, Greta would never tell anyone when Blossom confessed that she hated it here and just wanted to go home; Greta would keep that secret forever..
Part 3-Afternoon-Final
