“Hmm, no, sorry Miss. If you’d have come a few days ago, we’d have had something, but right now we’ve got as many people as we can handle.” Rebeca’s shoulders slumped as she sighed. The shopkeeper’s answer was nearly identical to the two dozen others she had received since arriving at Mauville City for this so-called Avatar Festival. She had only heard about it a month before when she had finally emerged from hiking in the Meteor Mountains. Both she and Mihkail had agreed that a large festival meant that a lot of shops and such would need temporary workers to help manage the demand for goods, and there were a few supplies that they needed to stock up on. Plus, it had been months since she had last been in an actual city. In fact, probably not since she had first arrived in Hoenn. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be around people for once? Turning, she pushed her hands into her pockets and started back down the main avenue. Unfortunately, she had only just arrived that morning, and thus far had had no luck finding anything she could do. Everyone had already been hired in advance, they said. At this rate, she was either going to have to deal with her worn-out boots and tent, or she would have to resort to pulling gold out of the ground again. Maya shifted her position beneath Rebeca’s shirt, and she smiled, ducking her head to nuzzle her chin against the Shellfish Pokemon’s shell. She didn’t technically have to work, gold was something that people always accepted once they were assured that it was real, but they tended to wonder just where she had gotten it from, and questions were one thing she tried to avoid. It was irritating. Besides, extracting the stuff from the planet’s mantle was hard and took hours of effort just to obtain a small amount, leaving her exhausted and in need of food and a nap. It was a lot simpler to just suck it up, make her way to a city or port, and find some temporary work that paid. Up ahead, she spied the small candy stand that Mihkail was snoozing in the shade of. [i][color=red]Well, still no luck.[/color][/i] The Rhyhorn snorted, and he lazily opened his eyes to glance in her direction before closing them again, nowhere near close to being asleep. [i][color=e25822]I told you we should have taken a bus to get here.[/color][/i] Rebeca rolled her eyes as she reached the stand and sat down beside him. [i][color=red]Yeah, yeah, I know. And you know why we didn’t.[/color][/i] [i][color=e25822]You’re a cheapskate who’s afraid to take a nap along the way?[/color][/i] [i][color=red]Shut up.[/color][/i] She elbowed Mihkail in the ribs as she grinned, and the Spikes Pokemon snorted in response. [i][color=red]I enjoy a good nap almost as much as you do. But you try paying a bus driver with a lump of gold, and see what happens.[/color][/i] Mihkail opened his eyes, momentarily shifting himself into a more comfortable position as he watched the crowd. [i][color=e25822]I know exactly what will happen. I’ll get a pat on the head, a “good boy”, and a free bus ride. It’s the advantage of having a cute face like mine.[/color][/i] Now it was Rebeca’s turn to snort. [i][color=red]Cute, sure. You'd probably wreck the entire bus just trying to get inside, and your face looks like a boulder.[/color][/i] [i][color=e25822]And it’s a very cute boulder. All the ladies say so.[/color][/i] Rebeca burst out laughing, and while Mihkail simply snorted again, she could definitely tell that he was laughing at his own joke. Maya, on the other hand, began squirming in protest, and Rebeca began stroking her shell soothingly. “[color=red]Shh, shh, it’s okay. Mihkail just thinks he’s clever.[/color]” The fossil settled, contented with the explanation. As Rebeca closed her eyes, she suspected that she was getting a few odd looks for apparently running her hand down her chest, but she didn’t much care about that. If people just thought she was weird, that was their choice, and anyone who came close enough would plainly see that there was something underneath. If anyone asked, she would just leave. - A growing commotion from the crowd disturbed Rebeca from her slumber, and she glanced around. A lot of people were talking excitedly to one another. [i][color=red]Huh. Wonder what has them all riled up.[/color][/i] Mihkail opened his eyes and raised his head. [i][color=e25822]Dunno. It’s got the Pokemon interested too. He rose to his paws and shook himself. You should go check it out.[/color][/i] Rebeca glanced at her brother, who returned the gaze with an expectant look. Finally she sighed and pushed herself up, causing Maya to squirm again. [i][color=red]Oh, alright, fine.[/color][/i] She wandered through the crowd of people, trying to listen in on the conversations around her, but could only catch bits and pieces. Finally, she resigned herself to the fact and tapped a slightly older man on the shoulder. “[color=red]Hey, excuse me. What’s got everyone so excited?[/color]” The man looked confused for a moment, then broke into an excited grin. “Awe, you must have just missed it. Some of the avatars are actually here!” Rebeca blinked. [i][color=red]Avatars? How much candy has this guy been eating?[/color][/i] Seeing her blank look, the man frowned. “Wait, you haven’t heard of them? You been living under a rock or something?” [i][color=e25822]Depends on your definition of “rock”, “living”, and “under”.[/color][/i] [i][color=red]Shut up.[/color][/i] Rebeca shook her head. “[color=red]Um, no, sorry. I just, didn’t think they were actually real, you know?[/color]” [i][color=e25822]Smooth recovery.[/color][/i] [i][color=red]Shut up.[/color][/i] The man chuckled and clapped her on the shoulder. “Oh, they’re real alright. Hell, two of them just about had a fight right outside the administrative building. Can’t wait to see what the tournament will look like!” He suddenly frowned. “Say, you seem really warm. Are you alright?” Rebeca immediately began backpedaling mentally. [i][color=red]Crap.[/color][/i] “[color=red]Um, yeah. Now that you mention it, it is kinda warm. Think I might have been sleeping in the sun too long. The administrative building, right?[/color]” He nodded, concern etched on his face. “That’s right. Should I come with you? I don’t want you suddenly passing out.” She raised her hands as she started backing away. “[color=red]No, no, that’s alright. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Probably just need some water, done a lot of walking today. Thanks,[/color]” she called out behind her as an afterthought. Following at her heels as she pushed through the crowd, Mihkail sighed. [i][color=e25822]Wonderful job back there. Really charmed him with your winning personality.[/color][/i] [i][color=red]Fuck off Mihkail.[/color][/i] Rebeca frowned as she thought about the man’s words. [i][color=red]What’s with these “avatars” he was talking about? What’d he mean?[/color][/i] Mihkail blew a short gust of air. [i][color=e25822]Well, given that this is the “Interregional Avatar Festival”, I suspect that they are the people being celebrated.[/color][/i] [i][color=red]That’s nice, but who the fuck are the-[/color][/i] She was interrupted by a sudden pressure in the air, causing both of them to stop. “[color=red]What the hell…[/color]” Up ahead, she could see the crowd spreading apart, making a clearing of some kind. The pair glanced at each other, and then Rebeca began urgently pushing through the crowd, Maya squeezing her legs around her torso as she clicked fearfully. She was just about to the edge, where she could catch a glimpse of the inky black circle that covered the ground, when an ear-splitting scream tore through the air, causing everyone to duck. Well, almost everyone. Rebeca did flinch, but she was more interested in the pair of red eyes at the center of the circle. It wasn’t the first time she heard such a loud sound, though this one was quite a bit different than those she had heard before. As she watched, a youngish-looking man with white hair and wearing dress clothes emerged from the black circle, which faded away. He bowed, calling out with a clear voice. “I’m Germaine, or Giratina. A pleasure to be here.” At Rebeca’s feet, Mihkail growled quietly as he tried to see through the forest of bent legs. [i][color=e25822]I could be wrong, but I would suspect that that is one of these avatars. Pretty impressive.[/color][/i] [i][color=red]He’s an attention-grabbing prick.[/color][/i] Rebeca scowled at the back of the man’s head as the crowd around her started rising, placing her hand on Maya’s shell to reassure her. [i][color=red]The hell was the point of that show other than to-[/color][/i] Mihkail nudged her leg with his nose. [i][color=e25822]Hang on, who’s this now.[/color][/i] A younger looking man with green hair, black vest and casual pants had emerged from the crowd. Rebeca squinted at him. She could swear that he was familiar, but couldn’t place where she knew him from. Wherever it was, the thought was making her markings itch. The two men seemed to be having a debate of some kind, the younger one swaggering like a Prinplup looking to throw its weight around, when a third man drifted out of the crowd to stand beside the first, then a fourth to the second. The air grew increasingly tense as they began arguing, over what Rebeca couldn’t quite hear. It didn’t really matter, she had seen a situation like this before, two Lairon sizing each other up before fighting over a pool of spring water. The breaking point seemed to be when a Porygon-Z zipped into the middle, and the first two men each attacked it. “[color=red]Dammit, you idiots,[/color]” Rebeca muttered as she prepared to push her way inside, “[color=red]you don't pull this kind of crap in the middle of a city full of people![/color]” She stopped when she saw that someone else seemed to have the same idea. A young girl, couldn’t be much older than herself, emerged from the crowd. She was pretty, very pretty, with long pink hair and an elegant looking dress. A pink light seemed to shine around her, and for a moment Rebeca was stumped just from looking at her. The others seemed to listen to her, and she was soon joined by another young man in robes of blue, green and purple. He would chime in occasionally, but otherwise no one interrupted the girl as she spoke. After a moment, the group dispersed, and a Kirlia appeared to heal the damaged Porygon-Z. Rebeca breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and drifted back into the crowd. Trotting along behind her, Mihkail glanced up at her back. [i][color=e25822]So.[/color][/i] She briefly glanced over her shoulder. [i][color=red]So, what?[/color][/i] [i][color=e25822]So, are you going to go meet them?[/color][/i] [i][color=red]Why would I do that?[/color][/i] Mihkail rolled his eyes. [i][color=e25822]Because they seem to be like you? Have powers like you do? I would think this would be a no brainer.[/color][/i] Rebeca sighed. [i][color=red]Suppose for a second that I do want to meet them.[/color][/i] She stopped and gave the Rhyhorn a quick glare before continuing. [i][color=red]And I’m not saying that I do. We don’t even know if they’re legit.[/color][/i] [i][color=e25822]They’re legitimate.[/color][/i] Mihkail huffed at her. [i][color=e25822]They smell different.[/color][/i] Now it was Rebeca’s turn to roll her eyes. [i][color=red]Really. And how do they smell different.[/color][/i] [i][color=e25822]Not human.[/color][/i] The Spikes Pokemon glanced in the direction that the avatars had drifted towards. [i][color=e25822]But, not Pokemon either. Kind of like you.[/color][/i] Rebeca stopped and glared at her brother again, and he huffed again. [i][color=e25822]Don’t look at me like that. All these humans smell different, but there’s certain things about them that are similar. Same with Pokemon, they all have similarities that make them what they are. You’re too different from either of them to belong. You’re closer to those avatars than these humans.[/color][/i] He growled softly. [i][color=e25822]And don’t tell me you didn’t see what they did to that Porygon-Z. No human is able to do that.[/color][/i] As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Rebeca knew he had a point. For two years she hadn’t even heard of anyone being remotely like herself. Not human, not Pokemon, stuck somewhere in between. [i][color=red]And just how do you suggest I meet them?[/color][/i] Mihkail hurried past her, then stopped and sat down in front of one of the posters scattered that had been scattered around the city. [i][color=e25822]This.[/color][/i] Frowning, Rebeca stopped and read the poster, then scowled. It was advertising the “Tournament of Legends”, probably what the man she had spoken to before had mentioned. “[color=red]Hell. No.[/color]”