Destiny [Pokémon]

❥ chapter XXXIV

The melody was catchy, the song itself quite short. All in all, it was very easy to remember—especially since it had no text you had to learn, just the melody. In no time at all, you had memorized it and were able to sing it by heart. But just to be on the safe side, in case the melody should somehow slip your mind, your five Pokémon paid close attention to what Lithos taught you as well.

Afterwards, you bade Lithos farewell (for real this time) and waved him, and he waved back with one of his larger front flippers. With your Pokémon in tow, you headed for Opes Market at a fast pace. Kai, Selene, and their friend Hau—whom you had yet to meet—were already waiting for you there.

Merx Port was located to the right of the beach and not that far away. Even from here, you could see the quays projecting into the open sea, the towering gantry cranes, the colourful container stacks, and the moored freighters. Day after day after day, goods from all around the world were unloaded there. A small part of them were put up for sale at Opes Market, a giant market hall near the trading port, while the rest was either stored in nearby warehouses or directly delivered to the other villages, towns, and cities in Virno. In the far, far distance, the silhouette of Mount Circinus could be made out on the horizon.

Your unfamiliarity with this city resulted in you getting lost on your way to the market hall quite a few times. The noisy, colourful hustle and bustle that filled the streets further disorientated and overwhelmed you—and it got even worse the closer you came to your destination. You had to consult the Places tab on the AreaNav of your PokéNav Plus repeatedly to find your way around.

The five members of your Pokémon party were following right at your heels. You still turned and looked back at them every couple of seconds to make sure that you didn't lose them on these busy streets. While doing so, you noticed the funny looks and sidelong glances other people were giving you. The reason for that was as simple as it was obvious: A Pokémon Trainer with their entire team in tow certainly wasn't something one came across every day. Though Pokémon who didn't like being carried around in Poké Balls were nothing out of the ordinary—the legendary Champion from Pallet Town, for example, was said to be accompanied by his Pikachu. But it usually was just one Pokémon running around freely and not five at once.

You had to talk to your Pokémon about this matter later, when you were alone. You were already late to your meeting with your new friends as it was, and you didn't want to keep them waiting any longer. You would just have to put up with this for now.

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In spite of all your efforts to look out for your Pokémon and not lose them in the crowd, Rineis lost sight of your group and went missing. Luckily, his disappearance was quickly noticed. Thanks to Phiala's keen sense of smell, you were able to find him within a mere minute. He hadn't budged, a forlorn figure standing stock-still on the pavement, scared stiff, as people and Pokémon moved past him.

The shiny Ralts snapped out of his paralyzed state the instant his sister called out to him, immensely relieved to see your group of five rushing towards him. He ran up to you. When you both met halfway, you immediately swept him up in your arms, which took him by surprise. Nonetheless, he clung to you as though his very life depended on it, burying his blushing face in your jacket. At the suggestion of Amra, you all began holding hands—or, in Phiala's and Faniola's case, tails—after that to prevent something like this from happening again.

Once you reached Opes Market a few minutes later, you stopped to rest, slumping against a wall, your Pokémon gathered around you. Having to fight your way through a seemingly endless sea of people whilst carrying a backpack and keeping an eye on five Pokémon at once—not to mention running around in search of Rineis—was exhausting.