The Festival of Masks

[Seren]

Shuffling to the human's side, the Turtwig flashed an awkward smile at her. "Er, thanks for showing me the way here," he said quietly. "I'm Turtwig Sean, or, uh, just Sean. Both of them are good by me!"

As she looked around, watching both the play and the audience, Kari smiled down at the little pokemon as he settled in nearby, glad that she hadn't walked too quickly for him. (Admittedly she had a fair amount of experience with pokemon with tiny legs.) Then, she heard that voice again. And this time, it sounded more clearly like it was coming from the pokemon. Turtwig sounded familiar, so she imagined that must be the species.

"You're quite welcome," she said, voice intentionally lower now so as to not disrupt the play. "I'm glad I could help! It's nice to meet you, Sean. My name's Kari, and this is Symphony." She gestured at the emotional support chimecho around her arm, who offered only a polite chime in Sean's direction before returning her attention on the play.

This included the woman Kari had noticed before, who roamed around the edge of the crowd, snapping photos from every angle.

Meanwhile, as the play progressed through its story, Kari continued to observe. She'd purposely chosen a spot near the edge of the crowd, herself, so as to make it easier for Ana to find her. One of the women in the crowd was posing questions at the group with the blue uniforms - definitely a class or some kind. Kari listened in there when she could, as well. Just because she wasn't part of the class didn't mean she couldn't learn something! Apparently the masks had identifying names...

Kari again spotted the woman with the camera wandering around, taking pictures of the play. While she didn't expect her to come in this direction, the sight of her did prompt Kari to pull out her own phone and try to steal some pics of the masks for herself, too.

 

[Sinderella]

After idling along, Vienna found herself enthralled with a cotton candy stand, handing out treats in the shape of flowers and hearts and even some simple Pokemon heads. Okay, she was sold. Sugar would be good for the occasion.

She bought one in the shape of a gardevoir’s head. In hindsight, maybe a little strange, but it reminded her of Thea, and if it reminded her of Thea, she had to get it.

“Sorry about this, love,” she said jokingly to herself before taking a bite out of it. It was good. Perhaps some of the best cotton candy she’d ever had.

By the time she'd gotten ahold of that, she realized she still had some time to make it to the show. Why not? she thought with a shrug. She helped herself to a few more bites of her sugary gardevoir head as she made her way to the shrine.

She pursed her lips upon arrival, seeing that there wasn't a lot of seating options left. Well, at least good seating options. She could sit near the entrance to the shrine, but the sound of two kids yelling left her second-guessing that. Though, the sound of angry children reminded her of her daughter. It was probably early evening back in Kalos right about now, which meant she was probably just leaving dance practice right about now. Vienna hoped to herself that she'd had a good day, and made a mental note to call when she left.

He found a nice spot just off to the side where he had a good view of the stage and settled in to listen. He caught some chatter of what sounded like a heated conversation between some kids, which drew his attention for a moment, but he turned back to the show.

Her fond thoughts aside, she noticed an empty spot on a bench that looked like it would offer a good view. And even more so, there was a broad-shouldered glass of apparent handsomeness occupying the space next to it. Well, she assumed handsomeness; it was hard to tell with the masks. But, the shoulders were enough. For all she knew he was saving it for his girlfriend or wife, but that wouldn't stop her from shooting her shot.

She tiptoed her way over, maneuvering through some people while making sure none of them messed up her cotton candy. When she finally made it to the row, she put on the best smile she could muster with the mask covering half her face.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely. "Is this seat taken, by any chance?"

 

[canisaries]

The woman smirks. Her instincts were right, this was going to be a good festival indeed. "Never seen a motorized vehicle before, eh? Well, that's all right. We're all always learning new things. My transport uses liquid fuel to power an engine that turns the wheels. Simplified version, of course. There's many other components that make it go or help the process."

"I see." Kohath, of course, had additional questions. What was this fuel made out of? What was an 'engine'? How did the energy of burning turn into the motion of the wheels? Was it similar to that contraption Helix had built, the one where water was boiled to become steam and it would push the blades of a wheel with fins of cloth as it ascended? He had remarked that it provided little energy in its current state, but that it could possibly be fashioned into something far stronger and more efficient with time.

Unfortunately for the king, the conversation had already moved on.

Her eyes are drawn to the man's attire, and the skull-like mask resting on the side of his head. "But I must say, your taste is masks is impeccable. Haven't seen one of those Houndoom in a long time!" She puts extra and peculiar emphasis on the last two words. "From the desert of...hmm." She taps her head. "Forgive this old lady's memory, remind me again?"

"Aava Desert," Kohath said. "At least, that is where I am from. I do not know if the deserts of your world and mine are the same, even if the houndoom would look alike." He crossed his arms and smiled. "The palace has many back home, but I also have one as a special companion from my days in the wilderness. Her name is Tsayedet, for she is a great huntress. Do you have companions of your own?"

 

[Flyg0n]

"The Loyal Three were the revered guardians of our village," the narrator continued, "In exchange for our ancestors' worship, they blessed us with wisdom, with beauty, and with compassion. One day, our famous mask-maker crafted for them a beautiful set of masks as thanks for the many boons they granted our village."

"Excuse me?" she asked politely. "Is this seat taken, by any chance?"

Marcel watched with rapt attention as the tale continued, studying the masks. Village guardians... He wondered for a moment how what he'd heard about Ogrepon fit into all of this. The masks the actors on stage displayed looked exquisite, delicately carved. Clearly the mask-maker had a great deal of talent.

His attention was drawn away as woman approached from his peripheral vision. Reflexively, he sized her up but she appeared to just be another festival goer. He noted that she wore a hatterene mask that matched her pink dress. "Go ahead," he said after a moment, nodding and gesturing. "Is this your first time in Kitakami?" he asked in a quiet voice. Might as well make conversation while he was here.

 

[System Error]

"Aava Desert," Kohath said. "At least, that is where I am from. I do not know if the deserts of your world and mine are the same, even if the houndoom would look alike." He crossed his arms and smiled. "The palace has many back home, but I also have one as a special companion from my days in the wilderness. Her name is Tsayedet, for she is a great huntress. Do you have companions of your own?"

The woman closes her eyes and her lips curl into a frown. "Yes, I've two. A Blastoise and a Bronzong. I used to have more. But they passed on from age before I." She shakes her solemnness off. "Aava Desert, eh?" She wasn't expecting him to openly admit to being from another world. A very interesting festival indeed. And it sounded like he was a king after all. "Perhaps it was the name of one of ours in the past. As for your Houndoom contemplation, it could well be somewhere! Ours are primarily a black with an orange muzzle and underbelly. Of course, it seems both are adorned with bones. Pokemon can differ in appearance depending on their environment."

She looked around, only to find quite a few people had moved on, likely to see the play. "Take, for example, that striking young woman who was here a bit earlier. Her companion is a Growlithe, but not a common one. Some believe those specimens to have only been found in ancient Sinnoh, but of course, given they're here in the present, that's not the case."

 

[Dragonfree]

Jean wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten here, all dressed up in a yukata with a camera hanging around her neck, but in the moment it was hard to worry about that too much. Lights! Chatter! People! Festival food!

It had been months since she'd seen anything like it in person, what with... the law. But she was wearing a mask, a cute Pikachu mask, and the old man just spoke to her like anyone else. He must have noticed her tails, he must, but he still didn't act like she was any different. Something told her this place was special. That it was okay for her to be here and talk to everyone and have fun.

She adjusted her mask to make sure it wouldn't slip and ran towards the food stalls before realizing she didn't have any money -- or did she? She looked in her pocket and found several crisp twenty-dollar bills folded up nicely. Did her dad give her all that? He must have. She giggled in delight and wasted no time before buying one of each - a candied apple, shaved ice, candy floss - and nibbling on them as she walked around, struggling to balance it all in her hands. Every time someone looked in her direction she tensed a little, but then they'd simply smile and look away again, and with each person who did she relaxed a little more, grinning behind the mask.

The old man had talked about a legend! She had to see that. Her dad would roll his eyes but legends were awesome and she'd show him lots of pictures when she got home. And... were those little Pokémon in masks, too? So cute!

 

[ShiniGojira]

The girl leaned forward avidly, fists trembling once again. "Ha! I kind of like you, kid! I hope you're prepared to lose!" She turned and started towards the Ogre' Oustin' building, then paused. "You know, you're pretty little. You could probably both ride on the same stantler if you wanted."

Kieran had vanished into the crowd.

Evie smirked, the game sounded simple enough. She glanced down at the Oshawott. "How 'bout it, kid? Wanna team up with me to show this girl who's boss?"

 

[Negrek]

@FauxFox @Seren @UnknownUser55

Beyond the ring of the stage lights, a child in a green poncho and Ogerpon mask watched the festival. Their mask was quite different than the plastic versions a number of festival-goers were wearing; it grinned rather than snarled, its broad spikes adorned with glittering jewels. They circulated slowly around the vendors on the outskirts of the festival grounds, lingering longingly by the candied-fruit stalls. Whenever a shopkeeper addressed them, though, they hurried away rather than purchasing anything.

Up onstage, the play continued. "But one day the fearsome ogre living on the mountaintop descended to the village," the narrator said. A fourth black-robed figure took the stage, their Ogerpon mask far smaller and plainer than the brightly-painted artifacts the Loyal Three perfomers were holding. "Witnessing the beautiful masks that had been bestowed on our Loyal Three, it flew into a jealous rage!"

The Ogerpon performer let out an enthusiastic ogre-roar and produced a thick green club from beneath their robes, brandishing it overhead.

Below, the child in the green poncho turned briefly back towards the stage, then shuddered and fled back into the shadows on the edge of the festival grounds.

@Dragonfree

Indeed, no one seemed put off by Jean's appearance, although they seemed to recognize that she was a tourist; here and there one of the masked festivalgoers would nod to her or offer a brief welcome to the festival. Most people seemed wrapped up in their own affairs and took no notice of her whatsoever. A mochi seller nearby certainly seemed distracted. "I know I made a dozen," she muttered to herself, staring at a double row of dull green matcha mochi with a conspicuous blank space in its upper left corner. The second she turned away to check her mortar and pestle, another of the mochi levitated off the plate and drifted away from the stall as though guided by an invisible hand.

A young boy in an Ogerpon mask was buying shaved ice for himself and his sentret, which stood on its tail and stretched up as far as it could in anticipation of the treat. No sooner had the vendor passed over two ices, one bluk flavored and one pecha, than a faint roar came from the direction of the grand shrine. "Come on, we don't want to miss the best part!" the boy told his pokémon, and the two of them hurried off towards the group of people watching the play.

 

[IFBench]

Evie smirked, the game sounded simple enough. She glanced down at the Oshawott. "How 'bout it, kid? Wanna team up with me to show this girl who's boss?"

"Uh, s-sure!" Gen says, his tail wagging a little.

 

[Sinderella]

"Go ahead," he said after a moment, nodding and gesturing.

Vienna was thankful her mask covered her eyebrows because they bounced up when she took in this guy's body language. Jumpy, much? Maybe he just had white coat syndrome. Then she might feel a little bad.

However, that gave way to him offering her the seat, and she smiled again. "Merci," she said, sliding in to sit. So, it was almost certain he was here alone. Unless he wasn't and had actually gotten into a fight with whoever he was here with, and that's why he was so jumpy and was so willing to give up the spot.

Or, she was just overanalyzing the situation a little too harshly. It was far more likely he was here alone and was just polite enough to let her sit next to him. Which was always fine.

"Is this your first time in Kitakami?" he asked in a quiet voice. Might as well make conversation while he was here.

She'd taken another bite out of her cotton candy, so upon being spoken to, she looked at him bashfully as she quickly swallowed the melted sugar that had coated her tongue. "Oh," she whispered through a light cough. "It is! I'm here on field research, actually. Specifically having to do with this festival. It's quite exciting because I've been reading about it for some time now."

Plucking another wad of cottony goodness from her treat, she tilted her head questioningly. "Yours? How do you like it so far?"

 

[canisaries]

"Perhaps it was the name of one of ours in the past. As for your Houndoom contemplation, it could well be somewhere! Ours are primarily a black with an orange muzzle and underbelly. Of course, it seems both are adorned with bones. Pokemon can differ in appearance depending on their environment."

She looked around, only to find quite a few people had moved on, likely to see the play. "Take, for example, that striking young woman who was here a bit earlier. Her companion is a Growlithe, but not a common one. Some believe those specimens to have only been found in ancient Sinnoh, but of course, given they're here in the present, that's not the case."

"I have heard that there are houndoom in cooler, more humid places that are fiery rather than of the earth," Kohath said, scratching his chin. "Perhaps that is the same kind."

He listened to the woman's explanation. "I see," he said. "Those mon are not native to my region. It is interesting to see new kinds of beasts. It is, however, just as if not more interesting to me to see new technology. I suppose that black-and-white object with a red leash that she kept peering into is part of that. You would not happen to be familiar with it yourself, would you?"

// OOC note for clarity: Kohath means Perrin's camera.

 

[FauxFox]

Their mask was quite different than the plastic versions a number of festival-goers were wearing; it grinned rather than snarled, its broad spikes adorned with glittering jewels.

their Ogerpon mask far smaller and plainer than the brightly-painted artifacts the Loyal Three perfomers were holding.

Theo took note of the differing masks. "So, I guess most people here don't favor Ogerpon too much, do they?" He chuckled to himself. "I wonder why that child's mask portrays Ogerpon so differently..." He wondered.

Below, the child in the green poncho turned briefly back towards the stage, then shuddered and fled back into the shadows on the edge of the festival grounds.

"Well, I guess there is no time like the present to find out..." He sighed, changing his focus from the play to the child. "Are they afraid of the play, or something else?" He asked no one in particular, getting up and trying to locate the child in the poncho, moving towards where he last saw them and snacking on his candied apple as he did.

 

[Dragonfree]

Indeed, no one seemed put off by Jean's appearance, although they seemed to recognize that she was a tourist; here and there one of the masked festivalgoers would nod to her or offer a brief welcome to the festival. Most people seemed wrapped up in their own affairs and took no notice of her whatsoever. A mochi seller nearby certainly seemed distracted. "I know I made a dozen," she muttered to herself, staring at a double row of dull green matcha mochi with a conspicuous blank space in its upper left corner. The second she turned away to check her mortar and pestle, another of the mochi levitated off the plate and drifted away from the stall as though guided by an invisible hand.

Jean gasped, fumbling with the camera while the food she was holding wobbled precariously on her other arm, and successfully managed to catch a slightly blurry photo of the levitating mochi. She looked around, peeking under the stall; were there any Psychic Pokémon anywhere?

A young boy in an Ogerpon mask was buying shaved ice for himself and his sentret, which stood on its tail and stretched up as far as it could in anticipation of the treat. No sooner had the vendor passed over two ices, one bluk flavored and one pecha, than a faint roar came from the direction of the grand shrine. "Come on, we don't want to miss the best part!" the boy told his pokémon, and the two of them hurried off towards the group of people watching the play.

Jean turned towards the boy. The best part? Well, she had to catch the best part! She adjusted her grip on the food and followed after him.

 

[System Error]

He listened to the woman's explanation. "I see," he said. "Those mon are not native to my region. It is interesting to see new kinds of beasts. It is, however, just as if not more interesting to me to see new technology. I suppose that black-and-white object with a red leash that she kept peering into is part of that. You would not happen to be familiar with it yourself, would you?"

// OOC note for clarity: Kohath means Perrin's camera.

"Called a camera," she says with a wink. "Think of it as a device that creates a picture of what's in front of it. 'Course, the ones today are much more effective than the ones when I was little."

"Anyway," she says with that. "Was nice chatting with you, but I need to go change into something a little more festival appropriate." She slaps her forehead. "Ha! Introductions better late that never. I am Satomi Kurusu." She bows lightly. "Just your everyday attendant and mentor to four generations of community servants. Though, more of an equal partnership, with how much the current ones respect me."

 

[canisaries]

"Called a camera," she says with a wink. "Think of it as a device that creates a picture of what's in front of it. 'Course, the ones today are much more effective than the ones when I was little."

"Anyway," she says with that. "Was nice chatting with you, but I need to go change into something a little more festival appropriate." She slaps her forehead. "Ha! Introductions better late that never. I am Satomi Kurusu." She bows lightly. "Just your everyday attendant and mentor to four generations of community servants. Though, more of an equal partnership, with how much the current ones respect me."

Kohath wanted to ask more about this 'camera', but the woman was already leaving.

"I am Kohath," Kohath introduced himself, bringing a fist to his chest, "king of the Helixians. Fare well, Satomi Kurusu. Enjoy the festival."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Oh," she whispered through a light cough. "It is! I'm here on field research, actually. Specifically having to do with this festival. It's quite exciting because I've been reading about it for some time now."

Plucking another wad of cottony goodness from her treat, she tilted her head questioningly. "Yours? How do you like it so far?"

Merci? Interesting, so perhaps she was Kalosian.

He smiled at her amiably and nodded. "My first as well. Had a couple weeks vacation that needed using, so I figured I'd travel and see something new. I have to say, its beautiful. I'm always fascinated by the different cultures and history of the world."

"But one day the fearsome ogre living on the mountaintop descended to the village," the narrator said. A fourth black-robed figure took the stage, their Ogerpon mask far smaller and plainer than the brightly-painted artifacts the Loyal Three perfomers were holding. "Witnessing the beautiful masks that had been bestowed on our Loyal Three, it flew into a jealous rage!"

Marcel paused for a moment to watch the play continue, listening intently. What a strange tale. Was that all there was to it? Jealousy, or perhaps some other facet to the tale, lost to time? He'd seen his share of fellow detectives and witnesses jumping to conclusions or giving half a story. Was there another half, or was it just that simple?

"Field research, huh. What's your field of study?" he asked curiously. "Marcel, by the way. And you-?"

 

[System Error]

"I am Kohath," Kohath introduced himself, bringing a fist to his chest, "king of the Helixians. Fare well, Satomi Kurusu. Enjoy the festival."

She smiles to herself. So her intuition was correct after all. "A pleasure to have met you, Your Majesty," she says with sincere respect. "And you enjoy it as well. Perhaps we'll bump into each other later?"

With this, Satomi goes and checks into her room at the community center, having made sure to reserve one ahead of time. She stores her property, changes from her biker outfit into her festival attire: stylish violet and silver starlit sky-patterned kimono that would not look out of place if she was among the five dancing girls of Johto. Maybe it would stand out actually, because it's that elegant. All dressed up and ready to go and with her mask back on, she locks up and heads out.

First and foremost, to head through Apple Hills to make an offering at the Loyalty Plaza. There would be time to say hello to familiar faces around town after. Will she encounter anyone along the way, or perhaps at the shrine itself?

 

[Negrek]

@ShiniGojira @IFBench

Carmine hadn't waited to see whether they were playing, of course. In moments she'd paid the entry fee for all three of them and was waving them over to the stantler queue impatiently. "I'm taking this one," she said, leading a red-liveried stantler forward. "Pick whatever you want. I know this one's fastest!"

Carmine had been right--any one of the stantler could easily accommodate Gen and Evie on its back. The pokémon didn't seem perturbed by the unusual nature of its riders; perhaps it was used to unusual visitors during the Festival of Masks.

The stantler knew the way to the start of the course. From the top of the hill, it was easy to see the long lines of balloons snaking through the course down below, as well as a few people out riding stantler, their whoops punctuated by intermittent bangs as balloons burst.

Gen and Evie weren't the only ones watching the game. The bushes rustled with the movements of pokémon, and here and there a bold one could be seen creeping, creeping towards a pile of berries that some rider had collected.

"That's my goal, and that one's yours," Carmine said, waving at a couple empty tables. "Make sure you don't get it mixed up, or this'll be even easier for me!"

There wasn't much time to take everything in. A gong crashed, and Carmine spurred her stantler forward, making for a cluster of blue balloons not too far down the hill.

Welcome to Ogre Oustin'! To play, simply choose one of the two bolded options at the end of your update. Then describe how your character goes about collecting berries! More interesting or creative ways of netting berries will get you more points. Work together to earn the most points of all!

If you and your partner choose different options for what to do next, I'll flip a coin to determine what happens.

How do you want to proceed?

> Go for the distant balloons first!
> Stay close to the goal!


@FauxFox

"Are they afraid of the play, or something else?" He asked no one in particular, getting up and trying to locate the child in the poncho, moving towards where he last saw them and snacking on his candied apple as he did.

Beyond the glow of the Festival of Masks' lanterns, Kitakami Hall's plaza extended out to a steep drop-off. Benches here and there offered places to relax and find a little privacy outside the hustle and bustle of the festival, as well as contemplate the view across the old ceremonial road and Mossui Town. A few ancient-looking trees promised shelter in case of unexpected rain.

The child with the big ogerpon mask stood at the edge of the light, watching the festivities with an unmistakable slump to their shoulders. They turned as Theo approached, taking a nervous step back.

@Dragonfree

She looked around, peeking under the stall; were there any Psychic Pokémon anywhere?

There was nothing under the mochi-vendor's stall, but it wasn't hard to follow the floating food to a nearby food truck that wasn't serving tonight, its lights out and griddle cold. The mochi disappeared through an open window on the back, followed by vigorous chewing noises, and Jean would catch a flash of black fur if she peered in. Based on the queasy tingly feeling in the air around the cart, a psychic-type pokémon was a good guess.

Jean turned towards the boy. The best part? Well, she had to catch the best part! She adjusted her grip on the food and followed after him.

On stage, the battle between the ogre and the Loyal Three was joined. The performers whirled around each other in a tightly-choreographed fight sequence, with flashbangs and bursts of colored smoke to represent their attacks.

The boy in the Ogerpon mask stood at the back of the crowd, on tiptoe as he tried to get a better view. "Go, ogre, go," he murmured, barely audible over the festival noise. His sentret finished its food and began sniffing around for more.

@System Error

The hills around Mossui Town were quiet tonight, with most people being at the festival. There were a few dedicated trainers here and there, out chasing wild pokémon at dusk, but they left Satomi alone after quick looks determined that she wasn't out here for battle. Now and again a bellsprout strutted across the path; down near the river, the air was full of the blinking lights of volbeat and illumise dancing through the air. The air was calm, the night peaceful and lonely.

Loyalty Plaza had clearly seen a lot of traffic recently; perhaps there had been some kind of ceremony here before the start of the festival, or maybe its approach simply reminded people to pay their respects to the Loyal Three. Wish tags fluttered from the trees all around the shrine, and its altar was covered in offerings of flowers and small statues of the Loyal Three, and the air was heavy with the smell of incense, thin trails of smoke curling up from braziers all around the plaza.

The shrine itself was in rough shape. It was reduced to a pile of splintered boards, roof torn open, beams burst from inside. In the packed earth around the shrine fresh footprints, three sets ranging from narrow and taloned up to huge deep, twined in crazy patterns. There was no sign of anyone around here now, though.

 

[System Error]

The priestess was all ready to go about her business, maybe greet anyone. When she crosses over into the grounds of the plaza, the sight of the the ruins makes her take pause. A smirk comes to her mouth, perhaps an unwitting one.

Now what could have happened here?

Satomi performs an investigation of the area, combing it for clues. It was possible that the destruction happened a while ago. The Kitakami Tourism Bureau was notoriously underfunded, so any celebrations could have happened even with the shrine in such a sorry state. But they were also protective of their image. Moreover, two things stood out. One being those fresh footprints. Being a scholar of legends, she recognized them. Miracles had happened in the past, so why not here? Second, there was a very faint residual energy in the area that she could not pinpoint the nature of.

Could this have been her doing? No, the priestess thinks after a moment. Besides there being no sign of any other footprints, Satomi had seen her before, had even met her before - it was easy to see through a mask to the one underneath when one has spiritual training. Her heart was far too noble to have done this. Which also meant, if you thought about it...

But no matter. They were still the local deities, and so it was customary to do something to honor them. It is also the Kannagi way to respect all Pokemon and other beliefs, and she could find respect in their loyalty to each other if nothing else. The Loyal Three, Kitakami's dear companions. She reaches into the burlap sack she had brought with her and retrieves the gifts. First, three scillas, blue flowers with spiky star-shaped blossoms. In the language of flowers, they represent loyalty. They are also used in the creation of toxins and their name comes from a term that can mean 'to injure'. A fitting flower in more ways than one.

She kneels down and lays them near the ruins. That was not all she had brought. She also brings out a bottle of sake, freshly made in the Kannagi Shrine. "From our shrine to yours," she says, holding it aloft for a moment. As she does so, invisible spiritual energy swirls from her fingertips into the fluid in the bottle. Undetectable by most, and even to those who could, it might just be considered an extra heavenly blessing. Which it normally would be. She sets it down, rises, and heads back out. There was still a festival to attend, and most of the population would be there. Maybe even her. Satomi had always made sure to bring something for her as well, just in case.

As she leaves the plaza behind, she smiles in satisfaction. If those three did walk among them again, the energy would lead Satomi straight to them. Or lead her to someone stealing gifts meant for Legendary Pokemon. Either way, it'd be a fun adventure~.

She heads back to the town for a brief stop, before heading to Kitakami Hall. Would anything happen along the way? If uninterrupted until then or if nothing caught her attention, the most she would do is briefly say hello to Peachy if she's around (and stay for a while if she wanted to talk).

Spoiler: OoC

Yeah, it's in-character and within her to instantly see through this. Residual energy is based off the purple spark.

 

[Dragonfree]

There was nothing under the mochi-vendor's stall, but it wasn't hard to follow the floating food to a nearby food truck that wasn't serving tonight, its lights out and griddle cold. The mochi disappeared through an open window on the back, followed by vigorous chewing noises, and Jean would catch a flash of black fur if she peered in. Based on the queasy tingly feeling in the air around the cart, a psychic-type pokémon was a good guess.

Ooh! Jean knew you should never ever ever get close to a wild Pokémon that was trying to hide, and she wanted to go see the play, but she felt very detective-like for catching a peek at it. She wondered what sort of Pokémon it was as she hurried after the boy. A Psychic-type with black fur? Maybe a Grumpig or a Gothitelle? It must be really strong if it could levitate the mochi from so far away!

On stage, the battle between the ogre and the Loyal Three was joined. The performers whirled around each other in a tightly-choreographed fight sequence, with flashbangs and bursts of colored smoke to represent their attacks.

The boy in the Ogerpon mask stood at the back of the crowd, on tiptoe as he tried to get a better view. "Go, ogre, go," he murmured, barely audible over the festival noise. His sentret finished its food and began sniffing around for more.

The battle was so cool! She didn't know you could do special effects like that in real life. Jean watched in awe as they fought, mouth hanging open.

The boy was cheering on the ogre. She wasn't sure which she liked better, but the Loyal Three's masks were definitely prettier, and if she'd heard the narrator right, they were the good guys.

By her feet, she noticed the boy's Sentret sniffing around. She bent down to hand it what remained of her candy apple - not too much left around the core, but the Sentret could definitely nibble on it.