Mossdeep City was the forerunner of fantastic festivals featuring flashy fireworks. Andrea's family went out of their way to visit the island every year just in time for the frivolous festivities. Incidentally, this was one of the few rare occasions where the young PokéManiac was NOT wearing her flamboyant dragon costume, and somewhat resembled a normal person as a result.

While her parents were off visiting the Space Center to pay their respects to the world's most beautiful white rock, Andrea was doing her own thing downtown, perusing the various food stands. One couldn't watch fireworks on an empty stomach, after all! She was wearing a red and orange kimono with an awesome Charizard design on it that her mom had made, while her hair had been let down.

"I'll have the sashimi, the mochi soup, a bowl of noodles, and a bucket of Blaziken Nuggets!" The young woman made an exuberant order, which, if one took a good look at her Pokémon, shouldn't come as a surprise at all; The Aggron and Kangaskhan sitting alongside her, as well as the Deino resting on her lap, were all overjoyed when various food trays started coming at their table, eagerly digging in.

Andrea herself didn't fall far behind, instantly stuffing her face with Blaziken Nuggets as soon as the bucket arrived. "Aiyeeee! Hot, hot, hot!" She cried, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she tried to fan herself. Maybe digging in right away hadn't been the best of ideas...

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The kimono-clad girl instantly grabbed the glass of cold water and drank it all in one go, perhaps swallowing an ice cube or two in her haste (thankfully she didn't choke). She then slammed the glass down on the table and gasped for air. Her face, which had turned red, gradually reverted to its original coloration. "Hah... Thanks, mister." She nodded in gratitude.

Taking a better look at her 'savior', she was momentarily distracted by his dreadlocks. "Ooh, nice hair! I really shouldn't have eaten these Blaziken Nuggets while they were fresh out of the oven... or was it a fryer? Hmmm, how are Blaziken Nuggets even made? What is it that makes them 'finger lickin' good'?" The young woman pondered aloud, while inspecting the bucket that had a chibi Blaziken plastered on it along with the brand name.

"Anyway, you look like a foreigner. What brings you in Hoenn?" Andrea asked, pulling her orange hair behind her ear. "Did you come to see the festival? There's gonna be fireworks soon!" She beamed.

Guillermo Marceliño

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"Hehehe, only Pokémon can Explode, silly!" Andrea remarked, giggling playfully. "I bet being a Voltorb or an Electrode would be super cool, but even then using Explosion all the time sounds painful. How do you think they do that?" She mused, almost going into another tangent.

Turning her attention back to the bucket of Blaziken Nuggets, the redheaded girl hummed in deep thought. "Hmmmm, that's an even better question. I think they might've cooled down by now." She speculated, testing her theory by grabbing a nugget, blowing on it, then putting it into her mouth and chewing tentatively. "Yeah, they're definitely less hot now, though they ARE a bit spicy." She affirmed.

The dark-skinned youth, Memo, explained that he was from the Galar region, and had performed for the festival earlier. "Ooooh, so you're like a dancer... or a singer. Wait, no, a rapper! I dunno why, but you definitely look like a rapper." The young woman observed. "My name is Andrea, and these are my friends, Chomper, Barron and Missy." She introduced herself and her Pokémon in turn, pointing at the Deino, the Aggron and the Kangaskhan respectively.

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"They're just releasing all the energy they've gathered up in their bodies, huh? I see..." Andrea nodded in understanding. A person with a dirtier mind would have made a vulgar joke, but she was a pure bean, so any such jokes - wherever applicable - flew right over her head. "Pokémon are truly wonderful creatures, aren't they?" Was all that she commented on.

Memo's next comment was what actually caught the woman off guard. "No way! Am I eating a Blaziken right now?! That's gross! I think I'm gonna..." She put a hand over her mouth, as if about to gag. Chomper, however, kept munching on the delicious, nutritious nuggets, the idea that he might be feasting on a Pokémon's remains not disturbing him in the slightest.
"They're not made of real Blaziken. It's just their mascot." The waiter pointed out with a sigh.

After recovering from a near existential crisis, Andrea listened to Memo explaining a bit more about his profession. "Ah, so you ARE a rapper! When I was little, my Mom wouldn't let me listen to rap because it had bad and misogynistic words in it, but I think it sounds cool!" She mused, helping herself to a bowl of noodles. She nodded when the Galarian youth asked her if she'd come to Mossdeep to watch the fireworks. "Yep! Watching the fireworks every New Year is like a family tradition." The girl replied. "What about you? Do you like fireworks?"

Guillermo Marceliño

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"'You name the babies, I’ll name the dogs'?" Andrea repeated the title, getting a bit confused about its double meaning. One of the drawbacks of a Hoennian conversing with a Galarian was that some things were inevitably lost in translation. "It doesn't sound that misogynistic to me. Naming babies sounds fun!" She remarked, glancing at Missy and the baby Kangaskhan that was chilling in her pouch, munching on a single piece of mochi. "Isn't it weird that Pokémon don't name their own babies? Like, how can they tell them apart without nicknames?" The girl mused, almost going on another of her tangents.

Before she could begin said tangent, however, a blaring noise snatched away her attention, as multiple fireworks started popping in the night sky. "Whoa, it's started! Chomper look, look!" The young woman cried out in excitement and pointed aggressively at the sky, marveling at the brilliant spectacle and urging her Pokémon (who was more interested in the food still) to do the same.

Mossdeep's craftsmen had clearly put a lot of care and effort into building these fireworks. As soon as one shot up into the sky, it exploded into a multitude of colorful particles that briefly formed the likeness of a Pokémon - usually of the Electric rodent variety, like Minun or Pikachu. Gazing at them was enough to make all of one's worries dissipate. All that was left was to enjoy the show for the tiny, yet magical moment in time that it lasted, before they'd have to go their separate ways.

Guillermo Marceliño

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