Tens of thousands of tourists were gathered on the long main street. Most of them were from off-island, here for sightseeing. They wore rented or purchased local specialty clothing, making them almost indistinguishable from the local islanders at a glance.
Small vendor stalls had also popped up like mushrooms after a spring rain, lining both sides of the street, with vendors hawking their goods.
By the time Natsui and his group arrived, the other people dressed as strange birds had dispersed, leaving only Carol with them. Even Melody had run off somewhere.
However, the street was so packed with people that it was almost completely blocked, making their progress extremely slow. It took them a full five minutes to cover a distance of just one hundred meters!
"Come and see, these are local Shamouti specialty pearls! I guarantee every single one is perfectly plump!"
"Sakura Shells, White Spiral Shells, Yellow Horn Shells! All kinds of shell accessories, we have every variety!"
"Orange cookies! This is a specialty snack here, come and try some!"
The jumble of sounds merged into a noisy din. Before they knew it, the sky had completely darkened, and under the glow of the lights, the entire island took on an even more festive atmosphere.
Natsui looked around and couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so lively. With so many people, it could almost rival the Indigo Conference."
Hearing this, Carol couldn't help but chuckle. "It can't be helped. This is the biggest festival on Shamouti Island. This is the most important day of the year. Not even the whole Orange Archipelago, not even the metropolis of Big City on Little Orange Island, has a grand celebration like this!"
From her tone, it was easy to tell how proud she was that her hometown could host such a celebration. But it was understandable; after all, everyone hopes that their hometown will continue to develop and prosper.
Passing by a stall, Natsui spent some money to buy a few bird masks, putting one on himself and giving the others to Sabrina and Misty.
Since they were here, they might as well get into the spirit of things. As for Ash and Tracey, if they wanted one, they'd have to pay out of their own pockets.
Just then, a long procession of lantern floats pushed through the crowd, passing in front of them.
These people were holding all sorts of lanterns and performing a cheerful, strange dance as they slowly moved towards the end of the street. The most eye-catching among them was a giant Gyarados lantern!
Under the skillful movements of several lantern bearers, the Gyarados float moved up and down, looking incredibly lifelike, as if a real, ferocious Gyarados were swimming before their very eyes!
Watching the sights as they slowly made their way forward, they finally managed to leave the main street, and the crowd instantly thinned out. They walked a bit further, and finally, Carol led them into a banquet hall with a structure of grass and stone, somewhat similar in style to Mayan architecture.
Torches burned inside the hall, illuminating the space with a warm, bright light. On a dozen long tables, a sumptuous dinner was already laid out.
"Everyone, please come and rest. Don't be polite, feel free to enjoy the food. After the banquet is over, I'll arrange rooms for you."
Carol first arranged for them to have their own long table, then went to sit with Mei at another. Having not seen each other for five years, they surely had a lot to talk about.
Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Tracey lowered his voice. "I don't know what their intentions are, bringing us here for this."
"Who cares," Misty said nonchalantly. "The food and lodging are free, so let's just relax and stay."
Compared to them, Ash was clearly more concerned with other matters.
He looked around, his eyes wide, searching for someone. "Strange, where did that girl from before go?"
"Hey, hey," Misty said, her expression one of surprise at Ash's obvious goal. "You haven't fallen for her, have you?"
Ash's face instantly turned as red as Misty's had been earlier.
"No way... I was just a little curious..."
However, although he said that, as a ten-year-old boy, how could his heart not be a little stirred after being kissed by a pretty girl!
On the side, Natsui didn't participate in their banter. Instead, he sat there, carefully trying to recall the plot related to Shamouti Island and the Legendary Bird Trio.
He only remembered that a crazy collector, in order to get the god of the sea, Lugia, began to attack and capture the three legendary birds, and was finally stopped by Ash. But as for the specific details and how the collector was defeated, he couldn't remember at all.
Forget it, no need to think so much. I'll just take it one step at a time.
And while he was lost in thought, seeing him staring into space, Sabrina shot him a look and said flatly, "What are you thinking about? You're not thinking about that girl from before too, are you?"
Throwing up his hands, Natsui said helplessly, "Please, I'm not an innocent boy like Ash. Why would I be thinking about a little girl..."
However…
Natsui was secretly surprised. For Sabrina to be so concerned, could it be that she's jealous!?
Seeing Sabrina turn her head away again, Natsui picked up a pear-like fruit from the table and took a bite.
It was tender, juicy, and extremely sweet. As expected of a place named after oranges, the fruits here had a completely different taste compared to other regions!
"Come and try this, it's delicious!"
At his recommendation, Sabrina and the others all picked up a fruit. After a small bite, they had to admit it was indeed very tasty.
Just then, the sound of a beautiful melody suddenly filled the air. Everyone turned to look and saw that on the stage of the banquet hall, Melody had changed into a long white dress, wearing a floral wreath and covered by a white veil. Like a sprite, she was dancing a gentle dance as she came onto the stage.
In her hand, she held a special instrument, and the beautiful flute-like music was coming from her!
"Melody!?"
In an instant, the entire banquet hall, including Carol and Mei, fell completely silent, all admiring Melody's dance and music.
Natsui and the others also hadn't expected that with a change of clothes, her whole demeanor would change, from rebellious to graceful!
But…
Although the music was beautiful, soft and lingering, hearing it in his heart gave Natsui an indescribable sense of melancholy.
In short, it was beautiful, but he didn't like it.
When the song ended, Melody jumped off the stage and came to their long table. Like a stage performer, she recited in a dramatic, high-pitched voice, "The anger of the heavens! When the world is on the verge of destruction, the god of the sea will appear and, together with an outstanding trainer, will quell the anger of the gods!"
With that, she knelt between Natsui and Ash and looked at them affectionately. "Lord Natsui, Lord Ash, if either of you is that outstanding trainer, then please, prove it to me!"
These words left Ash completely stunned.
Seeing his expression, Melody found it amusing and had no choice but to whisper, "Hey, hey, don't get it wrong. This is just a tradition, a ceremony that happens every year. Just play along!"
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