After bidding farewell to Morty, Natsui and Erika wasted no more time and quickly walked out of the gym's main doors.
Once on the stone steps, before even leaving the gym grounds, Natsui threw a Poké Ball and summoned his Charizard, letting it carry him and Erika directly to the tea party venue.
Watching them leave, Morty stood there for a long time. Only after Charizard finally disappeared over the horizon did he let out a helpless sigh.
Sigh...
Today's battle had truly been a huge shock to him!
A Crystal Steelix, a talking Gengar...
Each one had broadened his horizons, but most importantly, the Pokémon he took such pride in had been so easily defeated!
This man was clearly around the same age as him, yet he was so incredibly strong!
All he could say was that there were truly people out there with extraordinary talent. Since becoming a gym leader, it had been a long time since he'd felt so powerless...
...
Charizard's body flew swiftly over Ecruteak City, casting a small shadow on the ground below.
Pedestrians in the city who noticed the shadow looked up at the sky and saw an orange Pokémon flash past.
They shook their heads. In a slow-paced ancient city like this, it was rare to see such a bustling trainer.
They wondered what could be so urgent.
The tea party Sakura had mentioned was being held in a courtyard in the western part of Ecruteak City.
At 10:17 AM, Charizard slowly descended in front of the courtyard gate.
Although they were over 10 minutes late, looking through the open gate, they could see that while there were quite a few people in the courtyard, most were just strolling around. No formal event seemed to be taking place.
It looked like the tea party hadn't officially begun.
"Great, we made it."
Erika got off Charizard and patted her ample chest.
Neither Natsui nor Erika liked to be late. Seeing that the tea party hadn't started yet, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
They exchanged a smile and were about to step into the courtyard when a woman in a kimono emerged from behind the gate to greet them.
Seeing Natsui and Erika, the woman bowed slightly. "Welcome, both of you, to our humble home."
The woman was a few years older than Natsui, very beautiful, and wore a light blue kimono. Her hair was styled exquisitely, giving her a graceful and elegant appearance.
Natsui recognized her at a glance as one of the five sisters. However, apart from Sakura, whom he had met yesterday, he didn't know the names of the others, nor did he know which sister this woman was.
He took out the invitation, about to hand it to her, when a clear, slightly joyful voice sounded from behind the woman.
"Mr. Natsui! Miss Erika! Wonderful, you're finally here!"
They looked up and saw Sakura, also in a kimono, running out from behind the woman.
"Miss Sakura," Erika bowed slightly in greeting. "I apologize, we were delayed by some business, so we're a bit late."
Sakura quickly waved her hands. "It's alright, the tea party hasn't officially started anyway. As long as you're here, that's what matters!"
Meanwhile, the other woman had already figured out their relationship from the brief exchange and said with a gentle smile, "I see, so you are friends of Sakura's. My apologies for the lack of courtesy. I am her second oldest sister, Tamao."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Tamao." Natsui and Erika also introduced themselves.
Before they could say more, Sakura had already taken Erika's hand and led her into the courtyard.
"Alright, let's not stand at the gate any longer. Please, both of you, come in!"
Following behind Sakura and Erika, it was only after entering the courtyard that Natsui realized how large the place was.
Not only was there a pond in the courtyard, but it also had a small bridge, a pavilion, and a gallery. It was even filled with cherry blossom trees all around!
From the scenery alone, the layout was clearly very tasteful and had obviously been meticulously planned.
As Sakura led them towards the main house, she introduced the courtyard.
"This is our family's property. We hold a tea party like this here about once a week, and every time we do, it attracts many people. It's very lively!"
Along the way, Natsui looked around as they walked. Just as Sakura had said, he did see many men and women strolling together in the courtyard, smiles on all their faces.
Seeing them, Natsui suddenly realized something.
He first looked at their clothes, then down at his own.
These people were all wearing kimonos. Even Erika, out of habit, was also wearing a kimono. Only he was dressed in casual attire. Compared to them, it seemed he was the only one in the entire courtyard who looked out of place.
At least when he met the other guests, both men and women, they all frowned and looked at him with surprise when they saw his attire.
Clearly, in their eyes, attending a tea party hosted by the famous Kimono Sisters was a great honor, and one should naturally dress up for the occasion. How could someone like Natsui still be in everyday clothes?
In truth, Natsui wasn't deliberately trying to be a nonconformist.
For one, he didn't own a kimono, only regular clothes. Secondly, he had never attended a similar event before, so he had indeed overlooked these matters.
Beside him, seemingly reading Natsui's thoughts, Sakura covered her mouth and giggled.
"It's alright, you don't have to wear one. It's just a formality, really. We're not that particular about it."
It was obvious that although this was only their second meeting, Sakura's attitude towards them was surprisingly friendly!
Natsui guessed that his encouragement at the dance theater yesterday had played a big part, making Sakura subconsciously feel closer to them.
Arriving at the main house, Sakura first brewed a cup of tea for each of them.
Placing the tea before them, Sakura said, "The tea party is about to begin. Before that, my sister Satsuki is holding a flower arranging class. I was wondering if you two would be interested?"
"Flower arranging?"
Hearing that there was a flower arranging class, Erika's eyes lit up. In this area, she was an expert!
Without hesitation, Erika spoke up. "As it happens, I am also a flower arrangement master in Kanto. If it's possible, I would love to exchange ideas with your sister!"
"Oh? Miss Erika is a flower arrangement master as well?" Hearing this, Sakura's interest was also piqued. "That's wonderful! I'm sure my sister Satsuki will be very happy to hear that!"
Compared to Erika, Natsui seemed much less interested.
Seeing his expression, Sakura smiled and said, "Besides flower arranging, there's also Pokémon battling on the other side of the courtyard. If you're interested, Mr. Natsui, you could go and have a match with the other trainers!"
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