Note: Sorry for the late chapter. Crashed my scooter and been in pain most of the day. Will release 2 for Easter tomorrow
It was lucky that Xander had prepared an extra day's worth of food because the new few days were terrible. A storm the likes of what Mewtwo created in Pokemon The First or the Three Birds in Pokemon 2000 appeared out of nowhere.
Because of the storm, the speed that the group could travel had decreased by a good margin. After 5 days of travel, they were still a day away from Hearthome City.
Currently, the trio was hiding in an igloo that Tamamo had created for them. Thanks to her, they were able to hide from the harsh wind and rain while changing into a fresh set of clothes and resting.
"Ugh! I hate the rain!" Cynthia shouted as she changed into a set of winter clothes that Xander had bought for himself in Veilstone City. All of her outfits had been soaked through so she had no choice but to wear his clothes while Mothra was lying in the center of the room, drying off their clothes and children.
"It's not that bad," Xander tried to calm down Cynthia, knowing how much she hated it when her outfits were ruined. Even though Cynthia was a tomboy, she was very selective in her outfits. She hated it when they got too dirty which is why she learned how to climb trees without getting any dirt on her. "We only need another day to get to Hearthome City at this rate. Once we get there, we can all rest at the Pokemon Center."
"Grr," Cynthia was still not pleased with this answer. Marley and Xander could have sworn they heard her name the storm as her greatest enemy.
Cynthia had even tried to get Ivy to use Sunny Day to get rid of the storm but it only created a small opening in the clouds. Even then, that did not stop the wind and rain from pelting them from different angles. Cynthia didn't stop cursing for over an hour after her failed attempt to protect herself.
"I hear that Hearthome has a great indoor hot spring resort. We can head there once we get to the city," Marley suggested. She had gotten used to the duo over the past few days, no longer stuttering when she spoke, though her voice was still low and hard to hear sometimes.
Cynthia looked at her two friends who felt like a Salamance was staring at them. They knew that trying to appease the angry girl would be useless so they quickly gave up while Xander began to distribute lunch among them and their Pokemon. But when Cynthia saw that it was a granola bar and a pack of fruit snacks, she was ready to smack it out of his hand.
"Agh!" Cynthia began pulling at her hair, going insane from the situation. Being wet and dirty was bad enough but the fact that they had to use preserved foods that did not taste good were the worst.
Xander walked over and began to pat her head, attempting to pacify her. He also hated not eating fresh food but with the weather like it was, they were limited on what they could do.
'Two humans around your size are approaching,' just as Xander was about to speak up, he heard Tamamo call out to him. Xander nodded toward her before turning to the entrance of the igloo. The group heard someone knock on the ice and a girl's voice began to call out.
"Hello. Do you guys mind if we come in?"
Xander looked to the pair who nodded. Cynthia, having become serious again, stood up with her back against the igloo while pulling Marley closer to her.
"You can come in. There are 3 of us in here with our Pokemon," Xander called back to them, pretty sure that they were just kids trying to avoid the storm as well. He wanted to help but he still made sure it was alright with his companions before inviting them in.
When the pair got inside, Xander was instantly able to tell that they came from a wealthy family. Even with their clothes in their dirty and wet state, they almost looked better than the dry clothes that the trio was wearing in the igloo. They looked like siblings, both with dark blue hair, though the girl's was much longer.
"Thank you for letting us inside," the girl held the sides of her wet dress and courtisied. "My name is Celeste and this is my brother, Liam."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Xander. The one being held by the wild Pokemon in human form in Marley. The wild Pokemon is Cynthia," Xander earned himself a shoe thrown at him which he easily dodged. 'Too predictable.'
"Thank you for letting us inside. We were on our way back home from the Great Crusade in Pastoria City when we ran into this weather. Originally, we were traveling with our maids but we... snuck away when they weren't paying attention," the girl admitted with a red face. "We've been paying for food from others the entire time since we didn't bring any supplies."
"W-w-we can share some of our food with you. No need to pay," Marley walked out from Cynthia's embrace and offered her granola bar and fruit snacks to the pair. Liam turned his head away in disdain, earning a glare from Cynthia.
'I can look down on that food since it's mine but starving brats should be grateful!'
"Thank you very much. We haven't eaten since last night so these are perfect, As for my brother, I'm sorry about him. Our father has spoiled him," Celeste took the snacks and thanked her while apologizing for her brother's behavior.
"No problem. Not all children can be well behaved," Xander was more mature than most so he saw Liam as nothing more than an annoying child. Although he was fine with befriending important ones or strong trainers, he wasn't interested in getting along with normal children.
The 4 kids sat around Mothra and enjoyed his warmth while Liam stood next to the entrance alone. Celeste was even given a set of clothes to change into so she wasn't stuck wearing soaking-wet items.
Xander and Cynthia made small talk with Celeste while Marley made a small comment every now and then. Even though she had gotten used to Xander and Cynthia, it did not cure her shyness around strangers.
The group stayed in the igloo for another hour when Tamamo alerted Xander to several adults approaching. But before Xander could say anything, he saw Liam rush out the entrance and into the embrace of one of the people who were nearing them.
Xander saw them speak for a little bit before one of the figures approached. When she got closer, Xander saw that she had pink hair and was wearing a maid uniform.
"Hello, Miss Celeste. What you did was very reckless," the maid reprimanded Celeste before turning to the other children. "Thank you for taking care of the young master and young miss. We would like to offer you all a place to stay for the night as well as a warm meal."
"That would be perfect!" Cynthia was happy to stay at a house. She didn't mind sleeping outside but sleeping on muddy and wet ground with a storm around her was terrible.
Since Cynthia already agreed, Xander and Marley didn't say much. The trio recalled their Pokemon and grabbed their items before being led to a trail of cars. When they got in, Xander felt his butt warm up all of a sudden.
'Heated seats? Love rich people,' Xander almost let out a sigh when he felt how warm it was inside the car.
The cars left as soon as the kids were loaded up and drove for 20 minutes before arriving outside of a large set of gates. Once the gates opened, Xander looked out the window to see statues of various Pokemon sitting in the garden.
'These are the two bosses from that stupid maid challenge?' Xander immediately recalled who the duo were once they arrived at the destination since it was one of the most annoying challenges in the game. You had to challenge the maids once per day and then had to beat them all within a randomized number of turns. Xander would not forget them as his worst enemy in Pokemon Platinum.
He knew they were at the Pokemon Mansion