“Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us. A sign that we’re lacking something else.” - Peter De Vries Autumnal hues varnished the neighboring canopy with reckless abandon as the petrichor of the previous night’s cloudburst drifted from the topsoil and filled the ecstasy of the hour. Even without the day’s halcyon, biological alarms would have roused every single creature in the region and inform them of the date: harvest season was upon the idyllic plains and highlands of Kanto. A crescendo of commotion reverberated through the treetops and leapt the winds cascading from the mountaintops as Pokémon of all shapes, types, and sizes emerged from the safety of their habitats to forage from the surrounding area, picking various fruits (especially berries) before the cruel frost of the imminent solstice would dash their nourishment. Interdependent communities’ ascribed tasks to the most suited among them while homogenous clustered divvied the workload equally; but there will always be a few mavericks that pride solitariness over solidarity. Out of the several that dotted the region, none were quite as ostentatious as the shimmering cerulean streak that always made her rounds this time of year. Wriggling through the sky, performing aerial glissades and acrobatics alike with a drawstring purse taut around her next lest her hall fall victim to gravity – she was known only by her species and the name she bellowed if any Pokémon dare obstruct her path, “Watch out, Jacqueline coming through!” Even as a miniscule Dratini, Jacqueline was peerless when it came to gathering, bringing back diverse hauls from far and wide. She rushed merrily in where those lauded for courage would shy away from, taunting any bystanders in her wake. From timberland to wildwood, those confined to the earth simply regarded her as a phenomenon; a wayward wind taking the form of a sky serpent veiled with premature wings. The more jaded amongst the populace (e.g. the ones capable of flight) simply discarded her as a nuisance that would slow down to a reasonable pace post-evolution. Unfortunately, those naysayers couldn’t be more incorrect! Jacqueline’s maturation into a full-fledged Dragonair only ensured that the fabled blue streak would now be considerably longer! Haste fostered a wanderlust that drove her to new lands in the west where a manifold of berries lie in wait of discovery (or rediscovery, at the case would have it). Suffice to say, her deviance didn’t stop there! When she returned to her makeshift bungalow on the water’s edge to marvel over her collection and wonder what would happen if she were to take certain and, say, mash them together…? What about ice? Do freezing temperatures truly ruin the berry to its core, or is there a way for the intrepid to capitalize on the fruits turned frigid? By day, she was a force of nature trilling with glee as a deft tail slashed pomes from their branches and into her botanic knapsack. By nightfall, her domicile became a laboratory as she combined increasingly sundry berries together into viscous syrups or thick pulps to be poured into hollowed gourds that either yielded splendid results or left her bedridden for days at a time. As such, her shelter was forced to stretch to the four winds in an attempt to accommodate Considering the rewards, suffering through the ramifications of a dud mixture were necessary evils, but there was no way they she’d be able to keep a lid on her operations for long (especially since she was relying on the tail-flame of a rather itinerant Charmeleon who just so happened to frequent the adjacent pool. Lit by the reptile’s red-hot gossiping tongue, word of Jacqueline’s experimentation spread like wildfire. Skeptics dismissed this development as naught but a child playing with her food, but that did very little to inhibit the formation of a queue of test subjects eager to at least try her concoctions. Let’s just say that the fact that she had repeat customers was a good indicator that she was doing something right! For a while, Jacqueline went without reimbursement. Just being able to do something she loved without fighting against the current was payment enough! However, her avid patrons struck up a system of barter where all manner of bibelot, terrain-worn trinket, and stone were traded for a specific type of combination. Surprisingly enough, she was able to keep up with the burgeoning demand with time to spare. The potent combination of speed and quality worked to her advantage as the incredulous sects members began to diminish in accordance with rising demand. Bereft of competition since no other Pokémon had the stones to accomplish what she did effortlessly, she was forced to establish hours of operation or else the last modicum of free time she had would be consumed by the nocturnal crowd. Oh, if there were only some term she could use to encapsulate the purchase and sale so she could refer to her hobby in a word instead of a phrase – but to dwell on that would be to digress. For someone who had gone at breakneck speeds all her life (now with the addition of being able to do what she loved without the stigma it once had), it’d take something pivotal to drag her pace – and that ballast came in the form of a gift from the still unnamed ‘West Region’. Never once did she think her travels would lead to her being with child, let alone children. But lo, on a balmy midsummer’s afternoon while cradled by the scarlet rays of a vestigial sun, Jacqueline delivered five resplendent, azure eggs, which she coddled for weeks before they hatched into a brood of Dratinis to adorable for words… In an instant, she was extricated from the self-centered nature that defined her earlier year – and the fact that her pregnancy was not only sudden, but devoid of discomfort, made the whole experience even more beatific. While it didn’t stymie her frequent departures during the more prismatic months, but it provided her with a new impetus. Her gatherings during the subsequent harvests were no longer for just for herself or the potential profit she could turn. Her traveling was not just to sate a need to sightsee, but to ensure that her babies had only the finest nutrients. Who knew motherhood could be quite this sobering? *** Ahh, but of course all of this was all ancient history; a wives’ tale told in far simpler terms to help little rambunctious little Pokémon return to their common quarters for the night. For a couple of the serpentine siblings, it worked by the second act – crashing against their down cushions chin-first, visibly struggling for stave off sleep before it overcame them. Another two stood at attention until the lulling dénouement, which prompted an involuntary yawn and eye-flutter that brought upon a similar blanket of lethargy. Within moments, they joined with their sisters in quiescence. The only outlier left was the youngest and largest Dratini who, upon hearing the promise of a story before bed, immediately fell asleep right on the spot. In her youth-addled mind, stories always meant sleep – no exceptions. Nevertheless, being the first one to fall asleep didn’t mean that she’d stay tethered to her slumber. Oftentimes, she’d awake in search of food as her appetite befit her size – asking her mother to whip something together. Other times, she’d meander by the lake to shed her skin – an activity that went from monthly to daily as her growth accelerated. However, this particular night was a tad different. Her mind was burdened with neither hunger nor discomfort, but a question. Slithering over to her mother’s room, she beat on the wooden alcove entrance with her tail tip – voice aquiver from having just recently lurched from her bed, “Jacki? Jacki, are you still up?” No response. “Jackiii~!” “Orianna, hun, what did I tell you about referring to me by that nickname?” Jacqueline paused mid-gripe to scrub the crust from her eyes as she emerged from her plaited compartment to look squarely at her daughter, “You’re one of five Pokémon in the whole world that can call me ‘Mom’ – so don’t squander the privilege!” “But Jacki is cuter, and you’re cute!” If anything, that compliment elicited a subdued guffaw, “Well, I’m flattered sweetheart – but I’d prefer the compliance and respect of Mother over anything else! ‘Course, I’m sure you’re not up just so we can retread that old argument…” Orianna solemnly nodded, a tad down in the mouth. “So, what can I do for you, my little mutton? Are you hungry? If so, wait right there! I got a fresh batch of those round blue berries you like so much.” “No! No, no… I’m not…” Gurgleplk~. “Well, I am sorta hungry-…” “Then allow me to fetch something for you! I certainly can’t have one of my daughters starve, now can I?” For the first time in her life, the bulbous Dratini impeded her mother’s effort to procure food. If that wasn’t odd enough, Orianna spat a pleasantry she had always avoided when possible, “Please, Mom. I just need to talk to you. I’ve got a question and…you’re the only one that could help.” “Oh. OH! That’s what you wanted! We’ll belay the food for now, so come in,” in spite of her excitement, her face remained rather bemused…borderline bewildered. What in Kanto would she want to talk about at this late hour? Perhaps it’s her upcoming evolution? No, no – that shouldn’t worry her to such a degree that she’d become polite. I suppose the real question is…’why am I panicking slightly?’ She’s wanted for nothing but food and drink for so long that the notion of her having a question that transcends the subject is a bit baffling. Whatever it might be, I just hope it’s not ‘the talk’. Whisked inside with mutual intrigue, Orianna and Jacqueline sat across from each other in the center of the Dragonair’s hut. The Dratini’s fervid plea got them together, but it did very little in dispelling her trepidation. Meanwhile, the elder dragon tried her best to reduce the imposing atmosphere – coiling up her tail into a cobalt-alabaster spiral and inviting her child to take a seat (an offer that Orianna non-verbally declined). As expected, her icebreaker was the epitome of tumultuous no matter how much support she received, it’d take several minutes before she built up any sort of flow, “Well… Mom, I… Well, I think it might be best if I start from where this all began, like you do. So, I was in the middle of eighth supper while Irene, Nadia, and Cheryl were doing stuff with you. Everything was fine and, of course, the berries were really, really good. Then, I um… There was a thing around one of the berries I was about to eat. It was like a…like a thing…like a glow-y thingy that looked like it was behind the berry, but it wasn’t. It was just around it…” “An aura?” “I guess so? If that’s what an ‘aura’ is, then yeah. Anyway,” she cleared her throat, grateful that her mother rescued that verbal fumble – even if she still preferred ‘glow-y thingy’, “So, there was an aura around one of the blue berries and it was really bright red. Not like the SUN bright, but like a flame. After I saw that, I threw the berry back in the bowl and then all of them started to aura-…” “Aura is a noun, sweetheart,” the Dragonair utilizing the grammatical error to break eye contact and simper. “Uhm, ‘get the aura’, then. I showed Abbey and she said there was nothing there, and then she called me MUTTON. Why does everyone call me Mutton? Aren’t nicknames s’posed to be half your name? So, why doesn’t anyone call me Anna?” Amid the current internal pandemonium, the last thing Orianna needed to know is that her name was a corruption of glutton, so Jacqueline improvised, “Because Mutton is cuter, and you’re cute. In fact, I’m thinking about changing your name permanently if and when I get the chance! But don’t let me steer your thoughts. Continue~.” “Feh! I guess it is kinda cute. And yeah, so Abbey didn’t see the glow and neither did any of my other sisters when they got back – so I think it’s just me. It wasn’t until I checked the gourds and stuff that all the food that we have has the same glo-…aura. That’s not all, though! That’s not all. All food has a red aura… You and my sister have a light pink one… All of the new and strange Pokémon you help each day – they’re gray. Dark grey. Sometimes, I can’t even make out what they look like even when they’re right next to me. Do you think… Am I broken? ” “Broken?” Jacqueline responded with a gobsmacked falsetto that accentuated her toothy gleam, “You must be joking! Orianna, I’ve never heard of something more astonishing in my life – and you know how jaded I am! Is there anything else, perchance?” “Well, I also hear these noses when I look a certain stuff, like berries! You know the blue berries we usually eat? Whenever I see one, I just hear this word like it’s saying its name, but not. Like uh… Yeah, with the blue berries! I keep hearing OH-ran, but I don’t think it up. I see it and hear it immediately.” The realization of what she was saying stopped the Dratini in her tracks. She looked up and sent a suspicious eyebrow skyward, “How do you not think this is weird?” “Let’s try and look at the facts for a moment, darling. On an off day, you consume one half of a region’s supply of berries, enough to raze any other Pokémon. Yet, you still hunger. It has reached a point where I had to spend last year’s harvest cultivating land and planting two-thirds of my haul so I could meet your demands without you gnawing the tent foundations and tree trunks. Oh and Arceus knows we don’t need another Steelix fiasco…” Orianna’s apologetic whines forced Jacqueline from her reminiscing. “C-Changing the subject: Now you tell me you have this…this inherent ability, this sight beyond sight and a hearing connected to said sight. These are all gifts, Mutton; gifts that you shouldn’t be embarrassed of. And I know for a fact that I can’t be the only person interested in something like this,” Jacqueline drew her tail and the two orbs that adorned it beneath her chin and began scrubbing her scales that lie there as she pondered, “In retrospect, I don’t have a clue why no one has named the berries beyond their color and shape. ‘Oran’, you said? Oran Berry. That has a nice ring to it. Oran Berry… Say, this reminds me of a story…” Right on cue, Orianna curled up and fell asleep on the spot, orating her reverie of the fruit she had coined. For a vital moment, she had forgotten that all Orianna needed was the term by itself to be thrown catatonic. Though, if she really were that close to such a deep torpor, then food certainly would have just been wasted on her! Nevertheless, the next morning would probably have to consist of a large cornucopia to make up for this night’s upset. Besides, they could always talk about this later. Lifting her by the nape, Jacqueline laid her daughter atop her horned crown and ambled into the children’s bedroom – levitating off the ground just enough to ensure that no one else’s rest would be disturbed due to her intrusion. Once Orianna was snuggled next to the rest, Jacqueline took her leave – ensuring that her withdrawal was just as hushed as her ingress (a rather simple endeavor considering the volume of their snores). What the Dragonair couldn’t let go of was this ability that she was presented with! In some respects, it was almost too fantastic to be true, but Orianna stood nothing to gain from fabricating a story since all of the girls received precisely what they wanted. Maybe she had gotten into some of the experimental pastes that coalesced to make some sort of hallucinogen. To test this hypothesis, Jacqueline flew out to the wicker demijohns and urns that lined their dwelling and guzzled one, then the other. Allowing about five minutes for something to take effect, she whirled around and gave the food reserves a rigid grimace, staring them down like they insulted her honor! The azure dragon held this for durations of fifteen minutes of more until tears began to percolate from the corners of her pearlescent eyes and she was forced to stop. The night was rife with starlight, yet she couldn’t even see the faintest glow emanating from her lading or the crop out back - not even a reflected glint, and certainly not anything scarlet. For the rest of the night into early the next morning, the Dragonair tried several amalgamations before surrendering to what should have been obvious from the start: her little Mutton had another gift of some description to go along with her gormandizing nature. Now, all that was left was to figure out how she could help her daughter apply that talent of hers to benefit Nine Years Later Nearly a decade and a half ago, the harvest season would come and go with little in the way of incident aside from a precocious child barreling her way through the skies. Aside from her blatant disregard for the sanctity of silence in the areas she cut through, the land limited itself to a dull roar. Without a doubt, this was long before the advent of this child’s foray into rudimentary cuisine. Nowadays, the first sighting of the ochre moon meant one thing and one thing only, the Festival on the Water’s Edge was upon the contiguous regions. Pokémon migrated in droves with satchels in tow from the new land of Johto down through down through Kanto to reach the thicket where the fabled Jacqueline and her family of dragons lie. Hearsay brought about the rise of legends, as the topic of conversation was largely about how Jacqueline was meant to be the size and length of a tributary – spanning for miles upon miles. Other rumors stated that her family had created an archipelago with each island hosting a specific type of berry sprout (which was probably the only rumor not plagued with hyperbole). Still, all of these paled in comparison to the major reason why this particular jubilee garnered the attention of so many outsiders – even those ardently static when it comes to habitat. In this innocuous family of foragers lies a Dragonite that could consume more than ten Tyranitar serving sizes and still crave more! Estimates on her size fluctuated wildly from a conservative two meters to fourteen yon but only those native to the forest knew for sure – and they weren’t about to spoil the surprise for the ignorant masses. With the tide of Pokémon rapid approaching their doorstep, preparations were in full swing – and several neighbors chipped in to help lighten the impeding load. Early that morning, kennels of Houndooms brought in driftwood and fallen saplings while the Scizor leading them snapped off the jagged edges. Ditto and its family began partitioning off the beach by height and weight while an Onix demolished a few boulders on the western mountain range, organized them by size, and swept them downhill to act as seats for those who might need them. Sure, those tasks were laborious and toilsome…but there wasn’t a soul who wanted to trade places with the resident dragons, as their taskmaster’s orders were audible clear across the brush. “Come on, girls! Come on! We’re at least an hour behind schedule here!” Time constants turned the placid-toned Jacqueline into a waxen wench whose lividity only shown brighter during her sonorous reprimands, “Irene! Nadia! I know you just evolved two days ago, but those orbs on you are not slowing you down! It’s the damned dilatory demeanor you two managed to pick up!” “Or, you know, it could be the huge bags of berries we’re lugging,” Irene snapped, adjusting her sack for the third time that flight, “This isn’t easy, you know!” Adept at playing the role of family arbiter, Nadia interjected, “She didn’t mean that, Mom! We’re all just under a lot of stress and we’re taking out our frustrations any way we can since throwing our packs to the ground is a no-no.” “Naddy, I think I’m capable of speaking for myself with you butting in.” “Sure you are, Irene! Being able to communicate is a wonderful thing, is it not? In fact, why don’t you use that blessing to explain to me how arguing with our mom while she’s frantic will make this chore any less enervating?” “…I’ll get back to you once I figure out what ‘enervating’ means.” In lieu of a hand to cradle her weary head, Jacqueline simply rode a disgruntled sigh for repose, “Please, just try and focus, girls. We can get this done with plenty of time to spare if you just exercise some diligence. Speaking of which… Abbey! Cheryl!” “Present and accounted for,” both Dratinis said in antiphony with Abbey in the lead. “Now I know for a fact you two are still sore about not evolving yet, but that works to our advantage! Since you two are now our fastest swimmers. I need you to let any water Pokémon traveling through the strait where we’ll be so they don’t get disoriented. Once that’s done, I’ll need you to run-…er, swim back to our site and make sure that any bowls along the shoreline are rooted correctly. “On it!” Both twins nodding simultaneously and swam away in unison! “Alright, now…Mutton! Mutton!! MUTT-…where is she?” There shouldn’t have been a need to call her more than twice considering how loud the mother Dragonair was thundering. Her expression softened, permitting the faintest gossamer of concern to seep through as she glanced about the area. Even at her current altitude, there was no conceivable way she’d lose sight of her – assuming she wasn’t hiding that is. When and if anxiety struck, Mutton could always depend on the archipelago orchard to provide cloistering. In fact, it was one of the few places in Kanto that could adequately mask both her scent and rubenesque physique. While there’s was no arguing the fact that she was a large lass, the near mythical proportions were naught but the results of embellished tales. That said, her girth had significantly increased over the years. The Dragonite’s diet of at least an island’s worth of berries for each meal left her with exaggerated apricot assets. Even her antennae were heavyset and plump. Every globular striation of manila underbelly lugged several pouches of adipose while the prominence over her stomach remained moderately constant – something that depended heavily on how much she had previously shoveled down her gullet. Regrettably, the soothing nectar of her favorite golden Sitrus berries couldn’t bestow the level of assuagement she needed. Mutton had absolutely no problem binging, per se. As a matter of fact, basketfuls of sustenance were tumbling down her strapping throat like lozenges while she lie prone with her claws gripping one of her temples. It wasn’t the act of eating. It was the sea of gray she would be forced to stand in front of. Hundreds of obfuscated eyes wanting to be wowed. What…what happens if I don’t impress them? What if I just choke and faint and every one of Mom’s customers just leave and never ever come back?! What if… “There you are, Mutton!” Jacqueline swooped down from her holding pattern, furling around her daughter, “Figured you might be hiding over here! Good thing your wings jut so far off of you – otherwise I probably would be circling the area for hours on end.” Mutton tried to articulate a response, but all that arose from her agape jaw was a whine and the concentrated fragrance of about two thousand berries. “Well, at least I know you’ve been practicing for the main event,” chortled the sky serpent, attempting to find that elusory matriarchal groove, “Listen, Mutton. I know you’re nervous since it won’t just be half a region, but two full ones – but what have I been telling you?” Begrudgingly, the Dragonite found her voice – one that seemed to betray her size with its pitch, “To treat to crowd like a big gray pond and just eat.” “And…?” “Don’t waste a single berry. It’s not that simple, though!” “Oh, but it is! All you need to do is stand out there and perform your favorite little pastime. Any audience is a non-issue because they’re coming here just for that – nothing more, nothing less! You don’t have to live up to some arbitrary legend or make sure everyone walks away happy. Trust me, the work you’ve done in the fields will ensure that!” Vacuous affirmations weren’t about to pull the sole biped of the family from the rut she stumbled in, but at least she was tried to cheer her up, “Thanks, Jacki – but I’m still going to be nervous up there.” “Then perhaps some incentive will help steady you? I’ve got a small surprise for you and your siblings once the festivities start. Just hold out and try not to fill up!” Honestly, it was a miracle she finished that sentence without bursting into paroxysms of laughter. “Yeah, Jacki? That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about! And fine, I’ll struggle through this…” “By the by, before I get back to what I need to situate, what is it going to take-…” “…To get me to start referring to you as ‘Mom’ again? You know precisely what it would take.” “Fine, fine… So long as you’re obedient, I suppose I can’t complain. Just remember: Eat to your heart’s content and try not to think of anything else. Focus on consuming and you’ll be alright.” *** Chrysalis wind chimes and palm awnings were the last fixtures to be erected at the rim of the coastline. Those who departed early started trickling in, awestruck at the lavish accommodations constructed from rather base materials. Pokémon parties were announced as they arrived and guided to seats suitable for them. As the hour darkened and dusk began to descend upon the land – heralding the first midnight freckles of starlight, the question on every foreign visitors mind was the whereabouts of the hostesses. Weren’t the meant to be greeting them? Once the congregation had fully amassed and found their respective seats as per their dimensions, one of the Charizard greeters blew to thick smoke signals from her nostrils, which ignited a diaspora in the verdurous baldachin on the horizon. The astute observers among the crowd could make out the glints of sapphire spheres and sinuous bodies before the dragons burst into view with tidings of food strapped to their backs! Zigzagging through the benches, the trio of Dragonairs deposited a generous smorgasbord of every berry imaginable from the far corners of both expanses upon each table. Meanwhile, the twin Dratinis diced the larger berries for the young and small alike. All five of them assembled in the center of the lake and exclaimed their salutation. “Happy Harvestime, everyone!” Cheers, whoops, and hollers eclipsed the final word, but the approach of the largest Dragonair brought forth a wave of hushes from veteran attendees. Jacqueline cleared her throat, adjusted her natural ornaments and prepared her voice for a sustained oration. “I’d like to thank all of you for coming to the 3rd Annual Festival on the Water’s Edge, celebrating the fecund beauty of early autumn and the inevitable plunge into the scintillating icy veldt of winter! To all of you who have come before, I’d like for you to turn and welcome the daring travelers from the region of Johto, who have walked, flown, and swum many miles to partake in this feast – along with any other new arrivals.” Murmurs of exchanges and acknowledgements rumbled beneath the rest of the Dragonair’s speech, “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the powers that be for another splendid year and I bid you all free reign over the mountains of berries. Enjoy, everyone!” The serpentine quintet rode towards the shore and off to the bungalow, where they found a balled up Mutton, twiddling her thumb-claws in the corner of the shelter addition, scrubbing residual juice from her mouth with a forearm when she felt outside movement. Shyness, once again, got the better of her speech as she blurted out, “Is it…time for me to go up there, or…?” Nadia shook her head afore imparting a quick nuzzle upon her sister’s engorged cheek, “Oh no, hun. You’ve still got a few hours before you’ll be making your debut, Mutton!” “Just keep in mind that you have to apply yourself about as much as a Snorlax.” Irene chimed in, skirting the both of them to find her seat on the floor, “Really, you just go up there, eat, and come back down. Ya don’t have to speak or roar or whatever. It’s by far the simplest thing you’ll do.” “Keep in mind that something like that is a tall order when the individual in question has stage fright,” Nadia snapped in Irene’s general direction before returning to Mutton’s shoulder, “Mom’s going to do all the grandstanding and inflate you with hype. All you need to do is feign confidence and devour those dishes as fast as you can without hurting yourself. That is to assume you can even still hurt yourself by eating nowadays…” Irene wasn’t about to take her sister’s vitriol in stride, “You’re just playing into the whole ‘Let’s Overcomplicate Everything’ attitude that has her all riled in the first place, Nadia. Don’t say that it will be hard – say something that deflates the whole thing! Mutton, at the end of the day, all you need to do is eat and block everything else out. It’s fine.” It was up to the Dratinis to end the back and forth before it got out of hand. “Why are we still so worried about Mutton performance…” “…When we should be wondering what Mother’s surprise was?” “You know, with all the quibbling, I thought you girls forgot about that!” Jacqueline stood in the vestibule, thinning her eyes in exasperation, “But yeah, give me a moment! I’ll go check to see if they’re ready.” Wait… ‘They’? Mother Dragonair left far too fast for that query to be presented, even if it was on each of the sibling’s minds. Most of the time when Jacqueline said she had a surprise, it’d be a particularly rare berry that they were communally ogle until Mutton inhaled it and was forced to recite its exact flavor so they weren’t completely deprived of an experience. Never was it another Pokémon… Yet there she was, returning with a veritable posse of…something. As per usual, the twins said what everyone else was thinking, “Are those walking purple sacs…” “…With arms, feet, and dot eyes?” Whatever they were, they certainly weren’t indigenous to Kanto. All of them took the opportunity to try and appraise them from afar before they were forced into greeting each other. “Children, I’d like for you to meet Abigail and her family of Quagsires. Mutton, you know how I said that I used a dash of magic to create that island chain for your birthday? Well, these little amphibious terraformers were the ‘magic’! Show some appreciation, if you would!” Squirming from her next and betwixt the two eldest sisters, Mutton tripped into an obeisance; hanging her head as low as she could in reverence, “T-Thanks for going through all that trouble for my sake! It’s help a lot!” Abigail’s conceited swagger bled into her voice as she promenaded up to Mutton, gave her a once-over, and proceeded to mutter a swear under her breath before audibly responding, “I was paid handsomely to create those berry islands for Ms. Jacqueline. Debase yourself for charity, not a transaction.” With a haughty about face, the Quagsire now addressed Jacqueline with a similar impatience, “Shall I be off? You did promise me a banquet worthy of an illustrious shiny Pokémon and I wouldn’t want some ruffian to purloin my dish.” “In a moment, ma’am,” replied an uncharacteristically apologetic Dragonair, “But first, don’t you think we should break the ice for the children before we go?” “If we must!” Abigail’s lavender-clad, flabby entourage stepped forward, “These are my resplendent daughters, Mia…and Bria,” each one pirouetted upon the mention of their name, “I expect that your offspring will be careful with them should they engage in any diversions outside of conversation!” “Of course, but…” Jacqueline extended her next around the back of her patron – much to her chagrin – and arced a single brow, “I think you might have forgotten someone. Huh, and she’s blue as well!” Palpable derision rolled from the depths of Abigail’s throat and saturated the following in caustic inflection, “Ahhh… That would be my third daughter, Olivia. You’ll have to pardon her…hue. She’s the only non-shiny in the family and I cannot fathom why…” “Well, that’s not a problem! Besides, she’s a lovely shade of periwinkle! It even comes close to matching our scales.” “So I’ve noticed...” “Listen, kids. Abigail and I are going to go ahead and mingle with the travelers from Johto. You can join us whenever you’d like or just play around in the vicinity. Oh, and Mutton – keep an ear open for the signal and try to be discreet when you come towards the site. Wouldn’t want to give away the surprise before I introduce you, now would we?” With that, both mother Pokémon sauntered towards the festival – leaving the children to their own devices. Bria snatched up the Dragonair Sisters, pleading with them to show off their acrobatic prowess while Mia held a wild affinity for twin telepathy, so the Dratinis were everything she had hoped for and more. And then there were two; the resident introverted glutton and the kinsfolk’s anathema swathed in a gray aura. This will not end well. The only thing keeping Mutton from fleeing the situation was the ornamental bowl full of berries centered on her lap and she sat down and stared off into the middle distance away from the encroaching party. Mercifully, the choruses of juicy spurts of masticated fruit hitting the sides of her cheeks were enough to drown anything at a sustained low volume, like the shivering address of a peer. Since her casual greeting fell flat, Olivia tried for a secondary icebreaker, “Lovely night, huh? There are definitely a lot of Pokémon here!” “Uh-huh.” Mutton was still determined not to give the Quagsire the time of day for a myriad of reasons, but one of the largest was that she held herself like a leaf in a storm and watching all of that motion was turning her stomach. Occasionally, she’d send derisive glances in her general direction in the vein hope that she’d get a clue but youth proved to be an impregnable bulwark against subtlety. If anything, one couldn’t peg Olivia as weak willed. She kept trying to encourage sustained conversation from the most banal subjects, from the past climate anomalies to her rather humdrum quarters back in Johto – all of which were swiftly turned down in favor of more food. Fetters of naïve helped her weather the rising tide of disinterest, but everyone Pokémon has their limit. “Well, all I have left to talk about is the arts and crafts that I do in when I’m bored – but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that.” Mutton tarried mid-chew to furrow an eyebrow and swish an antenna, “Arts and…crafts?” While she didn’t want to come off as uncultured, this was legitimately the first time she had heard those words being used together to describe what sounded like a hobby. Around Kanto, ‘art’ was Jacqueline’s dishes and ‘craft’ was slang for the construction of roofed habitats and nothing more. Seeing the window of opportunity crack ajar in the Dragonite’s visage, Olivia held up a finger of pause before scampering off behind a collection of bushes. She came back with a bindle of jingling objects before unfurling the knot that held the sac in place and revealing the source of the clamor. For a moment, she have expected gemstones (which were fairly common occurrences)… However, what she received was a plethora of adornments, baubles, and jewelry forged from combinations of gem and bead alike. Mystified by it all, Mutton took one of the many necklaces and rings and rose one particular ornament to her nose – her gazes darting across its surface as its opal iridescence refracted the moonbeams that flew inside. “I-I didn’t know you could just make these,” trolled a transfixed whisper, “It’s like you’re cooking with salvage… This looks go enough to eat, and I don’t ever say that about anything that isn’t a berry.” Oh, if only pride had mass so that Olivia could express the gravity of Mutton’s praise beyond a grin that defied the boundaries of her visage. “You really think it looks that good…?” Collecting herself, she pointed at the particular trifle in the ochre dragon’s ivory claws and proclaimed, “Yeah, which has to be my favorite! I made that with seashell shards, gold nuggets, and dried Muk droppings-…!” Retching noises from the offended party drowned out the last bit of her sentence as the object was flung back into the heap, “Muk WHAT NOW?!” Mutton exclaimed, dragging her hands across the leaf blinds behind her, “Oh, Sweet Mew on High – I was considering eating that…” “Don’t worry, it’s even cleaner than the berries you eat!” “How can you be so sure?” “I spent days cleaning it, inside and out. Plus, you had it up to your nose and you didn’t smell anything, did you?” Well, she had a point. Perceptive nostrils like hers wouldn’t let any foul odor drift by unnoticed, especially at that distance. It still didn’t change the fact that her previous scrutinizing was almost scatological, but it did bolster the flowering respect Mutton held for the little dollop-shaped amphibian. “You’re rather skilled at this, aren’t you? All of these look absolutely splendid. Though, I’ll uh…revere them from way over here, just to be on the safe side.” “Yeah, my mom likes to call it my ‘une qualité de rachat’ … Is that a good thing?” “I don’t want to come off as ungrateful for what your family did for my birthday or anything, but if that came from your mother, it’s probably a sideways compliment at best.” Mutton was struggling to remain tactful whilst keeping her voice down since you can never be too cautious around such an enormous assembly. Some of the trees might actually have ears, like the Sudowoodo wandering outside, looking for the latrine. “So, um…oh jeez. Hun, this is absolutely dreadful of me – but what was your name again?” Olivia’s beam only grew larger, “I must be doing something right if you want to try and remember it! It’s Olivia. I’d say what it means, but I’ve forgotten~!” Her inflection was just enough to coax out dragon’s first giggle of the day, “Yeah, I’ll try my best to commit it to memory this time. Funnily enough, you’re not the only one with an O as an initial. Everyone calls me Mutton, but my given name is Orianna.” “Orianna? Aw, that name is beautiful! Why doesn’t anyone call you Anna, though? That’s just as cute as Mutton, in my opinion.” Arceus be praised… Someone who gets it… “I KNOW, RIGHT?!” Sure, such an outburst was in direct violation of her earlier efforts, but she didn’t care! Mutton was beside herself with exultation. Finally. Finally. Someone who didn’t just blithely agree with the nickname that she had put up with for what felt like a decade, “You’re literally the first person to say that to ME. I’ve presented that question for many, many months and not a soul prefers ‘Anna’ over ‘Mutton’.” “Maybe it just feels more familiar? I dunno…” The Quagsire plopped down and pondered for a moment, “I’m not sure why no one has mushed the two names together! Like Anton! No no, that sounds bad. Munna? Nah, you’re not a Meowth. Oh, oh! NAMUO. …Alright, I think I figured out why no one’s mushed your two names together…” “And I’m so used to Mutton that you’re better off just sticking with that,” confessed the Dragonite, sighing with content as her excitement settled into simmering joy as Olivia’s once gray aura gradually began welling up with a soft pink. “Sorry about being so stubborn earlier, ‘Livia. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” “The pleasure’s all mi-…!” Once again, Olivia was cut short by the elements that be. Two trills of a Natu followed swiftly by a loud blast from the local Xatu signaled that a certain gluttonous dragon was needed on stage post haste. “That’s my cue,” Mutton grunted, exerting herself to rise from her seated position, “We’ll talk more later, yeah?” “Definitely! I can’t wait to see you up there!” Rejuvenated, the Dragonite left forward with the same spry nimbleness of her Dragonair sister despite her immense heft. Though the recent development was criminally short, it was enough for her to attain a spring in her previously tremulous steps. All this energy just for stumbling upon a confidant? It makes me wonder why I didn’t do this before… Irene and Nadia went around establishing the audience, slithering along the streams of low-lying fog to procedurally blow out the vertical bonfires that were lit around the shoreline and forest edge until only the ones near the center of the event remained unabated. In the interim, Abbey and Cheryl swept up leaves, peels, skin, and other berry residue off of the benches under the cover of momentary darkness. They elevated their loads off to the west of the lake and proceeded to socialize with those confined to the beach – making idle conversation as they performed the last leg of their janitorial duties. For a protracted moment, there was uneasy and breathless calm as a silhouetted wind serpent matriarch took to her platform…clearing her throat as her orotund collected the necessary stamina to project across an ocean of anxious Pokémon. “Creatures of the sea, land, and sky. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? Of course you have. They ring out like the mornings first crow yet it proliferates via hushed tones and hearsay. I’m sure you’ve all enjoyed your lavish dinners and deserts, but there’s still something left. You are far from the satisfied because one question racked your subconscious – demanding gratification: Who is this Pokémon, this…’Dragonite’ with a bottomless pit instead of a stomach? Is it all just a hoax or an advertising stunt? Does she even exist at all? I’m here tonight to corroborate anything you’ve heard to the contrary. She’s very real, and she’s my youngest daughter. Within her lies is a gulf spanning miles upon miles! In fact, the archipelago behind me is a teeming grove elusive to her and her alone! In fact, she’s even gone as far as to name the berries so we can classify them beyond color and texture~! What you’ve eaten this eve is only the harvest from the lands beyond this park. Right now, you shall all bear witness to the yield of these islands and the woman who will devour it all in one fell swoop.” Riding the tempo of her speech, the Dragonair sisters plopped down eighteen heaping helpings of various berries, all of which were so mountainous that their formation eclipsed the moon and half of the visible stars. Cynical comments and suspicious laced with vituperative blazed a trail through the crowd. ‘There’s no way…’ was the sentence fragment de jour until they were silenced once more. “I’d like you all to offer a welcome befitting my fifth and final daughter exhibiting her distinctive talent tonight! Please, an ovation for the pleasantly plump: MUT-TON!” Contrary to how Jacqueline thought she’d be seeing her daughter approach the limelight, Mutton came jaunting in with both hands waving towards the audience. Puffed with bliss, the Dragonair slid her tail over her daughter’s shoulder and whisper a few final words of encouragement, “Enrich yourself, sweetheart. Let nothing stop you.” Snapping her clawed fingers into place, Mutton approached the first edifice of fruit – dragging her salivating tongue round her ever-yearning lips before taking a single berry from the pile (a Pecha Berry, to be exact), dribbling over it as she sampled the texture before plopping into her mouth and swallowing it whole. That was the first and last time the crowd would see Mutton ‘take her time’. Hoisting one full bowl up in the air with a brawny arm, the dragon tossed its contents up and proceeded to guzzle the nutritious precipitation at a blinding rate with pinpoint accuracy. Staunch, vascular throat muscles ushered the masticated hailstorm of berries into her tumefied belly afore she kicked the vessel aside and moved on to the next one. Basin after basin was scarfed down and depleted without a second's rest and an utterly stupefied audience could only watch in perverse horror at the sheer efficiency! The next tub was handled with a bit less flair and more acumen as she expanded her cobalt-membrane wound wings and flew to the apex of the mound before unhinging her jaw and permitting herself to free-fall ingest to the base (where she had to toppled backwards and scoop the last portion up with a loosened jaw. From there, she’d alternate between allowing the towers tumbled down her throat at bypass her teeth to purposefully toppling the skyscraping stacks into her arms and then chewing the lot that remains until it all coincided into one large bolus that bulged her throat outward until the load crashed into her gizzard, received with a reprise of borborygmic and a resounding belch she was forced to stifle with a forearm. Enlarged but by no means immobile, Mutton shot a glance towards her mother and bellowed, “Is there any more? I’m still quite famished~.” Slackened jaws gave way to uproars applause and roars that shook the land. Even a Snorlax roused from his slumber sat up to bring his two stubby paws together before passing out in her own debris. Naturally, all of that was just white noise emitted by gray specs as the only person she was focused on one singular rose speck at that back – cheering her little heart out. *** Jacqueline swept up behind her youngest and promptly nuzzled her cheek in celebration, “You were a lot more confident out there, Mutton! What happened while you were with Abigail’s daughter?” “Well, I uh…I can’t say for sure,” and that wasn’t just an excuse or a result of her nigh instantaneous binging. Her mind was a medley of blissful aria and she couldn’t be asked to make sense of it all on short notice, “I suppose I just opened more than my mouth to new experiences, y’know?”