Picnic on the Coast

Rocks bounced across the ground as feet both human and non passed along the trail. The trail was new, flanked on either side by Groudon’s own footprints as he’d made his way to the ocean. Brie didn’t appreciate the sun beating down when it poked out from behind the clouds, but she couldn’t help but smile when Bread and Butter raced here and there around her feet and along the path. They were enjoying themselves, and even though she didn’t like the sun beating down on her, she couldn’t help but enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread that hung on the air from Bread’s new fusion. That had been unexpected, for sure, but it really did smell good.

Of course, the freshly made bread in the picnic basket settled in the basket of her bike didn’t help either. Nanab bread, some homemade Pokekibble (she still wasn’t sold on their quality), some freshly pressed juice, and a few other things would make for a good picnic. It was simple and light, but after this hike, she’d welcome the food. She was sure the mated pair running around her would too. She’d needed a break from pedaling, but finally, they reached their destination - a cliff edge that overlooked the ocean, where she could see Guardian Groudon doing whatever it was Groudon was doing.

Hot springs dotted the landscape further down, and out in the water, the large Pokemon worked. She could see land poking out from the waves, lava and crags reaching skyward like rocky flowers readying to bloom. He paid her no attention, and now that she could see him, her heart warmed. The Pokemon was sprawled out, his chin resting on the shore of one of the new islands, his eyes closed. He was sleeping. No wonder he wasn’t paying her any mind. The flames from the Guardian’s fused side flicked and danced in the clear sky, pulsing with each exhalation and snore from the giant Pokemon. Bread and Butter ran to the cliff edge and stopped short, a look of awe on their respective faces as they watched the legendary Pokemon sleep.

It was an oddly beautiful and surreal sight, and while the two were distracted, Brie kicked down the kickstand on her bike and started setting up their little picnic. The blanket went down to keep the food off the ground, and she flopped down on it, sprawling out with a happy noise. Her whole body ached from the bike ride and walk she’d done from Brookfell to here. Getting away from all the noise, all the conflict… listening to the call of bird Pokemon over the ocean waves, the faint crack and crackle of Groudon’s flames in the distance, she couldn’t help but relish the quiet of nature. 

The fighting didn’t make sense to her. Cynic versus Ethos. She didn’t agree with what Cynic had wanted to do - she shifted to look out at the Pokemon, remembering how they’d wanted to use a freaking cannon to bring him down. Ethos, while honorable in wanting to find another way to calm the rampaging Pokemon, were now all out fighting with the other group. That didn’t bode well for her, and she’d needed a break from all the talk about the conflicts pockmarking the region. She crinkled her nose and buried her face in her arm again, letting the ocean breeze run over her. 

Tiny paws scampered over her back, and a cold, wet nose shoved into the back of her ear, nudging at her. “Vee?”

“I’m OK, Butter.” She tilted her head, smiling at her partner Pokemon in assurance. 

“Vee!” Brie shifted and moved to get up, and the Pokemon hopped off her back, circling around her in excitement. She glanced around, her Sylveon ears twitching and listening. The improved hearing had taken a lot of getting used to, but she figured that’s why she could hear the flames from so far away now that she thought about it. She pushed herself into a sitting position and immediately, the two Pokemon clambered into her now open lap, nosing and nudging at her hands for pets and affection. She smiled down at the pair, giggling as Butter gnawed on a piece of his mate’s back - the braiding on her back had a freshly made doughy kind of scent, in contrast to the rest of the bread smell she let off. Bread swatted at him, and Brie used the distraction to pull the food out from the basket as they tumbled from her lap.

The picnic went better then she’d expected, and as the sun started making its way west, the shop owner packed everything up and got them ready to go. She’d stop at a hotel in Brookfell for the night, then head home in the morning. She’d just needed a break from all the horrible things going on and all the negative talk that surrounded her store. And a picnic was what she’d needed, and a trip to the coast to boot. It left her feeling recharged, and ready to handle whatever was to come.