The invitation spread by posters, emails, commercials, whatever means possible all over the Pokemon world. Thousands of people across the regions prepared to attend in the hopes of getting a glance at the mythical Pokemon-people they heard tales about. Even the wild Pokemon gossiped about the thrilling event.

None were more excited than the citizens of Mauville City, a massive indoor complex that had recently become the most populous city in the world. Hundreds had busied themselves setting up booths and decorations. Many had prepared their own costumes of their favorite legendary Pokemon. And now, after four months of waiting, May 4 had finally arrived!

Somewhere amid the crowded throng was a welcoming committee charged with the task of identifying and guiding the avatars. So far, all they had encountered were two obviously fake Groudons and a "Meloetta" who couldn't sing to save her life. They were starting to wonder if any real avatars would show up... or if they would manage to find their way through the chaos.

Wells tried to push his way ahead of the crowd. He didn't know how to show off the fact that he could survive being in the ozone layer, as it was so far away. And he couldn't shout the truth to them. If he jumped above the heads of everyone there, he might hit someone in the head. After a few minutes of pushing through people, he decided to jump anyway. The roof was barely tall enough, and the sight of someone leaping above a crowd of "avatars" made it obvious that said person was, indeed, an avatar. The way that he shouted in mid air made it even more obvious. But above all else, it was obvious to the person he landed on, who certainly looked like a "Diancie".

Vuduin ghosted his way through the crowd with ease causing startled murmurs and people pointlessly moving out his way. He sighed silently once more as he made his way to the front. Usually he wasn't for this sort of thing but with the word FREE in such large letters it was practically impossible to resist. Odd jobs didn't make much money and anytime he could penny pinch was nice. Of course he'd often considered how easy it would be for him to steal things but resolutely decided he wouldn't turn to such a malicious practice. In addition he should be out of here before the nightmares started again so it wouldn't cause any problems that way either. Of course it had sounded like a bit of fun as well

But in the end it had been shade's urging more than anything else that had made him come, he didn't know why shade had been so insistent but he certainly had been. Though Vuduin didn't have a telepathic link like he'd heard some avatars did, they had been together long enough they could make their intentions clear. He glanced at the person who'd leapt high above the crowd and landed on someone's head. How very rude. However it did bring up the idea that levitating would make his status more obvious. As such Vuduin slowly rose up from the ground, floating slightly above head level and he arrived at the welcoming committee that had tested the three fake avatars that had shown up prior.

"Where do I sign in?" he asked calmly, smiling in an attempt to set any nerves at ease. He'd been met with many varied reactions when he'd been forced into situations or accidentally used his powers, most of the time it was fear. Hopefully they didn't mistake him for a girl either, Vuduin knew that his knee-length white hair sometimes gave that impression, especially when so much of his body was covered by the black and red robes he wore. Shade peeked out beneath his cloak at all the people, Shade wasn't used to massive crowds like this and to be honest Vuduin wasn't either.

Having managed to escape the mass throngs swarming inside of Mauville during the Avatar Festival, Kaze rocked on his heels in the sands near the water of Route 118. He dipped his finger in the river, swirling it around. Turning his attention to the skies above, he waved to a few Wingull that soared over. Eventually, he finally grew bored of his position and stood, gesturing for Jingle to follow him (as he didn't like constantly confining the Pokémon to a Pokéball). The Bell Pokémon did as he directed, bouncing with such buoyancy that it nearly floated.

Inside, the insanity was just as he remembered leaving it, if not worse. Though in the midst of it all, he noticed a man leap high above all the other cosplayers, denoting him as a very likely candidate for one of the avatars. Another seemed very suddenly to have magically hovered. Both seemed to have the goal of being noticed in mind. Kaze knew there would be no such tricks for him. Perhaps he'd be capable of doing some complex parkour, but that would do him nothing.

In the end, he decided being noticed wasn't worth it anyway. What if there were Pokémon nearby that were suffering? And sure enough, the moment the thought crossed his mind, he saw a sickly-looking Chespin, being cradled by a Trainer on her way to a Pokémon Center. Kaze ran up to her; "Is your Chespin alright?" he asked, touching her on her shoulder. Behind him, Jingle bobbed, ringing soothingly.

"It's become sick, and I don't know what happened to it," she sobbed. "I don't know what to do."

"May I see him?" Kaze coaxed, reaching a gentle hand to the small Pokémon.

Silently, the woman agreed, handing the Chespin over. "Potions and Berries won't help," she warned. "I've tried it all already."

"What I'm about to do is more than what any Potion can do," Kaze explained, pressing a steady palm to Chespin's wavering heartbeat. Closing his eyes, Kaze allowed his power to flow, his hand glowing with a faint aqua-colored aura. When he released his energy, Chespin appeared healthy again, though Kaze suddenly felt himself become lightheaded for a moment, followed by a pang of hunger. "Chespin should be fine now," Kaze smiled, the Spiny Nut Pokémon beginning to stir in his arms.

As he handed Chespin back to his Trainer, Kaze's stomach growled fiercely. "I suppose I should get something to eat after that one," he said sheepishly. "Have a nice day," he waved before setting off, leaving the woman in utter astonishment.

"Where do I sign in?" he asked calmly, smiling in an attempt to set any nerves at ease.

Most of the small welcoming committee stared in astonishment as Vuduin floated to them. One literally had her mouth hanging open. There was one member, however, who didn't seem impressed.

A pink Pokemon silently hovered all around Vuduin, seemingly inspecting every inch of him with its hypnotic yellow eyes. After an awkwardly long scan, the Porygon-Z nodded and faced Vuduin directly.

"This check-in is for avatars only," it stated in a robotic voice. The voice seemed to come from a small device attached to one of its shoulders. "Sir, if you are indeed an avatar, please state your representative Pokemon and prove your power by attacking me with a move."

"Porygon-Z," one of the human committee members interjected, "She just floated six feet off the ground! At this point, it would only be rude to-"

"Silence," Porygon-Z interrupted. "I am simply treating this man like everyone else. It is possible that he used the aid of a psychic-type Pokemon to levitate."

Some of the committee still seemed embarrassed by their Pokemon member's behavior, but its last response shut them up. Porygon-Z hovered to a roped-off area nearby and silently waited for an attack.

“Did you see that?”

“That’s so cool!”

“Mummy, can I do that when I’m older?”

Seras grinned to herself, meandering slowly through the crowds while several cherry-pink gemstones rotated around her body. Struggling through crowded streets was always troublesome at best - no need to spoil a good day with a hard blow to the shoulder - but the festival was a perfect excuse to keep any jostling strangers at arm’s length with her diamonds without feeling like a braggart. The excited glee radiating off the young children’s faces made every second of the hustle-and-bustle worthwhile. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to hurt to advertise a little before setting up her booth. With so many tourists flocking into the city, I might be able to save enough for a ferry to Sootopolis.

Wandering towards the marquee with the welcoming committee flag, she spotted several attendants scowling at the crowd, frustration etched across their brows. One of them glanced idly in her direction, then did a double-take and beamed warmly at her.

“Seras? So good to see you again!”

Waving fondly, Seras slipped through the crowd to the man’s desk. “Hey Marcus! How goes the family?”

Marcus grinned bashfully. “Little Rachel’s coming along wonderfully. Truth be told, I was hoping that you’d show up today - Rachel still adores that figure you made her before, bless her, but the missus has been rather jealous that she wasn’t around last time you passed through. Figure that you’ll be selling some more?”

“Later today,” she smiled. “I want to set up shop while everyone’s still here, so keep an eye out for my totem pole.”

“As you please. One moment - I’ll fill out the paperwork for you.”

Marcus ducked beneath his desk, muttering under his breath as he rummaged through a box. At that moment, a loud shout broke out above the marquee - Seras glanced up to see a green-haired man plummeting straight towards her. Ohcrapohcrapohcrap. With a panicked squeal, she wrapped her arms around her chest and reached for her powers. A hemisphere of golden light bloomed around her like a soap bubble, semi-transparent and hard as concrete.

After a moment of silence, Wells started talking. It was obvious that he was very surprised after seeing a fellow avatar seemingly hidden in the crowd. However, he made sure to smile after finding something to say about the shocking situation.
"Excellent reflexes! I'm certain that the welcoming comittee is more than impressed enough. Now, just give me a moment to step off."

Just the same moment, Wells found an empty space on the floor and prepared to land his feet there. He gathered himself into a small ball on the floor, before gracefully standing up again.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it seems like the only thing that could withstand an air slash. Mind if I test my might on that shield of yours?"
He smiled at Seras, trying to seem friendly after his quite rude behavior.

Vuduin waited patiently as the pokemon conducted its scan. Shade equally intensively examined the porygon while hidden in Vuduin's cloak, curious about a pokemon he hadn't seen before. It seemed Vuduin needed to verify his abilities by using an attack. Hm. Ominous wind might hit some other people by accident even if it was his most distinctive move. Feint Attack was effective but not very aesthetically pleasing. That made his choice rather simple, Vuduin nodded and said obligingly, "No problem I assure you. I am the avatar of Darkrai and the move I will be using is Quick Attack." Vuduin stated calmly and landed on the ground. He paused for just a moment, sensing the inner power that let him use his 'moves' and tapped into it. Like a bolt of lightning he rushed forward punching the porygon in the chest before returning to his original position several feet away, all in an instant. "I hope that was sufficient." Vuduin said politely certainly hoping so. Otherwise he'd have to ask the porygon to move to a more open space to prevent any collateral.

David had anxiously avoided making a spectacle of himself. The second avatars started appearing, people had flocked. Photos where being taken, people gasping in awe and wonder. Humans had come along way from training Pokemon to hero worshiping them. The difference in character that avatars seemed to express, from celebrity status to more subtle and discreet avatars. The loud, the boisterous and the careless made a show of their power, flaunting it in the way a barbarian swings an axe. It was... odd

'Stone, lighten up. People are going to want to meet you too. You are just as bad as those barbarians, sleeping on a mountain and attacking trainers you deem arrogant or abusive. A patronizing opinion, for someone who used to be just a human too'

David glanced down at the small tortoise, and gave it a soft grunt.He knelt down, and gently rubbed the reptiles forehead "For something that was dead for a thousand years, you have some strong opinions"

David slowly stood back up, glancing around the room. Good people, bad people. This place was full of both, he couldn't let distraction of his old life distract. The place felt... nostalgic. How much had binding to become an avatar changed him? He still felt like himself... but his thoughts, his opinions. They had changed, and become so extreme. Had he always been like this?

'You worry too much. You and Regirock make a great team, made us a good team whilst he was at it too. Go sign yourself in, talk to people who want you and if you are lucky, you are as unpopular as you think you are and we can leave or find us a battle or two. There is more to life then work though. Just... loosen up'

David glanced down again, unsure how he felt about his companions statements. He always spoke like Regirock could hear him and reply, like he was only half of the body he was occupying but not once had he had a conversation with it. In dreams he spoke to him, and told him what to do but was that his subconscious, or was that really the legendary Pokemon speaking to his soul? Too many questions, too many thoughts. With powerful strides, David glided through the crowds. Patiently waiting for people to move and for the crowd to flow around him, he felt no need to be aggressive and shove his way past anyone. Tirtouga on the other hand, had a handful not being crushed within the crowd. He slipped and slid, gliding on the slippy floor and not needing to take his movements one flipper at a time. As David reached the administration desk, he got to be a voyeur to another show of legendary display. The avatar of a dark Pokemon far from his home move with inhuman speed, this had been the young man floating above the crowds earlier. He wasn't sure if the decision to move like he did was conservative or wise. If that thing was what he thought it was, it had the power to be pompous and draw much more attention then... moving fast. If someone had blinked they would have missed it. David gave a subtle, approving nod before making his way towards the place he would need to sign up, still ahead from his prehistoric companion who was scuttling through the legs of trainers, causing mischief and confusion in small sections of the crowd.

As a sudden weight slammed against her barrier, Seras’ gemstones dropped to the ground and a shudder arced down her spine. Sweet Arceus above. She took several ragged breaths while the hammering inside her chest settled to a steady pounding, arms tensing around herself under the prolonged strain on her powers. As the pressure against her barrier peaked and then lifted, she glanced up to watch the green-haired terror rising from the ground, an absurd grin spread across his face.

Mind if I… heaven and stars, the nerve of this man.

Seras pulled herself upright and tugged irritably at the ruffled folds of her dress. “Forgive me,” she noted dryly, “but I don’t much trust your aim at the moment.”

With an absent wave of one hand, her barrier dissolved into a shimmering cloud of amber lights. Sighing for catharsis as her nerves settled down, she ran one hand absently across the back of her head and glanced around at the crowd. Several of the attendants were staring slack-jawed at the scene - from the pale face and wide eyes peering out from under the attendants’ desk, Marcus looked gobsmacked. And things were going so nicely. Raising a placating palm towards the attendants, she turned her full attention towards the flying avatar.

“If you need a target to aim for, then I can raise some diamonds well above the crowd for you. Need to worry about your shots going wide.” Illustrating the point, she closed her eyes momentarily and furrowed her brow - several cherry-pink gemstones blossomed into existence around her shoulders like ice crystallizing in midair, joined shortly afterwards by the fallen gemstones floating up from the pavement into a reassuring ring. Maybe things can carry on peacefully from here. Feeling the stare of the crowd on her back, she nudged the gemstones hovering in front of her to either side, then offered a hand for the stranger to shake. “But before any of that, can I trouble you for your name?”

"My name is Wells. And I have a good feeling about your future, especially given how swiftly you made that barrier."

He looked at Sera's hand, but decided to look at her face instead of shaking it.

"I always have a handshake before a battle. You don't sound interested, so I won't shake it until I know you're ready."

He kept smiling at Seras, before Air Slashing one of her gems. It created a small scratch in one, leaving the rest untouched. He did this again and again, reshaping the pink gem into a pillow shape.

"Thanks for letting me show off. I guess we'll handshake later." He didn't stop smiling, hoping that his smile would replace his handshake as a friendly introduction. It also hid that thought of a way to make the conversation less awkward.

Seras arched an eyebrow as one of her gemstones was chipped into a roughly-hewn pillow. Interesting - the man can actually aim. I’m not sure whether that's a virtue in this context or not. There would be ample time to unwind later, especially when sculpting for the crowds, but she wouldn’t allow any unanswered barbs from Well’s brashness to hang overhead for the rest of the day. With a gentle shrug, she offered him an innocent smile in return. “I’m Seras - it’s been a pleasure bumping into you.” With a theatrical wave of her proffered hand, she floated the glittering pillow into the space between herself and Wells. It was just as well that he'd carved it into something recognizable.

“I appreciate your compliments and look forwards to our future battle,” she remarked endearingly. “I’ll be certain to shake your hand at a more convenient time.”

Here comes the hard part. Holding the rest of her gemstones stationary, she turned what attention she could spare towards the pillow-shaped diamond and pushed. A paper-thin fissure formed along the surface. Then a second. And a third. With a sudden click of her fingers, the gemstone shattered in an explosion of crudely-shaped shards and cherry-pink light. Each shards immediately began to glow as it fell, slowing down as though falling through treacle and flowing like molten sand being blown into glassware. Before touching the grown, each pillow fragment had been sculpted into a plume of miniature feather down, touching down softly on the pavement in a gentle chorus of tinkles.

Restraining the urge to wipe her brow, Seras met Well’s gaze and offered the sweetest grin that she could muster.

“You’ll know when I’m ready.”

Thank Arceus that worked.

Porygon-Z flew back a few feet, but Vuduin's attack didn't seem to bother it much. The pink Pokemon became perfectly still, eyes dimming as it emitted soft beeps for a few seconds.

"Scan complete."

Loud and upbeat techno music suddenly blasted from Porygon-Z's communication device. Various colored beams shot from the Pokemon's eyes like a laser light show. Some of the welcoming committee stared in shock, almost as much shock as the various avatars' displays. A couple smiled knowingly and began gathering some papers. Porygon-Z's... outburst continued for about thirty seconds, long enough to cause some murmurs among the growing crowd near the welcoming booths.

"Avatar identified," Porygon-Z droned as it zoomed toward Vuduin. It then proceeded to vigorously shake the man's hand, not seeming to care whether he reciprocated or wanted the gesture. "I am experiencing much excitement upon meeting you. You are the first authentic avatar I have met." The Pokemon's voice continued in the same monotone, but its eyes gleamed with joy, and it vibrated a little in sheer excitement.

"Okay, Porygon-Z," a young man from the welcoming committee chuckled, "Let this guy get checked in so he can enjoy the festival. You wouldn't want to scare him away, would you?"

Porygon-Z's hands flew to where its mouth should be as it gasped.

"No, I would not want that, sir. That would be most unfor--"

Porygon-Z paused mid-word as its swirly eyes landed on another man who seemed to be waiting to check in. The Pokemon instantly became calm and clinical as it hovered toward David and conducted the same silent, intensive scan as before. After a while, it nodded and faced David directly.

"This check-in is for avatars only," it stated simply, as if it hadn't broken out into joyous song just a couple minutes ago. "Sir, if you are indeed an avatar, please state your representative Pokemon and prove your power by attacking me with a move."

Meanwhile, the young man handed Vuduin a form to fill out and a packet. The form requested basic information: name, representative Pokemon, emergency contact number, etc. The packet contained a VIP pass for avatars, a map, and a schedule hidden somewhere among a dozen glossy advertisements.

"The parade was moved to tomorrow morning at nine," the man added, "and the Tournament of Legends was moved to the afternoon, with preliminary rounds starting at noon. Other than that, the packet should tell you everything you need. If you have any more questions, just look for anyone with this badge." The man pointed to a square badge, pink with a blue border, pinned to his neat white shirt.

On the other end of the committee booths, a woman rolled her eyes at Porygon-Z.

"Are you two ready to check in now?" she asked Wells and Seras. "I recommend doing it soon, unless you want to be scanned for ten minutes."

Wells walked towards the welcoming committee, quickly wrote his required information, and grabbed his packet. After placing all the advertisements inside a pocket on his jacket, he asked where he was staying. And if they needed an electrician.

Vuduin take a few steps back at the Porygon's burst of celebration, emotion, and handshaking. He wasn't sure that was normal. However after a couple of seconds it had returned to its ordinary self. "Thank you, I'll spend a few minutes looking through this right now and ask if I have any questions." he said simply. Vuduin wondered what the parade would entail, would he have his own float that he stood on? It did sound fun for the brief time he would be here. Though he wasn't sure about the tournament of legends, he had no idea what to expect from the other avatars. Well, other than the gem lady who had created the jewel feathers and the man that had slashed at them, but even them he knew precious little about. Oh well, it wasn't worth worrying about. Vuduin took out a pen from one of his many pockets and began filling out the form and pocketed the other papers. This seemed like it could be fun, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Having decided to take a peek at the registration table, Kaze ducked behind a tree. He was curious to see what other Avatars might appear. Then, a Porygon-Z burst into a disco-styled celebration, complete with flashing lights and upbeat music. Kaze found himself giggling at the sudden display. Apparently it had discovered its first Avatar and was immensely ecstatic. However, Kaze's laughter was hardly a drop in the bucket compared to all the other reactions passersby had; he would likely only be perceived as another amused onlooker.

Beside him, Jingle chimed and rang its enjoyment out as well, right up to the moment Porygon-Z's outburst had ceased, at which point the Chingling appeared to become desperately cross. "It's okay, Jingle," Kaze eased. "I'm sure it'll happen again sometime today. Maybe even with his next victim."

Reclining back in his original place, Kaze realized a number of people appeared to be fanning themselves. The crowded indoor city was over-packed, not to mention it was a scorching day anyway, and as a result many of the tourists were getting hot. Always wanting to help out, Kaze thought for a moment, then realized he could provide aid, at least by giving them a nice breeze.

Reaching inside himself again for the energy of his Mythic Pokémon, Kaze used the move Tailwind to create a current of air to fill the area and allow for a slightly more efficient method of cooling. While the gust would only last a short while, it would, at the very least, offer some temporary relief from the heat.

Jingle seemed to enjoy it as well, ringing out its approval. "Glad you feel better," Kaze beamed, patting the small Pokémon on the head.

By the time Germaine reached Mauville city the festivities were in full swing, the crowd upon his arrival were particularly excited - which confused Germaine as he had told no one in this world who or what he was.
Upon closer inspection it appeared that other Avatars were on the scene, and causing a large ruckus, he decided that he would ask whom had showed up thus far, his heart's pace quickened in anticipation, and a dry sweat started to form around his temples - Kirlia picked up on this and give his sleeve a tug to calm him down.

"Excuse me, which Avatars have shown themselves?" Germaine asked rather politely towards a young man who was ecstatically jumping up and down trying to peer over peoples heads.

He didn't even bother to turn and look at Germanine, which he found offensive, but held his tongue.
"Awh man! You missed the awesome part, Diance and Rayquaza almost started a full on fight! Should have seen it! Diamonds and flying and stuff! Wish I could do that."
He then gave Germaine a nudge by the shoulder; and Germaine was taken aback as if someone had just pulled a knife on him, but the ecstatic young man still wasn't even looking at him to register his reaction.

"That Diancie is pretty cute too, huh you gotta admit."
It was then that it dawned upon him the reason why he hated most of humanity...

Germaine merely replied with a very dry "Yeah sure." before leaving the throngs of the crowd. After stepping back well out of view he turned to Kirlia and started talking to her.
"It appears that those two aren't here, or at least not yet." After seeing Kirlia look distressed he quickly calmed her nerves, "Don't worry, I'll still participate in this... whatever this is. It couldn't hurt to have some fun whilst I'm free from my prison."

Germaine looked at the throngs trying to deduce a suitable entry for himself, what would be an absolutely showstopping entrance that could only be one made by Giratina.
Then it dawned upon him, strictly speaking this may break some rules but worth a go.

"Okay Kirlia, I've thought of an entrance I can make to stop the show dead - if it's a competition this should win a few on my side from the get-go, you climb somewhere where you can get a good view and teleport to me once the shows over, okay?" Germaine gave one of his very rare smiles and Kirlia responded in kind as a way of agreement.

Germaine knew that there were only two Focal points here around this area, one near the bridge people biked up and down upon, ad another in the city centre of Mauville itself.
Unfortunately the festivities and the entrance for Avatars - where all the excitement was, was a few meters too far from the city center.
So.
He'd have to surface a bit far from the focal point, which in theory shouldn't hurt, he done it before well over 30 years ago but it'd be best not to travel to the distortion world after this little stunt for a couple of days.
Just in case.

Once Germaine reached the focal point - which here was an old birch tree overlooking the sea, it began to shimmer ever so slightly as these points did when he was in their presence, and then he travelled back home.

Re-assuming his Altered Forme he travelled through the distortion world for a few minutes before finding the point where he needed to be.
"Time to make an entrance"

Back on the surface world the crowd where cheering on as the Porygon Z was dancing around in the air and various other avatars had signed into the festival.
It took a while but one of the crowd noticed something odd with her Pokemon, the young girl turned away from the joy of the crowd and looked down to her Poochyena who was growling at the ground.
"Hunh? Whats up Poochy?"
Soon other members of the crowd were performing similar actions, and then it appeared - a steadily growing black inky darkness at the center of the area where the Avatars had just been.

Soon other spots started to grow, until it started to form a large oval shaped bitch darkness - at this time people had backed away in fear - but stayed to watch out of curiosity - after a short while the darkness stopped growing and a large area at the center stage had been cleared.
A stark murmuring spread across the crowd as they peered into the darkness.

And then.
The eyes opened, a deep crimson red peered from the inky darkness, staring back at the onlookers, and then came the eerie screech, it was long and mournful, filled with years of pain.
Not that it was Giratinas intent to sound like this, but it was a byproduct of his imprisonment.

" that'll do I think, best not scare them off."

A figure began to emerge from the darkness until it formed a man dressed in a black suit and snowy white hair, with at, a disinterested face.
The black inky portal between worlds began to dissipate after he had left the Distortion world and as a way of greeting to the onlookers he simply bowed before stating his name.

"I'm Germaine, or rather Giratina; a pleasure to be here."

After placing all the advertisements inside a pocket on his jacket, he asked where he was staying. And if they needed an electrician.

The committee member blinked in surprise for a moment.

"Half of a hotel is reserved for avatars," the woman explained, "just half a mile from city square. As for electricians, I don't think so... oh, but Porytech might be able to use some help for their expansion to Unova, if you're willing to travel."

Soon later, the supernatural darkness began. Some of the welcoming committee cowered and screamed when Giratina's harsh screech rang out. Some of the crowd did the same thing. One baby started crying. A few of the crowd members seemed delighted by Germaine's display, though, particularly one guy with about seventeen piercings who roared "WE LOVE YOU, GIRATINA!"

With her full attention previously turned towards Wells, Seras flinched anxiously as an exasperated voice interjected their stand-off. Too many surprises. Far too many surprises. She turned towards the attendant, noting the woman’s raised eyebrow and offering a feeble smile in return. “Sorry about that,” she apologized. “I’ll get on it right away.”

While the hooligan headed immediately for the welcome booth, Seras closed her eyes briefly to gather her wits. Joyful voices rippled around the surrounding crowd, ranging from the playful and excited chatter of young children to the amused murmur of their families. Nobody was shouting. Everyone was happy. Everything was perfectly fine. As the adrenaline gradually ebbed from her system, she reflected on the situation and felt a warm flush bloom across her cheeks.

That really got out of hand fast, didn’t it?

Scooping up the diamond feathers, Seras bashfully weaved her way through the crowd to the welcoming desk, where a somewhat flustered Marcus was tapping his papers into an orderly pile.

“Sorry about all the commotion, Marcus.”

Marcus glanced up at her and chuckled ruefully. “No need to worry, missy. There’ll be plenty more of that before the day’s out.” He pushed a registration form across the table and assembled a thick packet while she filled out the form. “Just mind the change in the schedule - the parade’s been shuffled to the start of the morning, with the Tournament of Legends after that. You’ll be wanting to show up for noon to join any preliminary rounds.”

Seras nodded thankfully, depositing the mound of cherry-pink feathers onto the desk and picking up the packet. “Could you pass some of these feathers around the welcoming committee?" she asked. "There’ll be plenty more of them tomorrow and you all deserve something for putting up with us lot.”

Marcus eyed the feathers for a moment, then nodded. “Aye, I’ll make sure they all get their share,” he grinned. “You’ll make us work for them, sure enough.”

Bidding farewell, she wandered idly into the audience craning to watch the welcome desk and began flicking through the schedule. Nothing special planned for a little while - they must be leaving time for everyone to arrive and check in. Glancing up from the sheet, she caught the eye of a young girl on the other side of the crowd sitting next to a Poochyena, eyes gleaming as she followed the rotation of her gemstones. Seras smiled fondly. This is an avatar festival, after all.

Reaching for her powers, she began sculpting her gemstones into hand-sized replicas of the Pokemon she could see from her current vantage point, either standing in the admissions queue or perched on the shoulders of surrounding trainers. Skitty. Marill. Chingling. All met with awed, wonder-filled beaming. As she molded her fourth gemstone into a Porygon-Z (one arm stretched out wildly), the young girl giggled and darted out across the crowd, dragging her rather bemused mother by the hand and trailing a merrily-yipping Poochyena behind them.

“Can you make one of Poochy for me please, Miss Avatar?” she implored pleadingly. The Poochy in question yipped merrily again, prancing around the young girl’s legs.

Too damn adorable.

While the mother spluttered feebly, Seras knelt down to the child's height and smiled fondly. “No problem, sweetheart - can you hold up Poochy for me?”

With an excited squeal, the girl wrapped her arms around the Poochyena and whipped it into the air for Seras to see - the Poochyena continued to bark happily despite being yanked off the ground. Aww. Laughing quietly to herself, Seras closed her eyes and fixed the moment in her mind - all of the child’s youthful energy and the Pokemon’s unquestioning love. Bringing together two of her remaining gemstones, she felt their surfaces rippling fluidly as she melded them into a single stone.

After shaping them into the approximate shape that she wanted, she begun picking out details - the texture of the Poochyena’s pelt, the frizz of hair sticking up stubbornly along its back and the all-important detail in the eyes. Opening her own eyes, she admired her handiwork - a miniature child cast in diamonds, holding up an excitable Poochyena with pride and happiness etched across her face.

With an open mouth and eyes like dinner plates, the young girl silently laid her Poochyena on the ground and held out her hands. As soon as Seras put the sculpture in her hands, the spell broke and she began bouncing madly on the spot. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” she squealed. “Look at this, Poochy! Look at-”

As the girl froze, Seras watched in confusion as the Poochyena suddenly begun snarling ferociously at the ground, leaning down as though about to pounce.

“Huh? What’s up, Poochy?”

Out of nowhere, an oval of pitch-black nothingness bloomed in front of the welcome committee - Seras froze like a rabbit, her eyes fixed on the hole. Oh crap. As an unnatural scream rang out from the portal, the young girl began whimpering in terror - emerging slightly from her own panic, Seras leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around the child, gazing in horror at the crimson eyes staring through the portal. What the hell?!

After an eternity, a white-haired man stepped through the portal, sealing it behind him as he bowed. Oh great - another avatar. At least I feel slightly less self-conscious about my entrance now. Tearing her eyes from the figure, she began rocking the whimpering child in her arms, whispering comfort into her ears while her mother stood frozen in horror.

After Germaine composed himself from his entrance he took some time to observe the results - crying and horror was a common theme, but there were a few dotted around giving a scattered applause at the show; could be worse - it's not as if he was cuddly to begin with, so children would naturally find him horrifying.
As Germaine turned around Kirlia appeared next to him giving him a scowl as soon as she appeared, she, like most here was clearly not overly impressed.

"What?" Germaine stated defensively "I got their attention didn't I?" He said little that improved Kirlia's mood - now he'd have to put up with her cold shoulder for a couple of hours.

He meandered his way towards the table that had a few nervous faces slapped across the committee that would 'welcome' an avatar, although Giratina felt as if he would not receive a warm welcome, or at least not as warm as others.

"Quite the entrance, and If I know my history about you well enough, I can understand why you did it - been quite some time since you were last in this world huh?"
Germaine was taken aback; it was obvious that the committee and no doubt many other staff members for this festival would be well endowed in lore on Legendary Pokemon, but Germaine had sworn that all history on him had been erased; clearly he was wrong.
The man whom had spoken to him was fairly old, maybe 40-50 years old, but he had a cheerful face and despite the fact that he was as flustered as many others around him he took the time to keep things civil and remained composed.
A human worthy of respect.

Germaine nervously scratched the back of his head before replying "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
The man just clicked his tongue in response and went on to say "What doesn't sound good in our heads before we go through with it? Anyway, just sign here please."
He pushed forward a clipboard and with it a ball point pen.

Germaine took note of the few names on the form as he written his own name down; at least now he knew their names if they approached him, or vice versa.
Clicking the pen Germaine passed both pen and clipboard back to the man.

"Thank you, Germaine. Here, is your pass and a few other various things for you, mainly advertisements. Take note that you have an hour or two before the next event; which is the Tournament of Legends, the starting rounds start at noon."
After Germaine was handed his pass and the other various documents; he began scanning through the adverts looking for somewhere that served some food, may as well eat up before the tourney.
It may get Kirlia back on his side too.