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Parades, or any celebratory events in Anotza was a rare occurrence, the last one both Apollo and Core went to was a few months before the famine hit — since then, it’s either been getting hands tangled up in work or just the inability to travel.
Luckily, perhaps, Pixel managed to set one up — Both gym leaders thought it was from the idol, of course — though before realizing it WAS the idol and that Pixel is also the region’s fairy gym leader.
So, at the foot of Ribbon Plateau, pride flag after pride flag was hung up, a good crowd gathered there. Apollo, of course, couldn’t see any of those, the Noivern biomimicry cane helped enough, though.
The two traversed the “parade” (could it really be counted as one?), Core with Cognerite and Apollo with Altaria.
From the distance, Pixel spotted them, looking up from her Rotom Phone, “Hey! Over here!” She waved, a grin on her face.
They didn’t really need to go up to her themselves since Pixel had already closed their distance, ”So glad both of you came, I hope it’s nice enough, being the first parade in.. who knows what!” She chuckled, a hand out for both of them to shake.
Core did so somewhat hesitantly, a slight tilt of Core’s head, ”Thanks for the invite.” Core gave a smile, though coming off more awkward than anything.
Apollo follows along, though moreso ended up shaking Pixel’s wrist, ”What Core said.”
Pixel smiled, retracting her hand and resting them on her hips instead, ”Great! Glad none of us are having a bad day, atleast in the standards of this region. ” She said (mumbling the last part.)
”Ehh, anyways! You two wanna just look around or like, something?”
Core looked over to Apollo briefly.
”Well, anything of interest here?”
”..I don’t know! You want pride pins?”
”Eh.. Sure.”
”Well, uh, come on then, I can get them on sale for you two.” She gestured them along as she further traversed the parade.
A few moments of silence went by as they passed by some stalls.
”..Pixel, I kind of don’t see the point of this.” Apollo commented, patting Altaria on the top of the head as he did.
”Uh, well- What’s the harm in some fun every once in a while?… Er, ‘while’ being years, you get the point.” She shrugged.
”I don’t know whether to say if that’s fair or not. It is a famine after all.”
”Well it’s a pride.. parade, whatever, don’t rain on it.”
”Jeez, okay.”
A few more stalls ahead, a bunch of pride pins and whatnot bought, though a particular stand caught Core’s eye.
”What’s that?” Core pointed towards a particular stall, which admittedly looked a little run down, but had a bunch of disks so whatever.
Pixel stopped, looking at the stall herself, ”Oh, short films. Love those.”*
”Well, why not, then?”
Walking up to the stand (trying to look as little like the second three strongest gym leaders in the region), Pixel gave a smile friendly enough to not look forced.
”Hey, these CDs, got any interesting ones?”
The merchant, admittedly looking like he worked a 9-5 7 days a week, paused for a moment, before picking one out of a pile that admittedly looked like a ferret ran through it. “This one’s a favorite, that’ll be uhh.. 600 PK, 2.000 APK if you’re using that. ‘I saw the TV glow’ is what it is.”
”Hm, alright, sure.”
After paying and taking the disk, she turned to the other two.
”Well, let’s see it, I have a CD player somewhere in my gym, right up Ribbon Plateau, come on.”
Both gym leaders gave a weird look (More as if Core did, considering the other’s situation.)
The walk was admittedly tedious, atleast for Core — Apollo’s gym was on a damn peak, for Arceus’s sake.
”Should be right around here..” Pixel mumbled to herself, rummaging through the previously tidied boxes of mostly trinkets, most being pink and feathered.
Finally, pulling out a CD player,
”Gotcha.”
Setting it down and hooking it up to a projector in the breakroom, Pixel inserted the CD.
Apollo couldn’t watch, so they agreed. that he was just gonna have either Pixel or Core describe it to him.
As the film started, he commented; ”I’m hoping it’s not the same exact thing I think I’ve seen a billion tikes before.”
”Who knows, atleast they got these kinds of movies.”
So, Pixel had left the room to cry.
Core looked at the rolling credits with an extremely deadpanned gaze.
Apollo, he was thinking something, probably nothing coherent.
With the end of the film, Core pinched the bridge of Core’s nose.
”So, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”
”Me neither.”