Chapter 70 - 70 - Harvest Festival Battles!

Upon arriving at Komati Valley Bus Terminal, the bus opens its doors and all of the passengers onboard get off with their Pokémon and belongings. Just walking down the gravel ground of the station, Rico and his team are amazed by the view of the valleys, including its forestry cover and slope and river. It was mildly cloudy compared at the city. The valleys are dotted with rice fields, big and small farms, sparsely scattered buildings and houses, stairways at the sloped areas, and a few accesses to transportation. It seems that the place was less dense than the areas nearer to the city. Later that morning, Rico and his group are walking to an area near the river, where the festival, called The Harvest Festival, is being held. It is a huge festival where farmers and their Pokémon bring their newly harvested food and crops for sale and a time of competitions and Pokémon battles, often between strong Trainers. The form of entertainment is simple yet enjoyable, with the performance of the taiko drummers being the most favorite of all. In the simple and colorful stands, small scale farmers and their beloved Pokémon are constantly advertising their fresh products, mostly berries and vegetables, to customers and participants. Others, meanwhile, sell handcrafted souvenirs and simple household items like broomsticks and fans. The festival was held once a year for a period of one month, and almost every year, the festival is getting more busier and more vibrant and fun.

And as they walk through the mildly crowded avenues of stands and small businesses, Rico and his group are looking and gazing at the stands with enthusiasm. In the other direction, Emerson and Detective Trevor are going to the entertainment grounds. Upon seeing them, they and their Pokémon are very delighted, greeting them greatly with a good morning.

"Good morning to you, Campillo," Emerson greeted back. "Sorry for not picking you up. You see, there's a serious issue at this festival, so I had no choice but to go and tackle this." Her sister, Miriam, was busy directing a group of young Trainers arranging the stage for the performances.

"Hi there, Rico and Juan, good morning," Trevor greeted the two kids with a good morning. His Pokémon, a Scizor, then greeted them with seriousness. Rico, Juan, and their teams then got amazed at Scizor, asking the detective who is that Pokémon.

"This is Scizor, a Bug and Steel-type," Trevor answered back with a positive outlook. In response, Rico pulled out his Pokédex and point it towards Scizor; his Pokédex then responded, "Scizor, the Pincer Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Scyther. A Bug and Steel-type. It has a steel-hard body. It intimidates foes by upraising its eye-patterned pincers."

"Wow, that was so cool and awesome, really cool and strong," Rico commented upon hearing it. He then put his Pokédex back in his pants pocket.

"So, shall we tour the entire festival?" Trevor asked them with a positive and cool look. This delights the kids, and they and their Pokémon readily accepted it.

So, all of them toured the festival grounds together, looking at its features and offers. Along the way, they buy some snacks and drinks and engaged in fun games and interesting entertainments. The times are as vivid and fun as Rico's times with his parents.

Later, by 10:34 a.m., Rico, Juan, and their Pokémon went to the battle grounds where Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon of various backgrounds battle each other. Most of the people battle are the residents of this very valley district, and mostly, ordinary Trainers and farmer Trainers. It was one of the pillars of the festival fun. At this time, two of the participating Trainers lost against their opponents. Some of the battles are mostly one-on-one while most are two-on-two, and most of the battles are intense and full of action.

So, in order to test their strength and knowledge, Rico and Juan joined in with Trevor and Campillo's permission, showing their Pokémon, Starly and Oshawott, to the local Trainers. The grounds are divided into four fields, each for a Pokémon battle. And now, Rico is now against a Trainer with a Riolu, while Juan is up against a Trainer with a Dratini. Then, as the sun rises over the center of the day, the battles had began.

"Riolu, use Rock Smash!" the Trainer commanded Riolu with coolness. Riolu then used Rock Smash, attacking Starly with a punch that can shatter a rock.

"Starly, dodge it!" Rico quickly commanded Starly. Starly then dodged Riolu's attack by flying high.

"Then use Gust!" Rico commanded Starly. While in midair, Starly used Gust, whipping up a string gust of wind towards Riolu. Riolu then tried to withstand the strong gust, but a few seconds into the withstanding, Riolu got blown away by a few meters. But Riolu managed to hold on the ground in action, making the crowd amazed at its actions. Meanwhile, at the third field, Juan was struggling against the Trainer with a Dratini. Back at the second field, the Trainer commanded Riolu, "Quickly, use Focus Blast!" Riolu then stand up and used Focus Blast, heightening its mental focus and unleashes its power towards Starly. Starly then quickly dodged it with a swift speed, shocking the Riolu's Trainer severely.

"Use Wing Attack!" Rico commanded Starly with coolness. Starly then charged towards Riolu and used Wing Attack, striking it with large, imposing wings spread wide to inflict damage, hitting Riolu with a great deal of power. Riolu got weakened very badly by it, struggling to stand up as its Trainer tells it not to give up. In the same time, Juan and his Oshawott got defeated quickly, leaving Rico and Starly stuck. Upon noticing this, Rico become concerned at first, then became determined to win the battle. As Riolu struggles to get up, its Trainer commanded it, "Quickly, use Focus Blast, now!" Riolu then used Focus Blast, heightening its mental focus and unleashes its power.

"Dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Rico commanded Starly seriously. With a quick and alerted mind, Starly dodged the Focus Blast and used Quick Attack, charging towards Riolu in a fast pace, striking it with power. This finishes Riolu off, and Riolu was defeated, ending the battle.

"Riolu is unable to battle," the referee of the fields announced, "Starly wins." This causes Rico and Starly to be overjoyed in embracing the victory as the Riolu's Trainer felt a bit down on his defeat, but the latter accepted it with a bit of hope. Juan got defeated today, but Rico won.