It was with trepidation and satisfaction that Lydia pulled herself from the water after Eleyna. Though the fight had exhausted her in more ways than one so that she could not share quite so much in Eleyna's exuberance, she could still offer a hearty nod and a victorious grin. "We do...seem to have done it."<br/><br/>This was followed by a light giggle on Eleyna's part as she noticed Eleyna's bright round rear reflecting the moonlight. The joy, however, was short-lived when she realized her own underwear had gone missing at some point during the battle, likely her extended grapple with the constricting Tentacool. She frowned, slightly embarrassed as she mimicked Eleyna's nude walk from the water. The Tentacool would certainly be an interesting companion in the future.<br/><br/>The great booming beat of the drum alerted her attention even before Eleyna called to her. Rapidly tying her kimono in place (A slipshod effort and her long blonde hair was still drenched with seawater), she hurried to follow Eleyna back toward the festival. Rufflet landed on her shoulder to rest. She could tell he was injured from the back-to-back fights, but the flying Pokemon was far too proud to show its weakness.<br/><br/><i><span style="color: gray">Fine</span></i>, Lydia thought,<i><span style="color: gray"> let him learn that pride won't heal wounds before I give him treatment</span></i>. She would see to him after the festivities.<br/><br/>She stood a little away from Eleyna as the performance began. She had been trying with little success to wring some of the excess water from her hair, but gave up when Aiko began her performance.<br/><br/>Lydia had never been much a patron of the arts. She doubted she had ever been moved to great emotion by a painting or a piece of music. But there was something about the dance that mesmerized her. As she looked up towards the treetops, her eyes drawn by some unseen force, she saw that she was not alone. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the gathered Pokemon in the treetops around the stage, all watching in silence. No...not watching, waiting. And before Lydia could parse the question of what they, what all of them were waiting for, there was a great rush through the trees as her question was answered.<br/><br/>For perhaps the first time in her life Lydia was truly speechless. There was no Pokemon before the gate, but something else, an ancient and purer thing that announced itself and made its message clear before departing. Lydia stood stock still for a moment, feet frozen to the ground, and in the back of her mind she noticed that the once-proud Rufflet had half-hidden itself behind her head.<br/><br/>Pulling her thoughts back together once more, her eyes darted around for Eleyna, quickly spotting her among the crowd and stepping quickly to her side. She had already found Aisha and Jake, or perhaps the reverse. Aisha's arm hooked like steel around Jake's. Lydia, for her part, placed a light hand on Eleyna's shoulder as she stepped beside her, both to announce herself and, perhaps, as a comforting gesture.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"I think we are all a little shaken."</span>She said, catching the last part of their opening conversation.<span style="color: gray">"But I agree, absolutely. We find the other trainers and gather together...I would also like to hear what this mysterious person of yours has to say."</span><br/><br/>She could not hide the slight tremor in her voice, even as she tried to swallow it. She had prided herself on her courage. But how could there be courage in the face of something like that? At least, she decided, she was not alone.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>