Nina put on a pair of shades, lowered her hat and pushed her way through the crowd out of Cerulean City’s Sky Taxi port. Not because the sun was especially bright or anything, but because she saw a banner of herself with Misty and Ali looking like one big happy family.

“Urgh! Damn you Violet.” Because of that one image, there was a rumor online that the Aquarium Girl was actually a secret child of Misty’s who was born out of wedlock.

“Vee…” cried a listless Espy.

“I know, sorry girl. I don’t like how crowded it is either. Do you wanna return to your Ball?”

“E, vee.” Espy shook her head, insisting on accompanying Nina. It was a heartwarming gesture because she knew how introverted her furry little princess was.

Nina gave Espy a little scratch and continued onwards towards the familiar cityscape of her home.

“Professor Oak’s right, this place does change very quickly.”

“Vee?”

And it wasn’t just all the annoying tourists who were crowding the city for the festivities either. Looking around, she could spot a brand new statue that was erected at some point; another nonsensical abstract art piece. “And is that a new fountain? Do we really need another fountain in this damned city?”

Despite the sweltering heat, made even worse by all the bodies surrounding her, Nina decided to take a leisurely stroll back home. Not because she was dreading what was awaiting her when she got back or anything. Nope. Nuh-uh

And she most definitely did not reject the offer of a welcome party because she did not want to be dragged to the Gym right away to be subject to their whims either. Nope, couldn’t be her.

“Let’s head to the Stretch to stock up on your fur care product.” Nina said to Espy, eliciting cheers from the Eevee. Shopping in Saphira’s has always been a favorite pastime of hers.

Along the way, there were plenty of stalls and street performers lining the streets. Merchants and dreamseekers hoping to capitalize on the bustling crowd to showcase their wares and talents.

It was a good thing that Cerulean had never really been a city big on personal vehicles like Vermilion, otherwise the roads would be perpetually congested with how haphazard everything was set up.

Nina was constantly having to dodge people and take detours, taking almost twice as long just to go from the Sky Taxi port to the Stretch, which was realistically only a ten minute walk away usually.

“Vee, ee!” Espy pawed frantically at Nina’s shoulder, she had not wanted the fur ball on her head in this weather to avoid adding to the heat.

“What’s wrong, Espy?” Nina looked towards where the Eevee was pointing and saw a small group of people in blue vests bearing the logo of the Cerulean City Council.

In response to her query, Espy sent some blurry imagery of their time in the Hidden Valley Estate to Nina’s mind. More specifically it was images of men in black with flashy red Rs on their person.

Nina narrowed her eyes in concern. “You think they’re Team Rocket members?”

“E…?” Espy’s cries were a little unsure, deepening Nina’s frown.

“So you think they’re suspicious? Bad guys maybe?”

“Vee…” The Eevee nodded her head, but there was still an element of uncertainty there.

Nina hummed while pretending to browse a nearby stall selling bootleg Misty and Ali merch to avoid alarming the people in blue vests. “Do you think you can memorize their Psychic signature?”

Another image went through her head, this time of the Honchkrow that Nina faced with Eric and Tini back then.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“So they’ve got Dark Types shielding their minds?” Which was suspicious in and of itself, so Nina unclipped her Pokegear and pretended to take a selfie with an accessory, but was actually aiming the camera at the suspicious personnel.

“Let’s talk to Uncle Ali about this. I doubt Interpol is out of the loop on any suspicious Rocket activity,” she whispered to assuage the distressed Espy. “I’m really hoping these are just regular criminals taking advantage of dumb tourists…”

Nina sighed, what was the point of getting Justin out of the way when there was a trouble magnet hanging right around her neck. “Having some plot armor on our side would actually be ideal right now. At least then we’d know things will work out.”

Despite the urgency, Nina still decided to stop by Saphira, just to cheer up the dour Espy.

“Ah, Miss Jones. Welcome. It has been quite some time since we were last graced by your presence.”

Nina looked up at the stunning looking shop attendant and chuckled as she took off her shades. “I’m surprised you recognized me Miss Lafayette, I’ll have to work on my disguise a bit more.”

The woman named Lafayette laughed along in good humor. “Here in Saphira, we pride ourselves in remembering all our regulars and their needs. Besides, Lady Misty’s wedding has been a great boon to our store.” She gestured towards the crowded store interior, plastered full of manicured imagery of Misty in her wedding dress set to a fairy tale-like backdrop.

Nina smiled feebly. “What happened to surprising the groom on the wedding day?”

“Not to mention, one could never mistake an Eevee with fur as lustrous as Miss Espy’s.” She continued, eliciting a haughty puff of the chest from said Eevee, and earning the adorable little fur ball nuzzles from her swooning human.

“Thank you for your kind words. Espy’s been feeling a little down from how crowded the city was. We’re looking to stock up on her usual items, but do you have anything that’s new and interesting as well?”

The ebony skinned woman presented a radiant smile and gestured for Nina to follow her. “Please, follow me. We have a private room in the back that will allow Miss Espy to browse at a more leisurely pace.”

Nina thanked the woman and followed suit, exchanging pleasantries along the way. In particular, Nina talked about the differences she noticed between this Saphira and their sister store in Vermilion City.

“I’ve made a visit during my time there. But it just feels like the stuff on offer in Vermilion City was less… bespoke?” Nina said, holding back her own cringe at her choice of words. “Since when did I become so snooty?”

Lafayette let out an amicable smile. “Yes, we try to cater to the needs of the locals, and the people of Vermilion City are… how to say? Much more value conscious than the discerning guests of Cerulean City. That’s not to say their selection is lacking in any way. I shall make a call to our sisters in the city and notify them of your presence. They’ll ensure that you are presented with our best products during your visits, Miss Jones.”

Nina nodded, feeling like she was a noble lady from some prestigious household. “Have you noticed the people in the blue vests by the way? I’m seeing them all throughout the city and I don’t believe they were around before this.”

A little girl pulled at her mother’s dress and pointed excitedly at Nina as they were walking. But luckily, the older woman was too busy perusing to take notice.

“Ah, yes. Those are volunteers from the city council. With the sudden influx of visitors, the Jennys are having trouble maintaining order in the city. The volunteers are mainly there to ensure that any business is conducted according to council guidelines and report any misdemeanor they find.”

Nina hummed. “Volunteers you say?”

“Indeed. And here we are, please help yourselves to the refreshments while I gather a selection of products for your perusal. I do apologize for the lack of hospitality, our staff are stretched quite thin at the moment.”

Nina waved off the woman’s concern and settled down with a chilled bottle of Shuckle juice from the fridge for her and Espy.

***

“Yes, we are aware of the presence of those scoundrels in our city.” Ali confirmed, when Nina brought Espy’s findings to his attention during dinner. “I wasn’t aware they were posing as council volunteers though.”

Nina frowned. “Is Team Rocket planning to do something during the wedding?” She asked. But her concerns were dismissed by Misty.

“No need to worry, sweetie. We’ve already taken down the terrorist cell that wanted to attack the wedding venue. The ones that are left are just the profiteering ones who are looking to take advantage of tourists with sketchy dealings. We’ll let the Jennys know and have them deal with it.”

“There were terrorists looking to attack the wedding?!” The girl exclaimed. Even Patrick and Leanette looked alarmed as they asked for more details.

Ali laughed nonchalantly. “Yeah, it was a group of Rocket goons who wanted to ‘change the world and achieve greater things than petty crime’ or something. They were really sloppy though, and we managed to track them down easily enough.”

Misty nodded along. “The idealistic ones usually have heads so far up their own asses that they can’t even see the road they’re walking on.”

“Please love, mind your language in front of our niece.” Ali admonished, but it was clear that it was just a token effort. The two were too infatuated with one another to really argue.

“Are you sure it’s wise to continue with the wedding, Ali?” Patrick asked in concern.

Ali let out another hearty laugh. “It’ll be fine. If we cancel the wedding then we’re just giving them what they want. Besides, Misty managed to petition the League to dispatch Ace Trainers to guard the venue.”

“Yup.” Misty echoed. “Those old farts are worried about a potential incident as well. Lots of interregional tourists in the city at the moment, and we can’t risk a diplomatic crisis at a time when we’re about to renegotiate some trade agreements. Those assholes from the other Leagues will fleece our region for all we’ve got. Especially Johto.”

Nina sighed, there was no persuading these two stubborn Tauroses. So she moved on to more practical matters. “So long as your confidence isn’t misplaced. Anyways, what exactly do you guys want me to do? The wedding isn’t until the end of the month and you already want me back so soon.”

She did not end up going to the Gym today since her mother wanted Nina to stay home and spend some time with her. Nina could tell that Leanette was feeling a little lonely without her daughter around. The girl made a mental note to talk to her father about this to avoid a relapse of her mother’s condition.

Misty just shrugged at the question. “I don’t actually know. You’ll have to talk to Bev about it — she seemed quite excited. I wonder what it’ll be…” She ended that last sentence with a teasing wink, indicating that she did indeed know.

Nina frowned. “That’s Tauros poo, Misty! If you knew about Uncle Ali’s proposal then you’d know what the others are planning as well.” She pouted.

“Nina, language,” admonished her mother, but the girl just continued glaring at her soon-to-be aunt who was laughing in amusement.