"Seems like Basil and Hemlock are gonna be a while," Yuki murmured, fiddling with her empty cup. She wasn't too fond of waiting. "Do you guys think he'll be mad if we go look for another ingredient?"
Lily flicked one of her tails, not looking the Snomvee in the eye. "Um... he might, but, I think it's important we get this done in a timely manner...so..."
"Yeah...what ingredients are we thinking of?" Yuki asked.
Kougra licked her lips as she thought. "Mmm... peaches sound so good..."
"...Kougra, darlin', you're allergic to peaches," Teddy murmured, putting an arm around the tiny Pichu.
She sniffled, leaning into the stuffed Gengar's touch. "Yeah, I know....but they're sooo good!"
"So it's down to the Gracidea flowers or the Sattreon..." Yuki said aloud. She pondered the choices, first trying to imagine what the flower would even look like... it's effects seemed almost hypnotizing from the way Auntie had described them. And Sattreon... well, she'd never even heard of Sattreon.
Lilac looked up from the table, as if suddenly alert. "Ooh...did you say Sattreon...?" She spoke as if she wasn't paying attention, but her ears pricked up with intrigue.
"Do you... know anything about that, Lilac?" Lily asked, tilting her head.
The Swirlix nodded triumphantly, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she moved. "Mmm-hmm! Those friendly Flabebe by the community garden have loads of it... hoohoo..." She closed her eyes as if remembering a fond memory. "Such characters, those ones..."
Flabebe? But I thought Auntie mentioned a Florges... Yuki quirked an eyebrow, but propped herself up nonetheless. "Would you wanna go out and get some with me, Lilac?"
"Ah, an adventure?" Lilac exclaimed, hopping up into the air. "That doesn't sound so bad at all, hehoo. As long as you'll let me lead the way!"
"Oh- of course!" Yuki blurted out quickly - she didn't want to disappoint a wiser Pokemon she barely even knew yet. "You're the one who knows what to do and all!"
Lilac laughed heartily. "Calm your nerves, little worrywart... let's get a move on."
--
The two walked for what seemed like hours to Yuki, but that was a side effect of the Snomvee's impatience -- more realistically they'd traveled for far less time. She'd been too shy to start small talk with Lilac, but admired her relentless confidence as she lead the way.
Very suddenly, Yuki's thoughts were interrupted. "Stop, stop, stop!" Lilac shouted, causing frost to jump in surprise. "Back away very very slowly..."
Yuki did as she was told, feeling her heart beat fast at the sudden shouting. "W...what happened?"
Lilac gestured down at the curled flowers which laid below them, which seemed to stretch far, far beyond. Yuki was in awe at the sight she missed - she hadn't even been paying attention to the ground! "These flowers are very, very important to the locals," explained Lilac. "Don't go trampling them, now."
"Are these what produce Sattreon?" Yuki asked, slowly inching her paws further from the sprouting flowers.
Lilac shook her head. "Mmm, not that I know of... we'll just have to make it through the field and get to the central garden."
Yuki's ears drooped at her words. How in Heartcatch were they going to make it through this meadow without stepping on any flowers? There was barely any room for error - this was going to take ages! She swallowed, teetering a paw over the obstacles.
"Hoohoo, oh my. I can already see the color draining from your face, Yuki! Don't be so weak-willed... I've got a little method for these kinds of problems!" Lilac began to hop throughout the meadow, her light pawsteps just barely missing the growth below her. "It's just a matter of hopping, skipping and jumping... or whatever the phrase is. Hoohoo..."
Yuki pursed her lips, looking down. "But you're much... lighter, than me... I don't know if that'll work." She continued to pad her way through the field, being careful not to step on a single one.
"Nonsense! Just try it. You'll be surprised at how quick you can go, hoohoo."
With hesitance, Yuki took a leap of faith and hopped into a small flowerless clearing, feeling her back paws hit the grass. For a second, she stood on hind legs before pouncing down on the next clear spot. Huh... it worked?
Hearing Lilac's giggle of approval, she kept hopping behind the fluffy Pokemon, making sure to not trample anything below her. It took some thought, but soon she was bounding along the field like a pro, paws barely even brushing the blooms. The wind blew through her fur and energized her.
It felt like as soon as they began they'd made it to the garden clearing, the flowers below them slowly growing more and more dense and hard to avoid. Groups of Flabebe danced throughout the field, tending to the flowers they resided in. Oooh... so there are Flabebe here.
"Hop on my back, I can float us through this part, at least." Lilac angled herself so she could easily be hopped up on.
Yuki obliged, secretly hoping the cotton candy Pokemon wasn't sticky. Luckily, she was only soft and plush; a very comfortable ride. Lilac floated over to the overgrown cottage in front of them, setting Yuki down by the entrance. She sighed in relief, shaking out her sweet smelling fur. "Haven't carried a little one in a long, long time... apologies for the shakiness, dear."
"Nono, it was no problem!" Yuki assured. She gazed up at the door, which seemed creaky and even more overgrown than any other part of the house. "Do you think they're home? Should we knock?"
Lilac laughed. "Have confidence in yourself!"
Yuki didn't know what to do with that answer... but gently knocked on the door anyways, figuring it may be the right one. After a few heartbeats of waiting, it creaked open slowly, breaking the vines attached to the edges.
A Florges peeked out. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Lilac. "Lilac! Haven't seen you in ages, dearie... and who's this?"
"I really meant to come out here more often, but trainer life and all, hmmm..." Lilac replied, closing her eyes and reminiscing. "This is Yuki! A lil' scrap from the forest. We're here to get ingredients for a pie for Auntie."
The Florges clasped her hands together in delight, looking surprised. "Oooh, Auntie Appletun? Haven't heard that name in ages either! What're you desirin' for this pie?"
"Sattreon," Yuki said. "It's a gold spice, and we need it to add color to the pie, and..."
"No need to explain it to me!" Florges chuckled. "Me and my girls are the region's biggest producer of the stuff!"
Yuki blushed in embarrassment. Ah...of course they are...
"I'll gladly give you two a jar, free of charge!" Florges smiled warmly, hovering over to her shelf chock-full of spices and jars of dried flowers. "Though, if you have enough pie at the end, I wouldn't mind a slice for myself. Auntie's pies are always so perfectly crafted!"
"Hoohoo! We'll be sure to bring you back a slice or two, dear," Lilac replied. She gazed at the wall of spices in front of her; they stretched across the entire wall and each shelf was absolutely packed with jars.
The Florges flew up to the top, reading the labels of various jars aloud - "Paprika, nutmeg, fennel... ah, here's a big jug of Sattreon!" She grabbed the golden spice, which was kept in an ornate bronze jar with a swirly sculpted handle. She floated back down to Yuki, holding out the "Here ya are, sweetness."
The Snomvee attempted to grasp it in her mouth, but struggled to get a hold of it. She eventually just grabbed it with her paws, attempting to balance on her hind legs.
"Ohoho! I'll get you a bag, silly." She brought back a seemingly hand-sewn bag that fit perfectly over Yuki's back, and held the Sattreon snug. "That work for ya?"
"Mmmhm!" Yuki nodded. "Thank you so much for the help, ma'am!"
Lilac leaned into the Florges parting hug, smiling. "I'll be sure to stop by more often, Flor! Whenever I get the chance, an' all."
The two walked out, Sattreon jar in tow, happily bounding back to Auntie's cabin. Phew! That was easier than I expected!
Second ingredient down!