It was already fairly late in the day when the group discovered the Moonlight Festival, so they'd only need to wait a few hours for sunset to arrive.

Violet and her friends got some food at the nearby sandwich shop and watched as vendors were setting up stands all throughout the port.

"Gonna be quite the event, I guess." Evan mused as they ate.

Aya nodded. "Paldean towns love their big attractions, given the main draw of the region is normally exploring the wilds."

"Especially now that there are portable camping sets, trainers don't even need to stay nights in hotels," Violet added. "Los Platos pretty much gets no visitors anymore. There's no real draw."

Aya finished her sandwich and standard to clean up. "Oh yeah, you're from Los Platos. I should've remembered that, given that's where I ran into you."

"Los Platos, that's to the south of Mesagoza, right?" Evan confirmed, finishing eating as well.

Violet stood up and gathered her trash. "Yep! I lived pretty close to the city, but not to anything else. You have to go through Mesagoza to even get to the rest of the region when you're in that part of Paldea. I spent plenty of summers just in Poco Path."

"That's right, you mentioned before that you had to spend your Treasure Hunts at home," Aya recalled. The trainers threw out their food and started walking over to the docks as the sun was starting to set. "How come you were never allowed to go out until this summer?"

Violet froze up a bit and looked off to the side. "I-I don't really want to get into it right now," The girl responded.

Aya drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, I see. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's alright!" Violet quickly assured the other girl. "I know you were just curious."

Evan sighed a bit. "Hey, I think the festival is going to start soon."

Both trainers were relieved to have the opportunity to abandon the awkward topic and faced the sea.

Moonlight started to shine down onto the water as the sun sank below the horizon. The orange sky began to darken, and the first few glimpses of stars appeared to dot the endless space above.

The full moon was now the primary source of light as the sun went further and further away. The sun seemed to move quickly as it set, and Violet could watch it entirely vanish.

The moon then beamed itself onto the surface of the water. The dark sea was lit up by the white light of the moon, and bright pink and blue lights started to emerge from the water.

It was breathtaking to see the sheer number of Finneon and Lumineon in the water. Violet allowed herself to marvel at the glow and relive the memory from her past.

The fish seemed to glow just as bright back then, and it had been such a rare experience to go past Mesagoza. The trip was one Violet had always held dear, even though it was short.

Violet's parents would bring it up as an example of Violet being a brat. Allegedly, she had wanted some stuffed Pokémon plush that had been for sale and thrown a fit over not getting it.

It was typical of the girl's parents to use her actions as a child to say how childish the girl was.

Violet shook her head and focused back on the Pokémon out on the water.

After a while, they decided to check out some of the stands. They went up and down the crowded streets, looking at the different vendors and the different games on offer.

Evan went up to one of the games that were set up and began trying to throw baseballs at stacks of bottles. He didn't have great aim and wasn't throwing the ball correctly at all.

The boy seemed to be having fun though, and walked away laughing. "This is just like when Konikoni City would have its big celebrations! I feel like I'm back at home!"

Violet and Aya chuckled at this, and the trainers decided to go see some of the other carnival games.

Evan noticed one game where trainers could win a Magikarp and ran off to go check it out, leaving Violet and Aya alone.

Violet felt a bit awkward, given she didn't really want to play any of the visible games. "Do you want to check out what some of the popup shops have?"

Aya shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

The two trainers started walking over in complete silence. Violet began to feel incredibly nervous due to the awkward silence. Violet started to worry that she had upset Aya by shutting her down. "My parents, they're the reason why I had to come home every Treasure Hunt."

Aya looked over at the girl and seemed a bit confused, but then nodded understandingly. "Oh, I see. I think you mentioned something about that before. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I do," Violet asserted. "It's just hard sometimes. I feel bad making them seem like bad parents and making it seem like I'm a bad kid. Basically, my dad would have me train all summer with him in the nearby area, making sure I was ready to take on the Gym Challenge."

Aya simply listened as they walked, not casting any judgment toward Violet. "Right, I don't think you seem like a bad kid Violet. You're just trying to get through things."

Violet looked away from Aya. "Yeah, but then this year I ran into Floragato on the way home and saved him. He followed me home, and I decided I was going to go take on the Gym Challenge no matter what. I beat my dad in a battle and left, and my parents haven't spoken to me since."

"I see," Aya replied. "That takes a lot of guts, Violet. I think it's really amazing you stood up for what you wanted, especially to your parents."

The girl felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up at Aya. The trainer was smiling at her, there wasn't a hint of judgment in her eyes. "R-really? You don't think I'm being too extreme?"

Aya shook her head. "I think you did what you had to. I don't think I've ever mentioned it before, but I never really had parents in my life. There were the workers at the orphanage in Carscarrafa, but that wasn't the same. They cared about me and were kind to me, but I had to make it on my own."

Violet paused for a moment as she took in what Aya was saying. Violet had never thought about it, but Aya was an orphan.

"All that to say," Aya continued. "I don't have much sympathy for parents who don't treat their kids right. I think what you did was the right decision because it was what you wanted to do. Sorry to sort of bring it up out of nowhere."

Violet was at a loss for words. She found herself struggling to verbalize her feelings. "I-thank you for telling me all that Aya, it means a lot to me. And I appreciate you telling me about everything, you don't have anything to apologize for."

The two trainers looked at each other for a few moments and didn't say anything. Violet just stared into the eyes of the other girl. It felt as though Aya was just begging to have her hand taken and held.

Violet knew she couldn't do that though. There was no way Aya felt the same way Violet did. Violet forced herself out of her thoughts and glanced at some of the items on display at the shop stands.

One of the shops caught the girl's eye, so she hurried over to it and observed the items. A large array of pins were on display, featuring all sorts of Pokémon and design patterns.

Violet saw one rainbow Spirgatito pin and immediately picked it out, and then grabbed matching Fuecoco and Quaxly pins. Violet bought the pins and went back over to Aya, handing Aya the Fuecoco pin. "They were part of a set, and I figure you can have this one! If you want it, that is."

Aya looked down at the pin and chuckled. "This is super cute, thanks, Violet. Of course I want it." Aya fixed the pin to her shirt.

The two trainers looked around a bit more but didn't find anything else of note. Violet called Evan on her phone and planned to meet up with the boy at a nearby hotel. "I just wanted to make sure I'm not interrupting your date," Evan told her over the phone.

Violet felt her face flush red. "Shut up! Just, do you know where you're going?"

Evan laughed over the phone. "Yeah, I can figure it out, don't worry. If you need more alone time though let me know."

Violet hung up the phone, nearly shaking with embarrassment. Violet was going to push Evan into the water fountain in Cascarrafa.

The trainers went over to the building and were soon joined by Evan. He had been swept up in multiple carnival games but hadn't managed to win anything.

Violet offered him the Quaxly pin as a consolation, and Evan grinned. "Look at us, we're a gay little trio now!"

The trainers all laughed and then went into the hotel to get some rest. It was late at night now, and Violet was completely exhausted as a result. She said goodnight to her friends and then went to her room to sleep.

Violet started to feel extremely nervous about her impending Gym Battle against Kofu. His Crabominable was an immensely powerful Pokémon, and Violet didn't even know who the man's ace Pokémon was.

Still, she had grown so much. Violet would find a way to get through it, and then she'd have another battle against Aya and try her best. Violet felt a new connection with her rival, maybe things were starting to look up.

The girl still had some complicated feelings about her rival, especially since Aya was so much farther above her. Aya had also taken time to help show Violet how to get through Kofu's Pokémon. Surely, there had to be more to it than Aya just wanting an easy opponent to beat. Violet just wasn't sure what. All these thoughts were what filled her mind as she fell asleep.

The next morning rolled around and was completely uneventful. Violet was eager to get to Cascarrafa so she could take on the Gym. The girl met up with Evan and Aya and then they set out to leave Porto Marinada behind.

Then they began the trek up the hill, this time taking the path that lead to the desert. The desert was largely empty, populated only by a few large stone mounds and some Pokémon.

Cacnea tumbled around in the sand while a Hippowdon rolled around. Some sand blew through the air, tossing a Bramblin past the group in a flash. The sand was irritating and immediately started to bother Violet. That, alongside the increased heat,  made Violet extremely excited to reach their destination.

"So Vi," Aya started.

"Please don't call me Vi, it's Violet." The girl corrected. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Aya shook her head. "It's alright. I just wanted to ask, you lost to Kofu?"

Violet reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't really close either. I was being stupid and thought I could beat him. I didn't even do any training, it was a wonder I even beat his Veluza."

"Give yourself a little more credit," Evan chimed in. "I wasn't there, but I'm sure you did the best you could. And you're a pretty darn good trainer."

Violet smiled a bit. "I appreciate it, though I think I needed to lose. I was losing myself, and it helped reign me back in. Now, I feel way more refined in how I battle. Ya know?"

"I understand what you mean," Aya chimed in. "My first time around was rough, I didn't really travel with anybody and I had to figure it all out myself. It's why I got stopped so early on. I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel like you're lesser. I know it's a bit odd to have you as my rival when this is your first time around but... it's something I could have used. I want you to know that it's not an indictment of your skill in battle. You're a great trainer, Violet."

Violet was taken a bit aback by the sudden compliment and was briefly left in stunned silence. "I-thank you Aya, I appreciate that. I love being your rival, and hopefully, I'll be able to live up to it!"

At that moment, Violet felt as though she could do anything.