"Why?" Emily turned to look at Haley in surprise. "Do you like Ron?"
Hearing this, Haley thought for a brief moment and shook her head. "Right now, it's probably just a slight favorable impression."
"Then?"
"Then you guys both invite him," Haley said with a smile. "I'll test my charm."
"Hmph." Emily wrinkled her nose and said, "Then I bet he won't accept your invitation."
"What's the bet?" Haley immediately walked over to Emily's side, propping her hands on the table as she asked.
"Hmm—" Emily thought for a moment. "I haven't thought of anything yet. If you lose, we'll leave it on hold until I think of something someday."
"We'll just wait and see," Haley snorted with a laugh, winking at Emily's reflection in the mirror.
Specially dressed up for the occasion, Haley was stunningly charming today. Even Emily, who had dressed her up with her own hands, was momentarily dazed.
Looking at Haley in the mirror, she started feeling a little less confident again.
"And what if I lose?" Emily asked.
"I haven't thought of anything either, so it's on hold for now too," Haley said, reaching out to smooth Emily's hair. She carefully studied Emily's appearance and then said, "I think you look great. Shall we head to the venue now?"
"Let's go." Emily stood up upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, at the Farm.
After helping finish the farm chores, Serena and Bonnie changed into the dresses Haley had brought. She had probably picked them out carefully, as they were surprisingly a perfect fit.
Serena helped tie Bonnie's hair up, then tied up her own hair as well. Turning her head, she saw Indeedee sneaking in from outside.
"Indeed."
Startled to see people inside, Indeedee quickly glanced outside. Seeing that Ron wasn't coming, it made a "shush" gesture to Serena and Bonnie.
"How did you get here?" Bonnie whispered. "Didn't Ron send you to another island?"
Hearing this, Indeedee pulled out the totem it had traded for and proudly chimed an "Indeed."
"This is—" Serena glanced at it and guessed its purpose. "So you'll use this to go back to that island later?"
"Indeed!" Indeedee nodded vigorously.
"I see." Serena paused, then asked softly, "Then let me confirm one more time: does Ron really need everyone to invite him, or is that just what you think?"
Hearing this, Indeedee's eyes started darting around shiftily.
"I knew it." Serena patted Indeedee's head. "But why did you do it?"
"Indeedee." Indeedee hugged its warp totem, falling into thought as well.
"But I really do want to invite Ron," Bonnie said, a bit conflicted. "I don't know anyone else anyway."
"Indee~"
Serena didn't say anything else. She smiled at Indeedee, reached out to adjust Bonnie's hair slightly, and then said, "If you genuinely want to invite him from the bottom of your heart, then of course it's fine."
As for Serena herself, she'd sit this one out for now.
With this in mind, Serena held Bonnie's hand, provided cover for Indeedee, and followed the signs all the way to the Flower Dance venue.
Meanwhile, Ron.
After thinking hard all morning, Ron finally came up with a possible solution and was currently trying to negotiate with Lewis.
"But that's a Kalos custom, right?" Lewis said disapprovingly. "Although I don't exactly oppose adding new things to the festival, our Pelican Town tradition is for young people with mutual affection to dance together—"
"But it doesn't say it has to be strictly one-on-one pairs," Ron interjected. "This year we have Serena and Bonnie, plus Jessie and James, oh right, and Joy too."
Lewis still wasn't quite on board with the proposal. Seeing Lewis's expression, Ron couldn't help but nervously touch the Rabbit's Foot in his pocket.
Theoretically, he didn't want anyone to spend the festival feeling disappointed.
Just as Ron was thinking this, the sound of Marnie and Pam conversing happened to drift in from outside.
"Another year has gone by in a flash."
"Yeah," Pam said with a smile. "Sometimes, watching them dance always reminds me of when I was young—"
The two chatted as they walked away from the house.
Ron suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He changed his tune: "Or maybe we could just wear masks and let everyone participate."
Lewis turned his head to look at Ron.
"And it doesn't necessarily have to be just the youth," Ron added, trying to make it sound less deliberate. "Even Pokémon can dance together."
"Then let's give it a try," Lewis said, as if possessed by some sudden whim. "What about the masks, then?"
"The farm happens to have some," Ron said.
It was just that they came from a Rattata who loved collecting accessories; some were even custom-made by Sandy and Emily specifically for it.
Just temporarily confiscating them—
Ron thought. Seeing Lewis agree, he turned and headed back to the farm.
"Wear masks? There's never been such a rule before!" Haley protested. "I spent a long time dressing up today! If we wear masks, wouldn't it be a waste of my efforts?"
Looking at the crowd who all seemed to have objections, Lewis said helplessly, "It was Ron's proposal. If you guys don't agree, we'll just do it the usual way today."
The girls who originally had objections instantly changed their tunes.
Clint thought for a moment. Figuring that if everyone wore masks, maybe he could use the mask to muster up the courage to invite Emily to dance.
With this in mind, Clint also cast his vote in favor.
"But what about the masks? It's too late to prepare them now, isn't it?" Emily couldn't help but say.
"Ron said he'll provide them."
"Where would he get masks?" Emily wondered.
Not far away, the Rattata who was currently having a meal with the other Rattata, specifically wearing a pretty white hair clip and blending into the group, heard the keyword and sharply raised its head.
The next instant, it saw Ron walking over carrying a familiar box.
"Rattata?!!"
Ron immediately saw it jump up. He hastily placed the box in a corner for everyone to borrow from, then hurried over to it and started trying to pacify it.
"Wait until I go to Kalos next week," Ron said, petting the Rattata's head, trying to make it less agitated. "I'll make a special trip to an accessory store—no, I'll take you with me, and you can pick whatever you want."
"Rattata?"
"Really," Ron swore an oath.
"Rattata—Rattata!" The Rattata immediately agreed. It then glanced at the people lining up in front of the box, and after a moment, reached out a paw to touch the hair clip on its head.
"Rattata."
Good thing it was already wearing its absolute favorite one today!
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