Pam was stunned. Robin added: "Wine gets better with age, you know. I guarantee that when you've paid off your loan, you'll taste wine a hundred times better than what Gus sells!"
"Thank you—Robin, thank you." Pam choked up for a moment.
"Don't mention it. More than this, as long as you continue to work hard in the future, that's enough," Robin said.
If it were usual times, she might have added a few more words to Pam, hoping Pam could treat Penny better.
But now there was no need.
She knew Pam had turned over a new leaf, and knew that this mother-daughter pair's life was no longer mired in the mud like before.
Everything would get better and better.
Not just their family, but her own family as well.
Thinking this, Robin lowered her head, planning the room she would add for Sebastian, and walked out the door.
Time passed to the evening.
Spirit's Eve—as usual, all the farm's Pokémon could participate in this festival, including Geodude and Orthworm.
So at this moment, the Pokémon were heading out one after another. The slight difference was that everyone had dressed up in costumes, with even a few Rattatas wearing carved pumpkin heads on their heads.
"Rattata rattata!"
Meanwhile, Indeedee was also wearing her new hat.
On the basis of the original felt hat, Emily had added quite a few decorations to her hat, and even re-dyed it. Now it basically had nothing in common with the other Pokémon's hats.
Indeedee was extremely satisfied with this.
She then put on a mask and walked out the door in high spirits.
Ron followed behind. He had prepared some candy. Although Pelican Town didn't have the tradition of "trick or treat" on Spirit's Eve, everyone liked to eat it, so Ron made some, planning to stuff a few into Pokémon's hands when he saw them later.
If you think about it, Pokémon weren't much different from children who never grew up.
Meanwhile, Haley had just come out of her room. She wore a black dress and covered her head with a witch's hat.
Because she had Emily, the tailor around, there was an abundance of these kinds of costume clothes. Haley looked in the mirror, picked up Sunkern in her arms who had been painted as a pumpkin head, and said to Emily nearby: "Come, help us take a photo together——"
"Forget it, I don't have time!" Emily emerged from a pile of clothes. She then took a deep breath and pushed the orders aside: "Forget it, let's celebrate the festival first. Let's go."
Saying this, she took the camera from Haley's hand and snapped a photo of Haley without another word.
"You didn't even give me a heads up!" Haley didn't have time to check the photo before Emily pulled her stumbling along.
The two rushed out the door. Haley complained while helping Emily's Squawkabilly adjust the pirate eye patch over its eye.
The two walked arm in arm to the venue not far away.
Gus had specially stewed a large pot of pumpkin soup. Sebastian nearby was complaining about the pumpkin smell everywhere while handing his bowl to Gus, asking for another serving.
"I thought you hated pumpkin," Demetrius suddenly said from the side.
"Mm—" If it were usual times, Sebastian might have snapped at Demetrius. But recently, Demetrius hadn't been bossing him around arrogantly for a long time, and was even willing to listen to his opinions sometimes. So Sebastian handed his bowl to Toxicroak who was also waiting, and said: "It's like how some people like strawberries but hate strawberry flavor. Pumpkin soup and pumpkin—I don't think they're the same thing."
Demetrius paused, trying hard to understand his stepson's thought process.
"But if I had to say, maybe I hate the festive atmosphere," Sebastian added.
In the past at this time, everyone would be bustling about preparing for the festival, but he was always alone. If it weren't for the inexplicably warm and outgoing Sam who became his friend, he might have been even more reclusive than he was now.
Thinking this, Sebastian looked over and saw Sam with Vincent on his shoulders, laughing loudly while charging toward the distant maze under Jodi's obstruction.
"Do you want to play too?" Sebastian paused, turning to look at Maru.
"Me?"
Maru had never been addressed like this by Sebastian before. She was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Demetrius didn't stop them, so the two walked in side by side.
Maru still liked challenging mazes—in other words, she was interested in all puzzle games.
But although she came to challenge it every year, she was also directionally challenged, always getting lost in the maze's twists and turns.
This was the first time walking beside Sebastian. She walked while carefully observing him.
Actually, she still had good feelings toward Sebastian as a brother—just like every girl dreams of having a brother who would protect and spoil her, she also held such expectations for Sebastian.
But obviously, their relationship wasn't harmonious.
Thinking this, suddenly, a Haunter burst out from the bushes nearby.
"Ah——" Maru was spacing out at this moment. This thing suddenly bursting out immediately startled her.
Before she could react, she felt Sebastian's hand block in front of her.
Then, Sebastian turned his head to look at Maru. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and grabbed the back of Maru's collar.
"Alright, let's go," he paused and added: "I'm right here."
Maru was stunned for a moment, then smiled at Sebastian after a while and strode forward.
Meanwhile, Lewis was standing at the maze entrance.
Jas was currently begging Shane to take her inside, while Ron was leading a large troop of Pokémon toward the maze entrance.
"They're all participating?" Lewis looked at this endless line of Pokémon, fell silent for a moment, then said: "Oh right, everything inside are props. If they're broken, you'll have to compensate at cost."
"————" Ron lowered his head to look at the Geodude full of anticipation, fell silent with them for a moment, then asked: "Are the props expensive?"
Ron turned to look at Indeedee.
"Indeedee." Indeedee patted her chest: "Indeedee!"
"Then go ahead," Ron said, making way for the Pokémon.
Lewis looked somewhat worriedly at the continuously entering line.
Completing the maze could earn a Golden Pumpkin. Ron gave this task to Sailor.
He was the only one among the Rattatas willing to challenge this. Besides Sailor, the other Rattatas had already arrived early at Gus's pumpkin soup and were eating heartily.
Before Ron could finish surveying everything around him, he heard Geodude's roar coming from inside.
Followed by the sound of heavy stones falling to the ground.
Plus—"Indeedee? Indeedee indeedee!!!"
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