Dinner was drawing to a close, and most of the food on the table had been eaten.
Dawn leaned back in her chair with Piplup in her arms and let out a satisfied sigh.
Cheryl was helping Makomo pack up a few pieces of leftover sushi, while Cynthia and Caitlin chatted on and off about the latest fashion trends in Nimbasa City. The atmosphere was unusually peaceful.
Just then, a tremendous commotion suddenly erupted outside.
It was no ordinary street noise, but overlapping Pokémon roars, human screams, and the crashes of things being knocked over and smashed.
Through the private dining room's glass windows, beams of unidentified energy lit up the distant sky-red, blue, and gold, like festive fireworks, but without any of the beauty fireworks should have had.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and exchanged glances.
"What's going on?" Dawn jumped down from her chair and ran to the window to look outside.
It was too far away. All she could see was thick smoke rising in the direction of the city center, with faint Pokémon silhouettes circling in the air.
Elesa set down her teacup, raised her eyebrows, and grew very serious. "This is Nimbasa City. Something like this shouldn't be happening."
As she spoke, she was already getting up. "I need to go take a look!"
"We'll come with you!" Cynthia stood up too, reaching for the coat draped over the back of her chair. "I'm afraid this is some major unrest."
Elesa looked at Cynthia, hesitating as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing and simply nodded to her.
Their eyes met, and compared to before, something seemed to have changed.
Elesa went to settle the bill first. While she paid, Xia You and the others had already reached