Cerulean: Chapter 1

        The sun blazed bright over the panic in Cerulean Abbey. Pokemon of all species scrambled every direction across the yards, darting in and out of buildings and colorful tents. Amid the crowd, a Sandshrew shoved her way toward the kitchen, attracting shouts of "Sorry miss Erthclaw!" and, "Please forgive me, young miss!" She'd take more time to bask in the attention if she wasn't on an important mission for the good of the Solstice celebration. After much shifting through the year's berry growth logs, and debating among advisers, her father had finally made a well-informed decision: this year's pie flavor for the end of the feast.
        Lost in her thoughts, she never saw him trudging upstream through the crowd. They collided like a ball against a brick wall, and she bounced off him and into the dust. She saw a Snubbull, about her age, staring down at her as she lifted her head. "Watch... Watch where you're going." His voice was just a whisper over the noise of the crowd, but she caught it. And it sent an electric shock of nerves through her as she stood. If she had evolved into a Sandslash, her quills would be set on edge. Instead, her little Sandshrew scales tingled a little as they tried to lift.
        "Watch where I'm going?! How about you stop shuffling up through the crowd like a confused Slakoth, kid? Do you even know who you just knocked down?! I'm Fiera Erthclaw!" Hustle and bustle continued around them as they stared each other down, everyone else too busy or blocked by the crowd to break up the confrontation. She made a point of flexing her small claws, just in case the kid wanted to fight. He looked genuinely taken aback, however. His large lower jaw bobbed up and down as he stammered.
        "I... Um. Do I... Does it look like I care?" He mumbled at her before pushing past her and continuing up against the crowd's flow. She turned and glared as he disappeared into the weaving and pulsing mass of Pokemon.
        "Yeah! Walk away! You did the right thing!" Her scales lay flat against her back once more, and she turned toward her destination, and what seemed to be the busiest building: the dining hall. Inside, a team of chefs started cooking three days ago and worked almost non-stop since. Cerulean Abbey held a grand total of  nearly five thousand Pokemon, and all would attend the celebrations. With so many mouths to feed, and so many tastes to cater to, a break for the chefs would mean a deadline missed.
        A squad of Meowth rushed out, holding a huge cake over their heads, attempting but failing to keep it over the bustling crowd. Fiera winced as she watched a Bibarel, who was simply not paying attention, step on one of their tails, pulling it taught. The reaction was immediate. First, the one tripped, landing flat on his face, leaving the other five to hold the now-lopsided cake. The effort proved futile, as it began to slide along the side that leaned downward, tipping the three on the opposite side off-balance. Cake exploded outward in all directions as it hit the ground with a splat, showering an entire section of the crowd. Using the moment of shock generated by the cake explosion, Fiera slipped through the crowd and into the building.
        Inside the dining hall, nothing changed from the outside. A huge crowd of Pokemon pulsed and moved, many trying to work around the many more simply there to get a look at everything being prepared. Many dishes only came around once a year for the celebration, so many young Pokemon took their first opportunity to see them and, if they were lucky, taste them early. Shoving and pushing past all species of Pokemon and shouting all manner of 'coming through' and 'out of my way,' Fiera made her way through to her real destination, the kitchen.
        Finally, she reached the door, and pushed herself between two large Pokemon and into the kitchen with a grunt. "Who was responsible for the cake that just went out?" She called to a kitchen that somehow managed to appear even busier than both the crowd outside and the crowd in the dining room combined. A Loudred materialized from between two cooks as they rushed by.
        "That was mine, miss Erthclaw. Why-"
        "What were you thinking?! Sending it out with Meowths. You know they're too short to keep it properly above a crowd."
        "I'm sorry miss, what-"
        "Now we'll be picking it up off the ground, and possibly out of the lake if you can believe it exploded that far out!"
        "It what?! Oh my-"
        "You should have sent Bellsprouts! Their vines can extend over the crowd, you know that!"
        "We're a little short-staffed on Bellspr-"
        "Never mind, just get to making a new cake." The Loudred, bewildered that she of all Pokemon was just outspoken, and distressed that her last three hours of work now decorated the lawn, disappeared back into the crowd to recreate her pastry. Fiera raised her voice a second time, "Who is responsible for making this year's pies?" This time, the entire kitchen fell silent to listen. A business-like Clefable stepped forward.
        "The Abbot has decided upon the year's pies?" Every Pokemon's breathing stopped as the air became heavy, everyone remembering and dreading last years pies made with a blend of Babiri and Haban berries. Spicy and bitter were two flavors no one wanted to taste together in the same pie again.
        "Dad spent a lot of time going over the most-grown berries of our Abbey's store this year, and yes, he's decided. This year's pies will be a sweetly sour blend of Pecha and Bluk berries!" There was silence across the hall as Fiera finished her announcement. It persisted for almost twenty full seconds before a Vigoroth spoke up.
        "That... Actually sounds pretty tasty." It was the spark that started the wildfire, and soon the entire room was agreeing in raised voices. The Clefable nodded with a smile before stepping back into the crowd to start working. Fiera swelled with pride, her father, the recently appointed Abbot of Cerulean Abbey, had made a choice everyone would love. This Solstice celebration would be a great one, and everyone would remember their family for it.