Cosplay: UC Bunkasai

Me: All right, are you up for something really different and really unusual?

Ash: Hey, what's this one about?

Pikachu: Pi pika pika? [curious]

Me: OK, so usually I'd send you to theme events or conventions early on so you can prepare, see the sights, do stuff, and so on and so forth. But this time, I'm sending you later than I would usually, especially for this.

Ash: Sure. And what about this event?

Me: I've never sent you to this one, mainly because it's so far away, so it becomes rather prohibitive. But now, there's an opportunity, so we have to take advantage of it.

Ash: I see. I think I'd do the same myself.

Me: Also, I'm sending you with someone, or rather, a group of people.

Ash: Hey! I know the people you're sending me with. They're-

Me: Shhh. That's for a later part. But first, the important stuff. Did you make it there?

Ash: Well, there was a bit of time before I finally got there, but yeah, I got there. It's really a LONG ways away. Now I see why you don't want to send me there.

Pikachu: Pi, ka... [winded]

Me: Now you know, and I guess I know. What's it like over there?

Ash: It's a lot like many of the events you send me to, but it does seem like a lot less for something far away.

Me: My suspicions seem to be confirmed. I've also been told that it seems rather sparse from year to year.

Ash: OK, so now, can I tell about the people I'm with?

Me: Sure!

Ash: So I'm with a band called Otaku, and my friend and I have known about them for a long time. I'm with them because...

I GOT TO SING WITH THEM LIVE!!! YES!!!

Pikachu: PIKA PIKA PIKA!!! ["WONDERFUL!!!"]

Me: ALL RIGHT!!! They had asked me last week if I could send you today to do so, and seeing that this could be a very rare thing, I had to be able to do it no matter what.

Ash: And it all happened so suddenly!

Me: Yeah! But I'd like to save most of the juicy details so that I can discuss them later... I hope. Now, actually, I wanted to send you here not together with them earlier today so that you could take part in the singing competition, but in retrospect, that seems to be a bad idea because of the distance involved.

Ash: You know what? It's OK. You'd have spent too much effort to send me here, and you can't tell if I would be able to win or not. But this one didn't take much effort, and I still felt like a winner.

Me: That's absolutely true. Still, this event is actually a two-day thing, and the character parade would be tomorrow. I had hoped to get you to somehow stay for that, but I can't. Would you mind if you skipped it?

Ash: I don't mind. It's your call.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["You decide."]

Me: Then it's settled: this is our only day here. For what it's worth, it has been an amazing day, even if it has been out of the ordinary. I can only hope that it happens again.

Ash: Me too! I think it might just happen.

Pikachu: Pi pika pika chu pi! ["I'm really sure of that!"]

One year ago: Local EX Raid (and Rain, Again), 11/30/2018
Two years ago: Feature Film 20 - "Pokémon The Movie - I Choose You!"