Not a Day Without Pokémon: Let's Talk About "Summer Fun"

Me: OK, after wracking my brains for a good few hours, I've decided to deal with yesterday's "sending Ash" prompt with a "Let's Talk". But I also want to consider mixing it up a bit.

Goh: What do you have in mind?

Me: Well, usually when we have one of these, we'd talk about your experiences, then mine, and then the stuff I'm getting at. But for this one, I thought we'd all pitch in to a given topic before dealing with the "stuff".

Ash: We can do that! That sounds like fun.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu! ["Let's have fun!"]

Me: All right, that ties in nicely. So today's topic - if it can be called that - is "summer fun". Thoughts?

Ash: I think of pool parties - or something at the beach!

Goh: That might have been something back in Alola.

Ash: Sure - but that also happened in other regions too.

Me: And it can happen with different places in my case as well, like this trip I once took.

Goh: Oh, fun! You had a few Pokémon too.

Me: I did. I could even find some of them there.

Goh: And even if you couldn't find wild ones, you could make do with some floats or toys.

Ash: I'd think there are a few.

Me: There are indeed.

Goh: Yup - those do fit the bill.

Pikachu: Pi pi pika chu. ["I like the one with me."]

Me: And then... there has to be other activities in the summertime, like having a campfire and looking out at the stars.

Goh: That's fun too. Have you ever done that?

Ash: Well, um - I think there was that time I looked up at the stars, and there was a picture of it. Do you have it?

Me: I still do.

Goh: That's very vivid. Now with a lot of new Pokémon, we might see more variety up in the sky.

Me: That's true. Now, about the campfire part...

Ash: There were a few times in Alola.

Goh: You know, Alola is coming up a few times. I think it's safe to say that Alola has an "eternal summer" thing to it, so there's always a chance for "summer fun" there.

Ash: I think that's so right. You could really have it all year long.

Goh: But then you'd have to have things like festivals and so on.

Ash: Of course! And those don't have to be by the water or the sea.

Me: Certainly. You might remember one that was involved with a little thing of the night sky - at least I do.

Ash: Oh, I think I do too. That was a hectic thing up in the mountains.

Goh: I guess it wasn't so much about the festival itself.

Pikachu: Pi pika... ["More than that..."]

Me: Festivals are indeed part of the summer celebration, but they can kind of get hectic, as you say, when other things are involved.

Ash: I'll say!

Goh: They can be really fun once you get past the hectic part.

Me: I would say... there's some truth in that.

Goh: Say, this doesn't have anything to do with the "sending Ash" thing yesterday, does it?

Me: Um... actually, it does. Remember the thing that I asked you to go check out?

Ash: Yeah! It was a festival near where you live... but I didn't and couldn't go in.

Me: I wouldn't have wanted you to go in anyway and stick out. The story is long, complicated, and... potentially controversial.

Goh: So that's why you sent Ash to the tournament instead, and "in place of" you.

Ash: With my Unova outfit - I forgot to say that yesterday.

Me: Yeah... All I can say is that I personally also assisted to set up the festival the day before. If the tournament wasn't there, I'd have just sent Ash to roam around (but not inside) the place.

Goh: But if you did that, maybe Ash would still stick out.

Pikachu: Pi... pika. ["So... maybe."]

Me: That could be true.

Ash: I think it was. I saw some people with red shirts around the place and I thought they'd spot me.

Me: I wanted you to try to stay around for longer, but it seems the concern is verified.

Ash: But it looked like a lot of fun from what I saw (and heard in getting back to our friend).

Me: Probably the usual stuff. Anyway, the tournament pretty much sealed the deal for us.

Goh: I'd think so.

Me: Let's leave it at that and get back to "summer fun". So it's a lot of celebrations for a lot of things.

Goh: The water, the sky (stars), and the land (festivals). Hey, that sounds familiar...

Ash: That always does. There are Pokémon for them as well.

Goh: Of course! So they're all one for the summer.