A cup of sweet, nostalgic tea
There once was a boy, who loved tea very, very much. His father was a tea ceremony master, and he prepared it for both people and Pokémon alike.
“Making tea is a celebration of life, Amellio. It is born from the earth, which gifts us with plants to brew it. Then, we make it with love, and share it with those around us. Like that, we thank those who give, and those we give to.”
The rising sun over Mount Coronet, the chirping of Starly, a Kricketune that stopped by and played a song in exchange for a drink. These were the types of scenes the boy shared with his father every so often, enjoying a sip of his own cup. It was sweet, so sweet, always sweet.
Amellio’s mother was not a fan of tea, the boy thought. She always left before their tea ceremony, and she only came back a day later. When Amellio asked his father, he only had this to say.
“Your mother finds my tea very bitter, you see.” “But your tea is so sweet, Father! Even the scary Gengar sometimes come at night to drink the leftovers…” “You see, she would much rather have Berry Juice, instead.”
When his mother came back the next day, Amellio couldn’t help but notice the scent of Cheri Berries on her. He tried to have some himself the next day, to understand why his mother liked them so much. But it was just spicy, so spicy, too spicy.
One day, a group of men came to visit Amellio’s home. The Pokémon the boy was playing with scattered after they heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Only a Budew remained, trembling in Amellio’s arms.
They approached his father, who offered them tea. However, they smacked it away and yelled in some unknown language the boy could not understand. Amellio’s father never yelled back at them, and eventually the men left.
Later that day, the boy’s father asked him something very suddenly.
“Would you like to learn how to make tea?”
From that day, it was Amellio who made tea. He did not understand why his father, who was so good at making it, wanted him to do it instead. No matter how many times he tried, it never came out as sweet as his father’s.
“Am I doing something wrong, Father?” “No, you’re doing quite alright. This is the best tea I have ever had.”
But Amellio knew it was not true. Only Budew showed up when he was the one to make tea, and his mother started leaving for two days instead of one. He wanted to know how to make it just like his Father. His was just bitter, so bitter, always bitter.
This time, Amellio watched the sunrise over Mount Coronet by himself. His father had left one night, never to return. He hadn’t even said goodbye, and the teenager didn’t know where he had gone. Just like the Hero from old tales, he had vanished without a trace.
His mother showed up with that same group of men that had yelled at his father one day. But this time, they did not leave. Only then did Amellio notice that one of the men smelled of Cheri Berries as well.
The scent of tea around the house became so subtle, since then. Starly stopped chirping, and Kricketune stopped playing its music… Berry Juice was just too spicy for them.
Amellio did not stop making tea. He kept trying to perfect the recipe, to recreate the same tea his father used to make… But no matter how hard he tried, it never came out right.
One day, his mother approached Amellio.
“Amellio, you know you will marry the daughter of this man. But she does not like the scent of tea, so you must understand…” “If Father comes back one day, I want him to drink a tea that makes him smile.”
She never once gave up trying to convince him to stop. As the date of the wedding approached, he feared that it would soon be too late.
One of the foreign men approached Amellio at night, while he worked on his tea ceremony practice. Budew was there with Amellio, handing him his tools and watching… It was going well, it was going so well, it was too well.
But the man commanded his Pokémon, a Solrock, to bind the young man with its Psychic abilities. He then took out a Cheri Berry, and placed it over the tea he had so carefully made. Amellio cried, and begged him not to ruin the drink he had made with love towards his father, but the man popped the berry, and let its spicy liquid drip down to the tea below.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Budew tried to attack Solrock. But it was kicked away swiftly by that foreign man, who grabbed the poisoned cup of tea—now Berry Juice—and brought it up to Amellio’s lips.
Only a hint of sweetness remained, drowned by the spicy taste of the berry. The next day, Amellio married… and never made tea again.
There’s a certain tale spread around Celestic Town. They say that matcha made from the plants that grow from its earth is tastier than anywhere else in the world. And sometimes, from the empty cups of tea left behind by those willing to give it a try, a Sinistcha is born.