A dense and cold fog clothed Rainbow Town air as a flour coating, impalpable.
The snow-white milky sky nothing leaked of the surrounding landscape.
It was morning, but the motionless sky did not show the hours passing.
Large flakes of snow came down lightly, without a sound, in a hushed atmosphere.
A white shadow materialized from the fog wall, whose physiognomy corresponded to that of an Absol.
The only sounds were those produced by 4 feet moving the snow on the ground, in a shimmer of small crystals similar to sugar.
It was a female, named Nena.
She probed the ground in search of remaining roots and Berries, left to preserve by the snow mercy. Poking her nose, she had uprooted a root and found some balls of Razz Berry, escaped from whom had previously eaten it.
It was not enough, however, to feed her. The little Food shop of Rainbow Town was closed for 2 weeks now. The famine in that cruel winter was endangering the lives and that well-articulated system of survival.
Raising great fans of snow, Absol hoped to clean up the soil and have a clearer overview. But the snow was high, more than 50 cm and its Atmospheric buddy, still unabated. Indeed, recalled from that of the ground, was increasing in intensity.
Almost desperate, but not willing to give up, Nena gritted her teeth. She scratched and scratched, in a fiery fury, while fumes of water vapor came out of the open mouth from stress, as smokestack.
Nothing to do. She surrendered.
And it was at that moment that she heard it.
A cry. A cry like a distant echo.
She got to her feet, composed. The usual silence was back.
As if hypnotized, she began to walk trying to capture the source of that despair. Perhaps another hungry.
Maybe a cub.
Walking slowly, to not cover with her steps the faint but persistent crying, Nena felt it increase in intensity. Happy to help another unfortunate, she began to run, run, run in that never-changing scenery.
Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Frozen, paralyzed.
Lying on the snow bank, wrapped in a drape of heavy dark blue cloth, stood a small Chespin.
He must have been born recently, but Nena found no trace of the Egg that contained it.
'Probably the parents have not been able to shoulder with him, too, given the times we live in ...' Thought ruefully Nena, driving away the slight motion of rancor that was haunting her mind.
The child was in tears. The eyes, beautiful, colored of gold, and staring at her as if to call her mom.
And in that moment, it seemed that the tough environment wanted to wrap and protect 'em, while the wind was blowing, making snow swirling, as a band of precious silk.
It was sealing a moment of great solemnity: Nena would have done all in order to be called ^mom^ even by voice.
Chespin, for his part, began to laugh brightly, forgetful about tears, cold, hunger. Soon, he would had someone which with her eyes, had just been informed him that ^Mom is here^.
Nena lifted the cloth with her mouth, using her front legs to balance the baby.
Then, she put him on her back and spoke a little formula in a soft tone, clutching in her talons a strange round pendant, the color of the sky.
The pendant was held in place by a dark ring with a rainbow stone on the back.
Immediately, her back became fluffy, comfortable, suitable for wrap and heat the small one, which in fact fell asleep blessed.
The feathers of the back ended in a pair of wings. Nena folded 'em on themselves, to protect the little by the wind hits.
Then, slowly, mom and newcomer returned to her house, leaving the storm to fight against its own anger.
Nena's Home stood in an opening of the weird Cave of Quartz.
It was reached by walking to the Golden Glade, at the foot of the Flamish volcano and Sun Tin.
Windy area, it was said that Suicune in person brought wind here.
A few more steps, her head bowed, and Nena could curl up in the warmth in front of her little fire.
She had just crossed the threshold of the cave, still dripping, when a little high voice finally snatched her from the storm.
"Aunt Nena, Aunt Nena, you've seen what daddy can do?"
The little voice belonged to a joyful Fennekin pup, radiant energy as the fire that most likely she had on.
Nena was unable to refute her tiredness to the small.
But was her to stop abruptly when she saw the little bundle.
Immediately she began to shout:
"My aunt has a baby ! I have a cousin !"
The father of the little fox, a Sandile, rebuked her embarrassed.
"Enough, Artemisia, auntie is very tired. Please, let her breathe!"
Nena looked at him sweetly.
"Do not worry, Kan, Art is an adorable little girl."
And saying so, Nena rubbed her forehead with a greatly appreciated caress.
Then she put on semi-recumbent position, to make Chespin to be better seen by Artemisia.
She watched him in wonder.
"What's his name?"
That's right ! In all the commotion, to the little was not given a name yet.
"Hmm .. What do you think of ... Cédric?"
"Cedric?" The wheels on Artemisia's little head began to turn, she seemed doubtful ..
She walked over the baby again, and he looked back at her.
"Yes ...he has a Cédric face!"
"Artemisia !"
And they all began to laugh.
"Thanks for making me this visit."
"No prob, Nena, we were around here, and we have noted your fire out, so ..."
"I've been good, right?"
"Very good, I'd say!" Nena said, giving her a soft pat.
In that moment, Cédric began to cry. Nena put a paw to her forehead.
"How much we are careless! Just silly! It's feeding time. Fortunately, coming here I found a bit of fresh grass for Chespin. I was fortunate that the rocks have it repaired from winter!"
After saying goodbye to her friends, Nena fed Cédric with the frugal but nutritious meal she had found for him, watching him through the eyes of a true mother.
Then, after having lulled, he fell asleep, and she keeps him pressed against her body.
The sleep was sweet and dreamless for both.
Thus began a maternal-filial coexistence between Absol and Chespin, where she listened to his needs and provided, and he looked at her with those eyes that made her die, and melt to tenderness.
She was thinking, painful but necessary, that someone would one day be able to return to reclaim the child.
She would have brought him to the Town Centre, once the climate mitigated, to gather more informations.
For now, she did not intend to think about it. She couldn't let him die to frost.
A Grass type Pokémon, in addition...
And she was already attached to him, as if was her producing his Egg.
He lacked a father, of course. Another painful chapter for Nena, who had not yet found a partner to love.
Not that she was to die for this thought, no. But now she had an adopted son, and it would have been nice to complete the picture.
The days, the months, the years went by. And Cédric grew, surrounded by the love of Nena, Artemisia, Kan and all the other inhabitants of Rainbow Town and surroundings.
One day, Artemisia tripped and Cédric, from his 5 years of life, had grabbed her in fly. The little boy blushed violently and Nena, smiling, thought at the moment Cédric had been found and the dedication of older sister Artemisia infused in him.
He adored her and would do anything to have the approval of the 3 years- older girl.
A desire for acceptance, which grew even more when Cédric began attending the special Pokémon School in the country, established for all young players at least 6 years of age.
The Cloud School was a gigantic white building, erected on top of a huge staircase, and served as prince palace across the Rainbow county.
The first day of school, Cédric was awakened by Nena. His heart was pounding, the agitation had prolonged sleep, but the young mother gently lifted and placed him for breakfast, before accompanying him on the grand staircase.
But then, at the top, Cédric noticed two giant metal wings in wrought iron at the end of the railing, bronze colored.
There were very dangerous spikes, and the same Nena shuddered that had been placed where were circulating Pokémon cubs.
"Mom, what are these?" Her son asked, playfully curious.
"Simple decorations. But be careful, they are sharp."
"Definitely!"
Nena smiled. Cédric had always been a conscientious and prudent boy.
Cédric cheerfully ran towards the large hall, pointing to the other cubs.
"Mom, I'm going to know them !"
And he ran inside.
Nena paused a moment to read the inscriptions she had glimpsed on the pointy wings:
| Ab arboreal Vitae alas Mortem exercitentur erat, sed surrexit a volu in petalis de iris. Mauris Urbem in nomine meo, ita ut omnes norunt magna quod hic surrexit Xerneas. Puniceis ibant habitatores Urbis et pacem vocaretur imponi ne mutare Moribus Libra Statera. |
Nena had studied in the same school, including Latin, but had never noticed the monument.
It had been placed there recently, although it was written centuries ago.
And so she read:
| The Tree of Life was drilled by the wings of Death; however, it has risen in a swirl of Iris petals. I name my town Rainbow City, so that everybody knows that here rose Xerneas the great. I Invite the inhabitants of the Crimson Town to maintain peace, not to alter the balance imposed by Libra Customs. |
The author's name was defaced by time.
When Cédric returned home that day, he told with enthusiasm to his mother of his first day of school.
"You know, Mom," he began, filling the mouth of PokéTofu and Nacho Berry,
"I enjoyed it very much. My companions are nice, and then I always meet in the interval with Misi. Her companions find me cute even if they are older than me .."
Misi. So he called his ^big sister^.
"It gives me great pleasure, my treasure, and it can not be otherwise, since you ARE very pretty."
Nena tickled him under the chin, then he finished the soup and went to do his homework.
In the evening, Nena and Cédric went to eat in Kan and Artemisias' cottage.
Kan was working for a firm of builders, so he modeled the grotto where they had gone to live, squareing the main entrance and obtaining stone windows.
After eating the legendary carrot soup of the landlord, Cédric secluded with Artemisia, while the adults chatted in the living room of the house.
Cédric had remained silent for a while, watching the sunset, before taking word with her friend:
"I was thinking .. why our parents get not married?"
Artemisia, which was expecting everything except that question, looked at him in amazement.
"But what do you say, Cédric? They've never done it in recent years .. why now?"
"Dunno, I never thought so .. But we would become brothers!"
Art smiled. She would have liked.
But suddenly darkened.
"My dad still thinks of my mother."
Cédric also became serious. He didn't have a dad, even.
"She lives so far away I never see her. But I think Dad still hope to bring her home."
"I've never seen her."
"No ... I have not seen her myself, no more."
"Excuse me."
"For what?"
They huddled against each other, face to face, and remained this way until evening did not come to claim the place at the sun.
They stopped speaking of that topic . When Nena announced to Cédric time to go home, the two cronies were already with the mind to the picnic they would do on the shore of Twin River, not far from the school.
The school year went on in a succession of new and increasingly diverse experiences, including courses for Special Attacks, Defense, increase in HP and Combo-Attacking.
Then, when little was missing to the beginning of summer and the end of the year, after the pleasantries of the teachers spoke a very pretty girl, who was 12 years old and was finishing his sixth year.
It was a Clamperl named Grazia. Her hull was shining and it was decorated with bows as a mass of tame and fluffy hair.
The reddish cheeks of the young reflected the happiness that shone in her indigo eyes.
"Uh ..." She took word, embarrassed and happy, in front of the large audience, which ranged from 6 to 20 years.
"I wanted to inform all the students who, in collaboration with the Contest Coordinator, Mr. Taka, we will arrange for Creative Dance classes throughout the summer. All invited!"
She finished the sentence with almost a cry of joy. She had to really keep on it quite a lot.
Even Cédric was registered, but from the first day, he realized he had made a terrible mistake.
He didn't like Mr. Taka, who was a young Shiny Dragalge, gentle but vain.
Grace, however, was always in the forefront with smiles and sighs.
Cédric was already thinking of doing the reverse and return to Nena, when was taken in hand by a female Froakie of about 10 years.
"Please, stay with me. It's a terrible annoyance."
Cédric stood at her side. He watched her.
"What's your name? Mine's Cédric."
"Vale. Much pleasure."
The girl had a lollipop in her mouth.
Taka saw it, and rebuked Vale.
"Hey, you ! You can not eat candies in this course, it can be dangerous !"
Without saying a word, seeing that even the willing Grazia was ill-eyeing her, the Froakie picked up the stick, took out the lollipop and threw it in the trash.
"That's .. that's better."
The lesson began, and continued with some notions of Poké-Aerobics.
Cédric befriended Vale, there were already strong complicity.
Towards the middle of the lesson, Artemisia approached them and Cédric introduced the two girls.
Art seemed a little jealous at first, while Vale didn't seem to feel particular emotions towards the other girl.
In the second half of the lesson, a strange thing happened.
During a pirouette, Vale's sly eyes settled on a curious detail.
On the left curl in Taka's head, was a small black symbol, like a tattoo.
It depicted a stylized Dragonite skull.
Her eyes iike hyphens, she wanted to know more, to see it more closely, even for mere aesthetic pleasure.
There was something forbidden, in that deadly symbol, barely perceptible, but terribly attractive and mesmerizing.
And because it's a skull, it could not be otherwise ...
IN OUR NEXT CHAPTER: Cédric, Vale and Artemisia learn, brutally, the very bad condition in which Rainbowland is.
Appointment with CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST CONFLICTS