Clash of the Pium; Prologue.
The wounds of the past always run the deepest… That which happens in our present will have lasting effects on our children's future… We all thought that we were immortal; that the rules didn't apply to us… We deserved our fate, but our children should not have to bear the weight of our foolishness…
Night had fallen over the Ilex Forest, covering the land with a blanket of darkness, broken only by the stars and moon that pierced through the darkness, dimly illuminating the tops of the ancient trees. Beneath the dense branches, an eerie silence reigned over the forest. A slight breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves slightly. A Noctowl sat in a tree, watching for signs of prey, a strange smell caught its attention, and moments later; an explosion shattered the peace of the night. The plants in the center of the blast were vaporized, forming a charred circle in the ground several yards across. The Noctowl fled in fear, barely avoiding being roasted alive by the blast. Two eggs sat in the center of the charred circle, obscured by smoke.
The few fires created by the explosion quickly burned out, a short time later, the smoke cleared. The eggs wriggled, as if trying to move around their new environment. Suddenly, the eggs emitted a blinding light, illuminating the forest for miles around. When the light faded, two baby Treecko stood exactly where the eggs once were. Knowing only that they were siblings, and their names, Fael and Ivy, the Twins began to explore the woods, searching for shelter that would become their home. Ivy giggled as the dry leaves crunched beneath her feet, while Fael sniffed the leaves cautiously, before he decided that it was safe to walk on them.
Fael gave Ivy a disapproving look, silently chastising her for not being more careful, which Ivy seemed to ignore as she swiftly climbed a trunk of a tree and hung by her tail from one of the branches, giggling at Fael's worried exclamation. A few seconds later, Ivy climbed back down the tree, and the twins continued their exploration. The Pokémon of the forest seemed to be afraid of the Twins, as they saw no signs of life, excluding the rustling of leaves in the distance. Hours passed, and the Twins found themselves in a clearing, where several berries were growing. Ivy rushed forward, eager to eat the berries; Fael grabbed hold of her tail and prevented her from moving. She turned to look at her brother, wondering why he had stopped her. Fael gave her another disapproving look, silently warning her not to be so reckless, before he released her tail and cautiously picked one of the round, blue berries, examining it before nibbling it.
It appeared to be non-poisonous, so he motioned for Ivy to eat one of the berries. She rolled her yellow eyes, and quickly gulped down several of the berries. Fael looked up at the moon while his sister ate, wondering where their parents were. Ivy burped, and began exploring the clearing, tripping over a tree root and landing on her face. Fael gave her a look that clearly said 'Don't say that I didn't warn you' as he walked over to help her up. Ivy's knee was slightly scratched, causing her to whimper slightly in pain. Fael sighed and picked another of the blue berries, squished it in his paw, and poured the juice over the wound, which healed almost instantly. Ivy's eyes opened in surprise, and Fael stored the information away in his memory for future use, knowing that Ivy would get hurt again due to her carefree nature. The moon was directly overhead, illuminating the clearing so that the Twins could see everything. Fael noticed a fallen tree a few yards away, it had been hollowed out by insects, forming a perfect shelter for the Twins. He pointed out the tree to Ivy, and she excitedly ran over to it, quickly diving headfirst into the trunk, much to Fael's dismay. He sighed, climbing into the trunk moments later, only to find that Ivy had already curled up and fallen asleep. He sighed, sitting at the entrance of their new home and keeping watch for potential enemies. A few hours later, he had fallen asleep as well. They slept long and deep, safe for the moment.
Fael awoke early that morning, and stepped outside, blinking in the bright sunlight. Once his vision adjusted, he began to examine the area that surrounded their home, noticing that there were several different types of berries in the clearing, the blue ones that they had eaten the night before, several spiky red berries that stung Fael's tongue when he tried to eat one, a bizarrely shaped pink berry that was very sweet, and a blue and tan berry that was extremely hard and dry.
The other Pokémon seemed to still be avoiding the Twins, because these berries were obviously a major food source for wild Pokémon, though Fael had yet to see any other Pokémon besides Ivy. He wondered how he knew all this, but was unable to find an answer. He assumed that it was instinct, how he knew that word, he didn't know, and that it was normal. Despite his assumption, he couldn't help but think that he and his sister were different from normal Pokémon. Why else would the other Pokémon be avoiding them? He didn't know whether to be comforted or worried about the wild Pokémon avoiding them.
He heard Ivy begin to wake up, and lost his train of thought as he began to gather several of the tastier berries for his sister's breakfast. Putting them on a large leaf that he plucked from a plant near the pink berries, he carried them over to where his sister was sitting, and set the leaf on the ground next to her. As she ate, Fael noticed several strange Pokémon gathered on the edge of the clearing, clearly wanting to get to the berries, but too afraid of the Twins to approach, confirming Fael's suspicions that the wild Pokémon were afraid of them. Once she noticed the other Pokémon, Ivy stared at them curiously, but Fael held her back, knowing that she would rush over to see the Pokémon if she got the chance. Ivy let out a disappointed sound and finished her breakfast slowly. Fael allowed her to explore the clearing once she was finished; making sure to keep her away from anything that could be dangerous. As the sun continued to climb in the sky, Fael couldn't help but wonder why they were here, and where their parents were.