It was a warm, late summer evening. White clouds drifted in the endless sky, variegated with warm tones. A lone stretch of beach was present in the area, with the shimmering waves lapping gently at the shore. The beach eventually faded into land, coated in grass and palm trees swaying in the cool breeze. A paved pathway stretched from a stony, silver cave at the far left and a forked pathway at the right. The left path of this pathway sloped downward, preventing one from seeing the area from afar. The other branch led to rugged, blue-gray mountains. In the distance was a lush forest, dense with trees, bushes, and colorful berries. All was quiet, except for the constant flow of the ocean.

I slowly crept from the bush I was hiding in, which was packed with rosy Pecha berries. I was looking for Oran berries or Apples to replenish my stock, but it was hard to find in late summer.

My name is Lunalicia, but I prefer the name Luna. I'm a Petilil, who has been living on her own for several years. Although I didn't know in the younger years of my life, my parents had been murdered by ruthless Pokemon. I have no recollection of the actual event, except for these red, gleaming eyes that frighten me every time I think of them.

My home was secluded, in a cave opening that I had no problem getting in thanks to my floating ability. Along with being discolored, as my mother used to tell me, I had the ability to float. I knew I was unique, but it didn't matter. Growing up with what I had gone through, I knew that the only thing that could help me survive is my own determination. Not anything unique about me.

Lost in my own thought, I hadn't realized that a small gray Pokemon was watching me from afar.

"Hey!" the Pokemon called, making me jump.

I slowly turned around, and saw a gray Pokemon with large, white-tipped ears and furry, white-tipped tail. It had a huge grin, making my heart pound even faster. I was scared out of my mind. What if he/she was sent from somewhere to capture me? I didn't have a price over my head, did I?

"Stay back!" I took a defensive stance.

"Whoa, whoa! I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Cherry, Cherry the Minccino. Nice to meet you!" the female Minccino stuck out her hand.

"What do you want?" I refused to touch her hand.

"Well, at the moment, I kinda want you to shake my hand." she laughed.

"Who are you?" I got ready to tackle if I needed to.

"Oh, relax! Come with me, we'll talk on the way." Cherry smiled and beckoned me to follow her.

I reluctantly trailed behind her, keeping my distance. I didn't know who she was, and why she wanted me to follow her.

"So who are you?" Cherry asked.

"Why am I obligated to tell you?" I retorted.

"C'mon, stop being such a fuddy-duddy! I'm not here to hurt you, I'm a member of an exploration team! The last thing I would do is hurt you." she chuckled.

Something rang in my head when she revealed her status. Where had I heard that before?

"So, are you going to tell me?" she stopped walking.

I sighed, and spilled the details; she seemed harmless, "Alright. I'm Lunalicia the Petilil, but just call me Luna. Anything else?"

"Nice to meet you, Luna! I'm Cherry the Minccino, like I told you before. I've never seen a Petilil in Element City. Where did you come from?" Cherry asked.

I was beginning to soften up to the Minccino. She seemed too friendly, but I couldn't be too sure. She was pretty young, maybe around my age. "I live in a mountain cave." I flatly responded, trying to keep my cool composure intact.

"Oh, cool!" she smiled again.

"So, who are your parents? I might know them." she asked.

"N-none of your business!" I retorted angrily, and then lowered by tone, "I... I live alone."

"Oh... so then WOULDYOUJOINMYEXPLORATIONTEAM?!" she blurted out at once.

"W-what?" I asked, taken aback by her request.

"Actually..." her joyful tone dropped and she looked down, "I was hoping I could find another female to be on my team. I was grouped with two male Pokemon that I wasn't close to from nursery school, and my friends were all put in one team. I'm kinda lonely, and you must be too..." her effervescence then returned, "BUT IF YOU JOIN, THEN WE CAN HAVE SO MUCH FUN!" she exclaimed.

"I... uh..." my voice faltered. I didn't know anybody that would want to be friends with me like this, after one meeting.

"C'mon, Luna!" she began jumping around.

"NO!" I snapped and floated away, without looking back.

I floated all the way to my cave, where I sat in my crib that served as a bed, harrumphing to myself. I had no obligation to accept, so why should I? However, a nagging feeling was bothering me, and I couldn't figure out what it was.

(A/N): I've updated this chapter again with a few pointers from the amazing writer Talgoran! Thanks for your help! =)

Stay Classy =)