After a while, we settled down to get some rest. My feet ached. I used my extra shirt as a blanket and put my bag behind my head as a pillow. I don't know how long it took to fall asleep, but when I awoke I noticed a small sliver of light some distance away. I unintentionally woke my friend as I sat up in disbelief.

I put the shirt away and inched into the beam of light shining on the floor. It felt warm on my skin. "I guess this is it, huh? The exit to this cave?" Gastly looked a bit… solemn. "Did you… um." I was a bit nervous. "Did you want to come with me?" Gastly flew at me happily knocking me down. My bag fell to the ground and a pokéball rolled onto the dirt floor, sunlight making it gleam. We looked over to the pokéball in sync. Gastly floated beside the round object for a moment; I wondered what she was thinking. Then, she nudged the pokéball. A red beam shot out and absorbed my friend. I watched as the device shook once, twice, then stopped. I picked it up, held it out, and smiled as she came back out. My first friend was now my first pokémon. "What should I call you from now on?" We decided I would call her Violet. Mother would be happy to see this.

We exit the cave together and are both blinded by the harsh sunlight in our eyes. Violet hides in my shadow. I see trees everywhere. It looks like we're in a giant forest. Perfect. Every step seems to take us further into the giant hedge maze.

We travel further away and deeper into the trees. The heat beats us down more each second,; before long, both of us are in need of a lunch break. We decide to stop under a cluster of greenery. Violet moves out of my shadow and into the shadows of the leaves above us. I'm about to pull berry out of my bag when I look over at Violet and notice she's already munching happily on a berry. "Couldn't wait, huh?" That's when I notice it isn't one of our sitrus berries. "Where did you get that berry?" Violet floats up and I lose sight of her. A moment later, a bunch of berries fall from the trees above; a few hit me as they approach the ground. There are two types of berries scattered on the grass: pecha berry and chesto berry. I remember learning about these berries at school. Pecha berries cure poison, and chesto berries cure sleep. I grab a handful of each and put them in my bag before joining Violet in a nice meal.

It's evening by the time we finish eating, so Violet floats along beside me rather than in my shadow. It's nice to walk side by side with my friend in the cool air. Soon, the sky darkens and we start looking for a place to settle for the night. We reach a group of bushes and decide to rest in their cover. I pull my extra shirt from my bag and we protect ourselves from the night chill. Sleep must have followed thereafter, because the next thing I remember is being awakened by the morning sun., warm air on my face again. I put the extra shirt away and Violet floats back into my shadow before we continue through the forest.

We move along the winding treeline and stop instantaneously as something shakes the bushes directly in front of us. Violet comes out of my shadow both protectively and curiously. We stay still for a moment and the bushes rustle once more. Then, I see a pair of eyes gleaming at me from behind the leaves. I slowly put my bag down, grab a few berries from inside, and roll them a few feet in front of us. I pause for another minute before walking away from the bushes and towards a few trees to the left. Violet follows, but remains floating cautiously. As we pass by a tree we hear the bushes rustle again. I force myself to keep walking. I don't know what's behind me now, but I hope it takes the berry as an offer of peace. After a while, Violet moves back into my shadow and we drift into our previous pace. Every now and then I hear a distant rustle behind us, but I'm sure it's just the wind picking up. Eventually, we'll end up running into other pokémon. It's only a matter of time. I hope they are peaceful.

We find a clearing of flowers, untouched, and I can't help but walk out into the shining sun. The scent is refreshing, calming, and renews the smile on my face. Violet seems happy, too. The breeze is gently blowing and any pokémon that like to frolic here are absent at the moment. It's peaceful as I walk through with Violet, who decided to float through them herself. Mother would love to see these. She always love tending to the flowers in the garden at home. I stop to take in the most beautiful scene I've ever chanced upon. I hear something in the distance.

I hear a person. I start running to the end of the field with Violet safely in my shadow once more. "Find her! She has to be here somewhere!" I had to get to the trees, the bushes, the shade past the meadow. I ran faster. I was getting closer, but still a bit out of cover. "There she is! In the flowers!" I was running for my life. I was almost there. The trees were so close, yet it felt they were getting further away with each footstep. Almost there. "Grab her before she gets to the trees!" Suddenly, Mother's pokéball shook in my pocket. It will protect you. Whatever is inside knows that I'm in danger. I take its movement as encouragement and find the strength to run faster than I ever had before. I finally make my way into the trees, but I don't dare to consider catching my breath. Then, a silhouette dashes past me towards my pursuers. I turn to see that a pokémon of the forest has come to my aid. It is soon joined by a few others. I feel a tug on my shirt and discover a young pokémon is there holding a berry. It says something to me before following the others. The largest looks back at me and nods. I nod in return, then run further into the forest. Soon the sounds of battle have faded away and I know I'm safe. Mother's pokéball is still and I feel Mother is proud of me wherever she happens to be.

Author's Note:

Thanks St Elmo's Fire; I wasn't quite sure about the proper capitalization and your input is appreciated. I'd like to thank those who've read my story so far. I'm hoping to have longer chapters soon and thank you for your patience. Feel free to leave a comment on my story to say what you like or dislike about it.