For who knows how long, I drifted in and out of consciousness. I felt myself being lifted into the air, the feeling of leaves falling from my body. I had tried to open my eyes, but all I could see were blurry images of the jungle. At one point, I woke up on a hard surface, bright sunlight upon my face. I could hear murmurs, incoherent voices. Then I drifted back into darkness.

...

I barely opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. An aroma drifted by and I inhaled deeply. It was a pleasant smell. Flowers perhaps?

I blinked as I stared up at circular wooden roof, circles spreading from the center of it, like the kind you would see on a stump after being cut down. I lay on a bed of leaves and flowers, which was surprisingly comfy.

I turned my head to look around the room. It was actually kinda small and it looked as if I were inside a tree trunk. If I had to guess, I would say the diameter was ten feet while the ceiling was around seven. Close to my bed of nature, a small table was carved out of the wooden wall, an assortment of herbs and flowers littered across it. Fungi that glowed dimly with light like the sun sprouted from the walls, giving the room a relaxing feel to it.

Something moved from the floor and I looked. A Morelull was gazing up at me.

"Lull?"

I tried to speak, but my throat felt so sore that it hurt, so I gave up. The Morelull went across the room to a section where the wall was missing, where vines hung instead. Light streamed inside between them and more filtered through as the Morelull pushed through.

I lay there, my muscles feeling too sore for me to sit up. I felt my side and only felt a dull ache. I went to lift my tattered shirt up when I realized I was no longer wearing it nor any of my stuff. Instead I wore a tunic woven from leaves along with pants made from leaves as well. They were so well made that I almost couldn't tell they were made from leaves. They also felt like leather and as tough.

The light from outside dimmed as a shadow fell across the vines. They parted as a woman entered, wearing a woven leaf dress that was splattered with different kinds of herbs, which she didn't appear bothered by. Her waist long green hair only furthered matched her dress, her teal eyes sparkling.

She wore a kind smile and sat down next to me. "How are you feeling?"

I was too dumbfounded to say anything. Where was I? Was I still on the island? Had I been rescued?

Then it hit me. That was English she was speaking. If I was still on the island, how was she speaking English.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask questions, but first I croaked, "Water."

She continued to smile. "Don't worry. Shiinotic will be here soon."

Just a few seconds later, Morelull returned along with a Shiinotic who carried a clay cup filled with crystal clear water. I tried to move my hands to grab it, but they were shaking terribly.

"Here," the woman said, taking the cup from the Pokemon. She then lifted my head up and helped me drink. I gulped down the water and in no time it was gone.

She gently laid down my head again. "Good. Now, it's time to redress your leg."

She lifted my right pant leg and removed a coating of flowers from the Huntail bite. Shiinotic then handed her a wet piece of moss that she patted down my wound with.

"Thankfully," she said, accepting more herbs from Shiinotic. "The Huntail's bite was the only thing major. Everything else was just minor bruising that are cured with really just time."

She began mashing them in a clay bowl before applying them to my wound. I winced at the sharp sting, but then it receded to a numbing sensation.

As she stood up, wiping her hands on her dress, I asked, "Who are you?"

She smiled and knelt next to my head. "Meda. Yours?"

"Liam," I said, then yawned, all of the sudden feeling very tired.

She stroked my hair. "Just rest now. Sleep is good for healing."

I took her word for it and let myself drift away into sleep.

...

I was back in the ruins of the abandoned village. Bulbasaur lay dead and mutilated at my feet, the ground buried beneath piles and piles of bones. A malevolent presence sent chills down my spine and that thing appeared before me.

"Need... Need... Need flesh..."

It's claws struck out and I jolted awake, sweating and breathing hard. I looked at the vines and saw no light filtering through, only darkness.

"Must be night," I murmured, the only light from the faint glow of the fungi.

I sat up, barely feeling pain from my sore muscles. I felt around my leg and felt no pain. I lifted the pant leg and saw that there were no more herbs plastered on the wound. It was healing great and I sighed in relief.

I lowered the pant leg and stood, grabbing onto the wall for support. The wall was smooth and once again I wondered if I was inside a tree. Near the entrance was a cup of water, which I took and drank. Refreshed, I hesitated on going outside. However, my need to know answers to all the questions I had urged me on.

Pushing aside the vines, I stepped outside, my bare feet stepping on cool grass. Wherever I was, it must be a deeper part of the jungle. Giant trees that reached far into the night with thick trunks sprouted out of the ground. They were spaced out in the darkness, making room for small wooden huts that were scattered around. Glowing fungi lit the darkness and highlighted a path that weaved between trees, the undergrowth everywhere except near the huts and on the path.

Looking at all the wooden structures, I knew it couldn't just be that woman here.

"Lull."

I looked down to see the Morelull gazing up at me.

"Hey," I said, kneeling down and reaching out my hand.

The Morelull hopped onto my hand and continued to stare at me.

I looked around. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"Venusaur's Heart," said a voice behind me and I turned to see the woman there, smiling. "Glad to see you're up and about."

I gently placed Morelull down. "Venusaur's Heart?"

She nodded. "This part of the jungle is the most lush and lively of it all. A blessing from Venusaur. That however, can be explained later. In short, this is where the Jungle Tribe lives."

"Jungle Tribe?" I asked, more confused.

She laughed, a beautiful sound that filled the night air. "I can see you have a lot of questions. Don't worry, Liam. The Elders will attempt to answer them all when you meet them."

I nodded, my brain hurting, but I needed one question asked right now. "How do you speak English?"

Her face darkened, her smile vanishing. "It would be best that you didn't ask the Elders that."

"But why?" I asked, even more curious.

She shook her head. "It only will bring up terrible memories of the past. Just leave that part alone and just be grateful we can all understand each other."

"Now," she said, her smile back on her face. "You should get more rest before you meet the Elders in the morning."

She headed back into what I now could see as a tree and I followed.

I sat down on the bed as she sorted herbs on her table. "Who exactly are you?"

"Meda," she said. "I'm the Healer and Spiritual Guide to the Jungle Tribe. You could say I'm kinda important."

She laughed and I cracked a smile. I don't know what it was, but it felt so good to talk to another human.

"For a Spiritual Guide you don't seem that old," I joked and she laughed.

"Tell me about it," she said. "I used to be an apprentice, but my mentor died around a year ago. Thankfully I have a ways to go before I'm old and gray as her."

"Thank you," I whispered.

She handed me a bowl of soup, smoke curling from it. "For what?"

"For healing me," I said. "And for, well, just being here. I didn't think I would be able to talk to another human ever."

"Well," she kissed my forehead. "I'm just glad I was able to heal you. Now eat, then get some rest."

She left and I sat there, staring at the bowl. That kiss... I felt the spot where she had kissed me. It reminded me of something... something I had thought I wouldn't have remembered after all these years. The kiss of a mother.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek and I stopped it before it could fall. I didn't know why I could remember that feeling. I didn't even remember my own mother.

I drank the soup and put the bowl aside. I laid down, trying to dissolve in that feeling. The only thing I now had of my mother.

Sorry for the delay of this chapter. I had this done a while ago, but I turned my attention to HBoD, cause you know, I kinda need to finish it. Plus, I was planning this book a bit more and figuring out what I need to do from here on out. So yeah. If you're asking how this turn of events will play into Liam's survival, that's good. So, till next chapter of this. Toodles