Chapter 11

Arborville Forest / 2 Months Ago

"HELP ME!" As the scream continued to echo in the forest, Shin ran towards it, hoping that everything would eventually be all right as long as he helped. He heard the voice, and it was getting louder and louder in his ear, but he simply couldn't find the man he needed to rescue. Shin takes a Pokéball from his sash and opens it. A flash of light appeared and out came his old partner.

"Meganium, I'm gonna need your help! Can you hear that!?" Meganium looked up at the forest sky, nodding as he heard it just the way Shin did. The Herb Pokémon kept his neck craned up towards the top of the trees and walked just a few steps. As Shin followed Meganium, he noticed the sound of leaves shuffling and falling onto the ground. Shin looked up. There was a middle-aged but colorful-clothed man stuck in one of the trees. Shin widened his eyes.

"Sir!" Shin cried.

"Oh Goodness, I was finding some nice wood and I guess the tree didn't want to let go of me!" Shin exhaled in relief, realizing that it wasn't a severe or fatal situation. Nonetheless, he still needed some help to let the man back on the ground. Shin looked around the man and the tree that caught him, and screamed out one more time.

"Can you reach that big branch next to you?" The man looked towards his side. After a few attempts, he was finally able to grip onto it, and looked back at Shin, giving him a thumbs up. Meganium looked at Shin, confirming their thoughts with a nod.

"Meganium, Razor Leaf!" Meganium aimed high towards the branch that was tangled up onto the Man's body. The razor leaves instantly reached those branches and the man was released, he quickly held onto the branch with his other hand. Unfortunately, not being strong enough to hold the man's weight, the branch crackled and broke in half: leading the man to fall down. Shin instinctively covered his eyes and froze.

After hearing a large thud, he opened his eyes, noticing had fallen on his rear. Shin cursed at himself in his head and quickly ran over to him.

"Oh my gosh sir, I am so sorry! I thought that branch would be strong enough! Are you alright?" The man rubbed his hip as he gave Shin yet another thumbs up. Meganium smiled and ran closer to him, helping him get back up on his feet. The slightly tanned gentleman had an aura of liveliness to him. Despite Shin's serious concern, he seemed to be quite happy that he regained his freedom.

"I'd rather fall onto the ground than be stuck on top of a tree. Thank you very much, um…" The man tried to finish his sentence of gratitude, but realized that the boy that saved him with his Meganium was a complete stranger.

"My name is Shin." Shin quickly responded, but quickly moved back to his concerns. "But seriously, are you sure you're alright?" The man laughed and placed his hand on Shin's shoulder.

"You are a very nice young man!" He gave Shin yet another thumbs up from him. It seemed to be more of a habit than a method of showing emotion. "I've fallen off trees too many times. Just, never been caught by one." Meganium seemed to enjoy the man's humorous company. Shin knew that when Meganium smiled at a stranger that person was someone worth knowing. Shin took a glance at another tree, noticing what seemed to be the man's backpack and a very expensive-looking professional camera. "The man's a journalist!" he thought. The journalist gave Meganium's neck a couple of pats and looked back at Shin, noticing the red bruise under his left eye. Shin knew that look. Everyone wondered about his birthmark when they first met him.

"Oh, no worries. I was born with this." He rubbed his birthmark as the journalist laughed again.

"Of course you were! Well, the name's Mill. I travel around different forests and carve things out of wood. I just got carried away finding the right material." Mill wasn't a journalist, after all; he was an artist, and most likely a photographer. Mill walked towards the tree he fell from and picked up his large backpack and camera.

"I just couldn't help but come back to this forest, though. I usually just bring my bag of tools and wood, but every time I come here, I have a camera with me. I share these photos but in all honestly, they don't do justice. I want my friends to see it for themselves!" Shin smiled and showed his attachment to Mill. Shin appreciated those who loved nature, especially those who were able to blend it with art.

"Do you live here, Mr. Shin?" Mill asked. Meganium playfully nudged Shin's neck. Shin started to stroke at Meganium's long neck and was slightly distracted. Mill couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Yes, 10 years now. But I'm originally from Viridian City." Mill recognized the name of Shin's hometown.

"Oh! I've been to Viridian Forest! I wanted to pay my respects since I found out about the fir…' Mill ran away from his response when Shin's smile faded away and changed into a serious one. Mill shook his head and quickly changed the subject.

"Well, I'm originally from Nimbasa City. Do you know where that is?" Shin shook his head, the name of the city sounded familiar but it didn't ring a bell.

"No. I'm afraid I don't."

"Nimbasa City is in the Unova Region. It's a great big city, and lots of fun. But it makes me miss nature quite a bit, and one day I just asked myself 'Why not?' and decided to travel all over the world. In fact, hold on just a minute." Mill placed his backpack back on the ground and unzipped his it. After taking a few moments to search with his hands, he picked out a small carving that was shaped just like a Meganium. The intricate details of the carving, from the Meganium's petals to the curved neck and body shape couldn't help but catch Meganium and Shin's attention. The two moved closer. Shin looked carefully but didn't want to touch such a fragile-looking work of art, even though Mill seemed to shove it in his bag.

"…You did that?" Shin asked. Mill nodded.

"Sure did. I make these for a living, but I wanna give this one to you. Thanks for saving me." Shin wanted to turn it down at first, but decided to thank him and accept the gift.

Shin retrieved his Pokéball and let Meganium inside. Mill and Shin started to converse as they walked around the forest.

"So, Mr. Shin. You said you've lived here for 10 years? What brought you here from your hometown?" Shin thought for a moment, it was such a long story to explain.

"It's a sort of pilgrimage. Someone told me that they saw the Guardian of the Forest right here, in Arborville Forest. I know you heard about the fire at Viridian Forest, well, all of that made me question how protected a forest can be, and I wanted to see the Guardian and seek for answers." He paused, looking down. "10 years later, still no sign."

Despite the deep story, Mill smiled.

"You must be a Messenger, then." Shin turned his head towards Mill. He smiled and nodded. He was proud of it, and he was proud of how he had never given up with his cause, especially with an amazing partner and wonderful friends beside him.

"Unova has messengers too. In fact, quite a few of them live in Nimbasa City. Apparently they like to interpret Celebi's messages in a more urban setting. Then there's Pinwheel Forest. I see a lot of Messenger kids playing around in the forest." Shin quickly remembered his own childhood, bringing back some fun memories he had with his brother. He let Mill continue. "But you know, they had a rough time, I think they're finally recovering from it after their lives moved back to normal." Shin tilted his head, having no idea what he meant.

"Recovering? Did something happen to them?" Mill explained even further.

"You see, until a few years ago there was this group called Team Plasma, and supposedly they believed in separating Pokémon from human." Shin grimaced and looked utterly confused.

"Why would anyone do that?" To someone who has lived in coexistence with Pokémon throughout his entire life and through worship, Team Plasma's purpose was nothing but illogical to him. Mill tried his best to remember all he knew.

"They believed that that was the right thing to do, or at least, a certain portion of them did. Others just wanted those Pokémon for themselves. I don't know if you know about any of this. I don't want to make false assumptions. I'm not sure if I should continue." As Mill leaned against a tree to take a break (his camera and backpack were not the easiest items to travel with), Shin stood right next to him.

"Please go on. I've never heard of any of this."

"Well…" Mill continued. "Team Plasma didn't like the idea of you… any of the Messengers worshipping a Pokémon, they interpreted that message as hypocrisy and masked greed." Shin looked up at the sky, pretending to be distracted, but Mill certainly didn't miss the boy's rage in his fisted hand.

"But that was only a part of Team Plasma's cause. I'm not really sure what they were trying to do, but we have this legend in our region, and the 'King' of Team Plasma wanted to use it, or… something like that. Heh." Mill chuckled. "Anyway, like I said, I don't know that much. I can tell you anything about the forests of Unova, but not the strange organizations."

Bewildered, Shin thought about how little conflict he had with anyone in his life. He wondered if his late parents have had any issues of disagreement with others. After devoting his entire life to a message, it was amazing how he learned something new every day. The sun was starting to set, and Mill took a peek at his watch.

"Darn. I should get going… I have a boat to catch that goes to Olivine City. Thanks for helping me, Shin. I love this forest, and the legend of Celebi, I'm sure I'll see you again some time." As they shook hands, Shin also shook his head.

"Please, don't mention it. It's the least I could do. But it was sure amazing. Who knows, maybe I will travel myself." Mill let go of Shin's hand and gave him one final thumb up, walking towards the direction that would take him to the bay.

Shin noticed the sky getting darker and darker. But that didn't stop him from hiking around Arborville Forest. He sat down in front of the Shrine he was at earlier in the day. He thought back at his conversation with Mill, feeling frightened by the sole idea of Team Plasma. The thought of Meganium being taken away from him made him shudder. He shook his head, remembering Mill telling him that this was all in the past, and that it was in a region far away. It meant nothing to him…

Shin leaned further against the shrine and touched the stone covered in moss. Towa said this Shrine had been here for decades; so that Celebi would know where to be, and to communicate the message that the forest would always needed the Guardian's help.

The stone was cool and heat was completely gone from it as Shin had always felt it. But at that moment, Shin quickly looked behind and glanced at his hand and clothes. The shrine felt warm. If anything it should have felt colder: the sun had already set completely, and clouds were covering the sky. Shin stood up and stared at the Shrine, giving it another touch. The warmth was gone. He placed his hands in his pocket and kept walking to a certain direction, knowing exactly where he wanted to go.

The tiny waves on the Lake of Life were undulating against Shin's own reflection as he kept glancing at it. He folded his legs between his arms and closed his eyes, putting his thoughts together and wondering if he could wait for another 10 years to find the answers he had been looking for. 10 Years felt like such a long time. Within the decade, Chikorita had evolved twice, he started to look at himself in the mirror more often, deciding to grow his hair on one occasion, growing his creativity by studying how to identify plants and berries, and made amazing friends on the way. But one thing had never changed all those years: every single day, he thanked Celebi for all of the blessings he had received.

But it had been quite a while, and he gained so much happiness and recovered from the sad memories of burning fire and holding Chikorita in his arms, mourning for the death of his parents and brother. Sometimes he would even think of moving back to his hometown, even though he always reached the conclusion that there was no reason in doing so.

Shin changed his posture and leaned against his hands, stretching his back and legs. But as his hands rubbed the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

"Ah!" he screamed. He quickly looked at his hand. It was too dark to notice, but it seemed like a splinter. A normal splinter wouldn't stop Shin, but this one was right in the middle of his right palm, and the more he thought about it, the more it started to hurt. Shin sat up and moved closer to the lake, dipping his water in it.

The gentle rings of waves moved outward with his hand in the center. He looked at those rings fly further and further. As he stared at the waves, he witnessed the similar waves moving towards him. Indicating that something else touched the surface of the lake. He looked towards the center of the lake. Even though there was nobody in sight, the waves continued to move towards him. He knew somebody was there.

"Hello~!?" Shin screamed towards the other side of the lake. As the cries of Insect Pokémon chirped in his ears, he shrugged the whole thing off. As he took his hand out of the water, he yawned and stretched. It was time to go back home and get some rest. Towa and Diana haven't seen him since Mill cried for help, and they were probably worried anyway.

That was when Shin felt the breeze against his body and heard the ruffling leaves whispering into his ears. He looke back at lake and walked a few steps around it. He was still convinced that somebody was there. He knew it wasn't Diana or Towa. Mill had probably arrived at the bay by now.

He suddenly felt a small dash of warmth run inside of him. It was the same odd touch that he felt at the shrine. He didn't know what it was, but it was soothing, and the trees started to sparkle around him, a mysterious sound diving into Shin's ears to accompany the sight.

Shin couldn't believe it. The sight was gorgeous and left him in awe, and all of his troubles went away. As the breeze flew, Shin placed his hands together and closed his eyes.

From that moment on, Celebi was no longer Shin's Guardian of Life and its messages, but a friend that would change his life forever…

Shin opened his eyes and continued to glance at the light, and in the midst of it, sighted a small creature flying towards him. Shin's arms dropped, and his eyes stopped blinking as the creature flew right at him. Tears fell out of Shin's eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could only remember the large wood carving at Viridian City that was so vaguely drawn that it left Celebi's appearance to the Messengers' interpretation. Even though the memory of the artwork was minimal, he knew what he was witnessing. He whispered as the Time Travel Pokémon smiled back at Shin.

"…Celebi?"

Celebi nodded and smiled widely at Shin…