Chikorita

She felt like a prisoner and she looked like one too. She felt the need to keep her head down so the rest of Ivy City couldn't see her, so they wouldn't see the daughter of a Senator being marched through the streets like some sort of trophy for the Council. It would be useless, though, and she knew it, considering the size of the Grotle that flanked her and her four friends.

Friends. She didn't realize how powerful of a word that was until that very instant, as her feet beat against the familiar brick road of her home. Friends. These trainees from other Nations were her friends. They were with her, standing alongside her as they went to face the Council, there to vouch for themselves when Chikorita's voice could not find the words to do so. They were there, and that was good and bad at the same time. Her friends were in danger; she knew it and they knew it. But none of them were going to back down. Not until they all had their safety. Not until a peaceful resolution was in sight.

They walked down the brick road, the Grotle moving in lock-step with one another, something that all marching soldiers of the Grass Nation had been trained to do. It was imposing, that was for sure, and Chikorita could feel her heart racing as they approached the large, green dome-shaped building in the heart of the city. When she saw it, her mind flashed back to the Water Nation, back to Feraligatr slitting Greninja's throat on the makeshift stage. She closed her eyes for a second as she walked, breathing in deeply and slowly exhaling. It wasn't going to be like that, she knew. She had a feeling that all of her allies in the Grass Nation couldn't possibly be part of whatever Garchomp and Feraligatr were planning. She couldn't be sure, and perhaps it was her bias, but she felt as though they were all trustworthy.

At that moment, Torterra turned his head a bit so he could see the group out of the corner of his eye. His red iris glowed pink in the sunlight, something Chikorita had never seen happen but was still scared by. He glared as he spoke. "Do not think that just because you are a Senator's daughter that you will be granted special privileges. I will treat your testimony like that of any other Grass Nation citizen."

Testimony? That word, that one terrible word, made Chikorita's heart beat faster. She nodded at Torterra and he turned away. She hoped he hadn't been able to detect the panic she was feeling, but she wouldn't put it past Torterra to be that good at reading others. He had probably seen right through her, and most likely held no sympathy for her panic. She was going to have to present her friends in front of the Council, as though they were ideas for a new war strategy or something to that affect. She gulped at the prospect.

Froakie, who was walking beside her, turned and gave her a little smile. She smiled back at him, feeling her heart beat with less fear and more joy. As long as she had Froakie by her side, she thought she would be able to do anything. That one, simple smile was all she needed for her confidence to soar, to soar higher than even the tallest building in Grass Nation. She felt power come back to her, and in that one moment she knew how much he loved her, and how much she loved him.

They entered the dome. Chikorita looked up, seeing how the lights that glowed plainly in the ceiling blazed, their rays bouncing off of the marble that was the dome's interior, making her feel at home, even if she felt like a prisoner. In front of her was a long slab of marble, a table, with four large chairs on the other side of it, three of them already occupied, the forth and largest one empty.

The Grotle parted and began to lumber towards the only entrance and exit to the dome, revealing the figures in their entirety. Meganium was the first one Chikorita noticed, his long, green neck towering above the rest of the Council Members, the blooming pink-petals that surrounded his neck making him look royal. He smiled at Chikorita, though there was a hardness in his eyes that frightened her. After almost two weeks away from his daughter, could he truly become unfeeling towards her? Or was she just imagining it, the terror of the situation at hand causing her to hallucinate?

Or perhaps it was Shaymin's eyes that made her feel so hunted. Shaymin was in her flight form, and Chikorita noted a small gash on the side of her cheek, as though she had just returned from battle. It confirmed her suspicions; the Grass Nation was still locked in combat with the Rock Nation. Not that she had truly expected anything different, but she would have preferred it if her and her friends were the only problem these revered Pokémon had to deal with. The bright red flower-like sash that was part of Shaymin's flight form did not do anything to distract Chikorita from the hard gaze she was giving the prisoners, most of all those from the Fire Nation.

The other figure at the table was a shock, although after looking into his yellow, rage-filled eyes for only a few seconds Chikorita understood why the Council had decided that he would be Venusaur's replacement. Shiftry's gray hair and long nose stood out the most to her, despite the fact that his hands were only three lea-like fingers. But it wasn't about his appearance; rather, it was about who he was. Shiftry was the more fearsome Great Warrior Grass Nation had. His simple title (one he did not have now that he was a Senator) had been Sir Shiftry the Strong, but said simplicity only proved how easy it was to describe him; strong. Besides, such an official title was good at hiding his radical nationalism.

Torterra lumbered over to the larger chair and pseudo-sat down in it. His large front legs, ones that were as thick and brown as tree trunks, settled on the marble table. For one horrid instant Chikorita was sure his weight would cause the table to collapse. But, to her astonishment, it remained steady. The Council Members stared at their prisoners for a bit, and Chikorita wondered if they were waiting for her to speak up on behalf of the others. Before she could say anything, though, her father spoke.

"Chikorita," he said. "We are glad to see that you were able to make it home safely. I am sorry that this has to happen now, as I'm sure you want to rest. But, despite the fact that you are my daughter, we must remain formal and unbiased in how we deal with this situation. I'm sure you, of all trainees, can understand this."

Chikorita dipped her head. "Yes," she said. "I understand." She looked at her father and saw sympathy in his gaze, nullifying her previous concern that he was going to mark his own daughter as a traitor without reason for a trial. She still felt nervous, though, mostly because her father, despite being Head of the Council, could not overrule the votes of the other Council members. Each member's vote counted for one and one alone. If she wanted to persuade the Council of her loyalties, she knew she would have to appeal to all of them.

"Now, Chikorita," Meganium continued, "we need to know what happened to you after the battle with the Rock Nation wherein you vanished. Could you please walk us…the Council, through what you went through?"

Chikorita hoped the fear was not prevalent on her face, and if it was that they couldn't detect what it was there for. Krookodile and Tyrunt came to the forefront of her memory, as did their term for themselves; Wardens. She couldn't tell the Council about them, not when she didn't know for sure what they meant and what kind of importance they held. She resolved instead to tell some semblance of the truth, but not the truth itself. It hurt, knowing that the first thing she would have to do to those in power in her Nation upon her return was to lie to them, but at the same time she had a feeling it was the only thing she could do to preserve…well, something.

"I crawled into the long grass, right at the edge of the battlefield," she explained. "I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was in a cave, all bandaged up."

Torterra's eyes widened. "You were?" he inquired. "And did you happen to see whoever had done this to you?"

"No," Chikorita lied, hoping no one at the table would question her too much about it. "I didn't. No one came to the cave, either. I stayed there for about a day or so, regaining my strength. There was a little bit of water at the back of the cave, which I drank a bit of to regain my strength. I left later that night."

"Night?" Shiftry inquired, glaring at her as though he didn't believe what she was saying. "What reason could you possibly have had to leave by night?"

"I didn't know where I was," Chikorita replied, hoping it didn't sound too defensive. "For all I knew the Rock Nation had taken me hostage and the soldiers that were supposed to be guarding me had been shirking their duties. It was safer to leave at night. But…but I never thought about how lost I could have gotten. I ended up in Aquarius, the Water Nation capital."

"And that was where you met these two?" Shaymin asked, looking at the Water Nation trainees with hard, untrusting eyes.

"Yes," Chikorita confirmed, wishing Shaymin would stop staring at them like that but knowing she wouldn't until she'd heard everything. "It was also where I met Charm, um, the Fire Nation trainees."

Meganium had a look of confusion on his face, and even Torterra looked like he'd been thrown for a loop. Meganium stared at the Fire Nation trainees. "You were in Aquarius?" he inquired. "Is this true?"

Charmander raised his head, and to Chikorita he looked a bit too defiant, too unafraid. She hoped that simple movement hadn't cost them everything. "It is true," he said. He explained as carefully as he could how he and Torchic had gotten lost, been threatened by Piplup and Froakie, and had helped them save Empoleon's life. He also made mention to the Water Nation's alliance with the Ground Nation and Ground's subsequent betrayal of trust. At this Shiftry had snorted, as though he saw the Water Nation's attempt at making alliances foolish. Oh just you wait, Chikorita thought bitterly.

"And that's where we were when Chikorita arrived at Water Nation," Charmander finished.

The Council looked at one another, almost as though they were figuring out who was going to be next to speak. At last, Shiftry spoke up. "So, you were all in the Water Nation at the same time," he said. "Tell me, what exactly prompted you all to leave? And together, as well?"

Moment of truth. Chikorita sighed and then began to speak. "Senator Feraligatr of the Water Nation promised all of us safe passage home," she explained. "He held a banquet for us, welcoming us as temporary residents of Aquarius. And then…" she stopped, realizing that she felt as though she was going to cry. Before any of the Senators could interrupt her, she pressed on. "And then he turned against them."

Meganium's eyes widened. "What?" he breathed.

"It's why we're here," Piplup said, stepping forward. "Froakie and I. Feraligatr turned against us, destroyed all of Aquarius. He killed Froakie's father and…and he might have killed mine, too." Piplup looked down, his face downcast in a show of his grief. But not for the sake of show. No, Chikorita thought, there was a genuine pain in his eyes at remembering it, despite how far away it now seemed to be.

"I'm sorry, but this sounds ridiculous," Shiftry said.

"You weren't with us when we first made radio contact with these five, were you?" Meganium inquired.

"No," Shiftry replied. "But I seem to remember you and Torterra being fairly hush-hush with it to both me and Shaymin."

"That is correct," Torterra confirmed. "We did not want you to panic anybody should word have gotten out. The less Pokémon that know about what they told us, the better."

"Secret-keeping doesn't bode well with me," Shaymin said. "Were you ever going to tell us whatever it is you're keeping from us?"

Meganium sighed. "Chikorita contacted us from where Ivysaur is stationed," he revealed. "She says they saw a Gabite in Grass Nation territory."

"Preposterous!" Shiftry shouted.

"Does this look preposterous to you?" Piplup asked, indicating his bandage. "That asshole stabbed me, nearly killed me if it wasn't for your medic."

Shiftry looked into his eyes, suspicious. Then they widened. "You mean it. Don't you?" he breathed.

"We have a theory," Charmander said. "Something that ties both the Gabite in Grass Nation and Feraligatr's betrayal of Water Nation together. We believe that Senator Garchomp of the Ground Nation is working alongside Pokémon in other Nations, including Feraligatr, to create some kind of kingdom wherein he is the ruler."

"Do you have proof of this conspiracy?" Torterra asked. "I'm sure you can understand how insane claiming something like that is."

"We do have proof," Froakie said. "Feraligatr was the one who proposed that Water and Ground Nation have an alliance in order to successfully take the Desert from the Fire Nation. He also admitted that he had a hologram caller in his possession. The Water Nation doesn't use hologram callers."

"That does sound suspicious," Shiftry observed. "But is all of that grounds for conspiracy?"

"It doesn't matter whether the Ground Nation and the Water Nation are conspiring or not!" Torchic had suddenly erupted. Chikorita felt fear grip her heart as Torchic began to rant. "Don't you see? Whether this whole Ground Nation conspiracy is true or not, the Water Nation is gone! Someone from inside of the Water Nation decided it was a good idea to kill its civilians and those in power. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of the war before. Nothing! So what is there to stop it from happening to the Grass Nation? Hell, Gabite can sneak into your Nation and almost kill someone without anyone noticing, so how likely is it that something like what happened in Aquarius could happen here?"

She stopped, glaring at the Grass Nation Council without fear. Chikorita felt her blood turn to ice as the Senators looked away, and she knew for one terrible second that they were all about to be doomed to a terrible fate. Even Charmander looked dumbfounded and scared. At last, Meganium raised his head and spoke. "I believe you," he said.

"What?" Torterra asked. "Meganium, this is ridiculous!"

"I don't mean the conspiracy, dammit!" he shouted. "I mean the risk. These Water Nation trainees wouldn't be here right now if something bad hadn't happened to the Water Nation. If Feraligatr truly has turned against his own, and if the Water Nation truly is in shambles, we must take any precaution we can to make sure that we are safe as well."

"I agree," Shaymin said. "I can see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. They're not lying about this. They truly believe a conspiracy is afoot, one that could affect all of the Nations. I believe we need to keep this in mind."

Shiftry looked a bit unsure, but he nodded his head anyway. "I do not trust those of other Nations," he admitted, "but if this has truly happened, which it very well may have, I have no choice but to believe my Nation is in danger. I do not believe any sort of conspiracy is occurring right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was coming from Ground Nation, the slimy bastards."

Torterra looked unbelieving at the five trainees that stood before him. "I can't bring myself to believe it," he said. "But I am outvoted. We will take a closer look around Grass Nation, but I cannot fathom how anything save for the Rock Nation and these foreign trainees are putting us in danger!"

"Alright," Meganium said. "Understood, Torterra. We will now discuss what is to be done with the Fire and Water Nation trainees. I assume you all want permission to stay here temporarily until the turmoil in your own Nations is over, correct?"

"That is our hope, yes," Chikorita said, and then immediately wished she hadn't said it like that. She had just associated herself with them. It was out of habit, and she had a feeling that perhaps her father would understand this, but right in front of the rest of the Council…oh, they wouldn't understand at all! She felt herself sinking into the floor, and knew she had marked herself as one of them.

Torterra stomped his foot. "I believe the only way these trainees should be granted residence is if they fight in battle against the Rock Nation for the Grass Nation!"

Chikorita's blood went cold. Torterra had outright suggested sending four trainees to their deaths, and all for the good of the Grass Nation. Meganium swiveled his gaze to the Political Strategist. "That is not your call to make," he said. "War is Shaymin's jurisdiction."

"I agree that having more bodies to fight for us would be a good thing," Shaymin said. "However, by sending them out there as we would regular soldiers, we risk them dying. And from a strategic standpoint, having Fire and Water Nation trainees die for us isn't as useful as…other things."

Bargaining chips. That was what Chikorita's friends were to Shaymin. And Chikorita admitted to herself, guiltily, that that was probably the best use for them the Grass Nation had. They could be used as leverage for an already weakened Fire and Water Nation, leverage to get more land from both Nations in an attempt at expanding Grass Nation borders. It was classless and borderline tyrannical, but Chikorita knew it was something that was apt to work.

"Why not a compromise?" Shiftry suggested. "There is something they can give us, something small, something they will be risking their lives for but something they'll be willing to risk their lives for."

Chikorita had no idea what he was talking about. Meganium seemed confused as well. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"We will grant the Fire and Water Nation trainees a temporary stay at the Grass Nation if they are able to successfully rescue Turtwig from the Rock Nation." Shiftry turned towards Torterra. "That is what you had in mind, correct?" Torterra merely glared at him.

While this brief exchange happened, a whirlwind of thought passed through Chikorita's mind. Turtwig, captured by the Rock Nation? Why? For what purpose? Was he even still alive? Or was that something they wouldn't even consider, instead opting to put her friends (she couldn't stop thinking as them as such no matter how hard she tried) in danger for their own purposes?

"I agree that doing such a thing would be useful," Shaymin admitted. "But how exactly is this a compromise?"

"It's a win-win situation for the both of you," Shiftry said. "If they save him, Torterra gets his son back and you have leverage over the Fire and Water Nations. If they die trying, Torterra gets to watch them die and you…huh. Well I guess you wouldn't get anything out of the deal then. Guess we'd better hope they succeed."

Shaymin only glared at him.

Meganium turned his attention back to the trainees. "It is settled, then," he said. "In order for us to grant you residence here, you will aid in the rescue of Torterra's son, Turtwig, from the Rock Nation. I will brief you on this some more at my home, where you may stay for tonight. The rescue will commence tomorrow morning, two hours after sunrise. Is this clear?"

"Yes," Charmander said, stepping forward. "We wish to thank the Grass Nation for their hospitality. We will aid you in whatever way we can."

Chikorita heard Piplup whisper under his breath. "What choice do we have?"