"Mommy! Daddy! The Senshi are on the TV!" yelled a little Ralts. She excitedly watched as her mother and father, a Gardevoir and Gallade respectively, took her to the living room. Her mother picked up the little Ralts and kissed her on the cheek,
"Alright, we'll watch the Senshi," she said softly. Her father then commented with earnest enthusiasm,
"Mei oui. The Senshi have their own television show. Wow, Nihonera really loves their heroes." He grabbed the TV remote and started to change the channel as his wife gently placed Ralts on her lap.
The news was about a raid on Absol's hideout. Absol was a terrorist who led the organization: the Wild Hunt. They hunted down people they deemed as 'undeserving' of praise. They had attempted to assassinate the royal family before Ralt's was even born, attempting to blow up their vehicle. Luckily, the royal family survived and the Senshi started to hunt down the Wild Hunt. Ralts had no idea any of that had happened. She wasn't even born when all of this happened. All she knew was that her heroes were about to fight and defeat the bad guy.
Speaking of which, Ralts was about to burst out of her seat as Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert arrived on the scene. She squealed with delight to the surprise of both of her parents. Completely starry-eyed, she pointed at the screen and told her mom,
"THAT'S THEM! THE SENSHI! LOOK, MOM! LOOK!" Mom patted her daughter on the head and happily watched. However, she knew that she would have to turn the TV off once things got violent. Her and her husband locked eyes with each other, silently agreeing to a game plan. Their attention was soon grabbed by a loud bang. Sceptile and the Senshi were moving in.
The fight that began was legendary. Initially, everything was inside the hideout. The sounds of combat excited Ralts. She knew that her heroes were in there, saving people. Ralts told Mom,
"I wanna be a hero, just like them!" That was when Dad piped in,
"Of course, mademoiselle. You can be whatever you want to be! Of course, me and mom would be proud of you if you became a Senshi." Ralt's eyes lit up in excitement! Really! She could be a hero! Immediately, she promised,
"I'll do the dishes after dinner. Daddy!" Dad simply giggled in response,
"That's a good start!"
Suddenly, a loud boom erupted from the TV. Everyone looked towards the screen to see Swampert launched outside the building into an empty car. Fully and uttered engrossed with what was happening, both parents failed to change the channel, not that it was a mistake. The fight would turn out to be rather tame.
Ralts felt like she was watching the greatest thing on earth. The fight was incredible to watch. It was tense, scary in some places, but like always the Senshi came out on top. Absol had been defeated and was currently begging taken into custody. Blaziken and Swampert were talking to the press while Sceptile was assisting the police in arresting the rest of the Wild Hunt. A reporter had asked,
"What do you have to say to all those children who look up to you?" Blaziken chuckled to herself lightly. It was the classic question, and she would give the same answer she always did,
"All I have to say is that the world can be a dark place. There are plenty of bad people, but that is why us heroes exist. We need people to stand up for what is right. Who knows, maybe one of you will be the next Blastoise."
That Ralts was named Chrona Jigamasa. She was four years old at the time. That afternoon, she kept her promise. Cleaning the dishes after dinner. Of course, her parents showered her with praise. Why wouldn't they? Their daughter had done something nice and she deserved it. There was nothing wrong with their praise.
At least, that's what they believed.
Ralt's parents, Kakei and Jean-Philipe Jigamasa were good parents. They looked out for their daughter and tried to teach her good lessons. Every day, they spent time with their daughter, forming a bond with her that would stretch for as long as they lived. Alas, they weren't perfect. No one is. That day, they both made a critical mistake. One that would have repercussions for decades. Dad had said one sentence. One. But that one phrase planted the seeds for something terrible.
"Other kids don't clean the dishes like you." Mom echoed this sentiment,
"Keep it up, and I think you could be an amazing Senshi."
It's one thing to praise a child for their kindness. It's another to put them on a pedestal. To be clear, they had no idea what they had started. All they had done was compliment their child. But when a child is placed on a pedestal, they themselves believe it. Mom and Dad would repeat a similar sentiment over and over again as the years went by. Ralts would never show it, even as she grew into a Kirlia, but she knew it. Her good deeds had placed her above her fellow Pokemon. Ego is a corruptive force. Whenever you look for it, it hides. The more you do so, the deeper and deeper it goes. Because you are who you are, and who you are is perfect. She had seen the Senshi, she practically worshipped them. Therefore, she could be bad. That was the justification that she subconsciously gave herself.
She would be humbled one fateful day. Three days after that mysterious beam had pierced the heavens. Kirlia was busy. That beam had significantly damaged the country of Nihonera, so people needed help. She had convinced her parents to buy some canned goods and drive four hours to one of the towns on the coast that were hit hardest by the tsunamis. Now, what she was doing was a good deed. There is no denying that. These people needed help and she was going to help them. However, sometimes the people who need the most help are right in front of you.
The time was 11:34, Kirlia had just arrived in that town. Monferno was bleeding.
