Chapter 4: the world outside
The world outside was very different from the world inside. It was a bright and sunny day, it was the kind of day that most people and pokemon wished could last forever. Darla absolutely loved it. The sunlight on her feathered body made her happy, the fresh air invigorated her, and she really liked the feeling of the grass and ground under her feet. Now that she was outside, she wanted to know where she was exactly. She didn't really know where to go first. After walking aimlessly for a few minutes, she noticed a large rock. It was grey slab that was nearly flat on one side that reached to a peak on top, then it continued steeply to the ground on the other side. "I don't really want to climb that high, but I need to know where I am" Darla thought to herself, so she had no choice but to climb the rock. So very carefully, she climbed up the flat side of the rock, putting one foot in front of the other very slowly. There wasn't a great drop below, but for some reason, she needed to keep her balance. After climbing to the top, she finally got a look around.
From upon the rock, Darla found out that she was on a gently sloping mountainside. To the north, she saw the farm where she was born. It was small building, quaint some would call it, but she shuddered when she looked at the place, many painful memoires, but there were some good memoires as well, the Rattata and the Spinarak that lived there, would they be all right? Darla thought as she looked back at the place of her birth. She could also see Mt. Chimney. It was a steep mountain which always bellowed clouds of smoke and ash, but because of prevailing winds, the smoke and ash was constantly getting blown towards the north side of the mountains. Leaving the south side's environment pristine and fresh. All around Darla, grass and trees flourished. The smell of different plants mingled with the fresh air.
Then Darla noticed something, just south of her was a patch of wildflowers. These were probably one of the most beautiful things that she's seen in her life. After carefully climbing down the rock, she ran over to get a closer look. The flowers were in full bloom, and in nearly every colour: violets, reds, yellows etc. Darla got a close look at each one of them, she also got to smell each one as well. Each also had their own unique scent. Then she saw the biggest, and most beautiful flower in the patch, the flower seemed to have it's petals bunched up, each of the petals were a vibrant blue almost violet colour. Darla had to get a closer look at the flower, The scent was practically heavenly, but as soon as the torchic came one step closer, the flower moved on it's own! The flower soon revealed itself as one of the hands of a small pixie-like character. It was a Roselia, a grass type that have thorns that leak poison.
"Rrro-ro! Roseeeelia!" (("what are you doing here, get out of my flowers!")) It didn't seem too happy to have a fire pokemon like Darla come disturb her patch of flowers. (("Keep your fire away from me! Go away! NOW!!!")) Darla didn't know what she meant, she only wanted to enjoy the flowers. However, what she did not know was that fire type pokemon, like Darla, could easily set fire to the flower patch and burn it up instantly.
"Why do you want me do go away? I only want to smell your flowers!" Darla spoke. As soon as the human words came out of Darla's mouth, she regretted saying them and wished she just obeyed the roselia's wishes. The Roselia was stunned when she heard Darla speak human.
(("you... Speak human?")) The roselia was not angry as before, but now she was puzzled. This seemed to be a normal reaction when anyone met Darla, mostly because pokemon that could speak human were so rare that they were practically unheard of. Just like other pokemon, the roselia did not know what to make of the young torchic.
(("I suppose I can let you stay in my patch for a little bit... But don't you dare use ember here!")) The roselia said with a huff. The thorn pokemon left Darla alone to sniff the rest of the flowers, but kept an eye on her so she didn't accidentally burn it up. Darla was quite confused about what the roselia was angry about. She didn't even know what an ember attack was. Could it have been the same attack the other torchic used on her back at the barn used on her when she first hatched? It wasn't a very nice attack, being on the receiving end of it, she now knew how the roselia would feel. Besides, she didn't seem to know how to use ember, but to be safe, she wasn't going to try it here and now.
After looking at each of the flowers, Darla's stomach began to rumble with hunger. She hadn't eaten since this morning, and she was starving. She also wanted to know what pokemon around here ate as well. "I'm getting a bit hungry, do you know where I can get something to eat?" The roselia motioned with her rose-hands towards a grove with a few trees. (("The trees there produce lovely fruit, I guess you may like some of them, never hurts to try...")) The roselia seemed a bit annoyed at the strange talking pokemon who was romping through her flowers, but Darla didn't seem to notice. The young chick pokemon scampered of towards the grove.
There were two trees that had fruit on them in this grove. One tree grew sweet red razz berries, and the other grew juicy looking bluk berries. Unfortunately, both of the tree's berries seemed to be well out of reach of Darla, who was getting famished. Due to her paralysing fear of heights and tiny wings, climbing up them was out of the question. She had no choice but to ask the roselia to get them down for her.
(("couldn't you get them down yourself?")) the roselia was getting more annoyed with Darla. "This fire pokemon first invades her patch of flowers and now it wants me to give it food? What's the deal with this talking pokemon?" The roselia thought.
"I'd get them myself..." Darla started to say with a sad tone, "but I'm too small to reach them" With an annoyed sigh, the roselia walked with Darla towards the berry trees.
(("MAGICAL LEAF!")) Roselia spun around a few times and released a few shining leaves, the hovered like discs and zoomed towards each the berry's stems, they were quite agile for each of them clipped each from where it hung on both trees. The berries, with no way to hang themselves, fell to the ground. Darla was amazed by the roselia's attack, and she was very happy that she could finally eat the razz and bluk berries.
"Would you like some?" Darla asked the roselia politely. The roselia accepted the favour and took a bluk berry, she then walked away to leave Darla with the rest of the berries. She could decide which to try first. She took a razz berry with her foot and took a nip of it. It was very sweet with a hint of spiciness, Darla liked it a little. She then decided to try the bluk berries. She took one with her foot, the dark bluish purple juice smeared on her toes. She took a bite of this one, It was just as sweet as the razz berry, but it also tasted of something else. Whatever it was though, it was the tastiest thing Darla ever had. So Darla decided to gorge herself on the berry feast.
When all the bluk and razz berries as well, Darla was covered with stains all over, her beak and her face seemed to be one big purple blotch, her orange body and yellow wings were also covered in the gooey mess. Her legs, feet, and toes were just as sticky and messy as the rest of her. Darla didn't seem to mind though. With a full tummy, Darla began to feel a bit sleepy. She went to a big shady tree to have a nap.
The tree was the largest tree Darla had ever seen, it's thick branches were covered in green foliage, which shielded the light in some places, but let in some in others, creating a lovely dappled effect. Darla thought it was the perfect place to take a nap. She walked over to the base of the tree, and sat right down, she then stretched her messy legs and spread her sticky toes out like small juice-stained fans. As she looked at her feet, she wondered a bit about herself, not just about how useful her feet were to her, but also how different she was to other pokemon, she didn't seem to speak their language, yet she understood it quite well. She also seemed to speak a language that pokemon referred to as human language. Darla never really talked to a human being before, would the be more accepting? Or would they be just as confused about her as pokemon were? As she was thinking of all these things, she let out a big yawn, her eyelids were getting heavy as well, she was beginning to drift of to sleep. Life was very peaceful here, it would have been better if she had someone to share this with, but she didn't mind being alone here right now though. She was a very unique torchic, she thought to herself. With these thoughts, she fell of to sleep under the big tree, the wind gently caressing her juice covered sticky body.