I wade through the blanket of fallen leaves on the floor with difficulty. I turn around to see my path woven through the trees. I can easily find my way back if I get lost.
Vie was complaining about Spire again. I can't stand this Shelgon, she said. I really want to just fly back to the Shallows, or somewhere else.
But that was expected. She never had a positive thing to say when it came to the newcomer. What ticked me off, though, was Rue's response.
And get killed by some random Gliscor because you left us behind? Stay put until you become a Flygon, which is like five years later. Actually, we're more bounded by when Nova becomes a Flygon, cause he can't get feed himself. Oh, and he seems to not want to evolve, so maybe add another ten years on top of that.
Maybe I'm overreacting. But it really struck a nerve in me, and I wanted to get away before anyone could catch on to my bad mood. It's not like I don't want to evolve. Being a Trapinch is so much worse when you don't live on sand. The one method to alleviate our slowness, digging, is gone. And after Vie evolved, I became the only Trapinch left out of us five. Every time we wanted to group up and travel somewhere, I was always by far the slowest, so much that they'd really rather leave me behind with Spire and Flora. Phendrene sometimes stays behind with me, but it gets boring with her rather quickly, since I forbade her to practice her fire, not when there are others watching.
Is there any way to evolve faster? I'm already eating more than I used to, which surely is a good sign. Battling? I had thought of that, but it still seemed to unappealing. Plus, how am I going to fight as a Trapinch? Flinging pebbles? It worked on the Salamence, I suppose, but I'm not aiming to kill here.
Kill. That's right, no one except Phendrene knows that I was really the one that killed the Salamence. The others concluded that my mother must have somehow drove that black stone through his neck with her dying breath. No one knows that I'm a killer too.
I feel a little sick. I've never really thought about him. He might have had a mate. Or even kids.
I shake my head. My mum had kids too! Why would I feel sorry for that Salamence? My friends kill upward of a dozen prey every day to feed us, and they never have any second thoughts. But they do occasionally have wounds from the prey that try to fight back, for it is their life that was on the line. That Salamence was out to kill us. I didn't do anything wrong.
Of course you didn't. Death is a part of life.
I shake my head hard to clear the morbid thoughts. I'm probably just mopey because of what happened earlier. I glance ahead and there seems to be a small drop over a rocky overhang. The hill goes downward from here, and is covered by yellow and green trees all the way to the horizon. I must have crawled past the Sceptile's area and towards the centre of the forest. I remember being able to see the forest becoming less dense from the hill next to our residence area.
I sigh. If a view from ground could be so great, then what would it be like to be airborne? Surely it would feel like you are on top of the world?
Leaves shift in the wind and cause a streak of yellow light to catch my eye from behind. The sun is setting, and I came a long way east. I don't feel much better, but I should head back anyway.
I begin to crawl away from the cliff before I hear a voice. "Hey! Orange guy!"
I look around and see nothing. It sounds like a young voice, but I'm still somewhat scared and yell, "Who are you?"
I see a short green Trapinch crawl out from next to a tree. I just didn't notice him. He seems to have big eyes and a sapling on his head, so he's probably not a Trapinch, actually.
"What are you? I've never seen your type in the forest before," he asks with a curious tone.
"Well… we don't usually stay in forests. I'm just a special case," I explain.
"Oh. Then what are you?" He crawls closer and stares at me.
I feel a bit uncomfortable. "I'm a Trapinch."
"What's that?"
"Um… we're just some other type of Pokémon. What are you?"
"Turtwig." He chuckles. "So what are you doing?"
"I'm just wandering around," I tell him.
"Oh, same!" he says. "Well, we're heading north cause the weather's getting cold and there's not enough sun. And the Sceptile are so much more crowded in the winter. They're so annoying. Wait, you're not with them, are you?"
I shake my head quickly.
"Oh, good. They're like those Dragonite all the way west. The dragons think they own everything. At least they don't try and eat us. I've known other Pokémon that almost got eaten."
"…Are dragons that bad?" I manage to say.
"They just take up all the space and are so loud. And whenever I meet Treecko they try and poke me and stuff. That's why we stay away from the Sceptile areas. But sometimes we find them outside, though Mum always fights them off. Shells are great."
"Well… the dragons that I've seen aren't that bad."
"Oh, that's probably because your shell is so hard." He pokes his foreleg at me. "And your jaw looks like it could cripple them in one bite. For us Turtwig, it's a lot less pleasant."
"Okay…"
He seems nice, but all that talk about dragons is making me uncomfortable. What if I was a Flygon right now? Would he hate me?
"Oh, I forgot to ask! What's your name?"
"Nova."
"Mine's Dent. Where're your parents?"
"They… not here."
"Then who gets you your food?"
"My friends hunt. They're older than me. I'm kind of hungry, actually."
"You could come with us! Oh wait, you eat meat, right? That sucks. Where do you live?"
I motion my head back into the forest, away from the cliff.
"Oh, so near the Sceptile? Okay then. I need to go too, Mum's gonna get worried."
"Okay."
"Bye!" He says cheerfully and walks into the woods, quite a lot faster than I could ever crawl as a Trapinch.
I watch him disappear into the forest and start crawling back. I've never really even talked to any of the non-dragons. I didn't know they thought we were all mean. I hope I'm not mean. But then again, we're more powerful than them. And we eat meat. Of course they're not going to like us.
It's a shame, though. I think I could be friends with some other Pokémon. Porygon-Z was fine with it, but there's probably not going to be many like him, since he's a robot. I'll probably only make friends with other dragons.
I'm really tired by the time I reach the shelter. I can smell the others, probably eating, but it's been a tiring day. I walked a big circle around the forest.
I finally evolve and I fly around the forest. I land back where I met the Turtwig. But this time he doesn't seem happy. "Why didn't you tell me you were a dragon?" he says, disappointed and hostile. "What's the difference?" I ask him. "It's still me."
I have a strange feel as I wake from the dream. On one side Phendrene is next to me and it's very warm but on the other is the cold trunk this shelter was built upon. I shift around to warm up my other side. I glance out the entrance, where Silex is lying across the floor. No wonder it's so cold, it's raining.
I crawl out of Phendrene's light grasp and stop next to the entrance. The downpour isn't very big, but judging by the sheen on the fallen leaves it probably has been raining for a while. I look upwards, and notice a green snakelike thing. The one from ages ago. Since that morning where we met Rue and Lin, I've never seen it again. It doesn't mind us dragons, apparently. Does Rue know anything about it? Probably.
But for now, it's raining, and I'm stuck in this shelter with a bunch of sleeping bodies because I am most definitely not going out into the rain.
I crawl back to the spot where I slept and glance at everyone in the small shelter. Rue's by far the messiest, sprawled across the floor in the middle. Silex takes up about the same space, even though she is larger. Vie and Hale are next to Phendrene and me. And then there's Flora, who's alone in the opposite corner.
Flora. I don't know how she lives like this. I have plenty of time talking and wandering around and I still get bored a lot and want to go back to the desert where I can dig and talk to Zeta and other Trapinch, maybe tell them how to play pebble dodge. But Flora? Flora literally just hides behind a trunk all day without doing anything.
But it's not like I have the right to say anything. I'm living off the others' food without doing anything, too. Maybe I should stop being useless… but I'm still not sure if I can go and just kill something. More berry gathering after I evolve, then.
The sight of rain somehow amplifies the coldness I feel and I shuffle closer to Phendrene, whose tail is lying on the dirt floor. How does Spire sleep in the rain? He does have that thick shell, which looks even firmer than the Trapinch's. And he probably can hide under a dense tree. Sometimes we go two or three days without seeing him before he pops up making a comment. But he's still usually around when we're eating, although generally he doesn't talk unless it's somewhat relevant to him. Like last time Rue was talking about really cold rain called snow he said something about it layering up on the floor and leaving footprints, and that even in summer it doesn't melt on the peaks.
Still, he hasn't told us anything about himself. It feels like he is maybe a bit older than Rue, but I'm not exactly proficient in determining a Shelgon's age. I'm also not entirely convinced his parents are dead, because you don't tell strangers it so easily – just like when I was with the Turtwig. Then again, what other reason would he have to oppose his own species? They banished him or something? That doesn't seem intense enough for me – in fact, I've basically been kicked out of Lyrl, and I'm nowhere near wanting to kill all the Flygon.
Hmph. I've thought about getting to know him more, but it seems like he just doesn't want to talk. I can't blame him too much, since he doesn't have the obligation to tell us, but that means we're not going to trust him as much. Then again, maybe I'm just used to knowing everyone around me really well. Even the silent Flora, I know she has no siblings and that she was in a lot of shock when her parents got killed because there was no one left, because Silex told me. But Spire? Just some random Shelgon that's sarcastic and hates the Salamence because supposedly his parents got killed by their king.
Silex stirs a bit and opens her eyes. She looks around and sees me awake. "You're not going out in the rain, are you?" she asks me lightly, and I shake my head. "I'll try to get some food, then," she whispers. I nod in response (since I'm quite hungry), and she walks out into the rain and spreads her wings.
Immediately, I regret not stopping her. It was getting boring enough already without anyone awake and when finally someone does wake-
Oh, Rue's yawning too. That's good. Until she stretches her arm into my face.
She sits up. "So… you're up first," she says much less softly than Silex as she rubs her eyes. "And it's my fault, huh?" She crosses her arms. "It was just a joke. And it's the truth, anyway. You're going to get nowhere close to evolving if you refuse to fight and hunt.
I just stare at her.
"But if you evolve, that means I can't throw you around!" She reaches over to pick me up but I retreat back into the corner with Phendrene. "Hey, I'm trying to help! You wanted to evolve, right? We should fight!" She nudges my face with her tusk.
"You'd probably kill me by accident," I say flatly.
She sighs and sits back. "Yeah, see me try and do any damage to you through that shell. I'd probably break my face first. Oh and your bite seems like it would hurt. A lot. But I can just climb a tree and you're useless."
"How is that going to help me evolve?"
"Just a hypothetical situation if we were actually fighting. Like, to the death." She laughs. "But it could potentially make you mad at me and have you suddenly want to fly and spontaneously evolve? C'mon, let's try. Haven't done it with a Trapinch."
"So I just try and bite you?" I ask, confused.
"Yeah, but not here, obviously! Wait until the rain ends and go outside! I don't mind, of course. It's just that all of you seem to hate the water. Speaking of which, I should probably go hunt. Don't think Silex is gonna get anything in this weather." She walks outside, with her claw above her eye to block the rain. Then she runs off into the mist.
I turn my back toward the inside. Phendrene's tail is dangerously close to the wall after being dislocated from when I retreated next to her, so I crawl over and nudge it away. The warmth near her is nice so I just stay there.
It's not long before the rest of them wake up as well, but no one wants to go out because of the rain. So we just end up talking.
"The most important thing to remember when you evolve is you're a lot more fragile," Hale lectures. "You need to be more careful, even when you're just on the ground."
"And flying is actually pretty tiring. You can only land at places where the foliage isn't thick enough, which sucks. I wish we were back in the desert," Vie adds.
Rue comes back soon with some fruit. "Just because I don't mind rain doesn't mean it's not harder to hunt," she grumbles. After throwing the round red and pink things at us. Then she sits down next to Flora in the corner, leaving a soggy trail behind her. Vie sighs as she gets up, which makes Rue say tiredly, "If you want meat you can go get it yourself."
I just pick one red thing up and chew it apart quickly and swallow it whole. There's no taste of blood, which I do admittedly like, but I guess I like it better not having to have those bothersome thoughts. Looking at Hale spit out some seeds (I just swallowed everything), I realize it's more than the flight I'm going to have to get used to when I evolve. But rather sooner than later, right?
The rain doesn't seem to be stopping at all. I take a look outside and get a glimpse of the tree that had the snake thing. "Hey, Rue, do you know about that green snake that's there in the morning?" I ask her.
"Oh. He's just another Unovan Pokémon. It's nothing."
"…Okay." So, special like Rue in some way? She doesn't seem like in the mood to talk, so I stop.
"So, as I was saying," Hale continues on from before, "I found this thing that looked really like Zigzagoon, but had straight fur instead – but it was super quick. I tried to chase it flying but the forest was too thick there."
"Too thick?" I ask.
"Yeah, we have to go a whiles away to hunt. None of them are dumb enough to live near us. Beyond that hill there's a downward cliff where the forest gets quite a bit thicker with prey."
They talk more about hunting, and Phendrene even asks some questions. I'm not too interested, so my gaze wanders to the outside again. The rain is actually getting heavier, now that I'm paying attention to it. My gaze wanders back and I see Flora staring outside and then Rue lying against the wall who has a big frown and her claws clutching her chest.
"Rue, are you okay?" I crawl over and ask.
"…Yeah, it just kind of hurts. Not a big deal."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Just let me rest." She flips onto her side and faces the wall.
"Did you-"
I'm interrupted by the sound of landing outside. I look outside and see Silex has something in her mouth as she walks in and drops it on the floor.
"Meat!" Vie exclaims, followed by Hale shouting, "Hey that's the thing I was talking about! How did you catch it?"
"You have to get it fast. The rain helped; it's harder for them to smell," she explains and sits down at the entrance.
I decide something else is more important. "Silex? Rue seems to have something-"
"I'm fine!" she shouts, but her harsh breathing sounds tell the opposite.
Silex walks over to her and helps her sit up, which she reluctantly agrees to. "Did you breathe something in? Or did you eat something bad?"
"W-well I think there was some gas. I coughed for a bit."
Silex eyes over the leftover fruit from before and takes a pink one. "This one should help."
Rue's eyes widen. "How do you know? Why didn't… I know?" She seems disappointed in herself.
"Now you know. That's all that matters," she replies calmly.
Rue hesitates for a bit. "Okay," she says and stuffs it into her mouth.
"I'm more worried about that gas you breathed. It was probably poisonous. But most of the time, there aren't any poison Pokémon in this part of the forest, so that's why you never needed to learn this. Take me to where you think it was after you feel better."
"…Okay." Rue lies back down and her breathing seems a bit slower.
Meanwhile, the two Vibrava and Phendrene seem to be ignoring everything else and feasting on the Linoone.
"Silex?" I get her attention from watching the three. "How do I evolve faster?"
"You need more excitement and energy. You could try going out in the rain right now."
"Really? That would help?"
"As long as the rain doesn't make you faint. Do you want me to go with you?"
"Okay." I take a deep breath, thinking of my aspiration of flying in the sky, and crawl out into the rain.
The wave of cold is overwhelming, but I brace myself. When you've fallen into water a few times you become desensitized.
Silex is by my side. "Go ahead, to the clearing."
I can still manage my normal crawling speed despite the cold by trying hard. Silex stays behind me as we walk in silence. When we finally arrive, I'm already tired.
"What now? Do we walk back and forth?"
She walks to across the clearing, and then stands in a crouched, battle-ready position. "No. Bite me."
"What?!"
"Try and bite me," she repeats.
I start crawling to her, but before I get there, I tell her, "I don't think I can do it."
"Well, if you don't try, you might never have the chance to say you've beat a Flygon in battle as a Trapinch."
It's so different. Normally Silex is simply calm and straightforward, but she's sounding a bit more playful right now. I'd never expect her to be playful.
I smile and say, "Got it." Then I growl and charge at her leg, as if to satisfy my restlessness.
Unsurprisingly, she leaps out of the way. "Not fast enough." She knocks me in the side which definitely isn't at her full strength but still feels like a solid blow to me.
I turn around and she's in that position again. This time I charge again but prepare to turn. As she leaps to the right I follow her and almost catch her tail.
"Nice!" she yells through the rain. "But still not fast enough!
I waste no time and turn around. This time I circle around her first before I try and leap – and to my surprise, I feel like I do. In fact, I feel like the world is bright, and the energy grows in my chest and inside my body. Is this what evolving feels like?
I lose balance and fall to the ground. The mud and grass hurt a lot more than I expected and there's something on my back getting crumpled.
I feel like I have no energy left. "I…"
"Shh. It's okay."
I shiver at the cold and latch onto the warm arms holding me. They feel so different.
Mum? You're back? Where have you been? You've been away for too long. You…
…
There's the familiar warmth of Phendrene, but I can feel her soft body along mine. I shift my sore hindleg a bit, and immediately she moves off. "Nova!"
I open my eyes. Even those feel different. Everything feels different.
Phendrene is up in my face. "Are you okay?"
"I… what time is it?"
"Afternoon. The rain stopped so they all went out. But you still didn't wake up."
"Oh, right." I try and get up. These legs seem fragile… but I don't seem to weigh much.
I look to the side and accidentally poke my antennae into the wall. I shift around a bit and this time it's my tail.
I tentatively walk forward. I'm so much faster. "I evolved." I dash out into the sunlight and glance upwards at everything. The world is so clear. "I evolved!"
"Nooovaaaa." Phendrene rushes out behind me. "You need to rest. Wait until they come back!"
"Okay, okay." Her nagging is annoying, but I probably won't do anything when I'm not used to this body.
I go back into the shelter, my legs a bit unstable, and lie down. I turn my head and flinch at the antennae touching the wall again.
"I didn't see you walking out of the shelter," Phendrene says as she sits down.
"Well, Silex asked me to. I should have just asked her about it earlier! She's so helpful! I love her so much."
"But now you're weak and tired! Couldn't it be sometime else?"
I move my tail around a bit, trying to get a good control of it. "The rain helped me. You're more likely to evolve under stressed situations." My mouth changed too. I flex my mouth a bit. Definitely less biting power.
"Okay…" Phendrene leans forward and falls on her arms. "You're bigger," she says, staring at my wings.
I smile. "You'll be too, one day."
I look outside, and see the light through the trees. The skies are in my reach! I just need to fly.
Stretching my legs a bit more, I head out. Phendrene starts. "Wait-"
"Don't worry," I call backwards, "I need to get used to this body."
"Fine. Be careful."
I walk through the forest quickly. My legs feel similar, but I can feel the drying dirt more closely as the grass brushes. I need more effort to keep my head up than before. Everything's in more detail – I can see the clearing already from between the trees.
There's a patch of lighter grass where the canopy is thinner in the middle. No one else seems to be here – maybe they're hunting, or battling?
They don't matter now. Time to fly.
I try and move the muscles on my back. The wings move around somewhat erratically. I try and flap them together, and it turns out it's fairly easy to manage. In fact, I even feel like I get a little lighter as the wings move.
I steady myself and try it again faster. There's suddenly weightlessness and the ground becomes further away. I stop moving my wings and glide to the ground. I can do this! I think to myself and try it again. Expecting the weightlessness, I manage to stay in midair, although I almost lose balance and flip over at one point, it's easy to fix by simply adding more power to one side. In no time I'm able to hover, and by simply letting the instincts control how I tilt, I move around the clearing with little difficulty.
A smile creeps up onto my face as I look upward. I can do it.
With a burst of energy I rise up beyond the trees, and see an endless green before me, under white clouds and the bluest sky, with the sun watching over it all. Oh, the gift of flight. If only Mum were here to see share it with me.
Have I grown up? Maybe. But if I am, it doesn't stop me from shivering at the thought of Mum. I have my gratitude to Silex for teaching me so much and helping me evolve, but… I still want my mother. Those arms that once held me…
I'm so weak. I thought I was over it?
Sighing, I let myself rise higher and swoop through the air. Certainly, this is what I was born for. The wind against my body, and the free view. Forget my sorrows; instead, embrace the sky.
Fly.
Opening my eyes again, I smile at the sight. Only evolving has made me realize how boring a Trapinch's life is. Digging into a dark, black place? That's nothing compared to the freedom I have right now. I can see the horizon in all four directions, and even the vague outlines of mountains in the distance. This is exhilarating.
I laugh as I take another swoop down. I'm a bit out of breath, but that's what makes it exciting. I steady myself and swoop down again-
"Aah!"
My wing muscles lapse for a moment and I almost fall into the canopy. My breathing is suddenly furious but it doesn't seem enough to keep my wings beating. "Help!" I yell before realising that no one would hear me. I glance around me and it's all the same greenery. What looked so beautiful is now instead danger.
The trees become larger and larger as my wings fail to bring me back up. I feel my leg touch some leaves for a moment – and in desperation I pull myself back up for a moment – but then I feel my muscles numb as I crash into the canopy.
And then comes the pain. The branches like millions of claws slashing up against me. I feel like dying until suddenly I feel a reprieve after falling through the thickest of the growth. But then I see the ground coming up.
No! It hurts. It hurts so much. Even as it subsides, I can't help the gasps coming out of my mouth. My wings, my body, everywhere. I feel like I can't move anything. It is far worse than the rain.
I end up lying against a trunk on my side. I glance at my body and see all the mess of blood and cuts on it. I sigh again and close my eyes and lay my head down. The agony. Why did I do this? Maybe I shouldn't have evolved. Flying is certainly not worth this pain.
I feel tears again. I wish Mum were here with me. But I thought I accepted her death already? … I don't care. It hurts and I want Mum back. And she's not here.
What would everyone say? Questions appear in my head, but I throw the aside and think back to all the times I've spent with Mum as my crying intensifies. It doesn't matter what other people want. I just…
…
I don't know how long later is it when I calm down and stare into the distance. Someone should have heard my screaming and cries by now. Unless…
I observe my surroundings more carefully. This doesn't seem like a familiar part of the forest. Maybe… Maybe I've flown too far away from them?
My heart skips. What if something else finds me? What if some other strong Pokémon wants to eat me? The fear makes me stand up despite the horrid pain that I still feel all over my body. But when I try and walk forward, the pain is too much to bear and I let out a cry as I fall back onto the ground.
Fine, whatever. Let some Pokémon find me and kill me. That way I can be with Mum again.
…
Another lapse of attention and it's morning. My stomach grumbles for food, but it's not like I have any. I try and leave again but this time I can't even stand up because it's too sore on top of the pain. I'm tired of thinking about Mum and give up and just lie there, letting my eyes go out of focus.
When the sunlight becomes brighter I manage to stand up and walk a little in the direction I'm guessing is home, but my body hurts so I stop and lie down again.
It's the fifth time I go over the patterns of fallen leaves when I hear some loud footsteps behind me. The big Pokémon is here to eat me now. I glance over to see what it exactly is, and I catch something blue. Not the sky, but the deadly shade. The shade of a Salamence.
What is a Salamence doing here? No, no time to think. It seems to be sniffing the place where I was just lying. I stand up and attempt to operate my wings but they don't work.
I give up.
A few seconds later, the Salamence catches up to me and visibly gasps. I'm bracing, expecting it to attack me, but it speaks.
"What happened to you?"
I shoot a dirty glance at it. "Just kill me," I say coldly.
"Idiot. That's what I first thought when I saw a Flygon, but you're not supposed to say it out loud."
What? Could this be… "…S-Spire?"
"Yes. Anyway, you seem hurt, and this is quite far. And I don't think you're gonna get there yourself. …Hello? …You're really hurt, aren't you? This might hurt more, but I have to get you back, so tough." He bites the back of my neck and shoves me onto his wings.
"So what exactly happened?" he asks as he walks along.
"I just… ran out of energy and… crashed through the trees," I say, still tired.
"Seriously? How do you not know anything? Didn't your parents tell you how to deal with evolving?"
I flinch. "They're dead."
"Oh, don't use that excuse. My parents are dead too, remember? I still know not to go ahead and fly like crazy on the day I evolve. Especially not to a place where I can't land in case I run out of energy. You should be glad you didn't get impaled by a misplaced branch."
I don't feel like responding to his jibes, so I bring up things about him. "How did your parents die?"
"Didn't I tell you? The Salamence King had them killed."
"Why?"
He doesn't respond to that right away. "For no reason. That's why I hate them."
"Why would they kill for no reason?"
"They're evil."
"Okay."
He's still not telling me anything. But this time I don't think about it much, because the pain of the injury stops my already fatigued mind from working. I start to recognize the area. It appears I didn't have time to fly toofar.
A large growl shocks me from my thoughts and something flies into Spire's side and knocks me off. It hurts when I land but I'm used to it by now. I look back and see Spire breathing a burst of fire at the assailant, who is then caught by a flick of his tail and careens towards me.
And I have an unconscious Vie in my face.
"Wow," Spire exclaims as he walks over. "She should at least consider the size difference. If it were any other Salamence she'd probably be dead."
"Yeah, but she's..." I trail off to catch my breath. The injuries still hurt.
"Hey, I just reflexively defended against an attack. Not my fault she's insane enough to attack the guy helping her friend."
I look back down at Vie. She doesn't have any visible injuries, she's just knocked unconscious. Which by all means should be a big deal, but apparently it happens very commonly when battling…
"And I have to carry both of you now. Well." He picks me up again – the pain doesn't even mean anything anymore – and Vie's is laid next to me.
I end up staring at her, thinking about how she attacked the Salamence which killed Mum, except before my thoughts go anywhere we're already at the shelter.
"Heeeelloooooo?" Spire yells, except there's no response. "Better there be no one, actually," he turns his head back and says. "They'd probably think I caused this mess."
"Yeah," I respond, not paying too much attention.
"Aren't you getting off? I'm pretty sure that would hurt less that me dumping you off. And aren't my scales uncomfortable?"
I resist the dull ache telling me to stop moving and climb down his side. "…Not really."
"You really weren't thinking of staying on top of me for a few days, right? Anyway, this one? You can just drag her in." He tilts his body and dumps Vie on the ground. "Better leave before the others pop up and blame me for all this. Oh, and you owe me your life now. Don't forget that!"
He walks off quickly as I stare into his back. Vie's wrong. Not all the Salamence are out here to kill you. Yet I still instinctively shy away from them, even after knowing Spire. I can't help it.
I think of Mum, bleeding to death on the desert sand, and shiver. I give up and stare cross-eyed at the ground to force the image out of my head. If only my father was here to help us…
Ugh.
It's not until I start dragging Vie into the shelter that I realize how hungry I am. But it's not like there's any food here; I'll just have to wait for the others. Inside the shelter, I simply lie against the wall. The injuries still hurt, but it's only a little unless I move around. So I just stay still.
Between the pain of hunger and injuries, my mood becomes sour. Not like it wasn't before, but it feels even worse now. I feel sad about Mum which makes me scared of the Salamence, then Spire helped me. But he also knocked Vie out, but that's Vie's fault for attacking, but that's the Salamence's fault for killing her parents, but that's because…
I don't even care anymore. If I see some Salamence that's not Spire I'm still probably going to run away. I'm not going to take any chances.
As I'm beginning to get really depressed, I hear footsteps. "Vie? You there?" Rue shouts and walks in. "Hey, don't sleep now, we need to find- Nova?" She notices me and runs over, crouching in front of my face. "W-what are you doing? Why are you- what are those injuries? Where were you after you evolved? Talk!"
"I'm hungry…"
"Oh. At least you're alive. Phendrene thought you were kidnapped. Funny, really… Talk after you eat, okay? Don't make everyone worry next time." She walks out, and in no time brings in a piece of meat no doubt from prey already hunted beforehand. I want to eat it fast but then that would make my body hurt again so I just eat it slowly. I can't even eat it as fast as I could as a Trapinch, anyway.
"So, is Vie asleep or did you knock her out?" she asks, sitting in front of me.
"Long story," I respond between gulps.
"Doesn't matter, tell me!"
"She attacked Spire and he knocked her out."
"Oh." She starts playing with her tusk again. "Wait, why did she attack Spire?"
"He evolved."
"He did? But that doesn't mean she would- actually, yeah it does. Okay, so what were you doing?"
"Flying, but I crashed and injured myself. Spire carried me back."
"… why did you crash?" she asks, in a more bewildered tone than her other questions.
"I didn't have enough strength left."
"Well, that's kind of dumb."
I finish off the piece of meat, and rest my head on the floor, not wanting to talk further.
"Okay," she says as she glances at the injuries on my body, "you can tell me the details later. I'll go find the others. Just… rest for now." She stands up and runs out quickly.
My eyes end up focusing on Vie again. With a Vibrava's vision, I pick up on many more details. The patterns on our body and wings. The delicate structure of our antennae. The seemingly fragile thin black legs. But I quickly get bored of the body I've seen infinite times and end up staring out of entrance into the forest again.
I almost jump at a sudden shout from beside me.
"There's a Salamence- wait, Nova? You're here- what the hell are those injuries? Did that Salamence hurt you? I'm going to-"
"Go ask Rue," I interrupt her. "I'm tired…"
"Oh, okay. Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes. Leave me alone."
She looks worried. "There's a Salamence… you gotta be careful."
"That's Spire! Stop acting like you know things when you don't!"
She's taken aback, but lets out a soft, "Okay," and walks out and flies off somewhere.
I can't remember the last time I've been so hostile, but I'm not in a caring mood right now, so I don't care.
Phendrene's reaction is akin to Vie's when she comes with Rue, but by then I just stop responding, which makes her stop as well. Hale asks me a question but he seems more worried about Vie when Rue mentions how she was knocked out. Silex, at least, seems to know I don't want to talk and simply tells me to rest.
Rue gets me some more food in the evening. It becomes uncomfortably crowded by nighttime but Silex opts to sleep outside to give me some space. Vie complains about her head hurting, but then Rue nudges her and gestures towards me, and she stops.
Everyone's gone by the time I wake up again. The wounds sting a lot less but my body still aches heavily. I notice some meat left for me and devour it.
Hale and Rue both come back during the day but neither of them stay for long. Then, Phendrene comes and I brace myself for more questions. Instead, she just sits next to me silently.
"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" I prompt.
"You didn't seem to like it yesterday, so…" She lies down sideways next to me. Now she is much shorter than I am.
"I feel better now," I assure her. "It was just an accident."
"At least no one meant any harm," she says. "You seem different," she adds, suddenly changing the topic.
"Of course. I'm a Vibrava now." I shift a bit, not sure what she is getting at.
"You sound kind of gloomy," she says and shuffles closer. "Are you really okay?"
"Just give me a few days to recover. No one would sound happy when they're injured."
"All right."
Then we just lie silently in each other's company for a while. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of her tail flame flickering. It's quite mesmerizing.
"Nova, have you heard singing?" she suddenly asks.
"Huh? I know songs… but not very well. Mum sang me some lullabies when I was small, but I rarely heard any after that."
Phendrene sighs. "Same with my parents. I used to like to sing some Charizard folk songs a lot, but… after I met you and your mother I never really had the opportunity." She pushes herself up to a sitting position. "Can I sing for you, Nova?"
It's a rather strange request, but if she wants to then I'm fine with it. "Of course."
"Okay."
There's a brief period of silence, as if she's a little embarrassed, but before long, she begins.
From whence do you come oh dear guardian of the night
And why are your powers so great and so bright
Please protect us children of fire from this world's pain and harm
And we will remember your name
…
The lyrics seem to tell a tale of the Charizard being lead through times of strife and trouble by a shining hero, probably also a Charizard. Her innocent voice and the haunting melody gives me a rather strange sensation.
I pay less close attention and instead close my eyes and lean in against her, simply enjoying her song. That is, until I hear my name.
Be the starlight that shines in the sky and guide us on our way
May the fire never fade
Trust in you, in dear Nova we pray
It also happened to be the end of the song, so I ask her, "Is that why you sang it to me?"
She fidgets. "It's just a song that my father and mother taught me. It's the only one I can still remember the lyrics for."
"Oh. Why would they sing about my name, though?" I ask, confused.
"Maybe it was about a Charizard named Nova. But we can pretend it's you," she says as what seems like a joke.
I just nod and go back to resting. Though the pain has subsided significantly, I'm still not ready to move any time soon. Phendrene ventures out eventually and leaves me alone with my thoughts.
It takes a few weeks for me to be willing try flying again. Silex is by my side on the top of the hill, overlooking the vast expanse of canopy that is really danger, she explains.
Vibrava can fly but have very poor stamina – if we wanted to visit Lyrl, for instance, we wouldn't be nearly as fast as Flygon would, because we'd have to stop and rest so much. It makes sense, what with the length of our wings and all the extra strength Flygon have. She also tells me to always keep sight of an area to land in forests, or in other conditions like over a lake or on steep mountains, in case I run out of energy.
So as I take flight again, instead of marvelling at the scenery, I carefully assess my physical condition throughout. As I begin to get tired, I immediately land back onto the hilltop, which is always kept in range.
This time, I'm determined to get it right.
As days go by, I manage to stay in flight for longer and longer. Phendrene complains about me being in the sky too much but I tell her it's to stop me getting injured over something as stupid as falling out of the air. My appetite increases immensely and although I'm still not hunting I can't really afford to contemplate the prey's lives every time I eat.
Now that Spire's evolved, he seems to eat a lot more. Once he has trouble getting enough food for himself and I give some of ours to him, which he accepts somewhat grudgingly. But after he evolved Vie's antipathy for him has also considerably grown and even Hale seems visibly uncomfortable when he's around. I still try and drag him along on one of my flying practices, though.
"Why should I go?" he asks me.
"I'm just curious! Come on. It'll be fun."
"Fine…"
As I watch him from the hilltop I realize the speed his wings move at are a lot slower than even Flygon's.
"So, how's your Charmander?" he says as he lands next to me.
"She's not mine. We just… know each other better. But that doesn't mean we need to be together the whole time."
He rolls his eyes. "It certainly seems like it does for her."
It turns out he's right. When I decided to ask Silex if I can visit Lyrl again, Phendrene was the one who begged me to not go. But I can't stand only staying in the forest. It feels like I'm confined by their dislike of Lyrl. And plus… I want to visit something that reminded me of home again. The Shallows would be preferable, but I don't think anyone's even there.
In the end, Flora's the only one who comes with me. And Silex is going to find her someone to stay with back at Lyrl. I can't say I'm surprised. If I felt restless from being alone, it must be so much worse for her, because she doesn't seem to talk with anyone.
We arrive to the desert quickly. When we rest for the evening and Silex goes to hunt, I manage to talk to Flora more than we did for the entire time I've known her. She says it's because feels really uncomfortable around others which aren't our species.
"Why didn't you stay in Lyrl, then?" I say.
"I didn't have anyone left," she responds in a quiet voice. "But then I thought… even without Silex, I can do more at Lyrl. Help the cause of our species."
Silex comes back with the Sandshrew reminding me of the past again. I raise my head to look at Silex and Flora. Neither of them talk very much, but I'm suddenly aware of how they both have their own personal struggles and convictions, even if they don't tell anyone. Our prey must be like this, too… I shake my head to stop myself from thinking about it.
The guards of Lyrl don't even stop Silex to ask her anything, probably because we're all the same species. If Rue were here, it would probably take a few minutes of bantering. If it were Phendrene, they might not even let her in. If it were Spire, they'd probably kill him.
I'm led to the fountain again, as Silex goes to sort out Flora's return. I stare into the water, reminiscing of the life I've had back here. It seemed so trivial.
I look up and down the road. Zeta's house is over there. I walk up and see the hole in the wall where I used to be able to climb in.
What if he moved? What if he doesn't want to see me because I just left without saying anything? He doesn't seem like that type of person. I steady my breath.
"Zeta?"
"Who is it?" A familiar voice sounds from inside.
"Nova."
"Okay, coming. …Wait, Nova?"
Zeta crawls out of the hole. He's still a Trapinch, and hasn't changed at all.
"Nova as in Nova-with-Charmander? You just disappeared suddenly! Where have you been?"
"That Charmander… she got kicked out of Lyrl."
"Right, Dice mentioned that. So what are you doing? I'm still learning a lot about science, my teacher says it comes from the records humans left behind here. What about you?"
I shift nervously. "Where I've been, there wasn't much to learn."
"Wait, so where have you been?"
"The forest."
"Cool! You should have brought me some plants. There aren't any live specimens here, for obvious reasons. Maybe next-"
A female Flygon voice calls Zeta's name from inside the building.
"Uh oh. You should probably go. Are you gonna head back?"
"Yeah… I'm only staying for a bit."
"Oh well, come back when you have time then. See ya!"
He seems awfully relaxed about everything. He doesn't even seem to mind me leaving again. But that was the Zeta I knew, right? I guess it is a nice attitude: just letting things happen and accept them. At least his life is going well. Mine has been turned upside down and shoved sideways. At least it's beginning to settle down.
I crawl back to the fountain, and then to the clearing of the Shallows Flygon. It seems a little more constructed now, with entrances on the side, although the middle is just a big mess of everyone being there. Is there anyone else I want to see? I wonder how that family I stayed with is doing. Skein, he was called? I think I see him.
"Hey?" I walk up behind him. "Hello?"
He turns around, surprised. "Oh. It's Nova, right?"
"Yeah. You were…?"
"Yes, you stayed with me. I was your mother's friend. Have you seen her grave?"
Her… grave? I didn't even know she had one. "Can you take me there?"
"Come with me."
I follow him off onto a Lyrl road. After a few turns, we arrive at a clearing with tombstones in the sand. He leads me in front of a small, plain one in the midst of others.
Shell
Mother of Nova
Mate of Blight
Seeing his name almost makes me angry. But he's not here, so I shouldn't be. "What was my father like?" I ask instead.
Skein seems a little taken aback. "He was… strong. That's why he went to kill the Hydreigon. And left your mother." He sighs.
"Let's head back," I tell him, feeling spiteful towards that dragon yet again.
"It's been a while since it happened," he says after arriving at the square. "Silex told me you weren't going to stay, and I thought I might as well show you…"
"What was my Mum like when she was young?" I ask.
"She was cheerful. She could make everyone smile. And she was excellent at hunting, too. Then she met your father."
"How did they meet?"
"Your mother met him by accident when she was hunting. At the time… he was just wandering around."
Wait, what? "Why was my father wandering around? Why wasn't he with you guys?"
He stays quiet for a bit more. "No… he wasn't. He came from elsewhere."
"Elsewhere? Like the wild desert Flygon?"
Skein stares at me strangely for a while, before taking a deep breath. "No. He-"
"Nova?" Silex's voice interrupts from behind me. "I've gotten Flora somewhere to stay. Have you seen everyone you wanted to see?"
"Yeah, I was just asking Skein about my father."
"Oh, don't ask him. He's not going to be a reliable source of information," Silex says, which makes Skein glare at her.
"Fine," Skein says. "Don't tell him," he finishes somewhat angrily, and walks off.
"Tell me what?" I ask Silex.
"He's just jealous of your father. It was obvious that he's sore that Blight took Shell away from him."
"…That doesn't sound like something you'd normally say," I comment.
"Well, I can't let him badmouth your father," she explains with a smile.
I realize the homesickness I felt about my mother wasn't really the desert – it was the people that I knew, when I was young and happy. I'm starting to miss them now. So we start flying back even though we've only been here for the morning.
After Mum died, Silex was there for me. She helped feed Phendrene and me after Mum died, she helped Hale from the Shallows to Lyrl, she helped Flora find a place to live…
"Why do you help everyone so much?" I ask her. "Why are you so selfless?"
She looks at me, her eyes showing a strange weariness. "I told you – I was helped by someone else when I was younger. I can't let you lose any more people after you lost your mother. Losing ones you love… I know how much it hurts."
I feel a chill in my heart, and lower my head.
"Sorry for reminding you," she says.
"It's all right," I answer. "But Silex… how long are you going to stay with us?"
"As long as I need to. I couldn't guard your mother well enough. The only thing I can do is to make sure her child grows up safe and sound."
Once upon a time there was a little Trapinch. She grew up all by herself, with no one around her. Her days were of solitary eating and sleeping, and wondering if there were any others like her.
Then, one day, she met another Flygon. He seemed to know everything in the world, including how to make her smile. He led her to meet new people, new places. He shared his world with her. And she fell in love with him.
But then, they were caught in the war of others. And when they were attacked, he blocked a fatal blow to defend her. She didn't understand why the world would give her something, only to take it away forever. So, surrounded by the warring dragons, she started to cry. She wished to die, even though her love had died so she could live.
Her wish didn't come true. Heartbroken, her powers were unleashed, and all the dragons around her froze and became lifeless. And so she was safe, but left desolate and despaired.
So her guardian angel of red and white descended from the heavens. The one who gave her the power. It comforted the Flygon in all its power, and healed the wounds of bygone memories. It taught her how to live again.
And when the time came for the angel to leave, it gave her its final gift.
…
That Flygon was me. That was my story.