"Think of it! The possibilities. The power. It's right there, just waiting to be seized!"

"I won't let you. I can't do it."

"You've forgotten your place… Wait. What are you-"

"Stopping you."

Ryan was warm. He was also ever so slightly itchy. A night spent sleeping in the grass would do that to a person. Ryan's eyes snapped open and he found himself eyeballing a particularly pokey patch of grass. He tried to think back to the night before. Why was he sleeping on the ground and not in a bed? Let alone why was he sleeping outdoors in the grass? He stretched out and rolled onto his back. Whether he had meant to or not, he couldn't deny he was comfortable. The sun was beating down, warming him up. He spread out as much as he could to take in more of the sun's rays, imagining himself like a flower.

Looking around to get his bearings, he noticed a lot of flowers around him. He chuckled to himself at the irony and stood up. At least he tried to stand up. He couldn't manage to stay upright. Every time he pushed off the ground to stand, his legs wouldn't hold him up. Falling over onto his back from yet another failed attempt, he looked down at his legs to see what was wrong.

I must be dreaming, he thought, looking at the four short legs sticking up in the air as he lay on his back. His legs were green, furry and transitioned into white the closer they got to his torso. Flailing around a little, he worriedly looked at the rest of himself. More white fur covered the rest of his small body, tufting around the neck. He had a burst of green fur atop his head and two large white ears. He had a short, pointed snout and a red pattern flowing down his right side, close to his neck, resembling that of a flower. He recognized the flower but couldn't quite place why. Why am I dreaming about being a Shaymin? Ryan thought, confused, am I even allowed to say I'm dreaming in a dream?

He rolled onto his stomach and tried to stand as if he owned four legs; which he now did. His legs shook unsteadily and he took a tentative step forward and then another. It felt unnatural for him, like he was walking on his hands at the same time, but only if his limbs were the wrong length. With cautious steps, Ryan walked away and out of the patch of flowers. He had two options. Walk into the dark wooded area, or towards the cliff. The flower patch sat in the middle of the two. Ryan knew that he couldn't get past the cliff, but it would be a good chance to get an idea of where he was.

He inched closer to the cliff edge, but stayed a safe distance back. With his new legs and his fear of heights, he knew it was a bad idea to get too close. From his angle, he could see out across a glistening, deep blue ocean. The forest continued down the hills behind him, stopping a short distance from a beach-side town, nestled in between the cliff that Ryan stood upon, and similar cliffs on the opposite side of the beach. He could see things walking around the town. He squinted, blocking the sun from his eyes with one of his ears. The town was filled with Pokémon, but there were no humans in sight. Strange, Ryan thought, maybe one of them used to be a human too and will know what I'm doing here.

He slowly turned away from the cliff and walked, step by unsteady step, into the woods towards the town.

Treecko was perched on a bench. It was both his favorite and least favorite spot in town. This was because the Pangoro Guild sat just across the street.

The Pangoro Guild was the headquarters and home to all the best rescue teams in the area. Treecko had always wanted to join the guild, however, they didn't take in people that weren't already in a team. For all his love of protecting Pokémon, Treecko couldn't bring himself to even talk to another Pokémon, let alone ask them to join up with him. So, there he sat. On the bench. Watching proud, impressive Pokémon join up to the guild.

It was his favorite place as it was so close to the guild, but it brought him so much pain knowing that he wouldn't be able to do what they did. This pain had only increased in recent months as natural disasters had begun to happen more regularly and Pokémon were going missing more often. Nobody knew what the cause was and Treecko wanted to help, but he couldn't.

As Treecko slumped, his head in his hands, he watched another trio of Pokémon approach the doors and knock. He couldn't hear what they were saying to whoever was behind the door, but the door swung open and the Pokémon celebrated, walking in. Accepted.

Treecko hopped off the bench. He liked the feeling of the sun beating down on his skin, but he felt like some shadows would better suit his mood. He trudged up the hill towards the woods, where he kept his home.

There was an attempt at a woodland path reaching into the trees, but eventually it progressed into a dirt track and then overgrown grass. Treecko liked how the woods worked. They were quiet and calm. The way the sun was filtered through the leaves allowed the softened light to hug him as he felt tears welling up. He just wished he could find a Pokémon to make a team with.

There was a snap. Not too far away from where Treecko was walking. He knew these woods, as did every Pokémon making it this far in. He continued walking, but made sure to hide the fact he had been about to cry with a swift wipe of his arm across his face.

Odd. Treecko watched a Shaymin, in sky form, appear from behind the trees. It was walking so peculiarly.

"Hello," the Shaymin said, looking over at the Treecko. It looked like it was focusing very hard on keeping its legs moving in a specific way. "Which way to the nearest town?"

"Hi," Treecko replied, absentmindedly pointing back the way he had come.

"Thank you," the Shaymin said, nodding and continuing on; barely breaking its slow deliberate stride.

Treecko watched it pass, shaking his head in bemusement. As it walked, it left tiny sprouting flowers in its wake. Treecko plucked one of the flowers, a blue one, as he, too, continued on his way. He took a deep sniff of the flower as he walked. He loved flowers. Plants that only existed to brighten up the place.

"Thank you, mysterious Shaymin," Treecko mumbled to himself as he took in the flower's aroma. He looked down and saw more flowers, of various colors, dotting the way ahead of him. As he continued looking, the flower closest to him dried up. It shriveled in an instant, followed quickly by all the other flowers besides the one Treecko was holding. The grass that Treecko was so used to hugging his feet shrank away, draining of their lush green in place of the harsh, scratchy yellow. The trees had cracks sent rocketing up their trunks, splintering off chips of bark.

Then Treecko heard the cry for help.