A World Reborn - Olive Branch

Seema was led through a forest that seemed to have no end by Myu, Lucario, Charizard, Infernape and Pikachu. Eventually, they came to a towering mountain that resembled a tree. She marveled that such a thing was possible when she heard several noises coming from in it. When they got inside, the area she saw was large, but seemed to encompass only a small part of the tree as a whole. The noises she saw came from several different creatures, and they didn't seem to be happy to see her.

They stopped in the middle of this space and Myu turned around to face her.

"How did you get in here?" Myu questioned. She knew he was telepathic, so she was ready for the voice in her head.

"I went over the mountains," she answered. "Which, by the way, are really tall."

Several noises came from Lucario, which Myu understood. "How could you have done that? I placed a barrier around them to keep your kind from getting in."

"Oh, well, it took me a while to get up and over them. I didn't want to fall down the slopes to my death," Seema answered.

Myu decided to move on. "Why are you here?"

"To ask one last time on behalf of my people, if you will help us," Seema said. "And I won't leave until you say 'yes'," she added. Nearly every Pokémon there laughed.

"My decision regarding your kind is final, and I will not be swayed by your presence," Myu said. "And your ability to leave is impaired regardless. I will not lower the barrier for even one second so long as the humans are out there. So, for now, you will have no choice but to stay here."

Several Pokémon shouted out. Seema got the impression that they didn't like that. Myu raised a paw and they silenced. "You shall sleep with me, higher in the tree."

"Okay," Seema said seeing no reason to argue.

Lucario walked up to Myu. "Are you really gonna let a human sleep in the same area as you?" he asked in his language, which Seema couldn't understand.

"The human is unarmed, and I can't trust anyone to not try anything," the blue Mew answered. He flew up to the human and gestured for her to follow as he flew into the tunnels.

Harold walked back to Fort Riley, his forces in tow, their mission a failure. They had tried for an hour to break the invisible barrier, using everything from fists to machine guns to rocket launchers. Nothing made even a dent.

Harold was greeted by Mike, who was nervous. "So, did you finish your massacre?" he asked.

"Couldn't get to them," Harold answered. "Some invisible barrier kept us, and our weapons, outside the mountains." Harold could tell Mike was hiding something. "What's going on?"

"Um, Seema went to try and negotiate with them one last time," Mike answered.

"What was she thinking?" Harold demanded.

"She thinks we don't have to kill them, and we can live with them," Mike said.

"Well, we're going to find an alternate way in. I'll have men patrol the mountains, look for any possible means to get in there."

Myu led Seema up through the tunnels, taking her to his hollow in the mountain.

"You may rest safely here. No one enters this place without my knowledge," Myu told her.

"That's nice," she said, unsure how else she could respond. She walked over to a patch of soft looking grass and wondered if she really was going to sleep on dirt. Myu noticed how uncomfortable she looked.

"There is nothing to fear from sleeping on the ground. I keep my place sufficiently clean," he told her.

"It's not just that. I was kinda hoping to sleep on something softer. I've been sleeping in hammocks for years," she said. She noticed a spot that was just big enough for her, situated between two trees leaning against each other. "Maybe there, it looks comfortable." She started walking to it when Myu flew in front of her.

"That is my spot," he said plainly.

"It seems like a lot of space for your size," she commented.

"I like the space. It affords me to sleep in various ways and places. If you need a comfortable bed to rest, I can make one for you." He flew over to a spot on the ground and placed a single paw down. Seema was going to ask how he could make that for her, when the ground started to glow. A few minutes later, a moss bed big enough for her was created.

She walked over and placed her hands on it, amazed at how soft it was. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"I have many abilities," he answered.

She realized that he wasn't going to provide any more explanation than that and decided to look around instead. She first noticed the crystals that seemed to be growing everywhere. She walked over to one to inspect it. "What are these? I've never seen crystals like these before," she asked.

"They are a part of the tree. I use them to watch my children below," Myu answered.

"Your children? But they look nothing like you," Seema pointed, confused.

"I created our race from the ashes of yours. I am the father of all Pokémon, for I was the first," Myu answered.

"How could you do that? And where did you come from?" Seema asked, reaching to touch one of the crystals. Myu was about to tell her it was forbidden to touch them, but her hand grasped one of the crystals.

Immediately, the crystal lit up, and Seema felt an overwhelming presence invade her mind. Images flashed before her eyes, some of them she realized were of her when she was younger, but a boy she recognized was also present in them.

She realized it was an old friend of hers, someone she hadn't seen in years. Many images of her and the boy together appeared, but soon it was of their separate lives. She saw him grow up alone, with only his family around and for a second, she felt sorry that she hadn't tried to talk to him more after she went to college.

However, what happened next took her breath away.

One night, in a dream, a large white figure appeared before him. At first, she though maybe it was God, but she saw it had four legs, no arms, and a golden wheel around its midsection that looked like a religious symbol. It seemed to be asking something, even though it had no mouth to speak. It then touched the boy with one of its long front legs and a glow encompassed them both. The next morning, what got out of the bed wasn't the same boy but was definitely familiar. It was small, had blue fur, was vaguely feline, and a long tail with a bulbous tip.

It was Myu.

She let go of the crystal and the images stopped. She turned to face the creature hovering behind her, who seemed to be in a similar state of shock as her.

Indeed, he was. He and the Tree were linked, so when she touched the crystal she had seen his memories and he saw hers. He knew she had seemed familiar when he first saw her, but that was a different life, so he had buried that knowledge. Now he knew for certain. This was his childhood friend, the closest companion he had outside his family, though her real name escaped him.

She likewise couldn't place his own name, just the face she connected to someone she had known for almost her whole life. She eventually found the strength to stand, still too stunned to say anything.

Myu was the first to find his tongue. "I… I don't believe it," he breathed, forgetting she couldn't understand him "You're… an old friend of mine."

"Yeah, it seems like it," she breathed out. "I uh… don't think I need to ask how you became… this," she said, gesturing to his fur.

Myu sighed, unsure what to say next. Long forgotten memories bubbled beneath the surface, feelings he had long since repressed stirred, and for the first time in a long time, he found himself at a loss. He had lost most of his feelings of friendship for her when he heard she had been planning to leave without telling him, so he severed contact with her, and had been too bitter and too young to even attempt reaching out.

But he had learned to forgive and forget, as it was better than holding onto hate and he had never been a spiteful person to begin with. "You know, I originally envisioned this 'reunion' being a little more hateful. I wanted to be cold to you for forgetting me. But I've learned not to hold onto anger and forgive."

Seema was stung when he said 'forgotten' but was relieved when he said he didn't hold onto anger. If it was her, she would probably hate the person for life. "Thanks, and I didn't mean to. I just got so busy and had too many friends I couldn't keep up."

Myu chuckled. "If you were one of my children, I would lecture you on trying to make time to do both, or balance work with friendship. But you are not a Pokémon, so I will say nothing." They remained in silence for a moment before Myu spoke up again. "But I will ask what you have been doing for the past…" He tried to count the years in his head before giving up. "You know what, how about we start with what happened since we last saw each other and go from there. You were a good friend, and I would like to try to be friends again, if you are willing."

Seema smiled at the prospect of mending bridges and nodded. "I'd like that. Now, where to start…"

The two old friends talked for the rest of the day, until Seema grew to tired to continue. She laid down on the bed Myu gave her and fell asleep.

Myu didn't follow right away, too excited from today's events to sleep just yet. So, he decided to take a flight around the Tree and ponder on what to do to waste the built-up energy.

He was excited that he got to meet an old friend again and was glad it was Seema. He felt a little embarrassed that he couldn't remember her real name, but he supposed it didn't really matter considering he didn't use his. He wanted her to stay, rather than force her to leave.

But that was a problem, as she was human and beyond the age where she could learn again. He supposed he could turn her into a Pokémon and wipe her memories, so she would have to learn, but that would violate his code of forceful transformations without selfless reason. So human she would remain, and somehow, she would have to adapt to their way of life and being an outsider.

For the second time that day, Myu pondered the possibility of letting the humans live amongst his children, but the reasons he gave Sceptile why it wasn't possible presented themselves again. But then his thoughts turned to Seema, who was the second human who attempted peace and suddenly, he found himself wondering if humans had changed or could be capable of change.

If they did, he could let the humans co-exist with his kind without the threat of corruption, and Seema would be part of that. He decided that humans deserved a second chance and he would address it in the morning. He flew back to the Tree and into his hollow, curling up to sleep, Seema's light snores lulling him to sleep.

Seema woke up the next morning, and for a moment was puzzled by the overabundance of green. Then the memories of what happened yesterday filtered back in and she sighed happily. She sat and looked around, trying to find Myu. But all she found was a small pile of berries next to her. She picked up a pink heart-shaped berry and ate it and was greeted by an explosion of sweet flavor. She savored the taste, used to the dry food packets they had been eating for years.

After she swallowed it, she started eating the others, savoring each one. Some were spicy, others were sweet, some were bitter, and others were sour, but she enjoyed them, except for the dry ones, as they reminded her of the food packets.

Myu showed up after she had finished most of the berries. "Someone was hungry," he said when he noticed the pile of berries was almost gone, many of their colorful remains on her face.

"Yeah, they were really good. I forgot how much flavor improved food," Seema said after she was finished chewing. She felt sticky though and needed a place to wash off. There was a waterfall that looked like it could work. She started to undress before remembering that Myu was right behind her. "Um, I need to clean off. Could I use the waterfall for a shower?" she asked.

"Sure, I have no problem with it," he answered.

"Good. Also, could you go somewhere else while I wash off?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Um, because I have to undress," she stated. She saw him motion to elaborate. "Myu, I'm going to be naked." Myu still looked puzzled. "Oh, come on, you know its impolite to look at a naked girl!"

"You do realize that I'm technically naked, right, along with everyone else here?" Myu asked.

"I don't care! Just don't look at me!" she said abashedly. Myu shrugged before turning around. She proceeded to take off her ripped clothing, discarding it by the stream before walking under the flowing water. She saw there was a clay container with shampoo inside, along with a bar of soap, and used those.

She didn't see Myu take the clothes with his psychic abilities, who saw that the clothes were in bad shape, and wasn't going to allow such smelly and dirty things to contaminate his hollow. He flew off to have them repaired and cleaned.

Seema eventually finished her bath, feeling cleaner than she had in years. Her dirty hair was blonde once more, and her skin was cleaner than it had been in years. She reached for her clothes, but they were missing, as was Myu. Where did he go? She wondered to herself. A few minutes later, Myu came flying, carrying her clothes. She submerged herself in the water as fast as she could, but it would only go up her waist. She covered her breasts with her arms as Myu got closer.

"Where did you go? And why did you take my clothes?" she asked, anger in her voice.

"I thought you might like them restored and cleaned," Myu answered, levitating the clothes to her.

She took them and prepared to put them on but realized Myu was still there. "Look away, please." He shrugged before turning around. Once fully dressed, she told Myu he could look at her again. She had to admit that whoever fixed these did a really good job. "So, what's going on today?" she asked.

"I actually have something I need to tell everyone, but first, I need to give you something," Myu said. He pulled out a small crystal and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a crystal fragment from the Tree. You can use this to go anywhere in my world," he told her. "It's also a way for you to see me again. Show this to any of my children, and you will be taken to me."

"Wow, thanks," she said. "So, what are you going to tell everyone?"

"You'll see for yourself," he told her, flying away. He gestured for her to follow.

They reached the base of the Tree and Seema saw that several Pokémon were present. Myu told her to stay next to him. They were standing on a ledge that overlooked the ground below.

"Greetings, everyone, and good morning. I have an announcement to make," Myu telepathically told everyone, making sure Seema could understand. "As you all know, humans are still out there, and they have tried to take this place by force, but a barrier I placed around the mountains keeps them out. However, despite my demands, twice now they have come here to plead for mercy. This has led me to believe that perhaps they are capable of change." This caused many Pokémon to talk amongst themselves, but Seema couldn't understand a thing they said. "So, I have decided to give the humans a second chance and offer them aid." Several Pokémon didn't like that, as they started shouting all sorts of things.

"Calm yourselves," Myu told them. "This wasn't an easy decision to make, but I believe it is in our best interest to try to make peace with them. So, I plan to extend an olive branch to them in peace. This will include a small portion of our crops to show our sincerity, and will be delivered by Seema and one other," he announced, placing a paw on the girl's shoulder. "This one other will be one of you. I need a volunteer." No one seemed to be willing. This disheartened Myu, he had hoped that someone would be willing to do this.

"Sceptile." Seema saw the green lizard walk up, a clawed hand in the air.

"Thank you Sceptile," Myu said, who was pleased that one was willing. "That is all for now."

A while later, Seema and Sceptile, with packs filled with berries, were teleported to the mountains, Myu and a Sandslash next to them. Myu had tasked him with creating a tunnel through the mountains so they could leave.

"Thanks for agreeing to come along, Sceptile," Seema said to the green lizard.

"Sceptile," she said with a smile, which Seema took as 'you're welcome'.

"Until next time," Myu said to Seema.

"Bye, Myu, it was nice seeing you again," Seema returned. Myu gestured for Sandslash to begin. He started clawing through the dirt in the mountain, moving at a fast pace. Seema and Sceptile followed him in. A while later, they were climbing out the other side of the tunnel. Sceptile and Sandslash had a brief exchange before he walked into the tunnel, disappearing a while later. The duo continued on through the wastes, making their way to Fort Riley.

Myu returned to the tree with Sandslash.

"Myu, we need to talk." Myu turned to see Lucario walking up to him, a crowd of Pokémon behind them.

"What is it?" Myu asked with his voice.

"It's about your change of mind regarding the humans," Lucario said. "Many of us don't think you're making the best decision regarding them. We all know how ignorant humans can be." Several Pokémon agreed with nods and words.

"Twice now they've attempted to peacefully ask for help," Myu said. "That can't be dismissed."

"Still, Myu, we don't see how making peace with them is the best thing," Lucario said.

"I have my reasons, but you can't see them," Myu observed.

"Then help us to understand," Lucario begged.

"You will understand if you can answer this simple question," Myu began.

"Another lesson? I thought we had learned everything we could," Charizard complained.

"There is always room to grow," Myu said. "Now answer this; what is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

"That's easy," Infernape said cockily. "With your fists!"

"A flamethrower!" Charizard bellowed

"An aura sphere," Lucario stated.

"With flight?" Pidgeot offered.

Myu sighed as he shook his head. "You have a long way to go, and I will answer no other questions or explain my reasons until you answer mine. Now, I will be in my hollow," he said before flying away, leaving the crowd of Pokémon confused.

Mike was getting his kids quieted down as night approached, still hurt that Harold refused to see reason. This continued until an alarm sounded, and he rushed to the gate. Outside stood Seema and a green lizard, both of them carrying bags.

"Seema, how did it go, and why is that here?" Mike asked, gesturing to the lizard.

"'It' is a 'she' and she goes by Sceptile," Seema answered. "And it went relatively well, take a look." She opened the bag, revealing that it was filled with an assortment of berries. "Pass these around, we both have some." Mike took a couple of blue berries and was amazed at the flavor that came from them.

"They gave us these?" he asked.

"Yes, and I also need to talk to everyone, Myu has a message to give."

A while later, everyone was gathered to listen to Seema. "Everyone, the Pokémon are willing to give us a chance to coexist. While they won't let us live with them, they are willing to give us a portion of their berry crops. All they ask is that we take to heart the same lessons they teach themselves. If we prove to be kind enough, they will let us live with them."

Everyone was amazed to hear that, and wondered what they would have to learn, but many of them were willing to learn if it meant living anywhere but here.

"To demonstrate their good intentions, they have given us enough berries for us to eat today. The first lesson we must learn is generosity. If you see someone in more need of food than you, then you are to give them what you can," Seema announced before she came down. Sceptile gave her her best thumbs up to congratulate her. "Thanks. Hope they understood Myu's intentions."

At the Tree, the Pokémon were discussing amongst themselves what the answer to Myu's question was.

"The best way to defeat an enemy? What could that be?" Infernape wondered.

"It can't be that hard," Pikachu said. "Lucario, you've spent a lot of time with Myu, he give you a hint?"

"Not that I'm aware, but I suspect that Myu isn't going to answer anything until we give our own answer," Lucario said.

"That worries me," Charizard said. "Sceptile is in the worst place for any Pokémon to be. I hope she will be alright."

Seema was showing Sceptile around, showing off all the places in the bunker. "And this is our medical room. We try to help people as best as we can," Seema showed Sceptile the room, and they saw that an army doctor was treating a kid. Curious, Sceptile walked up to the boy.

"Scep-tile tile Scep?" she asked, though no one understood her.

"Hey, get away from the patient," the doctor said.

"It's okay, she just wants to know what's wrong with him," Seema said.

"Well, I'm not certain, but it seems he has cancer," the doctor said.

Sceptile was shocked to hear that.

"Will he be alright?" Seema asked for her.

"I don't think so. He seems to have a tumor near his heart, and we don't have any means of curing him," the doctor answered.

Sceptile was saddened to hear that. She looked at the boy and decided to help him. She placed her clawed hand on his chest and focused. She started to glow green, which spread to the boy, and where she stood, plants seemed to sprout. Seema and the doctor were startled to see this. Before it went on too long, the glow stopped, and the plants vanished. Sceptile cradled the boy's head, and he woke up. The doctor rushed over to see what happened to him.

"What was that, what did you do?" Seema asked, even though she already knew the answer was going to be 'Sceptile' or something like it. However, Sceptile instead pointed to the boy's heart, and made a slashing motion. Seema didn't understand at first, but something started to click in her mind. "You cured him?" she questioned, which Sceptile responded with a nod.

A while later, they were continuing to walk through he halls, Seema still too stunned by what she had seen to say anything else. Their walk was cut short when Harold came up with several men.

"Harold, what is it?" Seema asked.

"I'm arresting this lizard," he said. "Take it away for interrogation." Men started to walk up when Seema got in the way.

"Arresting her, on what charges?" she questioned.

"She's the enemy, that's enough," Harold answered.

"She's not an enemy, she's helping us. They all are. We don't have to fight them," Seema said.

"Animals aren't helpful," Harold said. "Now stand aside or I'll arrest you too."

Sceptile wasn't about to be handled by humans, so she used her superior speed to run away. "Stop it!" Harold shouted. One of his men pulled out a gun and tried to shoot her, but Seema shoved him, causing him to miss.

"Don't! They're trying to help up!" she insisted. Harold didn't seem to listen and ran to pursue Sceptile. He chased her through the halls until she ran into the cafeteria. People ran out of her way, puzzled by her appearance.

Sceptile wasn't sure what to do, but she knew the human wouldn't risk hurting other humans, so she had to find a crowd to hide in. She kept running, eventually coming to a stop as she tried to figure out which way to go next.

But her stop gave Harold enough time to aim his gun at her. Seema ran in and shouted for him to stop, running to him in an attempt to stop him. Her shout caught Sceptile's attention and she turned around to face her.

BANG!

Myu's head shot up as he felt something. Something that filled him with dread.

Sceptile was frozen as she felt a sensation she had never felt before. She looked down and saw a hole in her chest, red liquid flowing out.

I've been shot. She realized. Slowly, she started to fall backwards as her legs gave out, but she was caught by Seema before she hit the ground.

"Hang on, Sceptile, you'll be alright," Seema told the green lizard. She grabbed a napkin and placed it on Sceptile's injury. "Get a doctor," Seema shouted to everyone. "You'll be alright Sceptile, you'll see," she said, even though, in her heart, she knew the opposite. Tears started to form as she realized that their chances of peace were dying. Sceptile reached up and pulled Seema's head next to hers. With her final breath, she whispered something, using all her strength to utter out two human words.

"No… hate…" She let out a deep sigh and went limp.

Seema placed a hand on the lizard's neck to feel for a pulse but found none. "No!" she screamed, punching the ground. A gesture that was echoed by Myu, who's psychic powers caused the water in his hollow to explode.

Seema turned on Harold, mad beyond belief. "What did you do?" she said accusingly.

"Prevented an enemy agent from escaping," Harold said.

"She wasn't an enemy, she came on behalf of her people, offering peace. I managed to convince them to help us. But now because of this, they will never forgive us," she said, her voice filled with hate.

A couple of men came up and Harold told them to move the body, but it was gone. Seema had an idea what happened to it. She saw how powerful Myu was, and knew he was responsible for her disappearance.

She walked away, hating Harold for what he did. Now she understood why the Pokémon hated humans and couldn't disagree with them. She knew she couldn't stay with them and made the decision to leave this place.

Back at the tree, everyone gathered around Sceptile's dead body. Charizard pushed through the crowd to get a look at her, and fell to his knees when he saw her corpse.

"No! That's my mate, that's my mate!" he screamed when he saw her. He picked her up and saw the bloody hole in her chest. Hesitant to desecrate her body, he picked around in the hole until he pulled out a small metal object. He held it in the air and screamed, "HUMAN BULLET!" This caused several Pokémon to shout, roar and scream in anger. "HUMANS KILLED SCEPTILE! MYU OFFERED THEM PEACE, AND THEY MURDERED ONE OF US!"

High above, Myu watched as the Pokémon cried for revenge. He normally wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him, but he couldn't stop a single tear from flowing down his cheek. He was saddened to see this happen, and concluded that humans would never change.

It seemed that there would never be peace, and it broke his heart. Now it was time to consider destroying the human race.

End of Chapter 3

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