Chapter Two

Rites of Passage

By the time the two girls had reached the clearing, the formerly boisterous grove had become surprisingly silent, save for a single speaker. Peering through a gap in the bushes, Lynn saw ancient Mother Woodwort seated on a log at the far end of the glade, her constant Pidgeot companion, Cloudguider, perched serenely at her side.

As Lynn could have guessed, the old woman was in the middle of another one of her popular yarns. Tonight, she seemed to be telling the tale of the fourth Pokémon Trainer heir and the Pikachu he had befriended, the very story Lynn had been reciting to herself back in the tree. This coincidence wasn't too surprising; the legend of the fourth heir was the classic coming-of-age story. Lynn had heard it so many times that she practically knew it by heart…though that somehow did not dull the tale's luster in the slightest.

"…as the pouring rain faded into a drizzle, and the black clouds lifted from the sky, the fourth heir opened his eyes and turned to the Pikachu, and the Pikachu opened its eyes and turned to the heir. And both boy and Pikachu smiled, for the storm was over and they had won. Above them, a rainbow spread across the now clear sky. And then, miracles upon miracles, the bird of the seven feathers came down from above the clouds. It flew right through the rainbow's arches and was bathed in many beautiful colors."

Alouelle started forward, but seeing Lynn hang back, decided to wait as well. Both girls lingered outside the clearing, not wanting to interrupt the elderly storyteller.

"The boy and the Pikachu saw the bird of the seven feathers," Mother Woodwort continued in a hushed voice. All around the circle of children and Pokémon surrounding her, attentive stares had fixed themselves upon the storyteller's weathered face, raptly soaking up her every word. Pausing to draw out the suspense, the old woman's cracked lips curved into a smile.

"It was then that the boy and the Pikachu knew they would be friends for as long as they lived," she went on at last. "And so they were, a human and a Pokémon, closest of friends until their dying day."

Cheers of approval rose from the audience as the story drew to a close. Mother Woodwort beamed benevolently as her young companions, human and Pokémon alike, eagerly demanded another tale. Each called out their own favorites; one Sentret leapt onto its striped tail with its strident cries ringing out above the rest.

"But wait!" Gesturing for everyone to quiet down, the old storyteller cleared her throat and waited patiently until the very last child was reseated. "Though the bird of the seven feathers no longer flies these skies," Mother Woodwort said in a dramatic whisper, "it is said that it will someday appear again to a destined soul, one who is pure of heart and has been chosen by the fates."

Lynn leaned forward, unconsciously mouthing the concluding words to herself.

"And that hero shall restore the balance of the world at long last, and there shall be harmony among all for the rest of time."

"She's done – let's go!" Alouelle hissed before the echo of Mother Woodwart's words had entirely faded. "You're late enough as it is!" Not bothering to wait for an answer, she grabbed Lynn by the arm and started pulling her into the clearing.

Lynn's first instinct was to resist, but, knowing Alouelle's stubborn nature all too well, she reluctantly let herself be dragged into view of the other children. Besides, mortifying as it was to be reprimanded yet again, Lynn was too lost in her own thoughts to register much embarrassment.

For some reason, this particular story of Mother Woodwort's had always struck a chord within her. Even now, ten years-old and supposedly above believing in such things (as Alouelle would've sternly scolded her), Lynn still remembered the legend of the fourth heir in vivid detail…though it was really the bird of the seven feathers, and not the heir himself, that most intrigued her. The mystical bird that had flown with rainbows and graced the pure of heart with its portentous presence had always reminded Lynn of her own rainbow feather.

Looking up at last, Mother Woodwort smiled at her. "Hello, Lynnet," she said in a warm voice. "We were waiting for you." Cloudguider, her Pidgeot companion, fluffed up its feathers and clucked disapprovingly.

Alouelle prodded Lynn in the arm amidst the muffled giggles of the other forest children. Face growing hot, Lynn had a fleeting urge to shrink away and skip her coming of age ceremony all together. But Mother's Woodwort's bony fingers encircled her wrist before she could act, pulling Lynn to the very center of the glade.

"Let's begin, shall we?" the old women said briskly, positioning Lynn in front of a small circle strangely barren of all undergrowth. "Now, Lynnet, all you have to do is answer the questions I ask with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' Is that clear?"

Lynn nodded, gulping, and felt her throat go very, very dry.

Planting her gnarled wooden cane onto the ground before her, Mother Woodwort began to speak in a clear, carefully enunciating voice. "This is the coming of age ceremony of Lynnet, a child of the Verdant Forest. Tonight, Lynnet has turned ten years-old."

"Um, y-yes," Lynn stuttered out nervously.

A ripple of giggles cut her off as soon as the words escaped her mouth.

"Not yet, dear," Mother Woodwort corrected gently. "You don't say anything until the next part."

More giggling. Dumbly, Lynn nodded, praying she'd keep herself from making any more mistakes.

Clearing her throat, Mother Woodwort resumed in a louder voice. "Are you Lynnet of the Verdant Forest?"

"Y-yes," Lynn said, swallowing hard.

Mother Woodwort kindly nodded her encouragement. "Now that you are ten, you have the choice to leave your home and journey into the outside world. Is this the choice you have made?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise to journey unfettered by fear? Untarnished by spite? Unyielding to irresolution?"

"Ye...yes."

Flashing a crooked-toothed, but benign smile at the nervous girl, the withered old woman slowly stepped forward. "Asphodel?" she called out, not turning around. "Please do the honors."

"Saauuurr!" intoned a booming voice in the distance. It was followed immediately by the grind of dry leaves under large, ponderous weights. Exclaiming in anticipation, several of the children quickly scampered back from the clearing's edges. From her position at its center, Lynn's dark brown eyes widened first in alarm, then unmasked wonderment.

All along the far boundary of the glade, plants and trees were bending to the sides of a newly-forming gap, the rustling of their leaves and creaking of their stems and trunks rapidly filling the awed silence. From the leafiest giant to the slenderest seedling, the entire wall of vegetation was pushed apart by some invisible hand, clearing a wide entrance into the previously isolated glade.

Beyond this dark gap, a pair of thick green vines emerged, writhing about like Ekans' tongues tasting the air. Branches groaned loudly, bowing even further towards the earth.

"Venusaauuurr," rumbled the voice again. The ground shook as an enormous head materialized from the shadows, followed by a lumbering pair of scaly blue feet. The delicate fronds atop the Pokémon's back trembled with each deliberate step, as did the elaborate flower resting between them. Once a vibrant magenta speckled with bright gold, the flower's colors had faded long ago into soft rose and pastel yellow, while the petals themselves had grown dry and crinkled over time. But the wilting blossom and limp leaves did little to detract from the Venusaur's unblinking scarlet eyes. Unlike the colors of the flower, these eyes had only sharpened with age.

Once Asphodel's gargantuan body had completely entered the clearing, pushing most of its occupants up against the opposite side, Mother Woodwort bent towards the ground. Standing beside her, Lynn caught a glimpse of something glittering between the old woman's thin wrinkled fingers. When Mother Woodwort had straightened, Lynn saw a ripe Gold Berry lying on the barren patch of dirt before her.

Slowly, the giant Venusaur took first one step, then another, towards the Berry. Its vine whips twisted forcefully about as it walked, as if struggling to wrench some unseen object from thin air. "Sauurr…" Asphodel growled as its whips thrashed and yanked, growing increasingly frenzied as the Venasaur came closer and closer to the center of the clearing.

Lynn's breath hitched in her throat as a small crack sounded. At her feet, the tough skin of the Gold Berry had split neatly down the middle. With a sharp snap, the fruit fell into two halves, pushed apart by a slender emerging sprout. Gradually, the metallic sheen of the Berry's shed shell dimmed. Simultaneously, a golden radiance began to pulse about the shoot's rapidly rising form.

Asphodel's vine whips had relaxed by this point. Instead of lashing wildly around, they were now pulling at the air in fluid, graceful motions. Lynn watched in rapt fascination as the shoot continued to grow and grow, becoming a strong sapling in a matter of seconds. Golden leaves unfurled atop said sapling's supple, burgeoning twigs. Before Lynn's eyes, those twigs extended into shining branches, while the young plant's base thickened into a smooth, sturdy trunk. Glancing down, Lynn could see the bulging form of roots spreading out underneath the soil, then rippling forcefully across the entire length of the forest floor.

Soon, the small tree had reached Lynn's height. Moments later, it had surpassed it. With every inch that the gilded branches stretched skyward, the tree's radiant form grew brighter and brighter, until everyone, including Lynn, was forced to shield their eyes.

A loud crunch sounded as the highest branches of the tree slammed into the forest canopy. Leaves rained down upon Lynn's motionless body, showering her hair and shoulders. Cringing, she squeezed her eyes shut tighter than ever. Only when the last leaf had fluttered down, landing with a soft rustle at her feet, did she finally venture a peek at her surroundings.

Inhaling sharply, Lynn found the dirt of the forest floor strewn with glittering leaves and twigs. At the clearing's center stood a majestic metallic trunk, its surface pulsating gently with some strange, glimmering internal energy. Each of the tree's branches was heavily adorned with leaves surrounding clusters of ripe Gold Berries.

From the edge of the clearing, Asphodel released a grunting sigh. Then, without a word, it turned and trudged back into the gap through which it had come. The previously restrained trees and plants snapped back into place with an audible whip, concealing the former opening completely.

For several moments, Lynn gazed wordlessly upward at the many luminous leaves, glittering as they shuddered in a passing breeze. The top of the Gold Berry tree had shoved a new hole into the canopy above, which was now letting in a shaft of moonlight to bathe the clearing in a soft glow.

Now clearing her throat to break the silence, Mother Woodwort hobbled over to the Berry tree's base. In perfect tandem, Cloudguider the Pidgeot spread its wings and launched itself into the air. Lynn's eyes followed the bird Pokémon as it shot upwards, coming to hover directly before the tree's lowest branches.

With a quick peck, Cloudguider broke off a cluster of Gold Berries, then, with a flash of its broad wings, swooped down and caught it before it fell too far. Holding the gleaming fruits gingerly in its beak, the Pidgeot returned to earth and dutifully presented them to Mother Woodwort. In turn, the old woman plucked each of the Berries from the sprig they clung to. One by one, she folded the golden fruits into a piece of cloth.

Each Berry flashed between her fingers as she set it in place. Lynn counted ten of them in total.

"Like that first Gold Berry," Mother Woodwort said softly, pressing the bundle of fruit into Lynn's hands, "your first step is to break out of your shell. Once that is accomplished, the bounties of success and happiness will follow with time. We give you our blessings, Lynnet of the Verdant Forest. May the spirit of the bird of the seven feathers, and your own strength of heart, forever guide you."

Clutching the Gold Berries tightly against her collarbone, Lynn hastily bowed her head first to the old woman, then to the gray-winged Pidgeot beside her.

She wasn't sure what to do next. As her prior nervousness rapidly resurfaced, all memory of previous coming-of-age ceremonies abruptly fled Lynn's mind. Could she sit down now? Or should she make a speech? Perhaps just say thank you?

There was an uneasy minute of silence as Lynn just stood there, body frozen in mid-motion, heart pounding in confused anxiety.

Then came the snickers, soft and stifled at first, but quickly growing in force. Seized by cold terror, Lynn's eyes darted over the other children's faces. Some remained politely solemn, but many more were twisted in open mirth. Mortified, Lynn averted her gaze, but not before catching sight of one girl whispering into the ear of another.

Mother Woodwort came forward and tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Stomach wrenching, Lynn slipped away before the old storyteller could make matters even worse.

Acutely aware of the other children's stares, she hurriedly muttered some excuse about being tired and walked away with her eyes fixed intently on the ground. It was not until all the others were safely out of range that she began to run.

What Lynn wanted wasn't a wild party, where everybody else was having too much fun to pay any attention to her. It was to be back in her snug hammock, counting Mareep, listening to the night wrap itself soothingly around her…

As soon as the sound of Lynn's footsteps faded away, the party originally thrown in her honor started up again in full force.