Shaymin
Jubilife Castle was a busy place in the morning. Late merchants were moving in to the day's market while the staff was busy keeping things looking nice. A number of the farmland peasants were waiting for the market to officially open. After all, it was the largest city in western Sinnoh. Not even Port Canalave could compare to the grand stone castle of Jubilife.
As it was so busy, few people noticed a shimmer of green light in the late autumn grasses by the northern road. Those who did must have felt it was a trick of the eyes. Even if they went to investigate, they would only find a small Pokemon there. She wasn't usually seen around here, though. She was small, with green bushy fur and pretty pink flowers growing on her head. Shaymin usually wasn't seen at all, mostly because she faded into the greenery so easily.
But this wasn't where she had been called to. Crossing between dimensions wasn't the easiest thing to do. She sniffed the ground to get her bearings, then scurried off along the north road.
Not too far from the castle, the road led to a twelve foot tall cliff. A tunnel had been dug out from the base to the top, then lined with orange-tan bricks. Shaymin took a chance and peered inside. There was no shrubbery she could hide in should someone enter it with her. Instead, she climbed up a nearby tree and jumped to the top of the cliff. Nobody would see her unless she wanted to be seen. She took some pride in that.
The top of the cliff was not flat land, like around Jubilife. No, it began climbing and falling as the native foothills of Mount Coronet. The tallest hill around was just ahead, a rounded plateau that stood nearly as high as the castle's watch towers. However, it also wasn't green like around Jubilife. The ground lay dead, dry, and dark.
It made Shaymin shudder to see a piece of land like that. She put her nose to the ground and investigated the earth in several spots. There was the sharp tang of poisons, the smoky fume of fire, the tragic odor of blood. It had to be war. This kind of saturation didn't come from a single battle. Rather, more like days of death and destruction.
But this was where she had been called from. Was it dangerous? It hadn't seemed like that. Taking caution by hurrying between large rocks, Shaymin climbed up the hill.
There were three humans at the top, a woman and her two small children. The older child barely came up to her mother's waist; the younger child was still crawling on his hands and knees. But she was there, with three large tubs of water, some washboards, and several long clotheslines with white sheets fluttering off them. A little past the clotheslines, there was a small hut that faced southwest. A couple of Pokemon were with them, acting as guards: a Luxio and a Starly.
It seemed safe. Shaymin slipped over without them noticing, then jumped onto the edge of a washtub. "Good morning."
The woman gasped and dropped the shirt she was scrubbing. "Oh! You... you talk?"
She laughed lightly. "It's okay; I mean you no harm, Flora. I am Shaymin, Lover of Flowers. I heard heartfelt prayers from a long distance. And so, I came."
She brightened at that. "You can bring back my husband from the war?"
She shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sorry. But you said you were alone. I can keep the watch with you, if you like."
"Oh, I see." She looked sorrowful for a moment, then went back to her laundry work. "I am grateful for some company. I thought others would be here with me, waiting, but no."
"Why are you waiting here? Can't you wait at the port where the ships come in?"
"I could, but the land around Canalave is so low. On the other hand, on top of this hill, I can see farther out to sea than from the port. His ship would come in from that way," Flora pointed to the southwest, where a patch of sea could be seen past the castle, "then come up around to the north to enter the port. So I will know up here when they come back before the port knows. And definitely before the castle knows."
Shaymin put her front paws on a hinge to see better. "Yes, you would. But this hill is such a dead place."
"I know. It used to be a beautiful place. But it's been since I was a little girl like her that this hill has been like that."
"What happened to it?"
"The same problem as now, war with Veilstone. Their army made an encampment in Eterna Forest and dozens of battles were fought right here. Both sides were using Poison Pokemon intensively, so the sludge and vapors settled into the dirt, killing anything that tried to grow. The water that runs through this hill will make you sick and it stinks like a rotting corpse. I have to put gloves on my son's hands because he's still crawling, even though the dirt smells so bad that he doesn't put it in his mouth, thankfully. But it's been so long since the knights sailed off for Veilstone in revenge. I don't want to miss it when Patrick comes home."
Shaymin looked up at Flora. She was deeply sad, but loyally keeping her watch and doing her duties as both mother and castle washwoman. "This is why you pray to Mount Coronet every day?"
"Many times a day," she replied, looking over her shoulder at the grand peak in the distance. "You can see it well from this hill too. The forests block most of it from other places, or even the hills do. But I can see it from here, so I know that it can watch out me."
"We thank you for such respect. I can heal this hill, if you like. Flowers are my sign; any place that I bless will have many flowers for generations to come."
"Can you really? There was fighting on this hill for over ten years. So many died here, and such terrible things remain."
"I'm sure I can. Would you like that?"
She smiled, something her face hadn't seen in a while, it seemed. "Yes please, dear Shaymin."
"I'll gladly do it, then." Shaymin hopped off the washtub and focused her attention on the ground.
The earth here remembered death and poison. She had to make it remember life and greenery. It wasn't a difficult process for one with her powers. However, this hill was a much larger piece of ground than she had revived before and the poisons had submerged deeper for longer. But Shaymin was resolved and she had come to answer at least one prayer by this devout woman.
She closed her eyes, fluffing her green fur as much as it would go. Poison was a destructive power, slow and choking. But she had the capability to transform it into a creative power, bright and thriving. It was a simple process; they were both powers of Nature, no matter how much they worked against each other. There was a lot of destructive power here. She started with what was closest to her, then used that to blossom outwards in transforming the rest. Purifying the air helped too, for that would encourage the earth.
There was soon five feet around her clear, then ten feet. That ten feet moved out to twenty, and so on, outward and downward. But as Shaymin's power began to touch the water table below the ground, she realized that this was pushing herself to the limit. There had been too much death for so many years... no, she couldn't let that destructive energy latch onto her. This place remembered flowers, but it had to be given hope or else the flowers wouldn't come. Someone cared about this place, and as long as one person cared, that was reason enough.
As the last bit of destructive energy was transformed, her own body struck back with exhaustion. She found herself gasping for breath. Her mind felt like it was breaking and she didn't have the concentration to summon flowers immediately.
"Shaymin!" Flora came over to her and picked her up. "What's wrong? Is there something evil here?"
"No... nothing like that. This place... is clean. You will see flowers this spring... I promise that."
Then she passed out.
Shaymin woke up to the sounds of a crackling fire. Worried, she opened her eyes to look around. She was inside a one-room house. There was a small fire contained in a hearth, attended to by a Staravia. The bird also looked after two small human children who were playing with a pile of river rocks. There was just one bed here, covered by a sturdy quilt made from colorful scraps. There was a single chair and table. She was in a shallow basket nestled into a smaller quilt.
Staravia noticed her stirring, so he left the fireside. "Don't push yourself too much, great one. You'll only hurt yourself worse."
She lifted her head up and the floor seemed to spin away beneath her. Her body ached and felt cold even with the fire and the quilt. "Ugh... what's happened?"
He leaned over and nudged a bowl with water closer to her basket. "Here, if you feel up to coming out."
Nodding in thanks, she dragged herself out and stumbled to the floor. She waited a second for the room to stop spinning before taking a drink.
In the meantime, Staravia went on. "The ground seems much healthier, thanks to you, but you exhausted yourself in doing so. While your body was weak, it became ill. You've been out for two months, only stirring when you had fevers."
She paused in drinking to ask, "For that long? Illness takes the best of us by surprise as well."
"Don't worry. Just rest and we'll take care of you."
After she had enough water, she took his advice and went back into the basket to sleep.
Over the last part of winter, Shaymin stayed with Flora and her family, recovering her strength. Flora was busy with the castle laundry and was out cleaning every day, even when bitter cold winds blew down from Mount Coronet. One of her two Pokemon would be out with her, leaving the other with Shaymin and the kids. In the evening, a wagon would come out to retrieve the clean laundry and drop off more dirty. But on those evenings, Flora would come in and tell stories to her children. Among the legends of the land that Shaymin knew so well (and had lived through in a few cases), she would tell stories of how she had met her husband Patrick.
He was a knight of a noble family, and thus shouldn't have married a servant of the castle. But he came to the cathedral every day for prayer, the same as her. One day after prayers, he came across another knight who was attacking Flora for denying his demands for her attention. Patrick interceded; his testimony got the attacker stripped of his title and position. After that, he started walking with her from church, in case she got into trouble again.
They talked on these walks, eventually falling in love. She told him that she would always be devoted to him, even if they could not marry. Patrick replied that he would find a way for it to work. He had once saved the king's life in battle; he used that as a bargaining chip to get Flora a noblewoman's title. With that, they were able to marry with little scandal to his family name.
The first few years were happy for them. Flora no longer had to work hard in living as a knight's wife. Patrick continued to serve the kingdom well, but managed to always be there if she needed him. They named their first child after her mother and their second after his father. It seemed like they would always be happy and prosperous.
But then the Jubilife king decided to strike back at Veilstone. He took his knights by ship to Sinnoh's other shore. This included Patrick. They promised that they would pray each day for the other's safety, and then they had to part. Flora should have been able to attend church and wait for his return, but then the queen intervened.
The Jubilife queen was a jealous woman. She disliked any other women who could be considered pretty. She especially disliked Flora for rising from servant to noblewoman. In order to make herself the most beautiful woman in the castle, she began striking down various others from high positions. She sent Flora back to being a washerwoman and threatened to make sure she stayed that way.
Flora took it patiently, though. She moved out to the hill to watch for the returning ships and wash the clothes in peace. News of the war was scarce. Weeks would go by without any word of the king or his knights. No one was certain who still lived and who had died.
Shaymin listened sympathetically. There was nothing in her power to end a war or bring a knight home. But she hoped that healing the hill would give Flora some happiness.
One evening, a man came into the hut without warning. He had coarse black hair and wore fine clothes. "Well here you are, Flora," he said, with a sly smile. "People have wondered why we haven't seen you in the cathedral for months."
"I've been busy with the castle laundry. The amounts I get should be handled by three people, not one. I've asked for help, but none has come."
"But you need to keep up with your religious duties too."
Flora nodded. "I do. I pray to Mount Coronet every day."
"You need the Father's blessing, or something may happen to you."
Shaymin sensed destructive feelings from him. Worried, she hopped out of her basket and came closer.
Flora gave the man a harsh look. "I have the blessings of the immortals and I thank them for it every day. You're just looking to get me in trouble again."
He brought out a dagger. "You are a servant once again; you shouldn't speak to me like that. Not that you were ever wise enough to keep quiet."
Shaymin growled, ruffling her fur up. She knew that with her small size, she was hardly threatening. But she couldn't stand by and do nothing.
The man looked down at her angrily, but then hesitated. "What is that? I've not seen that Pokemon before."
"That's Shaymin, the Goddess of Spring," Flora answered. "She's been living with me through the winter. I don't know why, but I've treated her kindly."
"Goddess?"
Shaymin kept growling. She generally didn't speak to someone she did not respect. With what he was trying to do, he was one of those few.
"I'm sure you have seen her picture in the cathedral. This place will bloom when the snow is gone, thanks to her. You should leave; you don't want one of them angry with you."
"I don't know about that." He gave Shaymin one last look, then left.
One morning, Flora came in and placed a purple crocus by Shaymin. "Look, the first flowers have shown. I have a feeling that the hill will look amazing in a few weeks."
She sniffed at the flower and was pleased with the vibrant life it still emitted. "It will. I have a lot of things to do, then, since this flower has bloomed. I'll look over the hill to make sure it's all healthy, but then I have to leave."
"I understand." Then she smiled, warm pleasure infusing her aura. "And while I was picking this, I saw the sails of the king's ships. Patrick should be back now."
"That's wonderful. Then you'd best hurry out to meet him." She bowed her head. "I thank you for your generosity, Flora. I hope the days to come are blessed for you."
"Yes, and thank you, Shaymin, for your flowers and company." She then took her children and Pokemon to meet with her husband.
She chuckled, then put her paw on the stem of the crocus. "First flower of this spring that I have seen, let me sing praise of the world with your kin."
The aura of the flower brightened noticeably as the flower itself began to disintegrate. Its power then fused into her, allowing her to change into the form she only used for spring. She stood a few inches taller and her fur was less bushy. Her legs grew longer, letting her walk through the grasses with more grace. And her ears grew out and wide, letting her hear the tiny whispers of buds that wanted to bloom. This was always the busiest three months of her year, but also the happiest.
She stretched out, then wagged her tail. "All right. Better make sure everything is good here."
For the next few hours, she poked around the rejuvenated hill. The grass had returned gratefully. Many types of flowers were going through their life processes, whether they were breaking out of their seed's hull or gazing thoughtfully at the sky in full bloom. The sun sent down her gentle rays of life, while the water underneath was running fresh and pure. This place was already far more beautiful than it had been when she arrived last autumn. Truly, it was difficult to see that it had been dead for many years.
It seemed like that would be the end of it. But then a familiar Staravia landed on the hill, by himself. "Shaymin! Are you still here?'
His emotions felt of dread and worry. She ran over to him. "Yes... is something the matter?"
"Lady Flora is in trouble," he said hurriedly. "They have accused her of terrible things, like betrayal of her husband. But it isn't true, none of it."
"That's awful. I should be able to speak for her, though. Will you lead me to her?"
"Yes. Do you need me to carry you?"
"I have my ways. Let's go."
"Good." His wings lifted him back into the air. Shaymin poised herself, then ran straight up into the air. She raced to follow Staravia to Canalave Port.
They found a crowd of people gathered near the port town's entrance. Flora was being held back by the largest knight there. She was trying to be brave, but her children were crying and her heart ached. Her husband Patrick was there too. He had suffered a bad injury to his right leg, but was confused and uncertain about the accusations made of his wife.
Her accusers appeared to be the queen and the man with coarse black hair. The king was standing nearby, considering his judgment. But his mind was clouded by unfair bias to go along with his queen.
Angered, Shaymin landed on top of the knight that held Flora captive. "Excuse me, but what is going on here? Why do you have an innocent woman on trial?"
Her spring form was better known to the crowd, causing no doubts as to her identity. The knight she had landed on nearly jumped at being startled, but then he decided to stand very still. The king put his hand to his chest. "Oh... Shaymin." He bowed his head, causing the others (save the knight) to do the same. "The fidelity of this woman has come into question."
"There's no need to question it," she replied. "Flora has been patiently waiting for the return of her husband all this time, up on the hill north of the castle. She probably knew you were back before those at the castle did. I know because I've spent the whole winter with her, while I was weak."
"She was the one who spread word of the return," one of the king's advisors said.
"I thought you were watching for us the whole time," the king said to the queen.
"I was," she said, but not very convincingly. "Anyhow, she hasn't been seen in church at all and people have seen strange men around that place."
"But she prayed with her heart and soul, every day, to Mount Coronet," Shaymin pointed out. "That is all while she did all the laundry that you made her do. And as I said, she is innocent. It is that man," she glared at the knight with coarse black hair, "who threatened her safety for his own pleasure. It is a despicable plot for one who was entrusted with the safety of the people."
"That is so," the king agreed. "Let Flora go."
Once the knight did so, Shaymin patted his helmet. "But you, King of Jubilife, you have faltered in your duties as well. It pained my heart when I saw what your actions had done to that hill. You so poisoned the landscape that your own people were suffering. I do not want to see Flora's Hill, or any part of your lands, fall back into that sickly state. If they do, I will be very angry with you."
That flustered the king, something he seemed to be unfamiliar with. "B-but that hill, it..."
"It will bloom this year, and you'd better make sure that it blooms every year after that. And don't put the blame on your neighbors. I will give them the same warning. It is your responsibility to take care of your people. If you take a policy of life, then they will thrive. But if you continue this policy of death, then they will continue to crumble and you will fall."
"Y... yes, Shaymin."
Flora clasped her hands to her chest as her husband put his arm around her. "Shaymin, I.."
She smiled. "It's fine. Keep your faith and your life will be blessed. I'm sorry, but I have many things to do. Goodbye."
Then Shaymin took back to the skies. Before long, the port of Canalave was far out of sight.
…
Shaymin Pearl entry: It can dissolve toxins in the air to instantly transform ruined land into a lush field of flowers.
This was originally posted for St. Patrick's Day, so I tried for something like an Irish folktale with a religious bend. Flora's Hill is Floaroma, of course.