It was a clear, slightly chilly day. Winter was coming to an end in the Unova region. Pokémon were becoming more active soaking up the sun and moving about above and under the waves. Wingull were flying above the water and calling to each other. Floatzel poked their heads above the water, alert. A pod of Mantine and Mantyke briefly surfaced curiously looking about. A small white ferry cruised on by, en route to a small island off the coast of Castelia City. The island in question is named the Liberty Garden; the ferry carried around 100 people all looking to sightsee this historic sight. A small family sat at a table, peering out over the waves. The two youngest of the family, twins named Eden and Evan, gesture excitedly toward the older members and speak energetically.
"Is there really a special pokémon at the liberty garden?"
The question came from the small boy at the table, nine-year-old Evan Pierce. "I heard it has good luck powers, and it's tiny so most people never see it!"
That remark came from Eden, Evan's twin sister. The two kids looked inquisitively at their parents and older sister, eyes sparkling. Andre Pierce took a sip from his thermos, then paused and smiled at the twins, "Well, people say Victini can be found at Liberty Garden, but there aren't many recorded encounters. But who knows."
Andre set his thermos down and looked over at the twins, his smile widening and eyes sparkling with similar excitement.
"Meetings with Pokemon like Victini sometimes happen unexpectedly, and to those who least expect it. Keep your eyes wide and you might be fortunate to catch a glimpse!"
Eden and Evan's eyes sparkled with wonder at that comment. They became even more animated after their father's words fidgeting in their seats. Tasha chuckled at their antics, the 18-year-old smiling fondly at her siblings. Scarlett amusedly watched the fidgeting kids and turned to her husband.
"What happened to you getting to get them to settle down?" She asked with mock annoyance. Andre played along, raising his hand in mock surrender. He flashes a good-natured grin and Scarlett shakes her head, not genuinely annoyed at all. She knew Andre to be a storyteller and the twins soaked up the stories like maractus did rainwater. Turning back to the twins, she smiled to see they were now sitting on their older sister's lap. Tasha was showing the twins pictures of the various pokemon commonly seen at Liberty Garden. Scarlett smiled to herself, in spite of the fact many of the pictures showed pokemon the twins saw in their coast side home, they were still as entranced and in awe as the first time. In truth, most people never lose their awe of pokemon. No matter how many times you bear witness, the majesty of pokemon rarely becomes stale. The family looked and started to gather things as an announcement played on the ferry's loudspeaker.
"Boat will be docking at Liberty Garden port in 15 minutes. Please be sure to grab and carry off all personal items ." The Pierce family got up and made their way towards the railing looking out at the ferry approaching closer to the island. Evan squinted, able to make out the large rocks close to the pier. He could see a spheal resting on the rocks and staryu meandering on the sand. Evan smiled. He was excited but also apprehensive, most of his encounters with wild pokemon were those who lived around his town and thus he was already pretty familiar with them. He wasn't too sure if these strange pokemon would be as friendly. What if they didn't like him? Evan knew how to befriend pokemon by sharing berries, but what if that didn't work here?
"If he could befriend wild pokemon then how could he…?" Evan stopped that line of thinking and stared down at the water. He noted his own frowning reflection and also that Eden's own reflection was watching him. Evan looked up looking eyes with Eden. The twins stared for a moment, then engaged in a non-verbal dialogue, as twins sometimes do. Eden cocked her head to the side questioningly. "You ok?", She seemed to ask with her gaze. Evan shrugged in a non-committal manner. Eden studied him with a narrow-eyed look of inspection. Evan followed up with a smile, trying to show nothing was amiss. Unconvinced, Eden kept up her look. Evan, now wanting to get his twin off his back, stuck his tongue out at her. Eden, being as prone to childishness as her brother narrowed her eyes angrily and responded by pinching his right arm. Evan forced down a yelp of pain, choosing to retaliate by pinching the arm currently pinching him. The twins glared at each other, tightening their grips in an effort to make the other yield first. A quiet cough caught their attention and the twins looked up to their mom standing over them, eyebrows raised. The twins dropped their grips and each wrapped an arm around each other.
"We weren't doing anything!", they said in unison. They smiled nervously. Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"Sure. Well come on now, we're made it to the dock."
The twins hurried towards the ramp leading off the boat, with Scarlett following behind. The three exited the boat joining Andre and Tasha on the beach. The twins looked around, taking in the sand and rocky shore with interest. The family moved with the rest of their group up a path to a flatter area. The area was a patch of field. Berry trees sparsely populated the area and small bug Pokemon flitted from tree to tree. Pidove called to one another in the trees. The Pierce family settled close to a larger tree, setting down with its shadow.
"
C'mon, you said we could play with your Pokemon when we got here! Let them out! Let them out!" Eden and Ari jumped in place, clamoring for their parents to let their Pokemon out to eat with them. Andre smiled at the twins, mussing up their hair. The twins giggled, playfully batting their Dad's hands away.
" All right then kiddos. As promised.." Andre reached for his belt, taking three Pokeballs and a netball. He tossed them up with a graceful flourish. " Come on out old friends!"
The pokeballs popped open and four flashes of lights landed on the ground. The twins gave cries of excitement as they ran to greet the figure that appeared closest to them.
"Seeker!"
Seeker's left ear twitched and he turned to acknowledge the children quickly approaching him. The Stoutland woofed cheerfully and greeted the twins by licking at their faces. Eden giggled and Evan reached out to gently scratch the large dog Pokemon under his chin.
" Peli! Pel Pelpperrrrr!"
Scout the Pelipper flew over the twin playfully swooping down to muss up their hair before flying up out of reach. Attention diverted the twins would try to duck out of reach of the swooping and then try to jump up to tag the large bird. Scout gave a smug look to Seeker, boasting that he now had the twin's full attention. Seeker shook his, exasperated.
Andre's other two Pokemon, Jinx and Fin settled by closer to the adults of the group. Jinx was helping Scarlett and Tasha set the picnic. A warm, cozy scent wafted through the area as the Whimsicott cheerfully floated about, lifting objects with its psychic power. Andre turned to Fin, the large Swampert choosing to rest near his feet. Andre crouched down.
" How are you doing Fin? I know being cooped up for a while is boring for you."
" Swammpert."
" Yeah buddy, we'll have all day for you to roam about and stretch your legs. So no lazing about all day!"
Finn rolled his eyes and responded by gently headbutting his partner. Andre rolled onto his back, laughing at the little tantrum. Scarlett smiled at the display, before turning to address her two youngest children as they played nearby.
" All right you two, come eat, and then you go back to playing! Ming won't like it if you try to skip out again!"
The twins exchanged panicked looks before hurrying back over to the picnic blanket. Seeker and Scout followed after them. Evan was about to sit down when a feeling that he was being watched came over him. He looked into the treeline but saw nothing. Shrugging the feeling off, he sat down. He was ready to enjoy all the good food his parents had prepared.
Evan's feeling was not unwarranted. Perched up in one of the taller trees bordering the area, a figure watched the clearing. Its eyes focused in on Evan and Eden watching as they interacted with their family. The children appeared to be kind, but even more than that something about them seemed different from the many of the people also grouped around the meadow. Since they arrived on the island, the figure had first felt alarmed, but now, it felt somewhat excited.
" Those two… They might people the people I've been looking for."
With that thought, the figure continued to perch on its branch. Watching the humans and the Pokemon below as they enjoyed the warm meadow below.
