Cover art by NevaDoodle/Plattyneko. Please check out their DeviantArt page!
After a difficult day of work, a young man decides to visit Nimbasa's amusement park. He once had a fire for making his mark on the world, wherever life led him. The mundanity of long hours at a tedious office job, however, wears on him. "A change of pace is what I need," he reasons. So, he gets on the Ferris wheel, alone, with the senseless hope that a nice view could bring some color back into his eyes.
A beautiful woman enters the cabin with him. She's "an up-and-coming dancer looking to hit the big time," she boldly explains. The man is immediately taken with her, and the passion that he so dearly misses comes to life once more. He tells her of his lucrative occupation. She tells him of her dreams of fame. He makes her laugh. She makes him blush. He asks for her number, and she happily gives it.
The young couple thrives in the midst of love. For years, they are happy, but over time the dullness of life seeps back into the man's eyes. The woman, having given up on her desires for show business, suggests they move away from the bustling crowds to someplace quieter. The man replies with "Aspertia City," a newly developed area tucked away in the mountains. She agrees, and the lovers make a swift departure as they leave their past behind.
The couple signs a marriage certificate, and no wedding is held. He has no close family to speak of, and the woman's situation is much the same. Upon their arrival in Aspertia, they purchase a house. It is their first time living together. As husband and wife, they are both excited to begin a new chapter of their lives in union with each other. The man's passion is once again reignited.
The newly joined couple quickly learns, however, that their living arrangements leave both sides unhappy. The wife leaves messes, and the husband demands tidiness. The husband is a frivolous spender, and the wife longs for financial security. Sharing the same space, they realize, has brought more pain than joy. They argue often. Discussions that begin with good intentions change into verbal battles of insults and hate. Eventually, he pushes her away, asking for distance while she longs for the closeness and intimacy they used to share.
Years go by. The bond the couple shares has withered, leaving behind resentment and regret. The wife has grown desperate to salvage what they once had. "A baby could save our marriage," she reasons. The husband is not so sure, yet in his hopelessness, gives in to her pleas. Wife and husband try for a child, and after many months, a baby is born. A boy. For a time, their commitment to each other is rekindled. The lovers renew their promises to each other and vow to give their child the best possible future.
But that fleeting flicker of hope is dashed completely when the mother is injured in a car accident. Though fortunate to be alive, she cannot move from the waist down. Once excited at the prospect of parenthood, she will use a wheelchair for the rest of her life and is unable to care for her son as she had planned. Her spirit is crushed by disappointment. The father attempts to fill in as caretaker as best he can, but between wife, child, home, and work, he is left broken and distressed. The brief flicker of flame in his eyes is smothered by a suffocating despair.
The baby boy cries. He cries, and cries, and cries. He doesn't know how to calm the baby. He feels vastly out of his depth, unprepared and at his limit. The father cannot sleep, and his well-being suffers greatly for it. He performs poorly at work and is promptly fired. When he arrives home, he lifelessly stands in the kitchen. With briefcase in hand and a dirty coat on his back, he takes in his surroundings. His new house, his beautiful wife, and his son filled with possibilities… What he was certain would be a new beginning has morphed into a broken reality of stress and dysfunction that he cannot hope to ever repair. "But I can escape it," he thinks.
The husband tells his wife that he's leaving and won't be coming back. She breaks down in tears. She can't believe what she hears. She begs him to stay, but he refuses. The husband apologizes, and then walks out the door. The baby boy continues to cry, and his mother joins him.
The mother receives disability compensation as well as child support from the father. She is able to provide for her son financially, but not physically. The baby needs to be cared for, so she seeks out a nanny as quickly as she can. On what little money she has available, however, she finds no one that she can afford to pay. In her desperation, she turns to an advertisement in the newspaper that lists a "grass-type Pokémon for sale." The asking price is astoundingly cheap, and the creature is said to function as both an "adequate homemaker and child-carer." With no other options, the mother makes a phone call.
Later that day, a well-dressed elderly woman shows up on the mother's front door. She slowly walks inside with the plant-like beast following closely behind. Tentatively, the mother studies the Pokemon… 'How irresponsible of her to allow that monster to live outside its cage,' she thinks. 'Can I really trust this thing with my baby?' she wonders. After surviving a life-threatening encounter with a wild Houndoom, the mother has kept her distance from all forms of the creatures. 'Dangerous, hideous, pocket monsters,' she silently calls them.
With sadness in her face, the elderly woman speaks in a gentle voice and tells the mother what she needs to know. "This is Lilith, a very loving Lilligant. She has raised and worked with my children for years, but… well, they've all gone and grown up! Heh heh… She loves to care for others, you see. She does that better than anyone I've ever known, human or Pokémon. My dear old hubby and I are moving out of the country, and because we cannot bring her along, she won't get to do what she loves anymore, I'm afraid. We aren't asking for much in payment, we just want Lilith to find her purpose again in a loving home."
The mother keeps her wary eyes on the creature the entire time, not once meeting the gaze of the older woman even while she speaks. The 'Lilligant' is short, only reaching three and a half feet tall. It's calm, quiet, and stands patiently at its owner's side without making any moves or sounds. 'It looks much less threatening than the typical monsters you see battling out in the wild,' she admits to herself.
The mother remains skeptical but understands that she has no choice in the matter. Either she allows the beast to help her baby boy, or she ensures that no one will. The mother pays the older woman a small sum, and the transaction is complete. The former owner gives the pet monster a tearful goodbye and leaves, just like that. The Lilligant has officially found a new home.
Lilith feels the hostility immediately. Her new master… She fears her. She does not like her. But that's okay… because Lilith understands what her job is. It's the same job she's done for so long. She knows what she's capable of, and she takes pride in doing the job right.
"Go… Help him." Her new master demands without saying anything else. Lilith focuses her attention on the crying. It's a human infant, she knows. She's heard this cry for help her whole life, and when she entered this unknown house unsure of what task might be asked of her, she immediately heard the wailing of the baby before the front door had even opened. Lilith knows what she is being asked, so she gladly obeys.
The Pokémon moves to the crib on the other side of the room and picks up the baby. She cradles him gently and tries to rock the child to sleep. Minutes go by… An hour… Finally, her master speaks up again. "I don't… I don't know what to do for him… He cries so much, and I don't know what to do." Lilith hears the exhaustion in her voice and sees the distress in her appearance. The baby's voice is hoarse from the constant screaming. Lilith cannot verbally explain her actions to her new master, so she silently hopes that what she does next will not cause any panic.
Lilith closes her eyes. 'Please don't cry,' she wordlessly prays. From the red flower that rests atop her head, a blueish green cloud of dust sprinkles onto the child. He sneezes once. Back to crying. A second sneeze. More crying. And then he calms… The crying stops, and soon, the baby sleeps. The mother stares at the scene in silence, her eyes wide with wonder as the plant-like monster succeeds where she couldn't. Lilith doesn't like to resort to sleep powder, but she feels it was warranted. Her new master expects results, and with that look of disgust in her eyes, Lilith is afraid to disappoint her.
The boy is two. Lilith feeds him, plays with him, and tends to his every need. Her master remains distant, seemingly content with Lilith handling any and all affairs. The mother rarely interacts with her child. She lacks the warmth that a parent should possess, and Lilith cannot understand why.
Unexpectedly, the father returns. Lilith has never met the man, but he appears kind and happy to be back. He shows his son a level of care that his mother never did. He is a positive presence. This is what Lilith thinks initially, that is. Her thoughts change when father and mother begin shouting. They change even more when shouting becomes screaming. The boy cries, and Lilith does not fault him for it.
The Pokémon hugs the boy close and carries him into his bedroom. They hold onto each other, waiting for the fighting to cease. The sharp sound of shattering glass is heard, and the boy's embrace tightens. Lilith hears foul words escape the mother's mouth that she'd never heard uttered under her former master's service. She fears for her safety in this new home, but she fears even more for the wellbeing of the boy.
After a time, the father leaves. Lilith reluctantly uses her sleep powder to put the boy to bed. When she approaches her master, confused as to what caused such a hateful disturbance, the woman does not speak on it. Lilith can only assume that, for this family, hate is normal. Her suspicions are confirmed when the father returns weeks later, and his visit results in the same violent conclusion. He tries again, but his presence leads to hate. Again and again, the man attempts to reintegrate, but his wife will not accept him. They never fail to scream and to shout, and so the boy cries. Over and over.
The boy comes to fear his father. He is smart and he knows what terror the man brings into the house alongside him. To shield the boy from his fears, Lilith comforts him. She does so every time. When his father arrives, she takes the boy away. To his bedroom, to the kitchen, into the bushes in the backyard. She takes him wherever he might feel most secure, holds him close, and utters "Please don't cry," in a language that he cannot understand and never will.
After many failed visits, the father doesn't come back.
The boy is five. He trusts his Pokémon caretaker more than he does his own mother. Lilith wonders if this is okay. She is a Pokémon, and he is a human. She worries that, one day, he will look at her the same way his mother does. With disgust and with fear. But in the present, at least, he does not. And it means the world to Lilith. It makes her job, stressful and challenging as it is, worth doing. If it is for the boy, she reasons, then she will give her best effort.
He likes to stay outside as much as possible. The home, Lilith assumes, has become a stressor. His mother complains more than she used to. She yells more than she used to. A child should not be subjected to that, Lilith believes. Evidently, the boy doesn't believe so either. He plays in the backyard whenever he is able. Lilith joins him, always supervising and always encouraging. The grass-type finds that she quite enjoys her time spent outdoors, away from her master, and in the company of the boy.
The boy grows brave. He sneaks through a hole in the wood fence and journeys into the woods of Route 19 that lie behind the house. Lilith catches onto his plan a little too late and hurries after him, hopping frantically. Her mind races with catastrophic events. 'He could eat something poisonous! He could fall down a cliff! He could get attacked by a wild Ursaring!' The mind spirals out of control all too easily.
When Lilith finally catches up to the boy, he is on the ground, in pain, and clutching his leg. Lilith begins to calm down after seeing that he only tripped on a tree branch and scraped his knee. A small amount of blood, but nothing serious to speak of. For the boy, however, the sight of red is impossible to ignore. Through panicked tears, he calls to her… "Lily! I-I'm bleeding! Help me!"
And she gladly does. Lilith's most treasured technique, a rare method for treating wounds, was taught to her by her former master. The older woman called it 'Floral Healing', and it allowed the grass-type to help her master's family in a way beyond what she thought possible. Even her, a Pokémon with powers that humans could never hope to emulate, views the gift akin to magic. She is forever grateful that she can use this power for situations just like this.
She delicately places her leaf-like arm on the boy's scratch. Flowers in pink, red, and yellow spring to life around her. Lilith's body emits a faint green glow, and both the boy's wound and the hurt it brings start to disappear ever so slowly. When, at last, she lifts her hand, his skin appears as it did before, unblemished and without pain. Lilith finishes her task by mimicking a common human tradition. She brings her face to the boy's knee and fakes a kiss to 'make the booboo better', as her former master loved to do for her children. 'Don't cry', she silently wishes.
The boy cracks a smile at the display; the exact reaction that Lilith wanted. She sits down next to him on the overgrown forest grass. She holds his hand, rubs it gently, and waits patiently for him to compose himself. Despite a runny nose, and a bout of sniffling, he expresses his gratitude.
"Th-Thank you, Lily… You're my best friend."
The boy is nine. He has been attending school in Striaton City for three years now. Lilith wonders what it all entails. He rarely confides in her about his time away. She cannot help but fear the worst at times. 'Can he manage by himself? Is he afraid to go without me? Do the other humans treat him well? The only other humans the boy has known, his mother and father, never did. What about the other children, then? He does not speak of having friends…' She desperately wonders why.
On one eventful spring afternoon, Lilith gains insight into the boy's life at school. She always meets him at the school grounds as he is dismissed. As he walks home, she hops alongside him. If she cannot join him inside the building, then she will be there, waiting for him when he gets let out. It's no trouble for her. Reuniting with the boy after a long morning of chores is her favorite part of the day, in fact.
The boy never walks home with friends. Lilith has never seen him chat with another child to begin with. Today is different, though. Just as human and Pokémon are about to make their trek home, they are stopped by three boys. They block the path forward, addressing Lilith and her master's son with aggression and confidence.
"Hey, nerd! What's with the girly Pokémon, huh? You told us yesterday that you didn't have any!"
The boy grits his teeth. He knows this is a bad situation. These bullies have harassed him all year. Usually, he manages to leave right as class ends and avoid the rush of students, but he was not so lucky this time. The trio has him caught, they've discovered Lilith, and there are no teachers outside the school to protect him.
"What, too scared to battle? Thought you'd avoid taking an L by lying to us? Well, you've got a crappy Pokémon right there, so let's what that piece of trash can do!"
The three bullies each toss forward a Pokéball. From within emerge a Lairon, a Fearow, and a Torkoal. Quickly, the aggressors spread out and surround their prey. The boy, now shaking, whispers to his friend… "L-Lily, you… You have to run. Please, run." As scared as Lilith is, running away never crosses her mind. The boy is in trouble, and she won't abandon him.
"Lairon, use Iron Tail!" The iron armor Pokémon obeys without question. It swings its thick plated tail like a sword, cutting into Lilith's side. She keeps from crying out, but the pain is strong. The flying-type follows up the initial attack. "Take it down, Fearow! Hit that worthless monster with Drill Peck!" Sharp stabs of the beak pierce the grass-type's soft exterior for super-effective damage.
"What's wrong, nerd? You're just gonna let your Pokémon get beat up like this? Fight back!"
The bullies question his inaction, but he knows there's nothing he can do. He's never battled another Pokémon before. He's never even given Lilith an order to attack before. The fighting simply never interested him, and now he's paying for his lack of strength. The boy is unsure if Lilith knows how to fight at all, and he is right to worry. Lilith doesn't know how to fight. She was trained for housekeeping and caretaking, not for combat.
"Torkoal, hit 'em with Ember!" At the bully's command, the coal Pokémon spews small flames not only at the Lilligant, but at its trainer as well. Lilith, however, refuses to let harm come to the boy. She creates a Light Screen wall to protect him from the fire attack but takes the brunt of the flames herself. "L-Lily! Stop it! Protect yourself, not me!" The boy is crying now - A show of weakness that he tried and failed to prevent.
"Tch! This is pathetic. Nerd's crying and his sissy flower won't even fight back. Come on, let's get outta here, guys. A teacher might show up."
The bullies call back their Pokémon and run home, leaving a wounded Lilligant and a frightened boy in their dust. The Light Screen wears off, and the boy rushes to his friend's aid. "L-Lily, I… I'm sorry." The boy looks over Lilith with tears streaming down his face. She is covered in gashes and burn marks, but she is okay. For the grass-type, no pain could compare to letting the boy be hurt. She protected him, so the pain does not matter.
The boy, however, views things differently. He could not protect her. He told her to escape, but she stayed. 'If only Lilith had a Pokéball that could hide her away' he despairs, but she is not bound to one. Her former owner allowed her to move and work freely without the need for returning to a Pokéball. The Lilligant is registered as a service Pokémon; peaceful and harmless. This atypical freedom, once seen as a blessing by the boy, served to burden them in their time of need. He could not protect her.
The boy holds her close. "I'm sorry, Lily," he repeats over and over. She reaches out to him and wipes away his tears. 'Don't cry' she wants to tell him. The boy carries Lilith as best he can, and the two head for the nearest Pokémon Center. They are shaken and scarred, but they are okay.
The boy is thirteen. Today is a big day for him. He has been invited to a birthday party, the first he will ever attend. But he is nervous. Lilith can see the anxiety within him plainly. The boy paces back and forth in his bedroom. He spends hours debating over what kind of gift he should bring and what clothes he should wear. The boy is not himself. He speaks very little. Lilith truly begins to worry when he throws up his breakfast in the bathroom. What should be a source of happiness, a party among peers, is having a terrible effect on him.
Lilith wishes she could help, but she doesn't know how. The boy has never visited another child's house before. He has always struggled to connect with other humans. 'Perhaps he sees this as his opportunity to be accepted,' she ponders. But how can she help the boy with a problem like this? With a problem so beyond her?
The boy sits on his bed, head in his hands and visibly distraught. Lilith decides to help in the only way she knows… by comforting. She approaches him and takes his hand, rubbing small circles into the palm, trying her best to soothe and to assure. In response, however, the boy withdraws. "No, Lily, stop that!" She reflexively retracts her arm at the sudden outburst. She didn't mean to anger him, but she doesn't know what else to do.
The boy sighs. "We've been over this a hundred times, Lily. I'm… not a kid anymore. I don't need hugs and stuff." Lilith hangs her head in shame. The boy is right. He has expressed his wishes for distance many times now. He talks of how he must 'grow up' and stop relying on her, but she doesn't truly understand why. Her former master is very old, very 'grown up'… but even she needed the support of another in her darkest times. Why does he push her away when he so clearly needs someone?
The boy sees her downcast reaction. Something in him slowly breaks, and now the tears have begun to show. "I'm sorry, Lily… I'm being mean, but I have to be. I have to be strong like the other kids. I can't hold onto you every time I feel scared." Lilith is not sure she believes him, though. Stubbornly, she plays her trump card - Sweet Scent from the red flower atop her head. It's a calming sensation that eases the most troubled minds, and though she was told to stop, she clings to the thought that 'he needs me.'
The boy sighs again. He doesn't speak immediately, content to let the aroma cover him, and he breathes the scent in reluctantly. Then, he stands and ushers her out of the room. "I need to get ready, Lily. Thanks for trying to help." The door shuts in her face, and she is unsure of what to do. He tells her that he doesn't need her anymore, that he is no longer a child anymore… She should be happy that he is growing as a person, but she cannot help but worry, nonetheless.
An hour later, the boy stands on the front porch. He is nervous, but he is ready. Today, he will make friends and have fun. He can do it. He's certain of it. Before he can set off, the front door cracks open, and Lilith quietly hops over to his side. She boldly takes his hand and looks the boy in the eyes. The request she makes with this gesture is clear to the boy – 'Take me with you?' Staying firm in his desire, he pulls away. "No, Lily. I need to go alone… I need to get stronger, okay? So stay here." He walks to his bike, gets on it, and rides away.
Lilith waves to him, but he does not look back. He wants to get stronger. To him, that means becoming more independent. 'Do I… disgust him?' she asks herself. The frequent touching, the holding, the hugging… It's simply how she shows her love. But maybe love, even if it is well-intentioned, can be harmful if left unchecked. Just as she did with her former master's children, Lilith admits to herself, 'I need to let him be.' He will get stronger, and so will she.
The boy is sixteen. Not quite a boy anymore, but not quite a man either. He is getting stronger. He spends more time away from home. He has made friends. He works as a cashier at a supermarket. She is happy for him, yet… she cannot rid herself of the sorrow these changes bring. The confusing mix of emotions has always frustrated her. She has experienced the bittersweetness of a 'child leaving the nest' more than once. This time, however, she feels particularly empty. She should celebrate his success, she reasons, but she finds that impossible amidst the growing loneliness.
One night, the teen arrives home in a dejected rage. He speaks not a word, heads straight to his room, and slams the door tightly shut. Lilith sees it all, and she cannot help but worry. She leans up against the wall and listens for a sound. When she hears the teen crying, her heart drops even more. So, she knocks. Once… No answer. Twice… Nothing. Three times… "Go away, Lily!" His dismissal hurts her more than any physical wound.
She knows she is overstepping, but she cannot help herself. Lilith, in a moment of cunning, sends a plant-like vine under the door and unlocks it from the inside. After steeling herself, she barges in, giving the teen no time to stop her. She sees him on the bed, a soaked pillow in his face. "What the hell are you doing in here?!" She flinches at the less than warm welcome, but she knows she deserved it. Rather than worry about boundaries, she rushes to the bedside and grabs his hand. 'What's wrong?' She cannot voice the question aloud, but both human and Pokémon know what she's asking.
He stares at her in anger before closing his eyes in pain. "It's nothing, Lily. Seriously… It's stupid. Not worth talking about." She can't understand why, though. As a child, he used to confide in her about everything. She understands that he wants to be stronger, to learn not to rely on her so much, but this doesn't seem like 'nothing' to the grass-type. 'Please talk to me' she silently pleads.
But the teen won't speak. She waits and waits, but he only sobs into his pillow and pays her no mind. That's fine with her, though. She'll be there for him when he's ready. She holds his hand like she used to do. She loves to hold his hand, and it makes her happy that she can help in this way again, even despite the circumstances. She sits on the floor at his bedside for hours waiting patiently. Finally, he opens up.
"…M-My girlfriend… Well… She's not my girlfriend anymore… She broke up with me." Now Lilith understands. Human love is… complicated. She has seen the highs of human relationships. The beautiful romance shared between her former master and her 'dear old hubby.' Their bond was stronger than any she had ever seen, back then and since. But she has also seen the lows. The teen's mother and father. A 'bond' so volatile that others around them suffered. She would know, because she lived through many of their violent encounters.
'Love' between Pokémon, if one would even call it that… That type of bond is typically much simpler. An instinctual need to procreate. Clear-cut and without the mess of emotions that humans struggle with. But there are Pokémon with the capacity for a human-like 'love'. Creatures like Gardevoirs, Lucarios, and Togekiss sometimes form long-lasting bonds with their own species that resemble something of a human-like relationship. Even her own species, the exclusively female Lilligant, has been known to form particularly strong bonds with other grass-types.
Lilith has never felt this desire. She finds fulfillment in her job, her purpose of serving those close to her, and has never wanted for more. In this moment, however, she wishes she had some semblance of romantic experience. She wishes she could relate to what the teen is going through. She supposes, though, that it wouldn't matter if she could. She can't reason with him. She cannot speak the language of humans. She cannot help her friend in any way but by comforting him, by holding his hand like she used to. So that is what she does.
Another hour passes in silence. The teen's tears have dried up, and he rises from his bed. He looks at Lilith with regret in his eyes. "Thanks, Lily… and sorry for yelling at you." She appreciates the apology and shows it with a loving hug. Though the teen has become even more distant from the grass-type in recent years, he lets her see his insecurities this time. He hugs her back, and Lilith's heart swells with joy. She doubts this will happen again anytime soon, so she snuggles into him as much as possible, soaking it all in. She misses this dearly.
The boy is twenty. No longer a boy, and no longer a teenager. He is an adult. Or, as he prefers to call himself, 'a man.' He works long and tiring hours as a manager at the supermarket. She hardly sees him anymore. When the man returns home from his job, he's quickly out the door to mingle among friends or to attend another date and find his 'future wife.' She's happy that he has formed more bonds. She's happy that he's grown stronger. But it very much hurts that he keeps his distance from Lilith more than he ever has. Even when home, he doesn't spend time with her. He treats her kindly enough, but never relies on her. She really wishes he'd rely on her again. For something. For anything.
One day, out of the blue, the man shocks Lilith completely. "I'm moving out in a week, Mom. Friend of mine says he can get me a job in Driftveil on the harbor. Handlin' cargo or whatever. Says it pays good." Lilith can't believe the news. At first, she wonders if she heard the man wrong. 'He's leaving? So suddenly?' The mother doesn't even look away from the TV and replies with the indifference that Lilith has sadly come to expect of her. "Take care of yourself… Call me once in a while." The man heads to his room and shuts the door. Lilith can hear him talking on the phone, chatting with another woman, she assumes.
The thought of her friend leaving her behind makes Lilith feel sick. He never told her. He never expressed the idea to her. It feels like she doesn't exist in his world anymore. She stands there in the living room, in silence, processing what she just learned. She doesn't know how to react. Her master's voice snaps her from her spiraling thoughts. "Hey, quit standing around. Dinner better be ready soon." Mentally, Lilith is not present, but she can't let this stop her from fulfilling her purpose. She hops into the kitchen and begins preparing a meal while her worries run rampant.
A week passes, and a moving truck is parked in the driveway. Lilith helps the man load some of his belongings. It's the first time she's been able to help her friend in a long while, but also for the first time, she takes no pleasure in it. There is a pit in her stomach. It's been there since she heard his plan. Nothing she does can ease it. She feels as though this is the worst day of her life.
He leans down to hug his mom. He says goodbye to her, and the woman gives him a wordless nod of acknowledgement in response. The man walks to the truck, and before getting in, he looks back to the flowering Pokemon. "Take care of Mom for me, Lily." He gets in the vehicle, and he drives away. Just like that, he leaves. Lilith can't believe he's gone. She can't believe that he hardly spoke to her. She thought she meant more to him than that. His unceremonious departure was even more heart-breaking than his decision to leave.
The man is gone. Lilith only has one human to serve now. The one who purchased the grass-type. Her master. The boy's mother. But the woman has no compassion for the Pokémon. She never has. 'It… could be worse,' Lilith tells herself. She could be working for an abusive, hateful master that makes her life torturous. The woman is not that unforgiving, at least, but she could do so much better. Lilith wishes her master would talk to her. At all. The only time she speaks is to bark an order that her servant has forgotten to complete. Lilith is very thorough with her duties, but she's not perfect. Her master's cold commands are the only verbal interactions between the two.
The years go on, slowly but surely. The man does not visit. He lives in Driftveil, hours away. He makes the rare phone call to his mother once every few months, but they are brief and unimportant. Lilith doesn't know if the man asks about her, but either way, his mother doesn't bother to share any details. As far as the Pokémon is concerned, her friend has forgotten about her. So, she tries to move on. She still has her master to serve. She can still find meaning in her role. That's what she tells herself, but reality does not play out so nicely.
Caring for only one person, there is less for Lilith to do around the house. The woman stays in her wheelchair, eyes glued to the TV. Lilith will occasionally help her to the bathroom, or take her outside to smoke, but she finds it to be a depressingly bland existence. Serving another should be a fulfilling experience, but the grass-type finds it to be quite disappointing when you do not care about the one you serve. She felt fulfilled serving her former master. She felt fulfilled serving the boy. Here and now, she lacks that fulfillment.
It's a very difficult time in her life. Day in and day out, Lilith completes the same monotonous tasks with no spark in her eyes. She wishes she could return to her old master. She wishes her friend would come home. She longs for reasons to keep going, but she struggles to find them. Over time, the beautiful red flower atop her head, a wondrous sign that the Lilligant is cared for and content, wilts like a plant cut from the stem. When she notices, Lilith cries, and there is no one there to comfort her.
On a typical winter night, her master experiences a health scare. Heavy breathing, clutching at her chest, sweating, and excruciating pain. The woman lets out a groan of suffering, and her servant hears it from the kitchen. Lilith, though shook to her core at the sight, acts immediately and has the address sent to emergency responders. In the meantime, the grass-type attempts to help by utilizing her Floral Healing, but she notices no improvement in the woman's condition. Thankfully, an ambulance arrives in minutes, the woman is whisked away to the hospital, and the Pokémon is left alone. After such a harrowing event, Lilith cannot help but worry.
She has no idea what happened to her master. Something terrible. Her panicked expression made that much clear. Beyond that, though? Lilith is left in the dark. Her master did live an unhealthy existence, she does understand that. Cigarettes, alcohol, isolation, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. Lilith is not surprised that the woman is having health problems. To reach a breaking point so abruptly, though? She is reminded of how fragile and fleeting life really is.
She cannot help the woman. Not directly, at least. But she can do what she's always done – clean and tidy up. So, she does. The busy work keeps her mind from racing out of control at what might be. And when her master returns from the hospital, fully healed, she won't have to worry about the state of her house. One less trouble on the mind. When it comes to one's health, that's important. This is something she can do and do well.
She cleans. She sweeps. She mops. She washes. Still no news. Night comes, and Lilith sleeps. She wakes ready to resume her work, but before she can, she hears a knock at the door. It's a social worker from the hospital. She lets him in, and with all the grace he can muster, he informs Lilith that the woman, her master, has died from a heart attack. Once again, Lilith cannot believe what she hears.
She cannot communicate well with the social worker. She rarely interacts with other humans inside or out of the home. Though, once he confirms that Lilith is intelligent enough to understand human speech, he asks her a question. "Do you have anywhere else to go?" She shakes her head but grabs a framed picture from the wooden shelf above the television. A photo of the boy. Her best friend. He can help her, right?
The social worker leaves. They'll contact his son if they haven't already. Lilith is left alone again, and she cannot help but worry. 'Is he coming back? Will he help me? Does he even want to see me? 'How will he take the death of his mother? Does he have anyone in his new life that can help him? Anyone to comfort him?' She doesn't know the answer to any of these questions, so she stands in the living room, closes her eyes, and waits. But fortunately, she doesn't have to wait long. A few hours later, the front door opens without even a knock.
It's the man. Her best friend. He stands motionless in the doorway, staring through the Pokémon with a broken and hollow stare. He swallows. He opens his mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. Lilith keeps her eyes locked onto his as if nothing else matters. 'Perhaps he's having trouble finding the right words', she thinks, 'but he'll get there. Just be patient…'
The man lets loose a heavy sigh, one that was surely building. He shuts his eyes in anguish and hangs his head in defeat. What the flowering Pokémon wouldn't give to know what he's thinking. To peer into his brain and know precisely how she could help him. If only it were so easy. The man drags his feet to the couch and sits down. He moves with a heaviness that reminds Lilith of her late master, his own mother. A posture and gait full of loss and resignation. It makes her heart sink.
Lilith sits on the couch next to the man. She knows what she wants to do but is too afraid to act. It's been a long time. Years have passed since she last saw him. She knows nothing about his time away. He's grown a beard. He's aged. Perhaps he's made many new friends and has taken a lover. Perhaps his new life makes his time as a child seem insignificant and unimportant. Perhaps… she doesn't have a place in his life anymore. Perhaps she is not needed.
He always talked about getting stronger. He didn't want to rely on her for support anymore. If that's how he felt then, she doubts he feels any different now. She doesn't want to cross that boundary again. Not while he's in so much pain. So, for fear of making things worse, she doesn't reach out. Not this time. She merely sits by his side and prays that her presence is enough to make some sort of difference in the suffering her friend must endure. She doesn't expect it to, but she doesn't know what else to do.
They sit side by side for a time. The man begins to weep. She wonders how many times her friend has shed tears in his new life but had no one there to support him. He's become stronger, so maybe he doesn't cry as often as he used to. She truly doesn't know, and that pains her. He is her friend. Her only friend. Her best friend. If that's true, though, then 'why does he feel like a stranger? Why does he feel so distant? Why is our bond not what it was?'... Lilith asks herself these questions, but she already knows the answers. Reality stings like a Pin Missile, and her mood continues to drop.
The Pokémon is jolted from her ruminations when she feels a touch on her leaf-like arm. The man takes her hand in his own. He says nothing verbally, but his actions are more than enough for his friend. She adds her other hand, covering his with her own. She brings his hand higher and rests her head upon it. She squeezes gently, rubbing circles into his palm, holding onto him like a lifeline. She stares at the man from the corner of her eye. He wipes his tears away on his sleeve. He looks at her, and swallows again. When he opens his mouth this time, he gets it right.
"H… Hey, Lily… Would you… like to come to home with me? To Driftveil? I… I've really missed you… More than you could know."
Now, Lilith is the one who can't help but cry. She leans into him.
"I'm sorry, Lily… Sorry for deserting you… Sorry for making you cry."
The man is twenty-eight. He does as he says. He takes Lilith home with him. She feels terrible for finding joy in such a tragic time. Her master has passed away. She should be feeling the pain of grief just as the man is. But truly, Lilith cannot help it. She's been reunited with her best friend after years apart. She feels meaning flood her life once more. She was certain that she'd never experience the sensation again, and the grass-type has never been happier to be wrong.
It's a long drive to Driftveil. The man talks here and there but stays mostly silent during the journey. The Pokémon doesn't mind. She is overjoyed to be back in his life. She can help him again. She can serve him again. She might comfort and heal him in this dark moment, she hopes. It's okay if their bond isn't what it was. It can improve. They can repair it. For now, he needs to grieve, and she'll be there at his side to help him however she is able. That privilege is more than enough.
He lives in a quaint apartment. He talks to his landlord, and Lilith is given the 'OK' to live there too. The man works long shifts. He leaves early and arrives home late. There are stretches of time where he is gone for days at a time. He explains that sometimes he is asked to make oversea trips and load cargo in other cities. Lilith now has more free time than ever. Because his living space is much smaller than the larger houses she's come to know, chores don't take up her whole day. In fact, they don't last long at all.
Lilith doesn't mind. She spends more time idling when she'd rather be busy, it's true. So, she uses her surplus of time to help in other ways. She spends more time gardening, a task that naturally suits a grass-type Pokémon. The assortment of small plants on his apartment balcony are under her care now, and she loves them dearly. She experiments in the kitchen, determined to find new recipes that she can surprise her new master with. He very much enjoys leppa berry muffins, and now Lilith bakes a batch every Friday night so that her friend can start the weekend off with a small pleasure. She learns to sew, to knit, to create. She feels butterflies flittering inside of her when she imagines what the man's reaction will be when she gives him the homemade scarf she's been working on. She does what she can to fill the time, but it's true, her days are not so busy, not so lively.
Lilith finds, though, that the monotony doesn't matter much once the man, her new master, her best friend comes home. She waits patiently for his return, and she is rewarded with a few hours by his side before he retires to his bed. And in those few hours, she feels happier and more alive than she ever has. More important than anything, he is happy to see her. Lilith sorely missed that feeling… the feeling that the one you serve desires and appreciates your efforts and your company. His mother never once gave her that in the many years that Lilith served her. Fortunately, the son is not the same.
In the first few months together, the man struggles to talk with Lilith. 'He seems more reserved,' she thinks. Slowly, however, he opens up to her, little by little, day by day. The man tells her of his new life. He admits, with a pained expression, that he hasn't gained a close circle of friends like he'd hoped to. "They come and go. Most keep their distance. Turns out making friends is pretty hard, I guess." The Pokémon can understand that. The man is her best friend. She finds being his friend is very easy because he is a pleasant and relaxed person. Even so, he pushed her away before, and their relationship hasn't fully recovered. Even a friendship so natural, so simple, goes through trying times, it seems.
He talks of his love life. With embarrassment lighting his features, he confesses that his desire for a significant other hasn't panned out either. "I've gone on plenty of dates. Plenty of second dates, too… A few of those women really liked me… I thought more than once 'She's the one,' y'know? But…" He swallows nervously. "Never works out… Dunno why, really. Maybe they get tired of me?… I don't know… Just can't seem to find 'the one' no matter how hard I try." Lilith can tell it's a difficult topic for him. She wishes she could speak to him. Reassure him. He's kind, and smart, and amazing. He's worthy of love, and she can only hope that he doesn't allow his failures to define him. He's much more than that. She takes his hand and does her best to convey those thoughts.
It takes many months, but one night, as the man reads a book next to Lilith on the couch, he talks about his mother, her late master. He speaks softly, apprehensively, as if he's sharing a secret that he's never told anyone before… "It hurts that she's gone… There's a part of me that's absent without her here anymore, but… I don't miss her… I really don't think I do… Feels wrong to admit, but she wasn't much of a mother… Never wanted to be in the same room as her… My life wouldn't change even if she was still alive... Makes me a pretty terrible son, huh?"
Lilith doesn't agree. She looks her friend in the eyes, takes his hand, and shakes her head, letting him know exactly how she feels about that. No, he's not a terrible son. 'Relationships are a two-way street' her first master liked to say. Lilith was always present in the household. She saw everything. She saw the effort and love that the mother gave the son, and in the flowering Pokemon's opinion, for whatever her opinion is worth, what the mother gave was nothing at all. 'Your mother fell short, not you.'
He takes a few deep breaths and continues to spill his heart. "Lily… I'm really sorry… for leaving you." The man looks like he's on the verge of tears. "I was stupid… A horrible person… I knew she hated you, and I still ran away. Left you trapped there with someone who never appreciated all that you did… I asked her about that a few times, y'know. Why she wouldn't speak to you… Why she never looked at you, and… she wouldn't answer. Just acted like I'd never said anything… I know now that she was miserable, that her life took a turn that left her broken inside, I get that, but… it doesn't excuse her… Why couldn't she just try to be my mother? Why couldn't she try to be kind to you? I just don't understand why she never even tried."
Lilith doesn't know either, but she has her theories. The Pokémon thinks the woman was bitter. Jealous that she was forced to bring in a plant-like 'beast' to play the role of mother. The role that, because of her disability, she could no longer fill to the extent that she wished. At that point, perhaps she decided she wouldn't fill that role at all. At least, that's what Lilith speculates. Though the outcome leaves her frustrated, they'll never know for certain the true reasons behind her inaction, and the grass-type has already come to terms with this.
The man continues speaking. "I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to find love and friends. I was desperate for them, and… I felt like you were holding me back, Lily. The constant love and affection you gave me… I felt like you were babying me too much, and I thought that must be why I couldn't make friends like everybody else did… 'I'm not mature. I'm not grown-up. I'm not strong. The other kids see it, and that's why they don't wanna be my friend. They don't respect me. No girl wants a guy coddled by a Lilligant.'… That's what I thought back then."
'Holding him back?' Lilith had never considered their relationship like that. Under that light, she understands now why he pushed her away so adamantly in his teenage years. All his talk of getting stronger… She thought it had to do with the fight at school. He blamed himself for being unable to prevent her injuries. She wished she had known the real truth. She wished that boy had told her why he demanded distance. Their interactions left her feeling hurt and confused at times. But now she gets it.
"Pretty stupid, right? I was so desperate to make new friends that I cut off the best one I ever had. I… can't believe what an idiot I am. It's even harder to believe that it took me this long to come back for you… Sorry for everything, Lily… You really deserve so much more than a 'friend' like me."
'I've already forgiven you,' she says to herself, but sadly cannot say to the man. He closes his eyes and tries not to cry. She hugs him tightly hoping she can get her point across. He chuckles through his tears and returns the gesture. "Heh… You haven't changed a bit, Lily."
Lilith has always viewed tears as a problem. Something to fix. A sign that 'something is wrong, and I need to do something about it.' But when she looks at her friend in this moment – A lonely man weeping for his mother, weeping for his friend that he believes he's wronged, she wonders if she's misunderstood all this time. She naturally feels the urge to tell him 'Don't cry, my friend,' but maybe… Maybe he needs this. Perhaps through tears, there is also healing.
The man is thirty-four. Time goes on. The man continues his work, and the Pokémon continues her service. He grows older as does she. The man gets promoted and his pay increases. Eventually, they move out of that tiny apartment and into a bigger place. Lilith has more to clean, more chores to do, and she is happier for it. The man still looks for love. He invites a woman over every so often. They usually have dinner, and Lilith delights in joining them. When the grass-type is feeling bold, she even serenades the man's guest with a Quiver Dance, a sacred performance among Pokémon. No woman has failed to applaud her technique yet. The man, it seems, no longer thinks of her as an obstacle in his quest for connection and acceptance. Even to his love interests, he openly introduces the Pokémon as his best friend and a non-negotiable presence in his life. Lilith quite likes that.
Over time, their bond is strengthened. Lilith might dare to say that it is stronger than when he was a boy. The man speaks his mind freely to her. He confides in her his deepest worries and most joyful of gratitudes. He has opened himself up to her once more, and Lilith pays him her full attention.
The man does not need to be 'coddled' so much anymore. Just as he promised when he was a teenager, he has become a stronger, more independent individual. He no longer needs her comfort, but he still willingly accepts it. He no longer pushes her away. Lilith cannot show her love through words. She shows it through touch. When the two are sitting on a bench outside, soaking up the sun's rays, and she gently reaches for his hand, the man takes hers and holds it close. When she hops up to her master after a long day of housekeeping, hugs him tight, and silently wishes him 'goodnight,' he embraces her right back with a smile on his face. The loving closeness they share is good for them, and they both know it.
All in all, Lilith's life doesn't change very much, even after many many years. She prefers it that way. She lives the life she's always wanted. Safe, secure, and routine. She does not worry like she used to. She works in the service of the most important person in the world – her master, a man that loves and trusts her unconditionally, just as she does for him. Her new life is fulfilling, and the gorgeous red flower that has bloomed once more atop her head proves it for all to see.
The man is seventy-five. He is retired, living comfortably off his savings. Now an owner of a small home further north in Mistralton City, he leads what he would call an 'uneventful, yet peaceful end to a good life.' He likes the location. He enjoys putting his earplugs in and watching the planes land in the airport. Today, however, he is visiting the Celestial Tower found near the city on Route 7. More specifically, he has traveled there to visit his best friend.
He slowly kneels down in front of a gravestone inscribed with a single name on the front – "Lilith." She passed away fifteen years ago, and the old man visits her resting place every week. He always brings flowers. He can't help but think of her when he sees one, which is very often. He sits with her for hours and reminisces with her about old times. It's difficult for him. On some days, when he can't find the strength to speak, he just sits, content to simply be. When he's with his best friend, it doesn't matter what he does so long as they are together.
During the toughest waves of grief, he becomes painfully lonely. He gave the life of a bachelor a fair shake, but never found a permanent partner. 'Being single isn't so bad,' he reasons. It's more freeing, less complicated. Yes, he doesn't mind passing up on marriage, but Lily? His best friend? He wishes with all his heart that he could see her again. The day she left him was the worst of his entire life. The pain he felt that day is something he could not describe. World-shattering… unending… debilitating… No, words cannot measure up. Perhaps he knows now what Lilith herself suffered through when he moved out of his mother's house and left the Pokemon abandoned, without her only friend. 'Gave me a taste of my own medicine, didn't you, Lily?' he jokes with a sad laugh.
It hurts. Unbearably so. But the man endures the pain. He can cope with it because he's able to focus on the blessings. Lilith's passing was predicted. Expected. She was very old, and at the end of a Lilligant's natural lifespan. 'We don't live forever. It was simply her time.' And that, he understands, is a blessing. He was by her side, holding her hand, helping her to the other side as she left this world. Nurse Joy was with them constantly, making Lilith as comfortable as possible inside that Pokémon Center. She was cared for and loved until the moment she died. What more could the man ask for?
And above all, Lilith died happily and without regrets. The man knows this to be true. She grew old at his side. It's what she always insisted upon. Even still, the man never understood her undying desire to help him. A flawed, self-centered person like him? Her efforts were wasted on such a person, but he supposes that's something they'll just never agree on. He supposes that some people, flawed as they are, are simply blessed with supportive, loving, protective individuals that stick by them through thick and thin. 'I'm a lucky one,' he admits.
The sun begins to set, and the man rises to his feet. Leaving is the hardest part. It always is. As he walks away, he feels the tears start to form. That, too, is a constant for him. With a deep breath, he pushes the tears back. 'I've grieved plenty these last fifteen years. Now is not the time… Lily always got so upset when I'd cry, so… I'll be strong for her. I'll honor her by celebrating the happiness that she gave me instead of lamenting what I've lost.'
The man composes himself and looks back before existing the Celestial Tower. He speaks as clearly as he can…
"Goodbye for now, my friend. I'll see you again soon… I… I love you, Lily, please don't forget that… and thank you for everything."
A/N: If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading. This was just a random idea that came to me a few days ago, and I was so excited to work on it! Writing this is pretty much the only thing I've been doing with my spare time in the last three days... But that's when writing is the best! When you're so inspired by an idea that it makes you giddy. I really had fun with this.
If you liked this at all, I'd really love to hear any thoughts you have. Good, bad, doesn't matter! I worry that this is a little overdramatic, maybe? Unsatisfying? It's supposed to be sad, but maybe that focus doesn't make for an enjoyable story? I'm also not used to writing in third person, so I was trying stuff I'm not totally used to. Does it flow well? Is the pacing okay? Anything you can give me, I'm here for it. And if not, that's alright! Just having others read my story is enough to make it all worth it. Again, thanks for reading!