FSE

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My name, before I had one, was Cherubi. Just Cherubi. It was the only name I needed. For the longest time I was the only Cherubi I knew. And for the most part I was fine with that - I had the sun, I had plenty of soft dirt to sink into, and I had plenty of space to call my own.

But when a flock of Spearows moved in, I immediately wished I knew some other Cherubi that could help me fight them off. Instead, the only option was to run. Well... maybe not run...

"Cher..." I took another hop up the hill, panting. "Rub..." Another hop, and a little bit more of a rest. "Iii..." Another hop, and then I just collapsed into the dirt, exhausted. The countless hours of running were taking their toll... but after a few minutes of rest I got back up and started hopping up the hill. I couldn't stop. I could hear the birds calling to each other- mostly the Spearow, and every once in a while the sound of a Hoothoot who had woken up early. One of the Spearow had cornered me earlier, had tried plucking off my bulb, and it had hurt. I had managed to escape, my Tackle driving it into a tree and giving me time to run for cover, but now I wasn't sure what to do. Each bird call just increased my fear, and I was tired from running, and I was lost. I had run in random directions to make sure the Spearow hadn't been following me- the last thing I needed was to wake up tomorrow morning to find the Spearow looking for me- but now I couldn't remember where I had gone. I knew I had gone down a hill at some point, because I had tripped and rolled down it, landing painfully on a side that still hurt, but I wasn't sure if it had been this hill or not.

I really hoped it was this one. I wanted more than anything to be back home, to sit under the sun and just soak up its warm light, to stop running... and then there was the sound of a Spearow, and I cringed, standing up and taking another short hop forward again. Maybe this was it. Maybe I would get to the top of the hill and finally find something I recognized...

Several exhausting hops later I reached the top, and I looked down onto the other side, and the scenery beyond it. My stomach sank as I realized that I recognized none of it. The lake in the distance looked familiar at first glance, but looking closer at it I spotted enough odd little differences in the shoreline that didn't fit with the lake I remembered. None of the trees seemed right, I didn't recognize any of the prominent rocks, and I was sure I had never seen that stream before. I almost started to cry- I was so tired, and scared, and my side hurt, and I had no idea where I was- but I held it together. I had worked so hard to get up this hill; that was an accomplishment all by itself. I certainly wasn't going back the way I came after working so hard to get here, and I could still hear the birds squawking in the distance behind me, so I no choice but to keep going forward. Maybe what I was looking at would seem more familiar when I was down there. It's not like I made a habit of climbing hills to look down at my neighborhood, after all; of course my home would seem unfamiliar from up here...

With that thought held determinedly in my mind, and the sound of a Pidgey squawking somewhere in the distance, I started hopping down the hill... until a sharp pain blossomed in the back of my head, and everything went dark.

---

"What is it?" The Hoppip leaned forward to poke the sleeping Pokemon, but thought better of it at the last second, instead turning to look to her companion for advice.

"I think... maybe it's a Cherubi? I've never seen one myself, but I've heard of them; one of the colonies south of us has one. They say somewhere along the way it learned how to brighten the sunlight at times; it's been a great help to them." The Skiploom pushed off the ground, gliding deftly to a point on the other side of the sleeping Pokemon. "Poor thing looks exhausted. She must have walked a long way to get here; I've never heard of one here before."

"Should we try and take her back with us? She looks hurt; I don't think anybody would mind if she stayed for a while?"

The Skiploom hesitated as he thought about it. "Welll... she doesn't look that heavy... we could probably carry her back between the two of us. And I am a little curious where she came from. Sure. I'll carry her for a little bit, and then we'll switch off, until we get back home. Just try and be gentle; if she's sleeping out in the open like this, she must really need the sleep..."

---

I woke up gradually, a sense of warmth and light all around me. Without even opening my eyes I smiled and leaned towards the light. It felt so nice... if only that aching on my head would go away, it would be perfect... "Cherrrrr."

I probably could have stayed like that for hours, but the sound of someone giggling startled me, and I jerked awake all at once, looking towards the sound. A plant Pokemon I didn't recognize sat next to me, a few fronds sprouting from its head and waving in the gentle breeze. "Good morning, sleepy head! How are you feeling?"

"My... head hurts." I felt a soreness in the leaves growing from my head, as if one of them had been torn, or ripped off. "Where am I?"

"Oh! You're at our home. We live in this valley, a whole group of us! My father and I found you while we were out collecting berries. You were just lying in the ground, and you looked hurt, so we brought you back here." The strange Pokemon nodded, and the motion lifted it off the ground for a second. "Nobody's ever seen a Pokemon like you before. Daddy says you're called a 'Cherubi'?"

"Yes... everybody calls me Cherubi... what... type of Pokemon are you?" I looked over the young Pokemon again. It was a pink thing with two leafy fronds sprouting from its head, and it seemed to barely touch the ground it rested on.

"Oh- my name is Twirls; I'm a Hoppip. There are about thirty of us that live here; it's a perfect place for plant Pokemon!" Twirls nodded again, floating back into the air. The light-weight Pokemon seemed like it would fly off at the slightest excuse, and it was almost enough to make me forget about the pain coming from my leaves.

Almost.

"Could... am I okay? I'm not sure what... but my leaves really hurt. Is there a pool, or a stream nearby? Something I could check my reflection in?" Twirls turned away, but I caught a flicker of something before she turned away. "Um... okay. Follow me."

The Hoppip set off across the grassy field, hopping in long, drifting strides. I followed after her as best as I could, but my short hops fell far short of her graceful leaps. As we 'walked' I looked around and took in the sights. The land was a little hilly, but they were gentle, rolling hills, covered with grass and flowers. Here and there bugs floated from daffodils, to marigolds, to lilies, and short trees swayed gently in the light breeze. It was easy to see why the Hoppip had decided to live here- I could imagine just leaning against a tree and falling asleep for hours in the warm sunlight.

Occasionally we passed another Hoppip or a Skiploom, and they called out greetings to Twirls or shot curious glances as we hopped by. Twirls was so light on her feet that watching her was actually exciting. She could drift for several lengths with just the slightest spring, and she would glide on the faintest of breezes. It was neat to see, and almost made me forget about the pain coming from across my leaves.

After a short time we came to a stream that stretched off into the distance. The sound of it was a little relaxing- just a gentle babble as the water flowed on its way. Twirls stopped shot, settling to the ground beside me, but I kept hopping towards the slow-moving water. When I finally reached the edge I leaned forward to get a look at my leaves...

I immediately stepped back from surprise at the reflection, horrified, and dug my feet into the ground a little before leaning forward again to be sure. The berry that sprouted from my leaves was... gone. The stem had been ripped off, the leaves ending in a jagged tear instead of the pink skin of a berry. I had been so proud of it- it was the work of several months of life, of digging roots deep into the ground, of spreading my leaves and soaking up the warm sun- and just like that, it was gone, stolen by some hungry bird who couldn't be bothered to find a berry off a tree. The pain increased, as if now that I could see the wound I could truly understand how much it hurt. If I ever ran into the bird that did this to me...

I sighed as I sank lower into the ground. If I ever ran into the bird that did this, I would run away. No sense trying to fool myself about it. I didn't even know what had hit me; I wouldn't stand a chance against it in a fight.

Twirls seemed to realize something was wrong and hopped closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I was attacked by a bird... it broke off my..." I stopped, not sure how to explain it to the Hoppip. "One of my leaves. It hurts."

Twirls actually brightened a little at that. "Oh! Come with me; I know just who can help with that!"

The Hoppip was already jumping away before I had a chance to say anything more. I glanced back at the water one more time, cringing again at the tear in my leaves... then turned after Twirls and stated hopping after.

We followed the widening stream for a ways before Twirls finally came to a stop. "Here we are! Kiriiiiiii!" The Hoppip turned towards a large rock in the middle of what was now a small river and yelled at the top of her lungs. Or at least, what I hoped was the top of her lungs; it was very loud.

Nothing happened for several long moments... then the surface of the water broke as a brilliant serpent rose from the depths. The creature seemed to stretch on as far as I could see into the river, with the sunlight creating rainbows as it bounced off the beautiful prismatic scales along its length. The serpent stretched up above us and slithered up onto the rock, coiling up and glancing back at the shore. Water fell from its scales and down the rock as it got comfortable, and when it spoke the 'ears' on the side of its head moved and sent more rivulets of water flowing down the rock. "Hello, little Hoppip. Can I help you?"

The serpent's voice was friendly and light, which took away some of my fear at seeing the large Pokemon before me. Its voice was simply too kind to belong to something that would want to hurt me. And Twirls seemed too relaxed around it for me to worry that much. The Hoppip jumped into the air and floated over the river to land right on the serpent's head, causing the huge creature to laugh as the frond-like leaf rubbed against its scales.

Twirls glanced back at me with a smile. "This is Kirii! She's a Milotic who lives in the river; she's really nice and helps us out whenever somebody is hurt. She's really good at it! You'll be feeling better in no time!"

The serpent - the Milotic - lowered her head and dropped Twirls onto the rock before slipping back into the water and crossing over to the shore. She only came part way out of the water, stopping when she was at about eye level at me. "Oh, a Cherubi! I haven't seen one in these parts in the longest - are you hurt?"

I nodded to the Milotic, tilting up and down to signal I was. "My... um... my leaves; I was attacked by a Spearow, and..."

Kirii rose further out of the water to look behind me. "Oh... I see. That does look bad." The Milotic made a thoughtful noise deep in her throat and glanced over at the Hoppip, then back at me. "I can help a little, though... the 'leaf' will take time to grow back."

The Milotic began humming, and water started to flow upwards from the river. It covered her scales, clinging to them and glittering in the sunlight. She rose further out of the water, arching her back over me, and the water began to sprinkle downwards. I was soon covered by it, but instead of flowing down into the ground beneath me it started to gather in a series of rings around me, with several around my torn leaves. The pain immediately began to ease away, replaced by a sense of relief... and in mere seconds the pain was completely gone.

I gasped in surprise at how quickly Kirii had healed my injury, and hopped closer to the water to check on my reflection. The tear in my leaf was still noticeable, but instead of being a jagged rip it looked more like a smooth 'end' to the leaf, as if it had just grown that way instead of being torn apart. There was still water flowing over my leaves, but it was slowing and starting to flow back into the river even as I watched. I looked back up at the Milotic and hopped happily, feeling energized and so much better. "That's amazing - I feel great now; thank you!"

The Milotic smiled at me as she sank back into the water. "You're welcome! I'm happy to help. It's good to see the Hoppips and Skiplooms 'branching out' and bringing some other Pokemon into their colony; just let me know if you need anything. But I'm sure your 'leaf' will be back to normal in just a few weeks with their help." Kirii swam back to the rock and slipped her head beneath Twirls... then flung her lightly over to the shore. The Hoppip let out a happy 'Wheeee!' as she flew through the air to land next to me.

I was a little too surprised to react as the Hoppip began jumping around me. Weeks? Would I be staying here this long? I couldn't; I had to get back to...

Well... going back to my home wouldn't be a good idea. There wasn't anything there to go back to, except for a berry or two I had planted, and the Spearows had probably eaten those. Going back would just make me a target for them when my cherry did finally grow back, and I had no desire to go through the whole experience all over again. Plus, it seemed like Kirii and Twirls were both just taking it for granted that I would be able to stay here, and it didn't seem like I would get in the way of much... I could always find new berries to plant here, and help take care of them while I grew back my own cherry. It could work... though I felt like I should probably discuss it with somebody a little more 'in charge' than Twirls, just to make sure...

In the end, the Skiplooms and Hoppips were all thrilled to have me stay - the thirty or so of them living in the colony all eagerly welcomed me into their home, and were soon competing amongst themselves to find the most unique berries to bring back to me for planting. I grew to be friends with them all as the months passed, but most surprising was the friendship I grew to have with Kirii. The Hoppips were all energetic and mildly nomadic - they were sociable enough, but they had very short attention spans compared to mine, and would fly off after a bit when they got bored. But when they flew off to explore, I would stay near the riverside and tend to the berries... and Kirii would chat with me and help bring water to the thirsty plants. I could tell she was happy to see them grow, and I learned that several of the Feebas I occasionally glimpsed swimming in the river were her children and grandchildren.

Life with the Hoppip colony turned out to be much nicer than in my old home, and I eventually grew to actually be happy the Spearows had driven me out of my old home. I grew lots of healthy berries, some of which we stored in a stash the Hoppips dug, and others which we planted in a steadily growing orchard of berry trees. The months passed in idyllic happiness... until the storms came.

---

Sara hummed to herself as she watched the rain-drenched landscape speed by. The train ride was pleasant, but a little boring. John and Kenth were fast asleep in a seat farther up the train, and another passenger was dosing off towards the back, but Sara was much too excited to sleep. She turned from the window to look at the last passenger on the train, and smiled as she reached down to scratch her sleeping Umbreon's head. The voice on the intercom spoke about their destination - 'Twin Lakes Town', known for being located in between two beautiful lakes at the foot of a large mountain, with a clear river connecting the two lakes and famous for its fishing attractions - but Sara ignored it.

I'm a real trainer now! The thought went through her head once again, for what seemed the billionth time today. Yes, technically she had become a trainer the moment she opened the present on her birthday, when she had called Opal to her side for the first time... but she knew she hadn't really been one then. Everyone had watched her while they taught her to be a trainer- the class at the gym, the random visits by Clara. She wanted and valued their advice- she didn't want to make any mistakes with Opal, and she would never forget Perry's suggestion to buy Opal a reward after their gym battle against Flen, or the joy the Soothe Bell had brought her Eevee- but at the same time it had been a reminder that she wasn't a 'true' trainer yet. Lots of people had Pokemon- John had Kenth, Tiffany had a Mareep, even her dad worked with an Arcanine- but they weren't trainers.

She knew that even compared to the other kids who had Pokemon she hadn't been as much of a trainer. She had heard the other kids saying that - some of had been John's fault, but a lot of people thought she had just had everything handed to her, and that she hadn't actually done any of the work herself. It was true to an extent - she had gotten Opal as a present instead of catching him, and while her Eevee had played a key part in driving off Pokemon that were attacking Jyrrian City, she had been very sick then and hadn't been responsible for any of his actions, at least not beyond having inspired the strong sense of loyalty for her that had driven his actions.

But from the first moment she saw Opal as an Umbreon she had started to be more of a trainer. Together the two of them helped Flen with important jobs, starting with deliveries and carrying messages and moving all the way up to helping rebuild the gym. During that time she had trained Opal, from running on the way home from the gym or having him help carry things to the practices she had with John and Tiffany.

And yesterday... yesterday she had graduated from Flen's class, and earned her first gym badge. She had battled against and beatenTodd and Feren. Nobody could say she hadn't earned that win- she suspected that Perry might be the type to hold back in certain situations, but she knew Todd wouldn't pity her and would give his all in every match. That brought her to two wins and one loss - though she hadn't been there during the fight she would never forget how Opal had looked after his encounter with the Houndoom, and she considered that a loss on her part. If she had been smarter, or done things differently, maybe he wouldn't have been hurt like that. She also didn't count her battles with John - during her first one Kenth had been sick and weak, so that wasn't fair, and everything after that had just been for practice.

And finally, like real trainers, today Sara and John had set out for the next gym challenge. Early this morning they had boarded the train for Twin Lakes Town... and since then they had just watched the scenery pass by. Opal had slept through most of it - the nocturnal Pokemon had a lot of trouble staying awake in the day, and Sara tried to let him sleep when she could - and John and Kenth had joined him about an hour or so ago. They were almost there though... maybe another two or three hours, and then they would be arriving, ready to set off on the gym challenge...