Pokémon Pokémon: Restoring Balance

BlizzardBricks · Saturday at 9:09 PM

Pokémon: Restoring Balance

To Zygarde, cells disappear all the time. But when most of their network suddenly vanishes with no trace, they realize just how dire things have become. The balance of the world tilts towards disaster, and they cannot assist.

Then, when Terra and Holly’s home is attacked, events are set into motion that threaten everything the two hold dear. As spirits grow restless from beyond the grave, these two, and the friends they make, are sent on a journey that will decide the fate of the very bonds between humans and Pokémon.

Can these misfits and outcasts stop the Renaissance in time?

Prologue

The memories flashed through their mind as their slumber continued, fleeting from one memory to the next with unpredictable timing. Some memories lingered, while others lasted just a second before the next one began. However, the memories soon settled, and they were thrust back into the past with little warning.

They watched as the Trainer and her friends fought their way through the underground base, plowing through everyone who stood in their path. Currently, the Trainer’s Delphox seemed to be dancing as she moved through the battlefield, unleashing torrents of flame from her wand, laying waste to the enemies’ Pokémon. Across the battlefield, a Pikachu seemed to almost fly as he dashed out of the way of oncoming attacks, before countering with power that almost seemed Legendary in strength.

Finally, the group had reached the bottom, where they could sense Destruction slumbering, unaware as his energy was stolen to fuel the weapon. The men and their Pokémon faced off against the leadership, while the female Trainer walked slowly towards the cocoon.

Reaching out, she laid her hand on Destruction’s slumbering form. This sensation seemed to be enough to awaken him from his stasis. The cables that bound Destruction began to shake, as the energy that was stolen began to be reabsorbed. Destruction then began to glow, until a bright flash of light echoed throughout the chamber, and Yveltal finally awoke.

The humans in the awfully tacky uniforms quivered where they stood, while the Trainer and her friends appeared delighted at having freed Yveltal from his prison.

“All right, way to go, Serena!” the man wearing the red hat yelled out, excitement present in his voice. The Pikachu beside him seemed to echo his trainer’s feelings, a bright expression on his face.

At the noise, Yveltal turned to stare at the group of humans, but not before throwing a glance in their direction. Clearly, their presence had been noticed, and Yveltal knew what that meant for him if he acted out of bounds.

Unfurling his wings, Yveltal leapt off the pedestal towards ‘Serena’, and stared the human down. The Delphox did not appear deterred, as she set the ends of her wand alight. This seemed to please Yveltal, as he then lowered himself to look Serena in her eyes, and a flash of understanding occurred between human and Pokémon.

Serena then turned and spoke out, saying, “Alright, Yveltal, let’s do this!”

They observed as the orange-haired human’s Pokémon fell, his Mega Gyrados and Pyroar finally falling unconscious. The human seemed shocked by this outcome, but seemed to recover almost as fast, as they straightened the neckerchief that hung around their neck.

“Impressive. Simply impressive, for one so young to be able to tame the Legendary Pokémon of Destruction incarnate. However, don’t think that you have won just yet!” The human snarled that last statement before thrusting a hand into their coat.

The lights throughout the chamber died right there, leaving nothing but darkness. The trainers commanded their Pokémon to light up the room, but by the time fire and lightning had been unleashed, their opponent had fled.

However, the room was not as it had been. A large hole was now present in the pedestal where Yveltal had slumbered. Quickly, the glasses-wearing human rushed over. The ground rumbled and dust fell from the ceiling, causing him to stumble. Once he recovered, the man inspected the machine.

“Ash! Serena! It looks like this machine’s core has been taken!” Seeing their compatriots' blank stares, he looked about to explain, only to pause. “Wait, hold on. If I’m reading this correctly, the machine will still fire!”

The other humans let out shocked exclamations and spoke over one another as they questioned the man. “By my calculations, the blast will only impact the town and the surrounding areas. Yveltal reabsorbing most of his energy must have shrunk the blast zone.”

The woman, standing beside Destruction at this point, replied, “Well, I guess that’s better. The League evacuated most of the town, right?” The jumpsuited man nodded in affirmation. Next to the woman, the other human and his Pikachu did not appear happy at the knowledge that the Ultimate Weapon would still fire.

“Clemont, is there any way we can stop it?” he asked, voice desperate. Clemont shook his head no. He opened his mouth to reply, but another quake shook the room. “Ash, we have to go! Now! This place isn’t safe for us!”

Ash clenched a fist in anger, but nodded. The trio and their Pokémon ran towards the entrance, Yveltal flying behind them, taking up the rear. “So, Clemont, what did you say about Lysandre? Something about the core?” Ash asked.

Clemont almost stumbled and had to be steadied by the other man. “How could I forget! Lysandre made off with the remainder of Yveltal’s energy, all that isn’t being used by the weapon that is.”

“And that means…” Serena began nervously.

“It means a terrorist is on the loose with the power of Destruction incarnate in his possession!”

Yveltal cawed in anger and rage at this statement. The group had reached the entrance at this point. The avian made sure everyone had made it into the hallway before looking back. His teal eyes flashed, meeting the cell’s singular eye. A low growl echoed from the Legendary Pokémon of Destruction. He then turned back, escorting the humans out of the chamber.

They were shocked by this statement from the human. Reaching out their senses, they could indeed feel a mass of destructive energy on the move, heading towards… heading towards the largest concentration of life in this region!

They could no longer stand by. The world’s balance was about to be disrupted. If that energy were unleashed, it would devastate not only this region, but Galar, Paldea, and the uninhabited wilds that lie beyond Kalos. Intervention was necessary.

Quickly, they broke their connection to their cell and summoned all the cells available in this hemisphere. The remaining would take time to gather, so fifty percent would have to do for now.

If the planet’s balance was in jeopardy, Zygarde would answer!

They had rushed out of their cave once most of their cells had entered the region. They willed their 10 percent form to manifest, and sped towards ‘Lumiose City’ as quickly as they could.

Along the way, Zygarde winced as they felt the Ultimate Weapon fire and land on the coastal town. They wished they could have stopped the impact, but whatever this ‘Lysandre’ wished to do with Yveltal’s energy was more important. Xerneas could clean up Yveltal’s mess. Several young cells pinged the network, but they blew them off.

By the time they could view Lumiose Tower in the distance, their cells had reached them, allowing them to take on their more powerful 50 percent form if they needed to.

However, to their shock, the destructive energy they had been tracking seemed to disappear. No, wait, they could faintly sense it. It was underneath the city. But what was that presence next to it?

As Zygarde reached the edge of the city, they knelt, tensing their hind legs before leaping high into the air. The canine landed on one of the buildings nearby, out of sight of any humans, and concentrated on that new aura. Where had they sensed it before?

It suddenly came back to them. A few decades ago, Sky had spoken during one of the Legendary Council sessions of a meteor they had discovered, one filled with Primal Energy. Sky said that he had stashed the meteor in some Draconid ruins for safekeeping, citing that it would be useful if the planet were ever threatened.

“You stupid, overgrown, Ekans! We told the council that the rock should just be thrown into the Sun! Damn what Helios thinks!” Zygarde hissed out, anger filling their voice. “Is that why Land and Sea were active recently? They should have returned to their slumber after those maniacs in Hoenn were dealt with!”

Furious, Zygarde leapt off the building they stood on, drawing a few curious stares from the locals. They ignored this and unleashed a howl, channeling all the anger and rage that now filled every cell of theirs.

“Enough of this!” Zygarde roared out, summoning the rest of their cells to them. Their hind legs fused, elongating into one long tail. Their forelegs melted into their chest as their head moved away from the ground. Five crests grew out from their neck, fanning out to frame their head. Finally complete, Zygarde’s 50 percent form roared to the heavens, warning Lysandre and his lackeys of their fate.

They unleashed their fury on the city that lay before them. Buildings crumbled as they rushed through the city, hexagons flying every which way to prevent anyone from stopping them. A trail of destruction lay in Zygarde’s wake, one that they paid no mind to.

Finally, they had reached the city's epicenter. Directly below them lay Yveltal’s stolen energy and Rayquaza’s missing meteor. Rearing up, Zygarde charged their core with as much energy as their cells could absorb, before unleashing a bright green burst of energy directly into the earth below.

Zygarde continued to sustain Core Enforcer for nearly a full minute, until finally, they ceased the attack. The beam vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Reaching out with their senses, Zygarde could not detect the meteor or the destructive energy anywhere, confirming that they had been destroyed in the blast.

Zygarde returned to the ground wearily. Charging and maintaining Core Enforcer was extremely difficult without all of their cells to help control the energy, and they were quite drained from the effort.

Turning, Zygarde began to slither away, making their way out of Lumiose City. They beheld the destruction they had caused and felt a brief pang of regret at their actions. However, they quickly pushed those feelings aside. However, many of their younger, more rebellious cells did not seem to want the issue dropped.

“Great going, Core! You know we’re supposed to ‘protect’ the planet, right!” Zygarde had to stifle a sigh. It seemed that Cell 448-773-38 was going to be their usual aggravating self. Zygarde had hoped that their time in Paldea’s Area Zero would have helped tame their attitude, but it seemed to have only emboldened the young cell.

“Enough Cell 448-773-38! If Destruction’s energy had combined with the Primal energy inside that meteor, we could have faced a threat not seen since the Darkest Day!” Zygarde paused before conceding, “Although it is tragic, it was ultimately necessary.”

Shaking themselves out of their stupor, Zygarde began to move once more, but firmly stated to all their cells, “We are the Pokémon of Order, tasked by the Original One Himself to preserve the balance of the planet-” Cell 448-773-38 interrupted them before Zygarde could continue. “Order, right…then why have we not done anything about Area Zero? We all know how dangerous the being down there is. Now humans are accessing its power! I suppose standing by as ROBOT Pokémon invade Paldea is upholding order?”

“Robot Pokémon? What delusions are you suffering from now?”

Before Zygade could question Cell 448-773-38, their senses suddenly went into overdrive! It was as if they were surrounded by… themselves? Turning, Zygarde looked back at the crater they had left. It was glowing a bright purple, and as they watched, a beam of energy shot out from the crater, hitting the hexagonal serpent directly in the chest, launching them into the air.

Zygarde spun through the air, landing haphazardly on a row of buildings that groaned with the effort of supporting them. As the Pokémon slithered off the buildings and raised themselves back up, dead and destroyed cells flaked off their form, leaving a large, jagged scar behind where the beam had impacted.

From the crater emerged another Zygarde, this one crystalline in form and much, much larger than Zygarde themselves were. Peering closer, Zygarde could see the meteor at the center of the construct. Best the gestalt could gather, the meteor had absorbed Yveltal’s destructive energy, and together had formed a body around themselves.

“The damn rock probably absorbed our Core Enforcer as well,” they thought bitterly. The idea of another version of them existing left a bitter taste in their cells, especially a man-made creation such as this. Nevertheless, Zygarde steadied themselves and roared out a challenge, determined to take down the imposter and restore the world’s balance.

They watched as the human from the underground base, ‘Ash,’ soared through the air. He and his companions must have made it out before the Ultimate Weapon fired and impacted. The man landed on the construct alongside his Pikachu and his Greninja, who seemed to possess the ability to Mega Evolve without a stone, much to Zygarde’s shock.

Regardless, the man and his Pokémon dove deep into the construct and ran out soon afterwards, clutching a Chespin in his arms. As this happened, the construct roared out as if in pain and stopped in its tracks.

This was Zygarde’s chance! Quickly, the gestalt summoned their remaining cells and formed their ultimate form around their core. Their body grew upright, forming into a hulking titan that leapt into the air.

Concentrating, Zygarde commanded all their cells to absorb as much energy from the environment as could be taken. This time, they were determined to erase the meteor from existence.

The energy inside them continued to build until the effort was nearly tearing their form apart, energy escaping from the seams between their cells. Finally, it was ready, and Zygarde unleashed the largest Core Enforcer they had ever created. The beam impacted the construct, tearing through it like wet paper. Zygarde ensured that their signature ‘Z’ was made, and in a flash of green light, the construct vanished, leaving nothing but a new crater to dot the mountainous landscape.

They had returned to their slumber after things had calmed down and sent their cells back across the world to observe events. So far, nothing had required Zygarde to intervene, although a few did come close.

The Blinding One’s reappearance in Alola was certainly unexpected, though it seemed the Island Guardians were able to handle the Ultra Beasts that invaded afterwards. What Zygarde was not expecting was for Eternatus itself to resurrect, especially so close to their home. Everyone had believed Eternatus had been slain 20,000 years prior through the combined efforts of almost every major Legendary. Dialga and Palkia even put aside their eons-long feud to fight the invader.

Yet before Zygarde could fully awaken and intervene, Eternatus’s presence vanished. Upon further investigation, it seemed that it had been taken care of by yet another group of young men and women.

Things had been quiet since then, and so Zygarde continued their slumber, unaware of the danger they would soon face.

It began slowly at first. A cell would disappear here and there, with one disappearing a few days or so. Zygarde paid it no mind at first. Cells disappeared all the time, from Pokémon mistaking them for food, getting caught in Pokémon attacks from battles, to being accidentally destroyed by humans. Zygarde simply directed a nearby cell to investigate and undergo cellular division to replace the lost one.

However, the disappearances soon became an everyday occurrence, with entire clusters of cells vanishing. When other cells would investigate, those too would vanish.

Normally, Zygarde would always be able to communicate with their cells, unless the cell had been destroyed. This time, however, the cells were not destroyed, yet communication was still cut off. Did whoever was responsible, as this was no natural phenomenon at this point, know that Zygarde had a limit to the number of cells they could create? A restriction was placed upon them by the Original One long ago, to ensure that they could not endlessly replicate and become a cancer upon the world.

Not that Zygarde would ever do such a thing. They were meant to maintain balance, and they had no desire to overthrow that balance. But the Original One was nothing but careful.

The memories flew back faster once more, shifting and morphing into something more akin to dreams, no, akin to nightmares. Zygarde dreamt of times where they failed to stop the construct in time, where it united with the Anistar City Sundial and absorbed its energy before unleashing it, devastating the entire world at the whims of a madman.

Their dreams then shifted to all of their cells being stolen away, silenced in some sort of lair similar to the one Yveltal had been trapped in. They witnessed their cells suffering torment and experimentation, given the bare minimum of sustenance to sustain themselves and keep them from death.

These nightmares continued until they grew too much to bear. Zygarde awoke in a fit of terror, eye moving frantically as the red hexagon in their chest pulsed rapidly. As Zygarde fully left the dream, the pulses slowed down in frequency, and their emotions began to settle.

Once they had fully calmed themselves, they sent a message to their cells, hoping to still receive a response, but fearing that they were the last piece of themselves still free.

After a terrifying minute, Zygarde finally received a reply! It seemed that they still had cells out there in the world. Although their cytoplasm did flutter in agitation when they realized the respondent was Cell 448-773-38. However, as the minutes passed and the replies grew less and less frequent, they became increasingly less hopeful.

Only around 7 percent of Zygarde’s cellular network had responded, barely enough for them to take on their canine form. They’d have to forgo some of the features then, and even still, that form could break if facing strong opposition.

The continual loss of their cells presented another issue for Zygarde. The more cells they had access to, the faster they could process information, and the stronger they would be in battle. However, there was another, darker issue this presented. The fewer cells Zygarde had control over, the more volatile their emotional state would be, as each cell would have a larger amount of control over their actions, and the more their actions could be controlled by a small minority of outlier cells.

That was what Zygarde feared the most, deep down.

As Zygarde went through the list of cells that had responded, that fear continued to grow. They had only heard from their newer, younger, more rebellious cells. It seemed that Zygarde’s decision to send new cells to remote locations around the world as a learning experience was now coming back to bite them in the tail.

Thankfully, the cells they had sent to Nebel Plateau and Lumiose City remained, continuing to monitor Life and Destruction. Perhaps their fairy and dark auras were helping to mask the energy signature of the cells. But the thought of those cells being captured was greatly concerning to the Legendary Pokémon. Zygarde would lose their ability to monitor their partners, and it would allow interlopers to attack Life and Destruction.

They had some faith in the human female, Serena, to protect Yveltal, but Xerneas was all alone on the plateau.

“Ugh, enough of that,” they thought, and pushed the depressing thoughts away for the time being. They alerted the remaining cells to their situation and to look out for anything suspicious. If anything occurred, the cells needed to alert Zygarde immediately, so they could issue the return command.

The world needed to stay in balance.

Zygarde only hoped that they’d still be in control when the time came.

Notes:
So welcome to Restoring Balance! I've been writing and posting this story to AO3 for several months now, but I've decided to start posting it here as well. The idea for this story came from the folks over in a Discord server I'm a part of. They gave me the idea to create my own Pokémon OC, and I ended up wanting to write a story about them, so this is the result! More and more ideas gathered in my mind as it went along, so here's the result. I hope you enjoy reading the story. I'll try and post a couple of chapters every few days or so until this gets caught up to AO3.

Also, Cell 448-773-38: Take a look at the Pokédex. I’m sure you can find my inspiration. 10 Terra Tokens if you can figure it out

BlizzardBricks · Saturday at 9:12 PM

Chapter 1 - Victory Yet Defeat

Every step seems to pull at his shell, the pain shooting through his body with every step.

“Just… a little… further,” Grotle thought to himself, “Just… one step… after the other.”

Grotle struggled onward through the darkening forest, the canopy blocking almost all light from reaching the surface below. And what was with the mist? The forest was blanketed in a fog that seemed never-ending. Grotle hadn’t noticed it at first, but he could barely see his own feet now, let alone where he was going.

Not for the first time, Grotle berated himself for not treating the wound that split his shell sooner. “Why wouldn’t the wound get infected, you shell-less Dwebble? It was a poison-type Pokémon that caused the injury! Who needs Pecha berries to remove poison? Not me, apparently! No, I’ll let my body process the poison instead!”

Grotle tried to use the anger he felt to fuel himself onward, but he could feel his strength leaving him, leaving him feeling empty inside.

It had been a hard-won victory, although it came at great cost. Grotle, a Turtwig at the time, had somewhat of a reputation throughout the mountains of Kalos, a reputation he was very proud of. His body was covered in scratches and scars, symbols of his many victories against the denizens of the region.

His reputation had gotten him into trouble. Pokémon Rangers began to put out alerts to Kalosian citizens, warning them of a powerful Turtwig living southeast of Snowbelle City.

Unfortunately, that resulted in every aspiring Trainer venturing out into the wilds in pursuit of Turtwig. A powerful Grass-type Pokémon, one often given out to new Trainers in the faraway Sinnoh region, who could pass up an opportunity like that? Many a young child had watched in awe as Lucas, the current Champion of Sinnoh, dethroned Cynthia, taking her Garchomp down with an earth-shattering Earthquake from his loyal Torterra.

At first, Turtwig had welcomed the challenge and met each Trainer and their Pokémon head-on. That feeling quickly turned into annoyance, and then into anger, as more and more trainers challenged him to a battle.

Eventually, Turtwig was fighting multiple encounters a day, and these were no longer against aspiring Trainers. Ace trainers, Lumiose Conference hopefuls, and more had entered the valleys Turtwig called home, all hoping to capture him.

It grew too much for Turtwig to bear, and in his last battle, one against a female trainer and her Whirlipede, it came to a head.

The two Pokémon had fought for the better part of an hour at this point, trading blow after blow. Eventually, with what little strength he could muster, Turtwig bellowed to the sky above and launched himself at the opposing Pokémon. Whirlipede’s eyes widened as Turtwig almost flew through the air, with speeds rivaling that of a full-grown Fletchinder.

While hurtling through the air, a glow filled Turtwig’s eyes, quickly spreading to encompass his entire being. His shell expanded as his legs stretched and bulked up to support the new weight. Two shrubs grew out of his shell, new growth reaching towards the sunlight to absorb its plentiful energy, as a thick helmet grew over his skull.

The Whirlipede tried to maneuver out of the way, but he was too injured from the fight and couldn’t move fast enough. The newly evolved Grotle descended on Whirlipede, and the force of 200 pounds colliding with the Pokémon was enough to crack his carapace.

Whirlipede let out a screech from the pain, but was pinned by Grotle’s bulk, and couldn’t free himself.

“Finally, time for some payback!” Grotle thought, a sadistic grin spreading across his face. Pressing down firmly on Whirlipede, Grotle lifted his left foreleg, intent on bringing it down on Whirlipede. Hard.

Sweat dripped from Grotle’s brow. Merely standing was taking its toll on Grotle’s strength, but he needed to teach Whirlipede and his trainer a lesson they’d not soon forget. Distantly, Grotle could hear the woman cry out to her Pokémon, but he paid her no mind. She was not a threat and would flee as soon as Whirlipede had been dealt with, just like everyone else who had challenged him.

Grotle thrust his foreleg downward, slamming his foot into Whirlipede’s side, directly where his carapace had cracked. Again, Whirlipede screeched out in pain from the blow, but to Grotle’s amazement, he did not pass out from the blow.

Growing increasingly angry, Grotle hit Whirlipede with blow after blow, causing the cracks to expand with each hit. Despite all this, Whirlipede remained conscious, a fiery look in his eye as he glared upward at Grotle.

“Just… faint… already!” Grotle screamed in his mind. Each blow pulled at his flagging strength. Eventually, Grotle was unable to continue, and he had to cease his strikes, lest he pass out from the effort.

His chest heaving, Grotle shifted his weight slightly as he lowered his foot back to the earthen floor. This was exactly what Whirlipede and his trainer had been waiting for.

Unbeknownst to Grotle, Whirlipede’s trainer had commanded him to use Endure, allowing him to stay conscious despite Grotle’s best efforts otherwise. As Grotle shifted his weight, he accidentally let go of Whirlipede for a brief moment, allowing him to move out from under Grotle.

Whirlipede seized the freedom offered to him and spun along the ground, throwing Grotle off of him. “How can he still move!” Grotle was shocked by this action, but he struggled to get back up. His strength was gone.

Whirlipede had not escaped unscathed either. As he rolled along the ground, he swayed from side to side. Regardless, Grotle could only observe as Whirlipede bounced upwards, hitting a nearby tree before ricocheting backwards, directly for Grotle, his antennae glowing with a harsh purple light.

Whirlipede impacted Grotle’s shell, raking his antennae across it, leaving a deep gash in the shell and injecting Grotle with as much poison as he could manage. Whirlipede continued through the air, eventually landing in a heap in a bush outside the impromptu battlefield. Grotle screamed out from the pain before his body finally gave out, and he fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Awareness slowly came back to Grotle. He opened his eyes and winced at the brightness that greeted him. His whole body ached, especially his upper back and his shell. “Damn, haven’t had a fight that tough in a while. These Trainers are something else,” he begrudgingly admitted to himself.

As he pulled himself to his feet, Grotle choked back a cry as the injury pulled at his shell. Looking back, he saw that the Whirlipede had managed to pierce through his shell and cut into his flesh underneath. The flesh wound had scabbed over, but his shell would take months to fully seal, leaving him vulnerable in the meantime.

Looking around, it looked like the Trainer and her Whirlipede had vacated the area. Instead, Grotle only beheld the destruction his battle had caused. Craters littered the ground from Grotle’s tackles, while trees bore damage from Whirlipede using them to bounce around the arena. Many of the Pokémon that lived nearby seemed to have been scared off by the noise as well, and did not seem ready to return. Grotle did not want to run into the Pokémon whose homes he had damaged. He doubted he had the strength to handle even a Magikarp in the state he was in.

That had been around a week ago at this point. For the first couple of days, Grotle’s strength slowly returned to him as he continued to wander through the valleys of southeastern Kalos. However, a persistent ache had been present around Grotle’s upper back.

At first, Grotle had ignored the pain, thinking it was simply lingering pain from the wound to his shell. His mother had often complained about how many cracks in her shell would pull from time to time. At the end of day three, Grotle realized how mistaken he had been.

He was applying an Oran berry paste he had created to his wound when he noticed that the skin underneath was extremely red and puffy, with an odd yellow tinge. “Damn it, I think it’s infected!” Grotle silently exclaimed.

He tried not to panic and remain calm, although he was struggling to keep a level head. He had traveled quite a way from his usual haunts and was unfamiliar with the surroundings he now found himself in. His supplies were limited to a few Oran berries he had gathered along the way.

To Grotle’s left lay a river, likely stemming from the vast glaciers that lay in the Furfrou Mountain Range that cut between Kalos and its neighbor Paldea. The river cut through the landscape, its babbling waters slowly moving as it traveled deeper into Kalos.

Thinking to himself, Grotle eventually decided to travel along the river. It would grant him easy access to water, and he hoped that berry trees could be found growing nearby. He gathered up his meager supplies, storing them in the hedges that grew on his shell for safekeeping. Wincing from the pain, he staggered to his feet and pushed onward, plunging deep into the Kalosian wilderness.

His supplies had quickly run out, leaving him with nothing but the river to quench his thirst. No berry trees seemed to grow, the dense canopy keeping almost all light from reaching the forest floor below, starving any hopeful sprouts of much-needed light. Days passed this way, with Grotle soon losing all track of time. His routine eventually became one of simple survival - wake up, drink desperately from the river beside him, continue his trek through the forest depths, sleep, and repeat when he next woke up.

The infection spread quickly with no berries to treat it. Grotle could feel the infection sap at his flagging strength with every step he now took. It was a constant effort now to keep moving forward, his body crying out for him to lie down and take a break. Several times, Grotle found himself lying down in the earth, his eyes drooping from the struggle of staying awake.

In the back of his mind, Grotle wondered where all the Pokémon went. The forest surrounding him was silent, the only sound that of him gasping for every breath. Normally, forests like this were filled with noise. From Bunnelby and Patrat scampering through the undergrowth, Fletchinders and their flocks crying out in the trees, Scatterbugs and Spewpa mindlessly munching on ferns and leaves, forests were filled with noise. The sudden silence unnerved Grotle and drove further the fear that lurked in his mind.

“Grah!”

Crying out, Grotle’s legs finally gave out, the last of his strength finally leaving him, leading him to crash unceremoniously to the ground. He tried to push himself back up, but he couldn’t find the strength. As his thoughts faded away, the last thing Grotle heard was a melodic voice softly saying.

“Oh, what do we have here?”

She gazed out at the forest, its lush canopy visible as far as the eye could see. She then took a moment to taste the air, breathing in the crisp scent of summer.

“Hmm, it seems it’s going to rain later today. Heavily, too, based on the amount of humidity in the air. Guess Magearna was correct, like usual.”

Holly felt her leg ache at the thought of the weather going south. The Liepard had ventured out to her tree earlier in the day, hoping to get away from the hustle and bustle of Aube Village.

She’d been doing that a lot recently. If she wasn’t taking on additional patrols, she was spending time in this tree hollow, gazing out at the horizon. It wasn’t that she hated her life in the village. Far from it, in fact. It sure beat continuously failing in training under J-

She hissed, her thoughts derailing as her mind refused to say their name. Her heart pounded in her chest, and the aching stump of her left leg throbbed in pain. It felt like the sides around her were closing in, her claws digging into the bark underneath her paws.

Eventually, her breath slowed, and Holly regained control of her senses. Unfortunately, it seemed her panic had caused her to tear apart the moss and bracken she used as a nest. She groaned.

“Great,” she said, sarcasm rolling off her tongue. “Just what I wanted to do. Haul moss up this tree. Why did I make my second home 50 meters above the ground again?”

The Liepard stood up, shaking herself briefly to dislodge any remaining scraps of moss that may have clung to her pelt. She stepped out of the tree hollow, back onto the branch that grew just below it. She followed the thick branch along till the end, where she then leapt to another tree branch that grew nearby.

She loved the thrill of climbing trees and leaping unseen from high above. Maybe it was the Dark typing in her, she mused absentmindedly. Holly knew this part of Nebel Plateau like the back of her paw and could effortlessly move about.

Finally, after about 15 minutes of moving from tree to tree, she reached her destination. With a final leap, she jumped from the branch she stood upon to the forest floor below. Her tail caught on a loose twig as she descended, causing her to misjudge her balance and collapse on the ground.

“Dammit!” she cried. The Liepard pushed herself back upright with a huff, and she glared at the reason she lost her balance. It had been several years at this point, but she was still learning how to walk again.

She looked back at her hind legs. While her right leg was perfectly normal, albeit for a scattering of scars from battles past, her left leg was much worse off. Where her thigh transitioned to her knee, there was nothing but air.

Her left leg was gone, taken from her after infection had set in during her flight to the plateau, after…

After…

No, the memory was still too painful! Holly’s ears fell back against her head. Ugh, what was with her today? Why did these memories keep being brought up? She had buried her past for a reason!

Holly tried to busy herself by gathering up a pawful of moss into a bundle she could carry back with her to her tree. While she worked, she heard the leaves behind her rustle and the cry of a pair of Fletchinder mates as they landed.

“Thanks for the flight, dear. Oh, guess we found where Holly ran off to. Hello, Holly,” one of the birds called out. Holly responded by raising her tail in greetings, but continued to focus on her task.

She wasn’t all that friendly with the rest of the villagers. Sure, she made sure to be polite and kind to those she interacted with, but she wouldn’t consider any of them friends. The closest Pokémon that could qualify for that label were probably Magearna and, oddly enough, Volcanion.

“Great, my only friends are a walking Poké Ball and her shadow.” Holly wasn’t too upset by this thought, though it did irk her to realize she didn’t have anyone close to her. Should she try changing that?

“... hear what Heliolisk found earlier?” Holly’s ears perked up as she overheard what the two mates were discussing. Did something happen?

The feline quickly asked, “Wait, what happened with Heliolisk?” The Ember Pokémon turned to look at her. The male spoke up, “Oh, right. I suppose you had left by then. Heliolisk came back. You know how they like to wander, right?”

Much to Holly’s chagrin, she did. Heliolisk had an annoying habit of wandering around the plateau and the surrounding countryside. Holly kept worrying that they would end up drawing unwanted attention to the plateau if any intrepid humans ventured into the wilderness and encountered Heliolisk. The village’s best defense was its location, far away from civilization.

Holly nodded at Fletchinder’s question, and his mate picked up the story. She said, “They came back saying how they stumbled across a torn-up battlefield. Torn ground, damaged trees, the usual when it comes to humans. But what Heliolisk spoke of were the stories the local Pokémon had told them when they inquired.”

“Apparently, a bunch of humans were out recently trying to catch some Pokémon, but kept being defeated. Seems like it must have been that Pokémon all the new villagers had been speaking of. You know the rumors, right, Holly?”

She didn’t.

Holly shook her head no, and the two avians looked at her, confused. “Huh, figured you’d be on top of that sort of thing, given your drive to protect the village.” The male then interjected, holding a wing up to his beak to cover a laugh. “I’ll say! How many ‘patrols’ do you do each week? Twenty?”

A growl echoed from deep in Holly’s throat at the slight, and thankfully, the Fletchinder’s mate slapped him. “Be nice, dear! All of us appreciate the work Holly does for the village. Anyways, a lot of the newcomers had been telling stories of a Turtwig that had been prowling the nearby wilderness, seeking battle.”

Her heart raced when she heard that name. I-it couldn’t be!

“A-are you sure?” she asked. Her mouth was suddenly very dry, and she could feel her body shaking. Her stump throbbed once more.

“Why! Why did it have to be him!”

BlizzardBricks · Saturday at 9:16 PM

Chapter 2 - A Cervine Surprise

A gentle breeze softly echoed through the grove, the hanging vines fluttering at its touch. A brook babbled its way off on one side, feeding her garden with the lush nutrients it needed to thrive. In the back of the grove sat a massive tree, its golden limbs reaching towards the heavens, multicolored leaves slowly falling from its boughs as summer slowly grew to a close, the autumn season growing closer with each day that passed.

She stepped through her garden, tending to each sprout to ensure that it would grow happy and healthy. She took note of those who were struggling and made sure to give those more attention, sending her power into each. Within a few moments, the flagging buds were restored, and one could never have guessed that they had been struggling.

She continued to weave through her garden, tending to it as she always had. A routine event at this point, she allowed her thoughts to wander and cast her senses out to observe the wider world.

“Hmm, it seems the Flygon tribe finally stopped feuding with the Tyranitar settlement. That’s quite a relief. If tensions had continued escalating, it likely would have spiraled out of control. Glad things seem to have calmed down.”

Her thoughts continued to stray until she sensed movement nearby. “Oh, good, it seems he’s waking up.”

The guardian of the Tree of Life ended her observation and pushed herself to her hooves. Stepping carefully to avoid injuring any of her plants, she made her way deeper into her groove, heading towards the tree she is tasked with guarding.

Pushing aside golden vines, she stepped inside the cave she called home and cast her eyes on the slumbering form of Grotle, his form shifting as he slowly awoke from the slumber he had fallen into when she stumbled across him a few days ago.

Continuing deeper into her cave, Xerneas fetched several berries to give to the Grove Pokémon once he woke up. He’d like Sitrus berries, right?

The first thing Grotle felt was softness. His entire body was surrounded by the softest moss he had ever felt. He blearily opened his eyes, wincing at the light that shone through the gaps in… were those vines?

Grotle was instantly on alert, but as he looked around, he seemed to be alone. Thinking about it, he faintly remembered passing out in some sort of grove, so how is he now in a cave?

He attempted to get to his feet, but his legs gave out from under him, and he was sent sprawling across the ground.

“Oh, I’d be a bit more careful if I were you. You’ve been asleep for a few days now, so your body is likely unused to moving.”

A melodic voice echoed throughout the cavern, frightening Grotle. He had thought he was alone! He retreated deep inside his shell and began charging Earth Power, ready to unleash it on whomever had captured him.

Yet, nothing happened. No attack came out of the dark. Several long minutes passed, and eventually Grotle poked his head out, only for an airy laugh to send him retreating inside the safety of his shell.

“Oh, my apologies, little one. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” the figure continued to speak, and Grotle watched as the majestic form of the Goddess of Life, Xerneas, entered the cave, smiling down at Grotle.

Grotle was awestruck. Here he was, hiding away while in the presence of one of the divine. He quickly emerged from his shell and attempted to bow, but his legs gave out on him once more.

“Ow!” Grotle’s voice was hoarse. He was frantically trying to remember the lessons his father, a prickly Garchomp, had tried to instill in him regarding honoring the divine, but his mind was still fogged and unresponsive. “Is it rude to look a Legend in the eye? And do you address a major Legend by ‘Your Grace’, or is it ‘My Lord’? Wait, no, Lord is for minor Legends. Dammit, I should have paid more attention to the old Sharpedo!”

Grotle snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Xerneas quietly chuckle at his antics. “It’s alright, little one. I’m not here to harm you. I simply came across your injured form a few days ago, and brought you back to my home to tend to your injuries.”

The deer then lowered her head and pushed a small pouch over to the turtle. “Here, this will help you get your strength back.”

Grotle reached inside the pouch and had to hold back a wince as he pulled out a Sitrus berry. He hated dry berries. Still, he wanted to remain respectful. He had never seen Sitrus berries this large before. Most of the Sitrus trees he knew about were guarded with near-zealotry by their owners, and when he did find one in his travels, it was usually dry, with barely enough nutrients to replace a common Oran berry.

It looked like he wasn’t able to fully hold back his distaste, as Xerneas responded, “Not a fan of Sitrus?”

“They’re a bit… dry for my taste.”

“Ah, I see. Lemme guess, you’re more a fan of sour berries. Wait, no, you prefer spicy ones.”

Grotle was slightly unnerved by how easily the Legendary was able to see through him, but he nodded slightly, unsure as to what else he could say. He busied himself instead by eating one of the berries he had been gifted.

A playful smile remained on Xerneas’s muzzle, but no more was said while Grotle continued consuming the Sitrus berries. Finally, as he finished off the last bites, Xerneas stood up and motioned with her tail for Grotle to follow.

Nervous but unwilling to disobey a god, Grotle got up and followed. Together, the two pushed through the swaying vines that protected the cave entrance from the elements and emerged into the grove.

Grotle was stunned by what he saw: a massive oak tree clad in golden bark, stretching so high that its upper limbs touched the clouds above. Rather than green leaves adorning its branches, the leaves bore every color in the rainbow. Reds more vibrant than Cheri berries, yellows more vivid than a Pikachu’s fur. Shimmering golden vines hung from its boughs and were what Xerneas and he had been pushing through. Apparently, Xerneas made her home inside the tree itself.

Shaking himself out of his astonishment, he lowered his head and observed the rest of the grove. A brook cut through most of the land on the right, with a sizable garden nearby with plenty of berry trees and other flora growing. The trees were filled with the largest berries he had ever seen. “So the Sitrus fruit wasn’t an outlier,” the Grove Pokémon thought. He spied the bright red sheen of a Cheri berry bush, and his mouth began to water as he saw how ripe the berries were.

Xerneas made her way towards the garden with Grotle following behind. He watched as her antlers shifted in color, becoming a soft golden color, and multicolored crystals emerged. He could also feel a shift in the air, a soft energy that seemed to penetrate his very being.

As the two reached the edge of the garden, Xerneas’s antlers glowed a vibrant pink in color, as she levitated a woven basket to her side.

“Come. It’s harvest time, and I want to get all these berries picked before Kyurem’s frosts come through. We can talk while we work.”

Grotle stepped forward, but froze when she spoke again, “And watch where you tread with those clumsy feet of yours. I don’t want you killing any of my plants.”

Grotle gulped down the nervousness he now felt. Xerneas said that playfully, yet there was a clear warning in her tone, and he didn’t want to discover what would happen should he misstep.

The goddess and the mortal set to work picking the various trees of their fruit, but before long, Xerneas spoke up, asking, “So how was it that you ended up on death’s door outside my home? That was quite a nasty infection you were dealing with. I’m surprised you made it so far in your condition.”

Grotle let out a growl at the reminder of how Whirlipede had laid him low. Sighing, he explained his story to the Legendary, explaining how he had been doggedly pursued by Trainers who desired his strength, and how that had worn him down over time. He described the battle where he finally evolved, shedding the shell of a Turtwig and blooming into the hardened armor of a Grotle. He chronicled his victory over Whirlipede and his Trainer, and the grievous blow Whirlipede had dealt him. Finally, he reached the end of his tale, explaining how he had wandered through the darkening forest, seeing some way to treat his growing infection, until he collapsed.

Xerneas was silent for a bit, processing the story Grotle had given. Eventually, she set her basket down and looked at Grotle, a questioning but firm look in her eyes. Whatever she wanted, she was determined to get it.

“Why did you not finish the battle with Whirlipede when you had the chance? From what you’ve told me, one more move would have knocked him out. Why did you resort to punching him?”

She was expecting an answer. Grotle swallowed the bile that rose in his throat before stuttering out, “I…uh…”

The Goddess of Life cut him off, continuing, “You wanted to make Whirlipede suffer. You used them as a way to release all your anger and frustration. That wasn’t fair to him or his Trainer. For all you know, Whirlipede was her only Pokémon, and you left her defenseless and alone in the wild.”

Grotle shivered, the intensity of her glare freezing him in place. He wished he could retreat into his shell, but he dared not move a muscle.

The cervine Pokémon spoke again, “You know, I’ve heard about you, did you know that?”

Officially scared, Grotle could only nod slightly as Xerneas continued. “Many of the Pokémon on this plateau have stories to tell. Stories about how they had run away from their trainers, been abandoned for not being strong enough. It seems that every year, more and more Pokémon are abandoned, as the Gym Circuit becomes ever more competitive, as trainers continue to grow in power, more and more get left behind, unable to keep up.”

She sighed, her antlers shifting to match her melancholy. Dazzling reds, yellows, and greens were replaced by somber blues and purples. Grotle was surprised that a Legendary Pokémon would allow a mere mortal like him to see them in this state. He had always been told that Legends were divinity incarnate, so to see one express such emotion, to see Xerneas act like any other Pokémon, was extremely unsettling.

She remained quiet for some time. As Grotle waited in growing concern, he busied himself by harvesting the plentiful berry trees. It was rather difficult trying to pick berries on 4 legs, especially with his damaged shell, but he managed to fill a couple of baskets as Xerneas was lost in her thoughts.

“If only I could use my tail. I could use it to knock the berries off the tree and pick them from the ground.” As Grotle thought that, though, he glanced over at the deity beside him and wisely decided against that action.

Eventually, Xerneas picked up her basket and continued her story, plucking berries with a glow of psychic energy, much to Grotle’s envy. “So many Pokémon nowadays… But lately, they’ve told different stories. They’ve spoken of a Turtwig, one whose power belies their small stature.”

Grotle shifted his weight, flinching slightly as the cut on his shell pulled once again. He was not looking forward to waiting for his shell to heal. He’d likely bear the scar until he evolved and bore the might of a Torterra.

Xerneas saw his reaction. “I did the best I could to tend to your injury, but that pain will stay with you. Whirlipede cut deep into your back. An inch deeper and you’d likely have lost the use of your rear legs.”

He was stunned by that statement. He could have been paralyzed! “Why… shouldn’t my shell have protected me? My mother was able to absorb blows that would have laid out a Tauros!”

“Hmm. Usually, when testudine Pokémon, like the Blastoise, Torterra, and the Drednaw line, evolve, their shells are fragile. That’s why Whirlipede was able to cut through your shell. It’s rather ironic, really. If you had remained a Turtwig, you likely would not have been injured.”

Irritation filled Grotle, annoyance at Xerneas. “Wait, I’m not annoyed at her… is it myself?”

Xerneas remained silent as Grotle tried to penetrate the tangled web that was his emotional state. “I’m angry at… myself?”

Grotle realized that Xerneas was right. If he had taken Whirlipede out with any one of his moves, he wouldn’t have been injured so badly. If he had paid attention to his parents in his youth, he likely would have remembered how soft his shell would be, and wouldn’t have been consumed by the high that came from evolution. He might not have lost himself in his rage and fought with a clear head.

He sighed and averted his gaze from Xerneas. She seemed to recognize that he had reached the same conclusion she had. “I’m not saying this to demean you, but you have incredible power inside of you. I want to help you hone that power, and to use it to help others.”

“So you want me to repay the debt I now owe you? You could have just started with that,” Grotle sneered, before adding, “...ma’am.” Xerneas did not seem to take offense to his tone, thankfully, though she did throw a wry smile Grotle’s way

“No, there is no debt. I’d provide healing to any who needed it, with no repayment necessary. If you wanted, you could leave this plateau and return to your normal haunts.” Grotle was shocked by this. Everyone he knew seemed to only do something if they were going to get something in return. To do something out of the kindness of their heart was… odd.

“Although, if you were to leave, Volcanion would likely demand he escort you from here, and he can come off rather… strong,” Xerneas said. “He’d want to ensure that this location isn’t revealed to the wider world.”

“Wait, you mean Volcanion Volcanion, as in the legendary Pokémon!” Grotle nearly yelled. “Just how many legendary Pokémon live here!”

“Just Volcanion and I,” responded the Goddess of Life, causing Grotle to realize he had said that last part out loud. He fought the urge to retreat into his shell in embarrassment. “Just what is this place?” he asked.

“Nebel Plateau. It’s a remote highland on the southeastern edge of Kalos. Volcanion has lived here for ages, along with a friend of his.” Grotle couldn’t help but notice the emphasis the deer put on the word friend, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Xerneas smirked at his reaction, but continued speaking.

“Over the years, many Pokémon have come to make this plateau their home. I said before how many of them have been hurt by humanity. Many ran away from their trainers, and others were abandoned due to being deemed ‘weak’. Volcanion found many of them in the wilderness and brought them back here. Over time, a community has formed.”

Hearing that story, Grotle didn’t know what to feel. He certainly didn’t like humanity, but could he have run into these Pokémon? Could he have hurt them when they were already downtrodden?

“Wait, what about Xerneas? How does she fit into this community?”

Grotle voiced this question, and the goddess smiled. “Was that a test? Was she testing me?” Grotle was snapped out of his suspicions when Xerneas spoke.

“I’ve lived on this plateau for millennia, watching over this,” she gestured to the oak tree Grotle had seen when he first ventured out of the cave.

“What is it?”

“That is the Tree of Life. If you agree to let me train you to become my apprentice, then I can tell you all you’d like to know. But suffice to say, it’s the task Arceus Himself has given me.”

The grass Pokémon was stunned. All he could do was shake his head and say two words, ones that would shape the rest of his life.

“I accept.”

Holly was busy cleaning her small home of dust and debris that had accumulated over the last few weeks. She had just finished disposing of all the old moss in her nest and was about to head into the forest to gather fresh moss when Magearna stopped her.

The automaton has always perplexed Holly. Sure, she’d encountered Pokémon like Magearna before, such as Klefki and the occasional Honedge, but those Pokémon were often emotionless machines, given life by an abundance of Fairy or Ghostly energy.

Magearna, meanwhile, was almost alive despite being mechanical. She had a wide range of emotions and a very expressive personality. It was she who saved Holly’s life when she first came to the plateau several years ago, after…

“Oh, how good it is to find you still around, Holly,” Magearna said, snapping the feline out of her thoughts. “I wanted to ask if you could stay a little while longer. Xerneas is arriving soon, and says she’s bringing a newcomer.”

Huh? Holly raised her brows at this news. “A newcomer? Like another Pokémon to join the village?” Holly wasn’t terribly shocked. It seemed every few months or so, a new Pokémon would wander out from the fog, having run away from their Trainer and followed rumors of a haven for Pokémon, far away from humanity’s reach.

Magearna shook her head. “No. Much to my shock, Xerneas informed Volcanion and me that she’s decided to take this newcomer on as her apprentice.”

Holly’s mouth fell open, and her eyebrows arched to a comical degree. “Huh? Xerneas. Goddess of Life Xerneas. ‘I take 30 minutes to order the same damn berries I always get.’ Xerneas has taken an apprentice?”

Magearna nodded.

“Just like that? When did she even meet them?”

“Last night,” was all Magearna said.

Holly sat down on her haunches and pressed a paw to her head, rubbing it. Unfortunately, that failed to get rid of her oncoming headache. She lowered her paw and sighed. “Fine, guess I can spare some time.”

The two Pokémon departed towards the village entrance. It seemed that other residents had also been told, as a small crowd had formed. Several of the residents attempted to make small talk with Holly. She endured for as long as she could bear, before stepping away and finding a place to sit under a nearby tree.

Around half an hour later, Holly saw Xerneas emerge from the forest that surrounded the valley where the village resided. The goddess’s brilliant antlers sparkled in the afternoon air, but the Liepard was unable to get a good look at whomever accompanied her.

A few minutes later, Xerneas reached the village and was immediately mobbed by the residents. She answered their questions and gave her greetings. For the most part, Holly tuned them out. A flash of green in the crowd caught her attention suddenly.

She tried to find where she had seen it, but it vanished. Growling under her breath, Holly pushed herself to her paws and leapt into the tree she was beneath. Digging her claws into the bark, she pulled herself higher until she reached a stable branch.

Padding out further onto the branch, Holly peered down into the crowd below her. It had thinned a bit while she had been climbing, the various residents having said their piece to Xerneas and dispersed.

It made it easier to spot the newcomer. A Grotle stood beside Xerneas, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. Holly stiffened as she laid eyes on the turtle. He was larger than a normal Grotle would be, and stronger too, muscles visible in the afternoon light.

Yet what set him apart was the ugly scar that split his shell almost in two, from his right shoulder to just above his left thigh. It also appeared to be inflamed, and Holly realized that Grotle was shifting on his feet, not just in discomfort at being accosted by so many other Pokémon, but to alleviate the pain from the injury.

“This must be who Heliolisk was talking about the other day,” she thought to herself. She then realized what the rest of that conversation had entailed, and she unsheathed her claws, barely holding herself back from pouncing on the unsuspecting Pokémon below. It would be so easy…

Just then, Grotle stiffened and began to turn towards the tree. Holly pulled back and channeled Faint Attack to surround herself in shadows. The attack was less effective due to the bright sun, but hopefully it’d be enough to allow her to blend into the rest of the canopy.

Grotle peered into the trees and unknowingly met Holly’s emerald gaze. Their eyes were locked for a moment, until Grotle turned back to Xerneas, who it seemed had asked him a question. Holly maintained the Faint Attack as she jumped down from the tree, only ending it once she had managed to hide behind a nearby building.

She had to confront Grotle. She was certain he was the one, the reason for…

Her stump throbbed in pain.

BlizzardBricks · Saturday at 10:24 PM

Chapter 3 - Growing Pains

The vines shook as Grotle emerged from the den, the crisp autumn air greeting him. He shivered, not looking forward to the incoming winter. Not for the first time, he craved the warmth of the valley he grew up in.

“I wonder how the old ‘mon and Mom are doing?”

Grotle continued his musings as he went through the daily activities Xerneas had tasked him with. Now that most of the garden had been harvested, he had to prepare the crops for winter. The berries needed to be dried or pressed into jam, the vegetables needed to be moved into the den cellar, and he grain had to be milled.

Wanting to take advantage of the sun, Grotle decided to focus on the drying process first. He grabbed one of the berry baskets and made his way to a large, flat boulder that sat opposite the creek that cut through the grove. The boulder was covered in tamato berries that Grotle had placed the other day, and upon closer inspection, had been successfully preserved.

Letting go of the basket he carried, Grotle gathered up the dried tamato berries and placed them in their own basket. Once all of them had been collected, he placed the new berries, leppa berries he noticed, onto the boulder for the sun to dry.

The entire process took around half an hour or so, best Grotle could tell by the position of the Sun. How Xerneas could tell the exact time down to the minute was beyond Grotle. “Although she could just be messing with me. I bet a month's worth of grain milling that she has one of those human time-pieces, or it’s just some Legendary Pokémon thing.”

Grotle could never tell with Xerneas. She was an incredible mentor. Whenever Grotle struggled with a lesson or a task, she never got frustrated or upset. Instead, she would join Grotle, getting her hooves dirty without any hesitation. Her kindness and understanding seemed infinite.

Yet, Xerneas was often playful and even teasing at times. One time, around a week into Grotle’s apprenticeship, he had swiped a few Cheri berries from the tree he was harvesting. He had thought he’d been subtle, but when he turned around, Xerneas had been staring directly at him.

It took her an hour to coax him out of his shell. She didn’t seem to mind Grotle’s actions at all. She even admitted that she had snuck a few Chesto berries into Council meetings before to stay awake. From what she said, ‘Zygarde could be such a stickler for order and proper procedure. It’s exhausting just listening to them drone on sometimes.’

There would always be a few Cheri berries included with his dinner from then on.

Grotle saw movement in the corner of his eye. It seemed Xerneas had woken up. In recent weeks, her winter coat had come in. Gone was the black fur that covered her body, replaced by an ashen white. It’d help the deer hide in the snow-covered landscape, but it made her stand out starkly amidst the reds and yellows of the autumn season.

A pang of jealousy ran through Grotle. He wished he had her coat to shield himself from the chill of winter. Normally, he would hibernate during the winter, but he’d endure. That jealousy quickly turned into fear, as Grotle realized how easily Xerneas could hide with her new coat, and what that could mean for him.

Another shiver ran down his shell, this one unrelated to the chill.

The goddess pranced over to Grotle and nodded at his work. “Thank you, Grotle. It seems those tamato berries are ready to be handed off to the rest of the community.” She then turned to another part of the boulder and carefully placed some of her own berries to dry in the fall sun.

Grotle grimaced at that. She meant Aube Village, the community of Pokémon Volcanion and his friend, who he now knew was Magearna, had created amidst the plateau. He had only visited once before, and the locals there made their displeasure towards him well known. He had indeed run into and fought with some of them during his wanderings. They had found their way towards Nebel Plateau, and their stories had spread like wildfire throughout the village.

He did not want to go back, but how could he tell this to Xerneas?

“Listen, Xerneas… I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be the one-”

“You think the locals will be hostile towards you?” Xerneas responded, not looking up from her task. Nervous, the turtle pressed on, “Yeah, I… encountered a few of them when I was a Turtwig. It wasn’t a friendly sort of encounter, if you catch my meaning.”

“I understand, Grotle, but that is exactly why I want you to give this to the other Pokémon. They know that you are now my apprentice, and they, or at the very least Volcanion, should know that I did not make this decision lightly.”

Xerneas stood up, her fur rippling in the autumn breeze. She set her eyes on Grotle, the crossed pupils staring deep into Grotle’s own dark irises. “If you are the one, I believe that, given time, the locals will be able to see that you are willing to change and to grow. You don’t want to spend all your time with an old deer like me, do you?” Her voice picked up towards the end, the teasing evident in her tone.

Reluctantly, Grotle could understand his mentor’s point. But as he digested her words, a smirk crossed his beak as he found a chance to get back at his mentor’s teasing. “Huh, is that why your fur is turning grey? Is your age finally catching up to you?”

Xerneas’s mouth hung open for a split second before she recovered, but Grotle knew he had won the argument. She sputtered for a moment before scowling at the Grass-type. When she spoke again, she was unable to keep the hint of an accent out of her voice, “Who do you think you are calling ‘old’, you cheeky sod!”

Grotle couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.

After Grotle’s laughter had stopped, and Xerneas had calmed down from her ‘rage’, which Grotle was certain was an act she had put on, he moved on to the rest of his tasks.

He couldn’t help but be amazed at the setup Xerneas had put together. Somehow, she had an entire grain mill set up, turning the grain she grew into flour that could be stored and later baked into bread. All he had to do was pull a lever. Xerneas had explained the process afterwards, but it went over his head for the most part. The lever would open a diversion in the brook, which would flow over a water wheel and power the mill.

The lever pulled, Grotle shifted to the hardest task, covering the berry trees. The trees had to be covered during the winter to protect them from frost and other damage that could occur. Although simple in concept, with only a mouth and 4 ungainly legs, each tree took around an hour to be covered and protected from the elements.

He had just wrapped his third tree, but had to stop. The pain in his back was unbearable. As Xerneas had said, his back did not fully heal, and it would flare in pain whenever he moved. Although the pain was bearable for the most part, on days when he was on his feet for hours at a time, exerting himself, the pain would build and build until all he wanted to do was retreat into his shell and cry.

Eventually, the pain subsided enough for Grotle to get back to work, though he had to move more slowly than he would have liked. As the sun reached the western horizon, he had managed to wrap ten trees so far.

“Damn it, this is taking far too long,” the turtle moaned, but knew it had to be done, lest the trees suffer in the harsh Kalosian winters. Shaking his head, he grabbed a handful of berries for dinner and made his way to his nest.

The next day was much the same, with Grotle tending to his assigned tasks, though instead of drying berries in the morning, Xerneas had him take the vegetables and move them into the cellar, which was nothing more than a small outcropping deep in their den, where the vegetables could sit in storage during the season.

“Thank you, Grotle,” the goddess said once he had moved the last basket inside, before turning to glance at the sun. “I think it’s best if you set off now. You should have enough light left to make it to Aube Village and get back here before it gets too dark.”

Grotle merely nodded and hitched himself to the cart, which was overflowing with dried berries and other goods to give to the local Pokémon. He stifled another groan. The cart would likely wreak havoc on his injured back. But he swallowed the pain and set off.

As he trod through the forest, he took the time to look around. The forest was wonderful this time of year, he had to admit. Autumn was in full force, the trees covered in vibrant crimson, brilliant yellow, and all colors in between. A breeze picked up several leaves that had fallen to the forest floor, swirling them through the air before they blew away.

Grotle reached an outlook and gazed out at the vast wilderness that stood before him. The view was awe-inspiring. Part of him wanted to rest and take in the view for a while longer, but the more practical side urged him to continue. He didn’t want to be caught in the dark. He was still learning the surroundings, and didn’t want to get lost, and wanted to avoid the chill of the autumn night if he could help it.

Continuing his trek, he ventured onward, making his way to the village. Eventually, he could see a cluster of buildings and small shapes moving around them. That meant that he had reached his destination and that he’d likely run into one of the Pokémon that guarded the border.

Since the plateau was remote and isolated, there was little likelihood of humans coming here, but apparently, there had been an incident a few years prior. Xerneas hadn’t told him many of the details, but it had certainly freaked the denizens of the community out, and strong Pokémon began volunteering to patrol the border, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. But nowadays, the only thing the patrollers came across were lost, abused, and abandoned Pokémon.

Grotle’s thoughts dwelt on this for a time. What was it like to lose everything? He hoped that he would never experience something as terrifying as that. Even though it had only been a short time, he couldn’t imagine losing what he had now.

“Well, well, well. Look what the Skitty dragged in.”

Grotle’s thoughts were interrupted by a scratchy voice, belonging to the one Pokémon he had hoped to avoid while he was dropping his delivery off. He clenched his beak and turned his head to stare down the Liepard, glaring back at her.

Liepard wore a furious expression, as if his very presence ruined her day. Which, Grotle had to admit, it probably did. He sighed before rolling his eyes and responding,

“Well, hello to you, too, Holly.”

“Hmph, at least you remembered my name this time.” She was referring to when Grotle had last visited the town, when Xerneas was introducing him to the local Pokémon. He hadn’t recognized her, but she had recognized him and confronted him when Xerneas left to talk with Volcanion about some private matters.

Turns out Holly and Grotle had met previously. A few years ago, as Grotle was wandering the southern Kalos wilderness, he came across a Cheri berry tree and claimed it for himself. He stayed by the tree for a few weeks afterwards, challenging any Pokémon who dared steal from his tree. He sent them all away with their metaphorical, or sometimes physical, tails between their legs.

But one day, a Purrloin stumbled upon the tree. She had clearly seen better days, her fur matted and her skin clinging to her skinny frame. She was clearly exhausted and looked like she had gone without food for several days. Grotle was by their tree at the time, but refused to give up any of the succulent berries that grew from the tree’s branches.

No matter how hard the Purrloin begged, Grotle refused to listen. He had said that if the Purrloin wanted food, she needed to challenge him to a fight. Grotle with his full belly, muscles coiled and ready to strike, versus a Purrloin who looked inches away from death. It was never a fair fight. Purrloin ran from the clearing, tears in her eyes as she cursed Grotle.

Yet, a few days later, Grotle left the tree. He had grown bored with the area and wanted to find new haunts to explore and new Pokémon to fight. If Grotle had left a few days earlier, or Holly had arrived a little later, the two would never have crossed paths.

Grotle snapped out of his musings abruptly when Holly turned and smacked him in the face with her tail. Apparently, his silence irritated Holly. She gestured with her tail. It seemed she meant to escort him to the town herself. She threw a glare back at Grotle, as if daring him to argue about being escorted. He remained quiet.

Grotle’s gaze was drawn downward. Holly hadn’t escaped unscathed from their encounter. The left side of her hip was covered in scar tissue, patchy in places where fur was able to grow. And below, where her leg would have been, was nothing but air.

That was why Holly disliked, no, why she hated him. She could have used those berries to recover some of her health, allowing her to reach Nebel Plateau in time for her leg to be saved. Instead, her strength gave out before she could reach salvation. It was only luck that Magearna stumbled across Holly when she did.

“Ironic, isn’t it. For both of us to be saved after succumbing to injuries…yet I fell due to my own tauros-headedness, while Holly was through no fault of her own… I think.” Grotle thought as he followed the feline towards the town, pulling the produce-laden cart behind him. His back ached from the effort, but he bit back a complaint, lest Holly overhear him.

Now that he thought about it, he knew nothing about Holly, and he doubted she’d open up to him, given their history. Would Xerneas know more? Then again, it’s not his business, and Grotle didn’t really care, at the end of the day. Yes, he regretted not giving her some of the berries, but the two weren’t friends, and likely would never be.

A traitorous thought pierced his thoughts, “And whose fault is that?” He ignored that.

The cart struck a rock that lay on the side of the road, causing it to lurch. He grunted, the movement pulling at his shell, sending pain throughout his body. He staggered briefly before forcefully pulling the cart, allowing it to roll over the loose rock and continue on its path.

Holly must have heard him, as she turned her head back to look at him, an eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. Grotle just glared in response, causing her to hiss at him before turning back, thrusting her head up, not giving Grotle any more attention. A scowl crossed Grotle’s face at that, but he quickly schooled his expression. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the residents more than he already had.

Finally, the pair reached the village and made their way to the food storehouse. It seemed Magearna was already there awaiting him, to his slight surprise. How could she have known he was arriving today? Holly didn’t have psychic powers to let her know in advance. Was it Xerneas then? Grotle pushed the thoughts aside for now. Trying to make sense of how the automaton worked would only give him a headache.

He unhitched himself from the cart and together helped others unload the stores he had carried, placing them along the walls where they’d be safe from the harsh winter temperatures. It took longer than he would have liked, but as the sun was nearing the western horizon, the cart was finally emptied of its contents. The sky was colored in wonderful oranges, yellows, and reds, yet all Grotle could think about was how he’d get back home.

Magearna seemed to share his concern. She walked over to him in her odd manner before speaking. “Oh, it seemed we dallied on longer than we should have.” Grotle just grunted in response. “If you’d like, we can have a bed prepared for you to spend the night. I’d hate to have you get lost on your way back.”

Grotle noticed Holly tense at Magearna’s words. Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of that idea, but she held her tongue. Grotle himself wasn’t a fan of the idea either. He frowned, but quickly realized Magearna was expecting a reply. “Uh… no. I’ll head back.”

The Grass type then realized how disrespectful that answer might have seemed, and quickly added “Thank you for the offer…ma-am?” Magearna didn’t seem to take offense, thank Arceus, and nodded at his response.

He hitched himself back to the cart and set out back into the twilight.

Several hours later, Grotle pulled himself back into the grove. Gazing upwards, he watched the Tree of Life sway in the wind, its leaves reflecting the soft moonlight. It was quite a beautiful sight, and Grotle took a few moments to watch, unwilling to break the peace.

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he unhitched the cart. The relief he felt was immediate once the pressure was removed from his back. He gave a brief sigh of relief before stepping softly and entering the den, making his way to his nest.

He retreated into his shell and closed his eyes. But no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to fall asleep, his thoughts a blur of regret, shame, and a dozen other emotions he was unable to process.

Finally, his thoughts calmed enough, and he fell into a fitful sleep.

Notes:
So fun fact: when I was first outlining this story, Holly didn’t exist. I realized early on that if I wanted to show Grotle having issues with the villagers, I’d likely need a character for him to bounce off, and thus, Holly was born.

Hope you enjoyed Holly, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with her and Grotle.

Also, 10 Terra Tokens for anyone who can guess where Holly’s name comes from (Hint - It’s from a children’s book series starring cats).

BlizzardBricks · 2025-10-12T00:56:27+0100

Chapter 4 - Divine Introductions

He was snapped out of his slumber by Xerneas, who, for some inexplicable reason, felt the need to toss a snowball at him!

Sputtering, Grotle glared at the deer. “What the hell was that for!” She had the gall to smirk at him, holding a forehoof up to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Apparently, his reaction was funny. His glare intensified. “It’s the middle of winter. You told me yourself that my tasks can wait until the snow clears.”

It had been several months since Grotle had entered Xerneas’s service, and winter had come to the plateau in full force. The grove was blanketed in several feet of snow, making it difficult for the turtle to navigate. The snow was higher than he was!

“I thought that it would be amusing. And it was,” the goddess said mirthfully. “But I wanted to show you something. Come on!” She turned and didn’t wait for Grotle. He scrambled out of his nest, shaking his head to remove the remaining snow, and followed Xerneas. Instead of heading out into the clearing, she went deeper into the den, deeper than Grotle had ever been before.

The two walked along in silence as the path grew darker, the light from the den entrance quickly fading. Yet, as Grotle’s eyes adjusted, he was able to see. Shocked, he looked around and realized that the walls of the cave were covered in a glowing green moss.

He paused to stare, which Xerneas noticed. She turned her head to smile at her apprentice. Grotle raised a foreleg, almost touching the moss before pulling back hesitantly. “How does it glow?”

“I first thought that it absorbed faint light, too faint for even our eyes to see, and then emitted that light. I’ve encountered several types of moss elsewhere in the world that did just that.” The deer’s voice was warm as she raised a hoof and ran it gently across the wall. To Grotle’s surprise, motes of light rose out of the moss at her touch, floating around the cave like stars in the night.

“But, as I continued studying the moss, I discovered that it absorbed the energy from the Tree of Life itself, allowing it to live in a place devoid of life. A symbiotic relationship.” Xerneas’s voice was filled with awe as she murmured, “Even after all these millennia, there are still things about this Tree that continue to surprise me…”

Grotle took in all Xerneas had said, and a question came to his mind. “Xerneas, what exactly is this tree? I know you said Arceus assigned you to watch the tree, but why is it so important?” Xerneas smiled at the question from her apprentice, and simply said, “That is what I wish to show you.”

She turned once more and beckoned with her tail for him to follow. Still awestruck, he complied and followed his mentor into the depths of the Tree of Life.

The two walked in silence for some time. As Grotle followed his mentor, he could feel the air grow warmer. Maybe he could ask Xerneas if he could sleep down here for the rest of the winter. Even if the walk would grow old pretty fast, it’d be worth it to stay warm during the harsh winter nights.

Or perhaps he could ask Xerneas to install a door to their shared den. He decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask. There had been nights when it felt like his tail would fall off from how cold it got.

The grass and ground type was snapped out of his focus, which seemed to be happening a lot, now that he thought about it. He needed to be more aware of the things around him. Saving that thought for later, Grotle gazed around at the cavern he and his mentor now found themselves in.

It was large, with a ceiling high enough for Xerneas to stand on her hind legs without hitting the top with her antlers. Above, Grotle could see roots piercing through the roof of the cave, water slowly running along them before falling into a pool below.

The cave walls were covered in more of that bioluminescent moss, setting the cavern alight in a soft green glow. Grotle walked forward and stared at the pool at the center of the cave. It was like the stars themselves swam in the pool, as motes of light swam throughout the water. And although water droplets fell into it from the roots above, the surface remained calm, undisturbed by the falling water.

“Welcome to the Cave of Spirit, Grotle,” his mentor said softly, her voice filled with wonder. It seemed that Xerneas herself was affected by the majesty before her, even though Grotle had to assume she’d been here countless times before.

She sat down next to him, and the two gazed at the pool before them. Eventually, Grotle found his voice.

“What is this place?”

His mentor responded. “That is a long story, one that will take time to explain. First, can you tell me how much you know about our world?” Grotle tried to think back to the stories his parents had told when he was young, but those memories were hazy at best nowadays.

“Arceus formed the universe, right? And his kids are responsible for managing it. Dialga for time, and… Palkia? Palkia for space. And after that, he created the planet and other deities to manage the functions of the planet?”

Xerneas nodded. “In a broad sense, you are correct, but the true story is a lot more layered.” She gathered herself, and Grotle sat down beside his mentor, eager to hear what she had to say.

“Most of what I know I have learned, either from Arceus Himself or from my own observations and studies over the centuries.

“When this universe was first born, Arceus was born along with it. Wherever he travelled, the universe expanded, and time and space were born from his power. Eventually, the strain of managing this grew too much for Arceus, and he created his children to take control of the process.

“To Dialga, he bestowed the management of time, and to his twin Palkia, he gifted the control of space. But when the twins were created, Arceus unknowingly created a third, their younger sister, Giratina.”

“Wait, there’s a third!” Grotle interrupted, as his face flushed when he realized what he’d done. Xerneas waved off his apology. “Yes, and don’t worry about speaking up. If you have a question, I’d be delighted to answer. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve told this story.”

“But as I was saying, Arceus created three children. I already mentioned Dialga and Palkia, but Giratina, well, later in her life, she rebelled against her father, attacking her siblings in a fit of jealousy and rage. In retribution, Arceus banished her from the universe.”

Grotle spoke up once more. “That… seems rather harsh. I mean, I’ve attacked other people before, and to be banished for millennia?”

Xerneas sighed heavily, her expression downcast. “You have to understand, Grotle, Dialga, and Palkia are responsible for maintaining the control of spacetime in our universe. If ever they should lose control, this universe will face disastrous consequences. Time itself could stop, or space could collapse.

“But yes, it was a harsh punishment. Arceus never spoke of this time, but even a stranger could see he regretted his actions. Thankfully, it seems Giratina and her father were able to make up recently, and Arceus has welcomed her back into the fold.”

Xerneas’s expression picked up after this statement; her mouth turned upwards in a small smile. “I’ve met her at a few of the recent Legendary Council meetings; she’s rather sweet, though she can hold quite the grudge.” At Grotle’s questioning look, she clarified, “Meetings where the Prime Legendaries, or the Legendary Pokémon created by Arceus, or responsible for large aspects of the world, meet and discuss the state of the world.

“After Giratina had been banished, Arceus focused on creating the world. Apparently, he had seen worlds begin to form on their own and decided to try his hoof at doing it himself. He created Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza to govern the land, the sea, and the sky.

“Those three then themselves created their own beings to assist them with their tasks. Groudon created Regigigas to help move the continents, Kyogre created Lugia to combat the storms, and Rayquaza created Ho-oh to govern the skies. After the planet had settled, those three soon entered their slumber, leaving their creations in their stead.

“Before Arceus departed, he created the three Lake Spirits of Sinnoh, as checks to his children’s power. Should Giratina, Dialga, or Palkia rise against their father or against the world, the spirits can force them into submission. Thankfully, this has never been needed.”

Grotle was thankful as well. Just thinking about the power that trio wielded made his head hurt. He couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if one of them decided to rise and betray their father. But wait, where did Xerneas play into things?

“Xerneas, where do you come into things?” the turtle asked, and his mentor smiled. “Was that another test of hers?”

“I suppose I did skip that part. I believe I’ve covered the Prime Legendaries, save for the Dragon Trio over in Unova, but they can be discussed another time. Arceus had been experimenting with bestowing life on the planet. He had created his children and the other Prime Legendaries, but he wanted the planet to become a garden world, one filled with flora and abounding with mortal life.

“To do this, he created myself, Yveltal, and Zygarde. I was tasked with managing life and helping it come into being, while Yveltal ferries those who have departed across to the afterlife. Zygarde, meanwhile, is our counterpart, one meant to balance the scales of life and death. Should the balance be upset, they will form and set the scales back in order.”

When Xerneas had finished speaking, she cast a glance upward, glancing at the roots of the Tree of Life. Grotle thought he saw a flash of green light, but when he tried to see what the deer had looked at, he couldn’t see anything. Just the gleaming of water droplets gliding down the roots. Could he have just seen a droplet reflecting the light that the moss emitted?

He turned back to look at his mentor, but she had begun staring at the pool, seemingly lost in thought. Grotle began to gaze at the pool as well and thought about what Xerneas had said. So Arceus wanted to create a planet filled with life. But if he was inspired by other planets he had seen, did these other planets have the same…control and care placed into their structure? Grotle doubted it. But then why create Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon? Did the planet really need beings capable of controlling the land, sea, and sky? And what about Xerneas? Did there really need to be shepherds for the circle of life?

All these thoughts swirled in his head, and he could feel his head start to pound. He groaned and rubbed his head with his right foot. Xerneas looked concerned and asked him, “Are you alright? You look overwhelmed… Ugh, I knew I was giving too much information too quickly.”

It seemed his mentor was doubting herself, a side Grotle hadn’t seen until now. Again, it was shocking for him to see someone he’d considered a deity look so…normal. He shook his head and responded, hoping to comfort the goddess. “No, you’re doing great. It’s just something you said.”

She looked at him, concern still present in her azure eyes, but gestured for him to continue, and so he did. “You said that Arceus took inspiration from our world from other worlds he saw, right?” She nodded. “So then why does our world have all these… protections built into it? Why create deities guarding the land and the sea? Why did he create you?”

The deer closed her eyes and smiled before she turned to look back up at the roots of the Tree of Life. “That, that is a question that I’ve been asking myself ever since I learned this story. I don’t have an answer. As best I can tell, based on my interactions with Him, Arceus is a very orderly Pokémon. He values structure. Perhaps in his journey, he encountered conflicts that he felt could be resolved by a deity. Natural disasters, cosmic occurrences, war, famine, and so much more.

“Or perhaps, when he lost Giratina, he lost a part of himself, and kept trying to fill that hole until he realized it would never heal, which is why he left.”

Grotle didn’t know what to think when he heard that. Although he couldn’t remember many of the stories his father had told him, he remembered how faithful his father was to Arceus, that everything happened according to ‘Arceus’s will’. To learn that the lord of creation was just as flawed as any other Pokémon, well, it shattered his outlook on the divine.

He and Xerneas sat beside the pool for a while, the silence only broken by the sound of their breathing. She seemed to sense his thoughts were a blur at the moment and allowed him some time to himself. However, after about an hour, she broke her silence and spoke to her apprentice.

“Well, back to your original question, about my purpose. I said I help guide life, and to do that, I use the Tree of Life. It allows me to sense life throughout the planet, where my senses cannot normally reach.

“This tree is a veritable fountain of energy. I can use it to help heal those who need assistance, guide those through childbirth, and hardship. Using this tree, I can sense the hatching of a Pidgey in Kanto, the evolution of a Brionne in Alola, and everywhere else.

“But that is not the Tree’s sole purpose. It serves as a connection between the living world and the afterlife. I said Yveltal shepherds those who have departed across the boundary. In reality, he helps the departed souls find their way here.” As she said this, she stretched out her foreleg, hoof gesturing to the pool in front of her.

“This is the entrance to the afterlife. From here, I can communicate with those who have departed this world. I help ease the concerns of those who are gone, and help them along to their slumber.”

Grotle was shocked by that news and looked in awe at the pool before him. Yet, something his mentor said bugged him. He went through what she had said, and eventually narrowed down what was bugging him. He turned to Xerneas and spoke.

“Xerneas,” she turned at the sound of her name and looked at him as he continued. “If Arceus values order so highly, why does he create humanity? I mean, I’ve only interacted with Pokémon Trainers, but they seem to love conflict and chaos.”

Xerneas looked back at the pool before them, processing his question. She spoke, “Again, it is hard to speak for Arceus. But you are wrong in thinking he created humanity. Humanity is itself a type of Pokémon, one that has long since lost the ability to channel Infinity Energy like you or I can.”

As if Grotle’s worldview hadn’t been hit by enough revelations. “What next, aliens exist?” He made sure not to verbalize that question. He wasn’t ready for Xerneas to answer that question.

Said deer spoke once more, saying, “But if I had to guess, I would say Arceus allows humanity to exist because they help bring out potential in others. They are capable of incredible achievements, and I don’t believe Pokémon on their own would be capable of the same advancements.

“But unfortunately, as you said, humanity is chaotic. They are also capable of incredible harm. I’ve told you that many Pokémon on this plateau have been hurt by humanity. Are you familiar with Liepard Holly? You might have met during your trips to the village.”

The question threw Grotle for a loop. What did Holly have to do with humanity? And did Xerneas know of his history with Holly? And how would she react if she knew?

She continued, unaware of the worry building inside the turtle. “She used to belong to a trainer. But something happened along their journey together, and her leg was injured, and had to be amputated when she reached Nebel Plateau, the poor dear.”

Xerneas seemed to realize what she had told the turtle, as she blushed and turned to him. “Um, please keep this in your confidence. I’ve only heard the stories secondhand, but I can tell it’s a sore spot for her, so please keep silent on this matter.”

“Sure thing.” The new information merely added to the questions Grotle had about the mysterious Liepard, but he doubted she’d open up. She had built too many walls around herself, and it’d likely take a miracle for them to come down.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Xerneas. I… rather enjoyed it.” Grotle had been enraptured by the story Xerneas had woven, and wanted to learn more. How did the rest of the legendary Pokémon, the ‘non-Prime’ legendaries, relate? Many more questions swirled in his mind, and the Goddess of Life bore a wide smile on her face when he told her.

She got up and stretched. It seemed she wanted to return to their den. Grotle stood and followed her out of the cave. She turned at the cavern’s entrance and looked at her apprentice with a look of unrestrained pride.

“We’ll make a scholar out of you yet, I suppose.”

Notes:
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This was a fun one to write. I wanted to build out the world and lore of the various Legendaries and how they relate to one another. In fact, the planning for this chapter helped inspire A Father's Regret, another story I wrote, which I'll bring to Thousand Roads soon.

Also, any thoughts or constructive feedback are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!

BlizzardBricks · 2025-10-12T00:57:42+0100

Chapter 5 - Tensions Boiling Over

Time passed quickly for Grotle. By his estimate, it had now been a year since he had first stumbled into the grove. And what a year it has been. Throughout the long and arduous winter, Xerneas had taught him much about the spiritual aspect of the world. She had summoned many different Pokémon for him to learn under, and mentored him in the ways she guided life across the planet.

Grotle was enraptured by the entire thing. He never wanted a session to end, and Xerneas only encouraged his voracious appetite for knowledge. He was fascinated by learning about the relationships between the various legendaries, the different customs and mannerisms between different species of Pokémon, and so much more.

He also learned that Xerneas was a massive gossip. Nary a day went by without her telling him some story about something a legendary Pokémon had done. One example that had Grotle questioning everything for the rest of the day was Volcanion’s parentage.

Apparently, Volcanion’s parents were Kyogre and Groudon’s child, born of a tryst after Rayquaza had locked the two titans in the Giant Chasm over in Unova after they had gotten into yet another clash, not letting them out until they had agreed to stop fighting.

According to Xerneas, Kyurem was furious at the damage done to their lair by the pair, and nearly froze Hoenn completely solid in response. It made the next few Council sessions quite ‘frosty’.

It was then that Grotle learned of his mentor’s love of puns.

As time crept onwards and the winter snows began to melt, he and Xerneas worked together to prepare the garden for planting season. He would hitch himself to the plow Xerneas had commissioned from the village, and till the soil for Xerneas to then plant her seedlings.

Unfortunately, the plow would often strain his back, and he would go to sleep at night, when he was able to fall asleep, in deep discomfort. He tried to eat Oran berries on the side, but they could only do so much. He ruled out using sleep seeds entirely after they caused him to oversleep one time. He didn’t want to make Xerneas suspicious or catch onto him. His pain was his burden to bear.

There was a worry at one point, early on in the spring, when, due to the large amount of snowfall in the winter, the banks of the brook began to overflow, threatening to flood the garden. He and Xerneas worked tirelessly to build up the riverbank, which was backbreaking work, quite literally in Grotle’s case. His back burned from the effort.

Thankfully, their efforts were rewarded, and the river did not overflow, though it did come close on occasion, thanks to a couple of storms that blew through the region.

Soon, the spring showers gave way to summer heat. Since most of the garden had been planted at this point, Xerneas and Grotle had a lot more free time. To his surprise, Xerneas had him train with her, testing his combat prowess and how he used the moves he knew. According to the goddess, he was ‘unrefined, but adaptable’.

Xerneas was an absolute beast in combat. If she managed to finish casting Geomancy before Grotle was able to counterattack, the battle would be over soon afterwards. Many times, the grass type thought he would be able to blitz the Life Pokémon, only for her to finish casting in time and send him flying with a Moonblast, or for the act to have been a feint, and again, send the turtle flying.

But slowly, Grotle began to improve. He began to see the subtle tells Xerneas had, how her tail would flick when it was a feint, how her eyes would betray where she was targeting. Further, his strength grew in strides. He could move faster, hit harder.

However, this improvement again came at the cost of his back injury. Each battle would cause the injury to flare in pain, each incident becoming harder and harder for Xerneas to ignore. It grew to the point where, during one session, as Grotle was charging towards the deer, pain surged through his back. He missed his mentor by a country mile, his legs giving out from under him, his body wracked with pain.

Said mentor cried his name out, rushing to his side. Yet, Grotle said nothing. He was too ashamed of his failure. It seemed Xerneas let the issue be when the turtle said he was fine, though he knew she could see through the bravado.

Annoyingly, Xerneas cut back the training sessions after that incident. Did she not think he could take her training? That thought refused to leave Grotle, and so to distract himself, he went for a walk through the plateau.

That soon became an everyday occurrence for the Pokémon. He enjoyed feeling the summer breeze blow across his shell and loved wandering through the wilderness. His favorite spot had to be a clearing on the edge of the plateau. From there, he could stare out at the lush Kalosian southeast, verdant plains and rushing water as far as he could see. If Grotle turned to the left, looking at the rest of the plateau, he could see the shimmering lake at the plateau’s center, surrounded by gorgeous waterfalls, and backed by the mountain at the plateau’s western edge, separating Kalos from the rest of the continent.

For once in the turtle’s life, he was at peace.

Unfortunately, that sense of peace did not extend to Grotle’s interactions with the locals. Although many now treated him rather neutrally, seeing him as nothing more than Xerneas’s apprentice, which, while impressive, was no longer as novel as it was when Grotle first arrived a year ago.

But his relationship with Holly had not improved. He seemed to run into her every time he was near the village border. Did she have a permanent post set up there? Regardless, whenever the grass and dark types interacted, their conversations were terse, with barely a word being exchanged.

It had been pouring nonstop for the past month, causing Xerneas to fret about the state of the garden and crops. Together, she and Grotle worked to drain the garden by digging new irrigation channels to draw the water away, but it was backbreaking work once again, not helped by the rain turning the soil into little more than mud.

Xerneas may have been able to avoid most of the mud with her long legs, but Grotle had no such luck. Each day meant getting mud everywhere! It was nigh impossible to clear mud out of his shell. He was cranky, on the best of days.

This was not one of those days, though. Earlier, his mentor had asked if he could make an unscheduled drop off at the village. She was worried the rain would cause some of the produce to rot, and felt it should be moved to the village storerooms, where it was better insulated from the horrible conditions.

He reluctantly agreed and hitched himself up once more to the cart, his back already aching from the effort. The ache had steadily intensified as he walked through the forest. Evidence of the downpour was everywhere. Trails had been washed out, and rocks now lay scattered along the path, forcing the Pokémon to divert from his normal path, putting further strain on his injury.

The river he was following, the same one that cut through his home, had overflown its banks, flooding the surrounding landscape, further exacerbating how difficult this trip had become. Normally, it took him about an hour, but it had been around 3 so far, and his sense of direction had been washed away in the flood.

He was currently ankle deep in floodwater, trying to pull the cart over a rock the right wheel had struck. He almost had it and gave it one last tug. “Almost there. Almost there.” The turtle repeated, only for a surge of pain to wrack his body. Crying out, he jolted forward, only to slip on the wet ground and fall onto the ground below.

“Could this day get any worse?” the Pokémon asked the heavens. He was miserable and just wanted this day to end. Water and mud were covering his body, slowly leaking from his shell. Groaning from the pain, he pushed himself to his feet carefully, trying his best to avoid falling once more.

Thankfully, as he looked back, the cart seemed unharmed, the tarp covering the contents still firmly tied to the cart’s corners. Although it was completely soaked through. Grotle had to hope the berries would survive this trip. It’d be a difficult winter otherwise.

Pulling once more, the cart finally dislodged the damn rock that had caused this entire ordeal, and Grotle set off once again to the village. About an hour later, Grotle recognized where he now found himself, and he emerged from the forest and into the meadow where the village lay. The village was quiet, its streets empty. It seemed that all the sane Pokémon had the correct idea and wisely decided to stay inside.

“Holy Arceus, you look like shit.” Apparently, not everyone had the right idea. Grotle couldn’t help but groan as he looked upwards at Holly. She lay on a branch of the tree he had just passed, but raised an eyebrow as he groaned.

“Oh, great. You again.” Grotle didn’t want to deal with her right now. All he wanted was to drop this stupid cart off and sleep off the pain he was dealing with. “Is that offer from Magearna still open?”

It seemed that the Liepard didn’t catch his displeasure, as she hopped down from her perch. “No need to be testy, just stating a fact. Why are you out here?” Grotle’s mood continued to darken. “Xerneas wanted this food to be delivered before the rain spoiled it,” the turtle said, an edge to his voice. “What, you think I want to be out in this weather, soaked to the bone and mud filling my shell?”

“Well, you could have said no, right? She wouldn’t force you, and I’m sure the food would keep for a few more days.” Grotle clenched his beak, his annoyance at the feline continuing to build. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. After his breathing had settled, he spoke, making sure to keep his tone carefully neutral. “I owe Xerneas my life. If she says this needs to be done, then I owe it to her to do it.”

Holly didn’t seem convinced by his argument, and what she said next made him see red. “What, afraid she’ll see you as the useless waste of space you actually are?”

Grotle’s fury raged inside him at the comment. “How dare she!” Before he could stop himself, he responded in kind, hurling, “I suppose you’d know what it means to be useless, right? Given how your trainer abandoned you, you must have been pretty useless.”

Immediately, Grotle knew he had screwed up. He regretted opening his mouth; he regretted everything. But he had said what he did, and couldn’t take it back, no matter how much he wished he had.

Holly was frozen, her green eyes mere pinpricks amidst the whites of her eyes. Slowly, her lips peeled back, a snarl echoing in her throat as her claws extended outwards. “H-How. Dare. You! You. Utter. BASTARD!”

The feline Pokémon pulled her foreleg back as if to strike Grotle, dark shadows twisting in her paw. Yet, she hesitated, much to Grotle’s shock. Instead, she wavered, tears appearing in her eyes, before she turned and fled into the woods behind her, tears falling to the forest floor amidst the torrential rain.

Grotle could only stand there, rain cascading off his shell, and say one thing.

“Shit.”

Eventually, the grass type began to move once more and made his way to the village. He was silent the entire way, his thoughts dwelling on his mistake. He needed to apologize to Holly; he knew that.

“Maybe I can catch her before I leave? But what do I even say? I doubt I can stroll up to her and be like ‘Hey, yeah, I’m sorry I brought up your trauma after I promised my mentor I wouldn’t bring it up.’”

Grotle scoffed at that statement. If someone had apologized to him in that manner, he’d tackle them into next week. But maybe that was Grotle’s problem. He kept approaching situations with violence. He wasn’t good at feelings. But he needed to figure out a way to make it up to Holly. He owed her that much.

It seemed Xerneas had let Magearna know that he’d be on his way, as she was waiting in the storeroom. Together, along with some of the other village residents, they unloaded the produce. They had to make sure that this delivery was stored separately from the rest. That way, any spoilage would not carry over to the rest of the stores.

It was another backbreaking two hours before the cart had finally been unloaded, but in that time, Holly had not returned. The storehouse was located on what was considered the main thoroughfare of the village, so Grotle would likely have seen her return.

He was sitting at the entrance of the storehouse when he noticed Magearna had walked over. Still a bit unnerved by her presence, even after all this time, he started when she spoke, “Oh, I see Holly still hasn’t returned.”

“Did she know?” Grotle stayed silent, but the automaton continued, asking him, “Grotle, on your way over, did you run into her? She tends to patrol that area of the forest.” The turtle hesitated before answering, but finally decided he needed to tell the truth and stop running from his actions towards the Liepard.

“Yeah, I-we ran into each other before I dropped the cart off.” The automaton seemed to understand where the conversation was heading. She spoke, “And I take that it didn’t go well? She usually accompanies you.”

Grotle swallowed, a glum expression on his face. “Yeah… I haven’t had the best time of things recently, with all this rain, and she said something that irritated me and caused me to snap at her. I said something I shouldn’t have, and she ran off into the forest.”

The ancient automaton was silent, but Grotle could practically hear the gears in her head turn as she processed what he had confessed to. Grotle spoke again, “Can I leave the cart here for the night. I-I need to go find Holly and apologize for what I said.”

Magearna nodded and waved him off. He stood up, wincing from the pain in his back as it briefly flared up. He stepped out into the storm, but turned to look back as his name was called.

“Grotle, you’ve been very helpful to this community, despite your rough edges. But please, remember that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Everyone is dealing with their own issues inside.” She paused, tapping her metallic hands together before continuing. “Please, find a way to resolve your differences with Holly. I know the two of you have had your differences, but I believe that given time, you can come to an understanding.”

The grass type lowered his head, regret filling his body before he looked back at the metallic Pokémon and nodded. “I-I’ve hurt Holly, not just physically, but emotionally now as well. But I promise that I’ll take your words to heart and work to become a better Pokémon. Holly deserves nothing less.”

Grotle turned back and ventured off into the growing night until his form was swallowed by the darkness.

Pokémon Pokémon: Restoring Balance

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Pokémon: Restoring Balance

Prologue

BlizzardBricks

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Chapter 1 - Victory Yet Defeat

BlizzardBricks

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Chapter 2 - A Cervine Surprise

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Chapter 3 - Growing Pains

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Chapter 4 - Divine Introductions

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Chapter 5 - Tensions Boiling Over

Recent threadmarks

Pokémon Pokémon: Restoring Balance

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Pokémon: Restoring Balance​

Prologue​

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Chapter 1 - Victory Yet Defeat​

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Chapter 2 - A Cervine Surprise​

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Chapter 3 - Growing Pains​

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Chapter 4 - Divine Introductions​

BlizzardBricks

Youngster

Chapter 5 - Tensions Boiling Over​

Pokémon: Restoring Balance

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Victory Yet Defeat

Chapter 2 - A Cervine Surprise

Chapter 3 - Growing Pains

Chapter 4 - Divine Introductions

Chapter 5 - Tensions Boiling Over