~10 years later...~

The bird Pokemon chirped gleefully from atop their perches. They let their sweet, soft melodies travel throughout the berry-filled trees that flourished with abundance. Sunlight brightly shone on the other inhabitants that were busily working on their daily tasks in the thick of the day. They had not a care about their surroundings; their fur never bristled when another Pokemon was crossing their path. Instead, they waved neighborly and even chatted if they were in the mood.

All the flying types that were capable of flight were found swooping from the high branches and collecting fruits for their families. Some even dropped their gatherings onto the ground below them to make the land Pokemon's hunt more convenient. They didn't mind; there was plenty to go around.

And as the woodland of creatures continued on this bustling like they began to five years ago, two of the small children, a Bidoof and a Starly, hopped through the maze of bushes and shrubbery, calling back behind them.

"Come on~! Don't lag behind!" the Starly chirped brightly.

"Yeah! We'll show you back to our place and see if you can stay with us!" the Bidoof added.

As they made their way down the path back to their families, the two noticed their new friend pause suddenly at the sight before her. The Starly glanced at her buck-toothed playmate intently before they padded to her side.

"Mom and Dad said to stay away from here," warned the Starly as she reexamined the jagged rocks and high cliffs. Moss and ivy had grown over it for the past few years, making it seem friendlier than it really was. The flowers seem to beckon her over, and the Pokemon beside her sighed.

"...But it's so pretty..." she mused. The Bidoof shook his head.

"My grandma told me that some bad Pokemon used to live here before we moved," he explained. "They ate all the food and scared off all the Pokemon, so this forest was actually almost empty once." The words he said caught the girl's attention for a moment, but she shyly shrouded away in agitation of the eerie atmosphere that seemed to almost choke her alive. "Once, I even heard that they hunted other Pokemon when the berries ran out!" he exclaimed.

"Really?!" the Starly shrieked, startled by the gruesome comment. "What else did they--"

"Can we leave?" the other Pokemon squeaked. The two turned to her, staring at her yellow eyes until they got the point. The Bidoof cleared his throat.

"Um... Okay. Let's go," he suggested.
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When the three of them finally arrived at their tiny "village" of habitats, they noticed that all of the residents were gathered around in the far side. They all looked curiously at the clump of Pokemon, then back to each other. And like the children they were, they ran over to see what the commotion was about.

The Starly tried desperately to flap her wings and hover over the crowd, despite them being still to small and weak as her mother put it. She huffed when all she did was flail her wings around like some maniac. Having an idea, the Bidoof lead the three of them through the crowd. They tried their best not to bump into anyone and carefully weaved themselves through the rest of the front-most Pokemon.

Finally, their sights fixed on a tall, lean, and brawny Pokemon with some distinguishing scars around his body. His pelt was an ocean blue color with black streaks down his face and waist. White fur covered his abdomen along with three white spikes poking from his chest and paws. His eyes were the color of damp clay that had been buried within the earth for many centuries, and the gave off a rigid, yet wise aura from his presence.

The kids could only stare in awe at his breathtaking stature.

"Oh my Arceus...! It's really him!" the Starly whispered. The other girl faced her, trying to hide herself behind the crowd to avoid getting attention.

"Who?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you!" she said. "Five and a half years ago, a Pokemon took down that pack I mentioned earlier. He chased them off and sent them running like cowards out of the forest, never to be seen again. Serves them right!" Her pupils sparkled with inspiration. "He took the next half year finding nearby Pokemon to help him repair the damage they caused, and soon Pokemon from all over the land came to live here and rebuild this place because of his kindness!"

"Wow..." she breathed.

"Yeah! And--"

"There you are, Ling!" a feminine voice tweeted, causing the girl Pokemon to shrink away into the mob. A Staraptor stood before the Pokemon, casting a shadow on them. "I was worried sick! Why did it take you so long to get back here?! And where on Earth did you and Sam run off to?!" Ling groaned.

"We just went out exploring, Mom!" she whined. "We didn't do anything bad!"

"You better have not!" she squawked angrily. "Or I would've--!"

"Is everything alright over here?" another voice piped in. They looked up at the blue Pokemon that gaped before them. Ling's mother quickly turned to face him, stammering nervously.

"Y-yes! I'm sorry, it's just my daughter! Sh-she was causing a ruckus back here and I was just trying to--"

"No I wasn't!" Ling retorted. Sam bit his lip with embarrassment as all of the Pokemon peered over to see what was going on. The Starly didn't seem to mind the attention. "I was going to tell you that we found another girl wandering in the forest! She looked hungry and lost, so we were wondering if you could let her stay!" The Staraptor's eyes widened anxiously.

"You found a girl?!" she repeated. "How young was she?! Where were her parents?! Where is she?!"

The Pokemon slipped farther back into the crowd, taking her chance since the group was distracted by the drama with Ling and her mother.

Suddenly, she noticed the larger Pokemon activate his aura sensors, concentrating for a moment before relaxing and opening his eyes.

"I know you're there," he announced to her. She froze. "It's alright, come on out. I won't hurt you."

Something about his gentle voice calmed her slightly. She never even met the Pokemon, yet she felt like she'd known him for a long time now. Hesitantly, she padded her way out of the clump and into the his sight. He seemed to flinch at her reveal, staring down at her for what seemed to be forever as if he were recalling something. He sighed, smiling benevolently.

"Hello, are you from around here?" he asked. She shook her head silently. "I see... Where are you from, then?" The girl took a moment to think about this. Where was she from? Everything from when she was born was foggy in her mind, and she had just been wandering ever since. All she knew was how to run, how to survive out in the middle of nowhere. It was often lonely, but she got used to the alienation until she arrived... Here.

"...You don't have to tell me, I understand," he assured. "But I do agree with this Starly here. You need some place to stay until we figure all this out."

One by one, the residents spoke up, offering shelter, food, water, whatever they could supply her to fit her needs. Even Ling's mother mentioned that she had space in her nest for her to sleep the night if she wanted to.

The larger Pokemon thought for a while as they overwhelmed the poor child with their hospitality. He took another look at her. She was frail and weak, he saw, and her being completely alone made him wonder about the location of her parents.

...Then it hit him.

It was as if he was looking back at a mirror in time, and he felt the sore memories reentering his head.

What would he have done? he thought. What would have happened... If he didn't take me in all those years ago...? Would I have died out there of starvation? Maybe eaten by some predator at the time?

Clearly she looks like she's been at this life for a while now...

But... How much longer will she last until she collapses... Or worse?

He shivered internally.

But soon, a familiar voice echoed in his thoughts. It wispily floated through his mind like a distant call from the other side of the world. So faint, so dreamlike, yet he could hear it as if he were right beside him as he spoke.

"When you are taught about life, you need other Pokemon to guide you. Pokemon who have conquered more of life than you did.

Because... Everyone must power through life, it's part of what being 'alive' is all about. And I kept you alive because I wanted you to see not just the horrible events that it can give you, but the beauties and marvels as well.

I want you to see... And do great things in life... I want you to evolve, not just into a Lucario, but into the very best Pokemon you could ever be. That's my dream for you..

...And I'm willing to do anything to see it through."

After a moment, he bent down in front of the small figure, placing his paw on her head.

"Why don't you stay with me for a while?" he offered to her. He heard everyone gasp.

"B-but...! Are you sure?!" one questioned nervously. "What about protecting the forest?! And what about--"

"We'll be fine!" he interrupted with an optimistic tone. "She can help me do that, I'll teach her how." He finally turned back to the little girl, grinning welcomingly. "Oh, my bad! I didn't even introduce myself yet!" He let out a chuckle to relax the atmosphere.

"You can call me Avian! If it's okay, do you mind telling me your name, kit?"

She hesitated for a second, but eventually opened her mouth and let out her skittish voice.

"My name's Aerith..." she replied with the slightest hint of contented faith in her expression.

Avian beamed brightly at the young child.

"Well, Aerith, I have to say...

...What a brave little Shinx you are!"

~End~