Nearly nine years ago...
Seven years old. The darkest time of my life. The cold shadows that weren't mine wrapped me in its frigid embrace. My life was like a broken tree, where the winds could knock me down on a whim.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
My older sister Beatrice and I were as close as siblings could be. She was the one I looked up to, and I was the cute child who would follow her around. We looked the same; our blonde hair was the same shade and covered our left eye, and our eyes were the same misty gray.
We loved each other dearly and were nearly inseparable. She always found my curiosity to be adorable and always tried to sate it.
Her, our mother, and our father were my heroes.
And you know how the story goes.
When I was seven-years-old, Beatrice found a mysterious Pokemon when she was wandering the nearby forest.
It's funny, really, how everything dangerous lurks in a forest. Forests are the places where the cold darkness always resides in, hiding under the cover of the green canopies above, waiting for the next unsuspecting victim to walk into its domain.
"Val!" Beatrice came running out of the forest, beaming at me. "Look what I found!"
I was standing outside of our house, waiting for her to come back after she told me to stay put. She claimed that she saw something moving between the trees and went to check it out.
"What did you find, Bee?" I asked, my eyes lighting up with anticipation.
When I started learning how to speak I wasn't able to pronounce her name, so I called her Bee. And that nickname stuck, so I continued to call her that even after I learned how to pronounce Beatrice.
Her signature cheerful smile crept onto her lips. "I found a super cool Pokemon!"
"Super cool Pokemon?" I looked around, not seeing anything. "Where?"
"Right in front of you," Beatrice's countenance displayed a hint of mischievousness
"Right in front of me—"
A dark humanoid Pokemon appeared in front of me, startling me.
I gasped at the sight of it. "A Darkrai? What is it doing it here?"
Darkrai looked at me with an impassive look, blinking at me.
"It was watching us," Beatrice said. "It seems friendly despite its scary appearance. Darkrai are normally lonely because they put people to sleep and give them nightmares, so they stay away to avoid harming people."
And after that we became friends with the Darkrai. Despite being the Nightmare Pokemon, it got along surprisingly well with the Pokemon at our house. When I had nightmares, it would absorb them so that I could sleep well.
My mother, Cynthia, had become fascinated with it and immediately began to study it, wanting to know its origins.
My father was the most skeptical one. Believe it or not, he's from the Hoenn region, so he wasn't very familiar with Darkrai. He knew more about Dragon-types than anything else.
One day, I was outside sitting with Darkrai. Sometimes it would have this faraway look that made me think that it was contemplating something. Or maybe it was just sad; I never really knew.
"What's wrong, Darkrai?" I asked with concerned eyes.
Darkrai looked at me sadly. Then it got up without a word and walked off to the nearby forest.
I felt like it wanted me to follow it, so I did, walking deeper into the forest than I would ever dare to go. It felt so hollow, and the deeper we went the darker it got. Dead trees were more prominent now. I felt nervous, as if a presence was watching me in the midst of the gloom.
Suddenly, Darkrai stopped. Something about that made me even more unnerved.
"Darkrai?" I asked, not knowing what was wrong.
Then it turned its head toward me in the slowest, most painstaking manner possible. Its eyes were even emptier than the forest. The darkness casted upon it made it even eerier. Its expression didn't look sad anymore, instead it looked cold.
It was the look of a killer.
I took a step back, aquiver. "What are you—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Darkrai raised its hand... and shot a Dark Void.
I was frozen in my fear, the dark orb inching closer and closer. The air felt chillier, as if nature itself bore witness to the ensuing darkness claiming its next victim.
Before I knew it, the world went black, and everything ceased to exist.
For the next year, I was tortured by nightmares—visions so real I began to question reality. My entire family killed me over and over again, their bodies covered by a strange purple aura, their eyes red.
Death was common in my nightmare, and sometimes I was killed by people and Pokemon that I didn't even know. The pain grew after each death, filling my entire being with nothing but agony and misery.
But beyond that, I saw other horrors—things so terrifying, my mortality could not comprehend them. I saw two giant grotesque monsters, with other beings behind them. One of them looked humanoid, but the other ones looked morbid. They laughed with a cacophony of madness and demonic glee, spinning tales of misery into my ears.
Insanity ruled my mind. My mortality was being played with, then ripped into multiple pieces, crushed to nothing but dust, and reassembled to do it again. I broke. I snapped. Infinity clutched at my mind, squeezing it until bloody viscera curtained my vision.
I cried bloody tears.
From the tortured sky, blood dripped on top me. The more I suffered, the more blood engulfed me, burning like the flames of Hell.
Not even the shadows could save me.
Everlasting.
Pain.
Blood.
Blood.
Everlasting.
Blood.
Blood.
B...l...o...
...
I am the Everlasting.
***
Back to Hearthome...
My memories replayed in my head so vividly my mind seemed to be clutched by insanity again. I wanted to forget. I never wanted to experience that again. Stop it. STOP IT!
I clutched my head, shaking with rage. "Why the fuck are you back?!" I snapped at Beatrice. "It was all your fault! Your fucking fault! I wanted you to get out of my life!"
Pain flashed through Beatrice's face. "I'm your sister. You know I will always care for you."
"Bullshit," I said coldly. "You're no sister of mine, Beatrice. Not when you brought that monster to me."
Her eyes narrowed. "You know I didn't know about its intentions. I never thought it would hurt you."
Cresselia looked at me with sad eyes, as if remembering the hurt it had to heal me from.
"Right, and you would trust some random Mythical Pokemon walking around in a forest?!" I shot back. "Stop bullshitting me."
"Then why the hell would I look for Cresselia?" Beatrice asked me calmly. "Why would I look for the one thing that would save you if I wanted to harm you? No, Val—"
"Don't fucking call me that," I glowered at her.
"—I love you, little brother. You know I would burn down the world to protect you," Beatrice promised. "You don't understand what truly happened. You don't even remember it."
I forced myself to forget all of that, but the more I looked at Beatrice, the more I remembered. It was so vivid. Sometimes it seems like the nightmares actually happened.
"Why are you back now," I scowled. "Why are you here, after all these years?"
"I've always been here," she said vaguely, her small smile back on her face.
"What do you mean by that?" I said darkly. "Don't bullshit me, you bitch."
Beatrice seemed unperturbed by my insults. "I've been watching you, ever since you and Dad moved."
My eyes widened. "Why?"
She pursed her lips. "I want to keep tabs on you. And Mom wants to know what you're up to."
"Does Dad know about this?" I glared.
"Yes," Beatrice nodded. "By the way... how is he?"
"Oh, so now you worry?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "You two fucking abandoned us, threw us away. And now you have the audacity to say you care?"
Beatrice sighed. "Such anger for one so young," she muttered. "Brother, I've told you before. I had to stay with Mom."
"No you didn't!" I snapped.
"To be a Pokemon Archaeologist, I needed to stay with her. She's been teaching me. You know I couldn't become one if I went with you."
"Have you forgotten the fact that Cynthia abandoned all of us?! Some love you have!" I seethed. "Why don't you get out of my fucking life?! Why don't you just leave us alone?! We're better off without you!"
"You know I can't do that," Beatrice shook her head. "Mom and I love the both of you."
"Bullshit!"
"Val, I don't want to argue with you," Beatrice said. "I love you, and I will keep telling you that."
My glare didn't ease. All the rage I've had inside of me suddenly poured out of me, escaping my control.
"By the way, how's the egg?"
"So it was you," I said with barely controlled anger.
"Actually, it's from Mom's Togekiss. She told me to give it to you."
"Oh fucking give me a break!" I snapped. "I don't need your help! I'm going to beat your asses, no matter how long it takes."
Beatrice shook her head sadly. Her next words for so soft I barely heard them. "Even if you hate us, just know that we won't give up on you. We're Shironas, and our family has had too much strife to break apart now. I won't stop watching you. I know everything you do. Just know that I'm always here for you."
My anger exploded out of me. "Fuck off!" I ran at her and angrily threw a punch at her.
She sighed and sidestepped the attack easily. She blocked my next strike and promptly punched me in the stomach so hard I went tumbling five feet away. I gasped—the blow took the breath out of me.
"You're not the only one who can get violent," Beatrice warned. "And you're not the only one with blood on your hands."
I knitted my eyebrows. "You know about that?"
"Mhm," Beatrice's smile twisted until it was honestly creepy, "I have to say, I found it amusing when you killed those Team Rocket grunts in cold blood. It makes me wonder if you'll do it again. But knowing what you've become, I wouldn't be surprised."
I got up and scowled. "Hattrem, Psybeam!"
But Hattrem wasn't there. The Zoroark shook its head at our attempt.
"Zoroark here used its Ability, Illusion. She's like a modern-day Zoroark, but stronger. Your friend doesn't know where you are, and you can't see her either, because of her Illusion," Beatrice explained.
"What do you mean 'modern-day?'" I asked.
Beatrice's smile broadened. "Zoroark right here"—she patted Zoroark on her head—"is unique to Ancient Sinnoh, or as most people call it, Hisui. Not only that, she's an Alpha."
My eyes widened at that piece of information. "How the hell did you get your hands on a Pokemon from the past."
"What? Is it really that surprising?" Beatrice gave the same amused smile. "If the Professors from Paldea are doing the same thing, why can't I?"
"Stop playing games with me, Beatrice—"
"You forgot to call me Bee."
"—Beatrice. Why are you really here?"
"For the reasons I've just said."
"Yeah, right! You just suddenly appeared after all these years. So I'm going to ask you one more time. Why. Are. You. FUCKING HERE?!"
Beatrice pursed her lips. "To see you, little bro. And... I know Giratina has contacted you."
My blood froze over, as if a Blizzard swallowed me whole. "You don't mean..."
"You've always been a nonbeliever, huh?" Beatrice shook her head. "You're not the only one who has his blessing," she raised her hand, showing the back. The same golden light as mine shone from it.
I raised my own hand, which glowed with the same light. "So it really is Giratina."
"What?" Beatrice laughed. "Did you think everything Mom has told us were just bedtime stories? She's an Archaeologist, she doesn't give a shit about fairy tails or folklore—but real, hard facts. When she told you her goal was to meet Arceus, did you believe her to be insane?"
"I did," I admitted. "And I still do. Even if it is real, how can a mortal meet God? Unless they go to Heaven, or whatever bullshit the church spouts."
Beatrice sighed. "Still an atheist?"
"You know it sounds fucking insane!" I snapped.
She winced. "You really need to get a girlfriend."
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Then I remembered my anger and glared at her.
"I still can't believe you became an incel," she shook her head.
"I'm not a goddamn incel!"
"You sure look like one. That Dawn girl, she's pretty, but you don't her the time of day," Beatrice noted. "You act like she's a waste of your time."
My glare darkened. "Get to the point already! If Giratina really has a contract with our family, what does this mean?"
Beatrice's face turned serious. "Then it means you must thread carefully from now on, brother. It chose you as its Chosen One and the Shadowed Soul. That's even more worrying. As far as we know, there has been only one Shadowed Soul in history—and we don't speak about him. Some of our ancestors are Chosen Ones, but they were never Shadowed Souls."
"So how is that worrying?"
"Because," Beatrice replied, "you don't have the same luxuries as Arceus's Chosen Ones. They have fate on their side, you don't. For the rest of your life you will be forsaken by God and an outcast. You're going to have to carve your own path with your own strength. The entire world will be against you."
"Then why did Giratina give me this burden?" I asked.
"Because its playing a dangerous game. Forces are stirring, and right now Giratina is depending on you. Do you remember what Mom told you about Giratina?"
"I've forgotten most of it," I admitted. I've forgotten about Sinnoh's mythology because I've never thought it was real. Hell, I still couldn't believe it was real. "What's so special about our bloodline?"
Beatrice sighed wearily. "Our bloodline is both revered and dishonored. But for the most part, we are descended from some of the most dangerous people in history. And one of them, the first Shadowed Soul, was the one who made a contract with Giratina in the first place. That contract has extended to us."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm trying to help you," she said. "I want to find out what's truly going on as much as you do."
I scowled at her. "I don't need your help. You two left, so I don't need any of you!"
Beatrice's smile reappeared on her face. "Then battle me. If you don't need my help, show me how strong you are."
Fury coursed through me as I reached for my Poke Balls. All but one were missing. I grabbed it and threw it.
"Lia!" Kirlia appeared, glaring murderously at Beatrice. She stood in front of me protectively.
"I've never seen a Kirlia as feisty as that," Beatrice mused. "But you're not nearly strong enough. I think I know which Pokemon would best fit this."
With a flourish, Beatrice threw a Poke Ball and out came...
"So you're using Garchomp, huh?" I said quietly, knowing how powerful her Garchomp was. He was the offspring of my mom's Garchomp.
Beatrice studied me. "You forgot, then?"
"Forgot what?" I asked irritably.
Her gaze softened as she looked at me. "You forgot about Gibia, then."
I don't know what came over me, but my body began to shake. That name brought chills that swept through me, unnerving me to no end. Gibia... who was Gibia.
"You forced yourself to forget."
Garchomp looked at me with sad eyes.
Kirlia turned to me, looking concerned. "Kirlia?"
"Nothing," I forced my emotions away. "Let's just get this over with. Kirlia, Disarming Voice!"
Kirlia swiftly ran over to Garchomp, singing as a wave of pink energy blossomed out of her, bashing into Garchomp at point-blank range. Despite the super-effective attack, Disarming Voice did absolutely nothing to it.
"You managed to push Garchomp a fraction of an inch," Beatrice said. "Now it's our turn."
Without an order, Garchomp hit Kirlia with one of his arm-fins at such fast speeds that it was nearly invisible. A shockwave reverberated, destroying the trees around us. Before I knew it, Kirlia was flung miles away, where she inevitably was knocked out.
"What!" I exclaimed. "He didn't even use an attack."
Beatrice shook her head. "Now you see that you aren't strong enough to do this alone."
I glowered at her with burning hatred, returning Kirlia. "Shut up. Just shut up."
She sighed. "I'll give you time to calm down."
"I'm never going to calm down! Not when it was your fault... it was your fault that... that... DAMN IT!"
I was so frustrated that I couldn't remember. I was shaking, whether from anger or anguish, I did not know. My body did not respond to my commands, instead it shook from its own accord. It succumbed to my emotions.
"Calm down, Val," Beatrice urged. "I'll leave you for now. But know that I'm always here, no matter where you go or what you do. We are siblings, and that's something you should remember."
Cresselia made her way over to me, looking at me with melancholic eyes.
I turned around defensively. "Get away from me," I said softly. "All of you."
I heard Beatrice inhale air, sighing sadly. "Goodbye, little bro. We'll meet again. But just know that I love you, because you're my little brother."
"Don't give me your shit," I said darkly. "I don't want to listen to it."
Beatrice chuckled ruefully, and I felt the illusion shatter.
***
Back in the real world...
Dawn flinched as she finally noticed I was there. "Vali, where did you go... I just..."
She winced when she saw my look.
"I don't know, you must have been hallucinating or something," I said with a steely tone. "I was here the entire time."
I gathered my things silently. I felt Dawn's worried gaze. I turned to her, irritated. "What?"
"You seem..." Dawn shrugged. "Something happened."
"Nothing, I'm fine," I said. "I'm just tired."
"I'm not dumb," Dawn said stiffly. "You can't fool me."
"Shut up!" I snapped. "It's none of your fucking business."
"Vali," Dawn walked to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "You're obviously not fine."
"No shit!"
"But calm down, seriously," Dawn said. "I'm not trying to make your anger worse."
I laughed in a disturbed sort of way. "Yeah, and what are you going to do, make it better? Give me a fucking break."
"But I can," she shot back.
"You wouldn't even understand—"
Dawn surprised me with a kiss.
I stopped talking, bewildered. "What the fuck what that for?"
"See," Dawn smirked. "I told you I could make you calm down."
I shook my head. "What the hell," I sighed. "That was uncalled for."
She winked. "How about we finally get out of here."
I decided to pretend like that kiss never happened. The only thing it did was clear my head. But my anger remained. "Yeah," I said absentmindedly. "I've had just about enough of this bullshit."
***
My dark thoughts blossomed as we walked, but I didn't show it. I had idle conversation with Dawn, which I mostly forgot about.
I didn't care for her feelings. And she should know that it was a bad idea to get involved with me. But that damn girl was too stubborn. After this, I was going to ignore her until she gave up on me. Her feelings were more of an annoyance than anything else.
I kept thinking about what Beatrice said. She was back after all these years. And I had a lot to think about.
Her, Cynthia, and Darkrai all ruined my life. And now Giratina was making my life harder than it needs to be.
The Devil of Pokemon chose me. Ha! Some help you are. Thanks for fucking me over.
And some people wonder why I'm so angry. It was the only emotion I understood.
Eevee, Hattrem, and Kirlia all looked at me worriedly. I was strangely distant from them. For the first time since leaving Viridian, I didn't let Eevee sit on my shoulder. Everytime she tried, I would gently set her on the ground. I knew she suspected what I was feeling. Hattrem and Kirlia could downright sense my emotions.
Damn it, why does everyone know what I goddamn feel! Why couldn't I keep them to myself for once?
Eventually we heard a voice.
"Piplup!"
"Piplup, where are you going?" I heard a familiar voice say.
The Piplup ran toward Dawn, who's eyes lit up upon seeing him. She ran to him, happily spreading her arms. Piplup jumped into her arms and hugged her, to which she hugged him back.
Seeing the love between Trainer and Pokemon seemed to extinguish some of my anger. I took a deep breath and looked at my Pokemon. Without speaking, I held my arm up for them.
Eevee smiled happily and ran up my arm, sitting on my shoulder. "Vee!" she nuzzled me adorably.
"I'm sorry about that, I just..." I sighed. "I just have a lot of things on my mind right now."
Kirlia smirked and teleported on my other shoulder, while Hatenna leapt up and sat on my head. I pat them all on the heads, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry to you all."
They accepted my apology after I petted them, calming my nerves down a little bit.
I saw Trinity walking to me, a relieved look on her face.
"Had a fun time?" I asked wryly.
"Yeah, so fun," Trinity rolled her eyes with a smirk. She raised her hand and I pretended to high five it, but moved my hand away before they connected.
"Asshole," Trinity glared.
"Get used to it," I smirked cruelly and turned to Dawn.
"By the way, who the hell is that?" Trinity asked as she looked at Dawn, who returned Piplup to his Poke Ball.
"Are you sure you don't recognize her?"
Trinity squinted. "Oh! She's one of Ash's traveling companions. No wonder her Piplup was so familiar."
"You're right," Dawn replied for me as she walked over to us. "I'm Dawn, nice to meet you. Thank you so much for finding Piplup, I got so worried."
"Trinity," Trinity smiled in a friendly sort of way. "You're welcome, by the way."
"You know Vali?" Dawn asked curiously, though I could tell she had a little bit of suspicion towards her.
"Mhm," Trinity confirmed, glancing at me with a knowing look, hiding it from Dawn. "He's my friend."
Dawn seemed a bit relieved when she called me a friend. "You must be pretty strong if you managed to survive this forest by yourself."
"And you must be strong-willed if you managed to stay with Vali all this time," Trinity said with a smirk.
"I must be," Dawn giggled.
"And once again, Trinity is already friends with the person she just met," I grumbled. Trinity had a knack of making friends with most people. Me? Well, not so much.
A thought came to me. "Wait, Trin, how did you find us?"
"Hmm?" Trinity turned to me. "Oh, I just used Trevenant."
"Trevenant... oh, I see."
So that was what Marshadow meant about a Phantump being one of the guardians. Trinity must have caught its evolved form, Trevenant.
As if on cue, a massive tree-like Pokemon appeared before me, startling me slightly.
"Treve..." Trevenant looked at me curiously.
Trinity rubbed its trunk. "She refused to listen to me when I captured her. But she recently started listening to my orders."
"Wow, that's a huge Trevenant," Dawn commented.
"Yeah, I was surprised too."
"You caught one of the guardians, then?" I nodded. "Then we have all three."
"What do you mean?" Trinity asked.
"I would show you, but the other two refuse to come out. I wonder—"
I was interrupted as Gengar came out of the Poke Ball for the first time since the Marshadow battle.
"Gen," Gengar snickered, before grabbing me, flying away in a specific direction.
"Not again!" I heard Dawn shout as Gengar dragged me away.
"I guess we have to go save him," Trinity sighed.
"This is the second time I've been kidnapped by a Ghost-type!" I shouted as Gengar took me away, the wind violently battering me as we flew. "Where are you taking me?"
"Gengar," he said vaguely, looking at me for a second, before going back to focusing on our flight.
We must have flown about five minutes before we stopped at a secluded part of the forest. It looked eerie, with the shadows looming over it, giving it a macabre look. Trees wrapped around it like chains, and the air smelled musty.
"What was that all about?" I asked as I landed on my feet.
"Gen, Gengar." Gengar looked at me seriously, its grin gone. Then, to my surprise, it knelt and bowed down to me respectfully.
Then Golurk brought itself out of its Poke Ball in a flash of light, kneeling in the same fashion as Gengar. It gazed at me with impassive eyes that bore none of the malice it held for me when I fought it.
"You are relieved of your duties, my friends," I heard Marshadow's voice from behind me.
I looked behind me and saw Marshadow, looking at the two Ghost-types with sad eyes.
"I thought I could only speak to you when our souls were linked," I said, awestruck.
"It was so, but your connection with us strengthened after our conversation. Now it will be much easier to communicate with other Ghost-types."
I nodded. "That will make things easier.
Marshadow smiled ruefully. "Yes, now there will be less misunderstanding with other Ghost-types." It then turned to Gengar and Golurk, walking up to them slowly.
"I will stay here and protect the others," Marshadow promised. "I give you my blessing to stay with this Trainer. He has proved himself worthy."
Gengar and Golurk nodded.
"Gar..." Gengar said, his eyes flashing with affection.
"Lurk," Golurk bellowed, inclining its head respectfully.
"Then live happily, and may the shadows guide you."
Gengar and Golurk nodded one last time and returned themselves to their Poke Balls.
Marshadow looked at me. "Farewell, Shadowed Soul. May the shadows also guide you, for they are your friends. And one last thing. When you see Trevenant again, tell her, "You are relieved from your duties." She will understand."
I gave it a small smile. "I will," I promised. "And I will take care of Gengar and Golurk. And I know that Trinity will take care of Trevenant."
Marshadow bowed. "We will see each other when the time comes." It was enveloped by the darkest shadows, disappearing as they dissipated.
I let out the breath I didn't know what I was holding. Eevee, Kirlia, and Hatenna were still on top of me, but they stayed silent throughout the entire interaction. They all smiled at me.
"It's time to go back, then," I sighed in a relieved sort of way. "We can finally leave this forest."
A rustle of leaves snapped me on guard, looking at the direction from which it came.
"Vali! Where are you?" I heard Dawn's voice shout with within the trees.
"I'm right here," I replied.
Trevenant walked into the clearing, looking around with eyes of recognition.
"This is your meeting place, right?" I asked her.
"Trevenant..." she nodded, dismaying at how empty it is.
"Trevenant," I whispered. "You are relieved from your duties."
Her eyes widened. She looked saddened, but she nodded with understanding.
"What did you tell her?" Trinity asked me, rubbing Trevenant's side.
I ignored her, but gave her a look that meant, "I'll tell you later."
"I told you we would find him around a bunch of Ghost-types," Dawn said.
"You were right," Trinity replied.
"Both of you shut up," I said irritably.
Trinity and Dawn laughed at my expense.
***
Silence enveloped us as rode Dawn's Mamoswine through the forest for the last time, listening to the whispers of the Ghost-type Pokemon watching us go, not bothering us for once. Their ephemeral stares faded away as they slipped into the umbral manifestations of the forest. The shadows were not cold anymore; now they felt warm and comforting, as if giving us the highest honor as we departed.
Despite this forest trying to kill us so many times, it felt... strangely congenial. I guess the shadows really were my friends.
Dawn and Trinity have become fast friends, quickly discovering their kindred likes. Dawn knew how to make Poffins, and Trinity wanted to know how to make it. They both knew a lot about making Pokemon food.
"You should become a Coordinator," Dawn had suggested.
"I'm doing the Kanto Gym Challenge," Trinity replied, though I could tell her curiosity was perked after Dawn explained to her how Pokemon Contests work.
"Who says you can't do both?" Dawn said.
Afterwards they talked about other things I didn't care about, and me, being the antisocial guy I was, I didn't bother to partake in their conversations.
Eventually, the forest's dying light waxed, the darkness become thinner until it was nearly dispelled. I saw everything with newfound clarity, as if a veil blinding my eyes was cleared and a barrier that separated my true vision from Hearthome Forest's ghostly mist was broken.
The trees began to look more familiar and less ominous, and the world was in sharper focus. The way from which we entered was laid bare, as if waiting for us.
We had finally escaped Hearthome Forest.
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Vali's emotions are bubbling up inside of him as some of his memories resurface. He learns more about his family and how being a Shirona affects his life. Their patron Giratina has chosen him, and now he has to find his way through this much more dangerous world with nothing but his own strength. Now he must carve his own path.
When creating Beatrice, I didn't know if I wanted to make her male or female. But I decided to go with female because I have three older sisters in real life, so I decided that it was easier for me to write an older sister because, well, I have three. Also, Main Characters having secret brothers is so common, for some reason. It's the same reason why I made Vali the son of Cynthia, a female Champion, because in most stories the fathers are the assholes and not the mothers.
I came up with Beatrice's nickname Bee because I remembered that I couldn't pronounce my sisters' names when I was little, so I came up with nicknames for all of them. And I still call them these names to this day.
I named her Beatrice because the name is of Latin origin, meaning "voyager," which implies that she will be an adventurer when she grows up. And after catching so many rare Pokemon like Cresselia and a goddamn Alpha Hisuian Zoroark, I think the name fits.
I only talked about his lineage on their mother's side, so what about their father's?
They finally escaped Hearthome Forest! I have to say, it was fun writing their adventures in this place, since it was so chaotic.
As you could probably guess, Hearthome Forest is a location I created. This won't be the last time I create locations.
There are three chapters left in this arc, and I have a surprise for the last one...
What Pokemon would you guys want Vali to catch? I'm curious to see your opinions.
And as always, if you have any suggestions for locations, Pokemon, and characters you all would like to see next, then feel free to comments. I love reading them and I will try to answer all of them. That is my policy as a writer—to always consider feedback.
This chapter was surprisingly hard to write, so I'll take a break for a few days and then write the next chapter next week.
I'll see you all later.