70 – The Beginning
Soft, lush grass brushed over Cleo's fur as she stretched. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the bright sunlight. Rubbing a paw over them, she pushed herself up and yawned. It felt like she'd just woken up from a long sleep, and that the immense fight was nothing more than a highly detailed dream.
She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the daylight and let out a small gasp. They were no longer in the mountains. Instead, they were surrounded by lush fields and meadows, rolling hills, sparkling lakes and rivers, moors abundant with colourful heather and orchards heaping with berries. Soft singing reached her ears and she turned her eyes to the sky. What had looked like fluffy white clouds were actually flocks of altaria soaring above them, twirling and dancing in the air.
Dotted about them were countless other pokemon. Hoppip and cottonee bobbed about on the breeze, flocks of mareep and flaafy lay sprawled in the fields talking merrily. Azurill and marill played by the lake.
She rubbed her eyes again. "The Fairy Garden..."
"You're awake!"
She looked up into the smiling face of Faith. Beside her stood Spark with a berry clutched in her tiny paws.
Cleo blinked at her. "We're back in the Fairy Garden."
Faith nodded. "Uhuh!"
Cleo followed her gaze behind her. The pokemon that had joined them in battle were lay on the grass as though they were sleeping. Some of them had woken up and were staring in amazement at their surroundings. Amongst them moved Xerneas, nudging each of them with his nose and leaving behind him a trail of tiny, colourful flowers.
A fluffy head rose up from the grass, blinking a pair of orange eyes.
"Mischief!"
Cleo stood and ran over to him. He stretched and yawned before fixing one eye on her.
"Oh... Cleo." He looked past her and he smiled. "And Faith! Hi! Oh, and Spark too!"
"We're back in the Fairy Garden," Cleo told him.
He looked around, rubbing his head with a paw. "Oh! When did this happen?"
"Xerneas brought us back here," said Faith. "After the battle ended."
"So it's over?" asked Spark. "The war, I mean?"
Faith nodded. "Yup! Follow me, you'll want to see this!"
Cleo offered Mischief a paw and pulled him to his feet. They ran off after the mawile as she zipped over the grass. Cleo was amazed at how easy it was to follow her. Every single wound she'd taken during that battle was miraculously gone. She felt energized, awake, refreshed. No pain in her shoulders, no ringing in her ears.
Faith came to a stop on top of a tall hill. A river gurgled down the side of it, joining a lake a couple of miles away. She gave Cleo a smile and stretched out a claw.
"Look!"
Cleo followed her gaze. Mountains rose in the far distance. Just mountains, as clear as day against the bright sky. It was dotted with green which eventually joined the ground below where it spread out into fields, later joining a massive woodland.
"Do you recognise it?" Faith asked.
Cleo shook her head. "No. Is it part of the Fairy Garden?"
Faith chuckled. "It used to be the Shadow Lands."
Cleo let out a yell of surprise and covered her mouth with her paws. It looked completely different. The sun shone brightly above it, its rays reaching down and submerging it in light. The sky was no longer dark and gloomy. No sense of eeriness, no murkrow flocking the skies. No castle. It had been completely transformed, as though the light cascading down on it had washed any lingering sense of darkness away.
Mischief shuffled next to her. "That was really the Shadow Lands?"
Faith nodded. "Yes. And now it's safe. No more Darkness."
Cleo narrowed her eyes at something glimmering beyond the woods, gathering into a shimmering pool at the foot of the mountain. "Is that a river?"
"Yes. After Yveltal was destroyed, rivers burst forth from the Silent Mountains to flow into the purified land."
Cleo blinked a few times as she took this in. Rivers flowing through the Border Woods towards those mountains... It was really over... the Shadow Lands were gone.
No more Darkness.
"I can't believe it," said Cleo. "This war has been going on since I was a hatchling... and now it's over." She looked over at Faith's smiling face. "It's like a massive weight has been lifted."
Faith reached over and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Of course. You're free now." She chuckled and linked her paws behind her back. "I'm going to see who else is here! See you in the dinner hall!"
Cleo watched the mawile skip away down the hill into the group of new pokemon. For the first time, she took in who was amongst them. A few sneasel and weavile had been brought in, along with a couple of purrloin.
"Cleo?"
She looked round at Mischief. He was staring down at the gathered pokemon, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
"I feel different," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
"Like... well, I'm not dizzy any more." He gave her a sideways glance. "I think the pokerus is gone."
Cleo smiled. "It sounds like it."
He returned her smile and looked away from her. "I don't remember my family. To be honest, I'm not curious about my memories. You guys have been there for me, and I'm really grateful for that. Now that I'm here and I'm well and don't pose a risk to anyone, I think I might go and see if I can find some of my own kind."
"You never know," said Spark. "You might even find your family here."
"You never know." He gave her a small wave and moved down the hill. "I'll see you later?"
Cleo nodded. "See you later." She watched him move away out of sight then looked up at the rolling hills. "Maybe it was just the pokerus."
"What was?"
She looked back down at Spark. The little dedenne twitched her nose at her.
"Are you all right?" Spark asked.
All right... she thought about how she'd felt the first time she'd considered it was the pokerus causing him to show any interest in her. But now, those feelings of sadness felt like a dream.
Washed away, along with her wounds.
She smiled. "Actually, yes. I'm fine."
She turned and looked out at the vibrant mountain and followed the woods out into the Rocky Plains. So much had changed since the day she first met Spark, and now they were still standing side by side, the war finally over.
"So, Spark." She looked down at her friend. "You've always been part fairy type."
"Yeh!" Spark chuckled and finished her berry. "Who would have guessed?!"
Cleo laughed. "Not me. Well." She turned away from the scene and moved down the hillside. "Shall we see if we can find any of our new friends?"
"Yeh!" Spark licked her paws and followed after her. "Ooh! I wonder if there are any more dedenne here? Or meowstic?"
She took over Cleo and she ran after her, their laughter rising into the air as they rushed to join their friends.
...
Enigma leant back against a thick tree, watching the children curiously as they greeted the young altaria. Starshine was stood beside his father and the charizard and blaziken, and his eyes lit up at the sight of his friends.
"Wow look at you!" Scout beamed up at Starshine. "You're all grown up now!"
Starshine laughed and was about to say something, but was thrown off as Tad threw a heavy arm around his neck.
"Now ye back wi' us, we can start Team Heroes again!"
"And we've got a new member too!" Scout added. "A liepard called Prance!"
Starshine raised an eyebrow. "Prance?"
"Yeh! He joined me and my mum on our way here! Said he was looking for the Fairy Garden after hearing about it."
Tad chuckled. "Team Heroes is growing!"
"But... It's not necessary. The war's over," said Starshine. "We don't need to keep fighting."
"The war might be over," said Krayne, "but there's still work to be done, lad."
Tinker looked up at the blaziken. "What work?"
"There's pokemon out there who still need help finding this place. You once hadn't heard of it, and there are some out there who still haven't heard of it."
The charizard grinned down at him. "It's been our job for years to help those who are lost."
Tinker raised an eyebrow. "You've really been here this whole time?" he asked the blaziken.
Krayne nodded. "Yes. Training alongside Etar." He nodded to the charizard.
"Then why didn't you come back for me?" Tinker asked. "Or for Grey?"
"New City was in good paws with you," said Krayne.
Etar laughed. "You're not annoyed are you?"
"I'm not annoyed," said Tinker. "But I have a lot of questions! Besides, what's going to happen to New City now? There's still a lot of pokemon living there."
"Yes," said Starshine. "Like Uncle Skipper!"
"Nah, Uncle Skipper's here in th'Fairy Garden," said Tad. "But he did say somethin' 'bout wantin' t'go back t'New City t'gather 'is friends 'n' me ma."
"Well!" Etar grinned. "First, though, I think you both might benefit from some training. And you n'all, Tad."
Enigma grunted and shifted against the tree trunk. "Maybe you can evolve yourself now?" He said to the riolu.
Tinker frowned. "I don't think I want to evolve."
"But you have a mega evolution," said Etar. "As does Skipper."
"What?" Tad's eyes widened. "Are ye sayin' I c'n mega evolve?"
"Wow!" Scout bounced up and down. "Can I too?!"
Etar rumbled laughter. "You kids are so full of energy." He turned back to Tinker. "We could train you how to use it like we did with Enigma." He nodded to the banette.
Tinker stared at Enigma and his face turned thoughtful. "Really?"
Enigma chuckled and stood up. "You try and convince him. I'm going to take a small walk."
He turned away from the charizard and froze in his tracks. Staring back at him from above the long grass was a pair of blue eyes.
"Harlequin?"
The zorua took a step towards him. A grin split across her face and she threw herself at him, knocking him back against the tree.
"Argh!" She laughed. "You're here!"
Enigma laughed and threw his arms around her. The overwhelming happiness caused his eyes to well up with tears. "I thought you were gone!"
"No. I'm here." She pulled back from him and smiled. "So, what do you think? Isn't this place amazing?"
He released her and stood back, wiping a paw across his eyes. "It is." He paused and glanced back at Tinker and his family. "But I have to say, thinking of all those pokemon out there who've never heard of this place..."
A paw crunched in the grass. "It's pretty sad, isn't it?"
Enigma's eyes went to the speaker, and Harlequin followed him. Her jaw dropped and she turned slowly to face the absol and the two pawniard.
"Harbie?"
The absol nodded.
A huge smile spread across the zorua's face. "Harbie!" She rushed over to him and threw her paws around his neck. "You're alive!"
Harbinger nuzzled her neck and laughed. "Yes. Xerneas came to get me so I could help in the war. I'm so glad it's over now."
"Argh! I'm so happy! We're together again!" Harlequin bounced on her toes and hopped back from him. "And look at this place! We're finally free!"
Enigma felt a smile tug at his lips. Free. The war was over. He turned away from them and moved across the Fairy Garden. Pokemon played and laughed around him, chasing after friends old and new as they greeted the newcomers. But this wasn't everyone. New City, the Border Woods, other Outcast towns scattered across the region. All of them had pokemon that needed to find this place.
"Enigma, wait!"
He looked back as Harlequin ran to catch up with him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm going out." He folded his paws behind his head and grinned. "There are other pokemon who need to hear about this place. It's what Hope and Faith do, amongst others, right? They need help reaching those who are still lost."
"Well..." Harlequin shuffled her paws on the grass. "You don't want to go alone?"
Alone... the thought didn't cripple him any more, but still, there was something warm about travelling with a friend.
He chuckled and looked away from her. "No. How boring would that be?"
"Then I'll go with you." Harlequin grinned and looked back at Harbinger. "Harbie, are you coming?"
Harbinger shrugged. "Sure. The Fairy Garden accepted me. If that will encourage others to find their place here, then count me in."
"Us too!" said Claw, with a salute.
Harlequin gave the pawniard a smile. "But... are you sure you want to go already?" she asked Enigma.
Enigma smiled at her. "Do we really have time to waste?"
"I guess not." She flashed him a grin. "Race you!"
Enigma watched as Harlequin streaked off ahead of him. A light-hearted laugh came from Harbinger and he bounded after her, zigzagging across the grass with Scratch and Claw close to his tail. Enigma shook his head and chuckled. There was never a dull moment with Harlequin around. And now, seeing her laughing and playing like a hatchling, it was clear how much she'd changed.
Transformed, happy, bright-eyed.
He looked up at the sky, the rolling clouds letting the rays from the sun cascade down on them, spreading their warmth through his fur. He already couldn't wait for the day they'd walk back into the Fairy Garden with new friends eager to experience the joy it held.
He smiled and folded his paws behind his head, strolling after the playful zorua and her friends.
...
"I can't believe it," Mint gasped. "It's gone!"
Ripwing grunted as he cast his eyes over her. "The pokerus is really gone?"
"It happened to Mischief too," said Cleo. "And Enigma."
The salamence nodded and looked through the dining hall window at the gazebo in the abbey square. His eyes glazed over with thought.
"What's the matter?" Faith asked.
"Rio ran a lot of experiments with pokerus," he explained. "As a result, many infected pokemon are still out there."
"So... if we bring them back here..." Faith stared down at her plate and trailed off.
"We can do it," said Cleo. "We have experience with it. We know what to look for."
"It's going to be dangerous." The warning note in Ripwing's voice didn't fall on deaf ears.
Cleo looked up at him and smiled. "But there's hope for them now. Pokerus isn't a death sentence any more."
Ripwing stared at her for a moment and nodded. "I understand. Right, then I'll help find them. If we split up into groups, our chance of success is increased."
"Oh good!" Faith clapped her paws together. "Helping other pokemon! It's so rewarding when they find the Fairy Garden!"
Cleo looked out at the other pokemon around the massive table. Tyrix sat opposite them talking with a granbull couple. A few seats down were Mulch and Meredith talking with Old Red and Reshiram. So many familiar faces, yet there were still so many pokemon that needed to find the Fairy Garden.
She pushed herself back from the table. "I'm going to see if I can find any others who'd be willing to help us."
"Like who?" asked Spark.
Cleo looked from the dedenne to Ripwing. "Like Ripwing said – if we break into groups then we have a higher chance of finding them. So... anyone."
"All right." Spark picked up a berry. "Want me to save you some berries for supper?"
Cleo shook her head. "I'm fine. You enjoy yourself."
She turned and skipped from the abbey, out into the garden. The sun was setting now. The sky was dusted with orange and yellow. Bright and cheerful as it set over the woods and mountains in the distance. Pokemon were still out and about, talking, playing, lying in the grass as they enjoyed the cool evening air.
A warm paw grabbed hers and she turned, meeting Mischief's orange eyes.
"I overheard you," he said. "You said you want to help the pokemon that still have pokerus. Right?"
She nodded. "Do you want to help us?"
He smiled. "Of course."
She returned his smile and he gave her paw a soft squeeze.
"After suffering with it like that," he said, "I want others who have it to be free and happy." He turned and looked out at the woods dyed an inky green against the orange hue of the setting sun. "They're still out there, lost, suffering and scared. The thing is, I know how it feels when you're scared of putting those you love in danger."
He caught her gaze and her paw tingled beneath his. He looked away from her again and his face set in determination.
"Our next big mission," he said, "is to bring them back here where they're safe."
Safe.
The war had ended, freeing the pokemon from darkness. Those still out there needed to hear of that, and the more of them there were delivering that news, the faster the word would spread.
Something caught Cleo's eye and she looked up at the hills. Xerneas was standing like a silhouette against the twilight sky, watching for those who would be heading towards the Fairy Garden.
Yes. The war was over. Now was the beginning of something much greater.
...
A/N - I want to offer a huge thank you to all who have read, reviewed, voted, and even those who have read quietly! =D It means so much to me. I spent eighteen months writing this, and the response I've had in various areas - FFnet, Serebii's forums, Pokecommunity and here - has been awesome! Re-editing it for WattPad and adding illustrations has been a joy, and I've met some awesome people while working on this. You are all amazing!
I've thought a few times if a sequel would work for this. The song Courtesy Call by Thousand Foot Krutch was the main song in my play list for this story. It was practically it's anthem. When I heard the remix, I thought once again about working on a sequel, but I don't think it would work. At all. Leaving it as it is, it allows you readers to imagine what might happen next, how the characters may develop further, and what further adventures await them as they go to help those in need.
I may well begin uploading the one-shots soon. I just need to work on a cover. And in a couple of weeks, maybe less, I have a new Pokemon story I'm planning to upload. Writing brings me so much joy, and knowing others enjoy reading what I write just keeps me going. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. If you're reading this and you enjoy writing also, then keep on writing.
Del-x-