Gift was running, running towards a pit that seemed to reach beyond the other end of the world. It terrified him, but drew him on just the same. And so he ran, desperately wanting to stop but knowing that he couldn't, running to the pit's edge and gazing into the abyss. The great hole was filled with inky, threatening blackness. There was no sound, no movement in the pit, but Gift could feel a terrible pull on his heart, as if the pit wished to devour him body and soul. And then, a flash of red as two terrible, mad eyes gazed at him from the blackness. The edge of the pit crumbled, and Gift was falling into infinity...
He snapped awake with a sudden jerk, gasping for breath, mind racing. The same dream, again! He had lost count of how many times it had been. It seemed that every night he visited the abysmal depths of the terrible pit, saw those eyes, those awful, insane eyes, glaring back at him. He couldn't, wouldn't tell Gardevoir, he was fifteen after all, and no longer ran to Gardevoir to comfort him after a nightmare.
Why, though? Why always the same dream? Gift had to admit that he was worried. The nightmare was foreboding, ominous, a storm just over the horizon, drawing inevitably nearer. Well, dwelling on it won’t get me anywhere, he thought to himself. Getting up, he walked to the pile of clothes in the corner and dressed distractedly. He’d always wondered where Gardevoir had found the clothes. They were human clothes, and Gardevoir almost never left the Grove; Gift doubted that she could have found other humans to trade with.
His thoughts were interrupted by words that seemed to bypass his ears and proceed directly to his mind.
<Gift, come quickly! Something has happened, I must talk with you. Hurry, we cannot afford to waste time.>
Gardevoir wanted him? Gift had never heard her sound so anxious before. Tripping slightly as he pulled on a sneaker, he ran to the edge of his little residence, grabbed hold of the dangling rope, and slid smoothly out of the tree’s branches. Gift’s room was positioned on top of the many limbs of a squat, sturdy tree, with a floor made of woven branches and loam, and a roof of intertwined limbs. Venusaur had helped to make it, using his elemental abilities to conform the tree to the right shape.
Gift peered around the grove for Gardevoir, and saw her standing serenely by the little pond, watching Seel play. It was a glorious morning, and Gift could see the Pokemon of the grove out and about. There was Pikachu having a race with Nidoran, and Machop practicing his sparring techniques, and Ralts munching on an apple and watching the others idly. Gift ran to Gardevoir’s side, waving at his friends as he went.
“Thank you for coming,” Gardevoir said to him.
“What’s going on? You said it was urgent…”
“I’m afraid it is. Gift, I need you to leave the Hallowed Grove.”
Gift couldn’t believe his ears. He stared at his mentor, dumbfounded.
“Leave Hallowed Grove,” he repeated blankly. “Why? What did I do?”
“Nothing, Gift, you have done nothing.” Gardevoir turned to watch Seel again. “Gift, something is happening in the outside world, something terrible. Forces are awakening that could destroy everything we know. I’ve sensed it, and seen it on my travels outside the Grove.” She turned back to Gift, eyes bleak. “Something is coming, Gift. Something with incredible power, and I don’t know if we can stop it. Worse, there are humans, the worst kind of humans, who know about this power. They think they can take it for their own, but they are only accelerating their own destruction. There is only one person in this world who can stop what is coming, and that is you, Gift.”
“Me? Why? I’m just a human! I can’t fight like you or Machop, I have no powers I can use, how can I possibly be the only one?”
“Because,” Gardevoir replied, “you are the only human in the world who really understands.”
Gift looked blankly at her.
“Listen, we named you Gift because you were an unexpected gift in our lives here. That is not all you are, however. I want you to go to the Human’s world, Gift, to find the source of the coming evil, and to stop it, and any who would use it, before all is lost in a sundering of time and space.”
Gift stared at Gardevoir. He had never heard her so anxious, so concerned about anything outside the grove. Mutely, he nodded.
“Thank you,” Gardevoir looked slightly relieved. “Now this journey will be dangerous, I can promise you. For your protection and guidance, I want you to choose a partner, one of your friends in the grove. Take one of these,” she handed Gift a small bag with ten odd orb-shaped devices inside. “Press this button here and point it at the Pokemon you choose, and this PokeBall will store your friend comfortably. Get used to using these, they are a key tool of the Humans. You are to be what the Humans call a Pokemon trainer, one who trains Pokemon and gives them orders in battle…”
Gift listened in rapt attention as Gardevoir told him of Pokemon trainers, of capturing Pokemon and training them to battle, of gyms in far-off regions and mythic Pokemon of legends. The idea of being a Pokemon trainer seemed rather silly to Gift; after all, Pokemon were much smarter than most humans. The Pokemon should be training the humans, he thought, but he listened all the same.
“Now,” Gardevoir said when she had been speaking for almost a full hour, “Find a partner who is willing to accompany you. You leave tomorrow morning.”
Gift nodded and stood up, clutching one of the PokeBalls and stuffing the rest into his raggedy backpack. He looked around at the inhabitants of the grove. Who should he ask? Making his decision, he strode forward…