18 Years Later

I laid on my stomach, my long purple hair surrounding me. The field smelled of lavender and wheat. A sigh of contentment passed through me as the sun warmed my skin. I've lived in these woods all my life. And it has always been lifeless and still.

When I sat up vulpix and eevee rolled off my backs with a tumble. I giggled when they pouted at me. Swablu came down and landed on my shoulder.

A crash in the forest had swablu and eevee hiding behind me. Vulpix took a protective stance in front. "It's okay." I patted her head and stood. In a forest that was always still, that sound was both exciting and terrifying. "Let's check it out."

Eevee whined in protest but followed after when she was being left behind.

I took cautious steps, careful not to make too much noise. Swablu hid her face in my hair and while vulpix feigned confidence, eevee kept her ears low and tail tucked. When I didn't hear the sound again I thought it could have just been a tree branch falling but then I saw them.

Four teddiursa cubs were playing and making a bunch of ruckus while their mother, an ursaring, slept soundly. Eevee perked up her ears and I laughed when she joined them in playing. She frightened the cubs at first but soon their ruckus had made it over to myself and soon I was wrestling around with them. Very rarely do I see Pokemon out in the open like this. It's too dangerous for them. Even now a collector could be creeping around, waiting to snatch these babies up.

It made me look up and around. The mother ursaring had woken up but simply watched us. Even though I looked like a human most Pokemon didn't fear me. It was something I could never explain. Maybe they just knew I meant no harm.

A snapping twig had us all turning around. Mother bear was up in an instant. Hiding behind a bush was a young man and a dark Pokemon beside him. Vulpix quickly shot fire at them and the ursaring caught up her cubs, running away.

I took a stance and vulpix stood ready for my command.

"Wait! Wait!" He held up his hands. "I was just watching, I promise!" Vulpix growled. Yeah, I didn't believe him either. "Here." He tossed out a notebook. I fetched it and found that he was sketching the teddiursa and their mother. When I flipped the page I was in there to with them.

"I'm coming out!" He stood and brushed off the leaves. "I promise I mean no harm." I could see his full face now and he took wary steps towards me. Behind him followed an umbreon.

Eevee's eyes immediately perked up and she pranced right on over. I huffed.

"See?" He patted her head. "I'm Himchan."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I'm an Observer. Finding Pokemon and sketching them is what I do."

"And that's all you do?" I was still wary, as was vulpix.

"Yes. I find a friend here and there, like my umbreon that decided to travel with me, but other than that. Yeah. I just draw pictures of them." He laughed as eevee pounced around umbreon, wanting to play but he ignored her.

"Now, what are you doing out here?" I was being interrogated now.