Chapter Text
The afternoon moved gently through the heart of the forest. Bare branches swayed softly in the breeze, shedding dry leaves that spiraled down before settling on the cold ground. In the distance, the muffled song of a Tranquill faded among the trees, as if the forest were whispering quietly so as not to wake anyone.
Inside the burrow of our protagonists, the main chamber remained warm and silent, lit by the soft crackling of a small fire at its center. Pikachu slept soundly, curled up in his nest. Snivy, in her own corner, rested peacefully, her calm breathing setting the rhythm of the silence.
But then, she moved her head from side to side. Her eyes slowly began to open.
Snivy opened her eyes slowly, as if the world were still wrapped in mist. The firelight danced in golden reflections across her scales, and for a moment, she remained still, unmoving, letting the warmth of the burrow surround her. Then, she closed her eyes again, furrowing her brow slightly, and gently shook her head, as if trying to shake off a dream that clung to her.
The movement was brief, almost lazy, but enough for her body to begin stretching awake. Her breathing grew slightly more aware, more alert. There was no rush. Outside, the forest kept whispering, and inside, silence was a refuge.
Snivy slowly sat up, stretching her body with feline elegance. The leaves around her rustled faintly under her weight, and the warmth of the fire continued to caress her back. As she turned her head, her eyes landed on Pikachu, still deeply asleep in his nest, one paw dangling carelessly among the twigs.
A faint smile appeared on the snake Pokémon’s face. “Seems like he’s a heavy sleeper,” she thought with a mental chuckle, amused by how comfortable he looked.
With soft steps, she approached the entrance of the burrow. The light filtering through the opening was dim, but enough to paint the ground in cool golden tones. Snivy paused for a moment, gazing outside with curiosity. “A little walk wouldn’t be bad at all,” she told herself silently, her eyes gleaming with a mix of calm and resolve.
Snivy walked softly toward the entrance of the burrow. She stopped just in front of the opening, where the outside light filtered in through thin beams. She cautiously peeked her head out, her large eyes scanning the surroundings attentively. The air was fresh, but not biting; it carried that scent of damp earth and sleeping leaves that only the beginning of winter could offer.
Everything seemed calm. Branches creaked gently in the breeze, and in the distance, a pair of Petilil swayed among the stems, as if dancing without knowing they were being watched. Snivy blinked slowly, and after a few seconds, stepped fully out of the burrow, leaving behind the warmth of the fire and Pikachu’s slumber.
Her steps were quiet, almost ceremonial. The ground was covered in dry leaves that crunched beneath her weight, and every sound seemed to echo in the forest’s silence. As she walked, her thoughts began to drift freely.
“It’s strange how quickly I got used to that place…” she thought, without stopping. “A week ago I was alone, unsure if I’d make it through another night without trouble. And now… now I wake up calmly, without fear.”
Her eyes landed on a low branch where a Sewaddle slept wrapped in its silk, and a small smile formed on her face. “Maybe this forest isn’t as unfamiliar as I thought.”
Snivy continued her walk along the forest path, her calm steps barely disturbing the dry leaves beneath her feet. In the distance, the songs of several bird Pokémon intertwined with the breeze, creating a gentle melody that seemed to accompany her unintentionally.
Suddenly, a faint sound emerged from her left—the crunch of branches shifting in the bushes. Snivy quickly turned her head, alert but not startled. From within the vegetation, a Cottonee floated lightly into the air, its expression cheerful and carefree. It drifted past her without stopping, as if following an invisible path drawn by the wind.
Snivy watched it from the corner of her eye, curiosity held in check. She was about to resume her walk when another Cottonee emerged from the same bush, just as joyful, playfully following the first. Then another appeared. And another. Then one more, spinning gently in the air before joining the group.
Snivy stood still, watching the small Pokémon float through the beams of light, like tufts of cotton dancing on an invisible current.
The last Cottonee, lagging behind the others, paused mid-flight upon noticing Snivy’s presence. It floated toward her with curiosity and a soft smile on its cottony face. “Hi!” it said in a light voice, as if speaking from within a breeze.
Snivy, still calm in her gaze, returned the greeting with a slight nod and a discreet smile. “Hi,” she replied, her tone serene, touched with gentle surprise.
The second-to-last Cottonee, who had already floated a few meters ahead, turned around upon noticing his companion hadn’t followed. Seeing them talking, he drifted back with the same lightness as the wind surrounding them.
“Ah, there you are!” he exclaimed sweetly, greeting Snivy as well with a playful bow. “Hello, Miss Snake.” Snivy nodded politely, her serene expression unchanged.
The newly arrived Cottonee turned to his companion with a gentle but firm voice. “Come on, we must keep going.” The last Cottonee looked at Snivy once more, as if wanting to say something else, but simply smiled and turned to follow the group.
Snivy watched them drift away. For a moment, she thought that brief exchange might have been fun if it had lasted a little longer. But she didn’t stop. With a faint smile, she resumed her walk.
While the forest carried on outside, everything inside the burrow remained calm. The small fire crackled softly, sending occasional sparks dancing into the air before fading away. Pikachu was still asleep in his nest, curled up among dry leaves and twigs, his body wrapped in a comfortable, carefree posture.
His ears twitched slightly at the rhythmic sound of the flames. Slowly, his eyes began to open, still heavy with sleep. With a long, lazy yawn, he sat up slowly, stretching his arms and shaking his head.
He looked around, his gaze still foggy from waking, and soon noticed that Snivy’s nest was empty. He blinked a couple of times, as if his mind needed to confirm what he was seeing. But instead of worrying, he smiled gently.
“She probably went out for some fresh air,” he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse and calm.
He settled back into his spot, letting the warmth of the fire wrap around him as his thoughts began to awaken with him.
Pikachu nestled into his nest, letting the fire’s warmth caress his fur. He closed his eyes for a moment, still feeling the quiet of waking. “It’s good that she goes out for walks alone…” he thought, a faint smile forming on his face. “It’s good for her.”
He adopted a relaxed posture, lying back among the leaves, as if the day could continue without any disturbances. But just before giving in to rest again, a thought crossed his mind—soft, yet persistent. “I just hope nothing bad happens to her.”
His smile faded slightly, and his ears twitched with a subtle nervous tic. Then, he closed his eyes once more, trusting that the forest would know how to take care of her.
After several minutes of walking, Snivy arrived at a wide clearing in the middle of the forest. The air felt more open there, and the light filtered more freely through the bare treetops. In the center of the field, a solitary rock rose like a small natural pedestal.
Snivy approached with steady steps and, with an agile leap, positioned herself atop the rock. From there, her gaze calmly swept across the surroundings. Dry leaves drifted slowly, spinning in the air before settling on the cold ground. The landscape seemed frozen in time.
Snivy sat on the rock, crossing her legs with natural elegance. A faint smile appeared on her face as the wind gently brushed her scales. “This place really is relaxing,” she thought, letting her gaze wander among the trees surrounding the clearing. For a moment, everything felt peaceful. The forest whispered softly, and the falling leaves moved as if time had paused just for her.
But then, without warning, something began to surface in her mind. “It’s already been a week since I’ve been here… living in this forest.” Her expression shifted. The smile faded, and her gaze slowly dropped to the ground. “I can’t get out of my head what that scoundrel did to me that day…”
Her eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed, and her right arm began to tremble slightly, as if the anger were trying to escape through her limbs. “She abandoned me. I even begged her not to… and still, she left me behind.” The inner voice grew harsher, more broken. “Because of that incompetent trainer, I ended up being attacked by several Pokémon during the two days I was alone.”
The memories surged without permission: the cold, the fear, the hostile stares, the pain. Snivy shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, as if she could chase the images away. She brought a hand to her forehead, breathing with difficulty.
“By Arceus… why do I keep thinking about this?” she murmured softly, almost as if afraid the forest might hear her. She remained silent for a few seconds, then, with a trembling sigh, told herself: “Enough, Snivy… calm down. Stop thinking about those things… and stop thinking about that awful María.”
Snivy hissed in frustration, the air escaping between her teeth with restrained force. Without a second thought, she leapt off the rock and began walking across the terrain around her, her hurried steps matching the rhythm of her rage. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the details of the ground, nor the shapes crossing it. She just walked, muttering under her breath, venomous words slipping from her lips. “Damn María…” she whispered in a rough tone. “Wretched, coward…”
Her breathing grew more agitated, and for a moment, it felt as if the forest shrank around her. But then, she stopped. She shut her eyes tightly and exhaled slowly, letting the air escape through her mouth as if trying to release the memories along with it. “Enough, Snivy…” she thought. “Not everything has been bad.”
And then, as if her mind were seeking refuge, faces began to appear in her memory. Audino, with her gentle voice and attentive care. Silly, with her elegance and the way she treated Snivy as if she had always belonged in the forest. And finally, Pikachu.
Snivy thought of him more calmly. Of how he had helped her from the very first day, how his presence had been constant, quiet, yet deeply meaningful. She remembered his contagious laughter—the kind that seemed to light up even the darkest corners of her mind. A smile formed on her face, faint but sincere. A soft blush appeared on her cheeks. “And also… when he saved me…” she thought, her gaze dropping to the ground. “When I nearly died from the poison attack of…”
But she didn’t finish the sentence.
Because at that moment, something caught her attention. For the first time since she had stepped down from the rock, her eyes focused on the ground. There were marks. Strange ones. As if something had rolled frantically across the earth, leaving deep circular grooves—lines that curved violently and crossed each other in chaotic patterns.
Snivy stood still, the blush slowly fading from her face. Her breathing became slower, more restrained. Something about those marks felt familiar. Too familiar.
She narrowed her eyes at the patterns on the ground, her expression filled with caution. "What happened here?" she whispered. The marks weren’t straight or orderly. They sprawled across the terrain like uncontrolled strokes, as if something had rolled aimlessly in a frenzy. The ground was scratched, worn—like it had witnessed something violent in motion.
Snivy turned her head, scanning the surroundings with her gaze. There was no sound—no footsteps, no voices. Only the whisper of the wind through the branches. With restrained curiosity, she began to walk, following the trail of those strange marks. Each step took her deeper into the clearing, where the silence felt heavier.
Then, something caught her attention.
Snivy froze. In front of her, etched into the earth, was a massive claw mark. Three distinct digits, pressed deep into the ground with force. The soil had been disturbed, as if something enormous had passed through.
"W-what the hell is this?" she murmured, stepping back a few paces, her heart racing. "It must’ve been a large predator to leave a mark like that…" Tension gripped her body. Her breathing quickened, and her eyes remained locked on the imprint. "I better get out of here… I don’t want to be the next prey of whatever made that claw mark."
But just as she was about to turn around, a faint sound emerged from the nearby bushes. A soft rustle—barely audible, but enough to stop her in her tracks. Snivy stood still, muscles tense, eyes fixed on the vegetation. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.