Chapter 11

Leif watched with bored disinterest as his trainer stuffed himself like a pig. The Hariyama couldn’t fit in the doorway without Emerald returning to her Pokeball and allowing her out once inside. Takim sat at the side of the table in a chair that was honestly too small for her. Madelyn peered in through the open window, less content with the meat Wanda offered her and more satisfied with merely looking around. Wally and the Kirlia (a Pokemon Leif barely recognized, only realizing it was the evolved form of Ralts) ate in the center of the room as well.

He was the only one not eating. Leif stood in the corner of the kitchen, looking around him all the Grovyle could feel was sorrow. It was the hot, angry sadness that came right after tragedy. It was the distant and vague melancholy that permeated when looking at someone’s grave. More of a sadness at the memory of a lost loved one than anything else.

The house was made of timber, good quality Leif could tell. From examining the interior alone he could tell it was not Hoenn oak that made up most of Petalburg Woods but the rarer juniper pine. It was a unique wood in that it was one of the few evergreens that ever bloomed flowers, the red buds a constant sight even in the dour months of winter.

The juniper pine were the result of several Grass-type species collectively and unknowingly crossbreeding plants from scattering their seed. Most plants in the wilderness were either the result of Pokemon planting them or grown by a Grass-type transferring their growth energy to the organism. Leif had done this to several Hoenn oak within the Petalburg Woods.

The wood had a distinct red color with just a twinge of yellow. Leif could only imagine the destruction of the forest that preceded not only this house’s completion but the rest of the town. He could picture Zangoose and Vigoroth swiping away at the pines whose wood was softer than the pines, cutting at twice the pace they did the trees of Leif’s home. The trees were stronger than average, their wood as strong as stone or otherwise unique qualities thanks to the influence of Grass-type Pokemon.

The image hurt to think about. The pain was grievous in his heart, causing his legs to quiver as the Grovyle felt he would fall. What bothered Leif most was the thought of the Treecko in that forest left with no forest to live in or protect. After failing to protect their home they would be forced to go elsewhere while bearing the pain of their loss. How many wandered from the remains of their home, surveying the pile of stumps it’s been reduced to travel to another woodland? Tears stung Leif’s eyes.

These are the graves of the forest’s trees. He thought. A testament to the failure of my kind’s role as protector.

He glared at Wanda as she ate. The woman saw Leif’s heated gaze and eyed him back. She placed her fork down, this reaction causing Emerald to turn around to his Grovyle.

“Come on, Leif,” Emerald said in between bites. “Not while we’ve just been given food!”

“Don’t care,” Leif said. “How were these houses built?”

“Excuse me?” Wanda asked.

“You heard me,” he said. “Many of these buildings in Verdanturf are made from high quality trees. How did that come to be?”

Emerald glanced at Takim, as if begging her to intervene if things got hairy. The Hariyama looked just as concerned. However, Wanda did not appear angered by his comment. She sighed rather sadly, folding her hands under her chin.

“I can understand why a Grovyle would be skeptical of how us humans were able to afford all this,” Wanda said. “After all, you are the guardian of the forest’s trees. They defend their territory rather fiercely.”

“Without us as the forest’s protector there would be no homes for many wild Pokemon,” he said. “With humans running amok as they are I don’t know if there will be any forests left.”

“Leif, that’s enough!” Emerald said.

“It’s funny you mention that,” Wanda said. “My father said something similar. Fear that humanity’s negligence would be its destruction.”

Emerald then turned to give the woman a very odd look. Leif had the same expression. Surprise that a human was actually agreeing with him.

“My father was mayor of this town for most of his life,” she went on. “He was well educated and graduated from Rustboro University, the most elite school in Hoenn. When he came back he intended to make this place the most economically prosperous city in Hoenn.”

“Well he didn’t do that a good job, did he?” Takim asked. “I’m sorry to say this but that’s just not what we saw when we entered Verdanturf. This whole town seems like it’s empty.”

“That’s why my father was so brilliant,” Wanda said. “He turned what most wouldn’t think of as a possible success into a goldmine. And he did it all while respecting nature.”

“Respecting nature?” Leif asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Yes,” Wanda said. “My father laid it out very plainly. He could see ahead through his studies that if there was any hope for humanity’s prosperity it was for peace being made between us and Pokemon. My father not only set out to make this place prosperous while doing as little to hurt the environment as possible but to be an example to others.”

She smoothed her hand over the wood behind her.

“The wood you see here was not harvested from a forest but grown in special farms,” she explained. “My father was intent on conducting as little deforestation as possible. He even made a deal with the Treecko that they grow and watch over his juniper pine groves. In exchange none of their forest would be cut.”

Leif was awestruck at her words. He was beginning to shake in disbelief. Every human that the Grovyle interacted with never made such a deal. Maxie and Norman pressed his entire clan hard to never step out of line or break the deal they made.

The two of them threatened the Pokemon of Petalburg Woods with harsh repercussions if they ever attacked human beings. And the best those of Petalburg Woods could do was hope that Maxie and Norman would still by their promise to only thin the woods and not destroy it. The Treecko kept their end of the bargain, at least.

“Your father…” the Grovyle said. “I’ve never heard of such a man.”

“He was,” Wanda said. “So long as he was alive, Verdanturf was. He was very careful to enlist the help of the surrounding wild Pokemon without exploiting them. As a result of doing special favors like providing them extra food, the Sandshrew would dig for rare minerals. This way the Sandshrew would not view humans as prey and provide us necessities. Same with getting free irrigation from Wooper and Psyduck by protecting their ponds from being polluted.”

“Wow,” Emerald said. “So your father was one of those...protectionist trainers?”

“Protectionist trainers?” Leif asked.

“Yeah,” his trainer said. “Protectionist trainers are essentially humans who care deeply about Pokemon and nature and seek to preserve one without sacrificing the other. They’re rare but not unheard of. Some of the best-known ones are Wallace and Winona.”

“Really?” he asked. “I...I never heard of that.”

“Yes,” Wanda said. “Verdanturf was one of Hoenn’s most prosperous cities back in my father’s hay day. He was well respected as both a protectionist and smart business leader. He also tried to stop the desertification between Mauville and Lavaridge but...he couldn’t save everything.”

“So what happened to him?” Takim asked. “Why isn’t Verdanturf wealthy anymore? I didn’t see anything like what you described your father making when entering Verdanturf.”

“It honestly came down to Mauville City,” Wanda said. “As well as the policies enacted by the Hoenn government concerning how the region would accumulate wealth by using our natural resources.”

“You mean the creation of Team Magma and Aqua, don’t you?” Leif asked with intense bitterness.

Wanda looked rather flustered at his tone.

“Yes,” she said. “My father was never a fan of them. They were created during the early portion of my father’s career as mayor. He said that Magma and Aqua were not only a detriment to the original inhabitants of Hoenn, that being Pokemon, but to humans as well. He constantly warned the government in fear of what environmental degradation they would cause but he was eventually not listened to.”

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“Then why did they do it?!” Leif shouted.

Now everyone in the room was on edge. Emerald’s hand was already hovering above Leif’s PokeBall at his waist, Takim stood as if ready to fight, Wally looked worried and Wanda looked both mildly sad and stoic. Madelyn just kept peering at the interior of the house through the open window, averting her eyes from the scene to examine in an obvious attempt to not look at anyone.

“If Verdanturf was such a paradise then why didn’t the rest of you copy it’s model or at least have the foresight not to create Magma?!” the Grovyle shouted. “If it was so idyllic then what more did you all need?!”

“Leif,” Emerald said. “If you keep doing this I will-”

“Because competition was becoming fierce,” Wanda said. “As Hoenn’s population grew there needed to be more resources funneled into the region’s expanding numbers. And while it may sound harsh...the truth was there was more short-term, explosive growth by merely taking resources from Pokemon rather than sharing it.”

Wanda shook her head, looking as though she was on the brink of tears.

“The Hoenn region was struggling,” she said. “We were behind in international affairs and facing a crisis of having too much dangerous terrain. After the war with Kanto...we didn’t want to be seen as weak anymore. Hoenn opted to try and build a stronger nation by terraforming the environment with the creation of two teams specifically designated for terrestrial and aquatic duties. Both Teams were essentially formed by a desperation to gain economic stability after the war that crippled our economy. And there have been negative repercussions from it...such as the destruction of the habitat of Pokemon.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so?” Leif asked. “And do you know what the long term effects of this are?”

“I’m aware of the potential hazardous consequences of environmental negligence,” Wanda stated. “One of Hoenn’s longest routes, Route 111, is a desert due to deforestation. Enough clear cutting for timber caused the soil to completely loosen and now it's just a giant sand pit. Team Aqua also floods plains to provide fishing spots, marine transportation and irrigation in such a way that kills local wildlife. When a patch of dry land is suddenly swept over with water it not only displaces Pokemon and people but radically shifts the environment in unpredictable ways.”

“So if you all admit that what you’re doing is killing everyone then why are you all so hellbent on accomplishing it?!” the Grovyle shouted. “My species dedicated themselves to protecting the most inhabited home for Pokemon, forests, and now I hear humans also know it's hurting them too?! Why choose to hurt both?!”

Emerald was visibly flustered while Takim could only look across the table stoically while Wanda was obviously hitting her breaking point with the Grovyle.

“Honestly,” she said. “It’s because Team Aqua and Magma believe they can protect humans from the effects of environmental destruction. The desert that is spreading dangerously close to Mauville is being dealt with and I know Team Aqua is intent on creating marshlands for aquatic and semi-aquatic life. That way they can provide marine food supply for populations. With towns like Mauville City exploiting Pokemon for all their worth, Verdanturf couldn’t keep up by trying to share everything with them.”

“That’s disgusting,” the Grovyle said. “Humans know that they’re harming themselves with their own ambition.”

“I know,” Wanda said. “That’s why some of us were excited about the Rusturf Tunnel. It could bring wealth back to Verdanturf is what Roxanne and Team Magma claimed but my father would have never wanted that. It would cause too much damage to the local wildlife which could harm us in unexpected ways.”

“But you can’t keep averting the horrid effects while terraforming so much!” Leif said. “Are you even aware what your species is doing?! It keeps stabbing itself in the foot and placing a bandage on it after every time!”

“I just told you my father did his best to maintain environmental policies,” Wanda said. “The reason he was eventually forced out of power along with Verdanturf’s prosperity was that Hoenn residents wanted more immediate, bigger change. Making treaties with wild Pokemon doesn’t bring the same high impact, gargantuan wealth that merely stealing it does. Stealing, on the other hand, does. If anything...my father would have agreed with you.”

“And he was still worthless,” Leif said.

“Leif!” Emerald said as he stood up.

Wanda cowered at his words, wiping her eyes.

“D-don’t-” she said. “Please don’t say that...he was a very nice man. He...he tried. And that’s what counts.”

“No it doesn’t,” the Grovyle said. “Nothing counts except what is accomplished. Whether your father was a good man or not...he accomplished very little. In the end he was able to do nothing more than hold back the giant tidal wave of man’s greed and ambition for a moment before being washed away by it. And we have to sit here and watch the result of his failure.”

“Wanda’s father did everything she could!” Emerald said. “What more could he have done?! He did everything within his ability to help the Hoenn region!”

“And still didn’t succeed,” Leif said.

A tense silence fell across the room as everyone was doing their best to avoid looking at him or staring directly at the Grovyle.

“I don’t think you get what I mean,” he said. “Even if he did his best, Wanda’s father’s best wasn’t enough. He failed. He didn’t fail because his heart was in the wrong place...he failed because he wasn’t good enough. And for that his legacy is nothing more than a token effort at real change that will long be forgotten in the wake of the destruction of Team Aqua and Magma.”

“And should we just not try?” Wanda asked, her eyes reddened with tears now. “Not try due to being afraid of failure? Is that it?”

“I don’t like to glorify fallen heroes or vilify nefarious scum,” Leif answered. “I believe that’s pointless. Seeing as how your father did nothing to stop the existence of Team Magma or convince the humans of this land that it would be in their best interest to halt their expansion...he may as well not have been born.”

“That’s very cruel of you to say,” Wanda said. “I hope you don’t mean that.”

“Oh, trust me,” Leif said. “I do. I do because I am the same way. Failures out of lack of strength rather than moral character. I...I know what it must feel like to be your father upon seeing all his work come to nothing upon the arrival of Team Magma and Aqua. And I know he would feel the same way about his life as I do about mine. All that hard work...wasted by the cruel and predatory.”

Emerald hung his head in shame while Takim looked in the opposite direction of Leif. Madelyn had to turn her body away to avoid witnessing the scene unfold. Wally was eating to distract himself while Wanda looked down at her plate with a diminished hunger.

“So?” Emerald said. “Is there any place to stay here? Like...any room for rent or house-?”

“No,” Wanda said. “I can offer to give you temporary shelter for a day or so and that’s it. There are no houses for you to buy, no apartments to afford and no jobs that pay a decent living. Honestly, the only jobs in Verdanturf are below the living wage for a typical resident.”

“Then it was a waste coming here,” Emerald said. “We’ve been trying to find a place to settle down in and now this place is out. Got any suggestions?”

“There’s always Mauville,” Wanda said. “It’s crowded but there are houses that can be afforded...if you’re willing to pay extra for the good ones.”

“Great!” Emerald said. “We’ll head there tomorrow!”

“Yes…” Wanda said. “Well...I suppose I should tell you my real reason bringing you here.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

She then looked to her younger cousin who was still eating and didn’t look her in the eyes.

“Wally is a skilled trainer who has been raising Pokemon for years now,” she said. “However, due to the lack of opportunities here in Verdanturf, he’s been thinking about leaving for Mauville City to start a new life.”

Wally nodded without looking his cousin in the eyes.

“However,” she said. “He’s been really reluctant as he has asthma. His breathing troubles prevent him from exerting himself as much as others. Wally’s afraid he won’t make it to Mauville City despite my prodding.”

She then turned back to Emerald.

“So I decided that with a new trainer who has such strong Pokemon as you that I’d politely ask you to escort him,” Wanda said. “I was going to try and ask you to do so in exchange for a meal and a warm place to sleep for a night but you’re already headed to Mauville anyway, right?”

Emerald nodded.

“Yeah,” he said. “We can take Wally. He shouldn’t be a problem considering he already has a Pokemon with him.”

“Good!” Wanda said. “Mauville City is just one route away! Thank you so much!”

“But Wanda,” Wally said. “You know the highway trainers between Mauville and here are a real problem. I don’t think that I want to risk it...unless Emerald proves to be a strong trainer.”

“Huh,” Wanda groaned. “You always worry too much.”

“Don’t worry,” Emerald said. “We’re pretty strong. We got here just fine without much trouble.”

“Well excellent,” Wanda said. “You can both start heading there tomorrow.”

Leif rolled his eyes at this news.

Great. He thought. Another human to protect. I failed to protect my home and the Pokemon there but for some reason I keep ending up protecting humans, even after destroying all I cared for. Is this a betrayal on part of my duty as guardian of the forest’s trees?

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Well, this is the end. Sorry to say for some of you that it was so short. I thought about continuing this story but I felt this was a good place to end it. I might continue it, I might not. Don’t count on it as I have a lot of other writing projects I need to get to. If you liked this style of dark/deconstruction of the Pokemon world then check out Red Path or stay tuned for my FFN as Hokage of Literature for future Pokemon stories. I really like writing dark and dreary Pokemon stories but I have so many ideas it's hard to get them all down on paper in time.