The End

70 - The Beginning

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.