Lillian was sat up in bed, clutching a tiny bundle of blankets to her chest. The bundle was everything that a newborn ralts should be; small, and wriggly, and crying his little lungs out, despite his mother's repeated attempts to settle him. It was only natural; just hours ago, he'd been perfectly comfortable inside Lillian's belly, and then the time had come for her to push, and he'd been forced out into the big scary world. He was everything that a newborn ralts should be, except for one thing.
Lillian lifted the part of the blanket covering her newborn's head, swallowing, at what it revealed. Her son had a blue head, and a red horn. There was no mistake about it. He was a shiny. He was one of the one-in-a-million, rare discoloured pokemon that the trainers wandering through Fairylight Forest so coveted, one whom, regardless of his strength, they'd snatch up in a heartbeat. He was a pokemon who, at best, would be made to kill other pokemon for money, if caught, and at worst, shoved in the back of a PC box at a pokemon centre, never to see the light of day again, always to be kept on display as a trophy. His colouring alone meant that selfish humans would try to snatch Lillian's baby boy away...
The gardevoir held her baby close to her chest. She was now living the worst nightmare of every pokemon mother.
Her son might as well have been stillborn, or missing a limb, from the way that the midwives had reacted. There were a pair of gardevoir who oversaw every birth in Fairylight Forest, always making sure that the babies were brought safely into the world, but when Lillian's baby had come, they'd exchanged a mournful look, and for a second, Lillian feared the worst, but then they'd handed her son to her, alive and kicking, and simply said, 'we're sorry'.
Lillian once again tried to hush the infant, singing the first lullaby that came into her head, as yet more worries flooded her mind. Now, there was a chance that the rest of the pokemon in the forest would shun her, or even get her to leave altogether; trainers were the last thing that Fairylight Forest needed. Even if they did find somewhere else to live, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't be forced to flee, if they were discovered. Lillian and her baby now faced the possibility of being totally alone in the world, without even Lillian's husband, Calem, to support them; he'd been ripped to shreds by zangoose, when she was a month into her pregnancy.
But despite everything, she couldn't abandon her son. Danger to the rest of the forest, to herself, even, or not, she'd loved her little ralts ever since she'd felt his first fluttery kicks inside her, and she loved him even more now that he was out of her belly, and in her arms. She was his mother, and as his mother, she couldn't reject him, or abandon him, even for her own safety, just because he was coloured a little differently.
Her son opened his eyes, and for the first time that day, Lillian smiled. His eyes were the exact same shape and shade as his father's, but he had her small lips, as well. He was beautiful.
Finally, the baby settled, and Lillian relaxed against the headboard, grateful for a moment's peace. She'd truly have to go up and beyond to keep herself and her ralts safe, from this point on. She risked everything just by keeping him with her, but as his mother, those were risks that she had no choice but to take. It really would be him and her against the world from now on.
And all because of his colour.
Lillian lifted the part of the blanket covering her newborn's head, swallowing, at what it revealed. Her son had a blue head, and a red horn. There was no mistake about it. He was a shiny. He was one of the one-in-a-million, rare discoloured pokemon that the trainers wandering through Fairylight Forest so coveted, one whom, regardless of his strength, they'd snatch up in a heartbeat. He was a pokemon who, at best, would be made to kill other pokemon for money, if caught, and at worst, shoved in the back of a PC box at a pokemon centre, never to see the light of day again, always to be kept on display as a trophy. His colouring alone meant that selfish humans would try to snatch Lillian's baby boy away...
The gardevoir held her baby close to her chest. She was now living the worst nightmare of every pokemon mother.
Her son might as well have been stillborn, or missing a limb, from the way that the midwives had reacted. There were a pair of gardevoir who oversaw every birth in Fairylight Forest, always making sure that the babies were brought safely into the world, but when Lillian's baby had come, they'd exchanged a mournful look, and for a second, Lillian feared the worst, but then they'd handed her son to her, alive and kicking, and simply said, 'we're sorry'.
Lillian once again tried to hush the infant, singing the first lullaby that came into her head, as yet more worries flooded her mind. Now, there was a chance that the rest of the pokemon in the forest would shun her, or even get her to leave altogether; trainers were the last thing that Fairylight Forest needed. Even if they did find somewhere else to live, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't be forced to flee, if they were discovered. Lillian and her baby now faced the possibility of being totally alone in the world, without even Lillian's husband, Calem, to support them; he'd been ripped to shreds by zangoose, when she was a month into her pregnancy.
But despite everything, she couldn't abandon her son. Danger to the rest of the forest, to herself, even, or not, she'd loved her little ralts ever since she'd felt his first fluttery kicks inside her, and she loved him even more now that he was out of her belly, and in her arms. She was his mother, and as his mother, she couldn't reject him, or abandon him, even for her own safety, just because he was coloured a little differently.
Her son opened his eyes, and for the first time that day, Lillian smiled. His eyes were the exact same shape and shade as his father's, but he had her small lips, as well. He was beautiful.
Finally, the baby settled, and Lillian relaxed against the headboard, grateful for a moment's peace. She'd truly have to go up and beyond to keep herself and her ralts safe, from this point on. She risked everything just by keeping him with her, but as his mother, those were risks that she had no choice but to take. It really would be him and her against the world from now on.
And all because of his colour.
