A digital painting I did on my tablet with a new program I downloaded. It was a nice way to get a feel for the program and I hope to do more and better projects with it.
-Plumeria’s eyes slowly opened, her lids heavy and protesting, the exhaustion still clinging to every fiber of her body-but the whimpering cries that reached her ears forced her mind from it’s self-induced fog. From her bed, she could see the eastern sky beginning to lighten, the blue-grey of early dawn giving way to watercolor-swaths of gold and orange. She glanced at the clock and marveled.
Had it been four hours already?
Pulling herself to a more upright position, she rubbed her face and turned to the source of the sound, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Guzma paced back and forth near the open glass door that led to the balcony, their newborn daughter in his arms and a huge, lop-sided grin plastered on his face. The warm, early morning breeze ruffled the sheer curtains, and it framed them so perfectly Plumeria had to swallow the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. At first he had seemed reluctant to even touch her, but since he had finally picked her up he had refused to put her down. Plumeria watched silently for a minute, amused by his reverent, goofy expression and his quiet ramblings.
“...and then there’s this huge meadow way up on the mountain, I’ll take you there sometime! There’s tons of bugs hanging around, maybe I’ll catch you one...like a Caterpie, or a Ledyba, or a Cutiefly-”
The infant suddenly gave a little squeal, almost like a laugh, and Plumeria felt a jolt right to her heart. This was really real; she was a mother now to a perfect little girl. It was then she cleared her throat and reached her arms out.
“Hey, quit hogging our kid, you big lump.”
He jerked his head toward her, his grin growing even bigger, “Hey Mama. We were just talking about her first Pokemon. I’m thinkin’ a Caterpie, or a Grubbin. Little things are tough if you train ‘em up right.”
As he spoke he gingerly placed Fern in Plumeria’s arms, who cradled her against her chest and raised an eyebrow, “We’ll let her decide that. Although, she seemed to get excited when you mentioned Cutiefly.”
“That’s because she’s a cutie...” he blinked, eyes welling again before he swiped them clear and reached out to let her grasp his finger, “My little Cutiefly...”
“That’s gonna be her nickname, isn’t it?”
“Why not?! It suits her.”
“It had to be something to do with bugs, didn’t it?”
His eyes narrowed slightly and Plumeria smirked, then leaned over to kiss him, “Aww, don’t pout, Daddy. I like it, too. She is our little Cutiefly.”
“Why you gotta give me crap?”
“G, I just went through childbirth. I’ve more than earned giving you some crap.”
He shrugged, muttering ‘yeah that’s fair’, before leaning in close to Fern and kissing her forehead. As he started to lean back, she flung her tiny, chubby arm out-and ‘punched’ him square on the nose. He started, then threw his head back and laughed.
“HA! That’s my girl! Tough as nails already!”
Plumeria couldn’t help laughing herself as she gently rocked Fern, “Now, now! Don’t beat up your father yet! I’m sure he’ll do plenty of things to earn it...later...”
Her eyes widened, heart beginning to race and instinctively clutched Fern to her chest. Guzma leaned back slightly at the sheer ferocity in her gaze and was about to ask what he did when he realized she was looking behind and not at him. Feeling goosebumps prick his skin and the unmistakable sensation of being watched he spun around-
Tapu Lele hovered at their window, staring at them with unreadable eyes.
Very slowly, Guzma stood and turned himself to face the Pokemon, shifting so he was blocking his girlfriend and daughter from view as much as possible, his own heart pounding. Plumeria peeked around him, muscles tensed and fully ready to leap from the bed and run her child to safety if need be.
What were they doing there? What was their intention? Tapu Lele was known to be extremely fickle-sometimes kind, healing those who were hurt, and sometimes breathtakingly cruel. It’s motives were a complete mystery, and the people of Akala lived with the knowledge that at any time their guardian could, seemingly without explanation, save you...or leave you severely injured. This fact did not escape Guzma and Plumeria, who now were having the equivalent of a staring contest with their guardian deity, wondering what in the world to do. Guzma’s hand moved very slowly toward his pocket, ready to release Golisopod and Scizor if need be.
“What do you want?” he asked carefully, uncertain if it even understood him.
The Tapu cocked it’s head, floating slightly to the right and staring at Fern, studying her while making a sort of humming sound. Plumeria held the newborn even tighter to herself, meeting Tapu Lele’s enigmatic gaze head-on, a mother’s love and protectiveness magnifying the fierceness in her gold eyes.
In the middle of this, a nurse knocked briefly before striding in, “Hello, hello! Just checking in to see-”
She froze, hands flying to her mouth at the sight before her. No one seemed to even notice her, however, as Tapu Lele abruptly and unmistakably giggled, clapping it’s hands together before spinning and flying off. As it did so, a shower of iridescent flakes burst from it’s shell and fluttered about the room, making whatever they settled upon shimmer for a moment before they vanished. At the same moment, the sun burst over the horizon, filling the world with warm, golden light. Plumeria, getting a bunch of these bits all over herself, suddenly felt immensely better, the tiredness and lingering soreness seeming to evaporate. She realized this was the Tapu’s healing scale ability.
“...Thank you...?” she called, waving a hand uncertainly toward the long-gone Pokemon.
Guzma exhaled loudly, the tenseness and adrenaline beginning to drain from his muscles, leaving him feeling almost exhausted. He had been wound so tight, ready to do whatever was necessary, to use himself as a human shield if need be to protect Plumeria and Fern, that the sudden calm felt almost odd. Composing himself, he quickly went to Plumeria and Fern, dropping into his chair and enveloping them both in his large arms.
“You okay...?” he murmured.
Plumeria nodded, “We’re fine. But what the heck was that...?”
The nurse, who only now dared to move, stepped forward, “It’s been a long time since this happened...”
The new parents looked up at the young nurse curiously, and Plumeria asked, “What?”
“Well, you see,” the nurse moved closer to the glass door, peering out over the sea, sparkling with the new day’s light, “Every so often, very, very rarely, Tapu Lele will appear when a baby is born. We have no idea why it chooses the babies it does. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of pattern...” she turned to them and smiled, “But your daughter is the first the Tapu has appeared before in quite a while. You should feel honored.”
Guzma and Plumeria looked at each other, then turned their gazes to Fern
Turning to look out the window, seeing the blazing morning sun touch everything in molten gold, Guzma grinned, “I don’t need anyone tellin’ me my little girl is unique...but thanks for the confirmation.”
Plumeria kissed her daughter's cheek and touched their foreheads together, “Well, I already knew you were special. Now, what does a legendary Pokemon see in you that I already don’t..?”
Fern, for her part, yawned widely and smiled up at her mother.
