Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 62: The Ghost of the Woods

31 years ago
Ballonlea, Galar

Every day when she returned from school, Bede's daughter Queenie rushed out into the enchanting garden to play with her father's Pokémon. They were her only friends. She was bullied at school for her yellow eyes and frizzy hair, not to mention being the granddaughter of Colress and a Team Flare scientist.

Sometimes, wild Pokémon even wandered into the garden from the woods it backed on to. Some knew Queenie already. Others were friends they brought along to join the fun. Once she was amongst those Pokémon who adored her, she forgot she was bullied into hating herself. She was happy. One day, she swore, she would be a great Gym Leader like her dad. The bullies would regret ever taunting her when they begged for her autograph only to be rudely brushed off.

As she got to know more and more wild Pokémon, they often tried to lead her to the fence at the bottom of the garden. Bede told her not to follow them. Whilst they meant no serious harm, it was possible a mischievous Impidimp or Morgrem would lure her into the woods, not realising quite how much it could endanger her. His Pokémon always kept an eye on her. They alerted Bede as soon as she got too close to the fence.

One day, when a Ponyta repeatedly nudged her with its nose to get her attention, she looked up to see grey eyes peering over the fence. They immediately ducked.

'I saw you!'

She ran to the fence and hoisted herself up. The child who peered over was about to run away, but her smile was so innocently curious and hopeful that he stayed.

'What's your name?'

It was a long time since that boy spoke to another human.

'M-my name... is... is...'

'Do you live here?!'

There was a rumour about the 'ghost of the woods.' Everyone at school talked about it: an elusive boy who haunted Glimwood Tangle, so much like the Pokémon he lived amongst that they speculated he was somehow the child of Pokémon. Food and drinks, especially candy, often disappeared from the bags of travellers. When they chased Impidimp into their dens, it wasn't there. No-one ever saw the thief, but people did occasionally claim they saw a child watching them amongst a crowd of protective Pokémon.

Teachers insisted it was just a rumour. Impidimp learned to pickpocket hundreds of years ago. Queenie didn't believe it. It was too much of an unbelievable fairytale. That was what she thought until then.

'Are you the ghost of the woods?'

He shrank into his baggy clothes, but she wasn't judging him.

'That's cool! You're not scary!'

'Queenie?'

Bede peered out of the back door. 'Who are you talking to?'

It was clear that boy didn't want to be discovered. Queenie had to think of a lie.

'A cute Rapidash!'

Bede came to check anyway. Queenie's heart sank. The boy disappeared. It was as if he was never there at all. His Rapidash friend remained, however, to convince Bede that was indeed who Queenie was talking to. He believed it. Rapidash knelt to peer into a hollow. Queenie heard nothing, but it was as if the Pokémon talked to the boy like humans talked to each other. He crawled back out. Queenie beamed. She put a finger to her lips.

'Shhh.'

He nodded and did the same.

'Shhh.'

For three years from then, Queenie ran down to the fence every day. Bede's Pokémon stopped alerting him. She was yet to disappear or even try to climb over. If she did, they would alert Bede right away. They were glad to see she had finally made a human friend and besides, they liked him. He could talk to them. They knew he was harmless. He told both Queenie and the Pokémon that he was an orphan. They hoped that one day, Queenie might find the courage to introduce him to Bede, so he could come and live with them and enjoy Bede's food at their table, rather than from the freezer bag Queenie hid it in... but then he disappeared. He was gone as suddenly as they spotted him.