To Wrap My Life in Leaves~Pokémon Watty Awards2014 1st Place Short Story Winner~

Chapter 8: The Last Day

When I woke up, I was extremely angry at myself. Since I managed to not sleep through the night, I ended up falling asleep right before dawn, and I didn't wake up 'till later in the day. I was extremely annoyed that I had wasted my last day. With the little time I had left, I went back to the clubhouse, hoping Aqua and Sketchy would be there. Thankfully, they were.

"Serphisa," Aqua said as I walked in, "Would you mind making your space more... more like you?" Her eyes were shiny. She was holding back tears. I nodded to her, forming Leaf Blades only to have them disperse into the leaves that made it and making my bed like I always made it.

"Done," I said, turning back to Aqua. Tears were streaming down her face. She had finally let them.

"I'm going to miss you, Serphisa!" Sketchy cried as she leaped to me, tears slipping down her face, too. I couldn't help it. Aqua joined us in our embrace, and I simply couldn't help it. I, too, cried.

"I don't want to die," I murmured. "I don't want to die." But it was coming close to sunset, close to my end. I wiped the tears from my eyes and from Sketchy's and from Aqua's. "Come on. It's time." We walked silently, trying not to look sad, trying not to spoil anything. It was hard, but we did it.

As we walked through Treasure Town, I wished everyone was crying. Crying because I as leaving, crying because they should. But they didn't. And we didn't. We didn't cry anymore, yet.

We walked up to the guild where Cobalion was stand outside. Wes was there, too, oblivious to what was going to happen. Oblivious to the heartbreak. It wasn't sunset yet, so we waited for the last lights to shine from the dying sun. Dying just like me.

Slowly, others came. Mom came, bringing Dad with the help of his old teammate. Sunflora and Bidoof came, Loudred and Diglett in tow. The Kecleons came. Duskull came. Kangaskhan came. Everyone came as the sun dipped behind the peaks.

"Why I am here today is to bring back Virizion. As I have told you, she is dead. But that does not mean she is gone. When she died, I had a dream, a dream that told me to resurrect Virizion by using a vessel; a specific one. And that vessel is Serphisa." Mom gasped, and I couldn't help but cry. "Serphisa, if you would step forward." I did as told and stepped forward, giving up from trying to hold it back and letting my tears run freely. I heard the gasps of shock, and Wes's shouts of confusion and rage. And it sucked.

Coballion set his hoof on my forehead, and then set it on each of my shoulders. I felt warm, and I could look down to see that I was glowing. I closed my eyes and felt as every part of me changed. My neck elongated, as did my arms and legs. My tail shortened, and I could feel something growing out of my neck and back. I became designed as a quadruped, not a biped.

As everyone I knew and loved shouted my name, I felt something. It was the feeling of knowing that you could never again gain something. Like on your hatching day, you can never be as old as you were before, and you can never get accepted as a Rescue Team again. You can never save some one for the first time again.

"Serphisa!" I could hear them shouting my name "Serphisa!"

My badge dropped into the dirt from where it stuck to my skin.

"I love you, I love you," I repeated over and over again.

"Serphisa, no!" Wes screamed in the agony of me leaving him.

"I love you, Wes."

Then the transformation was complete, and I never again could be Serphisa the Snivy.