Behind his new house lay a thick, menacing forest. He was told that fairies dwelled within.

It was told that they danced in the moonlight and held endless parties—but they were vicious creatures that loved to lead humans astray. Everyone knew not to eat anything offered to them by a fairy-type, lest you never wanted to be seen again.

Some humans were braver—or insane, others would say—and captured fairies of their own. However, while the fairies acted tame enough, their human masters never seemed quite right afterward. Their eyes ceased to reflect the life within, and when they spoke it was almost as if it was the fairy speaking instead.

Everyone agreed it was best to stay away from them. They put out bowls of milk on the doorstep at night in an effort to appease the wicked Pokemon. Each morning, not a drop would be left in the bowl. It seemed the fairies acknowledged the unspoken agreement. Milk in exchange for relative peace. It was a simple treaty, and for the most part the village honored it.

But every so often, someone would be foolish enough to wander into the forest, where Togetics and Floettes and other fairies lived.

Those who entered were rarely seen again. The few who managed to survive could not tell what they had endured, for their minds had been completely broken. They had been reduced to whimpering simpletons.

When he and his mother moved here a few days ago, they were told never to enter the forest no matter what. If a toy rolled past the treeline, or if they heard voices coming from inside, they were to ignore it and go back inside immediately.

Sometimes, after a truck or ball accidentally rolled into the forest, he could hear faint human voices telling him to fetch his belongings, that it was okay, he would be safe. The voices were very gentle and hypnotic, and there were plenty of times that he found himself starting to walk towards the forest. A neighbor always managed to stop him in time, for he was too young to grasp the danger that lay in the forest.

One day, he was playing near the top of the hill. He was trying to see how quickly he could roll down the steep slope. Over and over again he would roll down the hill, then race back up and repeat the action. After a few go-arounds, he paused at the foot of the hill, feeling rather dizzy and ill. Perhaps it was time to go back inside, before he hurt himself.

As he got up, he heard a Pokemon's scream come from deep within the forest. He stopped, looking at the thick tangle of bushes and trees that marked the beginning of the forest. That cry had been genuine; it could not have been some fairy illusion.

Another scream came from the forest, sending up a murder of Murkrows up into the sky.

He hesitated. He'd been told by the neighbors not to go inside the forest, yet he couldn't ignore the cry for help. He was torn between obeying the neighbors or doing the right thing.

He decided he was going to help the poor Pokemon in need, in the end. There were paths in the forest, so he wouldn't get lost. It was around lunchtime, too, and he'd been told the fairies were most active during the night anyway. He should be safe from them, if he was quick and didn't dally.

He imagined coming out of the forest, with the injured Pokemon in tow. Everyone would marvel at how brave and strong he was, to have gone into the forest and return with his mind intact. He'd be a hero! Besides, the fairies would understand why he came into their forest. He was only trying to help an injured Pokemon, after all. He meant no harm. The people who lost their minds had probably been trying to hurt them, and they had to defend themselves.

He summoned up his courage, and bravely took a step inside the forest. He pushed through ferns and thickets as tall as he was, and let out a breath he did not know he had been holding.

A path was just up ahead.

Yet another scream came from deep within. He hurried towards the source of the sound, ever watchful for fairies and other threats. Other Pokemon besides the fairies lived in the forest as well. It wouldn't do to be eaten by an Ursaring before helping the injured Pokemon.

The screams began to turn into pitiful, drawn-out moans. He quickened his pace, heading deeper and deeper towards the sound of the voice.

Finally, he came to the injured Pokemon.

It was a Sylveon, lying on its side next to a steep cliff. There was a long gash along its right forepaw, probably after tumbling down the slope.

It looked up at him, mewing pitifully. There was absolutely no trace of malice in its gaze, only pain and a silent cry for help.

He hesitated. There was a fairy, right in front of him. He'd been told it was an evil creature, something to be shunned. And yet...it was injured. It was probably going to die if it didn't get its leg treated, either from infection or by being eaten by another Pokemon drawn to the scent of blood.

His pity won out, in the end. He cautiously approached the moaning Sylveon, looking around for something to use to bind its wound.

He grabbed a few soft leaves and some tall grass, and made a crude and clumsily-built tourniquet around its leg.

The Sylveon tentatively got up, gingerly testing its leg against the ground. It hobbled forward a few steps, then, seeing that it could walk again, let out a joyful cry and rubbed up against his hand, purring intensely. He patted its head, thrilled that he managed to befriend an actual fairy.

The Sylveon limped forward, then turned its head back to him, as if beckoning for him to follow. He shook his head, saying that he had to go home. But when he turned to follow the path back home, it was nowhere to be found.

He began to grow frightened. Where was the path? It had been there just a few seconds ago…

The Sylveon nudged the backs of his legs, then limped forward a few steps before stopping and looking back at him again. One of its ribbony feelers waggled back and forth in a clear "follow me" gesture. He hesitated, but the look in its eyes said that it would lead him back home. It had a gentle, endearing expression, one that was full of gratitude and a wish to reciprocate his kind favor. There was absolutely no trace of malice in its gaze.

In the end, he decided to follow it. It knew the forest much better than he did, after all. The pink fairy led him through the forest, through thickets, across streams, and down gentle slopes.

Finally, they stopped in front of a large clearing. He gasped in wonder. There had to be at least a hundred fairies in the clearing, all dancing and laughing. Flabébés, Swirlixes, and many more that he did not recognize were right in front of him. He'd never seen so many fairies in one place before. The sight was breathtaking, almost intoxicating. But why had he been brought here?

He heard the Sylveon mew, and he looked down to see that it was offering him an Oran Berry. There was a big smile on its face, as if to say 'Thank you! This is for you'. He declined the berry, remembering the one thing the neighbors had warned him above all else: don't eat food offered to you by a fairy.

The Sylveon drooped, and tears came to its eyes. He instantly felt horrible. It was just trying to repay him, and here he was being rude and refusing its gift. He heard a sound coming from the clearing, and he saw that all of the other fairies were staring at him. They were encouraging him to eat the berry, not to be rude, that Sylveon was just trying to be friendly.

He shook his head again, albeit more reluctantly this time. The fairies were making him feel awfully guilty about refusing the berry. How could eating just one small berry be so harmful, anyway? Oran Berries were medicinal berries; eating one would be good, not bad. Perhaps the neighbors were just being stuck-up and not wanting to see the kindness in the fairies' gestures.

Yes, the fairies in the clearing agreed. The other humans were mean people who hated them for no reason. The fairies would try to befriend the humans, but the humans absolutely refused. Was he going to be like all the other humans and refuse their friendship?

No, he decided as he took the Oran Berry and took a bite big out of it. The Sylveon's eyes lit up, and it rubbed all up against his legs, purring intensely. The other fairies cheered, and as he looked back to them he saw now that there were other human children with the fairies too. The children were smiling and laughing, beckoning him to join them in their reverie.

With a big smile, he ran into the clearing, where he danced with the children and the fairies.

He never wanted to go home.

This was his home now.