Pokemon - Serena's Child

            Serena looked up from the flowering berry bushes as a buzzing sound drew closer.  “Is it that time already?”  She murmured.  “Come on, Matthew.”  The mudkip came out from where he was treating the soil, covered in dirt.

            “Serena, honey!  I’m here!”  A Vespiqueen announced cheerily, flying up to Serena.

            “Hey, Victoria,” Serena said, embracing her friend “punctual as always.”

            “What’s wrong, honey?”  Victoria asked, putting on a mask of concern.  “Did I come at a bad time?”

            “No, I just realized that I’ve been in my garden the whole day!”  Serena sighed.  She turned to Matthew, “Matthew, dear, please go make sure Victoria’s children are careful with the orchids, ok?”  The mudkip looked at her blankly for a moment before walking off.

            “He’s certainly a strange kid,” Victoria observed.

            “Oh, don’t mind him. Matthew doesn’t talk much, but helps me out around the garden.”

            “So you’ve been out here the whole day?”  Victoria asked, surprised.  “Girl, you need another hobby.”

            “Like what?” Serena looked down and muttered.

            “Like a boyfriend!” Victoria grasped Serena’s roses, “You are a beautiful flower Serena.  A blooming rose ready to be picked by a lover.”  Serena got a light blush and muttered a small agreement.  “Also, raising children is a joy of its own!”

            “No,” Serena cast a melancholy face, “I don’t want children.”

            “What!?” Victoria looked as if she’d been slapped, “why not?”

            “My flowers are my children, I don’t need anymore.” Serena looked on the verge of tears, her voice breaking slightly.

            “But you can’t hold and feel the warmth of a flower against your breast,”  Victoria sighed happily, “you can’t feel the joy when your baby first opens their eyes.”

            “Stop, please,” Serena had tears in her eyes, her voice cracking and her body shaking.  “I can’t have children.”

            “Yes, you can!” Victoria insisted, “you’re young, honey, you’re in your pri-”

            Victoria made a choking noise as Serena wound vines around her neck.  “I said, STOP!” Serena had tears streaming down her face as her body shook violently. “I can’t have children! I’m INFERTILE!”  She collapsed on the ground, still shaking with all the pent-up emotion flowing forth like a river.  The vines around Victoria’s neck tightened out of anger.

            The Vespiqueen scraped some pollen off her body and grabbed the vines around her neck.  She gasped as the pollen paralyzed Serena, causing the vines to go slack.  “Serena, honey, I’m sorry. I had no idea!”

            “I don’t want your PITY!”  Serena screamed, her tear-streaked face now contorted in rage.  She fired toxic thorns at her friend.  Victoria protected herself and placed her stinger close to Serena’s face.

            “Honey,” Victoria pleaded, tears starting to form in her eyes, “please calm down Serena, I don’t want to fight you.”

            There was a wet sound as something hit Victoria out of the air.  Serena watched as her friend struggled to get back up.  Her wings were coated in thick mud, rendering her flightless.  Matthew pounced on Victoria, pinning her down.  He had a large rock raised above him and a cold stare in his eyes.

            “Matthew, NO!” Serena screamed.  The Mudkip looked back at her, confused.  “She wasn’t trying to hurt me!  Please, let her go!”  Serena sobbed.  Matthew looked at the crying Roserade, then at the Vespiqueen.  The stranger’s face had a mix of fear and concern.  Matthew looked back at Serena, now tears were in his eyes.  Matthew dropped the rock and ran off.

            Victoria moved over to embrace Serena, she brushed off the pollen on Serena so she could move again.  The two pokemon stayed there for a while, Victoria comforting Serena.  Victoria sent out an order to her children to return to the hive immediately.  Serena stopped crying soon after.

            “I’m sorry, Victoria,” Serena croaked, her voice soar.  “I just lost it, I couldn’t control myself.”

            “No,” Victoria looked Serena in the eye, “I’m sorry.  I pushed you to that point.  I should have stopped when you asked.”  She brought her friend into another embrace.  “I promise I’ll never bring it up again.”

            “Don’t apologize, I let my emotions build up until I broke.”  Tears started to once again flow down her face as she buried her face in Victoria’s breast.  “I was jealous seeing the joy all your children bring you.  I just- I’m sorry!”  Serena broke down crying again.

            “Honey, please, stop crying,” Victoria comforted, “it’s ok, nobody got hurt.”  The friends stayed there until Serena calmed down.  She finally lifted her head, her eyes red and puffy.  She gently scraped some mud off Victoria’s wings.

            “Let’s get this off before the mud completely dries.”  Serena led Victoria to the pond and helped her clean up.

            “You sure you’re ok, honey?”  Victoria was ready to leave as the sun was sitting on the horizon.

            “Yes, I’m much better now,” Serena managed a small smile.

            “I’m sorry, honey,” Victoria hugged her friend.  “I just want you to be happy, you deserve to be happy.”

            “Thank you, now that I’ve calmed down you’ve given me something to think about.”  Serena wished her friend goodbye and went to find Matthew.

            The moon shone brightly, illuminating the pond in a lucent beam.  There a Mudkip sat, softly crying while looking at his reflection in the water.  His tears sent ripples across the water, distorting the reflection.

            “Matthew?” A soft voice called.  The Mudkip quickly reverted to his normal, emotionless expression.  He turned around to see Serena, the moonlight accentuating her worried expression. “Are you ok?  You ran off earlier.”

            Matthew’s usual stalwart expression betrayed him as he burst into tears and ran sobbing to Serena.  The Roserade almost fell over in surprise as the young Pokemon crashed into her.  She wrapped her arms around the sobbing figure.

            “I’m sorry, Serena!” Matthew cried.  Serena looked in shock as she heard Matthew speak for the first time.  “I’m sorry! I thought she was going to hurt you!”  Matthew’s words came in bursts between sobs.  “I don’t want to lose someone again!”

            Serena sat down with Matthew by the pond and pressed him to her chest.  “Shh. It’s ok,” Serena whispered, “it’s not your fault.”

            “But I almost hurt your friend!”

            “You acted on your instinct,” Serena looked him in the eyes, “nobody is blaming you for that.  Victoria was completely unharmed, we just had to wash the mud off her wings.”

            “She is?”  Matthew’s voice was cracked.  He had stopped crying and rubbed the tears off his face.  “Why was she holding you down?”

            “It’s my fault,” Serena sighed, wiping the last remnants of water from Matthew’s face.  “I was angry and attacked Victoria, she was trying to calm me down.”

            “Why were you angry?  You’re always so kind and caring.”

            “Victoria said some things, to which I…” Serena sighed sadly “…reacted badly.”

            “Does it have to do with you not being able to have kids?”  Matthew asked cautiously

            Serena stiffened as if she’d been slapped.  “How did you know?”

            “I was curious,” Matthew said bashfully.  “I was wondering how someone like you, who loves kids, didn’t have any.”  He started to draw in the mud.  “I asked Albert about it, and he said it could be a lot of reasons.  But for you, it’s maybe in… enfer… infer…” Matthew struggled with the last word.

            “Infertility,” Serena finished.  “Yes, I am physically unable to bear children.”  She stared sadly at her reflection.  “I want to though,” tears started to well in her eyes, “I want to know what it’s like to have a child.”

            “I want to know what it’s like to have a mom.”  Matthew said sadly, causing Serena to look at him in surprise.  “I never knew my parents, they died shortly after I was born.  That’s what my big sister told me.”  He looked at Serena, tears once again forming in his eyes.  “Maddy took care of me, but it didn’t feel like having a mother.  Somehow I knew that.”  The Mudkip stared at his reflection, Serena felt a growing sense of unease.  “One day, when we were getting food, a Feraligatr attacked us.  He said we were taking food from his lake.  Maddy tried to protect me, but he was too strong.  She screamed at me to run before he… before he ki-i-i-…”  Matthew started to shake uncontrollably.  “Seeing you on the ground, brought back the memory!”  He broke down crying as he buried his face in the Roserade’s lap, “I didn’t want to lose you too!” he screamed.

            Serena embraced the emotional Matthew, whispering words of comfort.  When Matthew stopped crying the two sat in silence, staring at the moonlit water.  “Serena?” Matthew broke the silence.

            “Hmm?”  Serena was lost in thought.

            “Do you- umm…” Matthew looked at her nervously, “do you want to be my mom?”

            Serena was stunned, tears started to well in her eyes.  She looked at what Matthew had drawn in the mud.  It was a crudely drawn Mudkip, smiling as he held a flower.  “Are you sure you want me?”

            He nodded, “I want to be your son.”

            “Oh, Matthew!”  Tears streamed down Serena’s face as she hugged Matthew tightly, “I’d be delighted!”

            Matthew smiled as he returned the hug.  “Thank you, Mom.”