FSE

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As the day's training session finally came to a close, Tokam began to climb up the great oak where he and his mother had made their home. However, instead of crawling into the hollow that marked their nests entrance, Tokam continued his climb until he had made it to one of the topmost branches of the tree. He climbed out to the edge of the limb and looked out over the forest.

The view was breathtaking. The training had taken up most of the day, and the sun was hovering just above the horizon. From his perch, Tokam could see the entire forest, and in the distance he could just make out the mountains to the west and the sea to the south. This spot was Tokam's favorite in the entire forest.

He often came here to reflect and think. Mainly of his father. Tokam's parents had met a little over five years ago. They had quickly fallen in love, and soon Tokam's egg was laid. But before the egg hatched, Tokam's father had left. His mother had been heartbroken. However she found a new purpose when Tokam hatched. She needed to care for her son.

He didn't hate his father. Tokam was sure he must have had a good reason to leave. But he did hate the fact that his father was gone. He envied the other young pokemon who wanted to be like their dads when they grew up. Tokam couldn't do that. He didn't even know who his father was, or what he was.

Tokam had always secretly hoped that his father was a powerful sceptile. Until that first day of training... Tokam had been thrilled to begin his battle training. He wanted to be the best. He volunteered for battle after battle, but lost every one. As the session was ending Tokam begged for one more try. He remembered Mr. Torena looking down at him and asking, "Are you sure?" Tokam had simply nodded. So Mr. Torena found him an opponent and the battle began.

Almost instantly Tokam found himself losing strength. So he had acted in desperation. Tokam still remembered the look of shock on all the other pokemons' faces when he used Crunch. His opponent fainted and he had won! Tokam had been so happy. Then he saw Mr. Torena gaping at him. Tokam had tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"

He had listened intently as his teacher explained that most treecko could not learn that move so early, and that it must have been a family trait. From his father. At first, Tokam had been proud. Until he realized what it meant. His father could not have been a sceptile. He had studied battle since he had been old enough to understand it. And he knew that a sceptile was not able to pass on the move Crunch to its offspring.

Every day since then, Mr. Torena had pushed Tokam harder and harder. He pitted Tokam against more experienced opponents every day, and Tokam had become his star pupil. But it did not make Tokam happy. It made him an outcast. The other pokemon looked down on him, hated him, because they could not beat him. They despised his ability, and feared it. Tokam hadn't cared about his new move at first, but as he began to notice the other pokemon avoiding him, he grew to hate it. He knew why they all kept away from him.

Tokam had tried to forget the move, but something held him back every time. Like a tiny voice in his head, telling him he needed Crunch. And so he kept it. He... A sudden tap on Tokam's shoulder caused him to leap up and he broke out of his reverie. He whipped around to find his mother sitting on the branch behind him. "Tokam, it's time for bed." She had a sad look on her face, almost as if she knew what he had been thinking about. Tokam nodded and followed his mother down to their hollow. The sun had set while Tokam had been lost in his memories. He yawned and curled up next to his mother. Tokam hadn't realized how tired he was before. He shut his eyes...

* * * * *

Tokam's eyes flew open. He could hear cries coming out from below the tree. Just as he was about to peer out the hollow, his mother flung him back and crawled outside. As she left, she turned to Tokam and said, "Tokam, I need you to stay put. No matter what you hear, do not look outside until I return. Okay?" Tokam nodded. He was in shock. His mother quickly dashed outside. Tokam curled up in the far corner of the hollow, as far away from the entrance as he could get.

The cries continued for several hours, then as quickly as they had begun, they stopped. Tokam waited for his mother to come back. She didn't. As dawn's rays began to shine into the hollow, Tokam slowly crept forward and peered out to the forest floor. What he saw, was carnage. Bodies of pokemon were scattered across the clearing. Tokam cried out in despair and rushed down the tree.

When he hit the ground, he began to wail for his mother. Tokam moved about among the dead, searching for the body he dreaded finding. Just as he was allowing his hopes to rise that maybe, just maybe, she had survived, he spotted her. She was lying in the shade at the edge of the clearing. Tears began to stream out of Tokam's eyes. He ran towards her, sobbing. When he reached his mother's body, he saw she was already gone.

A massive gash was visible on her back. Tokam wept as he hugged his mother's head to his chest. She stared, unblinking, at something only she could see. "AH...WHY!!? WHY ME!?" Tokam screamed in despair. "NOOOOO!!" He sobbed uncontrollably as he held his mother.

Suddenly, Tokam spotted movement at the center of the clearing. Someone was alive! He quickly ran over to the struggling pokemon, his tears still flowing. As he drew closer, Tokam saw that that pokemon was none other than Mr. Torena. Tokam ran up to his injured teacher. "Don't worry I'll..." he trailed off as he saw the wound. A clean cut in the center of the machoke's throat. Tokam knew he could not be saved.

Mr. Torena opened his mouth and weakly motioned for Tokam to come closer. Tokam leaned forward, putting his ear close to the dying pokemon's mouth. "You...you have to...get out of here...Tokam...find a new...home..." Mr. Torena croaked. "Remember...what I taught you...don't hate your father's gift..." Tokam nodded, crying.

He knew he would need Crunch now more than ever. "Don't worry Mr. Torena; I'll get you a healer..." The machoke coughed loudly and shook his head. "No...you have to..." Mr. Torena's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Tokam wailed. He wasn't sure how long he spent crying next to his teacher's body, but eventually he managed to stand again and he made his way back to his mother.

He glanced at her neck. On it, as always, was a golden locket. There was nothing inside, but she had kept it because it had been a gift from his father. Tokam slowly unclasped it from around her neck and put it on his own. He didn't know why he took it, he just knew he needed it. He felt he couldn't live without it.

Then Tokam examined her wound. The gash had turned an ugly shade of gray. Tokam knew this wound had been from a poison type. "I promise Mom, I'll find who did this," he murmured. Tears began to flood again. He knew he didn't have time to bury her properly, so he simply turned and ran. The tears didn't stop until he collapsed twelve hours later from exhaustion.