I somehow see what's beautiful
In things that are ephemeral

Having just made it back from the Ranger’s Station to Cassiopeia, Sarah probably should have shopped for supplies and gotten a good night’s rest. But she was far too excited! Not only did she now have a shiny Budew for her starter, but she’d found a Foongus on the way here, and moments ago picked up a Turtwig egg to boot. She didn’t know how she’d lucked out with so many grass types - they were her favorites after all - but she wouldn’t question it!

She and Petunia were now walking hand in hand through the tiny village, right past the Pokemon Lab. She wondered how different things would have been if she’d started out here, gone the traditional way of receiving a starter. No use wondering of course, not like she could travel back in time and change it - and she honestly didn’t think she’d want to. She’d heard horror stories on the ferry about a particularly nasty lab assistant who had literally thrown people out before! She thought she would cry if anything like that would have happened to her.

No, she was much happier doing the thing she’d done for others for the last year. Putting her faith in fate and seeing what the outpost biomes gave her. And sure, Plandai could be a little much to handle, but she blamed that on his shiny purple bib and the way he must have been brought up to be full of himself. It was nothing a little wear and tear and test of character couldn’t straighten out while they were on the road.

The closer she got to the outskirts of town the more sparse and far about the houses and businesses seemed to get. She worried for a moment that she may have accidentally crossed onto Route 1 without realizing it when a thicket of trees and brambles gave way to a picturesque house and elderly person tending their garden. She started to turn and head back towards town as she spotted the sign for the actual start of the route up ahead, but noticed the bent up old body was moving with some difficulty from plot to plot. She remembered tending garden with her mother in her youth - not that she wasn’t still a spring chicken - and couldn’t help the small smile of that precious memory that crossed her face.

She leaned over the little fence at the edge of their property and rapped her knuckles on the wood, calling out ”Hey there! Need a hand?” to the stooped figure before them, picking up Plandai's pokeball to release him to stretch his bud and get some sunshine on his petal. It would do him good to see plants as beautiful as him to dock his ego some, she thought, even if they weren't sentient.