Name Meaning:Ferentina: the patron goddess of the city Ferentinum, Latium. She was the protector of Latin commonwealth, and closely associated with the Roman Empire. A grove sacred to this goddess was the site of a famous meeting between the leader of Latin towns and the last king of Rome.
Ferentina's parents chose her first name mainly because it sounded like a beautiful, graceful name, and they were certain their daughter would inherit those traits. Ferentina's parents were also obsessive gardeners, and wanted their daughter's name to connect back to nature in some way. The goddess Ferentina's sacred grove qualified as a connection.
Google defines "aspen" as "a poplar tree with rounded, long-stalked, and typically coarsely toothed leaves that tremble in even a slight breeze." Aspen was chosen as Ferentina's middle name in honor of her grandmother on her mother's side, who passed away about a week before Ferentina hatched. The name also went along with the themes of nature and gracefulness, making it the perfect middle name.
Ferentina's last name, Gardener, is not a coincidence. Previously, neither of her parents had had last names. When they registered to become official citizens of Silver Stone, however, they were required to give a last name. They settled on Gardener, in honor of their shared love of everything that grows in soil.
Personality:Contrary to her name, Ferentina is probably the least graceful Pokémon you'll ever meet. You know when you're boarding a large airplane, there are those signs warning you of a tripping hazard, despite the fact that the bump is about a half centimeter tall? Those are there for Ferentina's sake.
Ferentina has been injured in so many random accidents, she actually had a room in the local Pokémon Center in her home town reserved specifically for her. Her picture was, and still is, hanging on the wall, and all of the staff know her quite well. Ferentina's original trainer would always carry a box on band-aids with her wherever she went, just in case the Eevee managed to injure herself. When Ferentina was little, she was covered with so many bruises and small scratches, her teacher actually pulled her aside and asked her if she was safe at home. The little Eevee just laughed, responding with, "Maybe if there was no such thing as corners."
Corners. Corners are her worst enemy. Ferentina's never met a corner of furniture that she hasn't injured herself on at some point in time. From toe-stubbings to head-bangings, corners are responsible for every injury imaginable. Multiply that by the fact that Ferentina is basically one giant left foot, and you have an recipe for absolute disaster.
Clumsiness aside, Ferentina is a very outgoing Pokémon. She loves the outdoors, and hates being trapped inside by the rain. She shares her parents' love of gardening, and even had her own section of their garden in Silver Stone. When Ferentina was younger, she loved playing any kind of adventurous, imaginative game. Her love of adventure remained with her as she grew, and eventually led to her travelling to New Moon Meadows.
History:Ferentina grew up in a small town, known as Silver Stone, far out in the countryside. It was a wonderful, small community, where people and Pokémon truly did live in harmony. There were a few Pokémon and humans who could communicate with the each other, and they served as translators for the other citizens. Ferentina and her mother couldn't talk to humans, but Ferentina's father could.
In Silver Stone, both humans and Pokémon were allowed to own property, work, and go to school. The Pokémon had all the same rights as humans did in most other cities in the world. It was a great place to live, but Ferentina still dreamed of leaving her town behind to explore the world with a trainer. Only a few Pokémon in Silver Stone accepted a human as their trainer; the rest viewed it as a violation of their freedom. Ferentina originally had this same view, but it changed when she met her friend Julia.
Julia and Ferentina went to school together, and though Julia was a few grade levels above Ferentina, the two were great friends. The two sat together during lunch, where they discussed whatever came to mind. One day, the topic of being "owned" by a trainer came up. Julia explained that she wasn't really "owned" by her trainer; the two were partners. Ferentina was fascinated by this different perspective, and eventually decided that she wanted to go out into the world and find the right trainer for her.
Once she received permission from her parents, Ferentina dropped out of school and set out into the world to find the perfect trainer. She could (and probably should) have taken the train, but decided that it would be more exciting to travel the countryside by herself.
First Battle:Ferentina looked up at the sky, and saw exactly what she had been dreading all day.
Rain clouds.The Eevee took one last look at her map, then rolled it up and returned it to her backpack. A soaked map wouldn't do her any good. Ferentina trotted down the trail, keeping an eye out for the sign that would point her towards Silver Light Cave. She'd shelter there for the night.
Ferentina reached the cave just as the first drops of rain began to fall. She sighed in relief, and began unpacking her dinner. Suddenly, low rumble spread through the cave. The Eevee looked up, and noticed a tall, shadowy figure approaching her. She scrambled to throw everything back into her backpack, then bolted for the entrance.
The shadowy Pokémon grabbed Ferentina well before she made it out of the cave. Ferentina fought back, but the Pokémon's grip was too strong. She desperately struggled to come up with a move that could help her free herself, but she wasn't sure she could inflict enough damage.
The mysterious Pokémon began plodding forward, Ferentina still caught in its grasp. When it at last reached the cave entrance, Ferentina could see the it was a Nidoqueen. The Nidoqueen glared down at the Eevee, then literally
threw her out of the cave.
Ferentina landed in a humiliated heap, the rain slowly soaking her. She stood up, shook her fur out, and shot one last angry glare at the Nidoqueen before heading out to find a more hospitable place to shelter.
Evolving:Ferentina was lost.
As much as she hated to admit it, she honestly didn't have a clue where she was. All she could see in any direction was trees. So, so many
trees. And tree roots. Those things were major tripping hazards, and they were everywhere. Ferentina was so focused on avoiding tree roots, she didn't notice the Litleo until she bumped into her.
"Ow!" the Litleo exclaimed, rubbing her head. "Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry," Ferentina murmured. "Are you alright?"
The Litleo huffed. "Yeah, I'm fine." There was an awkward pause. "What's your name?" the Litleo finally asked.
"Ferentina," the Eevee replied.
The Litleo raised an eyebrow. "Weird name. I'm Scorch."
Ferentina chose to ignore Scorch's comment regarding her name. "Nice to meet you, Scorch. You don't by any chance know the way to..." She paused to look down at her map. "Blue Light City?"
"Lost, huh?" Ferentina nodded. "Don't worry; you wouldn't
believe the number of lost travelers we get through here. I can show you the way to the trail." The Litleo stood and began trotting the exact opposite direction Ferentina had been travelling before.
"Why're you out here, anyways?" Scorch asked.
"I'm looking for a trainer," Ferentina stated proudly.
Scorch shook her head. "City Pokémon. I'll never understand 'em."
Ferentina didn't hear Scorch's replied, as she was distracted by a nearby rock. She stopped walking, studying it carefully. "It's beautiful," she gasped. "What is it?"
"That's a Moss Rock. It-- wait, come back!"
Ferentina walked forward, then reached out a paw to touch the moss growing across the rock. It was such a perfect shade of green! As soon as her paw connected with the rock, everything felt strange. Her skin began tingling and, when she looked down, she was
glowing. Ferentina titled her head to look back at herself as something sprouted from her back.
When the glowing at last faded, Ferentina gasped. Her tail as a leaf, and... she had grown wings! Immediately, Ferentina tried flapping them to fly. The Eevee-turned-Leafeon managed to rise a few inches off the ground before falling back down in a tangled heap.
Scorch looked down at Ferentina, looked disappointed. Disappointed in what? "I should have warned you early; this place is full of Moss Rocks and other evolution items. I'm so sorry... It's my fault you evolved."
Ferentina grinned. "Are you kidding? This is amazing!" The Leafeon hopped up, flapping her butterfly wings slightly simply to marvel at their colorfulness. "Thank you so much!"
Meeting Her Trainer:x
Funniest Moment:x
Relationships:Josephine (Trainer) - Josephine is Ferentina's trusted sidekick. Now, Josephine may
think that she's in charge, but Ferentina is always in control. Ferentina never does anything Josephine tells her unless she wants to, and she excels at tricking her trainer into doing things for her (such as reaching the cookie jar on the top shelf). Really, though, the two are best friends, and Ferentina would do anything to keep her trainer safe.
Chelsea - Ferentina has a very difficult time understanding Chelsea when she talks. It's not because she has an accent (thank goodness Chelsea doesn't have an accent; that would make interpreting her so much harder), but rather because she talks at the speed of light. Ferentina will usually just nod along while Chelsea speaks, then later ask Stanley what on earth the energetic Eevee was trying to communicate. Ferentina also finds Chelsea's energy level to be extremely overwhelming. One second, she's eating a cookie, and the next, she's halfway across the field, chasing a butterfly. It's scary. Despite communication difficulties, Ferentina and Chelsea are very good friends. The two both dislike rain, and will often have long discussions about how terribly dreary it is.
Stanley - Ferentina finds Stanley to be very... quiet. His voice is quiet; his personality is quiet; his footsteps are quiet; even his chewing is quiet! It's more than a little creepy that Stanley is able to move around while barely making a sound.
Credits:Animated Butterfly ||
Ferentina ||
Aspen || Pokémon type buttons belong to Nintendo. ||
