Tethered in chaos
Chapter 9 - Bloodying the paws
You finish running the course and arrive back on the edge of the training ground. Layla greets you, bumping into you with her shoulder.
“I saw that, and don’t try to deny it.” She looks at you with a smirk.
“Hide what? Was my timing off? Did I not cut deep enough on the dummies? Did I stumble on one of the landings?” You hesitantly try to come up with an answer to what she’s referring to.
“None of those, training went fine. I was talking about you tracing that scar on your chest again. How many times I have to tell you it is for me to remind you of that promise, not so you can recall my devotion to you when you so wish. When you’re out there, I don’t need you distracted, you understand me?” She places her paw on the scar, pressing down on it, but not tracing it. “I know you keep telling me it gives you strength, but you lose your focus every time you do it, and at that moment out there, it can cost you your life.” Then she traces the scar bringing you to her promise again. “And if that distraction gets you killed, then this mark, it did exactly what it was made to prevent.” She appears sad as she presses her forehead against yours gently. “So please, let me remind you. You focus on helping me keep that promise to you.” Then she bites your ear, hard enough to almost pierce the skin. “Because you’re still mine!” she growls, voice trembling with emotion. You respond in kind, biting her ear with equal force before gently tapping your ear against her nose — a silent acknowledgment of her claim and your bond.
“Okay, Layla, I won’t do it anymore, I promise.“ You press your forehead against hers. “I don’t need a scar to remind me you’re there for me anyway.” You walk past her, brushing lightly against her. “So… you mentioned there was something you wanted to tell me after training. What is it?” you ask, curiosity flickering in your voice.
“We should go talk with Crush and Ghost about it. They’re waiting for us in the lounge area.” She flicks her tail for you to follow her. As you follow her, you can’t help but to wonder what this could be about.
As you arrive at the lounge area you are greeted by the whole Strike Team. Crush the Machoke immediately comes to you and pats you in the head gently.
“Hey, cut it out, Crush!” You exclaim as you jump back. “Do you have to pet me every time we bump into each other?"
“Come on bro! It’s kind of our thing! Cute lil’ Eeveelutions are fun to pet.” Crush says with a deep, but gentle voice.
“Yeah right, I never see you pet Layla. What gives? She’s twice as cute and fluffy as me,” you tease, challenging his analogy about Eeveelutions.
“Bro! That she lets you get close doesn’t mean she does that with the rest of us. I'd rather play it safe than risk losing an arm.” Crush rubs back of his neck as he looks at Layla who is looking at him with a glare.
“I guess you’re not all muscle Crush, there must be a brain there somewhere too,” Layla growls with an incredulous chuckle.
“See bro?! She is vicious, nothing like you.” Crush tries to defend himself, before adding, “but fine, I will only pet the kits from now–” ”You what?!“ Layla snarls, charging towards Crush as she interrupts him. You dash in between them to hold Layla back just before she reaches to Crush.
“It’s better if you just keep petting me, Crush, if you must. And Layla, come on, I’m soft with the kits all the time. What harm could a few little pats do?” you ask Layla, manging to calm her down a bit.
“You know I am not okay with it. But I cannot kill you. Crush here in another hand…” She growls before turning away. “Fine, you can live, Crush, but you better keep those oversized hands away from our kits or I will find you without Kuro having your ‘bro’ rear protected,” Layla snarls quietly.
“Understood, thanks bro for having my back.” Crush reaches out to pat your head again, which is immediately met with you rolling your eyes at him. Nearby, Ghost, Pulse and Shadow have been watching quietly from the couch with amused looks on their faces. Pulse the Lucario gets up and slaps Crush on the lower back.
“Go sit down before you get yourself killed, big fella.” Pulse grunts in amusement, before proceeding to you. “Kuro, I heard you are finally making some progress on your training.” As soon as he finishes saying it, he tries to Bullet Punch you, causing you to jump back and immediately take a battle stance. “Very good, you might be ready.” Pulse looks at Layla. “If you allow it, I would like to take your boy here on our next mission, could use someone with his skills on computers.” Pulse breaths heavily waiting for Layla to answer.
“Not without me, you won’t,” Layla snarls. “Still don’t trust he won’t get his glowbutt killed out there. But I know he needs to face real action. These dummies can only do so much. What do you have in mind?” Her tail wraps protectively around your leg as she speaks, eyes sharp and voice edged with worry. Pulse nods in quiet acknowledgment, understanding her concern.
“I’ve never said no to your assistance, Layla. There is a breeding facility we have kept an eye on. It is in the basement of one of the buildings near Magenta Plaza. It doesn’t appear heavily guarded, but if we have to use brute force to break the cages it will be tough. Instead, if we can sneak in the central controls, your boy here can use his hacking skills, maybe remote unlock all cages overwhelming the guards.” Pulse finishes explaining the plan with a concerned look on his face.
“I would much rather cut the throats of as many Team Rocket agents and scientists as I could. But I know stealth is more up in your alley. Should really be called Sneak Team, rather than Strike Team,” Layla says sarcastically. Pulse looks at her with a serious squint.
“Our first objective is to not lose anyone, second is to carry out the mission. So far we have been able to do both.” Pulse pauses for a moment and then adds in frustration. “Unlike you–” ”That is uncalled for!” You launch forward between Pulse and Layla interrupting him, your whole body flares up in glow. “You want my help, you apologize right away.” You dig your claws in the ground as your tail curls around Layla’s front paws.
“Fine… That might have crossed the line, so I apologize" Pulse snarls faintly.
“Kuro, it’s okay. This is partly why I left this place when I did, but they are our best chance against Team Rocket right now.” Layla steps forward, her voice low but sharp. “And I can handle Pulse if I need to, for his sake I hope it doesn’t come to that,” she growls, anger flickering behind her eyes as her tail lashes once in warning.
“Pulse, do you always have to be so hard on Layla?” Ghost, who’s been silent until now, finally speaks up. “We could really use their help. You’ve got to stop taking digs at her past. She told us she lost many during her escape, not how. You can’t judge her without knowing the circumstances.” He hops off the couch and walks toward the group. “Layla, we need you and Kuro. If you’re willing, we’d like to go over the plan with you. And if everything checks out, we can move tonight. What do you say?” Ghost’s voice is calm, steady, gentle – the kind that makes everyone listen.
“Fine, but only because you are the one asking, Ghost. Anyone else in the strike team and I’d tell them to go to hell. I hope you understand.” Layla’s voice is sharp. “Now let's look at the plans before I change my mind.” Layla strides toward the table with blueprints of the breeding facility. Rest of the Strike Team and you gather around the table. In her usual manner, Shadow the Greninja doesn’t say anything. Just points at the skylight with her finger to mark her entry point.
“Crush and Pulse will cause distraction at the front by breaking the wall and taking cover to draw out the majority of the guards. Shadow will enter from the skylight turning off the lights. I will sneak in through the delivery entrance and try to get to the cages to assist the Pokémon once the cages are open. Layla and Kuro, you go through the air duct as it will lead straight to the control room. None of us are small enough to fit and it is direct access.” Ghost pauses for a moment. “Layla, are you okay with that?” Ghost barely has enough time to ask before Layla turns around and starts heading out of the room.
“That is fine, Kuro and I got it. Just don’t die out there,” she growls as she walks out of the room with you running after her.
You follow Layla as she heads towards Pearl and the Kits. You decide to interrupt her as there has been a nagging thought in your head since you confronted Pulse.
“Layla, what exactly did you tell them about your past?” You ask in concern
“All they need to know. They know I lost many Eevee’s and kits in my leadership,” she snarls as she tries to get past you, but you keep blocking her way.
“And they think you were okay with it,” you ask confused.
“No, they don’t know anything but that. But they likely assume I don’t care,” Layla shrugs off your concern. As she pushes past you.
“Layla, why wouldn’t you–” “Because I don’t care what these guys think!” She turns around and cuts you off with a very angry growl. “Except for Ghost, Crush is all muscle and no brain, Pulse is an arrogant idiot who doesn’t know anything about leadership, and Shadow doesn’t talk or interact with anyone so it is hard to make heads or tails of her. And to hell with Pawsy.” Her voice trembles with frustration, the admission heavy with how little she wants to be here.
“Layla, we can find another way to do this,” you try to reassure her.
“No Kuro. TWR has the resources we need if we want to have any chance against Team Rocket.” Layla growls reluctantly, knowing this is the only way forward. “Kuro, get some rest, prepare yourself. Tonight is what you've been preparing for all month. Don’t try to impress me. Just stay alive. Your goal is to open the cages. Leave the rest to me.” She presses her forehead against yours, and you meet her with equal pressure.
“I would rather spend some time with you and the kits. I haven’t had much chance to even see the kits with all the training.” You rub against her body as you head towards the kits.
The rest of the day you and Layla spend as a family, something which you haven’t had a chance to do ever since the whole incident at the park. It’s only an afternoon, but it’s exactly what you need to take your mind off everything that’s coming. Lumi is the first one to greet you with her little tongue kisses on your nose telling you she missed you. Hope wastes no time grabbing your ear the moment you lie down; she is much stronger than last time you had a chance to bond with her. Elem repeatedly charges into your side head‑first until the spot starts to ache, and you eventually catch the little rascal by the scruff before he bruises you further with his Headbutt. Miracle has been spending a lot of time with the tinkerers and she drags over their newest invention: lightweight ear blades designed for Eevee ears. They extend when swung forward and retract automatically for safety. When she drops them in front of Layla with a metallic clink, Layla’s reaction is, surprisingly, impressed. She normally rolls her eyes at gadgets, but she slips the blades on immediately, and the way she handles them makes it obvious she’s used similar weapons before. Miracle then runs off after nudging your leg, and returns with your computer accessories now fitted with five-centimeter claws that extend and retract with your own. She nudges them towards your paws, eager for you to try them. You scoop her up for a gentle nuzzle first, then take the device and head toward the training area to test it out.
With the sun setting on the horizon, you take a few final swings at the wooden beam, its surface already carved with deep claw marks from your trial run. When you return to your family, the entire strike team is already gathered, waiting for you.
“What took you so long?” Pulse mutters, clearly unimpressed. “We should already be there checking the perimeter,” he adds with frustration.
“Sorry, I got a bit carried away, but I am ready now. Just lead the way,” you say, your voice carrying a hint of apology. Suddenly, a large hand lands on your head, startling you enough that your claws extend and crack the floor before you manage to relax, realizing it’s just Crush.
“Bro, you’re jumpy as hell. First mission got you spooked?” Crush asks with a deep, friendly laugh.
“Cut it out!” you snap in frustration. “Maybe you want to punch those cages open instead. How does that sound?” Your response is very angry and uncharacteristic as your nerves are definitely rattled.
“Oh come on bro, take it easy. You got all of us, you just do your part,” Crush tries to calm you down. As he finishes Layla grabs hold of your scruff dragging you aside for a moment.
“Are you sure you got this, Kuro?” Layla whispers in a concerned voice.
“I’ll be fine, let's just get this over with,” you whisper back. “I got you watching over me, so I'm not afraid,” you add with a grin. Layla’s eyes turn to slits.
“Kuro! This is no time for jokes. Focus!” she growls, clearly annoyed.
“Okay, I'm sorry!” You get up with your ears down looking a bit ashamed of your over confidence just a moment ago. “Lets just go,” you whisper as you head towards the others with your ears still down and tail dragging the ground.
“Layla put you on your pl…” Pulse starts, but stops in mid-sentence as he sees the glare from Layla that could melt ice. “Nevermind, let's just head out,” he mutters as he starts heading towards the door.
Once you reach the breeding facility, everyone moves into position. Crush tears off the cover of the air duct so you and Layla can slip inside. Your signal to advance comes when Shadow cuts the lights. You crawl behind Layla with ease — the duct may be narrow, but it’s nothing compared to the barbed‑wire obstacle from earlier. At a fork where one path continues forward and the other slopes upward, you hear three guards talking. Layla freezes and slaps her tail against your face, signaling you to stop. She scouts ahead, then quietly returns
“I see one of the guards a few meters from the opening and the other two right underneath the duct above,” she whispers, flicking her tail toward the sloping passage to indicate the spot. “Once the lights go out I will drop down and take down the two guards while you will take down the guard near the bottom duct. And don't hesitate because they will kill you on sight, understand?” she asks quietly.
“Leave it to me, this is what you trained me to do,” you whisper with confidence. As soon as she starts crawling up the vent your heart rate starts going up as you feel the moment becoming real. You're about to take your first life up close and personal, something you couldn't have imagined a month ago when you declared war on Team Rocket. You had always thought you would work using only technology, but you know there is no backing out now. If you hesitate, the third guard could take out Layla and there is no scenario in which you will ever allow that to happen. You take deep breaths, trying to keep yourself focused. You press your paw against the duct’s opening, testing how loose it is. It’ll come off with a single Headbutt. You can feel it. Slowly, you extend the claws of your Powerpaw, the name you gave them during training echoing in your mind like a reminder of what you’re capable of. A part of you silently begs for the lights to cut out right now so you can strike and get this over with. Another part hopes Shadow never kills the power at all… because once the darkness falls, there’s no turning back from what you’re about to do. Less than a minute later, the lights cut out. The instant darkness hits, you hear Crush smash through a wall at the front of the building. From the corner of your eye, you catch Layla dropping from the vent above, sinking her claws straight into the eyes of the unsuspecting guard. His scream lasts only a heartbeat before she leans back and slices the throat of the second guard with her ear blades. She pushes off the first guard as one of his eyes tears free, and in the same motion, she slashes his throat cleanly, dropping him before he can even fall. You slam your head into the vent’s grill, knocking it loose and sending it flying straight into the Team Rocket agent aiming a flashlight toward Layla. You immediately leap towards the guard, but you don’t notice the vent plating bent outward from your strike. Your back leg catches on it, yanking you off balance and sending you tumbling toward the guard. As you crash into the legs of a surprised guard, you manage to recover quickly as he aims the flashlight at you with a startled look. You launch upwards, digging your Powerpaw with claws first through the underside of his jaw. As you pull your paw out the amount of blood gushing out is unreal. As the guard falls down dead, you feel urgency to hurl. You turn aside close to the wall, fighting the urge to vomit. You keep swallowing, forcing back whatever rises in your throat and after a moment the sickness eases. The weight of killing still hangs heavy on you, but at least the physical shock is starting to fade.
Layla watches you struggle for a bit before walking to you.
“Get it together Kuro, you nearly cost us dearly. Let’s hurry up and get those cages open so we can leave this place.” Layla growls quietly in frustration.
“I’ll be okay, just lead the way,” you respond as you feel a bit less squeamish. The door to the central controls is just around the corner where you stepped out of the ducts. As you Tackle the door open Layla dashes and rips open the throat of the Team Rocket technician sitting on by the computer before he can even set his coffee down. You jump onto the computer immediately and start working on releasing every cage. The system is already unlocked, so all it takes is a few quick commands before the locks disengage. The moment the cages open, chaos erupts through the warehouse. Screams, crashes, and frantic movement echo for several minutes before everything suddenly goes quiet. You assume the mission was a success. With no reason to stay, you slip back into the vent you came through and make your escape, heading straight for the hideout
At the hideout Layla instantly confronts you about your sloppy jump.
“Kuro, what was that? How did you miss the jump so badly?” she demands an answer with a deep gnarl.
“I…” You start quietly. “I didn’t realize the edge had pulled off when I knocked the grill out. It will not happen again, I promise,” you try to assure her. Instead of taking your promise though she whacks your nose with her ears that still have the blade attachments on them. As the side without blade hits your snout you feel intense pain, causing you to flinch.
“We will make sure it doesn’t, tomorrow you’re going to practice leaping out of a vent until you succeed every jump for a whole day.” Her fur sparks slightly as she hisses the end of the sentence between her teeth. Afterwards she starts heading towards the kits, before you interrupt her.
“I won't wait until tomorrow. I start tonight,” you say it with a deep sigh. “I should have done better.” You instantly turn around and start heading towards the training area. While making your way to the training area you look back quickly to see what Layla is doing. You can see she is just standing still, her fur still sparking lightly. It appears as if she is struggling to let you disobey her, but at the same time she likely approves of you taking initiative on the matter. You keep on walking even though you want to go and ask what is going on knowing that if she wants, she will catch up with you. That doesn’t happen though. You reach the training grounds and throw yourself into setting up a course that mirrors the mission as closely as you can. You crawl inside a vent, flex your hind legs and pounce out, only to have your rear leg again get caught on the edge as you jump. You let out a frustrated snarl as you stare at your trapped leg. The sharp edge has cut into you again, a thin line of blood trailing down your fur. You refuse to quit. You reset the jump, crawl back into the vent, brace yourself, and launch out – only for the same leg to catch on the edge once more. And again. And again. Each failed attempt sends a fresh surge of anger through you, the sting in your leg growing with every repetition. You keep repeating the situation countless times and not once do you make it out without getting caught and rolling at the dummy. After your last attempt, you try to get up, but your leg can’t take it anymore and just gives out, causing you to crash on the floor in a burst of pain. You cast Moonlight to ease up the bleeding and keep on pushing through. No matter how many times you try, no matter how many times you heal yourself, you cannot successfully make the leap. By the fourth Moonlight, the damage in your ligaments barely improves. Still, you drag yourself back to the vent, refusing to quit, only to be stopped on your tracks by a loud shouting.
“Stop!” Layla shouts as she rushes in, pouncing and pinning you down with ease. “I’m not sure what your dumb Umbreon brain is trying to accomplish here, but right now all you’re doing is breaking a leg, literally!” Layla snarls in frustration and anger. “Get to sleep! We will continue tomorrow.” She gets off of you and starts walking back. You, on the other hand, keep dragging towards the vent. This doesn’t play well with her as she launches towards you sinking her teeth into your scruff and yanking you down as she drags you towards the area where you usually sleep.
“Layla! I can do this! I got to do this!” you protest as she drags you. A loud growl escapes her, but she lets go of you. As soon as she does you start working your way back towards the vent with a limp. About half way through to the vent she lets out a deep sigh.
“Kuro…” Layla pauses for a moment. “What you’re trying to do is not…“ she sighs as she looks away, “...possible. Even I can't do that, the clearance is just not there. I was going to let you learn it the hard way, but knowing you…” she growls angrily before continuing. “Knowing you… you lose a leg before you give up.”
“But you said tomorrow–” “ I know what I said!“ she cuts you off. “I am angry, alright?” She looks away in anger, then her composure crumbles almost instantly. Her voice becomes much quieter, almost a whisper. “Almost lost another… If that guard had just…” The words die in her throat. “Kuro…” Her eyes shine with tears as she looks at you. When she steps closer, her voice cracks, “I can’t…“ She presses her forehead on yours while tears start falling. “Lose you…” Her breathing turns heavy and uneven, yet she refuses to pull away, keeping her head pressed firmly to yours. You curl your tail around her front paw as you sit down while she still keeps pressing against you.
“Layla, you can’t worry about what ifs,” you say as your eyes meet with hers. “I cannot promise I will never fail or that one day a failure will cost my life, but what I can promise…“ You suddenly move your head to the side and sink your teeth in her right shoulder causing her eyes to shoot wide open before she closes them slowly with a relaxed sigh as she realizes your intentions. As you pull away and blood starts gushing out, you give a couple of licks on the wound to ease the bleeding a bit before continuing. “I will do everything in my power to stay by your side. Let this mark remind you of that.“ You barely have a chance to finish your promise until you hear a relaxed chuckle from Layla.
“I guess there is hope for you yet.” Layla glares at the mark you made on her shoulder. “Not bad for the first mark. You better believe I will hold you to that promise.” Suddenly she pins you down, pressing her blood soaked paw against the mark on your chest. “As promised, I will never stop believing in you, even when you don’t. No matter how chaotic things get, we’re tethered as one.” She taps your nose with her ear gently as she gets up. “Now, let's go to sleep. I’ll show you tomorrow how to properly pounce out of vents. And if you disobey me again, I will break that leg of yours myself. Understood?” she scoffs with a smirk.
“Fine, not sure if I could keep going any longer anyways.” You start limping behind her. As you approach the rear of the hideout where kits are sleeping, Pawsy passes by you two.
“Saw you sparkle again earlier, Layla,” he chuckles. “Just letting you know the offer still stands.” He doesn’t wait for a reaction – he just keeps walking. Layla’s fur sparks violently the moment his back turns. She quickly turns toward Pawsy, ready to lunge, but freezes mid‑step, every muscle tight as a growl rumbles out of her. After a moment she forces herself to turn away and continues toward the kits. You’re left staring, completely unsure what just happened.
“What was that about? What offer?” you ask, your voice carrying equal parts curiosity and concern. Layla exhales slowly, a deep, heavy sigh that seems to drain the air around her.
“Kuro, get some sleep. I will tell you in the morning.” She curls her tail around you as you both lay down near the kits. But you can tell the way her fur sparks and the sound of her angry labored breathing that whatever it is, it isn’t anything good.
Tethered in Chaos
Chapter 10 - Shocking offer, grounding rejection
You wake up as thunder roars somewhere in the distance, a low roar that rattles through the dark. Pouring rain can be heard hitting the skylights in a chaotic rhythm while the wind whistles as it passes in alleyways. It is still pitch-black outside when you curl your tail around Layla, pressing your body against hers feeling her warmth. Her breathing is still heavy, uneven. You take a glance at her and to your surprise, notice she is wide awake staring into nothing with burning eyes.
“Layla? Are you still awake? How long was I out?” you question with curiosity. As the lightning strikes, her tired eyes meet with yours.
“Just sleep Kuro, it has only been a few hours,” she growls, trying to hide her frustration. Against her plea, you instead rest your head against the mark on her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. Another lightning strike. You flick your ear at her nose and she sighs deeply.
“Layla, what is…” you start, but immediately get interrupted.
“Fine, Kuro, I should already know there is no escaping your probing concern when something is on my mind,” Layla mutters. “But… I guess I should be grateful. Sharing doesn't come easy for me.” She exhales again, a heavy, uneven breath, just as your paw crosses hers.
“I'm here when you're ready. It's about Pawsy, I assume… and whatever the offer is.” As you analyze the situation, Layla’s fur sparks at the moment you mention the offer.
“I might as well tell you now, there is no sleep happening until I do. Very well then. Now, after I am done I don’t want you to go and protect me, okay? We need TWR on our side.” She looks at you with a demanding expression.
“Umm… okay, I promise, though I have no idea why?” you agree somewhat reluctantly.
“Alright, it was a little over two years ago…” Layla begins…
Layla charges through an arena floor and up a large rock and leaps off just as Pulse’s Dragon Pulse shatters the rock. She lands with precision on a narrow pole before swiftly Quick Attacking at Pulse, pinning him down with force causing a huge cloud of dust in the air. As the dust settles, Pulse’s throat has Layla’s jaws wrapped around it as a mock kill. From the side lines the sound of slow clapping echoes in the arena.
“Another quick one, huh? I shouldn’t expect anything less from you, Layla,” Pawsy says as he approaches Layla. “I’ve never seen Eevee who moves like you. You’re even faster than most electric types and strong enough to pin down even Crush,” he compliments Layla as he helps up the clearly frustrated Pulse, who immediately leaves the scene without a word.
“It’s more of a curse than a blessing, Pawsy, but at least it lets me keep Pulse in check,” Layla shrugs off Pawsy’s compliments. “Though I’m glad I found The Wild Resistance. I’m finally feeling like I am making a difference, I feel like I have a place where I belong.” Layla flicks a pebble from a broken boulder at Pawsy. “Even though I have to put up with your smug compliments, Crush’s simplicity and Pulse’s arrogance,” she snarls with a smug smirk.
“Oh, a curse you say? The only curse is your enemies' fleeting lives once you sink your claws into their throats. TWR is the lucky one to have you here. In fact, after you come back from your mission tonight, why don’t you come and see me. I have something I've been meaning to show you,” Pawsy chuckles as he taps Layla on the shoulder.
“Sure, boss. You can count on it,” Layla responds, though the tone and mannerism in Pawsy makes her feel uneasy.. “Now let me go check with the others if they are ready for the mission,” she says and dashes towards the briefing room.
In the briefing room, Crush, Pulse, Ghost and Shadow are already huddled over the desk with blueprints of the Pokémon auction site. The intel tells the site is holding an auction of shiny Pokémon tomorrow and though the exact number is not known, it is big enough for Giovanni himself to attend. For that exact reason Layla wants to be there. Ever since the evolution camp, she’s wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into the man who ran that cruel place. To tear him apart piece by piece. To make him feel every ounce of what he inflicted. Given the chance, she has decided she’ll risk her own life if it means Giovanni is erased from this world. As Layla jumps the edge of the table she is surprised to see a Pikachu sitting at the edge of the table wearing pilot shades. Layla had noticed a new smell in the room, but no one had told her about a new member.
“Meet Spark, he just got here from Johto region and is going to join us in our mission tonight,” Pulse introduces the new arrival. Spark pulls down his shades glaring at Layla.
“I’ve heard of you. Layla, right? You made quite a name for yourself in the little time you've been with TWR,” Sparks says as he approaches Layla.
“I’m not officially with TWR, just helping out,” Layla snarls, correcting Sparks assumption. “And you should not get any closer either.” She extends her claws, scraping the edge of the table, causing Spark to take a step back.
“Point taken. Anyways, what is the plan?” Spark glares at the others.
“Me, Pulse and Crush enter through loading docks, most of the cages should be still there tonight. You and Layla go through ducts to take down security and Shadow works on locating any cages that are not at the loading docks.” Ghost presents the plan. Everyone nods in agreement as Ghost continues pointing out different entry points and known blind spots.
After the planning, as Layla is about to exit the room, Spark dashes after her causing Layla to rapidly turn around.
“Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance?” Layla hisses between her teeth.
“Whoa! Just wanted to check if you had a preference on how you want to take down the security?” Spark exclaims apologetically.
“I rip their throats, you fry their security system and make sure there will be no alarms. Unless you have a better idea?” Layla grunts, still angry from Spark running after her.
“Sounds like a plan, you lead and I follow,” Spark says and follows Layla out the room.
“And stay at least two meters behind me,” Layla mutters.
It’s pouring rain and completely dark. The whole strike team arrives at the auction site. Crush bends open one of the vents and Layla and Spark climb in. Meanwhile, Shadow climbs up the roof top and disappears quickly towards the front of the building.
“Once the cameras stop moving, we enter,” Ghost whispers to Layla and Spark. Layla taps her ear on the side of the vent twice, signaling she got it. They crawl through the narrow vent, metal groaning softly beneath them, when Layla suddenly freezes. Her ears flick toward a familiar sound leaking through the next vent opening. She crawls forward, peering down through the grille. Giovanni sits alone in an office directly beneath him. Her fur sparks as she lets out a faint growl, her priority shifting from mission to revenge. Right before she reaches the edge of the grille, Spark pulls her tail, snapping her back to reality. For a moment Layla is about to bite Spark’s head off for interrupting her, but she immediately realizes that not only would she most likely get killed or captured if she did, all the Pokémon captured would lose their hope of being rescued. Reluctantly, she turns away and continues towards the monitoring room, though the thought of shredding Giovanni apart keeps nagging her mind.
Layla and Spark finally reach the ceiling entrance to the monitoring room. There is only one guard inside, so Layla quietly moves the grille aside and drops down on the unsuspecting Team Rocket agent, immediately slitting his throat. Nothing but a faint gurgle escapes him as he collapses to the floor. Sparks drops down after her, turns off the cameras, then overloads the system with a Thunder Shock. Two Team Rocket grunts charge into the room as smoke seeps through the sides of the door. Layla leaps forward, sinking her teeth into one grunt's throat, while Spark knocks the other unconscious with a quick Thunder Bolt.
As Layla and Spark rush out of the room, they spot Ghost waving Spark over to help disable the electric alarms on the cages so Crush can tear them open. While the rest of the crew works to free the captives, Layla realizes she isn't needed there. She takes the opportunity to see if she can find Giovanni again.
She climbs back into the vent and makes her way to the office where she saw him earlier, but when she arrives, the lavish leather chair sits empty. From what she can see, the rest of the room is deserted as well. Layla is about to turn around, only to find Spark standing right behind her.
“Layla, what are you doing? I saw the the way you were watching Giovanni earlier and we would all love to see the guy in a puddle of his own blood, but going after him here is a suicide.” Spark whispers while trying to reason with Layla.
“Some sacrifices are worth dying for!” Layla snarls quietly but in anger.
“Layla, don't go throwing your life away…” Spark starts, but Layla swipes at him, knocking him off balance before pouncing. Spark manages to roll aside before Layla lands on him, but he tumbles onto the vent's grille, causing it to shift open slightly.
Spark freezes as he hears the door open and Giovanni steps inside with six Team Rocket grunts.
Layla hesitates for a few seconds, unsure whether to charge in and help him, but then she rushes toward Spark, whipping her tail toward him. Just as her tail swings within reach, the grille finally gives way beneath Spark. He crashes down onto the desk in the middle of the room. For a moment, time seems to stop.
Layla stares down in horror. The Team Rocket members, including Giovanni, stare at Spark for a second before glancing upward. Their eyes settle on the top of Layla's head poking through the vent opening, instantly destroying any element of surprise.
Giovanni lets out a smirk. He quickly pulls out a Poké Ball, sends out his Rhyperior, and rolls behind his chair for cover. Spark strikes the two closest grunts with Thunder Shock just as Rhyperior appears. Giovanni’s Rhyperior immediately charges at Spark with Megahorn, sending him flying into the wall hard enough to leave hairline cracks where he hits. Spark spits out blood as he collapses to the ground, too dazed to dodge the Master Ball Giovanni throws the instant Rhyperior's attack connects.
Layla already knows there is no escape as the ball begins shaking violently on the floor. She has seen the effects of a Master Ball too many times. A Pokémon can break free before the capture begins if the ball is knocked away with enough force, but once the red beam pulls them inside, it's over. There is no hope. As soon as the ball stops shaking, one of the grunts sends a Voltorb into the vent, forcing Layla to back away. It doesn't take her long to realize what's happening, and before the grunt can even command Voltorb to Self-Destruct, she is already scrambling toward the exit.
She barely manages to leap out of the opening before the explosion catches up with her. The blast hurls her several meters away from the vent. As Layla lands, ears ringing, she sees Pulse, Ghost, Shadow, and Crush staring at her in confusion.
“Run! They got Spark. It won't be long before this place will be crawling with…” Layla’s cry is interrupted with dozen Team Rocket agents bursting into the hallway from the far end. Crush grabs one of the containers and hurls it towards the doorway with brute force, crushing one of the agents beneath it and sealing the entrance. Pulse fires a Dragon Pulse. Three agents are sent crashing into the wall while the others scramble for cover. Shadow releases a Smoke Screen, allowing everyone to rush into the darkness and disappear.
Layla stays quiet the entire way back to the hideout. The others try to ask what happened, but she only lets out a weary sigh and tells them she doesn't want to talk about it. When they finally arrive at the hideout, Pawsy comes running over, eager to hear how the operation went.
“How did it go? Did you manage to free everyone? Come on, tell… Why does everyone look so serious? And where is Spark?” Pawsy’s excitement quickly fades, his face turning serious with concern.
“He was captured, according to Layla,” Pulse says in a spiteful tone. “She doesn’t want to share with us either how it went down,” he continues his accusation.
Layla responds with an angry growl at Pulse and starts walking away, but freezes in her tracks at Pawsy’s sudden shout.
“In my office, now!” Pawsy bellows before storming towards his office in the back.
Layla’s ears flatten against her back as she reluctantly follows him. The moment she steps into the office, Pawsy slams the door shut behind her. The impact rattles the walls, sending the framed papers and decorations hanging there trembling.
“Okay, Layla. What happened to Spark?” Pawsy asks in a stern, but calm tone.
“I...” Layla hesitates for a moment. “I saw Giovanni and wanted to take him out”, she continues with a quiet growl. “I could've easily caught him by surprise. I was right above him in a duct, though it probably would've cost me my life. Spark interrupted me, and it made me mad. When I lashed out at him, he fell onto the table below the vent and was captured. There was nothing I could do to stop them.” Layla ends her explanation with a frustrated sigh.
Pawsy crosses his arms, a concerned look settling on his face. After a moment, his posture relaxes slightly.
“Well, he knew the risks and he knew your temper, but I am glad he stopped you from getting yourself killed. You’re far too valuable for our cause.” Pawsy approaches Layla and puts his paw on Layla’s shoulder. “That is what I wanted to talk to you about today.” Pawsy walks to his desk and hops on top of it next to a wooden polished box. “Layla, what would you say to join TWR officially?”
Layla looks frightened, her heart pounding out of her chest.
“Pawsy, I can’t…” Layla curls her tail around herself, her ears dropping as she suddenly feels very nervous. “I can’t make the cut. I know TWR only allows evolved Pokémon, and I told you I’ll never evolve. And I told you when we first met not to push me on the subject.”
She doesn't even want to look up at Pawsy. She waits for a response, but instead hears a wooden box creak open, followed by a sharp clink against the floor. Her ears immediately shoot up. She doesn't need to look to know what made that sound. Taking several steps back, she bares her teeth as sparks crackle through her fur and a growl rumbles in her throat. It was the same sound she had heard when the Thunderstone fell from the machine Team Rocket had used in their attempt to force her to evolve. Her breathing turns heavy and uneven as she finally looks down to confirm her fear. A Thunderstone lies on the floor.
“Come on Layla, you said it yourself many times before, some things are worth any sacrifice. Make that sacrifice for TWR. Show me how fast you can be as Jolt–""What the hell Pawsy!” Layla interrupts Pawsy’s speech with a furious outburst. “How dare you even suggest? I literally just reminded you of my stance on evolution! And after everything I’ve done, you still… “ Layla digs her claws in the ground. “I should kill you where you stand! I just recently started to finally feel like I belong here and this is how you betray my trust!” Layla charges at the Thunderstone sending it flying at the wall shattering it into dozens of pieces. “I’m out of here… You’d better hope our paths will never cross again, because if I ever see you…” Her voice trembles “Well, you don’t want to find out.” She bolts for the door, ripping it clean off the hinges. Tears blur her vision as she rushes past the strike team and out into the pouring rain.
“And there you have it,” Layla says as she looks away, her claw tracing the bracelet you gave her as a symbol that you will never expect her to evolve. That you will always accept her as she is.
You place your paw on the bracelet.
“Layla... this changes everything. I can't force you to stay here after what you've just told me. We'll find another way to bring Team Rocket to their knees. What Pawsy is expecting from you is unforgivable.” You look into her eyes, your expression caught somewhere between anger and concern. “Just say the word, and we'll grab the kits and get out of here.”
“Kuro, there is no way for us to–”
”I don’t care! I’m not going to watch you pretend as if everything is okay,” you interrupt Layla as she tries to reason with you. “We will find a way. And we don’t need to sever our ties with TWR, we just don’t have to do it from here. Layla lets out a sigh of relief.
“Fine, I’ll get the kits ready. Meet us in the hallway,” she says and gets up, nudging the side of your face and then nipping your ear. “Thank you, my Glowbutt. I hope we don’t regret this.”
As you approach the entrance to the hideout, you spot Pawsy standing by the doorway, staring out into the raging storm.
“She told you, huh? Should’ve known she’d eventually do that. And now you want to leave?” Pawsy says before turning to face you. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Were you eavesdropping?” you snarl angrily. “And after I learned how little you think of Layla I want nothing to do with you,” you begin to glow in anger.
“I didn’t have to, I had a feeling she would tell you. Sometimes I feel like I know her better than she knows–””Shut up! You know nothing! And you only want her in TWR because she is stronger than any Eevee you’ve met. You shallow minded sparkplug! If I hadn’t promised Layla, I would…” You stop yourself from finishing the sentence.
“Oh, glowboy, you really think you can take me on? Wow, that’s rich. Layla probably made you promise, because she knew I would kill you if you challenged me. Don’t worry. If you fight me, I won't kill you… because you’re important to Layla. You remember what I said about second chances? There won't be any. So think hard before challenging me” He turns around looking outside in the storm. “So what will it be, glow boy?”
“He accepts!”
Pawsy jumps as he hears Layla’s stern voice. You see her enter the hallway with the kits. “He has no reason to care what you think anymore, and nor do I. Pawsy, you’re dead to me!” Layla roars in anger.
The strike team, the tinkers and Cation and Anion all show up as they all heard your loud discussion.
You look at Layla.
“But I promised I wouldn’t fight him for you,” you say to Layla.
“That was before we were leaving this place. I want you to kick this smug piece of garbage to the curb for me. I would do it myself, but I am afraid I would pound him into a pulp,” Layla hisses between her teeth.
“Very well then.” You walk up to Pawsy with your megapaw and slap him in the side of the face, sending him flying on his rear. “I, Kuroga Fintz, challenges you to a duel, for dishonoring my mate,” you growl and give Layla a smirk.
Everyone in the room including Layla and the kits flinch at your corny chivalry. Pawsy is the only one not flinching. He hops up as soon as you smirk and punches you in the face sending blood flying out of your nose.
“I accept! Meet me at the arena in fifteen minutes.” Pawsy shakes his hand a few times as the impact force of his punch was much more than he anticipated. He looks stunned by how tough you have become from all the training. Yet, Pawsy doesn’t spend long recovering from the feeling as if he just punched a wall, but turns around and starts heading towards the arena.
As you’re heading towards the arena, Ghost approaches you with a concerned look on his face.
“Kuro, whatever has happened, let's talk about it. This is madness, we’re all on the same side. What could Pawsy possibly have said to cause this?” Ghost, tries to reason with you.
“Do you know Layla’s stance on her evolution?” you ask, eyes slitted and determined. Without waiting for an answer, you continue walking towards the arena.
“Of course, everyone knows she doesn’t want to evolve. Everyone is cool with that. She is the toughest Eevee anyone here has ever met by far,” Ghost says with furrowing brows, clearly confused by your question.
“Clearly everyone is not cool with it,” you huff in anger and you increase your pace.
“Wait?! Pawsy wants Layla to evolve? Why would he…” Ghost pauses and sighs as he clearly realizes why “... oh, I see he wants Layla to join TWR? Let me talk to him, please, maybe we can make an exception for her,” Ghost pleads.
“Go for it, I don’t think it makes a difference, and I doubt Layla would want to join, but go ahead. Talk to him,” you snarl angrily. By the time you reach the edge of the arena, Pawsy is already waiting. Before either of you can say a word, Ghost jumps in front of Pawsy.
“Pawsy! Kuro tells me you’re trying to push Layla to evolve, is that true?” Ghost confronts Pawsy.
“TWR rules say only non-base Pokémon can join, unless they have no evolutions,” Pawsy states.
“We can’t make an exception in her case?” Ghost crosses his arms in frustration.
“Why would we? It shows commitment to the cause.” Pawsy pushes past Ghost. “Are you going to just stand there, Kuro? Or are we going to do this?” he taunts you.
Ghost merely shakes his head, saying nothing. Then he hops down from the arena and walks away as you step onto it.
“You’re making a big mistake, Pawsy, you should respect Layla’s wishes to remain the way she is.” As soon as Ghost finishes saying that, he notices Layla looking at him in a way he has never seen her before.
“Thanks Ghost, you have always been a stand up Pokémon. You will make a fine leader one day,“ Layla compliments Ghost for sticking up for her.
“Don't mention it. What Pawsy is doing is just wrong, but he’s still the leader, so I just have to let it run its course,” Ghost mutters. He walks to the edge of the arena to join others.
“Kuro bro, picking a worthy opponent in the first arena battle! This will be a good match!” Crush cheers from the side lines before Pulse whacks him in the back of the head.
“Shut up! Pawsy will wipe floors with this fool,” Pulse growls at Crush who is rubbing the back of his head.
“Okay, Pawsy, let's do this,” you snarl angrily.
“I see you brought your gloves, too afraid to fight without them?” Pawsy calls you out.
“I don't need them.”
You toss the gloves aside, the metallic clang echoing through the arena as they skid across the dirt and come to rest near the outer wall. As you walk toward the starting line, the anger that felt so clear a few minutes ago begins to mix with uncertainty. Challenging Pawsy had seemed like the obvious thing to do after hearing what he had done to Layla, but now that there is no turning back, doubt creeps into your mind. You have trained harder than ever these past weeks, learned new moves and discovered strengths you never knew you possessed, yet none of that changes the fact that Pawsy is the one who built this place and earned the respect of everyone living here.
Was this actually a good idea?
Your stomach tightens as you remember every mistake you made during training, every spar where things didn't go according to plan, and every moment where your new abilities felt unreliable. You still doubt yourself. You know you are not as good as Layla hopes. You know you've improved, but you have no way of knowing whether you've improved enough. For a brief moment you wonder if you allowed your emotions to get the better of you. Pawsy must be a seasoned fighter. Why else would he be the boss? You’ve never actually seen him fight before.
Your eyes find Layla among the crowd.
The memory of her trembling voice and the hurt she tried so desperately to hide burns away the uncertainty before it can take hold. This fight was never about proving yourself or showing off how much stronger you've become. It is about standing up for her when someone she trusted betrayed her.
Your claws sink into the dirt as you lower yourself into a fighting stance.
Across the arena, Pawsy says nothing.
He simply stares back with that same infuriatingly calm expression he wore in the hallway, looking more annoyed than concerned as if this entire duel is merely an inconvenience. There is no tension in his posture, no sign that he views you as a threat. If anything, he seems irritated that everyone is treating this like a real fight.
Without warning, he bursts forward with Agility.
You immediately spring backward and use Copycat to make you more agile as well. Even with the boost, however, Pawsy remains frighteningly fast compared to you. He bounds into the air before firing Spark directly at you, electricity surging across your body upon impact and throwing you off balance. You force yourself to recover and unleash a powerful Screech.
The sound tears through the arena, causing Pawsy to visibly flinch as the move weakens him. The effect is noticeable, but the irritated look on his face suggests he is far more offended by your determination than anything else. He retaliates with Low Sweep, knocking your front legs out from underneath you with brutal precision. You’re getting first hand experience of your weakness on fighting moves as you begin to lose your balance.
Pain shoots through your limbs as your claws carve through the dirt. Blood begins running down your forelegs and you are about to slam face first into the arena floor. Somehow, you catch yourself. Barely.
Your legs tremble violently as you struggle to stay upright, panic beginning to creep in around the edges of your thoughts. You try to remember everything you practiced. Every lesson. Every failure. Every improvement. You refuse to believe weeks of effort amount to nothing. You refuse to lose, for Layla.
The image of her clutching the bracelet flashes through your mind and reignites your determination. Before Pawsy can capitalize on your weakened state, you launch yourself forward and clamp your jaws around the same leg he used to sweep you. Your teeth sink deep enough to tear flesh and draw blood, forcing him to jump backward with a growl of pain.
For the first time since the battle began, Pawsy seemingly hesitates. The fact that you managed to wound Pawsy must have made him realize he is not untouchable.
His eyes narrow as he stares at the blood running down his leg, and for a brief moment genuine concern shows on his face. The realization you can actually fight back seems to irritate him more than the injury itself, but the hesitation vanishes almost immediately as his expression hardens.
Electricity crackles across his fur. Thunder Wave crashes into you.
Your entire body spasms violently, making every movement feel slow and unnatural. Your muscles refuse to cooperate, your breathing grows heavier and exhaustion begins setting in almost immediately. Realizing you cannot continue fighting in this condition, you use Moonlight and silver light washes over your injuries and restores most of your lost strength.
Pawsy simply watches.
The longer he stands there observing you recover, the more obvious his arrogance becomes. He doesn't try to stop the healing because it appears he genuinely doesn't think he needs to. Even after landing a hit on him, even after forcing him to acknowledge you for a brief moment, he still sees this fight as entirely under his control.
As soon as the healing fades, Pawsy rushes forward and crashes into you with Slam and the impact sends you flying backward across the arena. You tumble several times before finally crashing near its edge, pain radiating through your entire body as you struggle to rise. The paralysis from the Thunder Wave still clings to you.
Pawsy approaches at an almost casual pace and the smirk on his face only grows wider when he sees your condition up close. He draws back his fist and unleashes Focus Punch.
The Super Effective attack slams into you like a train, launching you into one of the arena pillars causing it to crack from the impact. Blood sprays from your mouth as you collapse at its base, the world spinning around you while every muscle in your body screams in protest. Through your blurred vision, you notice something lying nearby.
Your Powerpaw accessories.
Relief washes over you for only a moment before Pawsy notices where you're looking. His grin widens instantly. The expression on his face makes it painfully obvious that he has no intention of simply finishing the fight. He wants to humiliate you first.
A bolt of Thunder Shock erupts from his body and crashes into the accessories, completely frying all electronics in them. Across the arena, Layla suddenly takes several steps forward.
"Kuro, forget the duel!" she shouts, her voice shaking. "Just stay down!"
You barely hear her. Your eyes remain locked on the smoking remains of the devices while Ghost moves beside her, looking equally concerned. Crush rubs the back of his head. Layla's fur is crackling wildly, arcs of electricity dancing across her coat as she fights the urge to charge into the arena herself.
Pawsy notices.
And laughs.
"Looks like even your mate knows you've had enough," Pawsy whispers at you in a barely audible voice. “But I am only getting started.” as he grins at you wickedly.
Something inside you finally snaps.
You let out Screech and throw yourself forward, sliding across the arena floor toward the ruined accessories. Layla shouts your name again, louder this time, but her voice barely reaches you through the roaring rage filling your head.
Pawsy sees you coming and simply smirks. He doesn't retreat, doesn't dodge, and doesn't show even the slightest concern as he steps forward with another Focus Punch already forming, fully convinced that this final attack will end the duel. The confidence he carried into the arena has long since become arrogance. Even after you injured him, even after you forced him to acknowledge you, he never truly accepted the possibility that you could beat him – he had already decided he won.
You snatch the ruined accessories into your paw just as Layla screams your name one last time, panic and desperation clear in her voice.
Then you strike.
You shut your eyes and throw everything into Sucker Punch.
The collision comes a fraction of a second before Pawsy's Focus Punch lands, and for a brief moment everything seems strangely still. A warm and wet sensation seeps through your powerpaws as metallic aroma fills the air. Confused, you slowly open your eyes.
Your heart stops.
Your paw is buried deep inside Pawsy's head.
For several agonizing seconds your mind refuses to process what you're seeing. Panic crashes into you, your entire body trembling in horror. Pawsy remains standing for only a moment before his body crashes onto the arena floor.
The rage vanishes instantly, replaced by a cold terror that grips every part of you. This wasn't supposed to happen. You only wanted to beat him. You only wanted to stand up for Layla and prove that he was wrong.
Not this.
Your gaze slowly rises toward the crowd, finding Layla among the stunned faces staring back at you. Nobody seems to know what to say. Nobody seems to know what to do.
Neither do you.
As the reality of what just happened begins to sink in, and for the first time since the duel began, you're far more afraid of what comes next than you ever were of Pawsy.
Tethered in chaos
Chapter 11 - Victory demands sacrifice
You stare at Pawsy's lifeless body in shock. You don't even know how to process what just happened. All you remember is Pawsy shocking your gloves, and then your fist plunging into his head with the gloves still attached. You understand that instinct must have taken over, but you never meant for any of this to happen.
Panic sets in.
You toss the blood-covered Powerpaw accessories aside before taking a few steps back. You're afraid to look over at the others, but you know there's no undoing this. You just have to accept whatever consequences come with it.
When you finally build up enough courage, you slowly turn toward the side of the arena, not knowing what you'll see.
Your eyes widen as you see a glowing ball of light growing at the side of the arena. You immediately prepare to dash as you realize it’s Pulse charging an Aura Sphere. Right before he sends it flying, Ghost pushes Pulse’s arms up, sending the massive orb in the ceiling and creating a hole in it.
“Stop!” Ghost shouts at a clearly angry Pulse. “You saw it yourself! If he hadn’t killed Pawsy, then Pawsy would have killed him. Or are you too stupid to realize what is going on, Pulse?” He then hops to the arena grabbing the gloves you had tossed aside and throws them back to you. “You keep them. Maybe one day the components can be fixed.” He says before letting a deep sigh as he walks to Pawsy’s lifeless body.
“I am sorry… I didn’t–”
”You did what you had to…” Ghost grunts, lifting up Pawsy’s body as he cuts your apology short. “A second later and it would be Layla and your kits doing the mourning. And knowing Layla, Pawsy would still be dead as would anyone trying to get in her way. The fact that she didn’t come to your aid speaks volumes about what she thinks of you.”
Ghost starts walking towards the rest of the strike team while carrying Pawsy’s body in his arms. Layla dashes past him to come check on you, but an unexpected snarl from Ghost stops on her tracks just as Ghost passes her.
“Layla, you know what this means, right? Out of respect and because he had no other choice I will allow you to gather your belongings and leave. But as the new leader of this branch of TWR, I will have to see what the council says about this. Until then, you will not be welcome in any TWR location or to stay in Lumiose City for that matter. We will notify you of the final verdict in Camphrier Town. The Pokémon center should have the message by the time you reach there.” Ghost looks at Layla, who just nods, then takes a couple of steps before quietly whispering to Ghost.
“Thank you, Ghost. Leading wise already, the others I wouldn’t hesitate to kill, but I was already preparing myself to kill you too if you tried to hold us.” Layla dashes over to help you up and escort you back to the kits. As you limp across the arena, you draw on Moonlight to recover some of your strength, but the raging storm outside weakens its healing power, leaving the recovery frustratingly limited.
“I’m sorry for Pawsy,” you start faintly. “I didn’t mean to kill him,“ you finish with a sigh.
“What is done is done, and you heard it yourself. He would have died anyway, as would have all of them and…” She stops short of finishing her sentence, but you get the point she is trying to make. The realization hangs heavy in the air: she had come terrifyingly close to losing you again. She watches as your head drops. “So never apologize for choosing life, because if you'd died, I would've burned this place to the ground. Maybe even the city,” she growls, her voice trembling with barely restrained anger.
“Wait for me by the door. I’m going to grab something, and then we will vanish into the night”. She turns and dashes towards the Tinker’s workshop.
You sit down with your back against the wall as Layla dashes away. Tears begin to roll down your cheeks, warm tracks cutting through your fur as your mind keeps circling back to what you have done. Your breathing grows heavy and your chest tightens as remorse sinks its claws deeper into you.
You know the others are right. You had no choice. It was either you or him. But what if you had simply backed down? What if you had refused to fight at all? You didn't have to fight.
So why has violence become something you keep turning to?
The thought lingers like a shadow over your mind, refusing to let go. As you wrestle with it, Pulse walks past you, deliberately bumping into you on his way by.
“Cut the act, murderer!” Pulse snarls at you. As you don’t respond, he pushes you, sending you falling to the ground against the wall. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”
“Cut it out, Pulse! If I could change it, I would…” you growl as you push yourself up, avoiding eye contact.
“Not good enough!” Pulse shouts as he aims a Blaze Kick at your head. You hear the fire roaring towards you as the kick approaches, but it never lands as five Water Shurikens extinguish the flame and knock Pulse off balance. He quickly regains his stature and punches the ground cracking the floor as he gets up and looks down the hallway with squinting angry eyes.
“Stay out of this, Shadow!” Pulse snarls as he begins charging an Aura Sphere, rage burning in his eyes. Instantly, a firm grip grabs onto his arm and lifts him up off the ground. A pair of massive muscular arms wrap tightly around him from behind, locking him in place.
“Come on, bro. You know he didn’t mean to kill the Boss,” Crush grunts with a deep yet calm voice. You hear a voice you don’t recognize. A faint yet stern female voice which causes everyone to gaze down the hall. You haven’t heard this voice before.
“Pulse, enough is enough. What you’re doing won't change anything. You can beat Kuro into a pulp and it wont bring Pawsy back. I know he was your mentor, showing everything you know about fighting. But you must know Kuro had no choice.” Shadow gently places her hand on Crush’s arm signaling for him to let Pulse go. Once Crush releases him, Pulse sinks to his knees, his anger giving way to grief. Shadow sets her hand on Pulse’s shoulder. “We are still your family. Let's not ruin that too, okay?” Her voice remains steady, but a few tears break free and fall onto the ground.
“I know Kuro had no choice!” Pulse punches the floor again, causing shatters on the flooring and rumble that echoes down the hallway. “But Pawsy was like a father to me. Before he found me, I had no one. The tiny Riolu I was would have no chance of survival. He brought me in, trained me, gave me purpose – made me who I am.”
Pulse glances at you with anger in his eyes, but as he looks at you, something changes. He sees the guilt weighing on you, sees how every thought seems to drag you deeper in guilt. He slowly rises to his feet and walks over before kneeling beside you. A gentle hand settles on your shoulder. “Kuro… I know you had no choice, and like anyone would have, you chose life. Maybe one day, I may even forgive you. But for now–”
“Pulse, it’s okay. You have every right to hate me. I’m not asking for your forgiveness as what I did was… unforgivable, I’m not sure if I can even forgive myself.” You rest your ears on Pulse’s hand on your shoulder. From a distance, you hear Layla’s voice.
“Pulse, get away from him!” Layla growls as she charges towards Pulse. You immediately place yourself between her and Pulse.
“Layla, stop! He is not about to hurt me. And even if he did… he would have every right to,” you say as you press your forehead against a confused Layla’s forehead.
“I will not hurt him, Layla. Maybe that is what I came down here to do, but Crush and Shadow are right. Beating Kuro won’t bring Pawsy back. And as bitter as I am for all the losses, I don’t want to take a mate or the father of your kits away from you, Layla.” Pulse gets up and is about to start walking away, but you charge in front of him.
“Pulse, I don’t expect you to forgive me,” you say quietly. “But if, somewhere down the line, there's ever anything I can do for you, you only need to ask.” You bow your head down in front of Pulse.
“It’s fine, Kuro,” Pulse says as he walks past you, but after a few steps he turns around. “Actually. There is one thing,” he says with a smug grin.
“Anything. Just name it.” You barely have a chance to say it, before Pulse says his request.
“Take care of your family. Be there for them. I didn’t have one growing up, and it was eating me up inside for a long time. Even after Pawsy found me. Your kits need a father and Layla…” Pulse looks at Layla. “She has suffered enough, and I wouldn’t want to see what will happen if she ever loses you too.” He turns around and walks down the corridor as you and the other watch him walk away. Suddenly you feel a familiar pat on your head.
“Well, bro, I guess this is a goodbye. Depending on what the council decides, next time, if we meet, we might be friends or enemies.” Crush grabs hold of you, almost too tight for you to breathe. “But today we’re still bros, I will miss you.” He sets you next to Layla and the kits. “Can I say bye to the kits, Layla?” Crush asks with a faint smile.
“You keep your oversized hands away from our kits Crush.” Layla snarls while exposing her teeth a bit.
“Layla come on…” You nudge gently the side of her face.
“Fine… but only because Glowbutt here will never let it go if I don’t, and I really want to get going,” Layla grunts as she rolls her eyes at you.
As soon as Crush crouches down, the kits rush over to him and climb onto his lap. Even Lumi seems less timid than usual, making it clear this isn’t the first or even second time Crush has interacted with the kits. Layla realizes that too. A low growl rumbles in her throat as her eyes narrow, but before she can say anything, Shadow interrupts her.
“Well, sis, I guess this is a goodbye. Too bad, I always liked you,” Shadow chuckles with a smile.
“Wait what? You are able to talk?” Layla looks at Shadow with confusion, completely forgetting Crush and the kits.
“Oh please. Just used to keeping quiet with this crowd. Ghost is the only one I have talked to before today. But that is besides the point. I hope our paths cross sometime in the future.” She extends a fist which Layla responds by pressing her forehead on it.
“We will see. If the council deems us as enemies, I hope I will never see again. Because even if you are sneaky, I will not hesitate if it comes to that,” Layla growls with a smug expression as she pulls away from Shadow’s fist.
“Point taken.” Without warning, Shadow leans in and whispers in Layla’s ear, but you can still hear what she is saying. ”You don’t have to worry about me, I will never go after you. You’ve endured enough. Team Rocket trying to force you to evolve and then Pawsy trying to do the same.” Layla’s eyes widen as Shadow reveals she knows about her past, realizing Shadow must have been eavesdropping when she told that stuff to you. “I’m sneakier than you think, but your secret is safe with me, and I am sorry for it all.”
Shadow flips backwards a couple of times and leaps into the shadows leaving Layla puzzled. By that point Crush finished saying his goodbyes and is heading out too, but not without patting your head one last time.
“Bye all! I will miss you too, Layla. Even though you always want to do me harm.” Crush says as he rubs the back of his muscular neck.
After the strike team disappears, Layla drops the camo raincoats for all of you which she fetched from the tinkers and secures the earblade accessories in her pouch.
“Sorry it took longer than I thought, I had to thank Pearl for watching the kits all this time. Though it looks like you wouldn’t have minded even if I took longer. Now, follow me”
The six of you dash into the darkness. It is past sunrise, but the dark stormy sky obscures it well. As you reach the city walls, you look back one more time. You are about to leave everything you worked for almost a year behind you.
Layla notices you lagging behind, glances back over her shoulder, and nudges you forward. The gesture is all the encouragement you need to break into a run alongside her. You keep running along Route Five for nearly ten minutes before the group finally stops to rest.
Layla tells you to stay with the kits while she dashes into the nearby forest to find something to eat. As soon as she's gone, you pull the kits close, gathering them around you in an attempt to keep them warm. Their fur is damp from the rain, and the cold northern wind cuts through the air, making their small bodies shiver against you.
In twenty minutes Layla returns dragging a sizable Bunnelby carcass as well as a satchel on her back, full of Wiki Berries and Aguav Berries. Layla can tell you’re about to protest to eat the Bunnelby.
“You will eat it, or I will force it down your throat,” she growls in anger. “This is what survival looks like and you need the nutrition if we want to survive. So better learn quickly.” She rips big chunks of the carcass and tosses them to you. You stare at the pile for a moment, but you know she is right. You start ripping pieces of flesh off the bones, the warmth of the fresh kill enhances the rich gamey flavor. You have been eating raw meat for a while now, so that doesn’t bother you, but knowing just a few moments ago this creature was minding its own business in the woods causes you to hesitate slightly. You keep on eating as in the wild you never know where the next meal comes from.
The kits are consuming the berries; Hope and Elem both eat either one of the berries, but Lumi happily chows down only Aguav Berries, and Miracle ravishes as many Wiki Berries as she can stuff in her small mouth. Layla watches the kits as they make quick work of what she gathered from the forest, realizing that if she is the only one doing the gathering and hunting it will take forever to travel Camphrier town. She takes a look at you as you work on the fresh kill little by little as this is the first time you’re trying to eat a wild caught kill. Layla rolls her eyes at you as you nip small pieces of the bone.
“You’re worse than a newborn kit. And they barely have teeth. This is how you do it.” She puts her paws around her portion, holds the bone down firmly, buries her face deep and rips a huge chunk off the bone. “That is how you work quickly through your kill.”
Immediately after finishing her sentence, she looks away for a moment before speaking again. “And that's not all...” Layla's ears flick uneasily. “I think we need to find a place to rest. Somewhere we can stay for a while. If we're going to survive out in the wilds, we need to make sure you can help provide as well.” Your head snaps up at her words. The half-chewed mouthful you're working on drops from your mouth as you stare at her, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in disbelief.
“Layla, I don’t know how to–””You better learn quickly!” she growls at you angrily, cutting your protest short. She lets out a frustrated sigh as she calms down. “Kuro, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need your help, but even I cannot provide for all of us and keep us moving. Together we can take down bigger prey and pretty soon the kits can help with the hunt too.”
She walks and presses her forehead against yours. “Kuro, we’re in this together. You showed me how to survive in the city. Let me guide you on how to survive in the wild. With your battle training it shouldn’t be too hard.” She looks you in the eyes. It is very apparent she wouldn’t ask if there would be any other way and the fact she calmed herself down and is asking nicely makes your heart melt.
“Okay Layla, I will try– “”There is no try!” Layla says with a serious face, before cracking up a smile as it is exactly what Azir used to say to her.
Right after the smile she whacks you on the nose with her ear to snap you back to the subject at hand. “We will do this, we will make a hunter of you yet. The biggest difference in hunting versus battle is that you only kill what you will eat, and only hunt what you can kill.” She nudges against your cheek, her fluffy neck fur tickling your nose, making it hard not to sneeze.
“Fine…” you reply followed by a loud sneeze as the ticklish fur on your nose finally claims victory. “I guess we have all the time in the world to take on Team Rocket, and now that it's just us, I guess survival is pretty important.” You barely have time to finish your sentence before Layla pins you in the puddle of mud.
“Could you be any more irresolute about this? This is happening and if you’re not fully on it, you might as well walk back to Lumiose city without us.” As you don’t immediately respond she snarls loudly. “Don’t you even consider that option as I will drag you and bury you neck deep into the ground.”
She takes a deep breath as she takes her paws off of you. “Seriously, Kuro, I need you on this. I will starve before letting any of you go hungry.” She looks away curling her muddy tail around herself and the kits who just finished eating their berries.
“Should have led with that, Layla. Of course I want to help where I can,” you say as you walk next to her. “And I thought I made it clear long ago. I will not abandon you. I know you have a hard time trusting others when times get tough, but I am not like the others. I will not abandon you, Layla.”
“You think that I don’t know that? Yet when this happens the old scars open up.” Layla looks down as she says it, you can tell there is again something she has not told you before.
“Layla, I know that look. What are you not telling me? I’m here for you.” You nudge the size of her fluffy cheek.
“I know, Kuro, I know. This is something I am not sure I can even share with you. Especially with the kits around. Can we just concentrate on survival now?”
The kits look up at her the moment she mentions them. “Oh, come on. You all have your father’s questioning eyes. Absolutely not.” Layla immediately pounces toward the edge of the forest, putting distance between herself and the rest of you. She glances back over her shoulder with a dramatic huff. “Better follow me, or I’m going to be the one running away. The last thing I need right now is an intervention from you guys.” Without waiting for a response, she starts off into the woods, her tail flicking with poorly concealed embarrassment. You shake your head and glance at the kits, who are all staring you in obvious confusion
“It is not you, guys. Your mother is one confusing Eevee. Now who wants to ride daddy express?” You crouch down, letting the kits pounce onto your back in excitement as you take off after Layla, even though you know she'd never leave any of you behind.
You and Layla don't say a word as you walk through the woods. After about an hour, you reach the side of a small hill with an opening carved into it. She stops and sets down her satchel. You do the same, crouching to let the kits hop off your back.
“Why do we stop?” You ask in confusion.
“This is where we stay for now. It is not much, but I stayed here for a few months before I met TWR.” As Layla tells you she's been here before, you glance around the area. A small burrow sits in the hillside, slightly elevated above the surrounding ground, and you figure that's where Layla must have slept. It's far too small to shelter the whole family, though. Your gaze drifts across the clearing, searching for anything that could be used to build a proper shelter or help with survival.
You spot a small creek with a sandy bottom. Pulling a small container from one of your pouches, you hurry over and fill it with sand. Layla watches you with a confused look as you make several trips back and forth between the creek and the place she wants to stay, gradually creating a small patch of sand near the campsite.
Once that's done, you gather some dry grass from the burrow in the hillside. Pulling out your Powerpaws, you extend the claws and rapidly scrape them against a nearby rock. Sparks shower onto the dry grass. Within moments, a thin trail of smoke begins to rise. You carefully add more dry grass and gently blow on the smoldering bundle. The smoke thickens, then a small flame flickers to life.
Layla simply shakes her head.
“Only you and your human brain would think of starting a fire first to make a home. But I guess fire has been what gave humans an advantage all the years and I do enjoy the campfire.” As soon as she mentions campfire a grim look can be seen in her face for only a split second before shaking it off.
“Where have you ever been around a campfire?” you question her in confusion. Layla seems frustrated when you catch her mentioning the campfire.
“Stupid detective Glowbutt,” she snarls quietly. “Fine! You are not the first human I spent time with. I actually was very close with one very long ago.” Her claws dig in the dirt as she says it.
“You spent time with a human? Willingly?” You look at her in shock.
“We were a team. I did tell you I haven’t spoken to a human in six years before we met. Before you, he was the last human I spoke to.” She avoids your gaze, speaking in a low voice and making sure the kits playing nearby don't catch wind of what she's saying.
“A team? You don’t mean–””Yes, he was a Pokémon trainer. And I…” She reaches into a small pocket in her pouch and pulls something out, tossing it toward you. As it lands in front of you, your eye widens. Buried in the sand lies a fragment of a Poké Ball. You stare at it, at a loss for words. After a while, you finally mutter, “He caught you? How?” You look up at her, your eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
“Oh, please! You think I can be caught? No you stupid. I followed him willingly. The only time I went inside the ball was for him to take me to the Pokémon center for healing and as you know, it wasn’t very often.” She shrugs your concerns off.
“But what made you leave?” As soon as you say it her composure completely changes.
“Who said I left? That trainer is dead. And…” she stops short of what she was about to say, “...nevermind.”
“You know I will want to hear this story, right?” you say as you keep on working on your fire with little twigs and sticks. It is hard as everything is wet, but so far things are going well.
“I know Glowbutt. And I know you will keep bugging me until I give in. As infuriating as it is, it is also one of the reasons I want to be with you. You actually want to know me and everything about my past.” Layla watches you work on the fire. “But this is something I am not sure I want even you to know.”
“Well, when you figure it out. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere and we have time, so you don’t have to tell me today,” you say as you finally get the tiny kindle turned into a small fire. You add a few pieces of dry sticks you managed to gather to get the campfire in proper form. “Now, all of you, come get warm and dry. I’ll grab some more berries.”
You fill the bowl you used to carry sand earlier with berries and bring it back to your family. While they happily snack on them, you gather damp firewood from around the clearing and stack it near the fire, hoping the heat will dry it enough to keep a larger fire going later. With that done, you turn your attention to the campsite, doing what you can to make it a little more comfortable while you continue honing your hunting skills..
You use the sand and the charcoal from the campfire to set up a makeshift water purifier, though Layla tells you it was a waste of time as you could have just drank from the river like normal Pokémon, yet she still drinks the water from the purifier.
You help Layla enlarge the little burrow, lining it with moss to make it softer and more comfortable. As night approaches, you spot two Rattata. Working together, you each manage to catch one. Layla points out that your timing was a little off and that your pounce was sloppy, but since you caught one anyway, she seems more relieved than anything. At least now she doesn't have to share hers.
As night falls, you lie beside the campfire, exhausted from a long day of work. Your jaws ache from the constant strain. Aside from starting the fire, they're the only way you have to carry or move anything. With hands, you could have finished everything in about an hour.
Lost in thought, you stare into the dancing flames. The crackling fire and the chirping of distant nocturnal Pokémon are enough to drown out the rest of the world for a moment.
Layla walks over and pauses beside you. Judging by the look on her face, she can tell you're deep in thought.
“Okay, Kuro. Lay it on me. What are you thinking now?” She then crosses her paw over yours as she leans into you.
“It’s nothing really. Just thinking how hard doing this stuff is without hands,” you mutter, while looking at the flame.
“You didn’t have to do any of it. Though the fire is a nice touch and the kits do appreciate the moss bed I am sure. But we’re here for you to learn how to hunt. This isn't a long term solution, maybe a week or two. Then we will carry on.” She rests her head on your paws.
“I really like the fire though.” Her eyes glimmering as she looks into the flame. “The chaotic nature of it, how warm it is, but also how, if given a chance, it will engulf everything on its path.”
“Fire is a good servant, but a bad master,” you add to her observation.
“Fire has no master. Sure you might think you have it under control. But eventually it will always be free,” Layla shrugs off your idiom. You look at the fire for a moment in silence.
“So… You and your trainer used to sit like this often?” you question cautiously.
“Yeah. Every night. He wasn’t big on staying in towns. He much preferred the outdoors.” Layla answers quietly. “He wasn’t big on talking either, but always liked telling stories by the campfire. Some were more ridiculous than the others. But every evening he had a story.” She then looks at you. “Kuro, do you know any campfire stories?” she asks with an almost yondering look.
“Me? I am not much of a story teller. But one of my favorite memories with my family was while camping. The magical moments around the campfire before it was time to crawl in the tent and call it the night. Cooking the freshly caught fish over the campfire as my parents…” You go silent. “Those were the good times…” You flick a piece of fire wood in the flames almost angrily. Layla looks as your composure changes, she can hear your heart rate increase when you mention your parents.
“You lost your parents too, didn’t you?” She gets up and leans into you. “I know you don’t have to tell me, but just like you, I’m here for you.”
“Yeah… They were both scientists. Both working on some research, they only just told me what it was. And then fire happened and… I’m not sure if I can do this right now…” you cut your story short as a seldom tear falls down your cheek. “I haven’t thought about them much. But I do miss them. I wonder what they would think of me,” you sigh deeply as you will never know.
“Probably would call you an idiot. After all, who would turn into an Umbreon for love.” Layla nudges against your side playfully.
“Actually, I like to think they would support this. Not everyone has such cute grandkits,” you respond with a faint smile and a sniffle.
“So you’re saying your whole family is crazy then?” Layla teases you.
“Not crazy, they always told me to give everyone a benefit of doubt. There is always a different side to every story to consider. I think that is why I got along with you as well as I did in the beginning.” You toss another piece of firewood in the pit, “You wanted space so I gave it to you. Thought you had your reason and by now I know your reasons.” As soon as you finish saying that Layla pulls away from you.
“You actually don’t. What you know is not the reason why I don’t trust humans. Of that you have my trainer to thank for.” Layla sounds frustrated, but not angry when she says it.
“What could he possibly have done to have you lose your trust in people? Did he try to make you evolve?” you ask as you approach her.
“None of your business, Kuro. And no, he didn’t expect me to evolve. Quite the opposite actually.” Layla turns away from you as she curls her tail around herself. “Let's not talk about this anymore tonight, okay? I don’t want to get angry at you. None of it is your fault, but I am also just not…” She turns away growling in frustration. “Or I don’t know… I do feel like you have the right to know and eventually I will tell it to you anyways, so why am I so keen on not… Damn you, Glowbutt.”
“What did I do?” you ask confused as you take a few steps back.
“Nothing, and that is the problem. You offer to listen, without pressuring. But you also don’t let go. It’s both infuriating, but also very comforting and I have never felt like this. I never had anyone with whom I can share everything, regardless of what. With no judgement, no pressure and with no expectations.” Layla’s ears flatten against her skull as she says it and her tail flails restlessly in place while her claws dig into the ground.
“I can let go if you want Layla, some things are okay not to be spoken about. And if sometime down the line you want to–””You idiot.“ Layla cuts you off. ”I want you to know, but I am scared, okay? Scared what you would think of me if you knew…”
She frustratingly slashes sand into the fire causing sparks to fly up in the air. “If you knew the monster inside me…” Her head drops as she gets up and starts dragging her feet towards the cave as she finishes her sentence. You just walk next to her without touching her.
“Doubt it is worse than killing hundred college kids and forty innocent Pokémon in a missile strike,” you try to comfort her.
“Oh, but it is... far worse... Just hold me tonight, Kuro. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have enough courage to tell you, and at least I’ll have one more night with you not hating me.”
She sounds completely devastated. As you wrap your tail around her, she collapses onto the moss in the makeshift den. You lean into her and wrap your paws around her body. She lies there shivering, not from the cold, but from the fear of what you might think of her. As you tighten your embrace, you can’t help but wonder what could have happened in her past to make her believe that, if you knew the truth, you would see her as nothing more than a monster.
Tethered in chaos
Chapter 12 - Haunting revelation
You slowly open your eyes as a cold night breeze drifts into the cave, carrying the scent of morning dew and ash mixing with the stagnant air of the burrow. It’s still dark outside, but Layla’s flickering shadow moves across the cliffside walls, cast by the campfire’s faint glow. She must have woken up during the night and needed a moment to herself. You think about going back to sleep, but instead you pull some moss over the kits to keep them warm before quietly heading toward Layla.
“Can’t sleep?” you ask, sitting next to her.
“No, Kuro, I actually haven’t slept at all so far,” she confesses with a heavy sigh. “I can’t put my mind at ease about my past. I know that eventually I will give in and tell you, but it frightens me – what you may think of me.” She’s trembling, her breath uneven. Her gaze stays fixed on flame, its reflection flickering in her eyes. You rest your claws gently on her shoulder, tracing the scars left by your fangs, a quiet reminder of the promise you made to keep surviving for her.
“I am here for you, no matter what. What happened in the past is part of you, but that doesn't define who you are now. I wouldn't have given you this scar if I were the kind to be driven away by your past.” You wrap your tail around her, possessive yet gentle, and nip her ear—just enough to draw a faint smile from her.
“Thanks, Kuro, and I know, but I wish I could put my mind at ease about it,” she mutters, her voice barely above the crackle of the fire.
“Truth will set you free.” You lean into her gently, your warmth giving her comfort.
“Easy for you to say, you have nothing to lose,” she snarls in frustration. You lean forward and look at her with your head slightly tilted.
“Are you serious? If you think I’d run away, you’re wrong, I have just as much to lose as you do. But I’m serious, I will not abandon you because of your past. And I meant it what I told you way back at the little oasis we met. I truly want to know you, and that means anything you choose to share with me.” You then toss a few big pieces of wood in the fire, sparks flying before fading into the darkness.
“You asked a campfire story earlier, maybe I can share something from my past with you.” You notice she immediately takes her glare of the fire and looks at you with questioning eyes. “Very well then, stay a while and listen. I wasn’t completely transparent about my parents.” You look into the fire, its glow reflecting in your eyes as you begin to speak of the days leading to your parents' early demise.
“Kuroga! Time to get up! It’s almost noon!” Kuro’s mom shouts as she stands on the doorway. “I know it is your eighteenth birthday, but it doesn’t mean you get to sleep it away.” Kuro’s eyes snap open as he hears his mom at the doorway.
“Okay, mom, I’ll get up. I just stayed up way too late studying for the exam next week,” Kuro says with a yawn. He covers his head with a blanket, really not feeling like getting up just yet.
“How many times I have to tell you that you need your rest. Hitting books when you’re tired doesn’t do anything. You’re a smart young man, start acting like one. Now come eat your breakfast.” Kuro’s mom heads downstairs.
When he finally makes his way to the dining room, a stack of pancakes waits for him, alongside crispy bacon and golden hashbrowns.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. I could have made my own breakfast,” Kuro tells his mom as he sits down and starts to pour syrup on his pancakes.
“I know you can, but I wanted to do something nice for your birthday. I can’t believe my little boy is all grown up,” she responds with a smile.
“Oh, come on, mom. I have been independent for a very long time. You and dad are always at work,” Kuro says in exasperation while rolling his eyes.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me young man! Also, speaking of work. Now that you’re of legal age, we can finally show you what we’re working on. You’re now old enough to sign nondisclosure agreements to enter the labs. So once you’re done eating, go get dressed. We can meet your father at the lab.”
Kuro’s eyes widen as her mom mentions, finally revealing what his parents have been working on all these years. Maybe it is a cure for a disease or perhaps a new form of transportation. He ate quickly, bite after bite, excitement flickering in his eyes while his mother watched in quiet amusement for a moment before heading to her room to get ready.
Kuro finishes eating quickly as her mom mentions he can finally see what they had been working on. Until now, they had kept him completely in the dark. The lab is about half an hour drive into the woods, far from the city's noise. Kuro keeps on guessing in his mind what the project could be, why it had to be so hidden and in a very heavily guarded area.
At the first checkpoint, before Kuro is allowed to enter he has to sign a stack of legal documents forbidding him from discussing anything he is about to see. He only briefly glances over the wording in documents, but one of the sections caught his eye – a warning that breaking the non-disclosure agreement could lead to up to twenty-five years in federal penitentiary. The thought made him uneasy, yet curiosity outweighed caution. He wasn’t about to give up the chance to finally uncover what had kept his parents away from him so many times. After the signing there are three more checkpoints before Kuro and his mom arrive at the lab entrance where Kuro’s father is already waiting.
“There you guys are! I was beginning to wonder if you will ever show up,” Kuro’s father says as he goes and gives his wife a quick hug. “Come on, Kuroga. We have been wanting to show what we’re working on for a while now.”
He placed his hand on the scanner, and the doors slid open with a low mechanical hiss. The size of the operation is immediately apparent. A few dozen scientists worked methodically across the vast lab, each absorbed in their own precise tasks. Massive tanks along the walls, connected to intricate webs of machinery and screens that pulsed with streams of data. A steady hum filled the air, deep and constant, rising in pitch. A sample was drawn from one of the tanks into the test purifiers.
“So, this is our project, son. We’re solving the world’s water problem and we’re very close to making a breakthrough. It might be less than a year from becoming a reality. No more millions dying each year because of not having clean water to drink,” Kuro’s mom exclaims. She appears extremely esthetic, more so than Kuro has ever seen her mom before.
“That is right, Rosie,” Kuro’s father says and takes a firm grip on Kuro’s shoulder. “We’re hoping that once you’re done with your studies you can come and help us with the production of the pumps once we make the breakthrough.” His voice carried a mix of pride and anticipation, the kind that made Kuro feel both honored and uncertain.
“Me and Ethan have been talking about it for a long time, how we want to bring you in. If you’re interested that is,” Rosie says with an upward inflection in her voice. She looks at Kuro with watery eyes from the joy that they might finally bring their son into the project they had dreamed of sharing with him. It’s apparent they have been hoping for this for a long time. Kuro stares at his parents for a moment, unsure how to respond. He can tell that his parents are expecting a response from him. Part of him wants to accept it, just so to spend more time with his family, but this isn’t what he thought of doing with his life at all.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Kuro stammered. “I know nothing about purification… I mean it sounds neat, but I am getting a computer science degree, not engineering…” He rambles in his usual manner looking down with an awkward smile as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand.
“Son, we know how good you’re at coding. Heck, it’s a good thing we have government ties, otherwise that time you broke into the FBI database when you were ten would have likely ended very differently,” Ethan chuckles.
“Wait? I thought I covered all my tracks. How did you…” Kuro looks at his parents in confusion.
“Well you must have missed something. As soon as they found out it was our address, they confronted us about it. But since no damage was done, they brushed it under a rug. Maybe they also wanted to avoid public knowledge that the FBI database was breached by a ten-year-old. And luckily, after that, you haven’t breached any other agencies.” Ethan finishes his recollection with a questioning look at Kuro. Kuro appears a bit shocked and his mind races – his parents knew and kept it from him? If he knew he had known, he probably wouldn’t have been poking around as much. But as his parents already know about that one, he decides to come clean about the rest of the stuff he has done.
“Actually, I have. Probably every major intelligence agency,” Kuro admits. “I guess that one time I slipped covering my tracks. I never did anything harmful though, and I did anonymously point out some of the vulnerabilities in the past.” Kuro smirks faintly as he discloses his hacking expeditions to his parents.
“Oh, is that so? We should have expected as much. Well, it is a good thing we raised you with a good moral compass. Most folks would have tried to get rich off of that. But the bottom line is, we know when you put your mind to something you are determined to get it done, no matter how difficult or crazy it may be, and that is what we need here,“ Ethan says with profound pride in his son.
“Oh please…” Kuroga starts, but is suddenly interrupted by a businessman who just entered the labs.
“Your father’s right, we always need brilliant minds here. Looks like you guys finally brought your young prodigy for a visit. Happy birthday Kuroga. Your parents have talked about you a lot,” the man says, extending a hand as he grips Kuro’s shoulder with another. “I hear you're a killer coder, I hope we can employ you one day!” Suddenly he turns to Ethan and approaches him, a somewhat greedy smile on his face.
“Robert, what brings you in today?” Ethan asks, looking somewhat surprised.
“I heard you guys are close to making a breakthrough. Do you have an estimate? As soon as we apply for a patent we are going public so we can reap the profits,” Robert says, settling into the comfortable armchair in the lounging nook. The soft leather creaks under his weight as he leans back, crossing one leg over the other – a gesture that carries both ease and quiet authority.
“This is a non-profit project Robert. It is to save human kind, not to make the rich richer,” Ethan says with a serious look on his face and a stern voice. Kuro watches his normally calm and composed father take an uncharacteristic stance on what he believes in. He knows his parents have always told him to stand by what he thinks is right, yet seeing his father hold firm in front of his boss – a move that could easily end his career – feels strange to him, though at the same time deeply admirable.
“You think the government would have sunk billions into this project if they weren’t going to make it back? How naive. Of course they have to at least recoup the costs or did you think you've had this state of the art lab at your disposal for the last two decades and would simply give it all away?” Robert laughs as rises from his seat, the sound sharp against the tense silence.
“That is what we signed up for,” Rosie interjects as she steps forward. “We've been making this our life’s work so we can create something that can be used by everyone.” She moves towards Robert, clearly angry at the situation, but Ethan quickly extends his arm in front of her, halting her advance. Robert merely shrugs off her sudden aggression, unbothered. Kuro is surprised to see his mom almost get aggressive on the matter. He has never seen his mother this upset about anything. The tension in the room feels almost tangible, and he realizes just how much his parents have poured their lives into this project.
“That might have been the case, but that wasn’t disclosed to me when I was placed at the helm of the company by my late uncle. Maybe that was his vision. Is this going to be a problem?” Robert asks, turning his gaze at the Fintz family. Kuro watches as his father hesitates a bit, pondering over his options. Finally he lets out a calming sigh before responding to Robert.
“We are not happy about it, but no, it will not be an issue. We will let you know when we crack the last technical problem.” Kuro knows his father’s mannerisms and senses that something is off.
“Good! I was afraid I would have to start looking for a replacement for you two. Considering how good you two are, that wouldn’t have been easy – but I would’ve done it,” Robert says with a smug grin. “Again, happy birthday kiddo. You’ve got very smart parents. And remember, we’ll have a place for you in time as well. Our company needs all the bright minds possible.” With that, Robert ends the conversation and walks out, his laughter echoing faintly down the corridor.
After that moment Kuro’s parents look at each other and hurry to their office. Kuro looks around as many of the scientists had interrupted their work to watch the episode unfold. To Kuro the whole situation seems very confusing. It’s very unlike his parents to just embark somewhere without saying anything to him, but he doesn’t have time to ponder for long as he sees his parents rushing back from the office carrying a briefcase. They quickly explain to the other scientist their son has a birthday so they are going to take him for dinner.
On the ride home no one says a word. Kuro can sense an overwhelming tenseness. Something he is not accustomed to. As they arrive at the house, his parents go into the shed and remove a few floor boards and place the briefcase inside. Kuro looks at them hiding what obviously has something to do with the project.
“Son I know you probably already figured it out, but we cannot go through with what they are saying,” Ethan says with a serious expression Kuro has never seen before. “Robert… That bastard! If he thinks he can profit from the misery of the unfortunate, he has another thing coming.” Ethan gets up and walks to Kuro grabbing hold of both his shoulders. “Kuroga we took the past few years worth of key research with us. And hopefully find a way to make use of it later. Tomorrow we will go and destroy the backups. Sadly, after that we have to disappear. I’m sure you understand why,” Ethan says, his tone thick with emotion as he looks his son in the eyes.
“I get it dad, I would have done the same thing, but I have to stay and finish my studies. I understand if you guys have to go. I am old enough to take care of myself and the spring break is almost over and it is time for me to go back to the campus soon anyway,” Kuro says, his voice trembling as he fights to hold back tears, realizing this might be the last time he sees them for a long while.
“We will see again, son. This thing will blow over eventually,” Ethan says and grabs Kuro in a firm hug. “We will keep in touch too, don't worry son… We just want you to know we're proud of you and so glad to see the young man you have grown out to be. We love you son…” Ethan says, doing his best to hold back his own tears. “Now, how about we go get that birthday dinner we talked about,” he adds, forcing a faint smile as he tries to lift Kuro’s spirit while keeping his own emotions in check.
“It's fine, dad… maybe we can just get some takeout and spend this evening together as a family – like when we used to go camping,” Kuro says with a faint smile, though the sadness in his eyes betrays him. He’s torn by the thought of his parents disappearing without him. The idea of abandoning his studies doesn’t sit right either, and the fact that his parents didn’t press him to go along tells him they’d rather he keep his distance than try to follow them.
After the dinner – a quiet, emotional evening the Fintz family spends together, each trying to mask the ache of uncertainty – Kuro lies in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He isn’t tired; his mind drifts through the laughter, the silences, and the unspoken goodbyes that hang heavy between them. His mind goes from one minute thinking things will be alright to the most terrifying outcomes he can imagine. He knows his parents are doing what they believe is right, that’s what they’ve always taught him to live by. They’ve shown him, time and time again, that compassion and kindness matter more than ambition or power, that greed and violence only lead to ruin. He used to think their lessons were just a way to keep him from getting into trouble with his hacking, but now he understands. They weren’t just protecting him. They were showing him the principles they’ve built their lives around.
After tossing and turning for hours he decides to go downstairs to see if he can catch his parents awake one last time. It is four in the morning as he enters the kitchen. He turns on the light and notices a hand written note on the kitchen table. He grabs it and starts reading it, causing his hand to tremble just after a few lines. The note is written by his mom and says:
To our dear son,
We wish nothing more than to see you grow up to be the brilliant man you’re destined to become and our greatest regret is not to be there to see all you will accomplish. We know, as parents, we spent way too much time away from you. We thought we would have more time, but we know now we should have taken our time with you when we had a chance. Just know that we love you very much, and it pains us to even ask if you could try to finish up our lives work. We understand it isn’t exactly what you wanted to do, but at least consider it. We wouldn’t ask you if we knew there was another way. We do understand, however, if you choose to follow your own dreams and whole heartedly support whatever you make of your life. Whatever it may be, all we want as parents is for you to be happy and proud whatever you choose and live with no regrets and we know you can conquer anything.
Love, Mom & Dad
Kuro drops the letter, he rushes outside, only to see the car gone. He collapses on his knees in the front patio, the world spinning as a surge of emotions crashes through him – anger, sorrow, disbelief, and fear all tangled together. His chest tightens, his stomach churns, and for a moment he can barely breathe. The sudden emptiness feels unbearable, yet beneath it flickers confusion and guilt; had he said enough, done enough? He spends a few minutes trying to gather his thoughts and make sense of it all as his mind races in an emotional rollercoaster.
After he feels as if he can focus again, he rushes to the shed, removes the floor board and finds the briefcase. His parents must have trusted him to know what to do with it. But what exactly? He opens it and finds a hard drive, a few thumb drives and lots of detailed notes in there. He grabs it, rushes in his room to pack his bags with anything he needs in college. As he is packing his mind keeps telling him to hurry as he has no idea what his parents are doing or what if someone comes looking for them. Or him. As he finishes packing, the door bell rings causing his heart to jump and start beating rapidly. Cautiously he approaches the front door and can see the Sheriff standing outside. Kuro slowly opens the door.
“Hello, officer? Is everything okay?” Kuro asks the officer standing outside.
“Are you Kuroga Fintz?” the sheriff asks in a calm, but firm voice.
“Yes, that is me. How can I help you?” Kuro responds cautiously, every being in his body wants to slam the door in the Sheriff's face, but he knows that it would look very suspicious.
“May I come inside? It might be better if we sit down,” the sheriff asks with a kind voice. Kuro hesitates for a moment as his heart races, thoughts racing again in his head, before answering.
“Of course.” Kuro lets the sheriff in and shows him to the kitchen. As soon as Kuro enters the kitchen, he quickly grabs his mom’s note off the floor and hides it in his pocket.
“Please, sit down,” the sheriff says and pulls a chair for Kuro. Kuro looks at the chair a bit, feeling nervous about what will come next. If the sheriff was here to arrest him, he would already be in cuffs, so he cautiously sat down. The Sheriff continues as Kuro sits down.
“There is no easy way to say this Kuroga, but there has been an explosion at the research center your parents work at…” The words hit Kuro like a physical blow, his breath catching in his throat, heart sinking. A cold numbness spreads through him, as if the world around him suddenly lost all sound. This is not about him, it’s about… “... your parents were the only people showing in the logs…” Kuro’s mind refuses to accept it. There must be a mistake, “...inside the facility. It’s burning uncontrollably as we speak. I’m sorry Kuroga, but even though we have not had a chance to get in the building, the rescue team isn’t hopeful that anyone inside could survive from that inferno. With a heavy heart I must tell you to prepare –” ”No! They cannot be!...“ Kuro’s voice cracks with desperation. “There must be something that can be done!” He strikes the table with his fist in fury. The sound startles him and the anger dissolves instantly into helpless grief.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much hope, but we will know more once we will get inside. Is there anyone you can go to stay with until we can confirm what happened to your parents,” the sheriff says, trying to calm Kuro down.
“No… and I must get back to the campus today… The semester starts in two days.” Kuro responds as he leans into the table with both hands trembling against the wood, torn between wanting to collapse and forcing himself to stay composed. A few tears can be seen falling on the table. He quickly wipes them off, as if denying himself the right to break down. Agonizing pain creeps in as he starts accepting the fact that his parents are likely no more. “It’s what they would want me to do… they would want me to continue on…” The words feel hollow, a desperate attempt to outweigh duty over loss. He sits down as he stares into the space, glancing at a hanging family picture on the fridge, one of the few of them all as a family.
“You might want to contact the school and tell them–” “No, I must keep myself busy or I will not get through this. It’s what they would want” Kuro interrupts the Sheriff again, his voice clearly wavering. “Can you drop me at the train station? I’m not sure how… how much longer I can… how I can stay here where everything reminds me of them.” Every corner of the house feels haunted by their laughter, their presence lingering like ghosts he can’t face.
“Of course, Kuroga, I have to get back to the station soon, but I can send a patrol to take you once you’re done packing.” The Sheriff responds.
“No need, I’m already ready to go. I will just go grab my bags.” Kuro runs up the stairs to grab the briefcase and his duffle bag and backpack and runs down. As he’s about to step out of the house, Kuro suddenly stops. Something pulls him back. He turns, walks to the fridge, and carefully takes the family picture from beneath the magnet and slides it into his backpack. “I’ll finish what you started… I promise,” he whispers, his voice steady now, carrying a quiet resolve that cuts through the grief. For the first time since the news, his eyes harden – not from anger, but from determination.
You toss another piece of firewood in the flames with watery eyes as the memories of your past flood your mind. Then slap another piece in with much more force than necessary sending embers flying up in the air. Just as anger of your parents decision, something which you have bottled up all these years finally breaks free and takes hold of you.
Your rings begin to glow as your heart rate increases, you don’t even notice it, but as you focus on the fire you’re instinctively growling faintly. and you’re about to whack another piece of lumber in the blaze, as you feel Layla’s jaws gripping onto your shoulder – not to puncture, but to ground you back in the moment. You sigh heavily, as your composure relaxes feeling your mate’s presence.
“I’m sorry Layla, I never even realized I still hold as much resentment for their decision. I wish I would have –""Shhh… Kuro it’s okay” Layla interrupts your plea as she rests her head on your shoulder, leaning and nuzzling your face gently. You notice her presence being very soft, which immediately causes your illuminated rings to dim to a faint glimmering pulse. “Everything happens for a reason. Without that tragic event in your life, you would have never come to Lumiose city and we would have never met. I will not let you apologize for that.” She wraps her tail around you. You can feel her warm body against you as she learns against you. “Thank you for sharing something about your past Kuro. Though I take no joy in what happened to your parents, in some strange way it makes me happy to know I am not the only one with a tragic past,” she says as she pushes you down landing on top of you as she looks you in the eyes.
“I don’t know what to say Layla… I still miss them.” You lie underneath her completely still. Layla’s unexpected behavior has you completely puzzled and causing you to forget all about your complex feelings towards your parents. The anger, the yearning, the lost time with them when they had to work long days, how they ultimately left without saying one final goodbye.
“Then don’t say anything silly, Glowbutt. Just find comfort on what you have, here and now. Just like I have after every time I have shared something with you.” Layla whispers in your ear as she nuzzles close to you. Her body feels warm against yours, her calm deep breaths can be felt against your neck as she lays on you. You feel a bit odd that revealing your tragic past is causing Layla to cling on to you, but in her mind she must feel as knowing your past has made her feel an even deeper connection with you.
“Layla, is everything okay? This is a very unexpected response for what I just shared with you.” You whisper as you rest your head against her head buried underneath your chin.
“Better than in a long time… And what response did you expect? A pity party? I am sorry to hear about your parents passing, Kuro, but as tragic as that is, for me, it meant a second chance. Kuro, if you hadn’t come to my life I would still be stuck at that forsaken pond, alone, without you, without the kits… Call me selfish, but what happened to you is the reason we are all here.”
She presses her claws against your shoulder gently retracting and protracting them in rhythmic motion. Your heart melts from her words. You would have never thought of it that way, but everything she says is true. Even the most chaotic and horrible events in the past may sprout something wonderful in the future.
“I… I never even thought of that, but now that you mention it, I must agree. I doubt I would have ever come here if it wasn’t for my parents standing up for what they believed in. And I do find comfort in that faith has brought us together. I know it has been less than a year since I met you, but I cannot imagine going another day without you, Layla.” You wrap your paws around her as she rests against you, listening to her breathing slow until it becomes a soft, steady rhythm. Her claws cease their gentle knitting motion, and you feel her weight settle fully as sleep takes her.
You lift your gaze toward the horizon, where the first rays of sunlight spill over the distant hills. The warmth touches your fur, but your thoughts remain quiet, heavy with everything that has led you here. You know the kits will wake soon, yet for now, you’ll let Layla rest – keeping watch, guarding the peace she’s found in your arms.
