The first rays of sunshine touch the entrance of the den, waking you up before anyone else. You get up and stretch with a quiet yawn , checking at your family still curled up in sleep. Careful not to disturb them, you slip toward the exit, knowing even the faintest sound will stir Layla awake. You manage only a few steps before you hear Layla’s gentle voice. “Nice try, Kuro, but your yawn already woke me up,” she mutters and starts getting up. “Just rest, Layla. I will get us some breakfast. I believe there is still plenty of meat left in the Doduo we caught yesterday, and I saw some berries nearby when we went hunting. “Oh, aren’t you sweet, acting like a provider? Fine, go get some berries, but if I see Hyperbeam fly out of that forest again, I will bury you neck deep in the riverbank.” Layla moves closer to the sleeping kits. You head into the forest to gather some berries. Following the trail from yesterday’s hunt, the rocky path you and Layla took is unmistakable. You step carefully over slick, exposed roots; their surfaces polished by erosion from heavy winter rain. Soon you reach a small clearing with dozens of Oran Berry bushes. The round blue fruits, packed with flavor, will be just what the kits need to start the day. You stuff your satchel pockets until they can hold no more, then return to your family. At the camp you approach the carcass to check if it’s still edible. To your relief, the cold spring night has preserved the meat well and looks fresh enough; the odor hints that it has started to turn, but most of it remains deep red. If you were still human, you’d probably not eat it, but now you are happy to take a few bites while waiting for your family to wake up. While enjoying the first few bites of the Doduo, you close your eyes and enjoy the morning in the wild. The breeze flutters your ears, the morning dew from the grass soaks the dark fur on your paws. The pleasant scent of early spring flowers along with the calming ripple of the river really makes you feel relaxed in the moment. If only every day could be like this. You let out a heavy sigh. As long as Team Rocket is around, it won't be a luxury you can enjoy on a regular basis. After eating, you head to the riverbank to wash off and purify some water. As you step out of the cold river, the chilly wind catches you off guard. You decide to start a campfire to warm up faster. The flames rise quickly – but just as you settle beside them, Layla bursts from the den and splashes the purified water over the fire, dozing it off immediately. She turns at you with a growl. “What are you doing, Kuro? Are you trying to give away our position?” she tosses some sand on a smoldering kindle. “What do you mean? This is the first time you're reacting like this to a campfire.” You look at her clearly confused, trying to grasp where the sudden outburst comes from. “Night is fine. Darkness makes it hard to see the smoke. But if you haven’t forgotten, you started a war with Team Rocket, and even if you hadn’t, I would rather not have those guys come snooping around,” she snarls at your recklessness, then proceeds to the carcass to grab a few bites of meat and some berries before calming down. You’re about to apologize, but are interrupted by the kits running out of the den and immediately digging their faces in the pile of berries you gathered. “Well at least the kits don’t have to wait for breakfast this time around,” Layla chuckles at you, clear sign she has already forgiven you for the campfire fiasco. “After we’re done eating I’ll test your hunting skills in the forest. Instead of hunting more prey, you will be hunting me. As this Doduo will likely last us for at least the rest of the day, there is no need to hunt more. But I need to make sure you’re ready before we carry on our journey.” Layla eats a few more bites as well and rips a chunk off for the kits so they can get some protein too. Once breakfast is finished, Layla takes the kits to the den before signaling you to follow her into the woods. You spend the next few hours tracking Layla through the forest, her challenges starting easy and growing steadily harder. She admits she’s impressed by how well you can follow her trail despite your limited hunting experience – a rare confession from her. While tracking her for the sixth time, you suddenly hear a faint squeal in the distance. Before you have even a chance to react to it, Layla dashes past you like a blur of lighting. “Kuro! That was Lumi! Follow me!” You sense panic in her voice as she runs towards the camp. You immediately bolt after her, struggling to keep up with her. As you reach the camp, you catch only a glimpse as Layla severs the carotid artery of one of the three Team Rocket grunts holding Lumi from a scruff. The other two hold three trembling Poké Balls in their hands. Rage flares through you, igniting your rings in a blinding blue glow. A beam of light bursts from one of the balls as it snaps open – Hope forcing her way to freedom. You don’t need another clue to know what’s trapped inside the remaining two. You charge forward, grabbing Hope and dashing her out of harm's way. You immediately turn back towards the remaining two Team Rocket grunts who are watching their comrade bleeding to death after Layla caught him by surprise. Layla takes a stance between the grunts and Lumi, eyes narrowed in fierce focus. You Snarl at them causing them to drop the Poké Balls. In an instant, both Miracle and Elem burst free from their imprisonment. The grunts don’t hesitate after seeing what Layla can do. They pull Poké Balls from their belts, releasing Poliwrath and Throh in twin flashes. You charge forward, aiming to Bite the nearby Poliwrath, but it lands a Dynamic Punch on you, sending you flying. You crash onto the riverbank, rolling several times before sliding across wet sand, molding small piles of sand around you before you come to a stop. Pain ripples through your body as you hit the ground, making you disoriented and gasping for focus. Layla watches as you go flying after the powerful punch. When you lift up your gaze, Layla’s fur crackles with sparks – she looks furious seeing her whole family getting assaulted. She lets out a loud screech, her eyes shut. Eight colorful beams of light emerge and absorb into her body. As she opens her eyes, she rapidly dashes towards Throh, who’s already hurling boulders with Rock Blast. Layla crashes through the massive boulders like they were nothing, she is like a blur of fury. She Head Butts at the Throh, sending him flying toward his master. When Layla lands, the ground underneath her cracks and shakes from the impact. Both the Throh and the grunt slam into the cliffside thirty feet away, the impact strong enough to knock both unconscious. Rubble shakes loose from above, burying them beneath the debris. Without hesitation, Layla leaps towards the other grunt and his Pokémon. The Poliwrath tries to use Dynamic Punch on Layla too, but she dodges and bites and takes hold of his wrist causing him to scream in agony. She lets go only when she sees the beam of the last standing grunt recalling his Poliwrath back before he takes running. She starts charging an Ice Beam, but the faint voice distracts her, causing her to hit the hillside instead. The beam sends ice and stone shrapnell flying in every direction. Some of it struck the fleeing grunt, injuring him, but not enough to prevent him from fleeing. “Mommy…” Lumi whimpers with a weak voice. You manage to shake off the confusion and leap towards her as you’re closer. She looks badly beat up. “Lumi! What did they do to you?” You watch the badly bruised kit with a nose bleed. A visible boot print on her light fur – a tell tale sign of the abuse she endured by Team Rocket. Even if she wasn't related, a sight like that would break nearly anyone's heart, but seeing your own flesh and blood like this makes your heart ache like never before. Yet you try to keep it together, to calm her down. “They… They… They started kicking me around when… I dodged their balls after they captured… Hope, Miracle… and Elem…” She can barely talk as her breathing sounds very labored. “It hurts to talk… I… I’m scared daddy,” she whimpers. “Shh… Lumi, if it hurts, try to…” Your voice starts to crack, but you manage to recover just for a few more words… ”just try to breathe…” You nuzzle her cheek gently, not knowing how to best comfort her in the situation. At that point Layla gets to her as well. She places her ear on Lumi’s chest and pulls away in panic. You turn towards Layla, wondering what just happened. “Layla, are you okay, what was th–” “Shut it, Glowbutt! Focus on Lumi!” she growls, making it immediately clear she will not discuss this right now. “We need to get her to the Pokémon Center right now, Kuro,” she screams as she bolts to grab her satchel to put her in. “I can take her Lay–” ”You stay here! Quick! Place her in, I’ll be there in no time. You pack up the camp and follow me to Camphrier Town!” she shouts as you gently pack Lumi in the pouch. As soon as you finish placing her in, Layla bolts toward the road. You have seen her run fast, but never like this. Her fur sparks as she takes off, turning her into a blur. You watch as the cloud of dust she kicked up settles with no sight of her anymore. Instead of paw prints, the dirt looks more like something was dragged through it.. You turn around and drag the fainted Throh to the riverbank. You then move to the unconscious Team Rocket grunt, wrapping your jaw around his neck, just about to end his existence when Hope runs to see what you’re doing. “Hope, you should go to your siblings. This is not something you should see.” You walk up to her nudging her towards the others. “Why dad? Death is not scary. It's vital for survival.” Hope looks at you in confusion as you nudge her away. “It doesn’t mean I want any of you around when I end someone’s life,” you growl as you turn around towards the grunt. “He would have killed you in front of us with no problem.” Hope follows you causing you to stop on your tracks and turn back at her in anger. “That is because they don’t care. They don’t value life or care who they hurt! And they have zero interest in what their actions do to anyone as long as it fills their pockets!” You calm down a bit as you take a deep breath. “We are better than that. I want you to grow up to value life and only take a life when necessary. Do you under…” You get interrupted as you hear the grunt getting up and start running away. “Oh no you don’t!” you shout as you flare up in anger and shoot a Dark Pulse at the grunt knocking him down in agony. You run to him and slice open his throat as you lie down on his back trying to cover as much as you can from Hope’s view. It only takes a moment for the grunt to stop moving. You push yourself off and wipe your bloody paws on the grunts uniform, before heading back to the kits. “I really wish you never had to see that.” You exclaim with a sigh. “Why not? That was awesome! You really showed him who’s the boss,” Hope shouts in excitement. “No, Hope, I showed no one anything. There is no lesson to be learned from this. He is dead, I couldn’t let him run. It’s bad enough that one got away.” You move to your satchel. “Hope, make yourself useful and have Miracle help you to fill the pouches with some berries while Elem refills the water container from the purifier. I’ll pull a few pieces of meat from the carcass so we don’t have to stop right away when we go after your mom.” You wait for the kits to respond, but they only stare at you in silence. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you doing as you are told?” you growl in frustration. You just want to get moving as Lumi’s situation has you really worried and you need to be there for her and Layla. Hope steps forward, anger flashing in her eyes. “Dad, you haven’t even asked if we’re alright! You always seem to favor Lumi! We’re worried about her too, but what about us?” When Hope takes another step, her left paw gives out, making it instantly clear she’s injured. You’re about to take a step towards her, but Miracle already dashes in to support her sister. “We underthtand you’re wanting to be there with mom, but we need you too,” Miracle joins with Hope’s plea, not even trying to hide her lisp or the boot mark on her side, making it evident she’s been kicked by Team Rocket as well. Your anger fades at once as the truth sinks in. Watching Miracle rush to Hope’s help before you could even move, and hearing their accusation of playing favorites, strikes deep in your core. Elem walks up to his siblings, one ear dripping blood and deep scratches on the side of his face you couldn’t see before. The sight of all three of them wounded, and you not realizing it, makes you feel like the worst parent alive. Snapping at them earlier just adds insult to injury. “I’m sorry…” Your ears drop down as you start walking towards your injured kits. “I should’ve made sure you were all alright. The severity of Lumi’s injuries have me worried, but it doesn’t mean I care about any of you any less.” You lick the wounds on Elem’s face a couple of times, slowing down the bleeding. “Thanks, dad,” Elem says as he leans against your face with a faint smile. “I should have checked on you all sooner. Hope, can you walk on your own?” you ask, while walking to Hope and Miracle. “I think it’s just a sprained ankle, I’ll be fine,” she growls, but you can tell she’s trying to hide her pain, just like her mother would. “I better carry you. Just rest while I pack the camp. How about you Miracle? I can see they roughed you up too. Are you hurt?” You gently rub the boot mark off with your paw, causing her to flinch. “It’th only tender to touch dad, Team Rocket kicks are nothing compared to Elem’th head butts.” Miracle response with her lisp shining through a few times. “Just rest all of you, I will pack and you can all ride me as we go after your mom and Lumi.” You then dash to the Doduo carcass and pull out a few chunks for the kits and then start filling up the bottles as the kits fill their bellies. It takes about an hour to pack up the camp. You gather your belongings in satchels and have all the kits climb on your back. You feel like a fully loaded mule, every ounce of weight pressing down on you, yet you keep moving forward. You follow the trail Layla carved through the wet ground toward the main road. The rain-soaked, soft, mushy soil makes your steps sink deep into the mud, but luckily once you reach the road, it’s much easier to get a proper footing. The route to Camphrier town is very scenic with forest on both sides and plenty of open grass fields. You spot a pack of Bunnelby skirmishing in the meadow nearby. The bright sun warms dark fur, its heat sinking in while a light breeze cools the surface. Together they make it feel like a perfect spring day. If it weren’t for the worry over Lumi, , you’d gladly spend the whole day here. But instead, with determination, you keep your focus on what matters the most – getting the family back together. The three kits, bellies full, ride quietly on your back. For half an hour, the only sound is your labored breathing, until Elem finally breaks the silence. “Thanks for carrying us dad,” Elem chirps happily and leans past your neck, almost causing you to lose your footing as the weight shifts. “You guys are hurt, I cannot imagine another way of getting us there today… just please, try not to shift the weight too much… This is hard enough as it is,” you plead while trying to catch breath between sentences. “We should tell dad what went down before mom showed up,” Hope suggests as Elem pulls back in the middle of your back. “We totally thould!” Miracle shouts in excitement. “Would you like to hear the story dad?” she continues as she climbs on top of your head swiftly. “Sure, if that makes you all stay still while you tell me…” You stumble a bit, barely regaining your footing. “Shifting your weight makes it very hard to keep my balance.” “Alright! So while you and mom were practising hunting, we decided to play our own hunting game…” Hope starts to describe what they were up to before Team Rocket attacked… “Okay, it’s clear!” Hope lets out a happy chirp as soon as Layla and Kuro disappear in the woods. She and Miracle immediately dash out of the den and start wrestling in the dry dirt, kicking up the dust as they play. Elem charges in, but as Hope braces for her brother’s signature headbutt, Elem jumps on Hope's back and janks her tail pulling her off balance. “Hey! That was a dirty trick, Elem!” Hope grunts while getting up on her feet. “I like it!” She charges towards Elem and copies what he did with perfect execution, except as she yanks Elem’s tail causing him to fall flat, she pounces on his back and grabs hold of his ear. “Hey! Cut it out!” Elem shouts trying to shake Hope off his back, knowing it’s useless once she has grip on him. Miracle falls over laughing at Elem’s struggle. Elem’s fluffy tail kicks off a dust cloud, which hides him and Hope from the view for a moment. Lumi slowly and cautiously walks out of the den. “Guys! Mommy said we should stay inside while they are gone. It’s not safe,” Lumi says quietly, hoping her siblings will listen to the reasoning. “Oh come on, Lumi! Just come and have some fun!” Hope shouts as she finally lets go of Elem’s ear and hops off of him. Elem pushes himself up at once, shaking dust from his fur and growling at Hope in frustration. “We shouldn’t. You heard mommy as she was reprimanding daddy for lighting the fire. The smoke may have signalled our location to someone, Lumi tries to reason with her siblings. “You worry too much, Lumi, and always listen to what our parents say,” Hope shrugs off Lumi’s concerns, then charges at Miracle, who’s just getting up. The moment Hope lands on her, Elem charges toward Lumi with a shocked expression. “Watch out, Lumi!” Elem shouts frantically, barely managing to shove Lumi aside as a net slams into the spot she’d just occupied. Two large Team Rocket grunts burst from the nearby bush, seemingly frustrated by Elem’s heroics. “You think that changes anything.” The grunt with the net shouts as he whacks Elem in the face with the other end of the net which has a spiky metal ball as the tip. Elem barely manages to pull away, only to be graced by the spikes, still causing deep scratches on his face. He doesn’t hesitate, but charges straight at the grunt, his headbutt catching the man off guard and forcing him to stumble back in surprise. “Little brat!” the other grunt who has been standing on the sidelines shouts, pulling out a Poké Ball and throwing it at Elem, pulling the unexpecting kit inside the capturing device. “You will pay for that!” Hope growls, catching both Team Rocket grunts by surprise. “No way! Not only are there three females, one of which is a shiny Eevee, but at least one can also talk. We hit the jackpot!” the grunt with net exclaims with a smirk. Hope, however, doesn’t care about their taunts. She charges forward without a trace of fear. When the one with the net swings at her, she jumps off the rod and lunges straight at the grunt’s face, ripping his earlobe clean off, causing him to shout in agony. “That damn fluffball ripped my ear off!” the grunt shouts while Hope spits his earlobe off in the bushes and readies herself to charge again. Miracle slips behind them and climbs up the one with Poké Balls on his belt. She sinks her teeth into his hand, blood spilling from his middle and index fingers, resulting in deep wounds, but not enough to tear them off. The grunt howls in pain and kicks her aside, sending Miracle tumbling as she loses her grip. He snatches the Poké Ball meant for Hope and hurls it at Miracle, pulling her inside in a flash of red light. Hope watches, anger rising, as her siblings vanish one by one into the Poké Balls. She snarls and charges again, snapping the net‑rod in half with her jaws and slashing at the grunt who held it. As she turns to strike once more, her paw catches on a root, causing her to stumble enough for the next Poké Ball to suck her inside… “And rest you will have to find out from Lumi…” Hope finishes telling how events unfolded in the morning. “I hope she’s okay, dad.” She hops off you on the ground to test if her paw feels better. She lands and loses her footing, immediately falling on her face with a thud. She pushes herself back up, with a little bit of wet dirt stuck on her chin. You’re about to rush to her aid, but her growl seeing you approach tells you she doesn't want help. She hangs her head down feeling ashamed and frustrated. “I should have been able to save her.” She sighs heavily. “Or if we had just listened to her in the first place we wouldn’t even be in this...” You watch her hop, completely avoiding placing weight on her foot. You have never seen Hope regretting anything or admitting anything is her fault before. “Hope… You can’t change the past,” you say, crouching down Hope’s level and giving your poor daughter a gentle nudge. “And none of this is your fault. You cannot say what would have happened if you stayed in the burrow, and by the sound of it, you did your best to protect your siblings.” You look at Elem and Miracle on your back. “As did you two. But next time. If you have an opening, run, rather than fight. You’re still too young to take on Team Rocket on your own. As you saw, even I struggle against trained Pokémon.” Hope, who is looking at you with sad eyes, just murmurs quietly. “I must say, you sure are your mother’s daughter, Hope. Fierce and determined. You appear as if you are never afraid of anything… But I'll tell you something…” you say as you sit down.. “If it is another lecture, I don’t want to hear it…” Hope growls faintly as she looks away. “Not a lecture per say. I was just going to tell you that even your mother is afraid sometimes.” you pause for a second, thinking of Layla’s odd transformation during the battle earlier, but quickly shake it off. ”Not sure if you noticed her heart rate change as she saw Lumi, but she was devastated and frightened. Losing any of you is a fear greater than anything, for both me and your mother.” You gently nudge the side of Hope’s face. “And that goes for all of you. It may seem sometimes that we favor Lumi as she is more fragile than you three. But it doesn’t mean we care about any of you any less. We’d never be able to choose between any of you and we love each and every one of you equally. I’m sorry if it doesn’t always appear that way.” You stay at her level waiting for an answer. “We know that!” Hope answers, but the frustration is clear in her voice. “We just wish you were there more often.” She looks down and away from you with her ears dropping down and flush against her back as she admits it. Your ears drop back as soon as you hear her say it. You know it is true, you have not had a chance to spend much time with your family ever since you got attacked by Team Rocket in the park. You lay your head down next to Hope as both Elem and Miracle jump off of you and get close to comfort their sibling. “I’m sorry… I should be there for you more,” you sigh in affirmation. “Why aren’t you then? What ith so important?” Miracle turns towards you with head tilted and ears lopsided. “Ever since…” You pause for a moment. The kits already know everything that happened, still you feel strange talking with them about all of it. “Ever since Team Rocket…” You get up and walk a few steps away in frustration. “Why would Team Rocket attacking you, mean you can’t be around us?” Elem joins her sister, looking confused as well. Your rings begin to glow bright while you begin to feel more irritated, not at your offspring questioning you, but how right they are. “I don’t know how to explain it… I just want us all to be safe,” you sit down with your back facing the kits, your ears are draping on the sides of your head and the rings pulsate steadily. “I never wished any of this to happen and I would do anything to go back… but Team Rocket has made it clear it’s not an option.” As soon as you mention Team Rocket, your rings flare up bright, almost white. The illumination disappears rapidly though as you feel tiny paws climbing up your back and feel Miracle’s tiny paws wrap around your neck as she presses her head tight against the back of your head. Almost in unison, you feel Elem nudge against your left flank. You let out a heavy sigh, followed by a short chuckle. “Thanks… I needed that.” You wrap your paw around Elem and pull him close while pressing your chin against Miracle’s tiny paws wrapped around your neck. “You four truly are the best thing that has come out of this. The one thing that makes this all worth it.” “We don’t doubt it, we love you dad!” Elem chirps happily, causing your heart to melt. “We have alwayth known that” Miracle whispers in your ear. You turn your attention to Hope. “What do you say, Hope? I will try to be around more…” You walk to her slowly about to nudge her but she pulls away, causing you to stop. “Fine…” Hope lets out a muffled grunt between her teeth. “Oh, come on, Hope. I'm really trying here. Would you rather live in fear of–” “I'm not afraid of Team Rocket!” Hope pounces, her leg giving out mid‑leap, but she fights through the pain. Her ankle buckles again, yet she keeps forcing her stance straight, her soft fur bristling until she looks twice her size. “You should be!” you growl softly, visibly concerned. But also pressing your muzzle under her belly to support her. “They nearly killed me, did unforgivable things to your mother and your sister is fighting for her life because of them!” Your outburst causes Hope’s fierce stance to immediately sunder in shame. “I’m sorry dad…” Hope’s ears drop down again, as Miracle slides down your back to comfort her sister. “It’s okay Hope, I know you’re fearless, but it doesn’t mean you should be wreckless. You’re so much like your mother, but I don’t think she has ever been as scared as she was when she ran to rescue you guys today,” you say in a calm voice. “You’re lying! Mom isn’t thcared of anything!” Miracle pleads in denial, struggling to say “scared” as her lisp comes more noticeable. “That could not be further from the truth, Miracle. Your mother would be absolutely devastated if she lost any of us. She is a force to be reckoned with, but she is not without fear. I’m sure she is very worried about all of us right now, so we should probably head over to her.” You crouch down allowing the three kits to climb on you. To your surprise, Miracle and Elem nudge Hope to climb on. “We will walk! It will be faster!” Elem chirps as he dashes a few meters ahead on the path. “Will be much fathter if you only carry Hope!” Miracle shouts as she runs after her brother. Hope hesitates at first, she tries to take a step on her own, but putting weight on her paw still hurts. She sighs and climbs on your back with her ears down. “Hope, there is no shame in accepting help when you need it. That’s what family is for.” You look towards her as she’s lying on your back. Instead of an answer all you get is an affirming grunt. Instead of pressing the subject, you decide it is better to just start heading towards the Pokémon Center as you’re increasingly worried about Lumi and wanting to be there for both her and your mate. Also, you really cannot shake the feeling that what happened today is another secret Layla has been hiding from you, but you’re confident she’ll tell you when she is ready. With only Hope on your back, the journey goes much faster and in less than half an hour you already see the sign for the town of Camphrier and lights of the Pokémon Center.
Kuro starting to finally enjoy the life in the wild, but the thought of Team Rocket keeps lingering heavy on his mind. The worst comes true in middle of the final test from Layla on Kuro's hunting skills.
