A scream came from the distance. "Clyde! We're under attack!"

The Greninja, panicked, retreated into his quarters, and pulled out a pen and some paper.

Dear son,

I'm sorry that I had to leave you, all alone. I will just have to hope that I make it out of this in one piece.

"Clyde! Get out of there!" Cries echoed from outside the window, and the Greninja could feel the terrible quakes coming from the outside.

I don't have a lot of time left, so I'll make this quick. The Greninja looked out the window, and saw his enemies coming closer to the fortress. I love you, son, just remember that. Remember your brave father that fought to make you happy. I'm sorry that I might not make it back, and I'm sorry that you will have to be by yourself, but stay strong, and stay true to yourself. The Greninja flinched as smoke filled the room following an uproar of tremors. The Greninja, struggling to his seat, attempted to pick the quill back up and continue writing. Please, remember me, son, and don't forget who you are. My last wish for you is to be happy, that's all I ask. Please–

"Clyde! Watch out!"

The Greninja turned to the window. He saw a gigantic ball of orange light coming towards him, and before he had the chance to move, the sphere of flames collided with the side of the building.

The Greninja fell to the floor, his letter charred, with flames covering the material. The Greninja quickly put the flames out, attempting to salvage as much of his writing as he could. He wrapped a long, yellow-brown cloth around the burned, black paper, and whistled for the mail carrier, a Pelipper.

"Take this, and give this to my son, back at the Great Safari." The Greninja rushed to hand the Pelipper the letter, and the Pelipper flew away.

The Greninja watched the Pelipper fly off into the distance, and looked down from the enormous hole in the room. He watched the enemy march closer to his position. Please let it arrive safely, he pleaded. The Greninja jumped to help his comrades combat their foes.

Escape. That's all the young Cyndaquil could think. I'm not going back there.

The Cyndaquil flashed back to the previous day: the day he received a letter.

There was a knock on the door. The Cyndaquil answered. There, a Pelipper stuck a letter out of his beak. "Mail." The Pelipper gave the letter to the young Cyndaquil. It was from his father. The Cyndaquil opened the letter and began to read it. The letter was burnt, with parts too damaged to make out any words.

ar so,

'm oy ad o leave you, alone. I ll ave hope tt I t in e pi. I d ' have time , mais qk. I you, , reebe t. Remember r b fer th ft m yp. ' sorry I migt nt mk it bck, a I' sry tht u wl h te yul, b stay str, d st tru yf. , remember me, , n don foret . last wish be happy, th ' l k. Please

"…What is this…?" The Cyndaquil stared at the letter, unable to make out the message. The only thing that seemed to stand out was the phrase; remember me, something that the Cyndaquil seemed to be upset about. "Is this…?"

The Pelipper nodded, sadly. "I'd… better get back to my job. Have a nice day, kid." The Pelipper saluted the kid, and flew away, leaving the young Cyndaquil to cry, silently.

"Dad…"

The Cyndaquil ran through the woods, while the skies cried for the little Pokemon, and the gods roared with anger. Why, dad, why did you have to leave me? Stream of tears were concealed as the young Cyndaquil rushed through the storm, through the woods absent of any light, trying to evade his pursuers.

"Wait, Cinder! Come back!" One of his pursuers, a Scyther, called for the Cyndaquil. "You'll get hurt out here!"

The other pursuer, an Altaria, also called for the Cyndaquil. "The storm is getting worse! Please come back before something happens to you!"

"I can handle myself!" the Cyndaquil answered to his chasers.

The Scyther started to catch up to the Cyndaquil. Thunder crashed down from the heavens, and the winds were getting more severe. "Come back here before you get hurt!" the Scyther demanded.

The Cyndaquil shook his head, refusing to go back. "I don't want to go back! Not without Dad!"

The young Pokemon remembered the times he had with his dad, starting from the beginning, when they first met.

His father, Clyde, a Greninja that worked as a rescuer, was walking through the woods after a long mission. He was exhausted, and he was just informed that his son just perished due to his illness. "Fuck my life!" Clyde screamed to the air. "What is my life worth if everything around me… just comes crashing down…" Clyde stopped to take a break next to some oddly-burnt bushes.

Clyde examined the bushes, noticing the black tint present on the local environment. "Was there a forest fire here earlier?" Clyde got up and began to search for any signs of life. "Hopefully everyone got out safely."

Clyde entered the forest, and found a village full of victims; there were many Pokemon, looking for their friends and family, under the burnt rubble of the village. Clouds of smoke filled the air, and the little ones had a look of fear as they called out for their parents.

When Clyde asked around, they revealed that some families left right after the fire started, while others have been missing since the fires died down. Clyde gave them help with the rescue effort, but was unable to find any other survivors. Instead, he found charred bodies of many types of Pokemon, one he thought he almost recognized. But Clyde dismissed it as a hoax, and continued to search, search for anyone who still breathed.

As the sun began to set, Clyde said his goodbyes and condolences to the villagers. As Clyde began to walk through the charred forest again, he remembered his young son… his lost son. "Am I cursed? Why does everything around me get bad luck?"

Clyde looked up as he was walking, and tripped over a small body. "What the?" Clyde fell to the ground, his skull crashing down to the ground, and looked. He saw a little Cyndaquil unconscious on the floor. "Hey, wake up!" Clyde crawled up to the Cyndaquil and started to shake the Cyndaquil softly. When the Cyndaquil awoke, Clyde was relieved. "Hey, are you okay?"

The Cyndaquil looked around, confused and groggy. "Where am I?"

Clyde sighed with relief. "Good, you're okay. Now where are your parents, little guy?"

The Cyndaquil looked at Clyde, confused. He then turned to his surroundings, trying to remember where he is. The Cyndaquil then shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well, where are you from?"

"I don't know."

Clyde looked back at the direction of the village. Smoke still filled the skies above. "Hey, come with me for a second." Clyde stuck his hand out to the young Pokemon, but the Cyndaquil backed away, scared of the stranger standing in front of him. "It's okay, I don't bite."

The Cyndaquil turned away, and carefully, and slowly, grabbed one of the Greninja's fingers.

Clyde took the Cyndaquil back to the village. Most of the burnt down buildings have been cleared, but the damage to still standing homes were still present, reminding the villagers of the awfully tragic fire. "Do you recognize this place?"

The Cyndaquil shook his head. "No." The Cyndaquil retreated his hand from Clyde's, and started to fidget with them.

Clyde worriedly looked at the Cyndaquil. "What do you remember, then?"

"Well…" The Cyndaquil paused to think. He tapped his head, trying to jump start his own memory. "All I can remember is my name."

The Cyndaquil looked down in sadness, and Clyde patted his head. "Well, tell me your name."

"Cinder."

"Cinder… Alright, Cinder, let's find your family."

Cinder's face lit up. "Really?"

Clyde nodded. "First, let's start by asking around." Clyde extended his hand towards Cinder. "Come on, let's go." Cinder, at first, was reluctant to take his hand, but did so, knowing that he can trust the Greninja.

Clyde took Cinder to talk to the villagers, most of which were too concerned for their own families to answer whether they knew Cinder. After asking dozens of families, a Linoone finally told Clyde the information they needed. But by that time, Clyde had let Cinder take a quick nap, as the Cyndaquil was getting tired from walking around. "Yeah, I know that Cyndaquil. Family used to live in that house by the edge of the forest. But you wouldn't want to take him there."

Clyde turned to the sleeping Cyndaquil, and asked, "Why not?"

"His family is dead," the Linoone told Clyde. "We found the bodies this morning. Their bodies are now in the cemetery in the outskirts of town."

Clyde turned back to Cinder, speechless, trying to find the words he wanted to use. "Thanks a lot, Linoone. That is all the information I needed."

The Linoone nodded. "Glad I can help. Hopefully someone will take that Cyndaquil in, but I don't think anyone around here would be able to support him right now, especially since the fire burnt everything down." He started to run back to work, but turned quickly back to the Greninja. "By the way, thanks for your help earlier."

Clyde didn't bother to look back at the Linoone. "No problem."

"I wish you luck, with the Cyndaquil. Ya know, he's a weird one."

Clyde's head jerked towards the direction of the Linoone, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he continued, "that Cyndaquil has an unusual trait. Something that the village keeps to itself." The Linoone seemed hesitant to tell Clyde the rest of his thoughts. "That Cyndaquil's flames… They're not normal."

Clyde looked at the Linoone with confusion. "What do you mean, not normal?"

"You probably won't believe me." There was a call from behind the Linoone, a call from a lady. It was his wife, calling the Linoone back to help with their three Zigzagoon children. "I've got to go. Nice talking to you." The Linoone bowed to Clyde, turned around and walked away, back to his family.

Clyde, unable to unhear what the Linoone spoke, walked back to Cinder, who was still laying asleep. Clyde murmured to himself, "Just what are you hiding, Cinder?"

Cinder woke up, stretching his arms up into the air. The first thing to catch his dreary eyes was Clyde, standing right in front of him. "Did you find anything, Clyde?"

Clyde was startled; he didn't realize the Cyndaquil woke up. "Yeah. Your parents aren't here." Clyde couldn't bring himself to tell the young Cyndaquil the truth.

"Where are they?"

"They're… in a better place. But it seems like they will be unable to come back for you."

Cinder looked down. "Really?"

Clyde nodded. "Really…" But then Clyde paused. "But… you can stay with me."

Cinder's eyes lit up somewhat. "Really?"

"Really. Come, I'll take you to my home right away." Clyde extended his hand to the Cyndaquil again, and this time Cinder took the hand without hesitation.

Cinder noticed a strong, sudden gust pushing towards his back. He turned to his rear, where the Altaria flew, coming closer and closer due to the Tailwind. "Please, Clyde would want you to be happy."

"How does this make me happy?!" Cinder moved faster away from his pursuers.

"This would give you a new home!" The Altaria's speed matched the Cyndaquil's, and they were right beside each other as they raced through the woods. "You would be around Pokemon that care for you. The kind that you need."

Cinder turned to the Altaria and shouted, "The only Pokemon I need is Dad!" Cinder inhaled a quick breath, and quickly exhaled, blowing out stars. The Altaria stumbled in surprise, and the Cyndaquil quickly curved right, effectively losing the dragon bird.

The Scyther then caught up to Cinder, and seemed to be closing in on the young Cyndaquil. "We don't want to have to use force, Cinder. Just come with us, and I promise, everything will be alright."

Cinder turned to the Scyther, still trying to escape. Tears welled up in the Cyndaquil's eyes. "Things won't be the same!"

"Things will never just be the same, Cinder. Sometimes things just have to change." The Scyther, still pursuing the Cyndaquil, looked to the grass, blowing in the intense winds. "Some things have to change…"

"Welcome to your new home, Cinder!" Clyde opened the door to his house.

The space wasn't very wide, and the furniture seemed like it can use some refurbishing. Piles of cans and plastic lay on the tables, and crumpled pieces of paper and foil were littered on the floors. "Sorry it's such a Tepig-sty, but please, make yourself feel at home."

Cinder entered the dirty house, looking for a place to sit. He found a half-eaten Pecha Berry Pie on the couch, and picked it up very carefully. He proceeded to throw it in the trash that was the floor behind said couch, and sat down. He looked around, the things catching his interest being a small-screen TV, a small cot in the corner of the room, and the empty kitchen behind him. "Nice place you got here."

Clyde sighed, and sat next to Cinder. "It's been a mess ever since last week."

"Why?" Cinder scooted closer to Clyde, obviously waiting for him to tell a story.

"Well, where do I begin? I used to have a kid of my own, little Froth. His name was suggested by my late wife." Cinder looked around, looking for any signs of a kid living in the house, but found nothing. Clyde took notice of this. "Sorry to disappoint you, but his things are gone." Clyde looked to his garbage-ridden floor. "A month ago, Froth was diagnosed with a horrendous disease without any cure… He died just last week." Clyde put his left hand on his head. "Ever since then, my life has turned upside down. I just can't seem to concentrate, and my money supply diminished harshly, so I had to move to this little hut, and things have just never been the same since."

Cinder put his head on Clyde's lap. "I'm sorry."

Clyde petted Cinder's head. "It's okay. Hopefully I'll have enough money to support us both."

Cinder smiled, and slept in this position. Clyde looked at the sleeping Cinder, at peace. "Maybe you will be able to fill the hole in my heart where Froth used to be…" Clyde put Cinder in the small cot, and turned out the lights. "Goodnight, Cinder." Clyde went to the couch, and shut his eyes, hoping for the best.

The Altaria caught up to the two, and Cinder sped up to try to lose them. Cinder noticed a cliff sitting in the direction he was running, and pressured his legs to halt. His body didn't seem to completely stop until he was at the very edge of the cliff. At the cliff, he noticed the waves were crashing onto the edge of the land, violently, and the skies above didn't seem to be letting up with the storm.

Cinder looked around to find an alternative route, but by that time, the Scyther and Altaria had caught up to him. The Cyndaquil faced the two, ready to strike if needed. I don't want to go back to that place.

"Hey, Clyde, ready?" Woody, the Scyther, walked into the house, expecting to only find Clyde on his bed looking at the ceiling. Instead, he found Clyde trying to make some breakfast in his kitchen for a young Cyndaquil. "Clyde?" Woody turned towards Clyde, very confused. "Who's this?"

Clyde turned to Cinder, who was still asleep in the cot. "That's Cinder. I found him in the woods yesterday. His parents are gone, so I decided to let him live with me."

Woody nodded. "Well, Clyde, are you ready for today?"

"…Today?"

"Yeah, you said you would go with me to find some rescue work. Remember?"

Clyde looked at Cinder. "Yeah, I remember, but…" Cinder shifted in the bed, still asleep.

"… Look, Clyde, it's okay if you have to stay to take care of this Cyndaquil, but I'm just concerned about your work ethic recently." Woody took a seat on the couch. "You are in need of some money, and if you keep just slouching around in your home, then you might end up on the streets." Woody then turned to the cot, where Cinder was sleeping. "And you might take him down with you as well."

A fire burned brightly above the stove, burning Clyde's meal, and Clyde scrambled to put it out. His breakfast a failure, Clyde put his kitchen tools down and joined Woody on the couch. "I know. But things are just different right now. I just need some time, and some money."

Woody sighed. "You know what." Clyde turned to the Scyther. "I'll get Terry to take care of Cinder for the day, and you and I are going to get you lots of money."

Clyde had a confused look on his face. "How are you going to do that?"

"Well…" Woody looked to the ground, concerned about his plans. "I have some money saved up, so I can get you some money for a new, bigger house and to support both you and Cinder for a while, and I suppose that you will do lots of rescue requests to pay me back, and–"

Clyde interrupted Woody. "I'm talking about getting Terry to take care of Cinder. She must be exhausted from her night work at the hospital." Clyde glanced back at Cinder, who was still asleep in the bed. "I'll do anything for this little guy, no matter how tough the work is."

Woody nodded. "Well, then, let's get you that money." Woody smiled, got up and walked towards the door.

"Wait, what about Cinder?" Clyde turned to face Cinder, worried.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Clyde got up and followed Woody. "He's your son, isn't he? He'll be fine." Woody smiled at Clyde, who smiled back.

The Scyther was broken out of his trance with stars flying past his head. He shook his head back to reality, and turned his attention back to the Cyndaquil.

"Cinder, we don't want to have to use force," the Scyther said, raising his blades.

"Please, just come back peacefully, and everything will be just fine." The Altaria tucked her wings to her side, showing that she won't hurt the Cyndaquil.

The Cyndaquil had no choice; it's either go back, fight, or jump. "I'm not going back." His flames lit up a deep and bright red, despite the harsh storm that should have blown the flames out as soon as they ignited. Cinder looked at his flames, scared, and scrambled to put them out. Cinder, get your act together. This is no time to be scared.

"Hey dad, guess what happened at school today!" Cinder entered the house, calling out for Clyde, excited to tell his dad about the good news. Woody followed Cinder into the house.

Ever since Woody gave Clyde the money, Clyde and Cinder moved into a new, clean house with new furniture and food in the fridge. Clyde had enrolled Cinder in the Safari Academy, a school teaching basic knowledge, like math and science, to little kids. It also has a gifted program, which Cinder is a part of, where they train young Pokemon to become rescuers (and also gives a scholarship to the school, meaning Clyde doesn't have to pay for school).

"What is it, son?" Clyde was sitting on the couch in the living room, and Cinder sat next to him, with Woody standing close by.

Woody decided to answer before Cinder could. "Your little Cinder here was nominated Student of the Year, and was promised early graduation. So he graduates tomorrow."

Clyde pet Cinder's head, who was pissed off at Woody. "That's great, son."

Cinder's smile came back. "Yeah, my instructor said that I was a very talented rescuer, and even told me that I might be able to achieve the Master Rank some day!"

Clyde's face turned worried. "Really?"

"Really!"

Clyde looked at Woody, and back at Cinder. "Hey, kid, why don't you go back to your room? You must have some things to take care of before graduation tomorrow."

Cinder nodded. "Okay. Are you still coming, dad?"

"Of course, son. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Cinder got up and rushed over to his room, excited to finish school the next day.

Woody sat down where Cinder was. "He's a good kid. You must be doing something right for once, Clyde."

"I know." Clyde looked down, his face turning more grim. "I don't think it would be wise to let him become a rescuer."

Woody looked at Clyde in disbelief. "Why?"

"I'm afraid the world out there is too dangerous for him, even if the instructor says that he's very strong. I don't want him to get hurt. Also…"

"Look, Clyde, if you're worried about that, then you don't need to worry. Cinder's fear of fire will make sure that his flames won't pop up often, so…"

Clyde glared at Woody. "But what about his fear of fire? Sure, he can handle himself when there is no fire, but what about when it ignites? He'll just look like a fool, and will never be taken seriously, especially since he's a Fire type."

"Don't worry, Clyde. Phobias like that will go away in time–"

"But what if it never goes away? And about that other thing… I fear that he'll be ostracized just because of that…"

Woody delicately put one of his arms behind Clyde's back. "Don't worry so much, Clyde. Cinder would do great at rescue work, you know this. Just tell him to not do anything too rash, and he'll be fine."

Clyde let out a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. I do worry too much. But he's not to start that stuff until he can form a rescue team. I think being in a group is wiser than being by yourself when starting out."

"Just like us?"

Clyde nodded. "Just like us."

Cinder was eavesdropping in on the conversation, looking at the pair through his barely-open door, his partially blue head giving him cover in his darkened room. "Don't worry, dad. I can take care of myself."

The Altaria stepped closer to Cinder. "Look, they will take good care of you. They will help and support you, just like Clyde did. They will love and nurture you, like you were their own son."

"They won't be able to replace Dad!"

The Scyther stepped closer. "No one will be able to replace your dad." The Scyther looked down, sad and upset. "Your dad was a great friend. No one will be able to replace him…"

"Hey Clyde, have you ever thought about telling Cinder the truth about his parents?"

Woody was over at Clyde's house, having some idle chitchat with Clyde. Cinder was in his room, presumably sleeping.

"I'm not sure, Woody. At first, I didn't want to hurt him, but now… I'm just afraid that he won't trust me anymore."

Cinder was looking through his door again, eavesdropping on the conversation, listening to the truth he never knew about.

"Look, Woody. I just think that telling Cinder that his parents died in that forest fire would hurt him so much, especially since I have been telling him his parents just left."

"But Clyde, if he is never told the truth, wouldn't he start wondering where his real parents are?"

Clyde started fumbling around with his hands. "You're right. I'm just afraid that he'll prefer to have another dad instead of me to take care of him, and even more scared that he'll just reject me and leave." Clyde looked over to Cinder's room, unaware that Cinder was listening in on them. "I don't know what to do, Woody. Either way, I'm scared Cinder will prefer another father over me."

Woody patted Clyde's head with the flat part of his left blade. "Look, Clyde, you have to tell him, and hope for the best. Don't you think Cinder is old enough to handle the truth and understand?"

Clyde nodded. "But what if he isn't ready? What if he hates me?"

"He won't. You are his father. That will never change. Is it possible that you are the one not ready to tell him?"

Clyde put his hand on his forehead. "I don't know. It's possible. I just don't want to lose him."

"You won't, Clyde. It'll be alright." Woody turned to Cinder's room. "Right, Cinder?"

Clyde, confused, turned back to Cinder's room, where Cinder reluctantly walked out, shocked that he was discovered, despite doing this so many times. "Have you been listening, Cinder?" Cinder nodded. "Look, Cinder, I'm so sorry I lied to you all this time, but it's just that…" As Clyde paused, Cinder hugged him.

"You will always be my dad. I know you were just concerned for me, and I know that. I won't want another dad, no matter what happens between us."

Clyde smiled. "Thanks, Cinder. That is the best possible answer you could give me." Clyde hugged Cinder back, and Woody looked happily at the family bonding moment occurring in front of him.

Cinder stepped backwards, almost slipping into the crashing waters below. The storm seemed to have caused the seas to become violent, and it seemed as if Cinder would be instantly crushed by the waves should he fall.

The Scyther and Altaria walked closer towards the Cyndaquil. "Please, come back with us. We promise everything will be alright." The Altaria extended her wing towards Cinder.

Cinder glanced down the cliff, and breathed deeply. "Sorry, dad." Cinder stepped backwards, praying for everything to be over.

"Thanks for letting me go with you on this rescue mission, dad!" It's been a while since Cinder graduated from the Safari Academy, and Clyde finally agreed to let Cinder accompany him on a rescue.

"Well, I thought that, since you loved this kind of stuff, that you'd love to come along." Clyde smiled. They were going to Shimmering Beach to deal with some missing Pokemon quest. They were traveling through some woods, and Clyde promised to take Cinder to a secret spot.

"Are we there yet?" Cinder complained.

"Almost." Clyde looked at his Wonder Map. "Should be coming up very soon."

"There! Light!" Cinder pointed forward, to the direction of the light. "Is that it?"

Clyde looked ahead. "Of course it is, Cinder. It's right there."

Cinder sprinted forward, excited to find what Clyde had been looking forward to showing him. He exited the forest, and ended up on a cliff side.

"Woah." Cinder was awestruck. The sun sparkled in the clear, blue sky, and the ocean glistened with the sunlight shining on its waters. Wingull flew in the air, peacefully, and the ocean seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon. "It's beautiful."

Clyde caught up to Cinder, and looked at the view with him. "Of course it is."

Cinder looked up at Clyde. "Hey, dad?" Clyde turned to face his son. "Will we be together forever?"

"Well, forever is a long time, Cinder."

"But will we be together for a long time?"

Clyde paused before answering. "Of course, Cinder."

"Promise?" Cinder held his hand out.

Clyde nodded and grabbed Cinder's hand. "Promise."

"Wait, Cinder!" The Scyther rushed to grab Cinder as he started to fall off the cliff, but was not fast enough to catch the falling Cyndaquil. The Scyther froze as he watched Cinder fall off the cliff, astonished and heartbroken.

"Woody…" The Altaria walked up to the Scyther, and rubbed his back. "We did our best. It's okay."

"No, Terry. It's not okay." The Scyther walked away from the cliff, still shocked from the event that just occurred. "Clyde trusted us with Cinder, and look at what happened!" Woody's voice seemed to have gotten louder, and angrier. "I've failed my best friend…" Woody sank his blades deep into the ground and kept slashing at the mud, frustrated, crying.

Terry patted Woody's back. "Let's go back, Woody. The storm is getting worse. We might get sick if we keep standing here."

Terry's words seemed to have calmed the Scyther down. Woody nodded, and got back up, prepared to go back with his friend, both of them convinced that Cinder had fallen to his demise.

"I'm sorry, Clyde. I failed you."

Author's Note

Sorry if this seems kind of... bad, but I just started, so if you could please leave some suggestions for me in your reviews to make my writing better, that would be appreciated.

Also, about that letter near the beginning, I have no idea what to put in for the missing letters. The letter is supposed to be burnt, so I had difficulty with deciding how to display that.

Anyways, thanks for taking time and, you know actually bother to read my story. I hope that, as time goes on, my writing will seem to improve.

...I might come back to edit some stuff here, in the beginning, later, though.