"And over there is the school you and Zorua will be attending..."
The day was sunny and bright, the trees towering above providing dad and I with shade as we walked along a seemingly never ending path. The scenery was hard to explain, but it almost seemed as though it could only force one specific emotion into anyone. Joy. The grass was bright green with a bright reflection of the suns rays causing each blade to sparkle. If the sun had a face, it would definitely be smiling down on everyone. I could only place one word to describe this world. Perfect.
No pollution, no gray buildings, no smell of cigarette smoke, nothing that could ruin this scenery existed. I couldn't get over how this world could not look any better. Civilization was just naturally better at keeping their planet clean I suppose.
"Hey dad?" I started after he finished speaking.
"Yes, Damian?" he replied.
"Everything here... Is it all like this...?"
"Like what?" asked Lucario.
I gestured my arms in a swimming motion, pointing to the whole planet in the process as I said the word, "Perfect."
Dad was amused by the question, that much was obvious. His grin said it all.
"I've never seen the whole world, son. I honestly couldn't tell ya," he replied, "there's a small town on the left up here called, Emilia Town. It's home to many of the parents and their children. The mayor, Loudred, happens to be a good friend of mine from school."
I looked at the exterior of the town. There was a sign that read, "Amelia Town" and under that text was, "Home to the Milotic Lake". I shrugged and continued walking.
Dad showed me a lot that day. Along the way he shared some stories of friends and taught me the names of different Pokemon and taught me more about types, occasionally interrupting himself to tell me where we are. Our walk was almost finished as we were merely a mile from home, until...
"Lucario!" someone with a very gritty voice exclaimed.
I turned around, and dad did the same. Dad sighed as though frustrated.
"Damian, let me take care of this okay? Just sick behind me."
"What's wrong-"
"Just... Stay behind me okay? This guy always wants to cause trouble."
I looked at the guy dad was referring to, and I quivered. This guy was huge. Towering over dad I by at least ten feet. He was light green with a body shaped similar to that of a gator that stood on two legs.
"What is it Tyranitar?" dad snarled.
The guy simply scoffed.
"Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"
"Friends of mine don't criticize my son. And definitely don't raise a hand to him. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back home now."
Dad whirled my direction, placing a paw on my shoulder directing me to follow.
"You're never gonna let this go are ya? That's what you're best at Lucario! Grudges! I hope your other son there doesn't turn out to be a criminal!"
"Don't mind him, Damian. He's just a complete jerk," dad muttered.
"What's his problem?" I asked.
Dad looked down at me, "Let's just say this. He, or any one for that matter, will not raise a hand or criticize my sons. He pulled both on Zorua and I... I can't say I'm proud of it, but... I fought him and that's that. I'm not going to minimize my action by saying it was right, but no one raises a hand to my child- er, children."
The only thought in my mind was, 'Dad fought that guy?'
"Anyways, we're almost home. Anything else you wanna talk about before we're home?"
"Just one thing... Umm..." I wasn't sure how to word this precisely. There was no correct way of saying it.
"Why did you bring me here?" I blurted.
Dad made a face.
"You didn't have to go on the walk if that's what you m-"
"No. That's not what I meant... Why did you save me? You didn't even know me at all and... You just went out of your way and... Why me?" I interrupted.
His eyes widened at the question, and we suddenly stopped walking. Dad looked down at me, then knelt down to where we could meet eyes.
"Why wouldn't I have saved you is a better question? Damian, you were a child fighting to survive, fighting to eat scraps of food, fighting... No child should EVER have to fight for their lives, especially after what you've been through. I've seen many messed up characters on your planet, but you were the one I found most worth out of saving. You have the potential to do something great kiddo, I believe in you. I love you, son. No matter what."
I felt a warm feeling my chest. This is what love felt like. To be cared for. I didn't know if I wanted to smile or cry. So I made a mix of both. I lunged for my father and hugged him tight, tears dropping down my face, short sobs following the maneuver. He wrapped his arms around me, patting my back.
"Th-thank you... Dad..." I cried.
"You don't need to thank me, son. I didn't have a choice in the matter. If I would've letcha get kidnapped or whatever those guys had planned for you, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. And this definitely wasn't because I had to. It was because I wanted to. You're my son now, and you don't need to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you."
"W-why?" I sniffled.
"Because" he started, "no matter what, you'll always be an amazing son. I can tell that."
He seemed as though he had to make something up to tell my why, but I didn't care. It was still nice of him to say.
He let me go, and I wiped my nose with my arm. My fur tickling my nostrils as I did so.
"Sorry... I gotta stop doing that..." I sniffled.
Dad planted his paw on my shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry about it," dad said softly, "if you ever need anything, even a hug, we're here for you."
I felt that warmth inside again, the feeling I never felt on Earth. Every time it appeared, my heart seemed to beat faster. My breath became heavier. It was the feeling of being loved.
My father stood up and shook his right paw through the fur atop my head playfully.
"We're almost home. Race ya there?" he challenged with a smirk.
"Race?" I asked sheepishly.
"Yeah! First one to the house wins," it was then without warning that dad said the words, "Ready. Set. Go!"
Not reacting as quickly as I thought I would, dad got a head start on me, but not too far. I swiftly obtained balance and sprinted faster than I ever could have imagined. This speed was incredible, unlike anything imaginable. I almost felt like I was flying, as the wind rushed through my fur with each soft thump of my paws hitting the ground one by one. I passed my father without notice and in no time at all I made it to the finish line. Home. My eagerness to win got the best of me, however, as I didn't slow down and I nearly slammed into Zorua.
Zorua shrieked and closed his eyes in fear of being trampled, but in the knick of time I was grabbed by a set of tender paws. As I noticed the figure as mom, she whirled me around once and dropped me on the ground gently beside Zorua.
"Let me guess... You're father wanted to race, right?" she asked with a face that was between worried and hysterical.
Zorua's tension eased as he sighed with relief.
"It was my fault Zo, you can scold me instead," dad laughed as he kissed mom on the cheek.
"Zo hunh? Been a while since you called me that..." she said, kissing dad on the cheek now.
"Yuck... We're still here..." Zorua griped, putting one paw in front of his eyes.
They laughed and set their gaze to Zorua, "You think this is all gross now, but wait till you meet that special someone, Zorua. You'll be doing the same thing," dad said, his eyes shifting back to mom.
Zorua made a sound of disgust.
"Come on, Damian. Let's get inside before I get too grossed out to think straight."
I chuckled to myself and followed Zorua inside.
The rest of the evening was pleasing. Mom made another batch of poffins for the family, Zorua and I played inside a little bit, and eventually it was time for bed.
My bedroom, well mine and Zorua's bedroom, consisted of two beds, a toy chest in the corner wall, a waterfall leading into a sink like structure which made a soothing as it fell down the interior of the mountain, and a flame lit lantern on the ceiling illuminated the room.
I yawned as I lay in my soft bed, wrapped in the comforting fabric of the blanket. Zorua was in the bed on the other side of the room, and with a yawn, he lay his body down, and then rest his head between his forelegs.
I then noticed mom walk into our room. She blew out the lantern, making the room dark and visibility became near impossible. I could feel the thick fur of moms arm as she planted a paw on my forehead and moved it atop my head, pressing down my ears. With that maneuver, I then felt a kiss on my forehead.
"Good night, Damian," she muttered softly.
I had the instinct to reach my arms out and hug her tight. She seemed surprised by the move, but she gladly obliged to it. Mom leaned in and wrapped one arm around me, pulling me close.
"Good night, mom," I muttered as my face remain buried beneath the fur in her shoulder.
In little time, I released her and I lay back down in my bed, continuing to watch mom as she moved across the room to say good night to Zorua.
Mom then went to our doorway and stood beside our father, "Good night boys. We love you both," he said.
"Love you too," Zorua and I both said simultaneously.
And with that, mom and dad were off to their own bedroom, leaving Zorua and I in the pitch black but with the safety of our beds.
"Hey Damian?" I could hear Zorua whisper.
Struggling to stay awake already, I replied, "Hmm?"
"Tomorrow we're gonna go to school. I can help ya make some friends while we're there," he murmured across the room.
"Okay... Sounds cool... Thanks..." And with those final words, I drifted off to sleep.
AUTHORS NOTES:
There it is guys! Sorry it took so long. I've been working a lot on Deceitful lately and nearly forgot about this little project. :0 So Damian is finding comfort in his new home, but how long will it be before Damian discovers more about Zorua's pranking habits? Will he fall into it, or will he take justice in the matter? Find out next time on... Ohh yeah, it's not a TV show. Just read the next chapter, review this one and I'll love you forever! :^D
