Hey. Are you okay?

H-Huh? Who's-?

Oh! You can hear me! I've waited so long to hear your voice..

…

It's all right, Kro.

!

We are in your mind, well sort of. I'm not really even supposed to be talking to you right now. But...I had to tell you. You are in danger.

WHAT?

Don't panic! I will protect you, but you will have to get strong on your own. We aren't as strong as we once were.

I-I have no idea what you are-

I have to go. Goodbye old friend…

WAIT-!

The sudden jump from the bulbasaur earned a yelp from the pink mudkip, who had been carefully dressing their head wound. Though the surprise quickly wore off when Nuyt saw the fear in the patient's eyes. "Oh geez! Hey, it's okay!"

This however didn't really seem to comfort the distressed pokemon. But when the bulbasaur tried to stand up, they only made it a few inches off the ground before falling back onto the grass nest.

"H-Hey! Don't move too much!" the pup insisted, applying pressure to the bandages in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The bulbasaur growled anxiously, pain clouding their conscious as tears welled in their bi-colored irises. "I-I know, just gotta make sure everything stays clean…"

After about half a minute-which felt like an hour to the cub-mudkip finally pulled his paws off their head. Bulbasaur panted heavily, claws dulling with every nervous drag against the wood floor. But they were brought back to the present by the shiny pokemon nudging a pristine apple in front of their nose.

Tight pupils stared at the apple for a good minute before finally rounding out to stare hopefully towards the pup. Nuyt gestured with his paw, a nervous smile on his face the whole time.

The bulbasaur stayed still for the longest time, gaze locked on the fruit as if trying to decide whether it was worth the risk. Though, one growl from their belly was all it took for the pokemon to take a big bite out of the Perfect Apple. A pale-pink tongue lapped over the their maw as they tried to get every drop of juice.

"See? It's pretty good huh?" The mudkip asked, tail wagging behind him as he sat in front of the other. The bulbasaur nodded, pawing at their head to relieve an itch. Only to pause when they heard the rattle of metal, one look was all it took for it to click.

They were wearing a shackle.

"Oh, hey don't worry about that!" The water pup interjected, fidgeting a bit in place as if fighting the urge to directly intervene. He had to be gentle with a patient in such a fragile state.

"Nuyt? Child please keep your voice down." The deep voice nearly shook the ground, just the weight was enough to put the patient on high alert. And things only got worse as the massive figure showed up in the doorway. Even bent down, the mountain pokemon blotted out what little sunlight came through the windows.

Though the shiny mudkip wasn't really affected by the monster's presence, a big ol' grin on his face as he spun around to face Gigalith. "It's okay, Giga. They're awake!"

This seemed to catch Gigalith off guard; but the second he caught sight of the wide-eyed bulbasaur, the shock melted away to instead switch to unwavering compassion. "I'm sorry, child. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Luckily he was not alone in this front; Nuyt swiftly bounced over to the other child, sporting an inviting smile. "It's alright! That's just Gigalith, he's the bestest healer in the whole world!"

A timid laugh echoed from the rock monster's throat, "Oh, Nuyt. I wish that were true."

"It is, though?" Nuyt replied quickly, the hearty laugh from Gigalith was enough to get a hiccupy giggle from the bulbasaur.

"C'mon, Kro!" The excited yap of the mudkip caught the attention of a small group of children, they had been talking amongst themselves in the middle of the village.

The striped bulbasaur followed Nuyt out from the small hut, the bandage on their head only there to keep the wound clean; otherwise they were simply in the rehilbiltation stage. Which was pretty amazing considering they were a day ahead of Gigalith's estimate, though neither Nuyt or Gigalith would look a gift Rapidash in the mouth.

The four waiting kids approached the pair, one trailing behind the rest. Venipede was the first to speak, "Hey, you're pretty cool!" he chirped while Ponyta sniffed at Kro's head curiously.

"I know right? Kro is the coolest!" Nuyt grinned proudly, rudder tail swishing behind him while Kro allowed Ponyta to get a good sense of their scent. They had been told that they had a pleasant smell, so it only seemed polite to share.

Though, their attention was quickly pulled from the three new pokemon when they saw a small Poochyena behind the ranks. The canine pokemon pawed idly at the grass, staring past the ground in a distant manner.

"Well, we'll have to sssee if they can keep up! Ready for a rematch?" Ekans prompted as he presented a worn cloth on his rattle.

"Hey! It's my turn to start!" Venipede interrupted.

"You guys, it doesn't matter y'know. Cause I'm gonna win either way." Ponyta chuckled, raising a hoof in front of her chest with a confident grin.

"I think Kro should start, it's their first time after all." Nuyt stated, earning a reluctant nod from the others. "Okay, Kro. You ready to pl-huh?" he whined in confusion when he looked to his side and found that the bulbasaur wasn't there anymore.

"O-O-Oh! I-I'm so-s-sorry!" All four kids looked towards the source of the stuttering, and were all silent for a moment while watching Kro observe Poochyena. "I-I d-d-didn't see you th-there, I-I…"

Kro hesitated at first, but then they rested their paw on top of the pup's. Poochyena looked up to the bulbasaur in sheer fear, but then that worry melted away and he sniffled softly. Kro offered a gentle smile to Poochyena, which led to the pup giggling anxiously. "T-Thank you…"

Kro turned their head towards Nuyt, appearing guilty. Though the young healer simply nodded before speaking back up, "Okay guys, we're down two players. But that's okay! Ponyta can be on my team."

"H-Hey! Don't leave me with that snake!" Venipede squealed indignantly, which earned laughs from the other three kids.

Meanwhile, Kro sat next to Poochyena. And there they stayed while Nuyt and the other kids played a game they called Goalie.

It was a little confusing for Kro, but all they really cared about was keeping an eye on Nuyt. This was the first time they had seen the mudkip in action, and honestly they were pretty impressed. Nuyt was really fast, like almost on par with Ponyta. Though his turns were much sloppier, as evident when he went for the scarf but kept skidding regardless of the fact that Ekans-and the scarf-were already on the other side of the square.

Ekans cackled while Nuyt shook off the dirt from his skin, "Still as sloppy as ever! C'mon, dig your tiny paws in and let's get goi-HEY!" Ekans shrieked when Ponyta swiped the scarf from his grasp.

"You should stop gloating, and focus on winning!" The equine called back, only just avoiding trampling Venipede when the bug tried to trip her. Though it looked as if things weren't going to be that easy.

"Yeah! Bring it over here, Ponyta!" Nuyt barked excitedly, running after his teammate with renewed vigour.

As the kids played, Kro noticed two figures out of the corner of their eye. It was two pokemon they didn't recognize, and all that initially registered was the color of one of them. A pale green.

"W-Wow, Nuyt is p-pretty good. I t-think he might a-actually w-win. How b-bout you K-Kr-K-Kro?" Poochyena shivered when he saw the distant look in the grass pokemon's eyes. He followed their gaze, preparing himself to see something terrifying. But he was baffled to just see Scyther and Lucario. "K-Kro, that's just S-Scyther and Lucario. I-I mean, Scyther's k-kinda grumpy b-but…"

Kro's whole body started to shudder, they took a few steps back before finally bolting the opposite direction. The voices of the other children becoming drowned out by a distant chanting.

This was not good, the forest was a dangerous place that only got worse the further in you went. Only the brave entered such a place alone. Or someone running from the shadows.

Thankfully, Gigalith was quick to come to his charge's aid. Nuyt had bolted after the bulbasaur the second they'd ran, and it was good that Ponyta has the foresight to alert the healer. The small pup wasn't alone for more than a minute before the massive pokemon caught up to him. "Nuyt! Slow down!"

Though the mudkip wasn't going to be persuaded, his friend was out in the very forest that had nearly killed them a few days prior. There was no way he'd stop until he found them.

Gigalith slowed his own pace, if Kro was nearby he didn't want to jar them with his thunderous steps. Nuyt was used to it, able to jump with the rhythm rather than stay there and ride with the trembling earth. But with Kro's head injury, he couldn't risk harming them unintentionally.

The healer scanned the surrounding area, his head jumping back towards Nuyt when his tail thumped lightly on the dirt. Gigalith approached his apprentice slowly, knowing full well what the gentle thump meant.

Nuyt didn't want to startle them.

Gigalith's eyes widened as he saw the missing bulbasaur, their back to the duo. The trembling in their legs practically broke his heart. But that pain was dulled with the swelling pride for Nuyt, who was slowly inching towards Kro on his belly.

A soft chirp left Nuyt's mouth as he tilted his head towards his shivering companion. Kro's head snapped to the sound, but their anxiety faded slowly as Nuyt whispered comfortingly to them. Within a few minutes, Kro pressed their forehead against Nuyt's. Tears streaming down their face while Nuyt purred gently.

Gigalith allowed the two some privacy, Nuyt was best suited for this kind of thing. Ever since they'd found Kro, the young mudkip hadn't so much as left their side. And while Kro is appreciative of Gigalith too; it wasn't until he would leave the hut that he'd hear their weak voice talking to Nuyt.

There was something growing between the two children, and honestly Gigalith was glad. Everyone needs someone they can trust, he would know that better than anyone.

A half-hour passed before the trio made their way home, both children set up between the healer's front feet for protection. It was more of a comfort thing, to put something between Kro and whatever startled them.

Nuyt walked beside his friend, offering his shoulder should they need the support. But Kro was more tired than anything, every little step made their eyelids heavier. They went as far as they could before finally collapsing, "G-Giga!"

The healer froze, backing up to see what had happened. One look at his charge and he nodded; Gigalith lowered his head and gently slipped his maw over Kro's body. Once he had a good grip on them, he walked the rest of the way home. Nuyt trotted beside his mentor, soft blue eyes staring up at his passed out companion with a small whine.

What had scared them so badly?

Well, there's the second chapter for ya! As before, fair reviews appreciated! Plus those reviews will help keep this story going, as it fuels my drive to continue writing!