Now...
Ember watched the gate with worried eyes. He kept telling himself everyday that his father would come back any day now. Everyday at noon, he'd wait for Fire-Heart, and his little heart would grow heavier and heavier with grief.
A Stoutland padded up next to him and sat down, looking down at the Cyndaquil with sympathy. "Laddie... ye know that yer dad will come home..."
"I know, Auntie Hilda." He looked up at her. "But he said he'd be back months ago..."
"Well, go play wit' yer friends! Ye can't waste yer life just moping about! Yer dad would have a fit if he knew I let Ye do this kinda thing!" She nudged him away from the gate with her nose, tickling him a little with her beard. "Get goin', boy, a'fore I decide to ground ye!"
The Cyndaquil huffed at his caretaker before he ran off. She was a very nice Pokémon, but boy! could she be harsh when she wanted. He went to the playground to go meet up with his friends Yen and Gregory. They usually hung out there around this time.
On the playground, a Deino was chasing a Meowth around the jungle gym. The cat Pokémon was laughing as she ran over equipment. "Can't catch me, Gregory!"
"No fair!" Gregory whined, pawing at the ladder. "You know I can't climb well!" He turned to look over at Ember and grinned. "Ember! Come help me catch her! She's cheating!"
"Am not! Don't believe a word he says!" Yen swat at the Deino below her through the bars. "He's just sore that he can't climb!"
The Cyndaquil giggled, hopping onto Gregory's back and using him to propel himself onto the landing next to Yen. The Meowth yow led and ran from him, and he chased her all the way to the slide. Gregory ran around to the bottom of the slide and tried to climb up to meet them. Ember pushed Yen down the slide and slid after her, both of them crashing into the Deino at the bottom, ending up in a giggling pile on the ground.
They stopped when a mail Pelliper flew overhead and landed on a fence post. Hilda talked to it and received a letter before it flew away to deliver other packages. As she read the letter, the kids could see her face change from stern to grieving.
She ran over to them and put the letter away, trying to hold back tears. "Ember, we got a letter... its about yer father..."
He wiggled out of the pile and looked up at her with wide eyes. "We got a letter from dad?! What's it say? How is he?"
"No, sweetheart..." She pulled him close. "The Rescue Team Organization sent us a letter... we should go inside to talk about this..."
"Can we come?" Gregory asked her, waddling up next to the Stoutland. Yen followed him.
"Of... of course. Come along." She led the kids to her home, the three behind her looking at each other in concern and worry.