Deean woke up the next morning, tired and sore. He briefly looked around, wondering where he was, when the previous days events hit him like a tidal wave. He choked up briefly but swallowed back tears.
Deean slowly set his daughter down, who had been sleeping against him. He was still a Pidgeot, but luckily his soft feathers didn't disturb her as she was moved. He stood up, and turned into a Lucario. Deean closed his eyes, and let his aura abilities inspect his surroundings. No one was near except a few wandering Bidoof and Starly.
Deean watched his daughter sleep for a while, and then turned into his normal self.
"Hey. Kiddo, hey, wake up." Deean said softly, nudging the Poliwag. She groaned, and slowly sat up.
"Where… where am I?" She asked suddenly, after taking a quick look around. She jumped to her feet, and started breathing heavily.
"Relax, kiddo. Your safe. I'm your daddy. Do you remember me? I took you out of the nursery."
"That wasn't you, that was a big monster!" His daughter backed up slowly.
"No, it's okay. I was that monster. Er, I can change into that monster. Do you trust me?"
The little Poliwag eyed him suspiciously, but nodded slowly. Deean took a step back, and turned into the Kangaskhan again. His daughter yelped, and backed off slowly.
"No, it's fine!" He quickly changed back, and rushed towards her. "I'm a Ditto, we change shapes, it's okay!" He hugged his shaking daughter tightly, as she breathed heavily. "How about if I don't change into that one again, okay? Will you calm down?"
The little Poliwag swallowed, and nodded, tears still in her eyes. Deean smiled.
"Atta girl… wait, what's your name?" Deean asked suddenly. He had just realized Slippy never told him their daughter's name. Then he realized, she probably hadn't even come up with one. Most of the parents of pokemon who had been bred didn't name their children until they were sure their trainer was keeping them. It prevented heartbreak by not becoming attached. Deean snapped back to reality, as he noticed the little Poliwag was about to start crying again.
"No, no! It's okay, we'll give you a name, all right? One you like. How about Bubbles?" he spoke softly, holding her close and smiling gently. To his surprise, the little girl rejected the name by shaking her head. "No!" she cried.
"Um…Do you like Aqua? Or Aura?"
"No! Those names are silly!" His daughter had stepped away from him, a glint in her eye, challenging him.
Deean tried to think of more names. "Lily? Poli? I don't know… Suzy?"
The little poliwag continued to shake her head, but she gave Deean a look that said "really?" at his last suggestion. "Come on daddy, think harder!" she laughed at him.
She can be rather spunky, when she isn't crying, Deean thought. That gave him an idea. "What about… Hydra?"
His daughter mulled it over briefly, and then nodded enthusiastically. "Hydra, Hydra, I'm Hydra!" She said, dancing around.
It's an odd name for a Poliwag, but I suppose she'll grow into it, Deean said to himself, watching the hyperactive little water type run about.
He was about to tell her they needed to find some shelter, when he heard the sound of crying. More crying? He thought.
"Hydra, settle down, tell me what you hear."
Hydra stopped running around, and listened carefully. "Someone sounds sad…" she whispered. "I'll cheer them up!" she exclaimed, and ran into the bushes towards the source of the sound.
"No, wait! Stop!" Deean shouted, but it was too late. He quickly turned into a Mightyena, and used Odor Sleuth, to follow Hydra's scent. He caught up to her in a clearing, where she was looking up at a human girl.
"Get back!" Deean shouted, and rushed forward, grabbing Hydra by the tail. He pulled her back, and took a defensive stance in front of her, growling slightly. This scared the girl right of crying, which she had been doing moments before, if her puffy red eyes were anything to go by.
The girl appeared to be young. She was wearing a lime green dress, and no shoes. Her hair was black, and ran a little past her shoulders. She cowered in front of Deean, who was still growling, a eyeing her with malice. But to both of their surprise, Hydra, slapped Deean's paw with her tail, and walked in front of him.
"Daddy stop it! You're scaring her!"
"Honey, she's a human. They can't be trusted. For all we know, this is a trap. Now get behind me!"
Hydra responded by sticking out her tongue, and turning back towards the human. The girl had understood nothing of the short exchange, but she understood that Hydra was a friend. Hydra nuzzled her arm, and the girl giggled, momentarily forgetting about Deean. She picked up Hydra, and hugged her close.
"See daddy? She's nice! I like her."
Deean sighed, and sat down. Perhaps he had been quick to judge. This girl appeared to be about five years of age. Surely she wasn't a threat?
Deean turned into an Alakazam, and reached out towards the girl with his mind. "What's your name?" he asked.
The girl whipped her head around, looking for the voice she didn't realize was in her head. "Wh-where are you?" she yelped, hugging a confused Hydra closer.
"I'm right in front of you. The one with the spoons." Deean sighed, face-palming.
"Oh…" the little girl said. "What happened to the scary pokemon?"
"I was the scary pokemon. I can change forms. Now please, what's your name?"
"Daddy, who is she talking to?"
"Me honey, please be quiet. We're talking."
"Ooh, really? Can you tell her what I'm saying? Tell her she's my best friend!"
"Hydra, you just met her. What's your name?"
"Vicky."
"Hello Vicky. I'm Deean, and this is Hydra."
"Did you tell her?"
"No! I told you, you just met her!"
"I don't care!"
"Excuse me, what is Hydra saying?"
"That you're her best friend! Are you happy now, Hydra?"
"Not really, no. You're yelling."
After this continued on for a while, Deean just spoke in his mind to Vicky, and to Hydra in poke-speak at the same time. When Hydra spoke, Deean agreed to translate word for word.
"Now that we can all understand each other, I have some questions. Vicky… where are your parents? Why are you alone in the woods?"
Tears came to Vicky's eyes. "The bad people hurt them…" she whispered.
"What?" Deean asked, concerned.
"The bad people! With the drawings on their wrists! Th-they came into our house. Daddy tried to st-stop them, but th-they hit him. M-mommy took me and r-ran, but they…they…" Vicky burst out into tears. Hydra cuddled up to her, a frown on her face. "Why?" she asked solemnly.
"Th-they said daddy d-didn't pay up…they b-brought me h-here… and left me… I'm hungry…" she said between sobs.
Deean was thinking hard. This little girl was so terrified, so lonely, there was no way she was a threat. With that realization, Deean decided to do everything in his power to help her.
"The drawings on their wrists… what did they look like?" Deean asked, hoping to gain a clue.
"L-like thorns… th-they were bl-black…
Black thorns? Didn't Niko and Bruce have black thorn tatoos? Deean figured that it was no coincidence. The two had to have been involved somehow. Deean turned into a Blissey, and held Vicky's face in his hands. "Don't worry, Vicky. I'll find who did this. And I'll make sure they never hurt anyone again."