Wolf's ears were met with the excited giggles and cheers of the baby Pokémon around him. A few more days had passed since Vulpix's arrival, adding up to a full week now. The fox Pokémon was up and about now, his bruises hardly bothering him. His paw was also starting to get a feel for applying pressure on it, even if it wasn't much. Darmanitan and Kangaskhan had also allowed the baby Pokémon as well as Kiara and Wolf to start going outside again since there had no sign of the men for quite some time. Now, Kiara and the baby Pokémon played gleefully inside and outside the den. There were no chores that needed to be done that day, so even Kangaskhan and Darmanitan were seemingly relaxed.
The young girl was peering around Kangaskhan as the parent Pokémon set up meals for everyone in her hand-made wooden and stone bowls. "Hey Mama, do we ever need the rotten berries for anything?" she asked suddenly, blinking her violet eyes up at her.
"Hmm…Well the ripe yet mushy berries I use to feed the young baby Pokémon since they can't eat hard berries yet, but the rotten ones? I think all I ever do is throw them away. Why dear?" Kangaskhan answered, turning her broad head to face Kiara.
"Well, I wanted to use them for something, but I wanted to make sure you didn't need them first," Kiara mumbled in response. "Can I use them then? Oh, and I need a bowl too if you don't mind," she requested politely with a dip of her head.
Kangaskhan gave the young girl an inquiring look but didn't question her motives. "Alright…Well, the rotten berries that I haven't thrown out yet are over there," she pointed to a pile of berries separated from the ripe ones a little ways away from where they were located. Handing Kiara a spare bowl, she went back to her work.
Wolf eyed Kiara curiously as she quickly headed over to the rotten berries, a few of the baby Pokémon following behind her, these including Pichu, Togepi, Plusle and Minun, and Igglybuff. She also snatched a few ripe berries from a different pile when the parent Pokémon wasn't looking. Situating herself by the cavern wall, she tossed the ripe berries into the bowl before reaching for the rotten ones in the pile next to her. Once those were in the bowl as well, she grabbed one of the neatly carved rounded utensils Kangaskhan had in her den. Using it, she began to mash the berries together, turning them into a goop. What is she doing? Wolf wondered with a raised brow as he began cleaning up his nest while he watched.
Kiara placed the rounded, wooden utensil to the side once she was finished. "Look, paint!" she tipped the bowl of mush towards the baby Pokémon around her so they could see. She placed it back down before gazing around, as if looking for something. "No brush…Oh well, we'll just have to finger-paint!" she giggled as she dipped her fingers into the gooey, smashed berries, the tips of them now a dark blue since the berries she had been using were Chesto berries. Turning to the cavern wall, she began to draw pictures onto it using her navy fingers, though Wolf was too far away to see exactly what of.
The baby Pokémon watched her in awe for a moment before quickly joining in, tussling around the bowl to reach the "paint." Igglybuff was among the first, floating up a bit before tapping his little paws against the cavern wall, trying to mimic Kiara's actions. The other Pokémon did the same, though they remained on the ground as they scribbled across the rock gleefully.
Kiara let out a joyful laugh at seeing the baby Pokémon enjoying the new toy she had made for them. "Yeah, that's it! We're all going to be great artists one day!" she cheered. The young girl then turned in Wolf's direction. "Come play with us!" she called encouragingly.
Wolf didn't hesitate to shake his head in response. "No thanks," he answered, his mind on other subjects. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated to enjoy something so carefree with Kiara, but he still wanted to get close to Vulpix. Now that the fox Pokémon was out and about, it would probably be easier to play games and get closer with him than before.
Kiara however looked a tad hurt by his answer before her eyes narrowed in contempt. "You're no fun!" she hissed before turning her head away and continuing her painting with the Pokémon situated around her.
Wolf sighed, not at all surprised by Kiara's reaction. After all, he had hardly spoken to her since they had arrived at Kangaskhan's den, though he hadn't meant for that to happen. The young boy had probably brought her hopes up the other day after he had given his thanks to Kangaskhan, but he still had managed to unintentionally avoid her. She was just always with the baby Pokémon at first, so he didn't want to be around her when she was with them. Now that he's accepted being with them, he wanted to get close to Vulpix and perhaps make him stay in the den with the rest of them. Turning away, he headed for the den's exit, where he had seen the hesitant Vulpix step through earlier that day, encouraged by Cleffa and Teddiursa.
As the young boy pushed his way through the lichen, he immediately saw Vulpix and the two Pokémon situated in the grassy clearing. There was a light, cool breeze in the air, and Wolf relished it on such a warm summer day. He heard the leaves of the deciduous trees around them rustling in the gentle wind. Everything seemed peaceful. Even though he had been frightened his first day leaving the orphanage, it felt marvelous to be surrounded by fresh air and nature once again. His eyes wandered about the clearing, spotting other baby Pokémon also enjoying the lovely day. Darmanitan was also basking in the sunlight next to the den's outer rock wall, his eyes shut in repose as he lay amongst its warmth. However he noticed that the fox Pokémon seemed very anxious, even from far away, as his fur was raised off his shoulders and his ears were perked. It was obvious that unlike the others he had not forgotten the men that had oh so recently tried to capture him.
Wolf walked over to Vulpix, who was watching as Teddiursa and Cleffa seemed to be showing him how to play hide and seek. The star shape Pokémon had scampered off to hide behind one of the trees while the little bear Pokémon covered his eyes with his paws and said things in Pokémon speech that sounded like counting. After a moment more, Teddiursa uncovered his eyes and scurried away in search of Cleffa. "Hey Vulpix," the young boy greeted as he sat next to the fox Pokémon, offering a friendly smile.
Vulpix veered his gaze away from the two baby Pokémon to face Wolf. He blinked slowly before twitching his tails in greeting. His hostility towards the young boy had vanished, though he still didn't seem too ready to open up and become pals yet.
"They showing you how to play a game?" Wolf asked as his eyes wavered to where Teddiursa had found Cleffa and was now cheering and jumping up and down in triumph.
Vulpix nodded and grunted in response, his tails wagging back and forth a bit as he finally seemed to relax a bit, though his ears were still perked up, as if he were just waiting for something dangerous to ruin the serene atmosphere.
Wolf hesitated in responding as he watched Cleffa begin counting now as Teddiursa ran off to hide. There had been a thought on his mind the past few days, and he wanted to come clean about it to Vulpix. He had a feeling this thought might be the reason the fox Pokémon had any buried hostilities towards him, if any. Taking a deep breath, he pushed away his doubts and began to speak. "I think you really wanna be my friend. I do. But you're probably thinking, 'What makes him any different? How do I know he won't just use me for my rarity like those men did?'" he started off, his eyes focused on the baby Pokémon as he spoke. He could feel Vulpix's gaze on him now, but he wouldn't dare meet it with his own. "In all honesty, I of all people am probably most likely to seem to betray you. After all, I'm just a kid who has no money of his own. I could easily use you to make myself have loads of money. But I'd never do that. You wanna know why?" he now faced the fox Pokémon, struggling to meet his gaze but somehow managing to do so. "Because I don't think of Pokémon as objects to be sold for a profit. I know that you're a living, breathing, intelligent creature with thoughts and feelings just like humans. I know I wouldn't want to feel like some prize to be bought, so I would never put anyone through that. I may be wrong and you might not have any of these thoughts in your head at all, but I just wanted you to know how I feel. Maybe…it'll allow you to trust me a bit more now," he ended off in a murmur and lowered his gaze away from Vulpix's, their emotionless depths becoming too overwhelming for him.
When Wolf dared to look up again, though not meeting his eyes, the fox Pokémon still had the same emotion he had before Wolf had brought up the subject. He seemed thoughtful, and still hadn't made a gesture or a noise in response to what Wolf had said. It made the young boy more anxious than if Vulpix rejected him—the suspense was killing him. Wolf's eyes widened as Vulpix suddenly whipped his head around, but soon realized it had nothing to do with him. The fox Pokémon's old anxieties had returned and his fur was bristling. Not a moment after did a sudden crash through the undergrowth completely break the tranquil atmosphere like a glass shattering against a hard wood floor. What looked like a metallic net was launched towards Vulpix, who was in moments trapped in a spherical cage.
Vulpix snarled in anger before gnawing and clawing at the metal bars that contained him to no avail. However this didn't stop the fox Pokémon from trying, as he fought as if his life depended on it.
"Finally! We'd thought you'd never show your face out here again!" a strange but slightly familiar voice startled Wolf as a man suddenly pushed his way into the clearing from the same direction that the cage had appeared. He wore a black suit and sunglasses and had bright blond hair. "You sure were a struggle to find again, but it's good to have you back with us now little buddy," he laughed in mockery, using a robotic arm-like device to pick up the spherical cage without having to actually grab it with his hands.
Darmanitan was wide awake now and his eyes were blazing in rage. "Release him now and I won't retaliate," he snarled, though Wolf could see he was fighting the urge to attack this man right then and there.
"Oh no big fella, we can't have you snatching our little prize away again," the man waved his free pointer finger back and forth while shaking his head. He then snapped his fingers, and suddenly more men appeared out of the undergrowth, these ones having something in their arms. Wolf flinched as he realized they were guns, just as he had seen on TV back when he had lived with his father. "One wrong move and I'll kill you and anyone else here that poses a threat to our operations," he sneered.
"You humans never cease to disgust me," Darmanitan spat as the baby Pokémon that were outside quickly scrambled to hide behind him. "All of you humans are the same," he snarled with a shake of his broad head.
"Say what you like. Do you really think we care? All I want is to sell this runt and make a fortune. I could care less what happens to him after we sell him to the highest bidder, just as you should. You've known him for what, a week? You can't have already grown attached to him! Do us all a favor and just pretend he never set foot here, alright?" the man muttered, preparing to turn away until something snagged onto his leg.
"Let Vulpix go!" it was Wolf, who had charged bravely towards the man even with the risk of being shot in mind. He wasn't going to let them get away without putting up a fight. He dug his nails into the man's leg before sinking his teeth in as well.
"Stupid brat! I don't know what the fuck you're doing with a bunch of wild Pokémon, but you're becoming a nuisance. I may want money, but at least I'm sane enough not to shoot a kid. Now do me a favor, and fuck off!" the man snapped as he shook his leg violently to try to get Wolf off in vain.
Wolf released the grip he held with his teeth but still clung on desperately with his limbs. "No! I won't let you get away with this! Vulpix isn't some gold mine you can make a fortune off of! He's a living creature with emotions just like us and he won't be treated so poorly!" he snapped in fury.
The man growled in response, clearly shocked to see him fighting so much but didn't seem too bothered by it either. Using his free leg, he kicked Wolf hard in the head, causing the young boy to release his grip and fall backwards. "I'll admit you're more trouble than I'd thought you'd be, but not enough to give me a real headache. Now, go back to you Pokémon friends and leave me to do my adult business, alright kid? If you're good, I'll even come back and give you a piece of the profit," he mocked as he kicked Wolf again, this time hard in the stomach.
Wolf fought back the tears of pain that threatened to escape from their ducts, just barely managing to open his eyes without crying. Through his now slightly blurred vision, he could still see Vulpix, staring at him with a stunned expression, as if the fox Pokémon was still processing Wolf's attempt to save him. "I'm…sorry…" he grunted, hoping that the shiny could hear him before he was taken away.
"Alright men, let's move out!" the man ordered, preparing to head out now that all threats were dealt with. However, just before the other men could turn around, a mighty but familiar roar rang through Wolf's ears. [i]Mama![/i] He had never been happier to hear Kangaskhan's rage, not even when she saved them from the Zangoose pack.
The men gazed around frantically in confusion, pointing their guns in different directions to try and eliminate the threat as soon as possible. However, it was too late as the parent Pokémon burst through the undergrowth behind them, her body surrounded by a purple energy and her eyes gleaming red. [i]She's using Outrage![/i] Wolf thought in triumph as he shakily sat up, his vision clearing and his pain slowly numbing. Far before the men had the chance to even point their guns at her, Kangaskhan knocked them right out of their hands and stomped about furiously, crushing the weapons and snapping them into pieces upon impact. She let out another roar as she struck out at the men, dealing heavy damage to each one of them.
Seeing his chance now that the guns had been eliminated, Darmanitan suddenly cloaked himself in a fiery energy and charged right for the lead man that still held Vulpix, who had stood watching as his comrades were assaulted by the parent Pokémon. He realized far too late that the blazing Pokémon was charging at him as he was met with the large flaming body. Darmanitan quickly destroyed the robotic arm with his Flare Blitz attack before grabbing Vulpix's cage and ripping it open like it was a berry, setting the fox Pokémon free.
Kangaskhan snarled threateningly, the Outrage worn off as she popped a Persim berry from her pouch into her mouth and backed the other men into a corner. The lead man soon joined them as Darmanitan backed the frightened male into his companions. "If we ever see even strand of your hair inside our territory again, we'll kill you," the blazing Pokémon snarled, receiving a growl of agreement from Kangaskhan.
The men nodded frantically, shaking in fear and crying all the more. "W-We understand! We won't ever come here again! J-Just please let us go!" the lead man wailed his plea desperately.
Kangaskhan snorted before stepping back, allowing them a free path to escape to. "Get out of our sight," she spat before the men nodded yet again and scrambled to their feet, running as fast as they could out of there and vanishing from the clearing within moments. Only their destroyed technology remained to show that they had even been here at all.
Wolf sighed with relief, glad to see those men scurry away. Good riddance, he thought as he gazed around the clearing. The baby Pokémon that had been outside were now cheering triumphantly. Kiara and the other Pokémon that had been inside during the chaos now stood just outside the den's entrance, also cheering gleefully for Kangaskhan and Darmanitan. Just before he could join them in their joy, he was suddenly tackled down by a body and his face was showered in licks. Opening one eye in confusion, he saw Vulpix standing on him happily as he covered the young boy's face with flicks of his tongue. "V-Vulpix!" Wolf stammered in shock and happiness at the fox Pokémon's friendly gesture.
"He's thanking you for saving him, though I don't see what for. We did all the hard work," Darmanitan grumbled as he strode over to the boy and the shiny.
"Oh come now, Wolf did try and it's the thought that counts, right?" Kangaskhan rumbled as she returned from kicking away all the debris into the undergrowth.
Vulpix paused from his licking and stepped off Wolf to face the two Pokémon. "Pix-Vulpix!" he dipped his head as his tails wagged back and forth in absolute gratitude.
Kangaskhan chuckled in response. "It was nothing dear. I'd do anything to protect the lives in my den," she mumbled in response while Darmanitan simply grunted in response, though it seemed good-heartedly.
"Pix-pix!" Vulpix turned back to Wolf before nuzzling the boy's head with his own affectionately.
Kangaskhan paused before nodding. "'Well, I've decided I'm going to stay here with my new friend Wolf! We're going to become best friends, and have lots of fun, because he tried to save me! He showed me not all humans are bad, and it's the best feeling in the world to know so many of you care so much even though we've only known each other for a short time,'" the parent Pokémon repeated the fox Pokémon's speech, realizing he wanted to be translated so that Wolf could understand him.
Wolf's eyes widened in joy at hearing those words. "You really mean it? You're gonna be my friend?" he echoed in glee, this being one of the first times he was truly happy ever since his father's death.
"Pix!" Vulpix nodded with a smile, his tails still wagging happily.
"Hooray!" Wolf cheered as he embraced Vulpix in his arms, the feeling bringing him great bliss. Though it hadn't been the way he had wanted, he had successfully gained the fox Pokémon's trust. It was something he knew he was going to cherish for the rest of his life.
Kiara stepped towards the group with a broad smile before turning her head to face Kangaskhan. "But Mama, how did you manage to get behind those men and attack them? I never saw you leave the den," she asked in confusion, her violet eyes blinking up at the parent Pokémon.
Kangaskhan rolled her eyes. "All of you were so caught up in your own activities that not a single one of you saw me head out to go fetch us some more berries for lunch. I swear I could've been captured and no one would've noticed!" she sighed before shaking her head. "No matter, it ended up working in our favor this time around. Don't dwell on it too much. What matters now is that is that Vulpix is safe and the threat of those men is long gone," she mumbled with a smile.
"Yeah!" Kiara agreed before turning to face Wolf and Vulpix. "Now will you come play with us? Vulpix too of course! We made some more paints to use!" she asked hopefully, her eyes gleaming.
"Of course!" Wolf nodded, finally able to enjoy his friend's company once again. Not only that, but he could enjoy the company of a new friend, which he was certain would be the first of many times he would do so.
"Oh no you don't!" Kangaskhan scolded as she snatched the back of the shirts of the two children, preventing them from rushing back into the den. "You and everyone else need to go get cleaned up by the stream for lunch! Watch out for those men, they might still be lurking around, but they hardly pose a threat to us anymore. Plus, I think they're far too frightened to attack us twice in one day," she chuckled, receiving giggles of amusement from the two children and the baby Pokémon. "Now off with you! Be safe!" she ordered and soon Kiara and Wolf led the way out of the clearing to the nearby stream, Vulpix and the baby Pokémon scampering after them.
Wolf fell into step with Kiara, his face glowing with the happiness Kiara had managed to have since they had gotten here. He was suddenly nudged by his companion playfully as she stepped ahead of him. "Race you to the stream!" she challenged before suddenly taking off.
"Hey, no fair!" Wolf exclaimed as he took off after her. The baby Pokémon and Vulpix attempted to keep up to no avail as the two children sprinted side by side in the beautiful summer day. Kiara and Vulpix and everyone else and I are going to live here happily for a long time, and nothing's going to change that! Do you see me now dad? I finally found a place to call home!
