The gurgle of the stream echoed through Kiara's ears. The sun shone brightly down on her and the baby Pokémon as they played in the brook to cool off. Here and there a cloud wisped by, though not enough for any rain or to block out the rays shining upon them. It had been a few weeks since the chaos with the men had occurred, and everything had been overall peaceful since then. Wolf and Vulpix's friendship had already grown stronger in such a short time as they did everything together. Now on such a hot summer day, Kangaskhan had suggested that Kiara and Wolf take the baby Pokémon down to the stream to enjoy the heat while it lasted. The two children, being the oldest, were to supervise them and make sure that none of the baby Pokémon went downstream, where the current was faster and the water was deeper.
Kiara was wading in the shallowest part of the stream, the water only reaching halfway up her shins. The baby Pokémon around her however were already belly deep in the brook. These included Pichu, Plusle and Minun, Teddiursa, Azurill, and Cleffa. Back on the shore, Wolf was sitting in the shade as he kept an eye on the baby Pokémon that had preferred not to get their paws wet. Those included his friend Vulpix of course, being a fire type, Snubbull, Skitty, Bonsly, Phanpy, and Magby, the new orphan that Kangaskhan had found that now lived with the rest of them in her den. Igglybuff, Togepi, and Happiny had remained back at the den with Kangaskhan, being too young to swim and to be trusted to avoid the water.
Kiara splashed at the Pokémon she was watching, showering them in clear droplets. Of course they protested with their giggles as they tried to cover their heads with their tiny paws before splashing back at the young girl. "Oh no! Don't splash me! I'll do anything!"she exaggerated playfully as she blocked most of the water from hitting her face with her hands. She enjoyed this serene atmosphere, where she could play every day and actually be cared for by someone who enjoyed her presence. It was certainly a step up from the orphanage, and she could tell Wolf felt that way too. After all, this was the happiest she had seen him since she first met him. He no longer looked like the timid and frustrated boy she had first encountered. Now he was just as playful as she was, enjoying the company of Kangaskhan and Vulpix and the baby Pokémon all the same. The boy on her mind, Kiara glanced over to see what he was up to once the baby Pokémon around her had started splashing each other instead.
Wolf was playing amongst the shade that the leaves of the trees offered with Vulpix, though he was too far off for Kiara to see what exactly he was doing. Nearby, Skitty and Snubbull chased each other around a tree, while Bonsly was leaning up against that same tree, too shy to join in. However, Kiara noticed that neither Phanpy nor Magby were with the group. Gazing around in alarm, she searched the area for the long nose Pokémon and the live coal Pokémon. Anxiety started to grow inside her when she found no sign of them, until suddenly she spotted their baby blue and red bodies. Unfortunately, what she saw only made her anxiety worse.
Phanpy was chasing Magby playfully farther downstream and continued to head farther, as if the two were hardly noticing how far away they were headed from the others. Kiara felt panic consume her at the thought of the two baby Pokémon falling into the stream so far down and being dragged away by the rapid current. "Magby, Phanpy! Stop!" she called frantically as she splashed through the water towards them.
Her call startled the two, causing them to abruptly halt and turn around to see what the problem was. They were already dangerously close to the edge of the stream however, and as they stopped their running Phanpy crashed right into Magby, sending the live coal Pokémon over the edge and into the foaming water. "No!" Kiara wailed, quickly turning back to find her friend. "Wolf! Help!"
The young boy flinched at hearing Kiara's plea and quickly paused from his antics to see what was going on. The young girl's call had also frightened the remaining baby Pokémon, who stared wildly past Kiara at the scene occurring downstream. Wolf's eyes widened, as if he realized that this was partially his fault for taking his eyes off the babies for a few seconds.
Kiara had no time to feel sympathy for her friend. Without hesitation she threw herself belly first into the water and frantically paddled forward to rescue the fire type that was already struggling to keep his head above water. "Hold on Magby! I'm coming!" she called, hoping he had heard her before his head suddenly vanished underneath the surface. Her anxiety was overwhelming her now, even after she saw the live coal Pokémon resurface moments later.
The current was much quicker now as it dragged her downstream at a rapid pace. She could no longer feel the brook's bottom and was struggling to keep herself afloat while also keeping her eyes on Magby. After all, despite her courageous leap to save him, Kiara had no idea how to properly swim. Moments ago, her only thought process had been to make sure that Magby didn't drown, but now it seemed as if she was also in the same predicament. She recalled being carried right past the startled Phanpy, but everything was already starting to become a blur. She hoped Wolf had taken care of the other baby Pokémon she had abandoned in the stream while chasing after this one.
The young girl gasped as the water suddenly pushed her back and forth, throwing her against the stream's sandy slopes. Her eyes were just barely catching a glimpse of Magby's red head before she was suddenly dragged under, swallowing water in the process. Frantically scrambling for the surface, she coughed it up and gasped for air, however once her mind cleared a bit the live coal Pokémon was nowhere in sight. "Magby?!" she wailed, pleading desperately for some sort of response but only the rushing current roared through her ears. She had to get herself back to the surface or she'd never find him again, Kiara thought quickly. However her panic only grew as she struggled to find land. The current was carrying her too fast; everything that she ran by was just a blob of green and brown. I'm going to drown! she nearly wailed until she was dragged under again, the current underneath even more violent than it was above the surface. She felt herself being pulled and spun around, her energy drained as she tried to resurface to no avail. Was the current slowing down and becoming less aggressive, or was it her imagination in her exhaustion? She never got to find out the answer herself as she gave into her pleading lungs and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Kiara! Buddy, c'mon Kiara, don't die on me!" a desperate plea echoed through the young girl's ears frantically.
Kiara's mind was whirling and her eyes still saw nothing but darkness. Wolf…? she thought in confusion. What was happening? Hadn't she drowned? Had her friend saved her?
"Don't die on me, please, you're not supposed to do it!" the young boy's wail continued as Kiara felt something shaking her violently. There was a bark of agreement, sounding a lot like Vulpix. Suddenly Kiara felt something pushing itself out of her body as she suddenly jolted awake and coughed up a large amount of water, her eyes wide open now and adjusting to the scenery.
Kiara gazed around in confusion, looking back at the stream at that was a few yards behind where she lay as she took deep, quick breaths. The current was calmer, just as it was where the group had been originally playing. As she looked up she saw that upstream the current was much faster. She had been right! The current had slowed down somehow. She must've washed up on the shore unconscious after her chaotic experience, only for Wolf to find her and fish her out.
"She's alive! She's alive! She's alive!" Wolf cheered, Vulpix jumping up and down in his mutual glee. The young boy quickly pulled Kiara up and hugged her tightly. "She's al—" he paused, his expression suddenly changing to anger but also concern. "You idiot!" he growled before shoving Kiara away from him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, ya happy?" he snapped, his gaze sparking with irritation.
Kiara blinked at him in confusion before smiling warmly. "If it means I'm still alive, then yes," she teased before looking past him and Vulpix, relief washing over her at seeing the baby Pokémon they had been monitoring all huddled together and accounted for. Her eyes widened however when she noticed Magby was still missing. "Magby? Wolf, where's Magby?" she asked swiftly, her anxiety returning in mere seconds.
Just before the young boy could answer her, someone else's voice interrupted their conversation. "Kiara! Wolf!" it was Kangaskhan, staring wide eyed at the scene before her as she quickly rushed over to the two children.
"Oh no…" Kiara and Wolf said in unison, knowing all too well that they had no good explanation for the chaos that had ensued.
"Kiara! Wolf!" she repeated as she neared them, her concern being the only anxiety that she was revealing. Behind her, Happiny, Igglybuff, and Togepi scurried away to join the other baby Pokémon in confusion.
"Hi…" the two children said once again in unison, almost innocently.
"Oh, you scared me!" Kangaskhan gasped as she grabbed Kiara's sides. "What happened?" she demanded swiftly.
"Well, I—" the young girl started until Wolf suddenly shoved himself in between the two and started speaking.
"Well, you see it's sort of a long…It's involved, because you see, what happened…It was a weird—" Wolf stammered for the right words until suddenly he was interrupted by a voice full of rage.
"What happened?" It was no surprise to Kiara when she saw Darmanitan standing there. He was dripping wet, and behind his foreleg stood Magby, cowering quietly. Relief flooded over the young girl as she realized that the blazing Pokémon must've come to the rescue and saved the live coal Pokémon. However it only lasted for a few seconds once she saw that he was furious.
As Wolf stood there, too afraid to muster up any words for some sort of explanation, Kiara pushed past the two of them and crouched in front of Darmanitan, who had stomped over to them just moments ago. "It was my fault Darmanitan…" she somewhat lied, taking the blame of Wolf's mishap upon herself.
"Kiara…" Kangaskhan sounded shocked but paused as she continued to listen to the young girl's explanation, turning to face the two.
"We were playing and…well…I'm sorry Darmanitan…" Kiara mumbled sincerely as she gingerly reached out to touch the blazing Pokémon's paw before he swiftly pulled away.
"You almost killed someone!" Darmanitan spat, shoving his face into Kiara's.
"But it was an accident!" Kiara insisted as she quickly backed away into Kangaskhan, hiding slightly behind her forearm.
"She's only a child," Kangaskhan protested gently, bringing the young girl close to her in a gesture of comfort.
"That's no excuse Kangaskhan, you can't keep defending her!" Darmanitan growled at the parent Pokémon in frustration.
"But she'll learn—" she continued in her calm tone, only to be interrupted.
"She will never learn! You can't learn to be one of us!" Darmanitan hissed, getting ever so closer to Kangaskhan's face.
"Because you never give her or Wolf a chance!" Kangaskhan snarled back, her calm composure gone now in her own fury.
"Give them a chance?" he echoed. "Kangaskhan, look at them! They will never be one of us!" Darmanitan roared, startling everyone in the surrounding area.
"Darmanitan!" Kangaskhan gasped in shock and anger at the blazing Pokémon's words. Around her, the baby Pokémon had huddled even closer together, having never liked seeing him angry in any situation. Wolf had meanwhile hugged Vulpix close to him, looking utterly hurt, while the fox Pokémon licked his cheek to comfort him.
Kiara however had heard enough, tears welling up in her eyes. Shoving Kangaskhan's forearm out of her way, she ran off, no longer wanting to be around a Pokémon that hated her so much. She heard Kangaskhan calling after her but that didn't stop her from continuing off farther downstream while steering clear away from it as to not fall in. Why can't he just accept us for who we are like the others?!
Kiara had run all the way to where the stream filled into a small pool of water. The sun had already sunk beneath the horizon, the stars above slowly revealing themselves one by one. Meanwhile Kiara sat in utter despair, gazing down at her reflection in the pool. Normally, she never minded what she saw, thinking of herself as a decently pretty girl. However, at that moment, she hated it. Sneering, she smashed her hands through the water, causing ripples to form and distort her mirror image. She paused from her rampage as she suddenly saw a different reflection above her own. "Mama?" she whipped around to face the parent Pokémon awkwardly.
"Kiara…What are you doing?" Kangaskhan asked gently, though her eyes looked rather sad.
Kiara hesitated, before her fury suddenly unleashed onto her mother. "Why am I so different?!" she hissed.
"Because you're soaking wet," Kangaskhan rumbled in amusement as she reached down as began to wipe off the water droplets that had scattered onto the young girl when she destroyed her reflection in the pond.
"No, you know what I mean! Darmanitan said Wolf and I didn't belong in the den with you guys!" she snapped, frustrated that the parent Pokémon was playing dumb with her. "I bet if we were Pokémon he would've welcomed us with open arms…" Kiara muttered, not resisting as Kangaskhan dried her off.
"Never mind what Darmanitan said," Kangaskhan said softly as she ran the back of her paw across Kiara's face.
Kiara's fury was growing ever stronger as she growled and pulled away from the parent Pokémon. "Look at me!" she snarled, as if daring her to name all the differences between the two of them.
Kangaskhan paused, staring at Kiara with a leveled head. "I am Kiara. And do you know what I see?" she mumbled as she stepped forward towards the young girl and continued to wipe away the water droplets. "I see…two eyes like mine. And a nose…somewhere," she chuckled as she wiped the water off of Kiara's snout. "Ah! Here!" she exclaimed as she poked it gently with her claw, causing Kiara to giggle. "And two ears..." she laughed as she cupped them in her paws, causing the young girl to snigger some more. "Now, let's see…" she paused, as if searching for something else that they had in common.
Kiara blinked up at her happily before gazing down at her palms. "Two hands?" she asked hopefully as she held them out before the parent Pokémon.
Kangaskhan chuckled. "That's right," she held out her own paws in front of Kiara before placing their palms together.
Kiara stared in comparison at the size and color of their two sets of hands before pulling back hesitantly, her distraught expression returning. She let out a soft sigh of disappointment, knowing that despite her mother's insistence she would probably never forget the differences between them.
Kangaskhan let out a sigh of her own before moving closer to Kiara. "Close your eyes. Now, forget what you see. What do you feel?" she asked as she moved Kiara's hand to her chest once she was sure the young girl had obeyed.
Kiara paused before opening her eyes slowly. "My heart…" she answered in slight confusion.
Kangaskhan nodded. "Now come here," she scooped up the child into her arms before holding her close to her own chest.
"Your heart!" Kiara giggled as she heard the steady beat of her mother's heart inside her chest. Her mood was lightening up yet again as she finally was starting to feel something more beyond what the two looked like on the outside.
"See? We're exactly the same," Kangaskhan whispered with a smile as she embraced the young girl closely, who didn't refuse the loving gesture. She let out a sigh as she patted Kiara's head slowly. "Darmanitan…just can't see that…"
Kiara thought as she was held in the parent Pokémon's arms. An idea popped into her head as her eyes suddenly brightened up. She pulled back from Kangaskhan so she could face her, a broad smile of determination on her face. "Then I'll make him see it!" she promised as she scrambled up onto Kangaskhan's shoulders. "I'll be the best wild Pokémon ever!"
Kangaskhan let out a chuckle and nodded in agreement before pulling the young girl off her shoulders and into her arms, tickling her playfully. "Oh I bet you will," she agreed with a wide smile.
***
The call of a Pidgey awoke Kiara from her nap inside the branches of a maple tree. She blinked her eyes open to their beautiful red leaves that managed to remain that way even in summer. She had climbed up it earlier with ease, thanks to all the practice she had gained from hanging out with the wild Pansear, Pansage, and Panpour that lived nearby. Apparently a lot of wild Pokémon in the area knew of Kangaskhan even though they didn't live with her, and referred to her as "The Mother of The Forest." Because of this Kiara could venture out rather freely as far from the den as she pleased, given she was back before sundown. She made many new friends with the wild Pokémon around the area, and even if she did encounter any hostile ones, her companions quickly came to her side and protected her.
The young girl let out a yawn, stretching her limbs delicately as she balanced on the thick branch, trying not slip off. She was wearing a new outfit Kangaskhan had picked out for her, consisting of a white dress shirt, white knee-socks, black school shoes, and a purple school girl skirt and tie to compliment her eyes.
"There's a factory about a mile west of here that makes clothes. Whatever doesn't sell, they just burn anyways, so I figured they won't mind if I take these brand new items off their hands," Kangaskhan had said when Kiara and Wolf had asked where she had gotten all the lovely clothing they received from her.
Of course there was one more item Kiara couldn't forget. She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a white lace handkerchief. Along the bottom was her name sewn in. Her mother had never told her how she found this, claiming it was just "luck." She had received it a few weeks ago from Kangaskhan as a gift, celebrating the four year anniversary since she and Wolf had moved in with the parent Pokémon.
Four years… Kiara echoed in her mind. Four full seasons had passed since she had left the orphanage with Wolf. Together with her new family she had watched the leaves turn red, orange and yellow in autumn, endured the cold nights of winter, and watched as the forest regained its beauty in spring until once again they were back in summer, when the forest flourished the most. During all this time, Kiara fought to prove how she and Wolf deserved every right to be here, and even though he never said it, she knew she had convinced Darmanitan of that. After all, she could now climb trees, swim strongly, and harvest proper foods for the long winter. She had made sure she was not just a paper weight that sat around and received but never provided. She would help Kangaskhan whenever she could, and when there was nothing that needed to be done, she was making sure that even when she played she was sharpening her skills. Rising to her feet, the now nine year old girl balanced on her branch and peered through the leaves to peek into the scenery in the clearing.
The first thing she saw was her best friend Wolf. He had certainly grown over the years as well, no longer being a mere few inches taller than his companion Vulpix. For his gift celebrating the four year anniversary, Kangaskhan had mysteriously managed to acquire enough money—Yes, real money—to allow the boy to head off to a salon in Morningdew City and get a haircut, which Kiara knew he had needed. His hair had grown into a wild mess despite bathing every day, except in winter, where they bathed every two days because it was a long process to get water and heat it up. Once he had returned from his haircut with Vulpix, though it was still longish, his hair was much neater. He and the fox Pokémon had become inseparable after only the first year, which was no surprise to Kiara. After the men had long gone, they had already started off with a close bond, which had only gotten stronger over time. Kiara sighed to herself as she watched them play in the clearing by the den's entrance from her branch. She wondered if she would ever have that kind of bond with a Pokémon. Sure, she had many Pokémon friends, but the bond Wolf and Vulpix had was much more than normal friendship. It was just as strong as her bond with the boy, and even though she was happy for Wolf, she secretly wanted that bond herself one day.
Kiara pulled back, deciding it was time to get out of the maple tree and see if Kangaskhan needed help with anything. If not, she wanted to go down by the stream with Wolf and Vulpix, even though she didn't plan on getting wet considering her clothes, because just being by the brook always seemed to be much more cooler than anywhere else. Skillfully, she climbed down from the branches of the maple tree and onto the ground without tearing her clothes or getting a scratch on her.
The girl immediately spotted Kangaskhan, who was sitting just outside the den's entrance, showing some of the new baby Pokémon how to sort out berries. Memories flashed in her mind of when her mother had shown her the same thing her first week living with her. Her eyes scanned over the new baby Pokémon. They were relatively the same species of Pokémon that she had grown close to, however, the original ones had evolved and moved out of Kangaskhan's den around two years ago. Kiara had been rather surprised that they would just leave like that, but the parent Pokémon had simply explained that it was nothing new to her.
"Babies don't stay babies forever. Eventually they grow up and become adults and move on with their lives. I know very well that they're grateful that I took care of them for so long, but if every single one of them lived with me forever, I wouldn't even be able to enter my own den!" Kangaskhan had told her in amusement.
This had caused Kiara to wonder what would happen once she became an adult. Would she want to move out as well? How different will her life be once she hits that age marker? Of course she didn't dwell on the thought too long. After all, there were still many years ahead of her before she would become a grown-up. Pokémon did have faster growth rates than humans, so she had nothing to worry about for right now as long as Kangaskhan was here.
Strolling over to the parent Pokémon, Kiara maneuvered around the baby Pokémon that were crowded around her. "Need help Mama?" she asked, blinking her violet eyes up at her, though the height different was smaller now that Kiara had grown a bit.
Kangaskhan paused from her lesson to face her. "No, not at this moment," she answered. "You can go off and do as you please. Do be careful though. Darmanitan said that the other day he saw some strange people around the area," she warned, glancing at the blazing Pokémon who was snoozing by the den's outer wall.
Kiara nodded slowly. "Yes, Mama," with a quick wave the girl scampered away towards Wolf and Vulpix, who were sharing a bowl of fruit for lunch. "Hey guys. Wanna come to the stream with me?" she asked hopefully with the tilt of her head.
Wolf turned his head to face her, swallowing his fill. "Sure," he answered, Vulpix grunting in agreement. Quickly the two finished off their remaining berries before setting the bowl aside. "We'll take it inside once we get back," the boy decided as he got to his feet.
"Alrighty!" Kiara smiled before turning away. "Race you there!" she challenged before sprinting off. She swiftly exited the clearing and veered off towards the stream, laughing as Wolf charged behind her.
"Hey, don't go charging into things today! You know what Mama said about those strange people Darmanitan saw. We can't be too risky," Wolf protested as he suddenly halted from his running, panting a bit and also allowing the fox Pokémon to catch up with him.
Kiara also abruptly halted, surprised to hear Wolf sound so concerned about what Darmanitan had spotted. She turned around and walked back towards him. "Honestly, stop being such a worry wart Wolfie! He probably just spotted some trainers who got lost or something. Nothing bad has happened to us for years. Why would it now?" she asked with a tilt of her head. Suddenly, as if on cue, a loud rumbling sound roared high above them. Startled, Kiara looked up to find a helicopter. This was nothing new to her; they always flew by during the day, along with airplanes. However, this one was particularly closer than any of the others had been. Her eyes following it as it moved along, Kiara's eyes widened as she realized it was headed in the same direction as the den. "Mama!" she wailed, suddenly wondering if Wolf had been right to worry. She made no hesitation in sprinting back towards the clearing, her best friend right on her heels.
Just as the girl was about to burst into the clearing upon hearing rather aggressive noises, Wolf grabbed the collar of her shirt and held her back. "Wait a second! And keep your voice down," he said in a hushed tone, beckoning her over to a gap in the undergrowth where they could see the clearing without being seen themselves.
Kiara's eyes widened at the scene before her as she peered through the undergrowth. Kangaskhan was tussling with a Rhydon while Darmanitan was fighting off a Golem. Though the two were using Superpower and Brick Break, both super-effective moves, the two rock-ground types were still strong. The baby Pokémon were nowhere to be seen, as if they had suddenly cowered somewhere in the chaos. Kiara drew her gaze upwards, spotting the copter just above. Inside, she spotted people in suits. Her eyes widened as she recognized the man who had tried to sell Vulpix. He had returned for revenge!
Behind her, she heard Vulpix's growl and knew the fox Pokémon recognized him as well. Wolf was oddly silent, but as she glanced back at him, she saw a glare apparent on his face, knowing that he too had not forgotten his old enemy. A sudden clang brought Kiara's attention back to the chaos in the clearing.
Her eyes widened even more as she suddenly saw Darmanitan and Kangaskhan in cages. She nearly threw herself out into the open until she was held back by Wolf. "No! We can't! Who knows what they'll do to us if they spot us!" he grunted. Kiara was obviously displeased with this as she turned her attention back to the clearing.
Two long, metallic tendrils had shot down from the bottom of the helicopter and had grabbed onto the tops of cages. Meanwhile, the Rhydon and Golem vanished in a flash of red light as Kiara looked up to see the man return them into Pokéballs. The tendrils slowly pulled the cages off the ground until they were attached right to the bottom of copter. With that, the flying vehicle took off again, the mingled wails of protest, anguish, and fury carried away as the blazing and parent Pokémon tried to escape from their containment to no avail.
"No!" Kiara yowled as she shoved herself past Wolf, managing to catch a glimpse of the helicopter before it vanished into the clouds above. "No, Mama!" she was sobbing now, as if she couldn't believe any of this had actually happened. No. It couldn't have happened. It was all just a dream. Yes. A dream. She must still be napping up in the maple tree. That was it. She pinched her arm, willing herself to wake up from this nightmare. When nothing changed she dug her nails in harder. Why won't I wake up?!
"Kiara, stop!" Wolf growled at her, pulling her arms apart before she seriously injured herself. "Calm down, please. Kangaskhan and Darmanitan are tough! They'll get out of there and come back soon, I know it!" he promised, though through her tears Kiara could see how sad and unconvinced he was himself. It didn't take long until he was embracing her tightly, knowing he was comforting himself as well as comforting her.
Kiara sniffled, the weight of the entire situation piercing her heart like a thorn. We're alone…Mama…Darmanitan…My family…Everything's gone…My life has fallen apart…My life is gone…