Second bonus chapter! Or, fourth one… second Arc 2 Bonus Chapter.
It's everyone's favourite hornball kitty, Mane!
What a road we've gone with Mane. Started out as a starter villain, developed into backstory-bully, then into fire-forged-friends and then even further. Truly one of the better snap ideas I had, bringing Mane into things.
For all his… ways, some which people find fun, some which people really don't like (I won't blame you), he's a valuable cast member.
But… well, there's not much I generally avoid writing or feel 'bad' about as it's just words on a page. But this chapter is pretty rough, so I'll give the second trigger warning in Warped Skies for this chapter. Family abuse. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to tackle it directly, so… I'll work it out as I go, I think.
This won't be super long, though. I don't think I can stomach it for an extended period.
So, why do you want to know about how we first met? Rai told his version of it? Hm. Well, fine, whatever. We met, we played, I went home.
Is that not enough? Before and after? It's not like you don't already know, Azumarill.
…Fine.
It was The Best Day Ever.
Mane's eyes opened up when the rays of sun poked at him, forcing them open like bright fingers pulling his eyelids open. He slept in his burrow again last night, it hadn't been too cold, and it was nicer than trying to sleep around Rumble and Father. Rumble was also Litleo, Father was Morpeko and very quiet.
He didn't want to be tired for today, it was to be The Best Day Ever, and he wanted to enjoy it with every scrap of energy he had.
Mother had spoken of this day a few suns and moons ago. She explained after their training that they were to be tested. That seemed scary at first, tests were bad, but only if you failed them, but she said the test would involve going to the town.
Mane had heard about the town many times, although he'd never gone. He snuck out once to give it a peek, but he'd… well, he'd not been punished. But Mother was unhappy, so he'd promised to never do it again without permission.
Now today was the day!
He waited happily around the entrance to the house. It was either there or the den, and Mother was much nicer to him than Rumble would be.
The house was a pretty thing, big and brown, made of wood with the occasional scorch mark giving a dash of black to scar the wood. Mane could proudly point out every mark he'd left on the place, and not once had the thing burned down!
He considered knocking on the door, but Mother would be displeased… he didn't want to wake her up, she liked her sleep, and he wouldn't ruin it.
So, he waited.
Rumble and Father came along eventually, but Mane did not listen to his brother's words, no shower could dampen this day, and no event would break his hopes.
Eventually, Mother exited.
He heard Father take in a soft, hissing gasp and couldn't withhold a giggle. Father was so besotted with Mother. It was cute.
Mother was Pyroar. She told him that he would not look exactly like her when he reached that form himself; he'd have a much bigger mane. The idea made him beam. That was his name, after all. No one could have or be more mane then Mane.
"Good morning," Pyroar said, giving a stretch that involved her whole body. Her claws popped out, tearing the ground. Father's eyes were trained solely on the impressive blades. "I see we're all ready to go."
Mane nodded, too excited to speak. He shuddered in excitement, heart positively pounding at the sight of Mother. This meant they were almost there. He was about to go to town!
Without any further delay, Mother began leading the way. They chatted a little as they walked, or at least Mother did. Father was always quiet, preferring to stare at Mother, and Rumble liked to bump Mane, but at least he wasn't saying mean things.
No one misbehaved too much around Mother. Her disappointment felt terrible.
Before they went too far, Mother turned to Father, and she requested he separate from them to do some housekeeping. Father nodded quickly and scurried off. He loved to please Mother so her house would be spotless by the time they got back.
For the longest time Mane had known, quite literally all the time he had existed, he'd never spoken to four people before. Three was rare enough, mostly it was just Rumble, and he sucked.
The days were long, training his body to toughen him up or train his brain-thing to make himself tougher in a different way.
He was nearly one year old and had been raised to be strong.
But as they approached Treasure Town, he got a little scared. He'd never talked to anyone, never met anyone really. What if they didn't like him? What if they expected too much of him? Mother was so incredible, and he knew she came to town. What if he wasn't good enough?
Mother always told him he had to be good enough, what if he failed this test?
The town was big. So big. And he was so small. Standing in Mother's shad̨ow for comfort, they walked forwards.
The dirt track, much smoother than what his paws were used to, led to a strange place where the path split into four directions. The left winded into the trees and was lost. Back they came was the path they just took. A long incline with strange rectangles cut out in a rising pattern led to where a terrifying pink thing loomed to the right up.
Mother paid no attention to any of those paths; her eyes were firmly on the front. Mane couldn't help but notice a waterhole, and he was reminded of his parched throat. He couldn't remember drinking water ye-last night.
He swallowed thickly, eyes on the clear liquid that was so inviting. He didn't approach it; however, he wouldn't step away from Mother without permission, and his throat was a little too parched to bother asking her.
He could drink later. Any time wasted would be less time in town. He knew there were other pokémon there, more than he could ever imagine. Father had told him; Mother had as well in a different way.
Both parents told him stories. He liked Father's stories a little more, though.
He spoke of exciting people, interesting people, cool things to do that weren't as much work. Pokémon that helped each other for no reason, just to help.
Mother's stories were a little more practical, though. She taught him how to defend himself because other pokémon were dangerous.
He wanted to believe Father, though, and if Mother was taking him to town, then they couldn't be so bad. She'd never put him in danger.
Not as long as he could handle it, at least.
They passed a big stone, not the biggest Mane had seen but big enough for him to note, before entering Treasure Town.
There was a big sign happily proclaiming the town's name, but no one who came here wouldn't already know where they were.
Eyes were immediately drawn to them as Mane and Rumble saw more pokémon than they had ever seen in their lives.
Big pokémon, much bigger than the two little litleo. A few pokémon smaller, little mice pokémon and fairies and grassy things. Fire-type's like them, Electric-type's like Father, lots of Normal's as well.
Blue, yellow, pink, red, green, and more colours from even more pokémon met his eyes. Mane shivered under the attention, and it wasn't even directed at him.
He could see it already, Mother was a good teacher after all, or maybe he was a good learner. She taught him about this kind of thing.
Eyes lingered, trailing down the silky mane that flowed down the curve of her body. Mother's mane moved in an unfelt wind. She could cause it to flow as if running through a river at will.
Mother smiled at a pokémon, and they went a funny colour, like fire but not as orange, and bashfully looked away.
It was overwhelming to see that many pokémon, so many voices and sounds and sights and smells all at once. Mane's head swam, and he pressed against Mother a little too hard, nearly leaning on her.
He pulled himself away quickly. He was a grown cub by now, after all. She glanced down at him, and he looked away.
They continued walking, Mother's head held so high while Rumble, a little better under pressure, strutted along with her. A flick from her tail caused him to hold himself a little more modestly.
Mane crept along, suddenly feeling like he'd walked into the combee nest with no items to speak of.
Pokémon were following them, and he really didn't like it. So many pokémon to keep an eye on, he wasn't sure how Mother did it, but he understood why she said they were dangerous. He didn't know who was going to do what, and it was impossible to watch everyone.
They walked a fair while, gathering quite the crowd before Mother spoke. "Everyone," she began, a beautiful voice drawing in more eyes and ears. "I would like to introduce you to my sons. Boys?" Below her, on each side of her paws, Mother gestured with her head.
Mane shivered, wanting to hide in her shadOw and never be seen. Mother was strong; she could protect him if someone wanted to do something.
Gasps and whispers broke out. Rumble preened under the attention again. This time Mother didn't reprimand him with her tail. Mane, however, listened in.
"Sons?"
"She has kids. Wow, I didn't think anyone was good enough for Pyroar."
"Who's the lucky guy?"
"Wonder if they're mine?"
"One of them is hiding. Poor thing looks so shy."
"Where did they come from, daddy?"
"Uh… ask your mother."
No threats, but a few had noticed him. Still, the smiles and pleasant chattering relaxed Mane a little, and he reminded himself that Mother wouldn't put him in any danger whatsoever.
Then Mother nudged him. "Go on," she said. "Mother will attend to her duties. Mingle, get to know someone, and come back once I call."
Without another word, Mother stepped free of her cubs and strolled into the crowd to talk, mingle, and do what she needed to get done. Mane and Rumble were left in the street.
Rumble, quite happily, stepped off immediately, having spotted some older children he could get to know. Mane was paralysed for a moment. For a moment, he had Mother and even Rumble, now he was on his own.
And he knew that this must be the test. Get to know someone. What did that mean?
Looking back and forth, with his breath quickening and small sparks spitting out, Mane didn't know what to do. He wanted to run after Mother, but he knew he shouldn't.
Suddenly, a little blue and black pokémon with electrically yellow parts jogged up to Mother without a care in the world. Mane froze. No one approached Mother that quickly.
He didn't really hear what the little pokémon was saying, but he caught Mother's attention and… nothing happened.
"Could I trouble you to play with Litleo? He's rather shy."
Before Mane could register the words, the other pokémon had bound over to him. Feline, just like Mane, but all blue and black instead of the handsome dark brown that Mane was, about the same height as him and with a yellow star on his tail.
Mother walked off with a big mightyena as the shinx came right up into Mane's personal space. Their noses were almost touching.
"Hi!" he said.
It'd be a lie to say Mane's breath didn't catch in his chest at his first meeting of Rai. It wasn't anything more than just a nervous, awkward panic, although Mane liked to say it was love at first sight.
But love, at first sight, was usually a rather shallow thing.
Rai cocked his head at Mane's lack of reaction. "Aren't you going to talk?" he asked bluntly.
"Of course not."
Rai was knocked sprawling in moments and Mane just watched as Rumble sneered over him. The bag Rai was carrying popped open, and some berries fell onto the ground. Rumble immediately ate one.
Rai growled and sparked with electricity, just like Father would. For a moment, Rumble looked scared, but he covered it up quickly. "What?"
"That's mine!" Rai said, sparking even more. Again a flicker of panic crossed over Rumble's face, but he was bigger than Rai, so he lashed out. Slamming his head against Rai's, he knocked the little shinx back onto his behind.
"You shouldn't do that."
Mane wasn't sure why he said it, even years after the fact. He had no attachment to Rai at the time, but maybe it was because he was in the middle of town. There were other pokémon there. If they were dangerous to anyone, it'd be if someone attacked one of their own. Rai was one of their own.
"What did you say?" Rumble snarled, glaring down at his smaller, younger, weaker brother.
"You shouldn't do that," Mane replied because Rumble was a little slow and terribly dumb and needed common sense explained multiple times. "Everyone is looking," he added, but Rumble was an attention seeker, so he concluded with a threat. "Mother will be mad."
Just like Mane, Rumble hated to disappoint Mother. Her… she… it didn't feel nice to make her sad with them.
Rumble flinched again. This time, Mother rather than Father was on his mind. He glanced around, pokémon were looking, and they could tell Mother. Rumble was sure he had a right to dominate those weaker than him, but he wasn't the strongest here.
Mother's eyes met Rumble's for a moment, and he immediately buckled. "S-sorry," he muttered out, not looking at Rai. He ran off, not looking at anyone and knocked another pokémon over but didn't apologise to them.
Mane watched him go with a sense of victory. He liked getting one over Rumble since it didn't happen too often.
"Your brother is mean," Rai complained, standing up and shaking off the roughhousing as nothing important. "But my sister can be mean too! Let's play."
Play? Mane wasn't entirely sure about that; playing with Rumble never ended well. But Rai wasn't as big as Rumble. Still, he wasn't even sure what to play or if he wanted to play with Rai until he heard Mother's laughter.
Mother's laughter was a wonderful thing, laughter meant happy, fun times, and he beamed at Rai. "Sure!"
Rai beamed back and batted him with his paw. "Tag, you're it!" And then he raced off. Mane grinned at the challenge. He had played this before.
Rai was a bit more agile than Mane, slightly smaller and had some good legs on him. He knew the town much better and was able to evade Mane at first quite well; Mane was not used to dodging around other pokémon or moving obstacles in general.
He was nothing if not a survi-adaptable and was able to keep up with some clever tricks of his own, boxing Rai into a dead-end he'd gleaned as they ran around and got the swift shinx.
Rai tagged him back pretty quickly in return, and Mane breathed an annoyed breath of smoke, but he never backed down from a challenge and kept it up. He bumped into Buizel at the same time Marill collided with Rai, and the two of them were pulled into the game as well. This made things even more fun. Mane could easily catch them.
Although the two of them could swim, so they weren't outmatched by Rai and Mane either.
It was fun. Getting tagged didn't mean he had to run for minutes trying to catch up. It was just something for fun, and he found himself giggling along with Rai after Rai positively collided with him and knocked him onto his back, pinning him. "Gotcha!"
No, Mane realised he had Rai and while on his back, he snapped his legs around Rai and tugged him against him until they were chest-to-chest. "Nah, got you," he purred.
This was what Mother had taught him, he remembered. Bring the target in close, whisper weird things into their ears and… well, he wasn't too sure where things went from there, but no time like the present to practice!
He wasn't sure what to say, actually. He knew some words, but Rai was pulling back against him. He realised he was losing his chance.
"What?" Rai asked, cocking his head. He frowned cutely and pulled back, and Mane, unsure, let him go. He rolled off Mane and pulled himself up. A moment of silence passed before Rai forgot it and laughed. "You're it!"
The game was still fun after that, but Mane found himself losing energy for it. He kept thinking of having Rai on top of him and not really… he knew what Mother taught him, but it seemed a bit… weird.
Either way, they couldn't play forever. Mother came back as she always did and began looking around for him and Rumble.
"I've got to go," Mane said regretfully. He wouldn't keep Mother waiting, absolutely not. She was smiling pleasantly, though, which was nice, while Rumble wasn't, and that was also great.
"Aww, already," Rai pouted. Hee smiled and butted his head against Mane. "No one has been able to catch me that much! You've got to play again sometime!"
"I will," Mane promised. "Bye, Shinx." He added a purr to his voice or at least tried to. It came out a little awkwardly, and he slunk off as Rai also found his enthusiasm for the game waning without Mane to play it with.
"How did it go?" Mother asked as he joined them. "Litleo has informed me he spoke with some zubat and koffing for the duration of my work."
"I pla-I worked on Shinx," Mane said, correcting himself quickly. "Marill and Buizel too! They've already invited me for another time."
"Excellent work," Mother praised, and Mane could float off like a hoppip at the praise. And then they went home.
That's very good to hear…I'm glad your first day in town was such a pleasant memory. I hope you've continued to build good memories of Treasure Town.
Still, would you be able to tell me more about what brings you here? Are there any popup moments that come to mind when I ask, 'What made Litleo who he was today?'
Yes? Well, do go on, say as much as you want to.
Honestly, the worst thing about growing up is that Rumble got everything. He got the first pick, got the warmest place to sleep, always got his way. You want to know why I'm so fucked up? Fine, but it won't be as long. Listen to this.
The day was to be a good one.
He woke up inside. Deciding he wanted to sleep in the den rather than in the leaves outside.
Mane yawned cutely, handsomely; he was the cutest, most handsome, around, so anything he did was that.
Being the first to wake, he had a chance to creep around on his own. The den was a small thing, dug underground by Father. He'd brought in some straw and had a special locked room they weren't allowed to go into. Otherwise, it was dirt walls, bits of wood to reinforce the cave, and little else.
It smelled like soil, and so Mane didn't like to sleep in there often. It also had a lot of loud snoring, Rumble and Father's snores echoing in the small den. Another reason why he preferred to sleep outside in the leaves.
Mane nosed his way forwards. The other aspect of the den is that it was generally pitch black. Rumble's mohawk and Father's cheeks lit the place up a little, but not much.
Father was mostly yellow this morning, which was good. When he turned purple, that wasn't as fun of a time.
Mane pulled himself up through the passageway, tummy grumbling a little. Father may have been yellow, but Mane himself felt like he could turn purple at any minute.
He poked his head out of the den, feeling the cool air against his face. He took in a nice, clean breath of air and felt the chilly breeze tug at his whiskers.
Eager to find something to fill his tummy, he pulled the rest of his body out of the den, shook the lingering dirt particles off, and debated bathing himself to get rid of the rest of it or finding something better than hair for breakfast.
His tummy rumbled again, and he ducked away from the den, not wanting to wake Rumble or Father. That settled it, breakfast first.
Father didn't keep much food around, any that Mane knew about at least, although he usually had something to share at dinner time. Mother kept food, however.
It was in the house.
He wasn't sure about that, though. He didn't want to wake Mother, she could turn a little purple around the edges too sometimes, and it was a little scarier than when Father did.
His tummy gnawed at him, though. He didn't HAVE to wake Mother, probably for the best anyway. That way, he could choose what he had for breakfast.
Deciding he could be quiet, Mother liked it when he showed initiative. He began to plod along on his big paws. He didn't get very far before something hissed out at him.
"Psst."
Jumping and then stumbling over his gawky paws, Mane spun around to find Rumble strolling after him. His paws weren't as big on his body. He was bigger than Mane and had grown into his feet, so he could walk around like he owned the place.
"What are you doing?" Rumble asked, catching up to him quickly. He had a bit more dirt on him since he had to struggle a little more than Mane to get in and out of the den. Shows him right, Mane should be the one sleeping in there every night rather than being told to-
"None of your business," Mane said, scoffing and turning around. Rumble grabbed his tail and pulled him back before he could run off. "Hey! Let go!"
He swiped at Rumble but was batted to the side pretty easily. Before he could blink, Rumble tackled and pinned him with his heavier body.
Mane's ribs pressed uncomfortably into the softer chest of his older brother as Rumble sneered down at him. "You don't turn your back on me. I asked you what you were doing."
Mane wanted to spit an Ember into his face, but he was smart enough to know that wouldn't end well. "I'm getting food," he muttered.
"From Mother?" Rumble asked, amused. "You won't get ten steps in there."
"I so can!"
"No, you can't."
"Let me go, and I'll prove it!"
"Whatever," Rumble pushed off him, knocking the wind out of Mane's lungs. He coughed a few times, stomach growling, as his chest heaved over his bony ribs. "If you want to… want… if you want to fail, go ahead. I'll just have breakfast on my own."
He spun around, tail lifted proudly, and began strutting off. He went slowly though, teasingly, knowing that Mane would soon ask. "What? You have breakfast?"
Rumble glanced back with a smirk. "Yeah…?"
"How?"
"I snuck some food when Mother was with Father yesterday!" Rumble said proudly. "See, that's the smart thing. Don't risk it with her actually in there. Steal some stuff while she's away. Can't get caught then."
With that, he continued, leaving Mane with his protesting stomach and a difficult choice.
Rumble didn't go far before he heard Mane's big, ploddy steps trying to catch up. "Wait," Mane called, panting. It was too early to be running. He hadn't eaten yesterday… night and was getting a little lightheaded.
"What do you want?" Rumble asked, stopping for Mane.
"Can I… can… c-can I have some?"
Rumble considered it for a moment. Then he turned around fully, a smirk on his face. "You begging me?"
Mane's hackles rose for a moment, but Rumble's expression darkened, and he reigned it in. "F-fine. Please. I don't want to disturb Mother."
Another growl came from his stomach, and Rumble eventually nodded. "Alright, you got to do two things for me, though."
Mane sighed and nodded.
"First, you got to replace whatever you took later. Second, if you get caught, you take the fall for it all."
"All of it?" Mane protested. "You stole this stuff!"
"Borrowed," Rumble corrected. "And if you want to eat it, and you didn't get it yourself, then you got to take responsibility."
Mane wavered for a moment; Rumble was tricky; he knew that. But his stomach begged him, and he folded. "Alright."
Pleased, Rumble led the way to where he had stashed the food. "You wouldn't believe what I was able to get!" he bragged as they went. "Apples, this big sour berry, I even found a bit of meat!"
"Meat?" Mane's mouth salivated at the mere idea of that.
"I was learning to cook it too! But raw isn't the worst." He brought him to a little grove of trees close to where they did some of the training with Father, and Rumble stepped in proudly. "Right in…."
He froze, and Mane bumped into him, moving too eagerly to stop. They both stumbled forwards and dropped to their bellies when they saw Mother.
"Here, you said?" Rumble asked, voice shaking slightly. "Hi, M-Mother."
Mother gazed at her children with an imperious stare, her head was raised, and eyes narrowed. She was a little bit purple, the colour swimming around her legs and flowing mane in a crackly aura.
Her eyes slowly moved from Rumble to Mane. Her claws were out, and below her foot was a woven bag, popped open with food spilling out.
"Here, you said?" she asked, repeating Rumble's words.
"M-Mane said he had something to show me," Rumble said. Mane's eyes widened at his brother.
"What? No! Rumble was showing me this place!"
She looked between them, from the defenestrated Rumble to the slightly-raised Mane. Black fire from her paw burned into the food back, reducing it to ashes in record speed.
Rumble bumped Mane hard, knocking him onto his side. "He was up all early today, all sneaky, so I wanted to know what he was doing, and he said he was going to show me something!"
Pyroar looked at Mane, and all arguments evaporated on his tongue. He whimpered and bent his head, not wanting to look at the… disappointment in Mother's eyes.
"Thank you for your honesty, boys," Pyroar said, taking Rumble's words and Mane's buckling as proof. "Rumble, wake up Morpeko and bring him to the second training field. I'll be handling Mane's training alone today."
Rumble raced off, eager to start training with Father. Mane shivered as Pyroar approached him. "Get up."
He rose up on stiff legs. Pyroar's paw raised, and he flinched, but she petted the top of his head. "You shouldn't steal from me, Mane. If you are hungry, just ask." She lowered her paw and began walking. "As punishment, you will have to train before breakfast today, but sometimes life is too fast for breakfast. Come along. If you do well, you'll get a reward afterwards."
Rumble lied straight to Mother's face, but she believed him at his word. This happened all the time, he'd make things up, and Mother and Father would just believe him. I'd get time outs, no breakfast or lunch or dinner, and have to sleep on the leaves.
Well, it was better sleeping on the leaves anyway. It got gross in the den and… Mother needed her privacy.
But this is exactly what made me, me. The lone-litleo I became, why I got so bitter about everything. Mother and Father favoured him. Father even took Rumble rather than me when they left. Well, one good thing he did for me, at least.
That must have been very difficult for you to live through. Having your brother be favoured above you.
Right on the docket, shrink.
Now, may I ask about your relationship with your mother? She's come up a few times in our conversations, but never any solo focus has been given to her.
…
If you'd prefer, we can-
You already know what these stories are all about, but fine. I'll tell you what you want to hear.
Mother Pyroar taught many life lessons to Mane.
Too many to cover in just one session, but there were two main stories Mane could draw upon for things that she taught him well.
The first lesson was one of the earliest she taught him. Mane couldn't pinpoint which was exactly the first, but one of the earliest ones stuck with him.
"You can only ever truly rely on yourself," she explained one day, climbing a large tree with Mane and Rumble. "If you look down from where we are, the distance to the ground is quite far."
Unable to help themselves, the kids did look, and vertigo gripped them at how far the ground was. Morpeko looked like a nervous yellow dot in a sea of brown and green.
Mane's claws nearly ripped out of the bark, and he yelped, grabbing onto a poking-out bump with his teeth while his claws scrabbled against the tree.
"If you fall, you'll fail," she warned. "I could try to catch you, but I'm too far up, and you'd fall too quickly. Your brother could try and catch you, but you'd only be dragged down with him. If someone falls, they fall on their own."
Her tail flicked out, smacking Rumble on the side of the head and then Mane. "People will try and make you fall." Her paws burned, smoothing out the bark by searing it with heat. She continued climbing, and they climbed to. The burn parts either crumbled immediately or couldn't be pierced by their claws at all. "Find out other ways to get by them."
Rumble, being longer, was able to grip onto a higher part. Mane had to climb sideways, around the burnt parts. It took him longer, but it was safer, but Rumble was ahead of him now.
Whichever one of them reached the top first won a great prize, and Mane tried to speed up. One time his claws weren't in far enough caused him to nearly fall off. Only the back paws anchoring him help him up to splat back-first onto the wood. "Help!"
"No one will help you," Mother said. "Not without incentive."
"I want to win," Rumble said, looking away from the crying Mane.
"MOTHER! FATHER!"
"If you fall," Mother said, not looking back as she reached a safe spot, a thick branch, "then that was your own fault."
Mane scrabbled more, but his body was flexible. He was able to twist and latch on with his forepaws again, pulling himself back into business.
Mane sniffled, he was so high up, and Rumble was even higher, climbing fast and eager. He growled, and fire built up in his mouth. Unable to control himself, he spat an Ember at Rumble, and it smacked into his back, causing him to yelp.
"Mother!" Rumble cried. "He attacked me!"
"Good," Mother said approvingly. "Do whatever you have to do to win."
The injury caused Rumble to pause, and Mane began to climb again, starting to catch up.
"Sometimes falling is unavoidable," Mother warned. "Sometimes, you can do everything right and still fail or do everything wrong and still succeed."
Rumble growled and looked sharply down at Mane.
Mother said to do anything in order to win.
Mane realised what Rumble was going to do before Rumble did, but he couldn't dodge while clawing his way up a tree. Rumble's stronger Ember collided with his head, an extra push of force causing him to slide down the tree, carving scratches into it. That may have been enough to assure victory, but Rumble would do anything.
The follow-up Ember knocked Mane off the tree.
"If you do fall, try and convince someone to take the hit for you," Mother called as Mane screamed, swinging at the air desperately. He slammed into something hard, but not as hard as hitting the ground would be, and everything went black.
Morpeko had caught him, for a measure of caught at least, and Mane hadn't been badly injured. He had been only a few months old at the time of this fall.
The second lesson was a lot harder to learn, took a lot longer to learn, and sunk in a great deal deeper.
"Never show weakness. No matter how 'kind' or 'accepting' others may seem, they will take any advantage over you that they can. Be an impervious soldier, first learn to show no weakness, then learn to have no weaknesses."
Mother was a driven pokémon. She saw the world differently than many pokémon, but she believed that everyone saw it the same way, only they tried to hide it.
Maybe she was right…?
There was no single moment that drilled this lesson into Mane's head, taking hold of his thoughts and twisting his desire to help and be helped.
But he did learn it. He learned it when asking for more food and getting more demanding training. He learned it when wanting comfort and being placed outside. Mane learned it when befriending Rai and not wanting to use him. I learned it living with a Father who didn't care, a brother who bullied me, and a creature in the shape of a pyroar that hurt me every minute of every second of every day!
Okay. Is that enough? I don't want to talk anymore. Fuck. Fuck you for making me think about this again. Just let me ignore everything and pretend like it doesn't matter. Pyroar's dead, Rumble's in prison, and Morpeko is alone. Or dead in a ditch somewhere, hopefully.
I'm done. I'm gone. I'm not coming back. I didn't want to talk about this, ever. And you made me! Why? You're supposed to be HELPING! This is just painful! Leave me alone, don't make me come back here, FUCK!
The door slammed as Mane stormed out. He didn't need to slam it, but he also did need to slam it. Sparks were popping off his mohawk and his paws as he ran.
Azumarill's house was, most annoyingly, almost as far from Sharpedo Bluff as it could be. So, he had to run through the rest of the houses and dodge annoying pokémon, run the dirt track and dodge annoying happy adventurers, run through Treasure Town, and avoid annoying shopkeepers, and run, run, run, run, run-
He hated running, but it was something he was damn good at. Rumble was much stronger than him; he was older and bigger after all. He was more cunning in how he cosied up to Mother and Father, playing the obedient pet that liked being told what to do.
Mane was smaller, weaker, younger, and didn't know how to hold his tongue very well. He learned how to run fast and be agile. Learned it well and at a very young age.
He hated happy-go-lucky pokémon, who didn't even know a tiny taste of adversity. Having perfect little lives with perfect little parents and perfect little upbringings and didn't know even a taste of hunger or fear.
He used to hate the guild. Well, not Chimecho, but everyone else for not seeing Pyroar for what she truly was. No one had ever figured it out until Morpeko outed her. She didn't even get as punished as she should have been. She didn't have to bear any consequence for her crimes except death.
Mane never got closure from her. He hated that too.
He never hated Rai, though. Rai was just like him, he felt. A poor, tragic orphan from a family torn apart by a Shadow Pokémon. Not that many pokémon actually knew that, but Mane did. Rai told him enough about the monster that had taken his family for Mane to recognise where it was similar to himself.
Before, they had become enemies.
Rai was so hurt, like him, but he stuck to his guns, and Mane was so envious of that.
Mane used to hate himself too. For letting Pyroar beat him.
Things were blurry by the time he crashed into Scout, just walking up the stairs of the bluff, and they tumbled down in a pile of fur and claws.
"Oww, Mane, what the f-"
Scout's yell was cut out immediately when Mane burst into tears, burying his face in Scout's chest. Both of them could be a little bony at times; both of them have had trouble getting enough food at points in their childhood.
Scout's annoyance at being thrown down the stairs with a cat on his face immediately shifted into concern, and he hugged Mane, pulling his head in closer. "Shh, let it out," Scout soothed as Mane left his chest as wet fur.
Rai, who had nearly been knocked over by Mane racing blindly past him, dashed into their home a few moments later to find Mane sobbing on Scout.
He carefully crept over, casting Scout a concerned look before nuzzling up on Mane and purring. Scout, who didn't do it often, added in his own purrs. They huddled with Mane until he'd cried enough, breaking into soft hiccups before his breathing evened out, and he took in some shaky breaths.
"Sorry," he mumbled, half-heartedly trying to pull away from Scout. Still, the meagre weight of Scout's arms around him caused him to give up immediately.
Scout didn't reply with words. Saying it was 'okay' or 'are you okay' just wasn't right at all. Instead, he nuzzled Mane, still purring.
"You should purr more," Mane said softly. "Hey, I'm on you right now. Want me to make you purr some more?"
Scout shook his head, rubbing his face over Mane's.
"Eww, I'm gross. Why would you want to do that." Rai also nuzzles him, and he continued to grumble at their show of support, even with his salty, snotty face.
"Come on. All this love and support is ruining my emotional stuntedness." His voice wavered slightly at the last words. Rai and Scout licked his face. "Dammit," Mane's voice broke, and he buried his face in Scout's neck again. He didn't fall apart again, but he sobbed a few times, going boneless over him.
"What happened?" Rai asked after Mane's breathing evened to a stable, if still shaky, rhythm.
"Azumarill made me talk about growing up," Mane muttered. "And so I just lied to her, and she knew it, and I knew she knew it, and she knew I knew she knew it, and I kept on lying."
Mane shook his head, rubbing his face into Scout. "I told her my version of how we first met, Rai, and was all like 'I slept outside because I wanted to' Because sleeping inside was awful enough. I didn't fucking want to. I chose to. And I would never have asked Pyroar, not after the first time at least."
"Pyroar was so fucking scary. I can't even describe how it was to live around her. She trained us, and it hurt, and if we complained, she hurt us more. Rumble learned quickly enough that you shouldn't talk back. He became a pathetic suck-up just to avoid getting hurt by them. Morpeko was hardly any better. He was a coward and wanted strong people to protect him, so he trained our attacks while Pyroar trained… other things. You should never look at your mother and know she's going to kill you one day."
"You know, I was saying things like 'Mother's stories are more practical, didn't like them as much as Father's though.' Ugh. I'm so pathetic. 'Mother would never put us in danger; she loved us and was only training us to help us survive, not like she was a monster in a Pyroar's skin or anything'."
"Mane, you're not pathetic. You survived that."
"Yeah, right, survived it because I was too weak for Morpeko to take with him, strong enough to not die and instead become a heartless bullying dick. I could have done anything after they left me, but I just became what Pyroar was trying to do."
"You are nothing like that."
"Scout, you don't understand what she did to me." Mane broke and buried his head in Scout's neck again. "Even nowadays, I just do what she taught me to do. I'm smart because she taught me to be smart. I notice things because she taught me to notice. Fuck, I flirt because that was one of the biggest things she taught me. 'Seduction and Domination to Get What I Want'. How disgusting is that? She…."
"M-Mane. She didn't… actually…"
"No. If you're asking if she ever… touched me, then no. But she still taught me the worst things. How to pin someone, how to 'get what I want'. She wanted to breed an entire army of Shadow Pokémon but didn't want to do most of the work herself. So, she taught us, and that's fucking disgusting!"
He turned his head to Rai. "On the day we first met, I was, what, a year old at most or something? You pinned me, and I immediately got you in a grapple. I didn't fucking know why or what, but THAT is the kind of thing she taught me. There's no reason I should EVER have done that, but I did. I did. I'm exactly what she wanted out of me."
"Mane, you're not."
"Well, then listen to my next story. I told Azumarill about how Rumble stole some food and pinned it on me. Pyroar caught us. I told her that Pyroar just 'playfully patted me on the head and made me train before breakfast'. That's just what I do, lie. She beat me until I blacked out. And she knew it wasn't me who stole it, Rumble just was a good liar, and that's what she wanted. Morpeko had to take me to Chimecho. That's why I learned to lie on reflex."
"Then you're incredible," Rai said. "You survived. You learned, you adapted, you survived. You played what you had to, but you never lost everything that you really were. She. Did. Not. Win."
Mane's lip shook, and he hiccupped again, looking away. "Why do you even bother? I'm such a mess."
"We're all messes," Scout said, still holding onto Mane. "I'm just surprised we're not co-dependent."
"We're a little co-dependent," Mane said, almost breathing out a laugh.
"I'm here for you," Rai said, nuzzling him again. "And Scout is too. And I'm here for Scout, and I know you two are here for me."
"Little presumptuous there," Mane commented. Rai licked his cheek with a sparking tongue for it. "That tingles! Lower."
Scout licked his neck, and Mane eeped. "Okay, fine, fine, I accept your love and worship."
"Calm down, tiger," Scout said, smiling up at him. There was a hint of tears in the edges of his eyes, Rai's too.
"I like that name. Call me big tiger."
"Mane," Rai said. "You know what you're doing."
"Deflecting from the emotional heaviness with flirty humour," Mane sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologise," Scout said. "That's who you are, and, unfortunately, we kinda love you for it."
"Eww, love for who I am. Can't you love me for this smoking hot bod instead?"
"Yes, that helps," Rai said plainly. He poked Mane in the chest. "I like that in there too."
"My liver?"
"Your heart, you big goof."
"I knew that! I just have trouble believing it sometimes."
"Then we'll reassure you every time."
Mane sighed out a heavy breath. "Alright," he said softly. "I'm… sorry for breaking down like that. I really didn't expect to be hit with that much emotion today."
"How do you feel?" Scout said, letting Mane pull himself up and off him.
"Like shit," Mane said, bluntly. "I hate that I put all that on you two and still wish I could handle it all on my own."
"That's alright," Scout said. "Just as long as you don't always hide it from us when you are feeling it. I hate putting my crap on you as well, but I'm pretty sure that's part of what a relationship is."
"Another pro of us being a threesome!" Rai grinned. "It's not as hard if you can carry it between three."
"Another pro of us being a threesome is-" Mane began before he was forced to be quiet.
With Rai and Scout purring around him, Mane surrendered to the good vibes. He tugged at his sheet and smiled. "You know, a lot of pokémon didn't like me after Pyroar was outed, for whatever reason. Chimecho, though, was always so kind to me. After getting beaten up, I could go to her in dungeons or whatever, and she'd always patch me up. I actually got the sheet from her. I had my own bed to the point she just gave me the sheet to stop me coming back so often, hah."
"Chimecho is pretty nice," Rai said, snuggling into Mane. "Even with all her work, she always has time for people."
"Yeah," Scout said, nodding smartly. "Still evil, but a nice kind of evil."
He got a double wack to the face from two tails, and the three of them laughed until they cried.
It's not easy to think about where I came from. And some days are harder than others. I am proud of where I've got to, though, and… well, talking does help. It hurts for a while, but it helps. Thanks, and sorry, Azumarill, for storming out the other day. I just needed some personal time with Shinx and Meowth to calm me down, if you know what I mean ;3
Ah, Mane. Whoever would have thought I'd take his character to such places?
So, I strategically avoided showing most of the abuse he suffered because trying to actually write it made me feel sick. You know, both trigger warnings I've put on this story have been related to Mane's family. Rumble's death and now Mane's backstory. It probably wasn't too bad since he avoided most of the worst stuff in his story, but it's still pretty awful.
The next chapter, though, I'm looking forward to that one! I won't spoil who it'll be about though, I'll leave that as a surprise yet!
Also, my beta is writing a PMD story of his own. It's also an SI-OC, into Super, though. If you're interested, here are some links: Just replace the spaces with .
www fanfiction net/s/13794965/1/PMD-A-Super-Dandy-Adventure
archiveofourown org/works/28748184/chapters/70491633
And remember, I have a discord. If you'd like to join, here's an invite code: discord gg/kTMP2BgzhA