3-2

The Hatching

Baldwin relaxed, having almost punched the dark type in the face. Still, he was rather confused by the fact that *this* was Luke's father. They looked nothing alike.

"You are Luke's father?" Baldwin voiced as the vulpine pokemon entered fully, shedding his illusion.

"In the flesh and fur!" He chirped out with pride as he placed down some dark eggs with some red swirls on them. "He certainly has my looks and illusion ability after all."

"Daaaaad! I'm nowhere as good as you!" Luke whined as he hugged the dark type.

Baldwin just stared at the eggs while Zoroark tousled with his son. He had been informed about how pokemon were born but this was just father fascinating to see two eggs in person. Both of them filled with life.

His thoughts briefly strayed to rock types and those who shouldn't be able to have eggs and then quickly cut them off when he saw one of the eggs crack.

"One-" The second egg started to crack and wiggle. "-The eggs are hatching!" Baldwin barked out, catching the attention of the father-son duo.

The two broke apart so they could witness the hatching.

The first cracking egg fell apart, revealing a tiny black and grey fox with a tuft of red hair on it's head. It looked around, blearily before squeaking.

Then the other egg broke apart, the pokemon tumbling out being the same shape but different coloring much to the shock of Zoroark, who simply gasped.

The dark type scooped up the babies, crooning and nuzzling the two newborns. "Welcome to this beautiful world, Audrey, Katherine!"

Luke was just staring with awe. 'They're my little sisters. I'm a big brother now. A big brother.'

"H-hey." Luke approached his new siblings with trepidation, holding out a paw to them. "I'm… I'm your big brother, Luke." His whispered, pride filling him at the sight of his new siblings and tears in his eyes.

*CHOMP!*

Luke had to hold his breath, his blue furred sister biting down hard on his paw. Followed shortly by a sound like a deflating balloon.

The pikachu practically melted as the zorua snickered, much to the mild concern of Baldwin.

"Ah, just as bite-y as when I first hatched." Zoroark just mimicked the snickering. Then he glanced to Baldwin. "Hey, you wanna hold them?"

The former human was slightly caught off guard by this, unconsciously raising his paws. "No, I couldn't."

"Ah, nothing bad'll happen if you hold them for a few seconds. 'Sides, you're part steel."

And without much warning, the vulpine pokemon gently gave the two small, fragile balls of fur and innocent life unto the Leper's arms, Baldwin found himself frozen in place, unwilling to move.

Was it fear? Concern? He could not truly say, accurately, but as he gazed down at the slumbering infants, he felt something bubbling up in his chest.

It was determination. Something more than the conviction that carried him through the horrors of the Darkest Estate.

Right then and there, he made a solemn vow, that he would keep them safe.

His masked gaze, he tore away from the twins and looked back at Zoroark, he uttered but two words.

Rita floating into Audino's hospital, humming as she approached Konstantin, who was curled up in the corner. "So, how was your medicine?"

"What happened to me?" He moans, head lolling about as sanity seems to return to him. "... Don't tell me I went mad again? I didn't have a heart attack, did I?"

"Well, you did backhand Luke after VVulf roared at you and Luke blocked an attack for you." Rita muttered something about a stupid green serpent before shaking her head. "So yeah, you did go a bit Mad for awhile there."

He groaned, and leaned into the wall, seemingly uncaring of how uncomfortable it seems.

"My apologies, Rita. It's happened to me before, and to others as well, I think. Sometimes, I go above and beyond to the heights of heroism when I reach the balance of sanity."

He sighs, and turns away from her.

"And sometimes I fall into the depths of Madness."

He wraps his arms around himself.

"...I don't think I can go on any missions, for a few days, at least. I still need to fully recover. I apologize, Rita." He says, sounding sincere.

Rita started rubbing his head. "That's fine, honey. Baldwin told us all about it. He can fill in during the trip."

"Hurm. If you run into any enemies on the trip, just let Baldwin stand in front of you. He wears that heavy armor for a reason." He advises.

"Don't worry, he's not the only one going with thick armor." Rita chuckled, before sighing. "Anyways, do you want to take a walk to somewhere where we can talk alone?"

"... Alright, but if you're going to put a knife in my throat for hitting Luke, just know I won't go down easy." He says in a tone that makes it ambiguous if he's serious or not.

"You weren't in your right mind." She pointed out.

With a grunt, he hauls himself to his feet.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Right." Rita turned and cupped her paws. "Audino! I'll be back in a few hours with Konstantin!"

"Whatever! Sit still, it's just a stitch you big baby!"

Rita sweatdropped and walked out with Kon, heading off for Sharpedo Bluff.

As they walked, the charmander took the opportunity to clear his mind with the fresh breeze.

It helped, minutely.

Rita moved over to a bush at the bluff and moved it aside, revealing a set of stairs going down. "Well, let's head on down to the old summer home~!"

"...How long has this been here?" He asks, more to himself than anything as he moves down the stairs, his tail acting like a torch, casting shadows.

And it quickly opened into... The Cliff's 'mouth'. It seemed quite peaceful, actually.

"...Huh. This seems quite nice." He says slowly, looking about.

"Well, we had the stairs carefully installed when we bought the bluff." Rita explained as she entered after him.

"... Bought?"

He shook his head and mumbled something unintelligible.

"... Anyway, what did you wish to speak to me about, Rita?"

"Oh yeah!" And in that moment, it looked like a switch had flipped in her. Her body posture changed in small but noticeable ways.

"Have you ever encountered a meteorite that shed gems and insanity?"

Meteorite?

...

Metro...rite...

Memories come unbidden, of crystals, hollow corpses of farmers echoing with pain...

The eye of a screeching infant God as Baldwin cleaved into it, again and again and again and again and again and again-

LOST IN TIME AND SPACE

...

When he comes to, the armored fire lizard finds himself curled up on the floor, shivering, the feeling of a paw rubbing his back in a soothing way.

"Well, that pretty much answers my question." Rita muttered, still rubbing.

"...The sky... So near, yet so far away..." He mumbles. "Time and Space... Nothing more than dust swirling in the wind..." Shivering, he slowly curls up against Rita, looking far more vulnerable than before...

Rita sighed, hugging the mentally scared charmander like the mother she was. "I guess it's why our three worlds are connected."

"Time and Space... Time and Space..." He just whispers, fully accepting the Raichu's embrace.

"Kon… When you are feeling better, I'll tell you the whole story." Rita whispered, rubbing his back still.

"...Later." He says quietly. "Just- Hold me, please."

He sounds so genuinely desperate.

"Yeah."

And the two former humans just sat there in the bluff, the only sounds being the gentle breeze and the crashing of waves below.

It was a nice clearing they stopped in when Runa announced, "Okay, sun setting, time to set up camp!"

"I'll get the t-tent out!" Tiffany pulled off her bags, spilling some food on the ground while Runa walked to the edge, eyeing a large dead tree, clearly dry rotting.

Runa wrapped her stubby arms around part of the tree. "Rrrrrraaaaah!" And she pulled it out with some effort, stumbling as parts fell off.

"Impressive." Verrall chuckles as he sets down the set of firewood, one of three he'd been given.

The Heir, alongside his orders, had loaded him down with all the supplies he could. Food, holy water, torches, antivenom…

Runa dropped the dead tree nearby with a huff, brushing off bits of wood.

As the fire was lit, he began setting up small traps, bells and strings and the like to alert them of any ambushers, if someone tried their luck.

"With my ear to the ground, no one will sneak up on us." He boasts to the two kids.

Tiffany just fidgeted. "Well, what if they can h-hover or fly?"

He put a hand to his chin, and recalled a number of enemies that did not touch the ground, yet we're still warded away by he and his comrade's various methods of creating safe areas for camp.

"It'll work." He asserts after a moment. "And even then, if any get past the traps, they'll have to go through *me* to get to you two."

"Ah-um, thank you, Mr. Verrall!"

Runa just snorted, taking a stick and shoving an apple on it before holding it over the fire.

Verrall may have been raised by Brigands, but he was pretty sure you didn't cook apples.

Shrugging, he sat down and, after eating a few nonspecific units of Generic Rations™, he decided to sharpen his knives a bit, and soon the camp was filled with the sounds of stone scraping against metal, or perhaps the other way round, as he made use of his whetstone.

Runa just munched on the toasted apple while Tiffany was peeling an orange.

Looking up, Verrall caught sight of the strange, orange-colored fruit Tiffany was peeling. He couldn't help but stare, as he wasn't sure what that was.

The cubone pulled apart the large segments, easily eating one of them. Then, she offered a few segments to Verrall.

Gently accepting them, he put aside his knives, pulled up his mask just slightly, and fed the segments into his mouth.

The slices of fruit were juice, and quite sweet tasting. He found he liked them.

"Do you want some more?" Tiffany asked, taking out an unpeeled orange.

He waved the offer away.

"No need." He assures. "I am yet filled, go ahead and have the rest."

"Okay." Tiffany continued to eat, the night continuing on in silence before Tiffany headed into the tent to sleep.

With the more kind and innocent of the two off to sleep, Verrall turned his attendance to Runa.

"So." He starts gruffly. "Tell me about the one who's chasing you. Want to be sure I remember his face so I can gut him good."

"Well." Runa stared at the fire. "He's a Marowak, like an older Tiffany but he's got a big scar across his chest and his eyes are red."

"Okay." He says, pretending to know what exactly a Marowak is.

"So, how far ahead of him you think you are? How much time we got?" He asks.

She just shrugged. "Maybe a day or so. He's pretty messed up in the head. Thinks himself a hunter or something."

"Hn, bet he prefers targets that can't actually fight back. Coward." He spits, cursing the two kids' stalker.

"Yeah… He killed our mom when she was tending to our little brother." Runa started shaking, rubbing at her eyes. "When… if I get a chance, I'm going to make him suffer!"

"...And your little brother?" He asks quietly. "What happened to him?"

Runa went still. "Dead…"

Verrall lowered his head in respect.

"I'm sorry." He says after a moment, offering his condolences.

"Yeah…" She stared up at the moon before entering the tent without a word.

Now alone, with the fire still burning bright, the former Brigand decided to stay up and keep watch.

Maybe if the kids' pursuer stumbled upon them, he'd have the chance to gut the bastard.

He was already seething with anticipation, a hunger for raw violence filling his gut.

A fair distance away, a scarred marowak watched, a grin never leaving his face as he settled down to watch as well.

It was so much fun for him after all.

A/N: Whelp! Babies! Future story! REFERENCES TO PMD BLUE AND RED! Retcons! A side Story that will enter the Main Story in a fun way! AND ZARA'S BIRTHDAY!

ORANGES!

zaravan ?

Well, it seems two individuals both with a taste for wild violence are soon to clash. A brawl to remember is surely brewing!