Sira preferred to stay out of sight in her new home, but she quickly realized that all was not well. She first noticed when she saw a Panpour, Pansear, and Pansage ganging up on a young Scatterbug. The Scatterbug was thrashing wildly, but the Panpour and Pansage were holding it down, laughing.
Her fur bristled and her jaw dropped open in shock as the Pansear breathed flames across the Scatterbug's back, and the Scatterbug screamed in pain and terror. She had always heard of Pansage, Panpour, and Pansear as friendly Pokémon, but it seemed the stories were exaggerated, or that these three were different. She hoped it was the latter. From the looks of it, this had been going on for a while. With a snarl, she leaped into the fray, tackling the Pansear and sending it hurling into a tree. Sira spun around and clawed at the Panpour as the Pansage sent a rush of leaves at her, and she kicked back with her good leg, sending the Pansage flying into a tree next to the Pansear. She then scooped low, picking the Panpour up in her horn, and then sent it flying into yet another tree. Narrowing her eyes, Sira turned to the Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour, and spoke in a low, ominous tone.
"If I ever see you hurting another Pokémon for fun again, I will do far more than this. Do I make myself clear?" Sira hissed, for the first time glad of the stigma surrounding her species.
The three Pokémon weakly nodded, eyes wide, then scurried out of sight. She turned to the Scatterbug, who was backing away in terror at the sight of the Disaster Pokémon. She laughed bitterly at the fact that even the Pokémon she tried to help fled away in fright. Her laugh just made the Scatterbug more terrified.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I only hurt mean Pokémon. You're not mean, are you?" She said to the poor young Pokémon. The Scatterbug shook its head.
"B-But you'we an Absol… m-my pawents t-told me not to twust A-Absol…. But you saved me."
She sighed. "My name's Sira."
"I'm Luka."
Sira then turned to the Rawst berries on the nearby bush, and plucked one off. She fed it to the terrified Pokémon, and then turned to an Oran bush and gave an Oran berry to Luka. Sira then asked Luka where his parents were.
"I can find my way back… my pawents don't like Absol. I'm sowwy." He hung his head, his three antenna drooping.
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize." Sira soothed. "I understand. Just remember to keep an open mind."
"What's apola- apolo- apol…" the little Pokémon asked.
"Apologize means to say sorry. And I will take you back to your parents." I am used to being disliked, she thought bitterly. Sira sighed mentally as she realized the truth of her statement. Nobody likes Absol. Nobody likes me. "Where's your home?"
"Follow me," Luka said. He lead Sira to a small log, where two Vivillon were. It was clear that this was Luka's home, as his scent, as well as that of his parents', was all over the nest. As his parents caught sight of Sira, they moved protectively in front of their son, ready to stand and fight if necessary.
"What do you think you are doing with our son, Absol?" the father hissed. He had brown and blue wings, that reminded Sira of a river. The mother, on the other hand, had beautiful teal wings with yellow bands running across them, with blue at the edges of her wings.
"Mum, Dad, she-" Luka tried to explain.
"What did she do to you, Luka?" The mother asked her son frantically, sending a glare at Sira.
"But Mum, she didn't-" Luka protested again.
Both Vivillon moved into attack Sira, making her flinch and stagger back as the supereffective attacks hit. Sira just stood there. She wouldn't fight the winged Pokémon for trying to protect their son, no matter how misguided their intentions were.
"MUM! DAD! SHE SAVED ME!" Luka finally yelled. Both Vivillon paused, and Sira welcomed the respite from their attacks.
"She what? You must have seen wrong, my boy. She's an Absol, and you know what that means." The father shook his head before turning to glare at Sira again.
"I didn't see anything wrong, dad. The Panpour, Pansage, and Pansear were hurting me, and she saved me."
"Are you sure… Okay, Luka, we will let her leave," the father said, changing his mind at Luka's glare.
Luka turned to Sira and mouthed I'm sorry. Then, as Sira turned away, the mother called after her. "Wait, take this Oran berry!" Sira dipped her head in thanks and turned away, eating the Oran berry.
She was almost gone when she sensed somebody looking at her foot. She mentally groaned. Here it comes. The pity. Or revulsion. She could never decide which she hated more. And she had just- for the first time in her life- made a friend.
"What happened to your foot, Sira?" Luka asked.
"I was born like that," she said curtly, narrowing her eyes.
"How did you fight off those Pans?" Luka asked, using the slang term for a group of Panpour, Pansage, and Pansear. "It must have been hard."
"I am used to it," Sira said dully, not commenting further.
Luka dropped his eyes. He would figure out a way to make his new friend happy, he thought, no matter what it took.