Record #5: The Safeguard

Damien admits he hadn't planned to stay as long as he did with the pride of Shinx, Luxio, and Luxrays.

The next sunrise signals his fourth day since he'd first found himself with the pride, and frankly, Damien would've said he'd grown comfortable to this life with them if it weren't for his clothes beginning to stink of his own sweat, causing him to swap his clothes (with some hesitance) for his volleyball uniform. By now, while Damien still isn't able to differentiate every Shinx and Luxio within the pride, he's able to recognize those that had distinctive scars and the Shinx with either particularly aggressive or meek personalities. He hasn't left the cave much, but when needing a breath of fresh air, Damien would take a step outside, feeling the chill breeze that passes by every now and then. (It's not to say he was forced to stay within the cave, merely he hadn't found a reason to go outside when it's an electrical hazard from all the play-fighting from the Luxio for most of the day anyway.) From the looks of the green returning to the sparse trees around the pride's home, spring was coming near (which, Damien is personally glad over. He doesn't want to think about what would happen if it were the dead of winter like before he arrived here.)

In truth, this vague schedule of waking up, staring at the Shinx and Luxio playing about, eating a breakfast of berries (that luckily includes more than just Pecha for Damien's own sanity; not that he recognizes most of the ones he eats), more staring, and repeat was starting to bore Damien. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered leaving, but with the presence of the Shinx; the first Pokémon he'd been so gladly acquainted to and the one that Damien had began to easily recognize due to their constant presence near him, Damien felt a sort of shame by even simply thinking about leaving out of the blue. Plus, Damien doesn't have much of an idea where he'd go to find civilization in the first place. When he had run to the cliff the pride currently resided around, he hadn't seen any buildings or paths to go off of. Once, in the distance, he'd noticed a river, but having been running after his friendly Shinx, he'd long forgotten which direction he'd need to go to find it again. There's simply nothing Damien can really go towards unless he either runs in a random direction or asks a member of the pride themselves.

Though, speaking of the pride, Damien also feels he'd gotten to understand them, or at least how they structure their lives. Adding on from his first day within their presence, he came to realize simply how much importance they place on their young. While Damien understands that on a fundamental level since animals such as lions, in which the Shinx line resemble, are protective of their children, he hadn't thought that the Luxray care as much as they do.

The male Luxray in particular cares after the Luxio while the female looks after the Shinx within the den. Not having much else to do but observe the pride, Damien had long noticed whenever an argument or fight between Luxio escalates to where their claws began to display sparks, a quick roar by the Luxray would stop them. Whenever a Luxio actually got hurt, especially if they let out a noise to indicate their irritation, the male Luxray would run off to fetch them from where they stood back to the cave.

The first time Damien had witnessed that, his heart nearly gave out in surprise. It was likely only an hour or two after his friendly Shinx had fed him that spicy berry for breakfast. Having been looking at the group of Shinx playing around, he'd heard a growl that was low enough to indicate to him that it belonged neither to the female Luxray nor any of the Shinx. His attention attracted from the Shinx to the cave's entrance, Damien had been greeted by the sight of an annoyed Luxio that was carried on their back by the grip of the male Luxray's teeth. Damien had taken a breath then, quickly adjusting his glasses to assure he was seeing things correctly. He barely managed to compose himself, his hands only having just let go from a mess of blue fluff before the red eyes of the large feline met his own.

For a moment, everything was silent as Damien held his breath and the Luxray's nose twitched; it was as if the Luxray was yet again trying to see if Damien deserved the right to be here. He feels that back then, the Luxray was making a renewed impression of him, a check-up of sorts, ensuring Damien wasn't backing away from whatever reason he'd been allowed to live alongside the pride in the first place. Damien hadn't gotten a chance to speak before the air returned to his lungs as the Luxray's gaze shifted away from Damien himself and instead to the Luxio. The Luxray had dropped the Luxio onto the floor, stared at them and let out a short bark to ensure whatever message he had for them was made clear, and dashed off.

With the Luxio on the floor - a male one, Damien noticed - the Luxio hesitantly let out a grunt before striding towards the specific corner of the cave containing the large berry stash. A few seconds later, leaving out from the shadows of the corner with an Oran berry, the Luxio then walked out of the cave. Considering the exasperated look on the Luxio's face in the entirety of the situation, Damien had figured it to be a normal occurrence, only further supported by the fact that at a glance to the Shinx, they hadn't given even a glance, still letting out purrs and meows from their tousling with one another as they played around.

As Damien would find out, his assumption was soon proved true as by the time the sun began to set, another two or three Luxios were sent into the cave to get their injuries tended to by the magical Oran berry. (While the Luxray had had their gaze on Damien every time it happened, it at least seemed to shorten in length as the day went on. Damien had been nothing less than alert for the Luxray's presence since his first unexpected appearance.) Seeing the Luxios' injuries healing near instantaneously (though not all at once from when they had eaten them), it only confirmed how incredible berries were. That said, Damien would've also been confused how he hadn't seen it the day prior, when he'd first arrived, but, upon realizing he was asleep for the majority of it, Damien disregarded his question as he reflected back on the situation with the Luxray's appearance that he still, honestly, had been stunned over.

Upon reflection however, Damien realizes he should've thought over the protectiveness of the Luxrays for their kin when he already knew there was the presence of Luxio in the first place. If they didn't care for their children as much as they do, it was likely the Luxray would've kicked out the Luxio to live for themselves by then. In fact, if Damien's memory stays correct, it was from that moment on that he opened up his duffle bag to grab out a notebook and pencil from his pencil pouch to begin taking notes on the interactions within the pride he had been currently living with, both between the Shinx, Luxio, and Luxrays to each other, and himself. Having been trying to avoid using his phone, they weren't exactly as detailed as they could've been, especially considering the chock-full of information on the Shinx line within the MasterDex database Damien had downloaded, but the notes were sufficient enough to both stave off his boredom and keep track of the pride's typical behaviors. (He was used to writing notes by hand anyway.)

Looking over the notes, Damien slowly took in what his standing within the pride's presence was. While he's tolerated, it was all based on the fact he had helped shield one of their Shinx and that the same Shinx had grown a confidence they'd likely never seen within the others to protect Damien in turn. Damien could tell from the brief glances he received (which Damien admits he had shuddered to nearly every occasion, no matter how much he'd grown used to it) from the Luxio and Luxray, that while they likely instinctually - whether or not due to prior interactions or something borne into their behavior - didn't trust humans, they were trusting him to continue protecting the same Shinx which vouched for him. Rather, if the lessening presence of the female Luxray indicates anything, that trust was stretching towards all the Shinx within the cave. To them, his presence is being tested and Damien nearly couldn't shake the thought of the possible consequences should they see one of the Shinx hurt.

Damien had continued to keep a close eye on the Shinx, ensuring they were both happily enjoying their time within the cave while not fighting each other any further than when he heard the first whimper that indicated distress. He came to realize that the Shinx were certainly a handful and a half. Once or twice a day he'd have to clobber over to pry them apart, carefully moving his hands back whenever he'd felt a tingly sensation like static electricity over his hands, indicating there was likely electricity sparking within the pile of black and blue fluff. (He only needed to feel a good shock once to get the lesson that he shouldn't delve too far into the Shinx pile.) While moving his hands back did let the few Shinx he'd get free to annoyingly escape back into the fighting pile, it was worth it over a shock and at the very least. It gave him something else to do other than stare out at the Luxio, which, while similarly play-fighting, was looked over by the male Luxray.

Oddly, the male Luxray never came to investigate the situation whenever Damien did hear that noise of distress within the pile of Shinx. At first, Damien's heart had pumped in fear, expecting any of the Luxray to run right up to him. A minute later while desperately having tried to pry the pile apart though, still hearing a few whimpers amongst the cacophony of meows, grunts, and growls, Damien had let himself give a sigh of relief seeing it wasn't going to happen. While he was confused over it, Damien only let himself believe it was from whatever line of trust he had in Damien himself and the trust that the female Luxray would be able to handle the situation; it wasn't as if she left. Mostly, the female feline was hidden behind the boulder wall.

Thus, when Damien had heard a roar (that he was starting to be able to tell was in fact, from the female Luxray) from within the cave not a few seconds after, Damien could only hold his breath as he winced. The few Shinx within his arms flopped to the floor but, as Damien had noticed out of the corner of his eyes, they, alongside the entire Shinx pile, froze and stopped fighting amongst one another. For a moment, the fear that the female Luxray would come right out from behind the boulder wall specifically for Damien had returned. But then, having smelt the faint scent of burning, Damien realized the situation with the Shinx pile had likely started to have become out of his control and the female Luxray knew it. For an electric type, they would've realized the release of a possible electric-type move far before he would.

So, when Damien heard the footsteps of the female Luxray approaching out from the boulder wall towards him and the Shinx, he merely clutched onto his coat, aiming to keep calm. The female Luxray on the other hand, gazed down upon the Shinx that all were all merely silent in response (aside from those that let out a bark to the few that had decided the roar wasn't enough of a warning to stop). Then, it switched to Damien, who gulped as his brain had scrambled for a response.

"... I- I apologize for not being able to stop the Shinx… ma'am… it's just that-"

Before Damien could finish, the female Luxray simply let out a chuff as her expression appeared amused before nodding and turning around to walk back within the boulder wall to continue doing whatever she'd been doing within there. (Now, Damien realizes, was another case of the female Luxray reveling in simply messing with him - another behavior Damien learned to jot down.) Damien had stood frozen as he let his nerves calm down once more before he glanced back towards the Shinx.

"...let's not have to see that again… please?"

In tandem, they all let out a small nod before scrambling off to do their own thing, though much more quietly. One particular Shinx however, had looked at Damien guiltily before they quickly dashed to the dark-berry filled corner of the cave and dashed back to Damien with a Pecha berry in their mouth.

Damien's expression softened as by this point, he came to recognize the Shinx as the same one he'd known the longest (and of course, his favorite, though he avidly tries to avoid revealing that to the other Shinx. He remembers the chaos of the cuddle pile on top of him when the other Shinx noticed he had started giving him more pets than the rest of them). Crouching down, Damien had let his hand out for the Shinx to drop the berry that he had promptly and happily bit into, within his hands, wasting no effort to hide that he enjoyed the sweet flavor. His furred companion, though pleased by it, didn't seem particularly satisfied as he continued to look at Damien as if he'd done something wrong.

For his part, Damien didn't hesitate to start stroking through the little feline's large tuft of fur atop his head. He tried to give a logical little speech to cheer up the Shinx at his feet.

"Buddy? … You didn't do anything wrong, got that? Playing around is what you're supposed to do! It's just, it's good to know when to stop so you don't end up hurting your brothers and sisters too much. Cheer up for me won't you?"

Despite trying to hold back, the Shinx still purred loudly at the sensation of Damien's fingers atop their head and instead simply nodded before having let out a bark as if to tell Damien, 'I will!' And like that, there was a moment of complete silence in the cave as Damien let himself breathe. One hand ruffling through Shinx's fur and the other feeling the rough stone floor, there was a sort of peace Damien hadn't felt during his stay with the pride since he had tried calming down near the bush when he'd first met them.

"Shin- Shinx!"

All hell broke loose as soon as one of the Shinx noticed Damien's preferential treatment. They clobbered Damien for the pets they'd gotten spoiled on and Damien laughed as his back had gotten onto the floor.

His place as a caretaker of the Shinx hadn't gone away that day. He had been still allowed around and Damien was happy with that.

So, it was short to say it was surprising when the male Luxray showed up without warning at the entrance of the cave, a few Luxio riled up behind him. With the sun of the fourth day now fully risen into the sky, Damien had only just finished his usual breakfast of berries.

After nearly tripping on his own feet when he heard the following bark, he turns to look at the Luxray before he realizes he was gazing right at Damien, with their earlier bark seemingly to be purely for his attention. Damien's eyes stare right back as he holds his breath, trying to think of a reason behind the Luxray's sudden appearance. His mind glosses over the memory of the words he had put down within his notebook, now filled with all the observations of the pride.

'I hadn't done anything wrong in taking care of the Shinx have I?

There's a possibility this could be another sort of test from them.

But why would they conduct it by meeting me directly?

There was never any indication of this sort of behavior before…'

A sudden familiar trill of joy could be heard behind Damien, breaking his train of thought, and which correspondingly, makes him look down in response. The Shinx he's come to know and love looks happily at his Luxray elder and nearly starts to chatter off as he notices the Luxio. Noticing, the Luxray lets out a bark louder than the one from before. Damien, who had been looking at his feline companion, quickly shifts his attention to the male Luxray, clutching his arm in anticipation of whatever the Luxray was here for.

The Luxray, which had gotten the attention he wanted, ignores the Shinx below Damien's feet. He raises a paw to Damien before letting out a line of what Damien could only guess to be instructions that he has no idea how to decipher.

"Lux. Luxray, lux."

The large feline, without seemingly caring if Damien actually understood his instructions, began to turn around, leaving Damien left bewildered as he stood there. Then, feeling a small nudge at his feet, Damien looks down to see Shinx trying to push his legs forwards before seeming to give up as he then looks up to Damien. He pushes his paw outwards towards the Luxray before letting out a cute grunt in trying to replicate the words of his elder.

Taking a moment to process what Shinx had been trying to convey, Damien settles on an answer he felt he'd seen once prior to having started to live with the pride.

"You want me… to follow them?"

The Shinx happily lets out a meow of agreement before beginning to dash off towards the Luxray, indicating Damien to follow. … Only to freeze as a distinctive roar rings behind Damien, who merely winces, now having gotten used to the daily roars. (He's… unsure whether to think that fact is good or not.)

"Luxray."

At a single call, the female Luxray manages to both voice a tone of exasperation and seriousness, only supported by her deadpan expression that follows. Shinx, below Damien's feet, pouts, but knowing he was caught, turns around as he starts to drag his feet back into the cave while looking very intensely at the floor. Damien barely manages to hold back a chuckle though he still smiles, having expected such a situation.

'You sneak out a lot don't you buddy?'

After all, his favorite Shinx sneaking off was the only reason he'd come to have met him and while he's not arguing against it, Damien also came to realize how much of a drama king the Shinx was as well. His attention, however, rather quickly shifts back out from the cave as a loud wail causes him to turn his head towards the lone male Luxray and group of Luxio. The crowd of felines look at Damien with irritation as they realize Damien hadn't been following along as the male Luxray has asked for.

"Sorry, I'll get there soon!"

Damien rushes to grab his duffle bag, which, while he is unsure if necessary, also feels to possibly be of some use, even if it is mostly full of notebooks. He could've also just left the bag within the cave, but from what having taken care of all the Shinx from the past four days has shown him, he shouldn't trust them not to sneak into his bag and then proceed to tear his notebooks apart. Sighing, Damien takes one last quick glance at the Shinx, aiming to give a smile. The Shinx looks at Damien with the cutest eyes but Damien knows he can't bring Shinx along - the female Luxray made that clear. Before he rushes to catch up with the Luxio and Luxray (which were beginning to be worryingly far by this point), Damien tries to assure Shinx that things will end up fine.

"I'll be right back before you know it. … I hope ."

Damien whispers the last part of his message to himself, and not having the time to glance back into the cave, quickly runs out from it as fast as he could across the grassy field before him. Ignoring the chill air around him thanks in part to his coat, Damien wonders why the Luxray had called for him alone. A disturbing thought creeps up in Damien's mind that he's being kicked out, but he quickly shakes it away, not allowing it to get any worse. For once, his mind gives him a kind thought, reflecting back to the protective quality of the Luxray. Out of anyone, Damien can trust that as long as the female Luxray doesn't leave, he can be sure the Shinx and the rest of the pride will be fine while the male one is gone. Damien's admittedly gotten attached to the pride since the week he's been with them; he'd much rather see them safe than not.

No matter his opinions, though, he has a group of felines to catch up with.

That said, Damien finds himself lucky the separated group had both paused for him and began to slow down to a walk; Damien certainly wasn't going to catch up otherwise. Rather, despite all the running he'd gotten used to in life, not having run for a week straight still meant his legs were in for workout. When Damien finally stops for a large series of breaths, his legs are nearly as stiff as a board. Taking a chance to glance around, Damien found the sight of grasslands rolling over short hills he could nearly see over. With sparse colorations from patches of flowers dotted around, the grassy fields were all there was as far as his vision could see. Though it wasn't so different from his impressions when he'd first ran to the pride's home, when Damien focused, he certainly noticed one thing - rather, multiple things: Pokémon other than the Shinx line he'd found himself so accustomed to.

His first finds were Buneary , which, despite their rabbit-like fashion, were still bipedal, and the presence of their large brown ears and fluffy tan fleece made Damien's eyes linger on them for a moment. They hop around near the short grass-filled hills without a care in the world, yet, only when their pink noses sniffed into the air and their bodies turned (far more gracefully than Damien would've expected) to the sight of Damien himself, did they seem to startle. At a moment's notice, leaping far higher than before, their ears uncurl in a sort of balancing act, letting them jump farther before they disappear down past the hill as if turning into thin air. Brows creasing at the disappearing act, Damien had wondered what he'd just witnessed before making an accurate guess that the bipedal creatures had likely hid into their dens dug on the foot of the side of the hill he was opposite of, and thus, couldn't see himself.

Of course, Buneary weren't the only creatures on the vast grasslands before him. Around the patches of yellow and white flowers, Budews , with their stubby yellow feet and bulb atop its head, were overlooked by their further evolved and white-petalled Roserade siblings (well, to Damien's assumptions anyway). While the few Budew that notice Damien give him a wary glance (with the looks of the Roserades being far more serious), it's only after Damien starts walking away that their glances move back towards the flower patches, continuing their previous conversations. Up in the air, a flock of Starly and Staravia led by a singular Staraptor , make their presence known with their strident cries before passing by.

It's only upon the further sights of darting Zigzagoon and a few solitary Bidoof from where Damien can see at the edges of his sight that truly makes the fact he's in a Pokémon world rather than some odd dream sink in and ask further questions. He'd previously accepted the reality of his situation after having seen for himself the expressions of the Shinx he'd came to care for, but it's the sight of all the other Pokémon around him that made Damien realize it's far more expansive – not only are the Shinx real, but also every other Pokémon out there. There's an ever-expanding world Damien's in that he hadn't quite thought about, along with far too many questions to think over…

'If there's Bidoof and since Bidoof are essentially beavers… then the river should be somewhere near here right? And Zigzagoon are from Hoenn but… Shinx and every other Pokémon around here seem to be from Sinnoh… Just which region am I in any-'

His thinking is quickly broken up, however, as Damien remembers he's still supposed to be following the group of Luxio and the male Luxray. While their pace had slackened, they sure hadn't stopped. With Damien's eyes widening over how far he was from them, Damien's short break abruptly ends as he rushes to catch up once more.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Damien to be at the tail end of one Luxio at the end of the group for the Luxio seemed to stop their trek across the grassy field completely. Hands on his bent knees in front of him, Damien took labored breaths before rubbing on his glasses to clear the fog produced by his breath. Glancing up, Damien finds the sight of the forest he'd been near when he'd first met his friendly little Shinx, though not at the same spot with the bush. (Damien almost shuddered at the memory of a buzzing in his ears.) Instead, in front of him is a small thicket of bushes and trees shorter than the ones behind them. Assortments of berries Damien roughly recognizes from what's become of his daily meals, - really, Damien questions how berries alone were somehow sufficient for his nutrition - adorn the leaves and branches. Without a doubt, the thicket of trees and bushes were a berry grove.

Though, upon closer inspection, most of the trees appeared to have groups of red and brown bug-like creatures with tan streaks down its center and black markings, though some are larger (than they already unsettlingly are) and have large thin arms — Kricketots & Kricketunes . Damien could've stared at the bug-type Pokémon longer, trying to adjust to the sight of their bipedal & far larger physiology (as compared to bugs on Earth), but the sounds of growling from the Luxio around him causes Damien to glance downward away from the berry trees. All the Luxio are already in defensive positions, their front legs pushed down and faces snarling as if ready to pounce. The sounds of melodic instruments (which while surprising, shouldn't be, considering what Kricketots & Kricketunes are known for) ring out from the trees in response.

Trying to comprehend the issue, Damien glances towards the male Luxray whose eyes, while glaring at the bug-type Pokémon in the trees, still takes the time to roar (making Damien flinch at the suddenness of the sound). Hearing the sounds of all the growling settle down, Damien could only guess it was a command to step down, though most of the Luxio around still hesitate to step back from their defensive positions. As the timbering, too, fades away in response, Damien finds the gaze of the male Luxray subtly glance towards him. Eyes narrowing, Damien holds his breath as he tries to figure out what the Luxray wants from him outside of his role of taking care of the Shinx.

'He must've brought me here for a reason…'

While the sound of growling from the Luxio had petered down, the grunts from the few brave ones still sounded out in the air. Trying to ignore the Luxray's gaze, Damien looks back up towards the berry trees and notices how the Kricketots only jingle out notes of… some instrument while the Kricketunes turn away from the sound entirely, instead looking at their antenna-shaped arms, their expressions almost blank. (Their unconcerned faces nearly makes Damien chuckle, but knowing the situation, he holds it back.) It is then the very faint scent of something sweet yet acidic hits Damien's nose to the point he nearly misses it. At first Damien attributes the smell to the berries from the thicket but he realizes the smell was something distinct; the main reason why the previous scent was so subtle was because of there was a far different overwhelming mess of scents of sweetness and acidity that was much more likely to be from the berries. So, with the clues at hand (and the stinging feeling the Luxray is still looking at him as if he had the answers to the universe), Damien bites his lip in puzzling an answer.

'The Kricketune are… ignoring the Luxio? ….and the smell… if it isn't from the berries and assuming the tree and air itself would be far more earthier, then… don't tell me…"

Damien hesitantly looks back down towards the Luxray, who in fact, was indeed still glaring at him with their red eyes. Taking a breath as he tugs on the handle of his duffle bag, Damien articulated his answer to the current situation the best he could.

"The Kricketots and Kricketunes are… marking their territory here… even though the territory is yours?"

Damien could only guess the berry grove in front of him was likely the pride's previous territory, with the reason behind the Kricketots & Kricketunes enforced occupation of it more likely than not being the presence of well, the berries of the trees and bushes within. While he couldn't particularly see any signs it was theirs, without any other Pokémon to indicate the grove was some shared commodity between every Pokémon, there had to be some reason the Luxio and Luxray were mad at the grove being taken over by the bug-types. Seeing the nod from the male Luxray, Damien juts out a sigh of relief that his line of thinking was correct, which too, hopefully indicates the rest was as well.

"Then, you've brought me here since they refuse to listen to any of you… and you want me to find a solution to get them out?"

He hesitantly points towards the Kricketots and Kricketunes, his pointer finger making a circle as if to show they've taken over the whole berry grove. At the Luxray's second nod of approval, Damien gives a stressed smile before the Luxray looks back towards the berry trees and back to him. The Luxray further continues to let out a small grunt, as if commanding Damien to "do something about it".

' One problem over… and yet another one to go…'

Damien only nods at the Luxray's command, accepting his fate of having to deal with the dilemma between Pokémon in front of him. He cautiously takes steps forward to the berry grove and the Luxio, upon noticing his approach, all quiet and step backward as if parting the sea, leaving Damien a clear path forward. (Damien nearly wants to swear at the casualness of their steps, as if assuming he actually knows what he's doing - he's certainly not, but it's too late not to try.) It is when a Kricketot notices Damien's approach that a near simultaneous barrage of instrumental music plays, making Damien nearly flinch.

'At least it sounds nice… compared to the roars I'm used to.'

Only when Damien raises both his arms into the air to signal "I'm not a threat" does the barrage of sound settle down once more. Nodding to the bearable silence, he takes a shuddered breath and tries to put on a diplomatic smile before clearing his throat to speak.

"Hello, all fellow… bug-types."

Damien notices the Kricketunes looking towards him, though still with a noticeable glare of suspicion in their eyes. Progress is progress…

"I'm here on behalf of the Luxio and Luxray, the ones behind me yeah? I- We're here to request that all of you…"

Damien nearly chokes at the collection of glares headed his way when he mentioned the members of the Shinx line behind him. Still, Damien tries to instill his voice with more confidence.

'Think of it like making a speech… think of it like making a speech…'

"We're here to request you that you leave this berry grove as this location was rightfully ours before any of you have arrived here. You can't simply take these trees for yourselves… We've got children to feed as much as you do."

Damien tried to channel his confidence through the memories of taking care of the Shinx back in the den. It works… partially, until the silence is quickly broken by the cacophony of melodic instruments in disagreement from the Kricketots and growls of agreement from the Luxio behind him. Damien actually flinches this time as another argument seems to ensue. He cups his hands to his ears as Damien glances back to the Luxray which had stayed deftly silent. While he tried being as diplomatic as he could, there's only so much Damien could do when he only knows so much of the situation. As the Luxray's gaze shifts to him, Damien could only desperately look back, mouthing 'There's no possible way they're going to leave these trees are they?'

The Luxray, in acceptance of Damien's effort, seemingly lets out their own grunt of dissatisfaction but acceptance (not that Damien hears it over all the sound - he feels as if his eardrums are going to burst soon). At least seeing that the Luxray had said something, Damien lets out a near sigh of relief before he notices the Luxray's mouth going wide - a telltale sign he's about to roar - and so, Damien prepares himself for the noise.

" LUUXXX! "

At the roar, the air around Damien seems to almost distort before settling back to normal. The cacophony of sound from the Luxio and Kricketots return to a near silence. Damien finally lets himself uncup his hands from his ears, though the roar still slightly rings in his ears. Seeing the Luxray glaring at him again, Damien realizes he's still forcing Damien to fix up the situation and Damien stumbles to think of a solution in his head where the pride still gets their berries but the Kricketots and Kricketunes still get to live on the berry trees. Quickly taking time to adjust his glasses, Damien looks back to the berry trees before he tries to reason with the Pokémon in front of him.

"I- We see you refuse to leave the berry grove. Then… might I suggest a compromise?"

A lone Kircketot trills as their gaze draws to Damien. Another adds in a lisp, glaring down at Damien which makes him nearly shudder. Smelling the familiar scent of burning and the feeling of a glare (though seemingly not directed at Damien for once but rather at the lisping Kricketune), it seems to however stop whatever disagreement the Kricketune had with Damien's idea. (Damien would've wondered why the Luxray accepted a compromise in the first place instead of simply fighting for the grove, but knowing their protective nature, Damien believes it was to keep the Luxio away from injury.) With any other disputes over his suggestion seemingly shut down, Damien lets himself speak again as he looks towards the Kricketots in trying to ignore any glares coming his way.

"Right. Then… Perhaps, as long as you live in this grove as your home… you will protect it while we are unable to tend to it. When we do appear, we will also share the usage of the berries this berry grove provides with you. Does that sound fair?"

Biting the inside of his lip, Damien awaits for an answer between the Kricketunes that began to discuss amongst each other with a series of chirps, trills, lisps, and zits. Damien silently lets out an ingenuine chuckle in trying to calm himself, hands tight on the handle of his bag before a loud trill from a lone Kricketune rings out as what Damien assumes to be a final response. Having no idea whether it was an agreement or a harsh 'no', Damien looks to the Luxray whose gaze is stuck on the Kricketune.

The Luxray lets out a grunt followed by a nod. The deal is sealed and Damien nearly collapses onto the floor in relief.

'If I have to do this again, I'm just running, that's it.'

Finally able to relax, Damien lets his grip on the handle of his bag soften and take a breath. He glances at a few of the Luxio who begin walking towards the berry bushes, seemingly trying to get a berry or two as a treat for themselves as if they were the ones who solved the whole situation. A few Kricketot lets out chirps in response, though they don't deny the Luxio entry as per the compromise. (Damien lets out another breath at that; he doesn't want to think about what would happen if the deal suddenly breaks off.)

Though, as quick as Damien begins to settle down, he hears a loud rumble behind him. And then, a boom, as loud as a gunshot but still jumbled seemingly from the distance of air between the sound and Damien's own ears, followed. The loud rumbles and booming continue as Damien, panicky, rapidly turns around to the source of the noise. A continuous pillar of light in the sky - thunder roars out in the distance. For a moment, Damien stood stock still while the similarly panicked chirps of all the Kricketots and Kricketunes behind him chime as they recede into the berry trees.

The Luxray in front of Damien dashes forward without warning, Damien's eyes only briefly managing to see his widened eyes locking on the thunder in the distance. With a series of wails behind him, the Luxio began to follow, leaving Damien slack-jawed with his eyes locked onto the thunder.

'If the Luxray and Luxio are running away then that means…'

The thunder was coming from the pride's home itself.

A/N:

Surprise! It uh... certainly took more than a month. But, the chapter is here now, and that's what matters I suppose, even if it's... *checks calendar*… 4 months later!

I will clarify that I in no means am intending to end this story prematurely any time soon. Just, never expect regular updates. (Honestly, I'm questioning whether to simply update every time I write a chapter or have a backlog of chapters first. I'll tell you my answer next chapter I suppose.) Most of the reason why I was gone was because of standardized testing, schoolwork, and let's face it, my procrastination in never getting myself to just WRITE. If I'm to be honest, the entirety of this chapter was made in 2 weeks so it shouldn't have taken me all that long. Still, the chapter length for this one is 2k words larger from the usual 4k and I hope that makes up for my absence?

Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed the chapter, whether it be through Damien's shenanigans with the pride, whatever documentary-like observations that came with it, or the last-minute tension and cliffhanger I created or not. As always, I share my sincere gratitude to my beta readers avardiris and ShiroHatzuki! See you all whenever I get myself to write the next chapter - I've always got some plan cooked up, even if it takes forever to get myself to do something with them...