Two chapters? Well well well.

I wanted to put out both Rai and Mane's together. So if you came to this chapter first, there's a chapter before it that's also just been posted!

Would you believe that when I first started Warped Skies in 2019, I didn't intend for Mane to be a character at all? I adapted a LOT as the story went on, he was introduced to be a feline 'rival' of sorts to explain why Rai was such a nervous guy despite having a backbone deep down. Quickly he developed into something else and I love him, don't tell anyone else but Mane's probably my favourite.

Now. This chapter has a trigger warning for family abuse… yeah. My favourites tend to go through some shit :/

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 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 than 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 jutting from her paws. "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 more than three people before. Three was rare enough, mostly it was just Rumble, and he sucked to talk to.

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.

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, and 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 much as he could handle, 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 it were a river.

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 Rumble 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, though Mane could see he was shaking a bit. 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, heh?"

"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 Mane tensed as… 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 with Rai. It wasn't anything more than just a nervous, awkward panic, although Mane liked to claim it was love at first sight.

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. Flicking the berry back at Rai, he hit the shinx on the forehead and Rai flinched.

"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 had been taught that 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 placed a beaming smile on his face. "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 crashed into 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, she said he'd learn later, 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 was distracted with thoughts, thoughts of what he was supposed to do vs what he wanted to do. He knew Mother said he'd learn, 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 even better.

"Aww, already," Rai pouted. He 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, Shinnnx." 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, a little bit cold. Sleeping inside was usually nicer, warmer, with walls around them to keep them safe. He never slept too well in the house with Mother, though, always a little bit on edge for some reason.

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 dirt, 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. It was that, in the house with Mother, or in the leaves and he knew which he preferred.

Always the lea-inside. He preferred inside.

Mane nosed his way forward. 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 sometimes, but Mane himself felt like he himself could turn purple at any minute all the time. He was always really hungry… growing cub after all, never had enough to eat… yeah.

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 sleep outsi-

"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, plodding 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. Facing away from Mane, the indecision was hidden on his face. He only risked taking so much, it wasn't even enough for himself let alone sharing it.

The silence made Mane desperate, he was willing to beg. "P-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 forward 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 at 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 didn't hesitate to run and leave him. Mane shivered as Pyroar approached him. "Get up."

He rose on shaking 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."

…

… …

That's all that happened.

Rumble lied straight to Mother's face, but she believed him at his word. That's what I thought back then, at least. Nowadays, I'm sure she knew he was the one who stole, but he was faster and better at lying and that's what she was teaching us anyway.

This kind of thing happened all the time, he'd make things up, and Mother and Father would just go along with it. 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.

…is it wrong that I kind of pity Rumble nowadays?

He… he went through the same thing that I did. He was older, he'd gone through it alone and then I hatched. I don't really blame him anymore for passing it all onto me. I hate him for doing it, for making me the scapegoat, but… shit. What was his life? He was stuck obeying Father even afterwards.

Guess it's more complicated than I used to think.

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, what I'm pretending isn't happening, 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 he'd only be dragged down with you. Everyone knows this. 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 too. 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 causing him to nearly slip. Only the back paws anchoring him help him up to splat back-first onto the wood. "Help!" he cried, the ground was so far down.

"No one will help you," Mother said. "Not without incentive."

"Rumble help me!" Mane begged, they were still young enough that he hoped his brother would stick up for him one day.

"I…." Rumble hesitated, he was still young enough to dream of a better life. He looked between Mane and Mother. She was staring down at him with that expression. "I want to win," Rumble whimpered, 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 felt the bark giving way, 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 to his eyes. 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. Other people will knock you down if they get the chance."

Rumble's eyes widened at her words, spoken straight to him.

Mother said to do anything in order to win.

She was looking at him again.

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. If you are weak, you are useless, and no one will want you for anything."

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 grew the balls to out 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. No nightmare-induced horrors in some race to save the world counted as closure, just a reminder of what he'd never get.

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, I've got you," 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 comfortingly. 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 nuzzled 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 asshole who targeted you because you were just like me but didn't break like I did. 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 started teaching 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 kindly. "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 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 Rai kissed him on the mouth to silence him.

"You know, I was going to leave town after you joined the guild?" Mane said, staring off. "I even stole the gold ribbon from Charmander so that I could buy a ticket off the continent."

"You gave it back," Rai said, licking him on the cheek. "And he said he forgives you."

"Of course. I'm a hero, he had to say that."

"Or maybe he forgave you?"

"Mm."

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

Team Ion was a strong team. Not just in actual battle prowess, but in their connection to each other.

Fights happened. Never as severe as the one about Luno, but they happened. They were better at communicating than they used to be, more than just Azumarill had helped with that.

Mane had gone through a rough session with Azumarill and for a moment, that was all that mattered. They were no longer fighting, there was nothing to talk about except assuring Mane that he was loved and cherished for who he was, flirts and attitude and all.

It did mean that Scout got out of another day of having the difficult talk with Mane. Rai didn't press the matter for that day, but Scout stirred when Rai got up and Rai nodded to him and Mane as he left with a look that pled with him not to accept the freebie.

Because Mane would let it lie. He normally wouldn't have snapped and broken down at Azumarill but the feelings that he buried within about what went down with Scout had ate at him until he found another thing to explode about, that meant the matter could be resolved without talking and everything set aside.

Scout was happy to let that be, but Rai saw through both of them. He wouldn't press it if they didn't, but he felt they should talk before truly calling the matter resolved.

And Scout knew he was right.

"Dammit, Rai. Why are you the most mentally healthy out of all of us?" Scout muttered a few hours later.

He didn't want to wake Mane up to do this, so they just started their days. Around midday, his thoughts consumed with Mane, he decided he had to do this now.

Rai started it the first time, because Rai was wonderful, but Scout and Mane were experts at avoiding the issue. Really, how Rai put up with both of them was a mystery.

He found Mane helping magmar keep a barbecue going, but the lunch rush had passed and he caught his handsome, soot-stained, partner's eye. "Litleo!" he called.

It never felt normal to call him Litleo, but he'd get looks if he called him Mane in front of everyone and Mane would swagger about but be embarrassed on the inside.

Mane smiled as he spotted them. "My dear, my darling," he said, trotting over.

A few people smiled at the affection and didn't bother the heroes. Mane was doing well since he'd helped save the world, playing that key role in lighting the fire that destroyed the Dream.

Almost everyone on the continent had dreamed of a fiery inferno when they had awoken, Mane had starred in the land's dreams.

Scout walked him out to Sharpedo Bluff. The beach wasn't really private enough in his opinion, Rai owned the home in the Bluff so the area was softly considered to be his.

"Whhaaat's up?" Mane asked, a little puzzled by the serious silence Scout strolled in on the way out.

"I, uh… I just… I thought maybe we should talk about the whole 'Luno' thing," Scout suggested awkwardly. Oh, it was so much easier with Rai who led things and explained his emotions.

Scout and Mane were not so good at that.

Mane just blinked. "Why?" he asked flippantly. "Water under the bridge, hmm, speaking of under we're near our beds~?" He did a thing with his eyebrows.

Normally that'd work on Scout and he blushed just a little bit. "Mane, not now," he said, swatting him off gently as Mane leaned in.

Mane pouted, blowing a ring of smoke. "Come oon, you know we have fun."

"True. But…" Scout remembered Mane doing this a few times. Usually when he was at his most stressed of uncomfortable, like in the Dark Future. Mane admitted he resorted to doing it when he was at his worst and that settled it. "Mane, you know what you're doing."

Mane's smug mask lingered a few more moments before it cracked in half. One side of his mouth twitched down and he looked away. "What does it matter?" he asked. "We got over it, why dredge it right back up?"

"We… we didn't, really," Scout pointed out.

"Sure we did. I broke down, you made me feel better and loved and all that junk. Problem solved, no one's mad or upset or anything anymore. It's no biggie."

"It… Mane, it's gotta be something big. You wouldn't even look at me for a whole day." And the less said about Mane having a breakdown at all the better.

Mane looked back at him, brightness in his eyes. "Scout. It's fine. Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise that weirdo Luno was…" He glanced behind them for anyone. "You know. And it sucked that you had to hide that, but you had to. I would have freaked out, Rai would have freaked out on the inside, and we… well, I probably would have messed something up and gotten someone killed, maybe myself. It's fine, it's good even!"

Scout hated everything Mane said. The forced cheerfulness, the tone brushing off the idea of him dying. Everything.

He also knew Mane well enough to know what he was saying. "I'm sorry," he said, ears tilting down. Mane paused. "I didn't mean to make you think that way."

Mane continued to be frozen for a longer time than anyone could be comfortable with. "Mane?" he asked tentatively.

Mane took a breath. "Do you really?" he said, voice suddenly as tense as a bowstring. "Do you really really think that's what bothers-bothered me?"

Scout almost leaned back from the sudden tension in Mane's voice. "Uh…."

Mane huffed out, there was smoke and a bit of a spark in there. "No. Scout. That's not what it is. Was."

Scout nodded slowly, guiltily. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to…."

"To figure it out?" Mane asked, bitterness colouring his voice. He looked around them and shook his head. "Scout, we talked in the Dark Future. You know what I think about you already. It's only gotten better. I love you, I can't imagine my life without you, all the shit I've gone through is worth it because at least I'm here now. But dammit, you're an idiot sometimes."

Mane began to walk, pacing around Scout but motioned with his head to join him in walking closer to the cliff. "I remember thinking… I don't remember when I thought it, but it was some point when you were in The Dream without us that you'd give up the world for us."

Scout looked down sharply, guilt striking through his chest. "I… nearly did," he admitted. "When the town was put to sleep and it was just me, Darkrai… we spoke before Soothe appeared and I nearly… I nearly gave up. If she didn't step in…."

Mane nodded, understanding. "That's really romantic of you… or just sweet in general… but I hate that. We went to the Dark Future. I could never live in a world like that, I'm glad my future self was frozen, at least he never had to experience that. If it came down to us or the world, you know Rai and I would want you to pick the world. Same as everyone."

"Do you think you could do that?" Scout asked, almost breathless. "If you were the one alone in town, being told everyone you know is going to die unless you give in? Would you fight anyway, no Soothe showing up?"

Mane's expression softened a little and he sighed, "Hard to say," he replied. "It's selfish to be relieved I never did have to face that kind of choice. I don't know how you can do it… I don't know, I don't even know what I really would want my choice to be. Heh, it is easier to put that on someone else."

Mane came to a stop near the edge, right next to where Scout had woken up all that time ago. Probably about two years now. How time flies.

"I hate that I get left out of those things," he said, voicing it to the sea like Dugtrio had voiced his woes many times. "It's no one's fault, except mine. But it happens a lot. I couldn't go to the Hidden Land. The last time I saw you was you getting dragged back right as we escaped the Future and then Rai comes back with Sean saying you did get back but died anyway, along with everyone else from the future besides Sean. I never even got to say goodbye to you."

Scout shuffled closer to Mane, hoping he wanted him to be close. Mane leaned into him.

"You got the last hit on The Dream," Scout offered.

Mane smirked. "Sure did. But. I didn't go into The Dream with you. Mawile and Twila did. Rai and I were so worried. He talked a little bit about how he felt about us going into the Dark Future without him. Watching you go in without us, sure you had backup but we didn't know what you were going to go through."

Mane breathed out a sigh. "But, I did go to the Dark Future. And Rai and I did go to Ashen Island without you, though that did end up being a diversion. You had to fight Darkrai by yourself if Soothe didn't show up… well. You said it yourself." Scout glanced down.

"It's not that I want to be part of everything… but I had feeling useless. I hate feeling like… I'm not needed."

He had apologised to Rai when they escaped the Dark Future. Apologised for not being Scout, not being the right one.

"You are needed," Scout insisted.

"Really?" Mane asked, not tauntingly or challengingly. Just sadly. "If you didn't feel like you had to tell us the 'Big Truth' would you have?"

Scout… couldn't really answer that. He didn't know.

"I always felt like an outsider to the town," Mane continued. "Never really welcome after Pyroar was dealt with. Tolerated out of pity, but alone. Shoved aside. When Rai did join the guild, I thought that was it for me. I'd made my whole reason to stay to make him join, trying to make myself important in that kind of way. If I could just do one good thing, I could leave and finally make a life for myself… but you two didn't let me leave."

He smiled again. "Hated you so much for that and stuck around to 'punish' you for it. But, then you let me join the team. You did, Rai was uncertain but you stuck up for me and gave me a chance and finally, I felt like I was a part of something. I wish I got to go on the expedition too, haa… but oh well."

Mane looked to Scout this time, still smiling. "...even so, though… you've always got your own plans going on. Back then, Rai and I had no idea what was really keeping you up late at night. And even after you told everyone, you still looked like it was weighing down on you. Like it was still your problem to solve and load to carry."

The smile slowly faded until he just looked sad. "I'm going to ask you something I already know the answer to and that you're going to hate me asking."

"Okay," Scout said.

"Do you really think of us as people?" he asked, voicing the words he hated so much. "Or are we just characters in that game? A game I wasn't in, still not over that."

"Mane!"

"I know the answer," Mane replied, closing his eyes. "But sometimes the worst thoughts come in and I just gotta hear what I already know."

Scout carefully touched his face, then pulled him into a hug when he leaned into it. "You're both magical people. You're all amazing people. I haven't doubted for a second in almost two years that this is real."

Mane licked Scout's shoulder. "Sorry for asking it."

"It's okay," Scout replied softly.

"I, Rai, both of us hate that you see yourself as so little," Mane murmured as they were so close. "It's like you think you owe it to us, and everyone else, to take everything onto yourself. You shouldn't have kept Luno's condition from us, but not because it was a bad secret, and not just because we are your partners and should have a say, but because you don't have to do this by yourself."

Scout, inexplicably, felt himself tearing up at Mane's words.

"You told us, not just because you had to, and not just because it was the right thing to do, but because you never had to carry it by yourself. No one asked to exist, I sure didn't, but that means you don't have to justify your existence to anyone. If shit is going on, just tell us. We can tell when something is bothering you, but if you want us to ask just let us know. No one's gonna judge you. Or be annoyed. Or angry. That's what this whole partnership thing is all about, okay?"

"Okay," Scout sniffled, now quietly crying onto Mane's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I do this. I just. I just don't want to bother anyone."

"It's more of a bother if you hide it," Mane said, firmly but his voice was emotional as well. "We'll make you see yourself like we see you someday."

Scout couldn't help but laugh wetly at that. "Damn, Mane."

"I know, I'm awesome."

"You really, really, are," Scout said. Hugging him firmer now. "I hope you know that too. Fuck the game, it'd be shit without you in it. I want you to always be yourself because I love you for that."

"Even when I'm being weird?"

"Yep. That's the rules, that's what this whole partnership thing is all about. Love you for who you are, not in spite of this or that."

Mane sighed out and leaned against him. They decided to take the rest of the day off working around town and go out on a small mission together.

They invited Rai to come along, but he gave them a very happy smile at their tear-tracked fur and happy expressions. "Sorry, I promised to help Electivire with something. But you two have fun! And tell me all about whatever you get up to!" He bumped into both of them to show his affection and dashed off.

Ahh Mane. I do love you.

In the original story, Scout and Rai have a BIG fight in Chapter 20 due to a thing in Chapter 19. I took that out in the rewrite, which was a shame because that fight felt important. It was a thing I did to show that they're far from perfect people, both of them were in the wrong and both got pretty vicious in their fight (then they don't see really each other until Chapter 30 so that was also fun)

As I was getting to the middle of the rewrite of Arc 2 I had the idea of a different fight they could have. Centred around Luno as we know. This one IS a lot different, as Rai is FAR more composed and his issues more reasonable, plus Mane is also upset. But I still wanted to do it, mostly to showcase that Team Ion DO have fights occasionally, as all couples/triads do, but they're healthy enough to talk about it.

Sometimes with a bit of a prod, Luno to Rai and then Rai to Scout, but they get there. They get there.

Two more bonus chapters to go! Unlike these two, they aren't backstories but instead are set in the post Arc 2 period but follow a very different character to the rest.

That being, Keira, The Legendary Lucario! People really liked them the first time, so hope you enjoy once I release them!