FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It's a beautiful summer day as you arrive in Lumiose City. There is not a cloud in sight, and the rays of sunlight make the station platform glimmer, creating a feel of luxury. The Buzzing train station opens before you as you step out of the train. You have never seen as many Pokémon in your life. Sure, there are Pokémon where you come from, but to see countless in one glance is just unreal. You spot a couple of Rattatas skidding across the platform, fighting over a fallen Leppa Berry, while a confused-looking Psyduck stands beside a lady — as if there could be any other kind. A flock of Pidgey waits for an opening to dive in for some popcorn probably dropped by kids as their parents rushed them toward the train. You decide to stop by the university to meet the professor you promised to see, pick up your apartment keys and head to the nearby forest - a more desirable place to spend the evening, since city life never quite suited you. The train drive alone has your nerves rattled and the thought of honking horns, loud crowds and sirens does little to calm them. First, you grab your bag and start making your way through the crowds towards the university which is only a few blocks away.

When you enter the campus, you follow a well-maintained cobblestone path with trees on both sides, on the left a large fountain with a seadra figure spouting water and a few students focus on their studies by the edge of it. You see a Plusle and a Minun arguing on one of the tables around the fountain. Maybe they are teachers at the university, you think, quickly shrugging off the thought as you have other business. At the administration office, you're greeted by an older lady from behind the desk.

“Hey, welcome to Lumiose City, you must be here to meet with famous Professor Sycamore, I’m sure he will be thrilled to share his knowledge with you about anything Pokémon related you want to know,” she says with a soft smile.

Your expression changes from casual to confused. “Pokémon?!” you blurt out, before pausing to gather your thoughts. “Oh no, I am not a trainer or otherwise interested in knowing about Pokémon. I mean they are cool and all, but I am here for Professor Zoran and the water purification program, is he still here?“ you finish up your rambling as you notice a slight smile on the lady's face as she finds your response amusing.

“Oh no, Professor Zoran is out for the day already, do you want to leave him a message?”

You look a bit disappointed. “Sure, just tell him Kuroga Fintz was looking for him. Do you know if he will be in tomorrow?“, you say, disappointed.

The old lady looks at the schedule for tomorrow on her computer.

“He should be coming in at 8am tomorrow,“ she replies.

“Alright, thank you for all your help. I will be back tomorrow then. Bye!“ you say as you’re leaving the office.

The old lady smiles. “Sure thing!“

When you get outside, you sigh loudly as you have been wanting to meet Professor Zoran for months, he is world famous for his experimentation with water purification using methods that are energy efficient and low cost, you're hoping he can help you to start a pilot program to come up with effective way to bring clean water to areas where people are suffering from lack of clean water – causing tens of thousands deaths every year, especially children. Many have said it is not your responsibility, but you don’t care, when you decide something. Often you get so focused on whatever you desire, that it becomes an obsession. You have a very strong moral obligation to make it so that everyone has access to clean water as in your mind it is a fundamental right for everyone. But as there is nothing else you can do, you decide to head to claim keys to your apartment and then explore the nearby forest, as it’s only 3:30pm.

You walk into your new apartment with one bed, one bath, a small kitchen, and a tiny office. The first thing that hits you is the stuffy air, outdated furnishing and dulled hardwood floor. Neither scent nor dull hardwood bothers you much, but the furniture must go. Luckily, the office told you that you can replace anything you want; though whatever you bring in must stay when you move out. Fine by you. There’s no way you’re living with this stuff. Outside, the city noise starts to build as rush hour creeps closer. You sit on the couch, feeling spent as the busy day catches up with you. You try to relax and gather your thoughts on how you want to furnish the place, but your nerves and mind are completely shut. Hands trembling, you push yourself up instantly and head out. You feel as if you don’t get out to some peace and quiet for a bit you will lose your mind.

On your way to the forest you grab a sandwich, a bottle of water, a couple of Leppa Berries and a cup of fruit from a nearby deli. You find a narrow path leading up to the forest near your apartment. As you explore the forest floor for about fourty-five minutes, jumping over moss covered fallen trees, listening to a nearby Pikipek burrowing its beak into a tree with rhythmic pecking sound, and a pair of Furret chasing one another as they run across the forest floor. The deeper you go into the forest, the more your mind starts to unwind. Eventually, you come across a small pond with a waterfall – it looks like something straight out of a hidden paradise. A few rocks sit scattered around the edge, and behind the waterfall you can just make out what seems to be a cave. Maybe you’ll check it out another time. Right now though, you’re getting hungry. You decide it is a perfect spot to enjoy your sandwich as you listen to the sound of a waterfall and birds chirping, easing your tensed nerves even further. Suddenly, you hear a faint growl and look in that direction. You see a scruffy Eevee with few scars on its body, telling it has had some rough time in the past. Maybe it's hungry you think, and decide to offer it one of your Leppa Berries.

To your surprise the Eevee quickly jumps back and extends its claws hissing at you. “No closer, human!“

Wait, did that Eevee just talk? “You can talk? I mean, I heard you… are you hungry?“ you ask in your normal rambling manner.

The Eevee doesn't respond right away, then it hisses again. “Yes. I mean shut up! I can't trust anything you give me; you might try to poison me, or capture me, or something else you monsters do!“

You pull away with a concerned look. “Look if you're afraid, I'll try any of that. Why don't I take a bite of the fruit before you eat it. I don't want you to go hungry.“ As you say it, you take a bite out of the Leppa Berry fruit and toss it to the hungry Eevee. “See? Not poisoned. I would never do that. I want to help those who can't help themselves, not hurt them,” you say as you pull further to see what the Eevee does.

The Eevee sniffs the Leppa Berry and hisses. “Are you trying to bait me? Where is the Pokéball?”

“No Pokéballs. I don’t have any,” you lift your hands up showing your empty hands.

She cautiously approaches the fruit then scarfs it down in less than ten seconds. “Still don't trust you though!“ the Eevee says with a faint growl.

“Of course not, but maybe enough to give me a name, if you have one?” you propose in a gentle voice.

“Fine, the name is Layla. Not that it matters!” she says while frowning.

“Okay, Layla, I will leave the rest of the fruit cup here. You can eat it or leave it and I will bring you more tomorrow, if you want?” You take little bites of each to prove there is no poison, then head out taking a glance back and smiling as you see Layla starting to eat the fruits right away.

The next day, after meeting with Professor Zoran and getting your lab access sorted, you head out to the hidden oasis again, this time with lots of fruits. You’re not even quite sure why you feel obligated to feed this little critter. Something about her makes you want to help her, and you do enjoy the pond and the waterfall, so you also feel like she should get something for sharing the space. As you arrive, you don't see Layla anywhere, so you just sit to wait. After an hour as you're just about to give up, you hear some rustling from the bush nearby and as you take a closer look you see two yellow shiny eyes looking at you.

“Layla, is that you? I brought some more fruit this time. Do you want me to take bites again, or are you okay to just eat them?”

Layla emerges from the bush squinting. "What do you think stupid. Bite or I will not touch!“

“But of course,“ you take a bite from each before rolling it over to her. “Say, you don’t mind if I keep visiting you here daily? I kind of enjoy this hidden paradise away from the city. If you’re willing to share your space, I will keep bringing you fruit, sounds like a deal?”

Layla thinks for a moment. “Fine, but better be other than just Leppa Berries every day you idiot, and don’t come near me or you regret it,” she growls very softly, her claws digging in ground tells she means business.

You raise your arms and face your palms towards her to show you don’t want to intrude. “Point taken, I will not approach you unless you want me to.”

From then on, every day after meeting with the professor, you head out to the hidden oasis. Some days Layla is there waiting for you; other days you just leave the fruit by the pond and the next day the fruit is gone. You find yourself wondering daily if she will be there. Even the professor starts to notice as you are seemingly distracted while you guys work on the project. After two weeks you decide to surprise Layla with some cooked Tauros meat as you have read that Eevee do eat meat as well. When you arrive at the pond, Layla is poking her head out of the cave behind the waterfall and comes out as you appear from the woods.

“Hey Layla!” you greet her as you see her appear behind the waterfall, “I also cooked you some Tauros meat as a surprise this time. I read that you might like it.“ You take a bite and toss it over too, but she quickly swipes it back at you.

“Cooked meat?! Disgusting human ways! I only eat it raw,“ she hisses angrily at you.

You are completely caught off guard by her volatile response, but you do understand her stance as she is a wild Pokémon after all. “Okay, I will go grab some from my apartment, I will be back later, okay? Just enjoy the fruit.“

Layla doesn't respond, just keeps on eating the fruit after making sure each has a bite missing. You head back to your apartment to grab the Tauros steak you were going to eat for dinner, but you can always buy another one. As you return to the hidden oasis, Layla is still there, waiting for you, but with a somewhat mischievous grin on her face while laying on a rock formation.

“I brought you some Tauros steak, uncooked just like you asked, right?“ you say as you pull the steak out of your backpack.

“Sure…” Layla starts, “but not before you taste it… “

Your face turns pale at the thought of eating raw meat. You know it is probably safe, but you still find it repulsive. “But I have never…“ you begin, but Layla interrupts you.

“Oh, so it's poisoned... knew it! You can't trust humans!“ She gets up and prepares to leave.

You hold the steak with a trembling hand, then shout after her. “Wait!” You force the edge of the steak in your mouth. Your tongue immediately tastes the metallic taste of blood and strong gamey taste of Taurus. You immediately want to pull it out, but you force yourself to chew a bite out of it. It is very chewy and repulsive as you work through it to break the structure. Finally, you manage to get it to the consistency you can swallow and toss the steak to Layla. “See? No poison.“ You're visibly mortified of the length you are willing to go to make her eat it.

Layla just laughs as she rolls off the rocks. “Wow, you actually did it. Well now I just have to eat it I guess. I will never waste good meat,” she says and begins to eat the meat. “And you are an odd one. Perhaps I was too hasty to judge, maybe you are not so bad.“

“Glad you enjoyed the pre-dinner show. Now if you excuse me, I will just lay down before I hurl.“ You lay down as Layla approaches you, curiously.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn't have, but trust is hard,“ Layla says with a faint, almost whispering voice. “It's okay, Layla. I will live. Why do you have a hard time trusting people?“

Layla goes quiet, then curls her tail around herself as to shield herself while looking down towards the ground away from you. “I…“ she starts, as you see a tear drop fall on the ground, then with a whispering quiet voice with her ears flush against her skull she continues, “I… I… I don't want to evolve,” her body trembling and her confidence completely shattered. “I’ve seen how people treat Pokémon. Like it was their right to decide what shape Pokémon takes. I have seen them torture Eevee before… to the point they will give into evolution in fright of dying. I have made a choice to never evolve…ever… no one can make me…“ She gets louder as the tears run down her soft fur covered cheeks. “I would rather die! I will not accept any other form than this! Please! Never ask!“ She is in a state of panic as she finishes bleeding her heart out.

Your heart drops as you listen to the poor Eevee’s story. “Hey, hey, there, there, I would never ask you to evolve. Until a few weeks ago I didn't even really interact with Pokémon or know much about them. But what you're telling me sounds horrible and I am sorry you had to endure that. No surprise you wouldn’t trust me.” In your usual rambling manner, you add, “Oh, and I never introduced myself. I am Kuroga Fintz, but friends call me Kuro,” you pause for a second, “sorry for not telling you earlier… you never asked.“

Layla wipes tears off with her paw. “If you're not capturing Pokémon, Kuro, what are you doing in the woods?“

“As I said before, I’m just trying to get away from the busy city. To gather my thoughts.“

“You are strange. Why do you live in the city if you don't want to spend time there? That sounds stupid!“ Layla responds with a hint of judgement in her voice.

“Because I need to get a pilot program started for my water purification prototype and there is a professor here who is helping me to build it. My goal is to come up with a way that can easily be replicated everywhere, and allow everyone in the world to have access to clean water.“

Layla’s eyes light up from sudden admiration. “Wow, that is quite an unselfish goal, would that extend to Pokémon too or just humans?”

“Ideally to every living being. I want to help everyone, as seeing the suffering of others pains me, and I...“ you begin to explain, but Layla interrupts you as she pulls away a bit with a faint growl.

“Why would you care? What you're saying sounds like an exploitable weakness.“

You sigh quietly. “People have told me that I care too much, but I have never thought of compassion as weakness. I believe that no good deeds go unrewarded. What goes around comes around.“

Layla stops growling but doesn't seem to agree with you. “That is a noble idea, but I've seen too many times how that plays out. Anyways, your goal is ambitious. Knowing humans, someone will eventually just try to get rich from that idea.“

“That is why the goal is to make it so cheap and simple that there are no profit margins. If any commoner can do it cheaply, then big corporations cannot take advantage of it.”

Layla’s ears stop flickering as she turns around and waves her tail at your direction swiftly in nonchalant manner. “Well best of luck with that, and Kuro, thanks for all the food. Now if you excuse me, I am going to get back into my den.“

“You're welcome. I guess you see me as a friend now?” you say with a smirk.

Layla stops on her tracks and her ears stiffen up. She turns around and growls with her claws digging into the ground. “What?! No, you idiot, you think we are friends just because you talked to me a bit and I ate your food? Stupid human!“

“No, none of those, but you called me Kuro and I said my friends call me Kuro,“ you finish your sentence with a wide smile. “You might be tough on the outside, but I can see there is other than the hard outer shell, and hope one day I get to know what is truly inside.”

Layla stops growling and looks embarrassed, wrapping her tail around herself and avoiding eye contact. “No one has ever said they want to get to know me, I am not that interesting.“

“Sure you are, everyone has something special in them, something meaningful. I really enjoy your company and I will keep visiting as long as you let me, if nothing else you get free food for it.“

Layla’s eyes get watery, and her voice gets raspy. “You would… do that for me?”

“That is what friends are for! That is if you can trust me enough to call me a friend,” you finish your sentence with a wink and a smile.

To your surprise, Layla pounces next to you, leans against you, and her soft ears lay down on your arm as she sobs. “That sounds nice. I've been alone for so long I forgot what it is like to be recognized. And after that meat performance – yeah I guess being friends is alright.”

Your heart melts as you listen to the little Eevee’s confession of her loneliness. You gently pat her head. “I would love nothing more, I will make an effort to come and drop by as often as I can,” you pause for a second, “but no more raw meat… please?”

Layla grins slightly as she shows her playful side. “No promises… silly humans and their ruining good meat by heat.”

You spend a while longer chatting before you head back home. It’s time to check the catalogue and find new furnishing for your place. You need a comfortable couch, maybe a plant or two and that stupid looking broken lamp shade will be first to go . Full-on spring cleaning is probably twenty years overdue if some of the stains and the lingering smell is anything to judge by. You will also need a computer desk for your computer in case your past life will catch up with you one day. The main reason you’re able to afford embarking on this ambitious dream is because of your past as a hacker – mainly helping Interpol to track and take down funds from Team Rocket and your last contract was to drain just shy of a billion USD of the team rockets accounts. Little did Interpol know that you and another hacker organization you worked with had embezzled two hundred fifty million undocumented funds – money you planned to use to mass-produce the water purification units if your pilot program succeeded. You didn’t even care if you got caught afterwards; you just want to make sure that the world will be a little better place in the end.

As you finish ordering everything, you set down your phone. It is past eight p.m. and already getting dark outside, but you realize you miss chatting with your new Eevee friend. You feel your eyes getting watery as you think of her story – Pokémon forced to evolve and how she is so scared of someone taking her choice away. That she would rather die than change. The thought makes your chest tighten with anger. How can some people take advantage of these amazing creatures? Everything about the whole abusive human behaviour of treating Pokémon as property, to act as evolving is your right and causing pain and suffering to those who object make you feel ashamed for your kin. How can people be so cruel? Sure you know there are some trainers that actually care for their Pokémon more like a friend, but Layla’s story tells there are many who just want the power that comes from having stronger Pokémon. Suddenly you make a decision to pack up your sleeping bag, some small cooler and grab a flashlight as you decide to head into the woods for the night. You hope you can find Layla there and if not, you can probably sleep in the cave behind the waterfall. It is a Friday evening, so you don’t have to go to the campus tomorrow anyway so at least you possibly get an early start to spend some time with her. Hopefully you get to know more why she is like she is.

As you enter the woods, it is already pitch-black outside. Only the faint moonlight and the flashlight guiding your path. Luckily you know your way to the pond by now. Hoothoot’s calls echo through the woods, and the moist evening air mixed with moonlight passing through the woods makes the forest floor feel ominous. As you arrive at the pond, the surface of the pond is calm, and the reflection of the moon is only rippled by the faintly running waterfall. To your disappointment you don’t see Layla anywhere. You poke your head into the cave and realize it is not very deep, but spacious enough to sit up comfortably and has just enough room to lay out your sleeping bag. Not even a minute after you crawl in your sleeping bag and close your eyes, you feel a soft touch on your nose. Your eyes snap open in surprise and see Layla’s face dangling right above yours. Immediately as you open your eyes, she pulls back with a soft smile, curling her tail around herself.

“Kuro? What are you doing here? I never saw you at night in this place,” she asks with a smile, her voice dripping with sincere curiosity.

“I…” you start, but then you pause as you don’t want to seem too obsessed with her. “I just wanted to sleep in the wild for a night,” you lie.

Layla sniffs the air a bit before replying with a mischievous grin. “Wow, you are a horrible liar. Your scent is a dead give away. Just lay it down on me, will you – you missed me, didn’t you?”

Your face turns red immediately from getting caught. “No… eh... I…” you start to ramble, but then sigh and decide to come out with the truth while avoiding eye contact. “Okay, fine, you got me. I wanted to get to know you better. Your story resonates with me, and I couldn’t wait until morning.”

She laughs quietly, then she strikes your forehead very hard with her ear. “That wasn’t so difficult was it, now let that be the last time you try to pull a sly one on me. Anyways, what do you want to know?”

You look at her, your face still faintly glowing red from embarrassment. “I will try not to.” You rub your forehead as her ear surprisingly hurts a bit more than it should have, about the same as if someone flicked your forehead with their finger. “That kind of hurt by the way.”

“That was the point! Learn the lesson!” Layla replies playfully.

“Okay, I will try to be more open. Anyways I was thinking maybe you can tell me more about your past…” you start, but Layla immediately backs away and tense up.

“Please, don’t ask me about my past. I am not ready to tell you more,” she says and curls her tail around her tight.

You see how your question affects her, so you decided not to push. “Okay Layla, I won’t, you tell me when you’re ready. How about you tell me why you don't like humans and I let you ask me anything you want. Deal?”

Layla hesitates a bit but then decides to respond. “I never cared for humans much. I’ve just been burnt many times. You're the first one in a long time I have actually spent time around willingly. There have been others in the past, but most have turned out to be untrue. And I knew nothing you gave me was poisoned before you took a bite of anything. I could have smelled the poison with ease,” she grins.

Your eyes widen as she declares she has played you for the past two weeks. “Wait what! You mean… I didn’t have to eat the meat?”

“Well, yes and no. I didn’t do it to test the food, but to test the lengths you were willing to go. I could tell how repulsive eating raw meat was for you, but you did it anyway so that I could eat it the way I like it. That meant more to me than anything you could have ever said. Anyway, I think you owe me an answer to a question now.”

You take a deep breath. “Okay, I am ready, ask away.”

Layla sits down, looks straight into your eyes and asks, “Why do you really want to know me?”

You are clearly surprised by the question, you’re not even sure yourself. “I actually do not know. Hearing how you suffered in the past and the cruelty that Pokémon have to endure just kind of made me feel angry and compassionate and I guess my good nature just wants to help anyone who is in need.”

Layla’s stance changes more rigid and she seems visibly getting a bit upset. “I don’t need your pity, stupid. You have no idea what happened in the past!”

You are shocked by her response. “No, no pity, genuine concern!” you exclaim. “I just want to be there for you… as a friend…” you look down with a quiet sigh.

Layla sniffs the air but finds not even a hint of deceit. “You mean that… a human who genuinely cares about Pokémon. That is just truly uncommon.”

“I will prove it to you. How about I stay here with you for a while. You only tell me what you feel like sharing, and I answer any question about me you may have,” you propose.

Layla hesitates for a moment, but then she responds. “I guess that is fine, but no demanding answers on questions I don't feel comfortable with, okay?”

“I promise, you can kick me out if I cross that line,” you say as you yawn. “I should get some sleep though.”

Layla curls a bit further than an arm’s reach from you by the cave entrance, “fine, get some sleep. I guard the entrance.”

“Guard the entrance? Is it dangerous here?” you ask with sudden concern.

“Any time can be dangerous, you cannot let your guard down, you won't survive in the wild with just luck,” she mutters as she rests her head on her tail.

For the next week you spend getting to know Layla a bit better. You still don’t know much about her past, but you discover that she is not keen on many human inventions, like cars, phones and TV. What she does enjoy, is listening about your new developments with your water purification. For her, it represents hope that there is good in people and people who are willing to do much for others with little in return which seem to resonate with her. She does share that she hasn’t talked to a human for over six years, and for the past two years she has been staying around this pond. She has no friends, no family, but she doesn’t go into further detail on why not and you promised not to press. The more you guys talk, the more you feel connected to this strange Eevee – extremely sarcastic and tough on the outside, with a soft inside which you only see a glimpse every now and then, before she quickly hides it again. Everyday, after finishing your work with the professor, you head toward the pond, and you can feel your heartbeat getting stronger as you feel profound excitement. You can’t wait to see Layla again, and possibly learn something new, or maybe just have a silly conversation with her again. You still laugh at the story of the time she hissed at the microwave oven for two minutes when she first saw it and then whacked it on the floor as it beeped for completion, spilling some poor old guys pea soup all over the floor.

On the eighth night at the pond, you sit at the cave entrance with Layla sitting right by you, you toss a flat stone on the calm surface of the pond, making the rock skip four times.

“Have you ever seen that before?” you ask curiously.

“Oh please…” she rolls her eyes at you, and slaps a little stone towards the pond making it skip nine times. “Try not to get cocky with me.”

“Fine, you win…” you exclaim. “So what do you want to do tonight?”

“How about you tell me why you pretty much moved here? You haven’t really visited your apartment in the past week,” Layla asks with a curious complexion.

“I feel comfortable around you and it’s nice to have someone you can talk to.” You toss another rock towards the pond, this time it just sinks in.

“There aren't humans you can talk to? I haven’t seen you with anyone besides the professor you keep visiting,” she presses you for a real answer.

“I guess I find you more interesting than most people. And also, maybe one day I can gain your trust completely… “ you start explaining, but she interrupts you.

“That is all huh? Nothing else? I think there might be something else, but I won't spell it for you.” Then she turns around tapping your nose hard with her ear, but not hard enough to hurt. “Listen… I know you’re trying to help me… but I am just not sure if I can ever trust humans enough to completely open up.” Her eyes get watery.

“I want to. I really do. But my past is quite…” She stops midsentence. “Nevermind… I just can’t.”

You look at her with a growing curiosity. “So, hypothetically, it would be better if I was a Pokémon then? Would you trust me more, if I was a Pokémon and if so, what Pokémon would you want me to be?”

She sniffs the air, and doesn't detect any sarcasm in your question. “Wow…” she sniffles slightly, then wipes the tears off. “Genuine interest, huh. Well yes, I do trust Pokémon more than I trust humans and if I had to pick a Pokémon, I always thought Umbreons are amazing. The way they shine when the moonlight hits their rings, and yet so dark and ominous.” Then without warning she flicks her ear at your nose gently again. “You would make a pretty cute Umbreon I think,” she finishes jokingly.

You flinched at the sudden touch of her ear and surprised yourself how sincere your question was. ”You think so?” you ask to confirm. You really wanted to know if she would trust you more as a Pokémon.

“Totally sure, definitely Umbreon. Nothing hotter than a dark…” she interrupts herself as her eyes get wide from slipping something she didn’t probably mean to say.

“Hot, eh?” you tease her. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Layla doesn’t look too amused by her slip up. “Oh, shut up!” she growls and then takes off running into the night. You try to call after her to apologize, but she is long gone. You sigh as you lay down in your sleeping bag hoping that she is not gone for good.

In the morning, you wake up a bit achy from another night on the hard cave floor, but otherwise very rested. You pack your bags and hop outside calling for Layla, but there is no answer. Either she is still mad or just doesn’t want to be seen right now. Either way you decide to head back to your apartment as if anything, you have learned how stubborn Layla can be. Also, you kind of need to get an answer to a nagging question in your mind. One that has been on your mind ever since Layla ran away. Has there ever been a case where a human became a Pokémon? You really doubt it, but it’s not something you have ever cared to even think about. As you begin researching you find out that there is research after Bill’s cell separation accident took place decades ago, and the lab has managed to create some promising results. The only thing is there is no guarantee how permanent the effect is. Few reports say less than fourty-eight hours if used with a host Pokémon and some are reported to be irreversible when human genetic material is repurposed into Pokémon. When repurposed the Pokémon has to be smaller than the human and extra material cannot be stored for reversal. As you finish reading, your mind races by what you just read. Now you know you actually could become more trustworthy to Layla. But what would it mean for your water purification plan? How well could you still hack if you only had stubby paws and is this really a leap you would want to take. The decision lingers heavy on your mind.

You wake up after tossing and turning all night. The internal conflict between your long-term dream and your newfound obsession with Layla isn’t something you are used to. Also, you can't fully comprehend why you even consider being a Pokémon. When you consider it rationally, it really makes no sense at all. You still feel an obligation to your water project, and that has been your dream for so long. You are so close to making it a reality too. Why would you even entertain the idea of throwing it all away for Layla? In some weird way, you feel closer to this strange Eevee than you ever felt with any human, almost as if you had some deeper feelings for her.

You get up and sit by the edge of the bed, pressing your hand against your forehead and covering your left eye as you lean on it. You realize how stupid and unreal that sounds – developing feelings for Layla , a Pokémon? Especially after learning how people treat them. Yet it is the only explanation that makes remotely fits why transforming into Umbreon for Layla feels right. All this time you’ve known you care for this little cute, long-eared, emotionally unstable ball of fluff, but enough to consider changing everything? Then, all of a sudden, horror sets in. Layla can sense your lies, your sincerity – can she also sense your feelings for her? Is that why she got carried away when you asked about the hypothetical transformation? You hope not, that would be embarrassing, but you think she has at least a clue what is up. Well, no matter. You just want to see if Layla has cooled down a bit from last night's sudden snap. Maybe she’ll tell you how foolish your feelings are. Maybe that’s exactly what you need to clear your head.

When you arrive at the typical meeting spot at the Oasis, the morning sun casts long shadows down the meadow by the pond, but there isn’t a soul in sight. Only the waterfall rushing down, creating ripples on an otherwise calm pond. You sigh, but you know that Layla would come out if she wanted to see you and even if you went looking for her, there would be no way you could find her if she doesn't want to be found. You sit for about an hour, thoughts racing through your head. What would you even say if she shows up? Do you just play it off? Confess it? Deny it? You for sure will not tell her you are considering becoming an Umbreon. That would just make her tell you that you’re a lunatic. Finally, you push yourself up and leave the usual serving of fruit for her. This time not taking the bites, since it apparently doesn't make a difference anyway. As you head out, you take one last glance over your shoulder, hoping she might show up. But no luck.Your heart sinks a little as you drag your feet through the forest and back to your apartment.

When you arrive at your apartment, you find your door slightly ajar. You see no damage, so you just shrug it off as if maybe you forgot. As you step in, you see all kinds of stuff flying out of your boxes you haven't unpacked yet and an unmistakable fluffy tail flailing side to side in excitement.

“Layla?! What on earth are you doing here and how did you even find my apartment?” Your question is more in tone with curiosity than feeling upset about her invading your personal space.

“You stink, that is how. Learn to hide your scent if you don't want to be found! And I am helping you unpack. I know you're obsessed with me, but you haven't even unpacked in all these weeks. Get a grip boy. Set yourself some level of normalcy,” Layla exclaims right before her head pops out of the box with a playful smirk.

“And you're here, why again? I thought you hated people,” you ask with a hint of sarcasm.

“Still do – just not you. And instead of meeting me every day at the pond, I decided to move in here instead. That's okay with you, lover boy .” Your instant jaw drop is met by her wicked grin as she knows that comment hit the mark. “How’s that response to your sarcastic remarks, hmm?” Layla asks with upwards inflection as she rolls out of the box with a giggle.

Your face turns red from embarrassment. “H-how did you k-know?!” You stutter.

“I have known for a while,“ Layla starts with a gentle laugh. “Your heartbeat has been a dead giveaway. I know I said I wasn’t going to spell it out for you, but the way your heart comes alive when I appear shows that spending time with me is more than just genuine curiosity. At first, it was subtle, but by now it’s obvious. Your heart is like a disco every time I show up – what, you think these sound radars on top of my head are just for show?” She twitches her ears in several directions. “Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Then she suddenly pounces beside you and puts her paws against your legs and extends her claws against your thighs, not deep enough to puncture skin but enough for you to feel. “It is pretty adorable actually for you to have a crush on me,” she says, then rolls back to the box and starts digging through it again, leaving you completely stunned and speechless. You step inside, close the door, and crash onto the couch.

After sitting on the couch for fifteen minutes without a peep, Layla’s ears perk up facing you, “Did I steal your tongue too? Not just your heart?” she teases.

You glance over before finally breaking your silence. “You’re okay with all this? How? Why? You don’t think this is weird?”

Layla giggles gently. “Okay with it? Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, it is completely and utterly messed up – but who am I to tell you what makes you tick. I think it is endearing. And the fact that it bothers you more than it bothers me, makes it even more precious.”

“It doesn’t b…bother me. Just didn’t even r…realize that until a few hours ago,” you stutter.

“Wow, you’re truly thick headed aren’t you. Like, completely clueless. Have you never liked anyone before?” She walks up to you pouncing on your lap. “Look, I think you’re pretty charming too. At least for a human. Even though I wouldn't start some intimate relationship with you, that would be just weird, but we can be close friends, no problem. There is no rule against Pokémon and humans living together and liking each other. Even some level of affection can be okay. And if someone has a problem with that, it’s their problem.” She presses her muzzle under your chin and nudges past your right shoulder slowly.

You completely freeze from the sudden show of affection. Then you ease up, your posture relaxes and you rest your chin between Layla’s fluffy ears. “Thank you for your understanding, and I am glad I didn't chase you away by being awkward.” You sigh in relief.

Layla pulls away and swipes your nose playfully with her paw, turning her head to the side with her muzzle tilted upward like a diva. “Ha! And give up my free meals? Preposterous!” She rolls onto the couch with her paw over her forehead, clearly pretending as if you had insulted her.

“Yeah yeah yeah. Enough with the theatrics. Though, some chow wouldn't be a bad idea, and I think I have something raw we can both enjoy.” You get up and head out to the kitchen and return with a plate full of assorted Sashimi, all unseasoned, so basically just raw pieces of fish, but you have soy sauce and wasabi for yourself.

Layla sniffs the air, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, fresh fish galore! You really know how to treat a girl right, don't you?” She looks at the tray with salmon topped with roe, some yellowfin tuna, freshwater eel and halibut, all sliced in bite-sized pieces. “You didn't have to cut them into bite size, though. I could have worked through it just fine.”

You stare at her with a blank stare. “You don't know what sashimi is? It’s a Japanese dish made of high-quality fresh fish, served…” You pause as you see Layla extend her claws, stab each fish with one, and toss them all in her mouth ”...nevermind. Enjoy the feast!” You cross your arms and just watch her munch on the assorted ‘fish galore’, as she calls it.

Finally, after about twenty pieces, she slows down. “You know what? I have had better, but it's nice not having to deal with the bones sometimes! Also, if I knew you like fish, I would’ve caught you one from the pond. In fact, next time we’re there, the meals on me!”

You rub the back of your head with awkward laughter. “Eh, heh… no need, I'm good. Thanks though.”

“Oh, I insist!” Layla exclaims.

“Can I at least cook it please?” you plead, knowing full well it’s a long shot.

Layla’s demeanor changes completely as she hisses at you. “Over my dead body…” Then she suddenly calms down, curls her tail around herself and adds “...or I guess that is fine, I suppose there is no reason I shouldn't allow you to enjoy your meal the way you like. It's only fair, right?”

You're completely astonished by Layla’s permission. “Well then, I guess if you want to provide a meal sometime, it's a date,” you say jokingly.

Layla glares at you “Oh please, I don't do dates. There are no dates with the mates.” She climbs onto the table with her nose almost touching yours. Then, true to her character, she stops, only to burst into laughter. “Oh my, your heart is going crazy! I think someone was hoping for a kiss. Sorry, for now, the only mate I’m to you is a roommate.”

“Wow, you're truly cruel – leading a poor guy on like that,” you say with disappointment as true to Layla’s assessment that is exactly what you were thinking.

Layla rolls her eyes at you. “Fine!” She gives you a quick lick on the cheek. “Happy now?” But to your surprise, it kind of looks like it was exactly what she wanted to do.

“Yeah, totally happy now, but would have been happy without too… And roommate, does that mean you’ll split the rent?” you ask with a smug grin.

“Pfff… no? I don't have money!” Layla rolls over laughing. “I will just be your emotional support Pokémon, how about it?”

“But of course. I wouldn't allow you to pay rent even if you wanted to. Money isn’t an obstacle,” you say, waving dismissively in her direction.

Layla tilts her head, curious. “What do you mean it’s not an issue? I mean, money is stupid, sure, but people value it. I doubt you’re that rich.”

“I have two hundred fifty million USD stashed aw…” you start, before Layla interrupts you.

“Two hundred fifty million? What the heck! You rob a bank? Running a Pokémon smuggling ring? Or is your water purification business taking off?” Layla asks in shock.

“No, none of those… Well, technically I stole it, but I don't think stealing from criminals counts as theft,” you explain.

“Stolen from criminals? Kuro, who did you double-cross?” Layla approaches you with sudden concern.

“I helped Interpol to hack and drain some Team Rocket acco…” you start to explain, but stop as you see real horror on Layla's face. Something you have never seen her show before.

“You what?! You idiot! Do you have a damn death wish?!” Layla starts snarling at you angrily.

“Calm down, Layla… they have no clue…” you try to continue, before she interrupts you again.

“No fricking way will I calm down! Do you have any idea what these people are capable of? Because I do – I’ve seen the horrors. The disregard for life they have. They stop for nothing, so don’t you tell me to just calm down!” Layla growls at you as she finishes her concerned plea.

“Do you want to tell me more about that, Layla?” You're curious why this has made her so worked up.

“No, not really… it’s not important what I’ve seen, just that I do, and I can’t… “ She pauses for a second “... I can’t go through it again.” She finishes, as her eyes water up a little and her tail curls around herself.

“Fair enough, I won't press. But I was going to say they have no idea who I am or that I have any of the money, nor does Interpol. We covered our tracks.”

“You better hope they never find out… You get yourself killed, and I will have to bring you back from the dead, just so I can kill you myself, you dimwit,” she says, calming down a bit before running across the table and bonking you hard in the head with a paw.

“Ouch! I guess you do care.” You pick on her for her reaction as you rub your forehead.

“Damn right I care. Those asshats cannot take away the only decent human I know – maybe even a potenti…” She doesn’t finish her sentence as she notices your increased heart rate. She looks over with seductive half eyes. “Aww, I’m sorry, did I pull your heartstrings again? Really turned on the disco again, didn’t I,” she patronizes you.

“You really think me feeling like this is the funniest thing ever, don’t you,” you say with a sigh.

Layla sees you getting upset so she steps down on your lap.

“Kuro, honestly…” she starts with a gentle voice, wrapping her tail around your arm, “these few weeks have been the happiest I have been in a long time. Knowing you actually care means a lot to me. And I am genuinely worried about you and this Team Rocket business.” She rests her head against you. “Truth is, I am not sure what I would do if something happened to you, and knowing what Team Rocket is capable of, I know it is a real threat. Kuro, please don't do something so stupid again. Money isn't worth it…” her yellow eyes sparkle as she looks up to you.

“Layla, as you’re the one asking. I won't do it again… Also, are you okay if I give you a hug?” you ask nervously.

Layla rolls her eyes at you. “Human antics… I’m not big on hugs, but if that makes you happy, I guess I will endure it.”

You gently pull Layla close and hold her for a while. She wraps her tail tightly around you, her breath calm as she rests her head against your chest while you stroke her fluffy fur. You sit there for a long time without saying anything, just sharing a moment. You both know how strange this relationship feels, yet you find comfort around one another. Eventually you let her go with a deep sigh.

“That was nice…I feel so relaxed now,” but there is no response. As you look down you notice Layla had fallen asleep on your lap, her tail still curled around you tightly. You smile and just keep sitting there, allowing her to get some rest on your lap. The late-August sun shines through the window, casting reddish hues that paint the room in the colour of the newly kindled feelings between you. Your body is very relaxed, but your mind – your mind is more torn than it has ever been.

As the summer turns to fall, the leaves change color, the weather gets colder, and the days become gloomier. Yet even as the world is preparing for winter, your relationship with Layla blooms like a field of tulips in the Bollenstreek, Netherlands. You decided to decorate the office with lots of plants and cozy spots for Layla to rest. You two spend evenings and weekends walking the parks and forest. Layla even catches you the fish she promised, and allows you not only to cook it but even season it. She even tries a bite, mimicking the face you made when eating the raw tauros meat. You have also taken her to see Professor Zoran, though most of that encounter Layla spent hissing at the prototype of the water-purifier as it was having a pressure leak. You even install a paw scanner to open the apartment door so Layla can come and go as she pleases. You spend nights star gazing, with her laying on your lap. And every bedtime, she curls up next to you with her tail curling around you as tight as she can. Yet, the more time you two spend together, the less certain you feel about the water-purification dream and more about how happy Layla makes you. One day you jokingly ask Zoran what would happen to the water project, if one day, you suddenly turned into a Pokémon. His response was that as long as you kept your wits, he would still work with you. You are not sure how truthful he was about it, but it didn’t really steer you away from the looming thought of making the ultimate sacrifice for Layla.

Finally, after almost three months of work, the city of Lumiose greenlights the pilot program for your water-purification prototype. If successful, they have promised to help fund the streamlining of the production. You rush to the apartment to tell the news to Layla. As you get to the apartment, Layla is laying on the couch and seemingly surprised to see you home in the middle of the day.

“Layla! They finally greenlit our program! The water-purification trial run is a go! Isn’t this exciting?” you exclaim as you spread your arms as you couldn’t be happier.

In Layla’s typical manner, she just smiles at you. “About time… I started feeling like they were going to string you on for years . ” She jumps off the couch, runs to you and wraps her tail around your legs. “I am happy for you, lover boy! It’s finally happening.” As you crouch down, Layla puts her paws on your knee and gives you a quick lick in sign of affection. “I’m proud of you, Kuro. I know this is what you always wanted.”

“I know, right? This requires celebration! How about we meet at the oasis around four p.m., so about four hours from now? Can you please meet me over there around that time?" you ask her excitedly.

Layla giggles at your silly frantic request. “Sure, whatever. Where are you going to be for four hours?”

“I have one more appointment left before the end of the day, but I will be there!” you shout as you head out the door.

It’s late October, and the sun is quite low as Layla waits at the oasis. You watch from a distance – she has no idea what to expect. Then, as you emerge from the depths of the forest, she jumps, ears pulled halfway back. Her fur shoots up, making her look twice as big. She exposes her teeth and… then, sniffs… Suddenly her demeanor shifts; her ears flatten against her skull as confusion over something familiar sets in. Then, as she finally comes to terms that it’s really you, her expression goes from fierce to puzzled.

“Kuro?! Wha… how? Why? You’re an Umbreon!” She is clearly baffled , not knowing what to say.

You smile gently. “Yes Layla. For months I have wanted to do it. I have just been too scared, not knowing what would happen to my water project, where we would live, or if you even want to spend time with me. I always knew our relationship would not get past deep friendship , without me taking a leap of faith. So, I arranged for our landlord to accept a ten year rent up front. I told city hall and Zoran what I was going to do and that I am still going to help them. Even though they thought it was crazy, they still allowed it. The paw scanner we installed on the door; that was just as much for me as it was for you. I knew that it would take a lot to keep this as a secret from you, but I think I did pretty good. Well, what do you think? Your very own Umbreon eh?” you end your rambling with a slight grin.

Layla still watches you in shock. “Kuro? You did this for me? Not because I asked, but because you wanted to be with me? I really appreciate the gesture, but… you should change back…I would be lying if I said I haven’t dreamed of this, but I cannot let you sacrifice yourself for me.”

Your heart skips a beat. “You’re not serious, right? Because…” you look away from her in discomfort, before looking back with unsure expression, ”...well, there is no reversal. The way the transformation works is that they use your genetic material to create a Pokémon that has to be smaller than you, and the excess material can’t be saved. So, I am an Umbreon now, for good. If that is unacceptable then…” You appear visibly nervous as you confess the nature of your transformation.

Layla looks at you with wide open eyes, then her posture relaxes a bit. “Well, I guess what is done is done then, no point for me trying to argue with you how stupid this was.” She walks up to you and nuzzles her face against yours. “You always were an idiot…” she pauses before continuing “... but I guess you’re my idiot. And I admit this is partly my fault for saying you would make a cute Umbreon and oh, I was so right. Just adorable, perfect fit for you really.”

“So, you’re not mad? Upset? Can you accept me like this?” you ramble again.

“Yes, you stupid Umbreon. I’ll accept you as you are. Not that it would make a difference if I didn’t,“ she mutters through her teeth. ”Nothing changes about who you are because of your appearance, except that…” she visibly blushes a bit. “Damn you’re hot!” she says as she nips at your ear playfully.

“Ouch, that hurt”, you cry.

“Deal with it, because that is not all that is going to happen tonight.” Her voice goes from raspy to lusty in mid sentence.

Your heart starts to race as Layla’s presence turns very inviting – as if she’s seeing something she has dreamed of for a long time. She pounces on you, pinning you down as she nuzzles your face roughly and gives you a couple of licks on the bite mark she just made.

All of a sudden, the first rays of the moon hit your golden rings, illuminating the edge of the water. Layla watches with sparkling yellow eyes as you glow as Umbreon for the first time under the full moon. Then, something unexpected happens. The yellow rings start to fade, first into white, and then start pulsating a blue glow. Layla takes a few steps back in awe. “Oh for the love of Arceus – shiny Umbreon? Of course you are a shiny Umbreon! Come ‘ere!” She grabs you from a scruff like if you were a helpless kitten and drags you in the cave behind the waterfall. The night passes, but for you two, it is a night to be remembered forever.

You wake up when the first rays of sunshine enter the cave entrance. Your body aches from the wild primal experience with Layla last night, your body covered in scratches and a few small bite marks on your black velvet fur. You look at Layla whose tail is still wrapped around you tightly. Then without a warning she opens her eyes and nips your ear hard enough to draw blood.

“That means MINE,” she declares as loud yelp escapes from your muzzle.“ And don't you forget it!”

“I won't, ok? No need to bite my ear every few hours, I get it. I'm yours, and I don't mind it. You're the whole reason I am like this now,” you snarl quietly as a few drops of blood dribble on your shoulder.

“Oh, come on, glowbutt, don't be a poor sport. You got to learn the Pokémon ways; might as well start now.” Layla lies right by you leaning on your side and her claws slightly digging in your scratched up body from last night's ordeal. “Unless, instead of learning how to be a Pokémon you want to go again,” she teases, pressing down with her claws just shy from breaking skin.

“I think five times is enough, or was it six? Anyway, I don't think my body has any more canvas left for those claws to paint on,” you say sarcastically.

“Nonsense, I can find a spot I am sure, let me look,” Layla says, as she climbs on you playfully looking through your scruffed and abused fur coating. “Wow I guess you're right, you are completely and utterly filled, how about second coat of paint,” she says with a quiet whisper that cause your fur to fluff as she trails her claw down your rear leg, leaving down faint red marks on your skin that immediately get covered by the soft black fur.

“Wow, someone has been in need for a long time, you horny little Eevee,” you say as you get up, almost losing balance right away, partly due last night and partly for being new to this Umbreon thing.

“Can't blame the girl for trying, now can you?” she says as she walks by flapping her fluffy tail across your face.

“I guess not. But maybe next time should be after I get a grip on this body. The first step I took, I almost pulled a muscle as I was stepping with the heel of the paw,” you explain with embarrassment clearly visible on your face.

Layla puts a paw in front of her muzzle, covering her laughter. “You what?! Even a newborn kit wouldn't try something that stupid. Wow, I guess I’ve got a lot to work with. Let me show you three things that you need to learn. First…” she launches and nips your ear again. “Mine!”

“Ouch! Yeah I know that one. Cut it out!” You swipe at her, but she just rolls dodging it and then taps your nose hard with her ear.

“This means listen or focus or pay attention. The hardness matters, the harder the tap, the more urgent it is,” she exclaims.

Finally she raises her tail up. Then points at you with the tip and then flaps it on her side. “This means you,” she repeats, pointing again. “Come here,” she taps again next to her. “And it applies to everything the tail points at. Well, Glowbutt, aren’t you going to listen to the tail?”

You walk over and sit next to her. “Why do you keep calling me Glowbutt?”

“Because you have a butt that glows in the moonlight, you silly. You better get used to it because that one is not going anywhere. Also…” Without a warning, she sinks her canines deep into your shoulder, creating a deep enough puncture wound that will likely scar. You jump away in shock.

“Layla! ouch!!! What the hell!” you cry in pain as blood gushes out of your shoulder. Layla just smiles gently, licking the wound to help it stop bleeding.

“That one is a bonus lesson. It will help you remember. When I touch it one day with my claw, your memory will likely come back to this moment. So, you got all of this?”

“Sure, let me try,” you say, tracing a claw on a scar on the back of her neck between her shoulder blades, but before you have a chance to ask what it is from. Layla jumps away with a terrified look on her face.

“Did I do something wrong? I was just going to ask…” you start.

“Kuro, no! You do not get to ask that. How dare you! I’ve killed for less.” Layla growls, not even a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Okay, I’m sorry I was just trying to…” you try again.

“Kuro! I am serious – drop the subject, or I swear I will end you where you stand.” Layla snarls, small sparks escaping her fur as she digs her claws into the ground, ready to attack.

“Layla I am just...” you try for a third time, but she launches at you, pinning you down with her teeth around your neck.

“Last warning, Kuro!” Her jaws are pressing tight against your neck, as her canines almost penetrate your skin.

“Okay Layla… okay, I understand. You need space.” Her grip loosens a little, making it easier to talk . “ I won't press it. You tell me when you’re ready. And won't if you never will be. I am sorry.” You drop your ears down in sign of surrender, you actually don’t even notice doing it, it just comes naturally.

Layla’s complexion softens, her rage-filled eyes regaining their normal shine. “Oh, what am I… I’m sorry, Kuro…” She backs off of you, looking shocked by her rage filled response. ” Just not ready for that, not yet… not sure if ever.”

“It’s okay, Layla.” You flick your ear against her nose – a clumsy, but gentle gesture, still not used to having ears. “I’m here for you if you do, and I am here for you if you don’t.” You pause as you lean into her. “That is what mates are for, right?”

Layla’s eyes tear up “I could have killed you…”

“But you didn’t, and if you had, it probably would have hurt you more than it did me.” You say as you curl your tail around her.

She curls her tail around you as well. “Don’t push your luck, Glowbutt, because I don’t ever want to find out what life is without you.” You spend a while longer leaning on one another as the sun fully rises, before heading back to the apartment.

For the next few days, Layla shows you how to control your body and how certain movements tell your moods and intentions. You’re picking most of it pretty quick, though ear control is still not the most fluent for you. On the morning of the fourth day after your transformation – the beginning of November – you approach Layla’s room.

You find her facing back towards the door, ears shooting straight up, her fur fluffed and stiff.

“Hey Layla, what’s got you so…” You stop mid-sentence as the answer reveals itself, and you freeze. In the middle of the room, there are not just one or two, but four eggs.

“Kuro… We are going to be parents.” Layla says in shock.

Both of you are still staring at the eggs. It feels as if it has been an eternity, though it’s only been about ten minutes. The morning sun shines through the window, glinting off the smooth surface of the four equal sized eggs. Both of you stand stiff, ears twitching between excitement and fear of what’s to come. You never imagined this as a possibility. She had never talked about wanting this or chances of it happening. Even on the night when your primal instincts took over, you didn’t think that… But it doesn't really matter – what is done is done. Now the most important thing is for you to be there for Layla. You finally decided to lean into her gently.

“I'm here for you…” you start trying to feel how she feels about the situation.

After a few long seconds she finally breaks the silence by snarling a faint growl “Umbreon, it had to be Umbreon, you stupid Glowbutt…” but then she sighs deeply “...at least you’ve got the guts to stick around. I was already planning on shackling you to the radiator if you tried to leave me with this mess.”

Your body stiffens as you listen to her contingency plan. “Layla, if nothing else is certain at this point, one thing is – I will never leave you. What would I even do without you?” You finish, as your body relaxes a little.

Layla whacks your nose with her ear so hard that it will possibly bruise, then quickly bites on the edge of the ear, sinking her canines deep. “Good, in case you forgot that means ‘listen, you're mine!’ There is no backing out of this.” Her voice is calm but stern, her usual playful side entirely gone. “First things first, once these little ‘bundles of joy’ break free, you don't cuddle them, you don't help them and you don't comfort them,” she growls quietly. As you don't immediately respond, she flicks her ear even harder at your nose. “Say it!” Her growl gets louder.

Your body tenses up again, “Wait! What? You want me to neglect our children…” you start, but she doesn't let you finish.

She pins you down and puts her teeth right over your jugular, pressing down hard, but not hard enough to puncture the skin and growls. “They are kits not children and you promise me dammit or I end you where you lay.”

You don't move – you couldn't even if you wanted to. Gambling with your life doesn't appeal to you, but you also don't make promises you can’t keep. You breathe heavily before muttering your answer. “If that’s how you want to raise them, just end me. What you’re asking is against everything I believe in.” You lift your head, exposing your neck even further, preparing for what’s to come.

You can hear your response did not settle with her well, her growling only getting louder until she pushes you away. “I can't do it!“ She pulls away snarling angrily. ” If you pulled this stunt yesterday, I swear you would be lying in the pool of your own blood.” Then tears start running down her cheeks. “But I cannot do this alone… and you… you will…” Layla’s composure shatters in an instant. Her head drops, ears flushed against her skull, back turned to you, tail curled tightly around herself.

You get up, looking confused. “Layla… talk to me. We will figure this out. Why would you threaten to kill me if you can't do this alone?”

Layla’s body is trembling from all the mixed feelings she is having; you can hear the rapid heart rate and the falling tears hitting the floor. Then she finally hisses through her teeth. “You will get them killed… I swear…If you get them killed… you wish I had ended you right now.”

You walk up to her nudging the side of her head, then tap your ear on her nose as hard as you can. “I will not get them killed, and if it is because of me, I’ll gladly accept any consequence that comes with it. I will be the best father I know how to be – that I swear. But I won’t sacrifice my values for anything!” You speak in a caring, but firm voice.

Layla scoffs quietly “I would love to believe that, but you're soft and softness gets kits killed.”

“You do not know that!” you growl softly as she questions your core values. “Softness and compassion aren't weaknesses. I’ll prove it to you in time. Can't we just be happy about this?”

Layla suddenly turns towards you and sinks her claws into your right shoulders, carving deep scratches. “You will try, I will remember. These will remind you…” she snarls as you cry out in pain.

Your fur soaked in blood in seconds, as she finishes, she licks the wound helping the bleeding to slow down. “You didn't have to…” you start but her glare stops you in mid sentence.

“Yes… I… Did… You make a promise; you bare the mark as the reminder! You want us to be a happy family? Then you’d better be prepared – because I will keep reminding you every day!”

“Then we deal with it… together. Layla, calm down. I'm here. We’re in this together” You fight to keep your composure, though the throbbing pain in your shoulder makes it hard. Blood pools beneath your paw, and the blood loss makes you feel light-headed.

Finally, you see Layla's body relax a little, “You keep telling me that… I will keep holding you to your word… I will carve that lush coat of yours full of reminders if I have to.” Then she presses her claws on to your body. As you close your eyes tight to prepare what is coming, she unexpectedly presses her forehead against yours and relaxes her claws. “But for now, I'll give you a chance. Together we will weather this storm.” Her breathing steadies, her heart rate slowing down. She presses her forehead against yours even harder – not to hurt, but to make a point. “Together, always together. Remember this, or do I have to create another puddle?”

You don't hesitate to answer, a bit scared to find out what will happen if you do. “Together…” you press your forehead against hers to confirm “no reminder needed.”

You spend a while leaning into each other before your legs give out from blood loss, even though the bleeding has pretty much stopped. “I think I need to lay down for a bit,” Layla grabs a hand towel and presses it on your shoulder.

“Fine… of all Umbreon I get the shiny one that can't take a proper marking...” she pauses for a moment “...but thank you for staying.”

For the next two weeks, you two spend preparing the office for the kits to stay in – nothing special, just a place for them to rest, with a few toys to help them practice their instincts. You’re very busy at the town hall too, working with the green-lit pilot program and making sure that once the kits are here, everything is ready so you can spend time bonding with them. On the first day the team was quite concerned about the wound on your shoulder, but you brushed it off as some practice battle with Layla. The more time passes, the more excited you become about the looming parenthood. Layla has eased up a bit too, though she still doesn't agree with you and keeps saying your glowbutt will be their doom. For now, you feel as if the worst is behind… until one day.

You come home from the town hall. You left early in the morning, so you haven’t seen Layla the whole day. You’re planning to suggest that maybe you two visit the park as the first snow just fell this afternoon. But as you come in, it is completely dark. The office door is closed, but you can hear that Layla is in there. You try to open up the door, but it doesn’t budge.

“Layla, are you ok in there?” But there is no answer. “Are you sleeping? I can hear you're in there.” You try again, but she still doesn’t answer, then with a faint voice you hear her.

“Leave me be Kuro… Come get me when the snow is gone.”

You’re confused. Layla doesn’t like snow? But it is pretty and fun to play in. What is going on, you wonder. “Layla, what is wrong, talk to me, what is wrong with snow?

”Kuro… listen to me, leave me be,” she growls, but much softer than she usually does.

You lay by the door leaning and trying to listen to what is going on inside, but besides hearing her heartbeat and steady breathing, you can’t hear anything. “Are you hungry? I can get some food.” You try one more time.

“No Kuro, please, leave me be.” No growling this time. Only a faint whisper, probably not even audible by human ear. You decide to do as she asks. You’re hungry though so you grab some stew from a nearby chili spot. You love it and Layla tolerates it, nothing like a good bowl of chili on a chilly day you think. As you come back the door is still shut.

“Brought you some chili, I put it away in case you get hungry.” But you might as well be talking to the wall as there is no acknowledgement of your offer. You think, maybe she is sick and doesn’t feel good. Or have a headache, or maybe it’s that time of the month… anyway, you decide to give her solace as you head to bed. You will have an early wake up again as there are some investors that want to hear about your project. They will be in for a surprise to have a Pokémon present the charts for them, you’re sure.

The next day, when you return from work, the door remains shut. You call out for Layla, but there’s still no answer. You curl up beside the door, waiting.

“Layla, I will lay here until you come out, I need to see you are alright!” At first you hear nothing again. But then with a faint voice she replies.

“No need, I’m ok. Just let me know when snow is gone,”

“It’s gone!” You try to lie.

You hear a faint sigh “You are the worst liar…”

“Well, I will wait, as long as it takes… right here…” you reply. It is Friday, so you won't have to go back to the office until Monday. You lie there, listening for any hint of what’s going on. Sometimes you call out for her. Sometimes you doze off for a bit. Thoughts race through your mind – why won’t she come out? None of them explain her behaviour. On Sunday night, panic begins to set in.

“Layla! Please! It has been four days, at least tell me what’s wrong. Did I do something? Are the eggs okay?” You plead with her to give you at least a clue.

“No, you didn't cause this, Glowbutt, and yes, the eggs are kept warm. Now please, respect my wishes… leave me be.” Her voice is still very faint.

You try to respect her wishes, but her strange behaviour isn’t letting your mind calm down. The next day, while working with the professor, you finally tell the crew you will need some personal time as you cannot concentrate on your work anymore. When you get home, you notice she has been out of the room, and you see a few drops of water on the floor by the door. You sniff them, and even with your poor grasp of your heightened sense of smell, you can tell – it’s tears, not just water.

“Layla! Are you crying? Please, oh please, let me help you! I am worried about you. I even said I need personal days from work because I do not know what is wrong with you!” You’re starting to tear up yourself.

“I will be fine… just… Kuro… I just need space… and time…” This time her voice is a bit louder but still barely a whisper.

“I can't!” you cry. “What can be so bad about snow that you will shut me out of your life and tell me to wait until snow is gone! Help me understand! I beg you! You can maul me until you feel better, just please! Let me in!” You start banging your head against the door. First softly, then harder as desperation takes over. You find yourself bashing your skull on the door hard enough for your head to start bleeding. Your rings illuminate faintly, even though it isn’t nighttime, and your tears puddle beneath you, mixing in with the blood from your forehead. Then, suddenly, you hear the door creak slowly.

“Kuro..” she whispers. “See, I’m ok, the eggs are ok, please, stop hurting yourself.” But she doesn’t look okay. Her eyes are dim, lacking any excitement. Her fur, soaked from days of crying, and matted from not taking care of herself for days. You grab hold of her. You know she doesn’t care for hugs, but you don’t care. You’re not about to let go of her.

“I will never stop!” You growl “Not until I know you’re okay! Not until you tell me what’s wrong! I know I have told you I won’t press your past, but I have to know! You can tear me apart limb by limb, give me a slow, agonizing death, threaten me with eternal pain – I will not abandon you when you so clearly need me!” Then suddenly, you ease your grip and press your bloody forehead against hers… “Together…always.”

At first, she doesn't say anything. Then she closes her eyes and presses her forehead back against yours, “Ok…I tell you… just please, stop hurting yourself…winter has enough bad memories.” She drops her head down. “Please be patient and don’t interrupt, okay?”

You sit next to her curling your tail around her. “I will let you finish.”

Layla sighs deep and closes her eyes “It all happened nine years ago – when I escaped the Team Rocket evolution camp…”

The sound of alarms blares as the group of Eevee finally manage to get much needed breather after their escape. Beside Layla, there are twelve adults and eight kits, including Layla’s old pack-alpha Azir. They are all exhausted after the climbing and crawling through narrow air ducts and sewer pipes, but at least for now, they’re free from the horrors that went on back there. Layla manages to find some berries and roots that everyone can feed on, just for a little extra strength, but they cannot stand idle as Team Rocket grunts are already close in on their heels. They all press on through the darkness of night, which gives them an advantage over the grunts. But the lack of sleep and exhaustion is starting to take its toll on everyone. As they press on, one of the Eevee spots a narrow path to a cave entrance. Once everyone has settled inside, Layla, Azir and two others head out to find food for the group. They return a couple hours later with enough food to last through the night – even a few ragged Ratatas. Azir decides to split his portion and give it to the kits so at least the little ones can feel energized in the morning. Layla is about to do the same, but Azir’s growl makes her quickly abandon the idea. She knows that Azir will need her at her best if they are going to get out of this alive.

In the morning, Layla and Azir do a perimeter check and it seems as if Team Rocket has given up the search. Azir makes the call to stay put and see if they can find more provisions. The cold north wind begins to pick up, and Layla warns it could be a sign of a storm brewing. Azir, however, stays firm and insists they need to gather their strength before moving again. Layla and six of the Eevee take off to find more food, while Azir and the oldest Eevee with a bad limb stay with the kits. The end of the season makes finding food almost an impossible task, but they manage to gather enough to keep everyone from starving by nightfall. By the time they return it’s already dark and the wind is just getting stronger, making it freezing outside the cave. Layla curls up against the kits to try to keep them warm as they whimper in cold. She tries to share as much of her body heat with them as she possibly can to make them comfortable – a couple other Eevee offer to do the same. By the end of the night, all the Eevee are huddled up in the one pile where it is impossible to tell where one Eevee ends and the other one starts. As the winter storm starts to rage outside, the Eevee in charge of the front guard runs back saying the snowstorm has already brought in about twenty centimeters of snow. If they don’t leave right now, they will risk getting snowed in. Azir makes a call to abandon the current position and head straight into the storm. The wind is blowing hard, and the harsh freezing temperature renders the once useful senses of smell and hearing useless. Outside the cave is nothing but a blur of snow and darkness, each gust of wind threatening to scatter the pack in the blinding storm. Layla is doing all she can to try to keep the two kits closest to her warm with her tail. Then she hears a loud cry. It’s the old Eevee with the bad limb calling for help. She runs to help him, pushing him up and letting him lean against her. It takes all of Layla’s strength to escort the elderly Eevee back to the pack, her legs trembling with exhaustion. Even if she’s worn out, she rushes back to where she left the kits – but they are gone. She starts digging frantically, claws tearing the snow. After five agonizing minutes, she finds them, but both are lifeless. She nudges them again and again, desperate for any sign of movement, but she knows they are already gone – there are no heartbeats left to hear. With a heavy heart, she returns to the pack. Only to find the elderly Eevee collapsed on the ground, unable to take another step. The escape has taken its toll on him. Layla tries to drag him with the pack, but Azir tells her to give up; there is no hope left. Two other Eevee also carry two more kits to Azir. Both frozen to death. Azir calls for everyone to take a kit and do whatever they can to keep them warm as the pack pushes through the storm.

By the morning, everyone is freezing, hungry and exhausted. The snow is probably over one meter deep, making it almost impossible to dig for food. Yet, by some miracle, they managed to find a couple of small Bidoof and grab them before they had a chance to burrow. As Layla is helping a few of the kits to get some scraps out of the Bidoof, she hears a loud screech, she immediately realizes it is a Staraptor charging at one of the younger Eevee who is eating his share of the Bidoof. Layla tries to run to help him but it is too late, the bird Pokémon swoops in and grabs the poor Eevee and flies off carrying him away. Layla returns to the pack and drops a piece to Azir.

“You can have my share,” Layla says. But Azir just growls at her loudly, then he replies the unexpected words to her.

“The pack needs you more than me right now, you stay nourished and we have a chance to get out of this.” Then he turns his back and walks off to keep watch. Layla returns to the kits she was helping before to get the scraps. She shows them how to use their claws to get a good grip on the body and use their little teeth to pull the pieces off the bone. In return the kits affectionately knit Layla's fur, as she lays by them and then the kits curl right between her paws – as if they were her own. She spends the rest of the day comforting the two kits. She is growing to be quite attached to them, even naming one of them Scruffy, as his fur always fluffs up on his head. In the evening, as she watches the two kits playing with one another, Layla hears a scream nearby and leaps to investigate. To her terror, she sees a Liepard carrying away another Eevee. Her heart stops for a moment before instinct takes over, and she tries to catch the escaping predator through the snow. but eventually gives up the chase. The only sound left is the heartbeat of the Liepard. As Layla returns, she collapses in the middle of the much smaller pack. No matter what she does, she cannot stop others from perishing. She cannot be everywhere at once. She tells everyone to huddle close together and burrow a small hole where they can shelter for the night, but not too deep in case it collapses and they need to dig out quickly. Then she takes the first guard, determined to make sure there is no more loss before dawn. At four a.m. Azir wakes up and walks up to Layla, and slaps his ear hard on her nose with a faint growl to let her know he is disappointed in her leadership. Trying to take the burden from everyone else will just exhaust her.

‘I am just trying…” She starts, but Azir flaps the ear at her nose again even harder.

“There is no try. Just do, and own the results,” Azir grunts.

“I will never be good enough for you, never live up to your expectations, I will never excel on your level,” Layla mutters.

“That is not true. I see great potential in you, but I also see you’re afraid to trust your instinct. That is your worst, maybe only flaw. You have to learn to trust others. That is how you lead.” Azir snarls as his breath condenses in cold night air.

“How, everytime I try…” Layla starts, but gets interrupted by another ear whack on the nose.

“There is no try… As a leader, your decisions have consequences. Every choice is one you have to live with! I do not expect a kit like you to master it yet… only to understand it.” Azir growls, not with anger but concern.

“I am not a kit!” Layla snarls at Azir with her teeth showing and her claws digging in snow.

“Yes, you are. I was an alpha when your parents hatch out of eggs. To me, you will always be a kit, but that doesn’t mean I don’t value you. I know you have it in you to lead, I’ve watched you grow. I know you want to help everyone, but you’re afraid of failure.” Azir exclaims with a faint smile.

“But so many have fallen in the past few days because of my incompetence…” Layla huffs in frustration.

“And without you, they would all still be at the camp. They chose freedom, you focus on survival. You cannot control every situation. Do you think I’ve never lost anyone under my leadership before? What about your parents?” Azir snarls under his breath, his voice heavy with grief rather than anger.

Layla knows he has, even her parents were taken by Team Rocket right in front of her eyes – Azir was the one who pulled her to safety when she was still very young. She used to blame him for it, but she has come to realize it if it wasn’t for Azir, she would have been taken too. She responds with a sigh. “I know you have endured many losses. And I know I blamed you for Team Rocket taking my parents before. That wasn’t fai–” “Exactly!” Azir growls deeply, as she interrupts Layla. “There are things I could have done differently, and I’ll have to live with it. But rather than drowning in my sorrows in regret, I choose to cherish the fact that I was able to save you. And knowing your parents that is what they would have done too.” Azir’s eyes get watery – something Layla has not witnessed ever before.

“I didn’t mean to upset you Azir… I’m sorry” Layla starts but is again interrupted by Azir.

“It’s ok, your parents would have been proud of you, they always said…” But in mid sentence Azir pushes Layla down as three icicles fly by barely passing them. “It’s an ambush!” He roars, waking up all the rest of the Eevee as three Abomasnows appear out of nowhere. One of them lands on top of the burrow they made, collapsing the snow on two of the kits that didn’t have a chance to make it out. Another Eevee barely makes it out the burrow before the cave-in, only for an icicle to pierce its jugular, killing it in seconds. Layla, Azir and the remaining seven Eevee’s take defensive positions around the kits. One of the Abomasnow uses Icy Wind making it instantly freezing cold as the other two launch more Ice Shards at the Eevee, Azir and Layla use Helping Hands as they tell two of the youngest Eevees to run with the two kits. Two Eevee grab Scruffy and the other kit by the scruff and start running through the snow. However, the Eevee carrying the second kit is struck, an icicle piercing her neck, killing both her and the kit instantly. At least Scruffy and the other Eevee manage to escape the deadly shards. Layla tells three of Eevee to use a Tail Whip to lower the defenses of the smallest of the Abomasnows, as she and Azir both do a Swift Attack on it. Layla aims at its jugular, and Azir goes for the legs, severing both Achilles tendons on the young Abomasnow’s legs. As Layla’s claws slash open the Abomasnow’s neck, crimson red blood sprays out painting the snow below the dying beast before it even falls as a loud gurgling sound escapes from its last breath. The last two remaining Abomasnow take off running as their fallen comrade hits the ground – but not before unleashing one final barricade of Ice Shards towards Layla, who’s facing the opposite direction. Luckily Azir managed to knock the shards down just in time before they hit the unexpecting Layla. As the battle settles, Azir tells everyone to start eating the fallen Abomasnow as he keeps watch. Layla objects at first but Azir's low growl makes her obey, especially as she just had almost gotten herself killed if it wasn’t for him. After fifteen minutes of eating, Layla feels as if she had had her fill and turns facing Azir, only to see her alpha laying in snow. She instantly realizes the snow below is all soaked in blood. Without hesitation, she dashes over to investigate. It’s bad – one of the shards has completely penetrated his side, and as it melts the bleeding worsens rapidly.

“You stupid old fool.” Layla says with her eyes tearing up. “Why did you…” but then Azir interrupts her with a shaky voice.

“Layla… Some sacrifices are worth dying for… What I tried to tell you earlier was…” Azir gasps for air, each breath growing shallower. “Your parents would have been proud. Follow your… heart… some battles are won with love, not brute… strength…” Azir's eyes roll in the back of his skull on his dying breath. Layla’s heart sinks. She’s absolutely mortified. She frantically tries to wake him, her eyes filled with tears that blur her vision. Her paws are covered in blood as she presses against his chest, desperate to bring him back, though deep down she knows he’s already gone. After twenty minutes of mourning, Layla gets up and drags herself to the rest of the Eevee who can tell how impactful the loss of her long-time alpha is for her. She doesn’t say a word, just flicks her tail forwards as if to sign to carry on. She takes one final look behind, and whispers “Thank you… for everything…”

As the sun rises, they finally find some solid ground with not much snow on it, they are still around a thousand meters above sea level. All the Eevee and Scruffy take on running to the solid ground celebrating the likelihood that they survived this ordeal. Layla drags herself onward, the fresh loss eating her from within. Yet even through the pain, she still feels a spark of joy – she managed to rescue a few of the Eevee from that place of torment. It's a small light in the darkness, but it’s enough to keep her moving. The young Eevee who carried Scruffy to safety during the attack tosses a snowball at Scruffy, starting a snowball fight between him and the kit. Even with her heavy heart, the sight brings a faint smile to Layla's face. Watching Scruffy laugh and play in the bit of the snow left on the banks of the cliff side feels like a small piece of peace after everything. She hears Scruffy call out to her. “Look Layla, I will flick that snowball he is about to throw right back at him!” As soon as he finishes saying that Layla realizes the apparent danger of the situation. They are only a few meters from the edge of the cliff and the bank edges are cracking from sudden shifts of pressure by the two playing Eevee. As the snowball hits Scruffy, he’s launched to the cliff’s edge – making the Eevee he was playing with charge after him in panic. Layla leaps toward them as fast as she can, but she is too late, her teeth pull a few tufts of hair out of Scruffy's tail as both the Eevee and Scruffy are falling down, screaming to their doom. Layla cries out after them, but she knows there is nothing she can do. Trembling, she pulls back to solid ground, pressing both of her paws over her ears as she collapses in panic. Her heart pounding, her mind racing with all the losses, especially Azir and Scruffy. She screams in agony, not knowing what to do. One of the four remaining Eevee tries to approach Layla, trying to comfort her, but she lashes out at him scratching his left shoulder. He jumps back in shock and the rest of them back away from her. She tells them to run, how she is nothing but bad luck. For hours after the others leave, Layla sits alone, trying to process the losses. The only downfall she can see – the one that haunts her the most – is allowing herself to become emotionally involved. If she didn’t care, it would be much easier to tolerate the losses. If she hadn’t cuddled Scruffy, he would have not tried to get her attention and maybe he would still be alive. Her heart aching in pain but her mind processing the losses as failure to do the necessary. When the evening comes and the last rays of the day are barely visible over the cliff where her final losses occurred, she comes to a final conclusion. Compassion is a weakness, sympathy spells doom, and softness – softness gets the kits killed.

Layla slowly opens up her eyes as her heart races from disclosing her past for the first time to anyone since it happened nine years ago. Her gaze meets Kuro’s tear filled, compassionate eyes and his still bleeding forehead from when he banged his head on the door earlier. “That is when I made the decision to be ruthless in my ways. Never give in to my heart and I did great until now…” she wraps her tail around you as she looks at the eggs with a sigh. “By letting you in my life, I’ve once again given myself something I could lose and the first snow awakened these horrors. And it scares me more than anything.”

You listen to the story quietly, your eyes watery and your heart aching for what she had to endure. You wait a few seconds, making sure she has finished, then curl your tail around her.

“You were tasked with impossible choices, and you did rescue four Eevee, right? Also, your alpha said some sacrifices are worth dying for. Sounds a lot like something I would say.”

Layla leans against you. “Azir would have liked you, glowbutt. Both of you are too soft to do the necessary.”

“To me it seems like his softness is exactly what allowed him to do what he saw necessary, give you a chance of life. To be loved – to have a family.” You point out.

Layla tenses up. “I never thought of it that way.”

“You wouldn’t, because you see compassion as a weakness. Azir died so you could thrive, not so you can spend your days alone,” you try to reason with Layla.

She is quiet for a while, then she lays next to the eggs curling her tail around them. “I still don’t agree with his methods, or approve of your planned gentle parenting. But there are two things I do know. First of all, I know I will protect these kits with my life and that you will never stop trying to be there for me, Kuro. And don’t expect me to say this often, but I do love you more than life itself. You never have to doubt that.” As she confesses her love, your heart races immediately. “Wow… didn’t take much to turn on the disco again,” she teases you.

You immediately pounce next to her as she makes a lighthearted joke. “Yeah, well I love you too. And if someone tries to take you away from me. I will do everything in my power to make them pay.”

“Oh, a knight in shining armor… literally shining” as she points at your glowing fur in the glistening moonlight. I hope it never comes to that.”

You lean against Layla. “Please promise me, no more hiding. I’ll crack my skull or break the door next time you do.”

She smiles gently. “No more hiding, and thank you for being there for me… again… Glowbutt.”

The two of you fall asleep, curled together around the eggs.

***

This is an ongoing story. I'm currently working on chapter 9 and plan on posting new chapter weekly. If you have any feedback, please leave a comment. It is a first story I am writing and any comment you may have is much appreciated. Next chapter should be dropping in on June 12th.

As the rays of the morning sun glare into the room, you slowly open your eyes. You're instantly met with Layla’s watchful eye.

“Good morning sleepyhead and remind me to cover you up from now on. Your rings could have woken up the dead last night thanks to the full moon,” Layla teases you. At least she appears like her cheerful self again after off loading her past.

“How long have you been up?” you ask her as you yawn.

“A few hours probably, just absorbing your glow and contemplating the conversation we had last night. I never told anyone before, and I just want you to know I appreciate how far you were willing to go…” She then gently strokes your scabbed forehead with her paw. “But no more banging your head on doors, even if I am hiding, okay?”

“No promises. Either the door gives or my head does. I will not abandon you when you need me,” you respond with a calm but stern voice.

“Why wouldn't you just tackle the door down if you wanted to break it?” Layla asks, confused.

“Tackle? Would it have had the same effect?” You ask just as confused.

“Hmm…” Layla thinks for a moment. “I guess not. Your pain was actually why I told you. Not the door. If you broke it, I think I would’ve just been pissed.”

“So, I guess I did something right. But this headache… I hope I don't have a concussion.” You rub your forehead. Layla just slaps your nose with her ear as she gets up. “Again! No head-butting. Now let's eat something, I am starving. I’ll even eat that old chili if it’s still in the fridge. After that, we will brainstorm some names for these looming dooms,” she says as her tail whisks around the eggs.

After the hardy chili you both return to the eggs. Layla is listening and inspecting the eggs. Then she turns to you. “Okay, so I guess we need to come up with some names. Or we could just name them Regret, Afterthought, Mistake and Oops.” She finishes with a sarcastic smile.

“Yeah, right. I don't think those names will make them feel loved, even though I know you are afraid to give them comfort because of your past.” You sigh, reminded that she doesn't want you to be soft with them.

“Look, we're naming them, not teaching survival skills. Death by Regret can be just as efficient as death by Miss Buttercup the Third or whatever the hell you want to name them.” She slams the door shut. “But we need to decide the names now – there are only a few weeks left until they hatch.” Like lightning, you’re struck by sudden shock as her words sink in.

“A few weeks? I thought it would be months…” you frantically spur out the words before giggle escapes from Layla.

“Hah… wow… you truly know nothing about Pokémon do you? Usually Eevee eggs take about two months to hatch but it can be as early as six weeks. And stop panicking. This is happening. Or do I need to shackle you to that radiator just in case, like I first contemplated?” she asks, her tone a mix of concern and amusement.

“Okay, point taken, no shackles,” you respond immediately, unsure whether she actually has shackles waiting somewhere and not eager to find out. “So we need four names for male and female? Just to have all our bases covered right?”

“Probably four male and two female is enough, the Eevee are ⅞ more likely be male than female. If your glowbutt manages to beat those odds you will likely be on top of Team Rocket capture list,” Layla says jokingly, but her composure tells it is actually partly true.

“Team Rocket can suck it! But yeah, okay… So I was thinking of the name Hope. It technically works for both male and female. I thought of it because of my water purification project and possibly making the world a better place. Becoming a family also creates hope, that you will be able to become whole again, and hopefully have a happy life with me and…” Your ramble is cut as her paw lands on your muzzle, silencing you.

“Shhh… you already sold it. No need to write a book about it. Hope is good. I like Hope. For a boy I have always thought of Elem. Despite my refusal to evolve, I always liked Elem as elements, as Eeveelutions represent many elements.”

“Elem… Elem… “ You try the name as you never would have thought of it. “Elem is interesting. So you would allow our kits to choose to evolve if they wanted?” you ask with sudden curiosity.

“Are you that stupid?” She takes sudden offense to your question. “Of course I’d let them evolve. The fact that I don't want to evolve myself has nothing to do with my view on Pokémon evolving at will – as long as it is their choice…” she pauses for second before continuing, “...except Umbreon will have to wait until they are twenty-five plus; I won’t have a copy of you running around until they truly know what they want.”

“What did I do?” you ask confused, but you don’t get the chance to continue as your question is met with her slit-eyed glare and a quick whack on the nose from her ear.

“What haven’t you done? First, you innocently ask what Pokémon I'd want you to be. Then you surprise me by showing up as that Pokémon, and now we have these four to name and take care of. So don’t you get all cute with me.” Layla finishes, her tone half-serious, half-playful.

“I don’t remember you complaining that night…” you start by putting some of the blame at her, but she again interrupts you, this time with a faint growl.

“Oh, the night was great… the aftermath…”her growl gets louder ”…time will tell.” She appears somewhat resentful.

“Okay, I'm sorry…” you start to apologize, but she unexpectedly approaches you, interrupting you in mid sentences by tapping your nose with her ear, nipping your ear gently and pressing her forehead on yours.

“In case you forgot, that means listen! You’re mine! We’re in this together!.” She turns around, her tail curling protectively around the eggs. “Don’t you ever – and I mean never, ever – apologize for making us a family.”

“I’m confused. At first you acted like it was an accident. Now you act as if you knew this was going to happen. And when you first saw the eggs, you were in shock.” You’re not entirely sure what’s going on, but you don’t feel like you’re in trouble either.

“Wow… just… wow… you’re unbelievable. Of course I knew that there was a chance, a pretty high one in fact, that this would be the result. Maybe I wasn’t expecting four eggs, two at the most, but that’s not the point. And I was in shock because I know how soft you are, and we never spoke about offspring… heck, we barely spoke after the transformation, before…” she pauses for a moment, then dismisses the thought and continues “...anyways, I wasn’t in shock because we’re going to be family, you dumb Umbreon.”

“I am still confused. You’re happy we will have kits, but you’re also angry? Layla please explain.” You look at her with questioning eyes.

“I am happy for the addition. I am scared of the change. And I am frustrated with you for putting your paw down about how you want to raise them. But I did promise you I would give you a chance… but I swear, if even a hair…” She starts to growl, but then eases her posture and stops, “... but if you manage to keep them alive. Then maybe, and just maybe, I do believe in your parental approach.” Then she pounces in front of you in one swift leap, her claws tracing the scars left on your right shoulder on the day she promised to remind you of your vow. “ Remember… I will always… hold you to your word,” she says as she finishes tracing the scars.

Your fur bristles as Layla traces the scars, your mind flashing back to the promise you made – to never accept softness and compassion for weakness, and to rather die than withhold affection from your young. “What the…” you start as your mind catches up with reality.

“Good Umbreon, there is hope for you yet” Layla laughs as she confirms you're able to recall memories as she intended. “Anyways, let's get back to this naming thing, or do I have to carve a reminder of what we were doing into you as well.” She says as she playfully extends her claws.

“Oh right… yeah… I mean no… no reminders needed,” you ramble and then go quiet.

After a moment, Layla grows impatient with your sudden silence. “Well… on with it! We need names.” Her growl is not angry, but you can tell she is losing her patience.

“Oh…umm… Miracle?” You spit out the first thing that comes to your mind.

“Miracle? Really?” She giggles a little. “Fine, we’ll put that on the third female spot, just in case we have three. Because that would be a miracle. And since you can't come with names that aren’t loaded with meaning, I’ll handle the rest. The remaining male names are Rainer and Tamao, and the second female is Rea. Okay, we’re done here” Layla rushes through the names.

“But you didn't ask…” you start, but she immediately interrupts you again.

“What? I didn't ask you? Do you want me to veto the name Hope for the first born and change it to Regret? No? Good.” Then she opens the door and walks out without giving you a chance to answer, which sends you running straight after her.

“Layla, wait! Are you mad at me?” you ask with a concerned voice.

She chuckles as she turns around. “Why would I be mad at you? Should I be?”

“Well, I don't know. You didn't let me say anything about the rest of the names. You said we're doing this together,” you explain.

“Oh fine. You're probably the most sensitive Umbreon in the universe, but that is what makes you adorable. Do you have a problem with the names?” she asks with a gentle smile.

“Well no, names are fine, but…” you begin, but are once again interrupted.

“No buts! Look…“ She flicks her ear at your nose ever so lightly. ”We can talk about names all day, and tomorrow and the next day. The perfect name will not come until they are here. It's good that we plan, but it’s not good to set things in stone.” She walks up to you and nips your ear gently before pressing her body against yours. “I think by now you know when I am really angry at you. If I’m angry, you usually end up with my jaw around your neck,” she jokes about her past outbursts.

“Layla, when you say together, do you really mean it? As partners, as mates, or is it just that we're in this together?” you ask with complete sincerity.

She immediately pounces on you, pinning you down. You're expecting the jaws, but instead she nudges the underside of your chin and lies on top of you.

“You sure are thick headed Umbreon, Kuro. You really think I’d do everything I’ve done with you if I thought of you as less than a mate? You can stop worrying about it.” She nudges your chin again.

“But sometimes you don't seem to trust my judgement,” you respond as you lean into her.

“Seriously?! This is coming from the guy who turned into Umbreon for me.” She taps your head firmly with her ear a couple of times, as if hammering in a point. “Yeah, not sure about the judgement part. Seems like your judgement is dialed on at random. But that makes it fun to be around you. You never know what pops out of the mystery box of yours. But I do appreciate you, I hope that makes you feel better.” And then true to her character she bites your ear hard enough to cause a little bleeding. “And still mine!”

You yelp in pain. “Ouch! Can you please just say it, or maybe do it more gently? Ears are very sensitive…”

“That one, I have to say – no chance. Learn to endure it, because as long as we're together, that won’t change. And if it does, you’d better be worried.” She pushes herself off of you. “Anyway, the naming is done and I’m feeling better. Don't you have a world water crisis to save or something before the eggs hatch?”

“Oh yeah, I guess I said I was taking personal time because of how you were feeling… I’ll go as long as you promise not to be locked in the room when I get back,” you demand assurance with slight concern in your voice.

“I will be here, but not locked away, I promise. Now, go save the world, Glowbutt,” she responds with a faint laughter.

Over the next few weeks, you work double time and spend very little time at home. Layla keeps telling you it’s fine, but you just want to push the project to the point where the team can run with it, with little to no involvement from you. You do feel bad not spending any time with Layla though, and the feeling of becoming a parent is starting to sink in as well. For some reason you keep thinking you should make the relationship more official, but you also know things like marriage aren’t really Layla's speed. You're pretty sure legal rights from marriage wouldn't apply to a Pokémon anyway. But the more you think about it, the more you want to do something for her. You also know she can sense when you are lying to her, so you have to be very cautious and work fast. In just two days – days you barely spend any time at home – you manage to get the special gift for her and finalize your plan.

On your way to home, you stop by to pick up a pink rose and ask the shopkeeper to trim the thorns off before taking it gently in your mouth. Your heart pounds as you approach the apartment, part excitement, part fear of how things will go. You know Layla will sense something the moment you step inside. But there’s no way you back down now. This is happening. You put your paw on the scanner and enter the apartment. Layla steps out of the office, probably after spending some time around the eggs as she usually does. Her ears shoot up the instant she spots the rose.

“What is that? A pink rose? You never got me a flower before…” She pauses as she picks the beat of your heart. “Okay… what’s going on, your heart sounds like it’s about to explode. What is your dumb Umbreon brain up to this time?” She smiles at you, but seems a bit hesitant. You don't respond either at first, just walk to her and place the rose in front of her.

“Can’t I just bring a flower to my lovely mate without any reciprocity?” you ask with a grin.

“You do know you are a horrible liar, right. Okay, out with it, Glowbutt! What did you do?” Layla is visibly getting uncomfortable with your secrecy.

“Fine, I want to do something special for you, but it is hard without giving away surpise…” You crouch down, pull a small box from the bag, and nudge it toward her with your nose. “This is for you, Layla. Open it.”

She begins to open it with a confused look on her face. You lay down completely with your ears relaxed. As she finally manages to lift the lid, but before she has a chance to react, you start your vows.

“Layla, please don’t interrupt. Would you, Layla, accept me as your forever loving mate, and share the good and the bad in this world with me. I know you don’t desire to evolve and you do not have to. Because the way your eyes sparkled in the mist of the waterfall, the way you light up my heart like the hottest furnace, the way you were able to shatter the icy horrors of the past by sharing them with me. How your fur sparks when you get angry… “ She flinches slightly at your words. “... and how our love keeps growing, even in the darkest places. You need no ribbons, no psychic abilities – your presence…” Your rings start to glow blue even if it is not night time. “...illuminates me like moonlight. In our love, as an Eevee, you already possess all the qualities of the evolutions – and I will never wish for you to change.” You finish your vow and wait for the answer. The whole time she has been just staring at what she sees in the box. Her eyes are sparkling from tears forming, but she is not saying anything.

Finally after what feels like an eternity, she replies. “A proposal?! Really? You idiot!” You can tell none of those words carry any heat. And her posture isn’t upset but rather somewhat fragile. “This bracelet… it’s magnificent. And your vow… it describes it perfectly…” She runs her claw across the surface of the bracelet with fragments of thunder, fire, ice, water and leaf stone, a white gold crescent moon and a ruby sun symbol all surrounded by Sylveon like ribbons and in the middle, a big piece of everstone. Then she sets it down with a loud sigh. “Unfortunately there is one problem and I have to say no…” Your heart immediately sinks, which brings a grin on her face as she pounces on you nuzzling against you almost furiously. “You asked me to accept you and I already accepted you. No silly human antics will change that. No bracelet, no snowfall, not your Glowbutt.” She nips your ear gently. She looks you in the eyes and with half open eyes, looks at her ear above your muzzle to invite you to do the same. You bite down very gently on her ear. “Harder…” she says. You bite down a bit harder, almost hard enough to break a skin.. “Harder, it’s okay, I'll endure it,” she says with a smile. You bite down even harder, breaking the skin and making her ear bleed a bit.

”Good Umbreon. I’m yours, and you are mine.” As soon as she finishes saying that, her other ear shoots up. “Did you hear that faint crack? I think the kits are hatching!” She giggles a little. “Even as they hatch, they know how to ruin a moment.” She starts to head towards the eggs, but stops and slides the bracelet on her left paw and rubs against you. “Thank you for the bracelet, it’s a perfect reminder you don’t expect me to evolve.” She rushes to the office with you right behind her.

In the office you’re met by four shaky eggs with two already having a few cracks. You’re feeling both excited and scared as you have no idea what Eevee kits even look like. All you know is that you cannot wait to meet them. Then all the sudden all the eggs stop moving for a moment. You approach the egg on the left and place your ear next to listen. As soon as you do it, the tiniest little muzzle breaks through the crack and immediately chumps on your ear latching on to it.

“Ouch! What the heck!” you cry in pain, feeling the little canines piercing your earlobe. You pull away, only to find your firstborn staring at you while dangling from your ear like a Christmas ornament. Layla covers her mouth with her paw trying to hold her laugh.

“There is your Hope, and looks like she is already claiming you hers. Attagirl!” She approaches you and gently lifts Hope by the scruff. “Okay, let’s give daddy’s ear a rest, Hope, at least until the rest of you are here”, she says with a soft chuckle. She sets her down on a heated pillow ever so gently and starts to clean her up. You, on the other hand see another egg break open and a slightly darker brown furred Eevee pops out. It immediately goes after a paper clip that had fallen on the floor.

“Bring him over here before he eats that thing, Kuro,” Layla tells you with a faint but frustrated growl. You try to grab him from a scruff, but every time you pick him up he falls off. Layla just rolls her eyes at you. “Just use more force, their scruff barely feels anything.” You grab hold of him a bit tighter and manage to barely make it to the pillow before he squirms off your grip.

“Good effort, but you still need a lot of practice. Anyway, meet your son, Elem. Something tells me he will be a trouble maker,” Layla chuckles as she starts cleaning him.

“How do you know their sex instantly?” You look at her confused.

“How do you think, can’t you see the things dangle…” She can’t even finish with a straight face as she sees your bashful expression. “Wow, you would have totally believed that! No, I can smell their difference. As soon as they are out of the egg, their scent is strong enough for me to tell, but before that I have no idea,” Layla explains. You walk over to the remaining two eggs. Neither moves, though both are now webbed with fine cracks. Without a warning, a tiny paw punches through a crack, sending shells flying almost a meter away. Quite the entrance for such a small thing that just hatched. You help it out trying to figure out if it is a male or female. You think it smells more like Hope, but you’re not sure. As you’re sniffing, the little rascal latches both paws onto your nose, pulling itself out. It doesn’t hurt much and feels like the perfect first bonding moment with your third kit. You press the little furball gently into the ground until its grip loosens, then catch it by the scruff, much smoother than your first attempt, and carry it to Layla, who looks genuinely startled by the whole scene.

“Another girl? Wow these are surprising results already. So I guess that’s Rea.” Layla is astounded by having a second female kit added to the family. By now, you feel like you know the scents she’s talking about.

“I think the last one I can try to call out the sex of if you let me,” you ask with curiosity.

“Go ahead, good practice for your instincts,” she approves. As you get to the final egg you can see a tiny, very faint piece of shell break free. You sniff without seeing any fur yet.

“Oh I think it is another girl, I am almost sure of it. I think it’s Miracle!” you shout, excitement bubbling in your voice. Layla giggles, but when she sniffs, her face gets serious. She rises and walks over.

“Hold on… this can’t be… you’re correct, it’s a female…” As she steps closer, the tiny head pokes out, its fur almost white as snow. Layla stares at the last kit in horror.

“Oh no…” She looks like she has seen a ghost.

“What is it, Layla? You look worried and scared. What is wrong?” you ask with a concerned voice.

“That is a shiny female Eevee. That will be hard to keep safe. If Team Rocket ever finds out…” Layla freezes, clearly unsure what to do. You try to ground her, snapping your ear against her nose as hard as you can.

“Listen, Layla! First we get the kits out. Then we name them and finally we enjoy the rest of the evening as a happy family and we worry about Team Rocket later. Okay?” you say with a stern but comforting voice. Layla looks startled by your words, but after a moment of hesitation, she nods in agreement.

“So we have Hope, Elem, Rea and Miracle?” You ask for confirmation from Layla. But to your surprise Layla shakes her head.

“Hope, Elem, Rea and Lumi. I'm sorry, but I always thought if I ever had a shiny kit, I'd name it Lumi as luminous,” she says, gently correcting you.

“You said that if we had three girls, the third would be Miracle and I think Miracle is very fitting with the odds,” you reason, but she cuts you off.

“Okay fine… Hope, Elem, Miracle and Lumi? Does that sound acceptable to you?” she offers, trying to compromise.

You pause for a moment. “Yeah that sounds good, as long as you’re happy with it.” You smile as you walk to the other three furry newborns on the pillow. “Now, bring her here so they can meet their youngest sister.” Layla gently sets the white-furred ball of fluff beside her siblings. They immediately curl up together. You feel profound pride in the situation and when you glance at Layla, though she’ll never admit it, her whole being radiates the quiet, instinctive motherly love nature intended. Before long, all the little ones drift into sleep. You and Layla haven't spoken a word since the naming dispute. Both of you are too busy just admiring your offspring. Then, without warning, Layla’s tail curls around yours.

“Thank you, Kuro,” Layla whispers with a smile as tears start rolling down her fluffy cheeks. “You sacrificed everything so we could be a family. I’ve always dreamed of this… so many quiet, lonely nights I cried myself to sleep. And I don't know how you do it. Even when things fall apart, you shine hope into the darkness. Don't you ever change.” She leans in, resting her head on your shoulder as her tears soak into your fur.

“I…” you begin, but she strokes her ear softly across your nose.

“Shhh… no explanation needed. Let's just enjoy this moment quietly,” Layla murmurs, her voice calmer and more caring than you’ve ever heard it.

You don't say a word, just rest your head against hers, listening to her steady breathing and the soft sounds the kits make in their sleep. In that moment, time loses meaning, just the six of you, beginning the journey as a new family, unaware of what the future holds.

The first rays of sunshine stir you awake. You have no idea how long you slept, but you know you didn't plan to sleep this long. Layla still leans against you, sleeping peacefully. The kits are still asleep as well, lost in their own dreams. Yet you can tell the little ones are beginning to wake up. You see tiny movements, faint rustles, hungry murmurs. Little critters are probably hungry. Food? Shoot, You blink, realizing there isn’t much food left in the house and you don't even have a clue what they eat. You frantically tap your ear on Layla's nose.

“Umm… Layla, what do the Eevee kits eat? you whisper. I think I might have to run and get some.” You try to wake her up. Her eyes snap open immediately.

“Get some berries. I’ll take care of the first feeding to show you…” she says in a calm voice and yawns “...how it's done.” As soon as she finishes, you bolt out the door and race to the nearest market, grabbing every type of berry you can find. At the register, your stomach drops, you left both your wallet and smartwatch at home. You rush back, cursing under your breath.

The moment you step inside, Layla shouts from the office. “Just in time, these critters are hungry!”

“Sorry Layla, I forgot my wallet,” you shout as you frantically grab your wallet.

“Damn Umbreon! Get a grip!” she growls after you as you dash out the door. It only takes you minutes to get back knowing she is not very happy with you at the moment. When you get to the room, Hope is chewing on her ear already. She just growls and mutters something as you hand over the berries.

“You know what, as you made me a glorified chew toy, you get to do the first feeding. So, as they have no teeth to chew with, you need to chew the berries for them and then spit them out for them. Same goes for meat…” she pauses for a moment. “No cooking the meat either, they need to learn to eat to survive… as do you,” she snarls at you. You don't dare to respond. Instead, you take a mouthful of berries, chew them into mush, and spit the premasticated pulp in front of the four waiting kits. You repeat it many times and they instantly eat all of it… after the eighth time your jaw starts to get sore, but you push through the pain. After the fourteenth mouthful the kits are finally satisfied and start falling back to sleep. You want to ask how you did, but your jaws ache from ten minutes of relentless chewing. So you simply lie down, waiting for the soreness to fade. Layla, however, isn’t having any of it. She grabs you by the scruff, pulling you up.

“No time to lounge around daddy. Go fetch some more food to the house so they won't eat us the next time they get hungry.” Her voice is filled with frustration.

You want to object, but your jaws are still tired, so you grab your satchel with your wallet inside and head out. You get fresh fish, meat and tons of berries and fruits and head back to the apartment. When you arrive, and after you put the food away, your jaw has finally relaxed enough for you to say something.

“So how did I…” you start but she interrupts you.

“I don't know? Do you think it is okay to keep our little ones waiting for their first meal?” she snarls quietly.

“Well no, but I forgot my wallet. What was I supposed to do?” you question her.

“Maybe tell them in the store you have four newborns at home that are hungry and that you will be right back with the payment,” she mutters in response.

“Would it be okay to take a word of an Umbreon? I highly doubt it.” You shake your head.

“They know you, you've been going there for months. Doesn't that count for something?” she keeps on grunting at you.

“I never told them I transformed, I was there maybe three times as Umbreon,” you defend yourself.

“If you cannot provide for this family, maybe we all should move to the pond, at least I know how to feed us there. This place is so small anyways, and it stinks too.” She sounds frustrated.

“Oh…” You walk up to her and press your head against hers. “Layla, are you unhappy living here? Is that what this is about? You feel stuck?” You look into her eyes.

“No you stupid… I…” Layla’s ears drop and her anger suddenly turns to sniffles. “... I feel useless, I cannot do anything. I feel dependent on you.” She presses her forehead hard against your as her tears roll down. Your heart stings as she says that. You have been working long days before the kits were born and haven’t even thought at all how limiting having the kits around actually might be. You never intended Layla to feel like she depends on you.

“Oh Layla, you don't need to feel like that. Just talk to me. I will understand. What would you like us to do? I thought maybe we could get a place of our own. I saw a nice place close to the park, right next to stores and it is only a ten minutes from the town hall through the park.” You curl your tail around Layla.

“How would that help with my independence?” she asks with resentment.

“Well maybe I can run a tab for you in the store. You can get food when you want, so you don’t have to depend on me so much. The house also looks fairly new, so probably no stuffy smells. Do you at least want to check it out? I can show you the listing on the computer,” you try to reason with her.

“Fine…” Her answer was somewhat reluctant.

“Or we can move to the wild, but it will be much harder for me to get to work. It will be like an hour hike every day in each direction, but if that makes you happy, I will do it,” you counter the offer.

“Lets check the listing first and think about that after,” she says, shrugging off your offer. As you get on the computer, and slip on the paw acceptories you had specially made for you to use it. They slow your typing and make moving the cursor a bit awkward, but still allow you to use it almost like before the transformation. You pull up the listing and show Layla images of the house you mentioned. It's a three bedroom house with a pond in the backyard, lots of small trees for shade and gate-access directly into the park. The fencing is dense enough to make the yard feel secluded. Nearby, a farmer’s market and a butcher's shop sit just beyond the property line.

“So, what do you think? I can walk to the shops and ask if they would be willing to run a tab for you if I place a deposit before we place a bid on the house,” you ask Layla’s opinion. She looks deep in thought.

“I like the yard… and I do like the idea of maybe being able to get food… though I prefer to get food myself… and it does look nicer than this place,” Layla ponders about the place.

“Okay, you stay here and keep thinking. I will check with the stores if they can run you a tab.” You get up and head out towards the place. When you get to the stores, the lady at the farmer’s market welcomes your offer with open arms, smiling warmly as says she’d love to meet the whole family sometime. You make no promises knowing how Layla is about people, but say that you will talk to Layla about it. As you’re about to enter the Butcher’s shop, a buffed Machoke exits at the same time bumping into you and knocking you off balance. You’re dazed for a bit ready to apologize, but Machoke just smiles, pat you on the head and rushes away while carrying a huge chunk of meat on his shoulder which must weigh at least twice as much as you. At the store, the butcher is very hesitant at first, telling you to take a hike as if convinced you’re about to steal something. But after you drop five thousand dollars on the counter, his attitude shifts instantly. When you get back to the apartment, Layla is feeding the kits some more berries.

“Well? How did it go?” Layla asks immediately.

“They are fine running a tab, the lady at the farmer market said she would love to meet you and the kits too,” you answer. You can tell she isn't happy about introducing the kits.

“Maybe sometime down the line if this lady seems like a decent human being.” She shrugs. “Also, how long until we could move in?”

“That depends if they accept our bid. I can start the process right now,” you say as you head to the computer.

“Fine, we give it a shot… if I don't like it, I will move back to the pond with the kits,” Layla says between the berry munching.

For two weeks, you keep going back and forth with the seller. Every offer you make is quickly outbid. You start growing frustrated, until one day, while you’re on the phone with the broker, Layla jumps in and shouts at the broker that if someone makes an offer we counter with two hundred fifty thousand immediately. The broker seems a bit shocked by the sudden outburst from Layla, but agrees to do as told. Three days later the broker calls; after a staggering five hundred thousand increase, far beyond the home’s value, the house is yours and you can move in whenever you like. Layla immediately grabs the kits, declaring she is ready to move in right now, making the broker cringe as he wasn't expecting an immediate move. He promises the papers will be ready tomorrow, which is met by loud growls from Layla. Two weeks after beginning the process, you finally have your own home.

On a moving day, the sun shines brightly, though the mid-January air still carries a chill. You ask your old landlord to drive a few boxes for you guys to your new house. He declines first, but you remind him he’s keeping the nine and a half years of rent, so he reluctantly agrees. When you arrive at the new house, you're greeted by a spacious entrance. On the left lies a cozy living area with large pillows for everyone to lounge on; the kits’ bedroom has their heated pillow and some scattered toys. You even had the movers cover all the outlets in the room. The little gremlins have started to move quite swiftly and Elem already had a shocking encounter with a charger cord, so you’re not taking any chances. Layla tells you not to worry so much as they need to learn. You remind her there are no electric outlets in the wild, though I guess she has probably seen kits struck by thunder from electric Pokémon before, and walk away just fine. Your bedroom doesn't have much as Layla insists you sleep on the floor and most nights you just end up curled together in a pile of blankets. The minimalistic decor barely begins to describe how bare your house feels. The final bedroom is reserved for your computer and workspace in case you need to do some work from home. The size of the house makes no sense, but it’s the location why you decided to move in. The yard, which is by far your favorite part of the house, looks like an amazing place to hang out. For a city location, the yard feels surprisingly spacious. You actually think of designing a similar landscape of the pond you and Layla first met at – something familiar to make her feel at ease. The park's proximity also makes it a very calm area. A road runs about a block away, but it is far quieter than your old apartment, and city hall is just a short dash or a ten-minute walk away. You turn to Layla, who hasn't seen the place in person yet, eager to share the moment.

“So, Layla, what do you think? Better than the apartment?” you ask with curiosity.

“I think anything would be an improvement over that stinky old place, but yes, as far as human places go, it is very nice,” Layla says as she explores the rooms. When she reaches the kitchen, she spots three small fridges with release levers on the doors, making it easy to open and reach. “Wow, nice touch, Glowbutt! Looks like months of complaining about opening that double-door fridge we couldn’t even utilize the top two shelves of finally paid off,” she says, then walks up to you and gives you a firm whack on the nose. “But make sure to have them stuffed.”

You rub your nose after such a hard reminder. “I was actually thinking we could all go together to pick up some produce from the farmer market.” You wonder if she would be okay to take the kits along, but she just shakes her head.

“Nah, you go alone. I don’t know this lady yet and I am not taking the kits to see if a total stranger is a Team Rocket agent in disguise,” she shoots down your invitation.

“Well maybe we can go so I can introduce you to–” “Are you crazy? You would leave the kits here by themselves?” she growls, interrupting you.

“Isn’t that what you would do in the wild if you went to gather,” you try to defend your assessment of the situation.

“I am not worried about them, you thick-headed Umbreon. I am worried about the house. They might burn it down or flood the place,” she rants. Her words make you realize that, even now, she won’t have full independence – not with the kits around.

“Hmm… I didn’t think you’d be nervous leaving the kits alone for a moment. With human children, I’d understand completely, but kits are left alone in the wild all the time. Maybe we could get some help. Like a nanny…” The instant you say the word nanny, Layla’s eyes fill with rage.

“What the hell are you saying you idiot! Let a human alone with our kits, especially Lumi. There’s never going to be a time I’ll ever allow a human…” You place your paw gently on her snout to quiet her rant, then tap her nose with a very gentle tap of your ear.

“No humans, Layla, I have seen ads for Chansey nanny service, usually they are for taking care of Pokémon while people are at work, but I don’t know why we couldn’t utilize it. They even allow you to interview them before we decide,” you finish explaining as you gaze into her angry eyes. Suddenly her body relaxes a bit and her eyes calm slightly.

“I guess we can talk with them, but right now… Go get some food!” She walks to the kits which have been snoozing since you got into the house, but they are slowly waking up. ”Unless you want to be Hope’s chew toy again,” she adds, giving you a playful smirk.

“I actually don’t mind the chewing anymore. It feels like we’re kind of bonding when she does that, but yeah I should get some food in the house,” you confess, as Hope chewing your ear has become a thing between you and her. Layla’s expression goes dangerously close to endearing, something you rarely see, but you don’t want to stick around to see how long it will take her to get angry if you linger around for a moment longer. You head to the market and butcher shop to grab some food, forgetting your wallet again. Luckily you have the tabs open with them.

In the evening, when kits are asleep, you decide to show the Chansey nanny service flyer you grabbed from farmer market to Layla

“So, these are the ads I have seen a few times. I checked them out and they have only a few complaints, and all the ones I checked were more related to cost than quality of service. They also–” ”Silly rambling Umbreon,” she cuts you off. ”I appreciate you looking out for me and wanting to give me the freedom to do things. And I’ve started to feel more comfortable and relaxed with the safety of the city for our little ones. But I’m still not ready to embrace your soft parental way. Still, I do think it is pretty adorable watching you nudge and cuddle them after meals. The old me wouldn’t have let that slide, but I can see them enjoy it too. Time will tell.”

She traces her claw along the scar she left on you. ”...But I’ll always hold you to your promise. I’ll never forgive you if something happens to them.” Her voice is gentle, not angry. You lean into her as she says it, causing Layla to bonk you playfully on the muzzle.

“I won't forgive myself either. Luckily, I doubt we’ll ever have to worry about that. “Lumiose City is very safe,” you declare. ”So, what do you think? Should I make an appointment with the Chansey nanny service in the morning?” you add, nudging the side of Layla’s head.

“Yeah, that’s fine…” She slaps you very hard on the nose. “But I do the interviewing, and if I don’t like even one bit of what I hear, I’ll walk away. Understood?” Her expression is half playful, half serious.

“That’s fine. I trust your judgement on this. I know you always have their best interest in mind,” you say, as you press your head against hers.

“You’re such a liar! I know you are worried about how I handle the interview, but I’m even more worried about you. I don’t want to write on your tombstone, ‘death by mate’s wrath after Chansey ruined our kits’,” she says with quiet laughter at her own joke. She rests her head against your paws as you lie your head on hers. Finally, you fall asleep for the first time in your new home.

In the morning, you contact the Chansey nanny service, and they actually have time for an appointment this afternoon. At first, they ask you to drive over, but after you explain your situation, they agree to make a special arrangement for you at the nearby park. When you tell Layla as she’s waking up, she growls a little, upset you didn’t let her be around when making the call, but she relaxes quickly as you offer to take care of the kits for the morning until the appointment. The kits are already waiting for you when the breakfast time comes. Hope immediately latches onto your ear, drawing a little blood as their jaws are a lot stronger and more teeth came in already. Miracle climbs onto your snout, Elem chews on your paw and little Lumi just looks at her siblings with her little black eyes with a slightly tilted head. At this point, they are big enough to chew their own food, but with meat they still need help with. Now, you just give them a little fresh salmon and raspberries. After feeding, you groom them and play with them a bit, but before long it is already two p.m. so it is time to head to the park. You both put on satchels with pockets for the kits on each side allowing you each to carry two kits comfortably.

As you’re heading to the meeting spot, you ask jokingly, without even looking at Layla. “So, you think you’re ready? You got your game face on?” You look over at Layla – the sight almost makes you jump. Layla’s whole being is serious, her eyes slitted, her breathing deep and focused, almost as if she was going to a battle. “Layla, we are going to interview, not war,” you say with concern.

“When it is our offspring, every choice is a battle,” she says with a growl. “And after the introductions, you sit, and stay quiet… “ She looks at you. “Understood?” Her growl is more serious than you ever heard before. You just nod quickly.

When you arrive at the meeting spot, you see a man in a business suit and a Chansey standing right next to him. The man immediately approaches you with a big smile, but quickly jumps back as Layla starts to growl at him.

“Woah, Layla, calm down. They are here to help.” You plead Layla to calm down. Hesitantly, Layla calms down a bit. “Hello, I am Kuroga Fintz, but you can call me Kuro. As I said, I was human, but decided to become an Umbreon…” You start telling the story, but Layla growls at you to get on with it. “So, anyway… Here is my lovely mate, Layla. Never get too close to her unless she says it’s okay. And these ones in our back are our four little bundles of joy, Hope and Lumi on Layla’s back and Elem and Miracle on mine. They are about a week shy of a month old. Anyway, I think Layla wants to do the interview, so I just sit here…” you ramble and then sit down having no idea what will happen.

“Well, Layla, nice to meet you, my name is– ”Not interested, but if I must, I will call you Bob,” Layla silences the man in the suit.

“Umm… okay. What would you like to know?” obviously puzzled “Bob” asks with a friendly voice but you can tell he is a bit hesitant.

“What would you feed to our kits?” Layla asks, her growl very faint as you can tell she is trying her best to be somewhat reasonable, but you can tell it is very hard for her.

“Well our lovely Chansey nanny Pearl here can show us our meal pack– “That question wasn’t for you ‘Bob’ unless you’re going to be filling in sometimes!“ Layla snarls and interrupts “Bob's” introduction of Pearl. Pearl doesn’t say anything, she just pulls out a lunch box that has fresh fish, meats and fruits and berries. You can actually see Layla visibly soften up a little as the food would be just as she had chosen and by her sniffing you can tell she approves the freshness.

“Very good,” she says while breathing heavily. “Now, let's see how you handle our kits…” she starts growling… “and let’s hope you have good health insurance if she drops one.” She walks up to Chancey. Pearl reaches and pulls out Lumi and Hope. At first Hope tries to go after the tendrils on Pearl’s head, but Pearl just pulls her away and tickles under her chin, which makes Hope immediately calm down and lie down on Pearl’s arm. Lumi just curls up against her body and looks as if she’s falling asleep. Layla looks very impressed by the ease Pearl is able to handle Hope. Lumi on the other hand, is very docile in general, so no surprise there. Pearl gently slides the kits back in their pouches and Lumi doesn’t even wake up.

“I’m impressed, and I am rarely impressed” Layla says as she sits down, still with a very tense appearance, but visibility approving. “How fast can you get over when we need you?” She exhales loudly but with barely any growl left.

.

“Usually within twenty minutes, but–” “For the love of Arceus ‘Bob’ can’t you shut up?” Layla cuts “Bob” off once again. Pearl just smiles and with a very gentle carrying voice responds.

“About twenty minutes or if an appointment is scheduled I will be over fifteen minutes or more before the scheduled time. And I also don’t mind overnight visits if you would like to sleep in.” Pearl then proceeds handing out her personal contact card to Layla which she passes on to you. Then she is quiet for a moment.

“You pass and an offer for sleeping in gives you extra points. We’ll be in touch. But you better not disappoint us or you regret it,” she growls softly as her claws dig into the dirt to make a point. She then turns around and starts walking away with you running off after her. As you walk home, you are almost afraid to say anything. But after a few minutes, you decide to open up.

“That went well,” you compliment her, for not ripping them in shreds.

“You should have seen your face…” She drops her rigid composure right away and starts laughing. “It was mostly for the dumb suit guy, but you being on your toes was just extra. Knowing you know nothing about Pokémon it was fun to put your through some intensity and I got some peace this morning. Next time, check what Chansey is like. There is no better nanny you could wish for. Pearl seems even better than an average Chansey though, so of course I would be happy to have one help us out sometime.

“You…” you growl at Layla’s prank on you. “I was constantly ready to pounce to save them if you were about to kill them.”

“Probably still a good back up plan. When that suit guy first approached I was tempted to take a few fingers for dramatic effect…” She can’t keep a straight face as she sees your face getting shocked. “... just kidding. You have no sense of humor, Kuro,” she laughs.

“Yeah yeah, let's just go home. And you take the next feeding,” you pout.

“Aww, don’t be so grumpy… and I happily feed the kits. Worth it!” She bumps her shoulder against yours before running towards the house. “The last one at the house gets the morning feeding.”

For the next four weeks, Layla calls Pearl about three times a week. Layla has also visited the farmer’s market almost daily and even gone to the butcher shop a few times. After three weeks she even takes Hope with her once to the market and the owner of the farmer market absolutely fell in love with Hope, giving her tons of free berries to bring home. Layla has grown noticeably more relaxed, often sunbathing by the pond in the yard when you come home. She seems happier than you ever have seen her before. Even when you forget to restock the fridge, she doesn’t tense up anymore. She will never admit it, but you suspect she really enjoys the independence – having a reason to go out to get some berries and meat. Since moving in, she’s only looked truly angry once, when a Pawmo wandered past the house. Luckily, you were there to hold her back; otherwise, that poor thing might’ve been turned inside out. Oddly enough, the Pawmo just shook its head and kept walking.

After four weeks are up, it’s time to return to the city hall and resume work on the project. Your team has made significant progress and the purifiers now provide forty percent of all the water needed in the Lumiose City. It feels good to be back, especially knowing Layla is not stuck at home with the kits all the time. The weather is getting nicer, letting everyone enjoy the yard a little more. The kits are also getting more mobile day by day making it hard to keep up with especially Hope and Miracle. The other day you caught the two trouble makers sneaking up the yard, if it wasn’t for Miracle’s claws getting stuck on the fence boards, the two would have likely run off who knows where. Layla insists that she knew exactly what those two rascals were up to. You know she could track them down in no time, but more than likely she would make some kind of practice exercise for you out of it. Lumi, on the other hand, has taken her life’s mission to become invisible. She hides in the oddest of places and pounces on anyone who happens to walk by. Just a few days ago she somehow managed to climb onto your back without you even realizing, bringing a huge smile on Layla’s face and utter confusion on yours. You only understood what amused her when you turned around and found Lumi sitting innocently on your back, staring at you with her big black eyes, as if completely unaware of her own mischief.

Today, you and your team have finally reached a major milestone in your project. The city holds a press conference to announce the expansion of the water purification program to several nearby towns. Reporters swarm around you, intrigued, and a little puzzled, why Umbreon is leading a team of engineers making water purifiers, Still, they run with the story. The event went on longer than you expected, it is nearly midnight when you finally head out. You take the darker path through the park; it’s a minute quicker, and your Umbreon eyes easily see in the shadows. The park is quiet, the air cool and the faint glow of the city lights fade behind you. Your steps are light and you’re very excited to tell Layla about the expansion. Then, without a warning, a heavy blow strikes the back of your skull, sending you flying several meters from where you stood. The world spins as you hit the ground, vision blurring from the impact. You can smell and feel the blood gushing down your face, soaking the dirt beneath you. You can barely make out two people at first, but when your vision stabilizes enough, you see it, two Team Rocket grunts. One with a metal pole streaked with your blood, the other with an Ultra Ball.

“Woah, take it easy, you don’t want to break the merchandise,” says the grunt with the Ultra Ball. Your claws digging to the ground as you as your vision stabilizes enough. You’re snarling quietly as you slitted eyes follow their every move.

“You better stay down if you know what is best for you,” says the one with the metal rod. You growl loudly as your body starts to glow, but as you start getting up, your legs give up immediately. The grunt with the pole slams it into your back, forcing you flat against the ground and knocking wind out of you. Pain shoots through your ribs as you gasp for air, the taste of blood thick in your mouth. You don’t give up though, you keep trying to push yourself up which causes the Team Rocket grunt to kick you and whack you a few more times with the rod as hard as he can.

“I said, stay down! And you better just get into the Pokéball on the first go unless you want me to go at this all night” the grunt with the pole says. The other just laughs. Your vision gets blurrier with each passing second blood loss takes its toll. Through the haze, you barely make out the grunt raising his arm, preparing to throw the Ultra Ball – and then everything fades to black.

You linger on in darkness. The horrors of your encounter with Team Rocket linger fresh in your memory. The impacts of the metal rod in the back of the head, the laughter. Suddenly, you see the face of shocked Layla and the crying kits with Team Rocket having them strap down and forcing them to Evolve. You try to run and stop them, but no matter how fast you dash, you only go further and further away from them. The world around your stretches and spins until you feel as if you’re falling. Your mind flashes back to the news conference, the sponsors giving up seeing Umbreon in the head of the project. You try to explain, only to have Pearl emerge from the crowd and slap you in the face and tell you she will never watch your kits again. As you run back to the house with tears in your eyes, you witness the house in flames. You run in to rescue Layla and the kits, but all you find is four eggs, rolling down the stairway, engulfed by flames. In complete panic you try to save the eggs out of the flames. The whole world flashes red, before you’re suddenly in your old apartment presenting the bracelet to Layla, her screaming at you how stupid you’re for showing anything evolution related. She promises she will name any offspring you ever get as Complete Failure. Suddenly a loud buzzing sound fills the room and everything is just white. It's cold, freezing cold. The blizzard makes it hard to see, but you see a cluster of icicles heading towards you and pierce your body. You fly back by the impact, rolling viciously, and as you open your eyes, you’re laying on the old apartment floor with Layla’s jaws around your neck. Instead of the mock kill she did back when you confessed you would rather die than hide your soft side with kits, she pierces your jugular causing your heart to beat like crazy and spray blood all over. Your eyes start rolling in the back of your head, but then you glow bright and are flashed back to the magical night you shared with Layla at the pond right after the transformation to Umbreon. But instead you see Layla walking away laughing how stupid you are, changing for her. Finally everything goes completely white. All you hear is a rapid beeping sound. You feel a jolt of energy. A distant voice of Layla calling you to fight. Then a beep, another beep. And suddenly your eyes shoot open.

You wake up in the Pokémon center, lying on a soft hospital bed on your side with wires and monitors attached to you. Layla sits beside you, her claws digging into the chair, blood dripping from her mouth and a few scratches marking her fur.

“Wha… where am I? The kits?!” You try to jolt up in panic, but immediately crash back down.

“Calm down!” Layla growls. “You already almost died once. No need to repeat that! And if you die because you can’t stay still, I will just kill you myself now so I don’t have to go through it again. The kits are fine; Pearl has them.” Layla’s voice is harsh, but you sense her anger isn’t aimed at you, but at the situation.

“How did I get here? The last thing I remember was Team Rocket grunt holding a Pokéball and aiming it at me,” you say, confused, lying as still as you can. Your head throbs despite the heavy painkillers. Layla gently touches your nose with her ear.

“Let me try to fill in the blanks, and you better shut up and stay still…” she says with a faint growl.

Layla lies in the yard, enjoying the nice cool air by the pond as she waits for Kuro to return. A sudden clunk echoes from the nearby park. At first, she dismisses it, but then the darkness is illuminated by a familiar faint blue glow she knows all too well. It’s her mate’s light. Still, something feels off, and she decides to go check it out. Layla dashes toward the light and freezes – Kuro lies in a puddle of blood. One of the Team Rocket grunts smashes the pipe at Kuro’s back. Shock roots her in place as another grunt laughs and raises a Pokéball. With a growl, Layla charges in to protect her mate and whacks the Pokéball aside just before it can strike unconscious Kuro. As she lands, Layla’s tail curls protectively around Kuro. She spends a split second making sure he’s still breathing before charging the grunt wielding the metal pole. Her jaws snap shut on his wrist, tearing through ligaments in one swift bite and forcing him to drop the weapon. The Team Rocket grunts stumble back, clearly shocked by the sudden ferocity of the tiny Eevee. The other grunt reaches for the pipe, but Layla uses Quick Attack slicing through a few of his fingers as she kicks the weapon far out of reach. Bleeding and panicked, the grunts decide to retreat. Layla runs after them, but when she hears Kuro’s heartbeat starting to slow down, she abandons the chase and races back to him without hesitation. She presses her paws against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but quickly realizes she can’t stop it. Panic sets in. She grabs his scruff and starts dragging him towards the closest Pokemon Center, pleading with Kuro not to give up. Luckily, it’s close; within minutes she bursts through the doors. Nurse Joy rushes over at sight of the bloodied Umbreon. Nurse Joy grabs a Pokéball in order to use the healing machine, but Layla leaps forward slapping it away with a furious growl.

“No Pokéballs! No one is allowed to put him in a ball!” she growls, her eyes covered in tears. Joy freezes, then quickly places Kuro on a hospital bed. She stitches the gaping wound at the back of the head, but as she finishes, the ECG spikes into ventricular fibrillation. Joy rushes to grab the defibrillator and as the machine hums, desperation sets in as Layla starts to scream for Kuro to fight. The first jolt steadies the rhythm. Joy rushes back to fetch some universal Ditto blood, unwilling to waste time matching types. Layla presses her head gently against Kuro’s, trembling with relief. For the first time, she’s hopeful the worst is behind.

Layla ends her collection of the events.

“And here we are… So don’t move. No matter what you say, I will stay by your side.” Layla’s is firm – unyielding, leaving no room for argument. You lie still, breathing steady and your eyes half-lidded as you try to process what she just told you. Slowly, you blink and let out a quiet sigh.

“Thank you for saving me, if you hadn’t…” You pause, the thought too heavy to finish. “Well, who knows. I rather not think about what if." Your voice is raspy and speech is slow from exhaustion and painkillers, but peace settles over you. You know she’ll protect you if it ever comes to that.

“You don't need to thank me, stupid. If they had taken you, I would’ve hunted them down.” Her claws dig deep into the seat beneath her, anger pulsing through each heavy breath. She continues with a deep growl. “Doesn't matter if they got away though. I know their scent. I’ll track them down…” Her voice trails off as she says it.

“Layla, no, I can't let you do this–” “I'm not asking for your permission!” she cuts you off with a loud angry growl. Her fur sparks and her eyes are filled with rage. Her claws tear the fabric on her chair, leaving deep marks on the chair. You’d probably jump at the sudden outburst if you weren't so heavily sedated.

“...alone. I can't let you do this alone I was going to say,” you say quietly.

“I don't need your help to take down a couple of weak Team Rocket agents,” Layla hisses between her teeth.

“Who said anything about a couple,” you mutter under your breath. Suddenly your body glows faintly, then a bit brighter causing even your red eyes to glow. “I Finally understand now, your concern about Lumi, about me. Being a shiny.” You take a couple of breaths before continuing. “Being a shiny Pokémon is like a death sentence with Team Rocket around.” Your body flares with light, brighter than ever, and your half-open eyes burn dark red with anger. “They’ll feel my wrath – experience true fear. Layla, they messed with the wrong Umbreon.” Your body pulsates as Moonlight heals some of your injuries before your rings fade back to their usual blue. You instantly feel more alive, though the drugs still prevent you from getting up. Layla watches in silence, listening to your declaration. She doesn't speak until the glow fades, then she breaks the silence.

“I would love nothing more,” she pauses for a moment. “But you can't even take on two grunts on your own without bleeding to death.” Sparks crackle across her fur as her claws dig even deeper into the seat. You watch, confused, as the arcs of electricity dance up and down her fur.

“Layla, why does your fur spark when you get angry? I have noticed it before, but I haven't dared to ask.” Your question halts the sparks instantly. Layla flinches a little, then exhales a long, heavy sigh.

“I…” she begins, her voice trembling. Her eyes glisten as she meets your gaze. You can see she wants to tell you, but the words seem to hurt. “I’ll tell you when we're safe,” she whispers, looking away.

“Okay, you tell me when you’re ready. And what comes to Team Rocket. There are other ways to wage a war than slitting throats. But I think I’ll need some rest now. If you want to go check on the kits, that is alright with me.” Your eyelids close slowly as you finish your sentence.

“I will not go anywhere, I will stay right where I am. Kits are fine with Pearl. Rest now, Kuro,” she whispers as you fall asleep.

Layla sits beside Kuro as he sleeps. Nurse Joy checks up on Kuro a few hours later, letting out a relieved sigh. The wound has healed well, thanks to the effect of Moonlight. She is about to change the pain medication, but Layla asks her not to. Instead of growling, like she usually does on people, she is rather appreciative of the care she is giving to her mate. It reminds her that, despite the cruelty she’s seen and the people she’d gladly watch suffer for their deeds, there are still humans who devote their lives to protecting Pokémon. Layla even apologizes for destroying the chair earlier. Nurse Joy just nods and smiles. Layla asks in the most polite way she can, if she may lie beside her sleeping mate. Joy sees no reason to refuse as the wound has sealed enough. Immediately Layla’s ears perk up, jumps on the bed and cuddles up against sleeping Kuro. As soon as she presses against Kuro’s sleeping body, Kuro smiles and wraps his tail around her.

Hours pass, and though you fell asleep in the morning, it’s now early evening. You slowly open your eyes. At first, confusion sets in. The torn chair Layla was sitting on is empty. Then her familiar scent reaches you, and you feel her warm breath against the back of your neck. You turn around facing her. Your eyes meet, and as your noses touch, the world feels still.

“I didn’t expect you to cuddle up to me,” you say with a gentle smile.

“I didn’t expect you to sleep all day and Nurse Joy said it was okay for me to do it,” Layla responds as she gets up, stretches and yawns.

“Wait, you actually asked Nurse Joy for permission? I’m not sure what’s more shocking: that you spoke to a human or that you asked for permission,” you tease with a slight grin. She immediately slaps her ear on your nose, hard enough for it to bruise.

“Shut up! Nurse Joy saved your life and she has my eternal gratitude. And yes, I know there are good people. But enough of that. We need to decide what to do about Team Rocket. Do you think you can walk?” Her tone is sharp and defensive; your teasing clearly struck a nerve. You try to stand, still woozy from the impact and the drugs, but manage to stand upright.

“Yeah I can stand, but I'm not sure I can run. I still feel a bit dizzy,” you admit before lying back down.

“I need to tell you something. I should’ve said it sooner. I always had a feeling something might catch up with our happy life.” Layla leans closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “In Lumiose City, there are Wild Zones, which you may have heard of. But few know that hidden within those zones is a secret Pokémon organization called The Wild Resistance, or TWR for short. When Nurse Joy was treating you when we first got here, I arranged for Pearl to look after the kits. I had her take them to one of TWR hideouts. I don’t really have an association with the organization, but they owe me for helping them out many times in the past.” Her voice returns to its normal tone. “And before you ask, yes, I had Pearl grab your precious tech gadgets too. I figured you’d cry if we left them behind,” she mutters. You stare at her,speechless, trying to process everything. After a long minute, you finally manage to speak.

“You could have told–” “Quiet!” She pushes your muzzle shut as she whispers. Her ears twitch, and she sniffs the air, every muscle tense. Then she signals for you to jump off and when you hesitate, she shoves you off the bed. You manage to land on your feet, just barely, still stumbling a bit as you regain your balance. When Layla jumps down she runs to Nurse Joy, who’s behind the desk.

“Is there another exit?” Layla asks with concern. Nurse Joy looks confused.

“There is a back door, but you shouldn’t leave yet,” Joy responds as she kneels down.

“You should come with us. I can smell one of the Team Rocket grunts outside that attacked Kuro. They probably won’t harm you once we’re gone, but if you’d rather not risk it, come with us,” Layla whispers with genuine concern in her voice. Nurse Joy nods and leads the way to the back exit. As you exit, the front door bursts open behind you. Layla tells Joy to run to a nearby restaurant for safety, then guides you into a narrow alleyway. You wobble as you move, your body stronger but your mind still hazy. The effects of the hit and drugs are still making your world seem somewhat disoriented. The last few meters before the alley, you stumble and lose your footing. Layla catches you by the scruff and pulls you behind the dumpster just as you see six Team Rocket agents bust through the back entrance of the Pokémon center.

Layla keeps watch, until she can be sure there is no further threat to you. She returns to you with a sigh of relief.

“I think we’ll have a breather.” Layla presses her head under your chin, nudging against the right side of your face. Her eyes glisten as the reality of almost losing you finally sinks in. “I was prepared to make the world burn…” she whispers, leaning in until her tears dampen your fur. “I don't know what I would do if…” She cannot even finish her sentence. You lean back against her, your own eyes stinging as her fear becomes yours.

“Layla, it's okay, I think it takes more than that to get rid of me,” you say quietly in hopes to comfort her.

“You're a horrible liar. It was too close. I will never let you out of my sight ever again!” She bites down on your ear, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to hold it. “Mine to protect!” she mutters with your ear in her mouth. You just smile as a warm feeling of Layla’s devotion flushes through your body. The sting of her bite is something you're already accustomed to, almost comforting now.

“Something tells me, you really mean that. And I will tell the world will burn, just not uncontrollably, but I think you should try to get us to safety. How far is the hideout?” you say as you try to get her back to the urgency of the situation.

“We have to make it to Zone 5. You think you can walk now?” Layla asks you with a quiet whisper.

“Yeah I think so, may have to take it slow though, maybe you scout ahead and I walk behind. How far is Zone 5?” You get up and start walking down the alley in a slow ragged phase.

“That speed it will be about twenty to thirty minutes,” she growls as she would be there in less than five. “Maybe I should just drag you there by the scruff, would be faster,” she says as he passes you and heads to scout the end of the alley way.

After a slow and tedious journey you finally arrive in The Wild Resistance hideout. Pearl and the kits are there waiting for you. You immediately drag to the kits nuzzling and grooming them. Hope pounces and latches on to your ear, Elem rubs against your back legs, Miracle climbs up your front paw, up the back of your neck and lays down between your ears, giving you a lick between your eyes. Meanwhile Lumi watches you with her head tilted, her big black eyes sparkling in the dimly lit room. Layla just rolls her eyes at your affectionate greeting with the kits and goes to thank Pearl. She asks if she is okay with staying with the kits for a while longer as you still don't have plans for what comes next. While you dragged yourself toward the hideout, Layla mentioned that other members of TWR would join later. For now, it is just the seven of you. After spending a few minutes with the little ones, Layla returns and grabs you from the scruff lifting you up.

“Okay daddy of the year, time to talk about the situation,” she growls faintly as she flicks her tail towards the other room. You follow her without hesitation, leaning down and having Miracle, who had just fallen asleep on top of your head, slide down your muzzle to her siblings. When you reach the room, Layla looks visibly uncomfortable. Her breathing is heavy and labored, her heartbeat rapid. She avoids your gaze entirely.

“Layla, calm down, we are safe don't–” Shut up you idiot!” She snaps her teeth in irritation as she growls. Her fur crackles with static, tiny sparks, dancing along as her emotions surge. “I know we are safe, that is why I took you here.” As soon as she finishes speaking, her voice shifts from calm to almost vulnerable. “And I guess that means… I owe you an explanation.” She looks away and curls her tail tightly around herself. ”I promised you I’d tell you why my fur sparks when I get angry.” Her voice trembles, and by the time she finishes, she appears as if she is panicking.

“Layla it is okay, you don't have to tell me if you're not ready.” You walk up to her, your fur flares up from the static charge as you press your forehead against hers.

“No… I do. Promise is promise .” Her claws burrow into the floor boards as to ground herself in the moment. “I want to tell you. It’s just hard. I never even dreamed I’d tell anyone. But when I was dragging your bloodied body to the Pokémon Center yesterday, I realized you’re the only person I feel like I can share anything with.” She pauses for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. “It all happened right before we escaped from the evolution camp in that terrifying winter I told you about…”

Layla slowly opens her eyes, she looks around in an almost completely dark room. She can make out the edges of the cages around her; there must be at least three dozen. Even with her night vision, the room remains a blur of shadows, but she can tell there is everyone from her pack including the alpha, Azir. Besides that, countless unfamiliar scents linger in the room. Layla tries to rise, but her paws are chained to the edges of the cage, making it impossible to even take a single step. Her last memory is of getting ambushed by Team Rocket in their hideaway, knocked unconscious by sleep gas before she could retaliate. Still, even in a situation that seems utterly hopeless, she immediately begins searching for any weakness in her surroundings. She spots an air shaft, its metal rusted and fragile, a few Tackles might be enough to knock it loose. There’s also a sewer that looks just wide enough for her to squeeze through. Yet, no matter how many escape plans she imagines, she can’t figure out how to break free from the cage itself. She gnaws at the chain, but it’s no use; the links are reinforced steel or something similar, making chewing pointless. As she scans the room for any weakness, the door creaks open and several Team Rocket scientists step inside. They approach the cages, including Layla's, which causes her to immediately hiss.

“Well, look what we’ve got here, a feisty one,” one of the scientists says. ”Let's give it a double dose!” As he says it, the chains on Layla’s paws snap tight, forcing her down until her chest hits the cold metal floor of the cage. Another scientist approaches the cage, sliding a rod through the bars, forcing Layla’s head against the cage wall and clamps it against the bars making it impossible for her to move a muscle, or even breathe properly. Panic floods her veins. She trashes, claws scraping against the floor, but the restraints only tighten. The first scientist draws a syringe, fills it to the brim and without hesitation, plunges the needle into her jugular.

Layla’s cry dies in her throat, not from pain but from disgust at what is happening. Almost immediately after the injection, Layla’s eyes dilate, as the serum burns through her bloodstream. Hear heart races – too fast, too strong. Her claws shootout denting the cage floor below her. She feels stronger, more agile and energetic. Whatever they injected must have enhanced her in some way. Her thoughts racing – why would they want to make her stronger? She will never submit to them, so why would they risk her becoming more powerful? Her heart pounds rapidly, the chain rattle as her body trembles from the effect of whatever they injected in her.

“Mark her for double doses for the next seven days, I have a good feeling we have something remarkable in our hands… and if her heart gives out. Well, it's all in the name of science. A necessary sacrifice.” As the scientist turns away, Layla’s slitted eyes catch a glimpse of his name tag,

“Dr. James Wu,” she mutters, searing his name in her memory. She will make him pay for his arrogance and audacity if she ever gets out of this mess.

For the next week, they keep on repeating the shot and every day taking three Eevee, never to be returned. The distress gets heavier and heavier everyday as no one knows what happens to them. By day seven, the only Eevee left from her pack is Layla and Azir. After the final scheduled injection is administered for Layla, they grab her cage and carry it out of the room as Layla screams for Azir to do something. Although she knows there is nothing he can do – she is on her own. As she is transported down the corridor, she is trying to find anything that could help her to plan an escape, but to no avail, there is no hope. In the end of the corridor opens up to a room with–

“Hey guys, sorry we’re late, we had to grab some stuff from the other hideout for you. What’s with the glow boy here? The light made me think the bug zapper had malfunctioned.” A fluffy-looking Pawmo pokes his head through the doorway, cutting off Layla’s story. She had been speaking with her eyes closed, looking down the entire time, so she hadn’t noticed you’ve begun to glow bright blue, your red eyes burning like fire, fueled by anger at everything Layla is describing. ”Did I interrupt something? Ah, nevermind. Name is Pawsy, I run things here. Come, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang.” He skids along to run towards where you guys left the kits. You look at Layla.

“I’m sorry Layla, for everything, but I have to hear the rest when we have a chance,” you whisper as you nip her ear gently and rub against her. “I’m here for you.”

Layla doesn’t say anything, just leans into you gently. She looks very vulnerable, but then she sighs deeply, gets up and starts walking towards the area Pawsy was heading to. You follow her, uncertain what to do next. The anger still boils inside you, and you’ve decided that the first chance you get, you’ll cause some real damage to Team Rocket. For now, though, it’s time to meet up with the TWR.

You and Layla walk into the room, her eyes still heavy with sorrow. As you realize Pawsy is about to question her, you jump in between them with a growl.

“Don’t! Just don’t.” Your body flares with light, glowing even brighter as your eyes burn crimson. Pawsy flinches, startled by your sudden aggression.

“Wow, someone’s a bit edgy,” he says, raising his paws defensively. “Me and Layla go way back! Whatever she was telling you, she can tell me too, right, Layla?” He looks around you towards Layla.

“Not now, Pawsy,” Layla murmurs quietly.

“Woah, cold shoulder, how come you tell something to this glowing thing, but not your old buddy Pawsy, this guy even stinks like a human. I know how much you–” “Pawsy, shut up already!” Layla growls faintly, interrupting the little fluffy Pawmo. “And he is a human, well, he was a human.” Layla says with squinty watery eyes as she looks at Pawsy. Pawsy jumps away from you, confused, charging electricity on his paws.

“What!, why would you bring a human here and how is he an Umbreon?! What is this?” Pawsy is getting ready to strike you, but Layla jumps in front of him growling viciously at him.

“Stop! Or I rip those stubby limbs off you before you have a chance to blink!” Layla’s fur crackles with electricity as she stands between you and Pawsy. “He’s Umbreon because he wanted to be with me. There’s no going back for him either. He chose that form for me, and if you can’t accept that, then we’re done here!” Her claws dig deep into the floorboards, ears pinned flat against her back. She looks ready to stand her ground, unwilling to yield even an inch.

“Oh…” Pawsy says as he stops charging his attack. Then he looks over at Pearl and the kits. Then at you, and finally at Layla. “Uh huh, I see. Never thought you’d start a family, especially with a human, or whatever you are,” Pawsy says with a snarly voice. “But, I do owe you, Layla. I hope you know what you’re doing,” Pawsy mutters under his breath.

“You more than just owe me. If I felt like I had a choice I would have not brought us here…” Layla pauses for a second. “But I appreciate your hospitality,” she snarls between her teeth.

“Don’t mention it, I am just as surprised to see you here after what happened.” He waves off in Layla’s direction, before looking at you with hands crossed. “Anyways what you just told earlier also explains why the device we found in the bag looked so manmade. The tinkers already made it better. Not sure if I’d have asked them if I knew it was for a human, but whatever. I’ll give you a chance. Don’t disappoint me, I am not big on second chances.” He then looks at Layla. “With the exception of you Layla, for you I give as many chances as you ask.“ Pawsy walks up to you, extending a paw. “Truce?” he asks in a deep voice. You tap paw at his fist and you feel a small shock, not enough to hurt, but enough to puff your fur a bit.

“Ouch! What is wrong with you!“ you cry as you swiftly pull your paw away.

“Sorry, kid, couldn’t resist,“ Pawsy laughs. “Anyway, come meet the gang,” He gestures toward a few Pokémon standing at a distance, watching the scene unfold. “Layla, you remember Gart and Gadget, right?” Pawsy asks, pointing at a Scizor wearing welding goggles and a Tinkaton resting her massive mallet on her shoulder.

“Of course. I'm quite fond of their work. One of the few things I miss about this place.” Layla growls, not quite angry, but somewhat frustrated.

“Still can’t let go of the past, can you?“ Pawsy sighs. “Well, whatever, if you have any equipment you would like, just ask. These guys can come up with the most unimaginable devices.” He throws your paw accessories to you. “They improved them, should have at least twenty-five percent increased mobility and they added some quick-keys on them to help with functionality.”

“Thanks,” you growl faintly, still a bit annoyed by the shock he gave you earlier.

“Come on, don’t be a poor sport, buddy. Why don’t you give them a go on the setup Cation and Anion built for you earlier. We had no idea what you like so they took the liberty to tune it for speed and efficiency.” Pawsy points at a computer on top of a raised platform, surrounded with multiple monitors at a perfect height for you. Beside it stand Plusle the Cation and Minun the Anion. Your ears perk up and tremble with anticipation; even from a distance, the rig looks impressively built. You slip on your new paw accessories. The new design lets you walk comfortably with them, something the old ones never allowed. As you approach the computer, the accessories automatically synchronize with the computer, making the cables a relic of the past. You begin checking the familiar security systems and frameworks. You access your cloud server downloading most of your libraries and databases, and connect your proxy servers you built back when you worked with Interpol. As you set everything up, Cation and Anion peer over your shoulder, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“Wow, who is this kid? I’ve never seen Cation and Anion impressed with anyone that fast before. He must know his stuff,” Pawsy grunts.

You lift up your head. “I love the setup. I hope you don’t mind me taking total control of this computer. If you’re okay with it, I would like to make Team Rocket pay for what they did to me!” Your glow had faded before, but as you speak, you flare like a beacon as you snarl in anger.

“Making Team Rocket pay? Why didn’t you start with that! Go ahead, do whatever you want. No need to ask for my permission.” Pawsy then turns to Layla. “Does this guy always ask permission?” he asks as he shakes his head.

“Pretty much. I honestly think it’s pretty adorable, though sometimes it can be annoying,” Layla chuckles a bit as she says it.

You don’t even notice that they are speaking. You stopped listening as soon as Pawsy gave you permission to do whatever you want. You enter Tor Network, and contact your old acquaintances in several underground hacking organizations. Only two respond within five minutes, but it’s enough to get the ball rolling. You ask if they can try to locate some Team Rocket accounts, drain them ,and direct the funds to Pokémon Sanctuary programs. They seem a bit confused at first, but since they owe you a few favors, they agree to start searching.

“Alright. By tomorrow, Team Rocket should have a few of their accounts wiped clean and some Pokémon sanctuaries will receive sizable donations.” You set the paw accessories down, and walk back to Layla. “It was nice meeting you all, but I think Layla and I should finish the conversation privately, if you don’t mind.” As you speak, your illuminated body finally dims back to normal.

“Wow, what a revenge, take their money. This guy is a true gentleman isn’t he? Never thought you would fall for a guy like this.” Pawsy rolls his eyes. “But I guess Team Rocket loves their money, so maybe that’s where it hurts the most,” he adds sharply. ”Anyway, go ahead, who am I to stop you love birds from talking? Just go to my office over there and close the door.” He points at the little office in the back of the hideout. You flick your tail towards the room to signal Layla to follow you. You immediately notice her heart starts to flutter from anxiety. As you get in the room, you slam the door shut.

“Layla, if you don’t want me to hear the rest of it, it is okay, I understand.” You meet her gaze as you speak, and instantly her eyes begin to glisten.

“No, I want you to know.” Her body trembles. “Just… Please, come closer to me. I’ll finish the story.” She curls her tail around herself, head lowered. You walk up to her and wrap your tail around her, pressing your forehead against hers ever so lightly. She sighs deeply as she continues where she left off…

The corridor leads into a lab, the air thick with disinfectant and the faint hum of machinery ominous. Dr. Wu stands beside some type of curved restraint system, his expression unreadable. Layla barely has time to wonder what it is before the clamp around her neck tightens, so hard she can barely breath. She struggles, claws scraping against the metal, even until her nails splinter, but there’s no escape. The cage door opens. Hands grab her, rough and deliberate, dragging her towards the curved table. Straps tighten around her body and legs, forcing her spine against the arc of the frame. The clamp on the neck presses harder, locking her in place. A scientist straps her muzzle shut, another lowers a set of large prongs that snap over her throat and eyes, not fully blocking her vision, but holding her so she can’t move an inch. She forcefully lashes one of her ears at the scientist, slicing his cheek open, drawing a thin line of blood. He jerks back, touching his face to check the wound, then comes and ties her ears down against the base of the clamp. Layla’s tail trashes wildly as she fights to free herself, the metal table rattling beneath her. Dr. Wu steps forward, grabs her tail and secures it to another brace, locking her completely in place. Terror engulfs Layla as she finally realizes what this is about. Dr. Wu reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a Thunderstone, its surface pulsing faintly. He sets it onto a rod, the glow reflection in his glasses. Layla’s pupils widen and breath deepens as panic takes hold. Jolteon, the one form she would never choose. A whimper escapes her as she struggles against the restraints, every muscle straining. Dr. Wu activates the machinery, starting to push the rod slowly towards her forehead. Pain detonates as the Thunderstone touches her. Her whole body jolts as the stone is trying to force her to change. She fights with everything she has, biting down on her tongue until sharp pain and the taste of blood fill her mouth. Her back arches as she is trying to pull away from the Thunderstone, but it’s useless. The metal behind her neck digs deep into her skin, tearing it open and leaving deep raw wounds between her shoulder blades. Electricity crackles through her fur, racing up and down her body in violent bursts that spark flashes around her. Every second feels like eternity in her agony. She would rather die, than submit – and she knows that is likely the only way this will end. Still, she refuses to give in. Her growls deepen, trembling through her entire body. From the corner of her eye, she catches Dr. Wu’s smile, watching her struggle with cold, calm fascination, almost as if he’s proud. Rage floods her veins; her eyes narrow, as she stares at the man reveling in her fight for existence.

Suddenly as if by some miracle, one of the sparks hits the equipment causing it to short circuit. The clamps release simultaneously, releasing Layla with a loud thud onto the ground. As dazed as she is, she knows this will be the only chance she got. She Quick Attacks to the closest scientist throat, ripping open her jugular with her teeth, causing blood to spray on the frightened faces of the other scientists. She uses the dying scientist's body as a springboard to dash towards the next one, slashing open her throat while passing by and biting down on the third scientist's wrist hard enough to crush bones. By that point, Dr. Wu is already trying to run towards the door, but Layla uses Swift to dash over to him and rips both his Achilles tendons in one quick motion. As he is laying there screaming in agonizing pain, Layla starts mauling him with her claws out in rage, she doesn’t stop until there is not much left of him and long past the last sound that escaped him. She then runs towards where the others are, holding Dr. Wu’s keycard in her mouth. As she reaches the door, she launches immediately at the throat of the standing guard, overpowering him in one bite. She managed to get the door open. As she enters the room, Azir cannot believe his eyes. Layla standing there, completely covered in blood with shocking sparks flowing from her fur. She starts by opening the cage for Azir and then as many cages and shackles as she can before the alarm sounds. She tells Azir to open up the crate with some kits inside and ask each Eevee to grab a kit as she darts to break down the rusty ventilation pipe. They all crawl through the pipe to their freedom…

Layla opens up her tear-soaked eyes as the memories she’s kept bottled up for so long finally break free. She leans into you, seeking comfort and to ground herself to reality. She expects you to respond in your usual manner, anything, but aside from your deep, heavy breathing and pounding heart, there are no words. She lifts her gaze, wondering why you haven’t said anything and what she sees makes her stumble back in fright. Your entire body is illuminated, your eyes burn so red that the pupils are lost in the glow. Anger, rage, disgust - all of it radiates from you. In that moment, only one thought fills your mind. Vengeance.

Rage consumes your mind as your slitted, glowing red eyes lock onto Layla, burning with the fire of vengeance. Your breathing is heavy, each exhale steady despite the storm within. You catch the flicker of fear in Layla's eyes. She’s terrified of how you look.

“Layla, I have no words for what you endured. I only know what I must do now.” You turn around and start heading out of the room “I’m sorry, I will be occupied for a while now. Please give me time to work on this,” you growl with a deep angered voice.

“What do you have in mind? I never saw you this angry,” she asks with a concerned voice.

“I can’t tell, but once I am done, I will need you more than I have ever before. Now...” you let out a deep sigh, “let me do this.” You walk toward the computer, anger burning in your eyes as Layla watches, unsure what to think. A plan forms in your mind; one you know can't be undone once set in motion. The thought terrifies you. You’re about to cross a line you never imagined you would. There’s no telling what toll it will take on you, but you don’t care. Team Rocket roughing you up is one thing – your family, what they did to Layla, that you will not allow. As you near the computer, Pawsy walks over to Layla.

“What did you say to the glowboy over there? He looks like he is about to explode.” Pawsy tries to probe.

“None of your business, Pawsy,” Layla growls, but her voice lacks the usual heat, and she looks very concerned. “I just hope he isn’t doing something reckless”.

“Probably just draining more bank accounts. I don’t think you need to worry about it.” Pawsy waves Layla’s concerns away.

However, money is about the last thing on your mind. The path to vengeance is already mapped out in your head, yet the conflict of carrying it out is tearing you apart. You begin by narrowing down what region where the evolution camp held Layla nine years ago. Using a backdoor into Team Rocket’s network, you access their records and pinpoint the exact location. The Abomasnow live in the mountains northeast of the city and there was a site used by Team Rocket when Layla was held captive. Your search reveals twelve executive names. The ones who profited most from her suffering. By checking employee records, you manage to find where their mansions are located. That’s all the information you need for now. You erase all records of you digging around, making it look like a routine check by administration. You sigh as this part has never been a problem for you. You login to the Tor network again. This time disregarding your original request to drain accounts, and submit a few new ones. One for establishing satellite images of each executive’s estate; another for access to all devices linked to Team Rocket’s network. You hope that someone will begin working on those tasks as you start to tackle the toughest part of your plan. Your paws tremble slightly as you turn to the next part of your plan. When you were part of the Interpol sting operation, you left access into their network. You also infected a virus in the file they held on you, one that would slowly infect the network if it was opened. As you check which systems it has reached, you realize it has access to all major intelligence agencies and even several military networks. For now, it doesn’t have access to the areas you need access to, but you set up fake requests and infect operational data that is likely to be shared between networks during missions. For now, you cannot do more. You begin writing code for when you gain access to the areas you’re after. You try not to think about the inevitable. As you write execution code for when you finally gain access to the systems you need, you keep catching yourself trying to create yourself a way to undo it. So instead. you specifically design a program that locks you and everyone else out the moment your code runs. No second chances. As you choose the prime numbers for the system’s RSA encryption, you grab two random values without saving them – ensuring that even you couldn’t undo the encryption if you wanted to.

For four days, you barely sleep, eat or drink. Layla asks you to take a break a few times, but after the third time, she gets the hint that you will not be doing anything else until you finish. You wish you could talk to her about it, yet the fear of what she might say keeps you silent. There have been moments when you almost scrapped the entire plan, but then you remembered what Layla had endured. The thought ignited something fierce inside you, a reminder some causes demand any sacrifice. That evening, your persistence finally pays off. You gain access to systems that will let you execute your plan. The satellites are in position. It’s Saturday evening, and you check the security logs to confirm all twelve executives are home. You inject your code, seizing control of the weapon systems near each mansion, every one within range of a cruise missile. You lock out the overrides, send the coordinates, and issue the launch command before you can reason yourself out of it. As soon as you send the commands, you broadcast the satellite feeds onto the largest screen in the room. You shove yourself away from the computer, ripping off the paw accessories as quickly as you can, so you cannot stop it. Your whole being screams at you to try. As the missiles take off, you curl yourself against the seat, tail wrapped tightly around your body. You grab your ears and pin them down against the side of your face as you close your eyes tightly. Your heart pounds, your mind racing with what this means to you as an individual. You feel sick to your stomach, sickened by the possibility of becoming something even Layla won't be able to face. There is nothing you can do to stop this, you wouldn’t, even if you could. Yet the truth burns in your chest: you’re about to do the one thing you swore you never would. Take a life. You’ve always been a pacifist, someone who wants to help people, help Pokémon, and make the world better. But your plan never included killing… let alone hundreds, no matter how evil they are. What makes you any different from them? Your eyes shoot open, and horror crawls up your spins as you shove yourself back toward the computer. You forgot to check the security logs for the buildings, you only confirmed the executives were home. Your heart sinks. At the very moment the first missile hits, you realize one executive’s son is hosting a birthday party with over eighty college kids at the pool. Another site is holding a Pokémon auction, forty Pokémon being auctioned, meaning most, if not all, doomed to vanish in the blast. You feel like a monster. There are so many Pokémon. So many people other than the executives met their end by your design. You roll off the chair, curling yourself on the floor in agony, not from physical pain but from the weight of what you’ve done. What is done is done, there is no going back. The deep remorse of becoming what you despise tears through you. How will you live with yourself? What will everyone think? The questions spiral, relentless, echoing in your mind until they drown out everything else.

Layla and the members of TWR have been watching you since the moment you turned on the screen. Pawsy crosses his arms and a faint smile tugs at his lips.

“Look at that! The kid’s got skill. Go glowboy! Woh woh woh!” Pawsy cheers, as mansion after mansion blow up on the satellite feeds. Layla, however, remains silent. She’s not even looking at the screens as she knows you will not fail. She knows that once you put your mind to something, stopping you is nearly impossible. But she is also seeing how you’re breaking under the weight of reality. After the seventh blast, Layla finally gets up and walks to your curled body, nudging you ever so gently – a silent gesture of comfort amid the chaos.

“Kuro–” “Get away from me! I'm a monster!” you cut her off. Layla only presses her head against yours.

“Never, my stupid Umbreon. You are many things, but monster is not one of them. Who did those mansion belong to anyways?” Her voice is gentle, her presence supportive. It’s immediately apparent she won’t leave you. You sniffle before answering, the words trembling on your tongue.

“Those were… the houses of the executives who were in charge…” you whisper as quiet as you can as you don’t want to let others in the room know. “...of the evolution camp you told me about.” You don’t dare to look at her as you feel horrible even if you also feel they deserved it. Layla gasps quickly in surprise before letting out a sigh of relief.

“As I said, you’re not a monster.” She gently nudges under your chin . “ And thanks to you, the world is a little better place today.” She leans into you, crossing her paw over yours and giving you a surprising lick on your cheek.

“You don’t know it. I killed close to a hundred college kids, kids whose lives were just about to start. And forty Pokémon.” You look at her with tear filled eyes.

“And you feel regret? You mourn those casualties of war. Those you didn’t intend to kill, but the ones that died. Was it because of you? Yes. But a monster wouldn’t feel anything for doing it. So, you’re not a monster.” She strokes her ear down your nose gently. “I watched you the whole time, the conflict in your eyes as you prepared for what you did. I saw you push forward even when it was clear that you didn’t want to.” Layla’s voice is soft, full of care.

“But…” you sob.

“But nothing. Look, war never changes. Those fighting it… they do. But you, my lovely Glowbutt, you are about as far from becoming a monster as anyone after their first kill. You genuinely care. I have never witnessed anyone taking their first kill as harsh as you. The very first indicator for me was the way you pushed yourself away as soon as you initiated the strike. Because I know you would do anything and everything in your power to stop those missiles. I saw the moment you pulled yourself back, consumed by horror as you checked the security logs. I know it’s killing you to know you took innocent lives. And I understand you did it for me. Now I know why you told me you’ll likely need me the most you ever have. I’m here Kuro, I will not leave you, whatever comes next we will face it…” She presses her head against yours. “Together, always together.” You lay there together for a while in silence before Pawsy walks closer to you two.

“I couldn’t help but overhear something about college kids dying. If you’re talking about Bernardi’s kid’s college party, you just blow to kingdom come. Cation and Anion can show you half those kids were known to torture Pokémon and laugh at their misery. Sure, there were some who likely didn’t deserve to die, but every war has their casualties,” Pawsy casually explains the situation. Layla growls loudly at Pawsy.

“Always eavesdropping. Leave us be, can’t you see him mortified by his actions?” Layla curls her tail around you protectively. To her surprise though, you get up slowly.

“No, that is good to know that not all of them were saints, it doesn't make me feel better about killing anyone, but now I must do the last part of my planned vengeance. Instill fear in my enemies,” you say as your body starts to glow bright again. “I have a direct link to all devices connected to Team Rocket network and I am planning on declaring war on them.” You growl deeply.

“No objection kidd–” “Shut the hell up, Pawsy!” Layla growls fiercely as she disrupts Pawsy. “Kuro, are you absolutely certain this is what you want? Y ou do understand there is no going back after?” Layla asks you with utmost concern.

“I have to…” you sigh loudly. “There is no other time. Now please try to be quiet.” You walk in front of the computer lining up with the mic. You tap a recording button with your paw as you start the speech you made.

“Team Rocket – by now you have proof that you’re not untouchable. Every strike you suffered tonight was my doing. Just days ago, several of your grunts tried to capture me simply because I’m a rare Pokémon. You nearly took me out, and in the process, almost shattered my mate’s newly kindled love. A love she fought years to feel again. I’ve learned that was your doing too. And knowing what kind of world exists under Team Rocket’s shadow, I refuse to let it stand – not for my kits, not for anyone. That is why I hereby declare war on Team Rocket. Until the whole organization is abolished. I regret all the innocent deaths I caused, and I mourn them deeply. But don’t mistake that for weakness. Because if you’re part of the organization that prays on those unable to protect themselves. Well I promise to you. I am coming for you.” You turn off the recording and apply an autotune filter, distorting your voice to something cold and ominous. Then you upload it and broadcast it to all in Team Rocket to hear. Afterward, you don’t do anything. Don’t say another word. You simply collapse onto the floor out of exhaustion. Layla immediately comes to you, laying next to you as she can tell how exhausted you are. And because she’s still Layla, she flicks her ear at your nose.

“You’re still an idiot. But also my hero,” she says as she snuggles up against you with a dreamy sigh. You barely acknowledge her presence as you’re drifting into sleep after maybe the most exhausting experience in your life.

War… war never changes. But the reasons – the reasons sometimes do. And sometimes, they are justified.