---
Nine Years Ago, Forest Grotto
Leah had made it out of the cave just before it had collapsed. She also managed to accomplish A.J's final wish, to get the crystal out of the cave and split it between them. But Lenny and possibly A.J were dead, so maybe she could split it between her and Denise?
Denise!
Leah quickly turned back to the opening in the ground that led to the inside of the cave, and she wasn't coming out. Leah touched the rocks that had crumbled in front of the opening that Denise's mother had created, and it felt stable.
She knew what she had to do. Denise was her friend, the only one she had left in this world.
"I'll get her out of there..." Leah dived into the hole leading into the cave, but before she could surface on the other side, her head hit a large boulder. She groaned a bit as she came out of the hole, rubbing her head.
It was blocked, but she had another tedious plan. She turned to the other opening that Denise's mother had made, which was still blocked by rocks and boulders.
She ran over and pulled a rock out before throwing it to the side. The rock was a bit sharp, so she was careful to not hurt herself. She began throwing rocks to the side.
But after she touched a rock that seemed to be holding up a bunch of other rocks, some of the larger rocks collapsed. One rock in particular landed on her paws, which made her scream.
She struggled to get her paws out, but once she did, her paws had various scrapes on them.
"Ow, ow..." The Aipom whimpered as she heard various footsteps behind her.
She turned around to see a few grown Pokémon walking up. They all seemed to be Pokémon that were more oriented towards strength but one thing was clear, these were Grotto rangers.
"W-What are you guys doin here?" Leah asked shakily, having a few ideas of where they were going with this.
"We have to take the cave down." A Rhyperior answered. "Our sources tell us that there are more than one aggressive Pokémon under there, so we have to make sure that nothing could get in or out."
"I can't let you do that." Leah backed up.
"This might put all of the Pokémon in the Grotto in danger." One of the rangers tried to reason with her. "We have to do this."
"No! You can't!" She shouted loudly.
The Rhyperior stepped forward. "I'm sorry kid." He got into a position to begin running. Leah held her injured paws out, gritting her teeth.
"I'll protect Denise, her mom, and A.J's crystal." Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "His crystal!"
She looked behind her to see a Lopunny approaching A.J's crystal, and she screamed at her, telling her to stay still. But what now? She was at a standstill, looking between the Grotto Rangers and the Lopunny that seemed to be after the crystal.
"Why do you want that?" The Aipom asked loudly at the Lopunny.
"I'm sorry, hon..." She spoke with a gentle southern accent. "But the GR has considered this do-hickey evidence..."
Leah let out an agitated shout before running over and grabbing the crystal. "This is ours!" She shouted, spinning around and using Swift on the Lopunny. "And you can't take that away from us!"
Leah took one last glance to the cave before shaking her head and running off with the crystal.
Soon enough, Leah ended up in a mad chase, her tail holding the large crystal tightly as she jumped from branch to branch. She knew that they would eventually catch up to her, and she couldn't keep running either way.
She soon heard a loud booming noise echo through the forest and into her ears. The sound of distant rocks hitting the ground was enough for her to sprout a few tears.
"Where'd she go?" The southern Lopunny looked around confusedly, awaiting any nearby noises.
Meanwhile, Leah was covering her mouth as she hid behind a nearby tree. She looked at the ground below her. She went to crawl over, but immediately winced the second her paws touched the ground.
She let out a quick squeak before going to hide in a bush.
Soon after she hid, the Lopunny had managed to dash over and look around the area. Leah gulped silently before beginning to dig into the ground with her slightly bloodied paws. She clenched her teeth as dirt and grime began to get into the wounds.
Once she made a hole big enough, she buried the crystal before running off again. But before she could take more than five steps forward, her body instantly collapsed.
The combination of being exhausted from running nearly the whole day and her blood loss since she was at the cave, had done her in. She was finished. At least when she got back, she could get her crystal back.
She opened her eyes slightly to look where she was, trying hard to take a mental picture. She looked around at a few key places, notably the marks she had made when she tried to run away.
She tried to keep her eyes open for as long as possible before eventually succumbing to an unconscious state.
---
Her mind seemed to clear a bit as footsteps began to echo through her ears. The footsteps became more rapid and frantic as they got closer, soon knocking over a metallic object.
Her eyes shot open at the sound of the noise.
"Logan!" A voice scolded, "I told you not to run into other people's hospital rooms!"
Leah turned her head slightly, looking at a young Scorbunny who was tangled in scattered equipment. He was laughing happily, trying to get out of the equipment.
Logan was soon picked up by bigger Pokémon, a Cinderace who hoisted the young Scorbunny over his shoulder.
"Sorry 'bout my son." The Cinderace gave her a smile, "He can be a bit of a handful at times."
"Put me down!" The Scorbunny whined, flailing his arms.
"Logan! Apologize to that girl." The Cinderace demanded, making her son's ears droop a bit.
"Sorry..." He pouted, looking away slightly.
"Um...?" She sat up. "It's no big problem... Where am I?"
Leah looked around to notice that she was nearly surrounded by medical equipment. When she went to support her body's movements with her paws, she winced in pain, her teeth gritting together unknowingly.
Her paws shook once they entered her field of vision. Though she was unable to see her paws through the seemingly endless wraps of bandages laid on them, her paws had bled enough to be a bit moist on the inside.
She gagged a bit at the initial squish of the bloodied bandages rubbing up against her paws. It felt gross to her, as if she were touching someone's insides.
"Yeah... That's why you're here." The Cinderace chuckled nervously, her free paw rubbing the back of her head. "We found you in the middle of the forest, and took you here."
Suddenly, a figure opened the door, looking inside. "Emily!" The voice that had opened the door shouted.
"Huh? Lucy?" The Cinderace looked to the door confusedly to watch a Chansey walk in.
"Emily, please don't tell me you don't know what's going on..." The Chansey, who Leah had assumed was Lucy, groaned. "Your husband and some of the other Grotto Rangers were ordered to investigate the area around the cave."
"Oh there was?" The Cinderace put her son down. "I must've forgotten..."
"I have to go and get more bandages." Lucy smiled at her as she began to walk out of the room. "Emily, you'd better hurry."
"Gotcha, thanks." She nodded with a smile. "I'll be there in a flash, don't worry"
"Can I come, Mom?" The Scorbunny asked, his eyes sparkling.
"You're about twenty years too young for that." She giggled at her son's enthusiasm. "Not today."
"No fair..." He pouts childishly.
"Don't be like that." She bent down, giving him a hug. "Now I have to go. What do you do to aggressive strangers?"
"Blow 'em up!" He grinned toothily.
"Good boy." She kissed his forehead. "Don't go anywhere 'till I get back." She stood back up before hurriedly running out of the room.
Logan waved her goodbye before turning to Leah with a smile. "Wanna go somewhere?"
"Huh?"
---
After Leah had got her paws re-bandaged, Logan led her outside. The Aipom was slightly weighed down by the large amount of bandages wrapped around her paws. She was a bit disoriented by the late afternoon sun shining in her face and warming her up.
"How long was I asleep for?" Leah asked, looking at the Scorbunny.
"About... Two hours maybe?" He answered with an unsure note in his voice. "I dunno, Mom insisted we wait for you to wake up but I got bored and went to sleep."
"Okay..." Leah nodded, a bit confused. "Well, I have to go to the forest."
"The forest?"
"You know, the forest your mom's going to." She explained, "There's something I need to find."
"Okay, then I'll help you, let's go!" The Scorbunny grabbed her bandaged paw, dragging her off to look around in the forest. "We have to be careful, though. Mom might find us."
She nodded, remaining silent.
"What do you wanna find?"
"It's a secret..."
She didn't want to tell him about the crystal. She didn't even know his name, how could she trust him? He also seemed a bit... Too down to sneak out of the Pokémon Center and look around the forest.
Leah kept trying to think back to the area she was in when she had passed out. It wasn't that far from the Center. At least, she hoped it wasn't.
Her companion decided to lighten the mood by lightly tapping her shoulder. "Hey, I'll race you!"
"What...?" She asked as he began running off.
Eager to not get separated with him, she followed behind briskly, with no intention of winning.
The quiet noises of the forest echoed around the two young Pokémon. Neither seemed fazed, however, since they had both spent their younger days in and around the forest surrounding Forest Grotto.
It was then when it started to rain.
Leah wanted to itch her paws, but she couldn't even take her bandages off in fear of her wounds opening again. If she wanted to get through the forest, the Scorbunny happily leading the way ahead of her was her only chance.
Her fur was getting soaked, and she could feel the cold rainwater seep into her bandages because of their absorbent attributes. She shivered and winced as the water slowly seeped into her still opened wounds.
"Are you okay?" The Scorbunny looked back at her, noticing how her pace had slowed.
"Maybe we should head back to the Pokémon Center..."
"It's too late to give up now! We've just got started." He protested, "Besides, we're lost anyway."
"Lost?"
Before they could get any further, a Lopunny had appeared from the shadows, lunging at Leah. The Aipom let out a gasp before turning to run.
But before she could take any steps in the opposite direction, she slipped on some mud that was made by the rain. She looked back to see the Lopunny approaching her quickly, and closed her eyes in preparation for impact.
Suddenly, the Scorbunny jumped and tackled her out of the way, making them roll down a nearby slope.
By the time they were all the way down, their fur was covered with mud and different types of leaves from the different bushes they hit on the way down. Both let out a soft groan as they sat up and looked around.
"Why did you...?"
"Every Grotto Ranger would do the same." He gave her a grin as he stood up. "I wasn't gonna let that Lopunny attack you."
"Thanks..." She smiled faintly as she was helped up.
"Now let's go. We have to make some distance." He pointed in a random direction.
"Wait... I remember this place." Leah's eyes widened.
"You do?" The Scorbunny tilted his head confusedly as Leah ran over to lay down on the ground.
"This place looks different because of the rain, but..." Leah stood back up and ran over to a bush. "It has to be here."
"Has to be where?" The Scorbunny asked, following her quickly as he took a look around.
Leah's bandaged paws scanned a particular piece of dirt that was covered by rain and mud. She beckoned the Scorbunny over and told him to start digging. He did what he was told, and his paws eventually hit a hard substance.
"Ow!" He winced, drawing back his paws.
Leah reached her bandaged paws into the mud and dirt, pulling out a slightly dirtied crystal. "We did it!"
"That's what you were looking for?" He asked confusedly. "I thought you had lost a ball or something but this is way cooler!"
Suddenly, the Aipom heard footsteps behind her, and she jumped out of the way into another bush. She slid on the mud as she hit the ground, clutching the crystal close to her body.
A Lopunny was standing there, her fur slightly damp from the rain above. Her expression seemed different, however. Her smile seemed forced, as if there were strings attached to the corners of her mouth.
"Now, sweetie..." She took a step closer. "Why don't you hand over that crystal there? Then we can all go home..."
The Scorbunny went to hide in another bush, the rustling emanating from it going silent after a few seconds.
Leah held on tight to the crystal, thunder crackling loudly in the dark and cloudy sky as she looked the Lopunny in her eyes. The bunny-like Pokémon was prepping her legs for what seemed like a lunge.
Once she did, she heard a noise from above. It was the Scorbunny she had gone through all this trouble with.
"Leave my friend alone!" He shouted, slamming his paw into the Lopunny's cheek. Once his paw made contact, a small explosion erupted from it.
The Lopunny slid back, holding her cheek, and the Scorbunny flew back from the recoil. While he hit the ground, the Lopunny was charging towards him. "This doesn't involve you!"
She grabbed him by his large ears, making him wince as she brought him up to her height.
The bunny-like Pokémon was ready to throw him into the distance and be done with him, but before she could, she dropped him and screamed in pain.
Leah had bit her leg.
The Lopunny looked down at her before swinging her off of her leg and onto the ground next to her Scorbunny companion. She prepared to stomp on the two children, and Leah sprung into action by blocking the kick with her bandaged paws.
She gritted her teeth, letting out a faint whimper. "H-Hey..."
"Huh?" The Scorbunny tilted his head.
"...What's your name?"
"Logan." He smiled, rubbing the back of his head with a paw
"I'm Leah." She looked back to him with a faint smile. "Let's be friends."
"What do you mean?" Logan stood up before jumping and slamming his paw up against the Lopunny's face "We're already... Friends!"
In the distance, a visible explosion could be seen beside the thunderous roar of the sky.
---
As the full moon looked over all of Forest Grotto, two young Pokémon walked their way back to the Pokémon Center. The Aipom's bandaged paws were slowly unravelling as she carried a large crystal.
She didn't mind the stinging pain in her paws, and only occasionally glanced at her cheerful new friend, Logan.
Logan looked around at the surroundings, smiling softly. He was glad that he could help someone from what seemed to be a boring day. His feet brushed against the grass that littered the Grotto's landscape as he rested his paws behind his head.
He wondered if his parents were still on their mission.
"Hey, Leah?" Logan asked, looking over to the female Aipom.
"What's up?" She looked back at him.
"Where are your parents?" He asked, "Me and my Mom found you in the middle of the forest, so they must be worried sick..."
Leah became eerily silent, looking away as they continued to walk. The silent crunching of the grass below their feet echoed silently through their ears, the occasional slide of the wet grass provided a bit of variety to the symphony of the awkward interaction.
"If you don't want to answer that, it's fine." Logan added quickly.
"No, it's fine." Leah chuckled at his hesitance. "My parents died. My Mom died giving birth to my egg, and my Dad..."
"Your Dad?"
"My Dad... Well after my Mom died, he..." She looked down, unable to wipe the tears welling up in her eyes. "He couldn't take it anymore and he ended his own life."
"So who took care of you?"
"I lived alone in my house, and a few of the Grotto Rangers came to help with things, since I refused to leave." She answered, choking on both her words and the lump in her throat.
Logan put a paw on her back. "The Grotto Rangers are some amazing guys, huh?" He asked, "They make sure the people of the Grotto and the Grotto itself are safe."
"I guess you could say that..."
"When I grow up, I wanna be one too!" He grinned, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Leah gave a weak smile. "I'll join you to achieve that."
"Huh?"
"You heard me." She and Logan both stopped nearly at the same time. "I'll join you on your ambitious quest to become a Grotto Ranger."
"Really?" He asked loudly, his voice echoing a few times.
"Yeah, I don't have much to do with my life either way." She gave him a nod, "And maybe this could help you out."
She gestured to the crystal that she was carrying.
"Wait, you're giving me a split?" His eyes widened.
"Yeah, maybe we could use the money to set up a treehouse as a headquarters." She nodded, "Because why not? It's up to you, really."
"Leah, you're the best new friend ever!" He exclaimed, his arms flailing happily.
"But, can I save a fourth of that money?" She asked quickly.
"For yourself, right?"
"No."
"What? What's it for then-"
He was cut off when he was suddenly slapped upside the head by a blur of white fur.
"Ow! What?"
"Logan! Didn't I tell you specifically not to go anywhere?" A Cinderace asked, scolding him. "And you roped this girl in with you? Are you kidding?"
Logan was rubbing his head, wincing in pain. "That really hurt..."
"That wouldn't have happened if you had followed directions." Emily huffed, a small pout developing on her face.
"Calm down." A paw softly touched Emily's shoulder, revealing to be another Cinderace. "We both knew that with no supervision, he was going to be gone either way."
"You're too soft on him, Kenny!" She exclaimed childishly.
"He helped me."
The three rabbit-like Pokémon looked to Leah, who had spoken up.
"Yes, he was the one who suggested leaving the Center, but I was planning to do it either way." She explained, "I couldn't defend myself from others, and he was there to help me find what I lost."
She looked at the crystal.
Emily let out a few soft breaths, crouching down to a teary Logan. "Please don't do that anymore... You know how dangerous things have been reported to be lately."
"I know..." Logan looked down.
"How about you promise me something?" She smiled.
The Scorbunny tilted his head, looking back up at her.
"As long as I'm around, you leave the adventure to the pros." She smiled, putting a paw on the back of her son's head, kissing his forehead.
"But what if you're not around?"
"Trust me." She stood up to hold her husband's paw. "That won't be happening for quite a while."
---
Forest Grotto, Sinnoh
Three years had passed since that day.
A familiar Aipom's bandaged paws rested on the frame of an open space looking outside. She was living in a treehouse with Logan, and though it was still under a bit of construction, it felt like a new home to her.
She ate some Oran berries, letting out a few hums of satisfaction. She wondered where Logan was, who had gone out to look for more berries to store.
Meanwhile, Logan was carrying a few handfuls of berries as he peeked out to see a Nidoran running by.
"I wonder why all of these random Nidoran run by sometimes..." He thought, "Does it have to do with that Nidoking incident...? Wait, that's racist isn't it?"
He let his berries rest in one arm as he used his other paw and legs to climb the tree he was hiding behind.
Logan had assumed some higher ground would work in evading the Nidoran. He felt like he shouldn't take any risks in relation to anything like that. He needed to stay alive and stick it to the GR by being better than them.
And to be better, he has to stay alive.
The Scorbunny let out a soft exhale as he pressed his free paw against the branch he was standing on, and it created a large blast that managed to propel him into the air and towards the direction of the treehouse.
It was strange.
Logan looked at his paw. Why was he still unable to create those blasts of fire without needing a direct form of pressure? Was he just unable to use it like his parents were?
He allowed the air to slice through his fur as he sped back towards the treehouse.
Leah finished off her berries, letting out a sigh of relief. "These really taste good today, I must've scored some good ones."
She walked to what was her room, and opened her closet. A large amount of money was sitting there. She gave the pile a soft smile before closing the door and walking out of the room.
Once she walked outside, she saw a familiar Scorbunny waving at her.
"Hey, Leah!" He waved cheerfully, "I just got an idea!!"
"Hm?" She tilted her head, looking at him. "Shoot."
"Well, we need more members of our little team." He told her, "It's been us two for so long, and it's kinda hard to manage living alone so why not find some new members?"
"And how exactly would we find new members of this weird team?"
"You know how, Leah." He grinned brightly. "We look for 'em!" He grabbed her paw, beginning to run in a random direction.
"It's not that easy!"
"We'll never know until we try!" He exclaimed happily, "Because why the hell not?"
She smiled faintly. She was so concentrated on everything happening to her, that she had forgotten how far she had actually gotten.
She looked down at her paws, seeing the newly applied bandages around them. She had decided against getting them healed all the way to never forget where she came from. She looked to Logan, who was running ahead of her as he held her paw.
He always seemed to lead the way.
She let go of his paw, running ahead of Logan with a bright smile on her face. "Race you!"
"You're on, Leah!"
"Yeah..." Leah smiled to herself as she began running. "Things are completely different now, but..."
"...I think I'll be just fine."