Chapter 4: Rain Before Renewal, Part 4

Ivan groaned as he stood up. His joints and vertebrae popped, still aching from the evening prior. Around him stood a tent with thick yellow cotton walls. He slowly and quietly placed his bag over his shoulder. The tent was illuminated by sunlight seeping through the entrance. Ivan sighed and stepped forward, before glancing at the floor behind him.

The rescued Buneary, who had introduced himself to Ivan as Bennett, was asleep and swaddled in countless layers of blankets. His little nose quivered as he breathed quietly. Ivan smiled at the boy’s peace after the torment he had endured.

‘Not too long now and you’ll be with your mom,’ he thought. ‘I bet she’ll be as happy to see you as you will her.’

As Ivan turned, however, Bennett whimpered. Ivan looked back to see the boy tossing and flailing. 

“N-no! Get away!! Mommy, help me!” The boy cried in his sleep. He sobbed as he kicked off some of his blankets.

Ivan’s eyes sparkled as he teared up. He crept over to the boy and knelt. 

‘He hasn’t forgotten last night. Maybe he never will,’ Ivan thought. He shook his head before gently stroking Bennett’s head with a claw. The Buneary cried, but his yelps grew softer as Ivan brushed his thick coat. Bennett finally fell silent before suckling on a blanket. 

Ivan sighed. ‘That’s better,’ he thought before turning to leave again. He gave the boy one last glance as he spread the flaps of the tent and walked into the light.

The morning air in the clearing was still, though a thin veil of mist and humidity lingered. Rainwater dripped from the trees, but now there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun rose over the hills between Florei Valley and the swamplands, the soaked land shimmering under its light. 

Ivan stepped into the field, the ground still damp beneath his toes. He looked around and found the three other tents that his team had set up, with an extinguished campfire between them. The ones to his left and right had been deconstructed, now piles of wood and cloth. Lynn and Maul stood by the rightmost one, talking about something Ivan couldn’t hear or care about. 

The fourth tent still stood, built across the clearing away from any interruptions. It was Umbrich’s creation, a crude maroon eyesore with stakes and ropes jutting out. The tent was twice the size of Ivan’s. The Grovlye drew in a breath, puffing out his chest before walking towards it. 

“You’re lying, fatass!” Lynn’s scratchy voice echoed from Ivan’s right.

“Nuh-uh! You’re the liar, liar!” Maul rebutted. 

Ivan stopped and exhaled, the courage he had built leaving his body.

‘Oh, come on. ‘Arguing already?’ The Grovyle thought, bringing his palm up over his face. 

He looked back to his tent and frowned. ‘Crap. They’re going to wake Bennett. I need to find Umbrich, but I’ll deal with this first.’ 

Ivan dragged himself over to the pair, finding them face-to-face beside a mess of blankets, food wrappers, and mission supplies. Whole bags of provisions had been dumped out and strewn all over the ground. 

“You couldn’t keep your claws off my food!” Lynn spat.

“It’s not YOUR food!” Maul whined. “We could have split it!”

Lynn cackled. “You? Share? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Ivan sighed before standing between the dragons. 

“What are you fighting about now?” He asked. 

Lynn shot Ivan a determined glare. “Ivy! You’re gonna settle this! Our last candy bar is gone and I have a hunch that blubber butt wolfed it down!” 

“It was still there after dinner! If I wanted it, I would’ve eaten it then!” Maul replied.

Ivan groaned as his blood pressure rose. “Guys…”

“So you ate it for breakfast before I woke up!” Lynn accused.

“It was gone then!” Maul retorted, tusks inching dangerously close to Lynn’s face. “You ate it so I couldn’t have any!” 

“Guys!” Ivan interjected.

Lynn scoffed. “Oh please. At the base, I hear your stomach growling all night. What was it, your fourth midnight snack, tiny?”

The Haxorus stomped, splattering mud. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “Stop making fun of my weight! We talked about this!” 

“GUYS!” Ivan hollered, causing them to stumble back. They stared at him, bewildered.

Ivan cleared his throat. “I took the chocolate bar. Bennett was scared, so I thought some candy might calm his nerves.”

Maul and Lynn looked at each other, their eyes communicating their disdain. They turned before scowling at Ivan.

“What the hell did you do that for!?” Lynn huffed.

“Yeah, that was ours!” Maul seconded, crossing his arms. 

“The boy’s been through a lot,” Ivan said, rolling his eyes emphatically. “Would it kill you to think of someone but yourselves for once?”

The pair exchanged looks again, the dusty gears of their minds turning. 

“That was our candy bar, you walking salad!” Lynn said, jabbing the air in front of Ivan with a claw.

Maul turned his head, unable to meet Ivan’s gaze. He clutched his gut. “Not cool! I’m hungry…”

‘Why did I expect anything else?’ Ivan asked himself.

“Whatever. If you want to take turns screaming at me later, fine by me. But for now, just keep it down,” Ivan said as turned to leave. He walked off before his teammates could argue further.

‘With that out of the way, time to speak with Umbrich. He’s probably not going to like what I have to ask.’

Ivan glanced towards Umbrich’s tent. The Grovyle gasped; to his shock, Umbrich was stomping over quickly, crushing the grass.

“Oh, s-sir! You’re up,” Ivan uttered, reeling back. 

Umbrich looked down at Ivan, the Hydreigon’s features twisted in frustration. His jagged teeth were clenched, and his breath blew over the Grovyle, warm and repugnant like a toxic gas.

“What the hell is all this squawking about?” He pressed, glaring at Ivan. 

Ivan shrugged. “Just Maul and Lynn being themselves.”

The Hydreigon rolled his eyes. “Whatever. It’s time to get out of here and collect our reward. Get packing.”

Ivan gulped. “Right, um- about that. I wanted to talk to you about something.” 

“It better be important,” Umbrich snapped, staring impatiently. 

“W-well, it’s about the mission reward from Bennett’s- er, the boy’s, mother,” he stammered, as he shuddered with fear. “Bennett and I talked about his mother last night before he fell asleep. Seems they aren’t particularly well off. Single mother and child, small house.”

Umbrich frowned. “What are you getting at?”

“We’d probably drain her life savings if we accepted that payment,” Ivan explained. 

Umbrich scoffed. “And?”

Ivan held in a groan. ‘There’s good in all people. I just have to appeal to what little is in him.’

The Grovyle tried to meet his boss’s eyes, but their contempt made him look away. “I-I know we went through all this trouble, but I don’t think we should charge the client so much,” he urged. “She probably just wanted to make sure someone rescued Bennett. His safety meant more to her than all of her savings. Can’t we be lenient on the pay this one time?” 

Ivan shut his eyes and steeled himself, waiting for Umbrich to roar. But instead, there was silence. He opened his eyes to see the Hydreigon looking down, mulling over his words. 

Ivan’s mouth fell open. ‘Did I actually get through to him? Maybe I misjudged-’

“Are you telling me how to do my job, boy?” Umbrich spat as he angrily bared his teeth. 

Ivan flinched as the words slammed into him. His heart pounded in panic.

“N-no, of course not!” Ivan yelped. “I’m just asking you to look at this from the client’s perspective.”

Umbrich furiously pointed one of his mouths at the Grovyle. “If that dumb Lopunny wants to give us a little thank-you for getting her brat back, let her. We’re not a charity. We do our job, we take our pay. That’s how this works.”

Ivan’s heart sank. “But sir-”

“Don’t you, ‘but sir’ me!” Umbrich snapped. Smoke spewed from his main snout. “Idealistic youth… take your moral compass and shove it. We’re reaping that reward, with a convenience fee on top!”

Ivan stiffened. Something within him stirred and bubbled to the surface, sending a powerful surge of anger through him. He clenched his fists before seething and baring his fangs.

“That’s no way for a leader to talk!” Ivan shouted. His voice echoed throughout the field. 

Umbrich stared daggers into the Grovyle. “The hell did you just say to me?”

Ivan’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He shook as his anger boiled over. “Who do you think you are, exploiting Pokémon who depend on us!? If that’s what you think a rescue team does, you’re not fit to be leader!” 

His boss’s face turned red with fury. His wings spread out as he stepped up to tower over Ivan, engulfing the smaller Grovyle in his shadow.

“You’ve got some nerve. NOBODY talks to me like that!” Umbrich growled before stomping, shaking the ground beneath his feet. “I ought to wring your Arceus-damned throat.”

Ivan stumbled back, his eyes widening. He threw his arms up to guard himself.

“But I’ll tell you something,” Umbrich continued. “If you mean that, why don’t you try and take leadership from me? You won’t because you’re spineless, just like all the Lilligant-livers on this island. I’d love to see you put their money where your mouth is.”

Faced with the unthinkable challenge, the Grovyle looked down. ‘What am I doing? I’ve fought a lot of Pokémon, but none as terrifying as Umbrich!’

“Pathetic,” The Hydreigon scoffed before turning away in dismissal.

He took a few steps toward his tent before abruptly stopping and looking back at Ivan. His jaw muscles writhed into a wide, haunting grin. “Guess the broad’s paying up. So much for that compassion. I know the mighty Luka Drakonov’s reputation- and you certainly aren’t him, boy. ”

The remark punched Ivan in his gut. A fiery, bitter feeling ignited within him and overtook his whole body.

“SHUT UP!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. His claws spread themselves out and shook with fury. “You want me to take you on! Fine! I’ll do it!” 

Umbrich froze.

“Interesting,” the Hydreigon uttered as he stomped back up. “In that case, let’s see just how righteous and heroic you are, Drakonov.” 

Ivan stepped back and tried to size up to Umbrich. They stared holes into each other, eyes aglow with mutual wrath. 

Ivan’s heart pounded violently. ‘This is insane. I’m going to die!’ His mind screamed, but his body readied itself, its fight reflexes kicking in.

The Grovyle’s claws fidgeted and his leaves squirmed in anticipation. Umbrich’s wings sprawled out like black tendrils and his mouths gnashed. 

“YOU ASKED FOR THIS, BOY!” Umbrich roared. The Hydreigon flapped his wings and launched himself at Ivan. 

Ivan dashed toward Umbrich, adrenaline propelling him forward. As the two were about to collide, Ivan split himself in two. The Hydreigon rammed through the illusion, dissolving it into thin air. 

Ivan whirled around before springing at Umbrich, his leaves extending into scythes as he approached. Before Umbrich could fully turn, the blades dug into Umbrich’s back and side, leaving a long scratch across his scales. The Hydreigon hissed and swung his arm at Ivan, but the Grovyle ducked and slid out of the way. 

“Tricky little Bastard! That agility won’t save you forever,” Umbrich spat.

Ivan grimaced fiercely. “Shut up and fight!” 

The Grovyle rushed in again, arms outstretched and ready to slash. But as he closed in and swiped, Umbrich grabbed one of his arms with a mouth, piercing through skin and scale. Ivan cried in agony as Umbrich swung him around, his teeth still deep in his arm. The mouth released its hold mid-swing, throwing the Grovyle to the ground. 

Ivan glanced at the bite as he lay in the muck. The Grovyle quickly picked himself up but winced as pain shot through his arm and blood seeped from the marks. He looked in horror up to see Umbrich looming over him. The Hydreigon bellowed before ramming into Ivan. 

The Grovyle staggered back, barely maintaining his balance on the slick mud. Umbrich’s eyes glowed with draconic fury as he bolted forward to rush Ivan again. The Grovyle sprinted to the side before opening his mouth wide, purple fire raging inside it. He spat it out in rapid bursts, multiple of which crashed into Umbrich, setting multiple patches of his fur ablaze.

“DAMN IT!” The Hydreigon roared in pain before shooting up into the air. He glared down at Ivan before throwing his head back, his own fire crackling in his throat. He whipped his head forward, the pulse energy crackling in his mouth before it exploded toward Ivan. 

Ivan gasped before darting away, dodging it. But the energy exploded on the ground, sending a wave of searing heat in all directions, splattering burning mud onto Ivan’s back. He seethed, suppressing a scream as he turned toward Umbrich, who was arcing back into the air. 

Fighting back tears, Ivan inhaled before shooting another burst of flame breath. It narrowly missed the Hydreigon, hitting the ground instead.

Umbrich shot down, homing in to smite Ivan. The Grovyle gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the dirt. As Umbrich reached the Grovyle, he sprang off and into the air before extending his blades and slicing an X-shaped wound into the Hydreigon’s back. Umbrich wailed as his scales flew off in every direction.

Ivan landed and turned to see Umbrich graze the ground, but he recovered immediately and spun back around. 

Ivan charged and two more copies of himself appeared alongside him. The triplets swung their blades at Umbrich, but the Hydreigon bit through each illusion with a powerful chomp from his smaller mouths, leaving Ivan alone mere inches away. 

Umbrich propelled himself forward, slamming into Ivan with a loud crunch and sending him flying back. The Grovyle groaned as he fell on his back, becoming covered in muck. He planted his claws on the ground, planning to throw himself onto his feet, but Umbrich launched another pulse beam, which exploded on the ground. Dirt and smoke blasted Ivan in the face. 

The Grovyle coughed and flailed his arms to disperse the smoke. When his vision cleared, he gazed up at Umbrich, who was already upon him. 

With a gasp, Ivan planted his claws on the ground. But as he tried to stand, Umbrich threw himself onto Ivan and clamped down on his neck with one of his lesser mouths. 

“No!” Ivan uttered. His vision blurred from the stinging pain and the crushing pressure. Blood flowed down his neck as he choked and sputtered.

“You’ve brought this on yourself, boy!” Umbrich said, glaring into Ivan’s panic-filled eyes. Ivan watched in horror as the Hydreigon’s jaw unhinged and presented a surging, blazing ball of energy. 

‘No! I can’t lose like this!  The Grovyle thought desperately as he stared at the volatile orb primed to blast his face off. He began to huff in air rapidly, wisps of smoke rising from his mouth with each breath. Fire kindled and ignited just as he shot it out. The burst exploded right in Umbrich’s eyes, setting the top half of his face ablaze.

“GRAAAH! BASTARD!” The Hydreigon shouted as he pried his mouths off Ivan’s throat and furiously swatted the flames. He stumbled back, stomping and flailing as the scales around his eyes and forehead blackened.

Ivan wheezed as air flowed back into his lungs and his vision cleared. The Grovyle rolled onto his stomach before standing, and his leaves grew into scythes. He whipped around and darted toward Umbrich, adrenaline guiding him. 

Ivan let out a guttural yell before slamming one of the blades into Umbrich’s exposed belly, slicing a long cut into the scales. The Hydreigon lurched and roared before swinging an arm at Ivan. The Grovyle ducked under it before driving his other scythe against Umbrich’s side. He followed with a flurry of slashes and brutal arm strikes, littering the Hydreigon’s back with nasty lacerations and bruises. 

“I AM LIKE MY DAD!” Ivan screamed, his sanity lost to rage. He threw out one of his arms, now wet with Umbrich’s blood, before swinging it with all his might. It rammed into Umbrich’s spine with a loud crunch, the leaves stabbing into his flesh. The Hydreigon’s back jolted and arched forward, his muscles spasming. 

“AAAAARGH!” Umbrich cried in agony, the fire around his eyes dying down to reveal tears cascading down his charred face. He turned to retaliate, red eyes glowing as he prepared to smash the Grovyle into the dirt. 

But Ivan sidestepped and fired more dragon breath, targeting Umbrich’s leg. The attack exploded on the back of Umbrich’s knee, the joint cracking and hairs igniting. The Hydreigon howled again before his leg collapsed and he fell to the ground with a heavy, wet thud, water spraying from around him. The remaining fire dwindled as he lay in a deep puddle. Many of his hairs had burned off, exposing blue scales and bright red skin. 

Ivan wiped blood off his throat as he watched Umbrich. The Hydreigon snarled before pushing himself onto his feet. He began to stomp toward Ivan, fire erupting from each of his mouths. 

“You’re… hah… dead, Drakonov…” 

The Hydreigon shot a pulse blast at Ivan. The Grovyle scrambled out of the way in time but slipped, falling into the mud himself.

“No!” Ivan shouted as he closed his eyes and shielded himself with his hands, anticipating to be viciously mauled.

But as Umbrich approached, his knee buckled and gravity dragged him to the ground. The Hydreigon tried to push himself back up but his spine contorted and cracked, causing him to shriek and fall back down. He let out pained, heavy breaths. 

Ivan opened his eyes to see the Hydreigon crawling toward him, his face flooded with tears. 

“Hah… argh… HOW!?” Umbrich uttered. “How did a weakling like you do that?”

Ivan’s eyes went wide. ‘Do what? Don’t tell me. There’s no way I…’

As the Grovyle watched Umbrich drag himself across the ground, the idea struck him like a thunderbolt. 

‘I BEAT UMBRICH?’

Ivan righted himself and stood up. The Grovyle winced as he noticed the countless slash wounds covering Umbrich’s body. The Hydreigon finally managed to stand, his spine letting out a sickening crack as he forced the damaged vertebrae back in place. 

“I ought to kill you,” he said. He stepped toward Ivan but stumbled, his knee barely holding out as blood poured down his leg. “Nobody has ever done what you just did. You… you got lucky.”

Ivan gasped as he sobered up from the adrenaline rush, fully realizing what he had done. The Grovyle looked down at his arms- blood coated their scales and leaves. 

“S-sir, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that! I don’t know what to say, I-”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” Umbrich bellowed. He scowled, but the anger in his expression was overpowered by anguish. “You’ve made a mockery of me, and you have the nerve to call me sir?”

Ivan noticed as Lynn and Maul cautiously tiptoed over. They gawked as they inspected the mess of singed fur and weeping scars on Umbrich’s body. 

The Hydreigon returned their stare, causing the two to freeze in place. He looked back to Ivan. “You conniving little Weedle, you’ve humiliated me in front of my own team.”

Umbrich grasped the amulet around his neck and ripped it off. A look of despair overtook him- an expression Ivan had never seen. The grimace was genuine, reflecting his wounded pride.

Ivan wrung his claws. “Oh Arceus, please sir, I really didn’t mean to-”

Umbrich growled and thrust the necklace into Ivan’s chest, interrupting the apology. Ivan winced and clutched his chest before looking at the gem, which fell into his claws as Umbrich withdrew his arm.

“H-huh?” the Grovyle uttered.

Umbrich glared deep into Ivan’s eyes. “You want to play team leader so bad? Then why don’t you give it a shot?”

The Grovyle’s eyes went wide. “What!? No, that’s not- I couldn’t do that!” 

“DON’T INSULT ME!” Umbrich yelled before reaching behind him and clutching his aching back. “You challenged me and won. Besides, I can’t rip you to shreds like this, and I can’t lead with this looming over me. I’m going to get laughed out of town, so congratulations. This stupid team is yours!”

“This is crazy!” Ivan replied. “I can’t take the team from you!” 

Umbrich limped past Ivan, avoiding the Grovyle’s gaze. His wings sprawled out. 

“You already did. Enjoy your new team, boy,” the Hydreigon said as he ripped his mudstained scarf from his neck. He chucked it to the ground. 

Ivan was speechless as Umbrich lumbered to the tent. He rummaged around and snatched a satchel of personal items. Once he plundered the tent of his belongings, he staggered out.

Umbrich shot Ivan one last glare before flapping his wings. He rose into the air, just higher than the trees of the woods around them. Ivan waited in shock, expecting his boss to swoop back down and crush him. 

Instead, Umbrich launched himself into the sky, soaring in the direction of Florei Valley. After a moment, the Hydreigon disappeared over the tree line.

Never to return. 

Ivan glanced at the amulet in his hand, its swirling reds and blues shining in the morning light. “Did that just happen?”

‘This amulet belongs to the leader of Nightscale,’ he knew. ‘It’s mine. So that makes me-’

“Holy clamping Crawdaunts!” Lynn blurted out as he and Maul hurried over to Ivan. The Hakamo-o had a bag of camping supplies slung over his shoulder. “I don’t know if that was the bravest thing ever or the stupidest!”

Maul had a big, awestruck smile. “Yeah! I didn’t know anyone could beat the boss!” 

“I thought you were a pipsqueak, but the boss was a monster and you wailed on him. That… was actually kind of awesome,” Lynn admitted, averting Ivan’s gaze.

Pleasantly surprised by the compliment, the Grovyle grinned. 

“Well, you know. It had to be done,” he said, puffing out his chest. “Umbrich was going to take everything our client had, and it was my responsibility as a rescuer to stop it!”

“This is great! Maul and I have wanted to see this movie all summer, but the boss didn’t let us,” Lynn remarked before winking at the Haxorus. “Time to Pikflix and chill!”

“Awesome!” Maul said with a grin before studying Ivan’s jewel. He tilted his head.

 “So you’re the leader now or something?”

Ivan lifted the amulet over his head and brushed away his dangling head leaf. He guided the amulet down his neck, the gem falling low on his chest. 

A feeling of pride and empowerment flowed through Ivan. His grin widened. “Yeah… I guess I am! Do you know what this means?”

Lynn and Maul looked at each other. They frowned. 

Ivan eyed a large rock jutting out of the mud. He hopped up onto it, now standing just above Maul’s height. He threw his arms out enthusiastically, and his eyes shimmered with excitement. 

“This means that we can mend the crooked old ways of Nightscale!” Ivan exclaimed proudly. “All Nightscale has ever done is fight outlaws for money. But this is a new leaf to be turned! With me at the helm, things will be different now!” 

Maul crossed his arms and shot Ivan a quizzical look. “Different how?”

“We can do some good around here!” Ivan replied. “We can dedicate ourselves to helping people, to changing the way they see Nightscale! We’ll be known as a group of Pokémon making the Isle a better place!” 

As he finished his speech, Ivan felt a rush of euphoria surge through him, warm and addictive. He was at the top of the world, this muddy rock beneath him its tallest mountain. 

‘This is amazing! My own rescue team!’ The Grovyle thought. ‘I can finally make a difference like Dad- my dream is coming true!’ 

Lynn rolled his eyes “Oh, well screw that.”

“Yeah, that’s really lame,” Maul said in agreement. 

The bliss instantly drained from Ivan’s body. ‘Of course they wouldn’t go for that.’

“Look, guys, I know it’s an adjustment. But this is an incredible opportunity. We’re a silver-rank team. We can have adventures. We can better ourselves, change the world! Doesn’t that excite you!?’

The pair’s frowns deepened. Lynn stomped up to the rock.

“There’s no chance in hell I’m letting a Poké scout like you boss me around, string bean!” the Hakamo-o shouted. “You might have kicked the boss’s tail, but I don’t have to read to the blind or help old ladies across town!”

Lynn reached for his scarf and untied it. Ivan watched in shock as the Hakamo-o balled it up and tossed it away. The scarf landed next to Umbrich’s. 

Ivan’s smile transformed into a scowl. “What the hell are YOU doing?”

“Quitting! And no hero act is gonna stop me. I’ll grab my things from the base and get a hotel room,” he spat before turning to Maul. “See you back in town. We’re still on for that movie.” 

Lynn spun around and began to walk away. Ivan seethed as the Hakamo-o trudged toward the clearing’s exit.

‘If he wants out, fine!’ Ivan thought. ‘We can achieve Dad’s vision, just me and…’

The Grovyle looked down at his remaining teammate. He gulped.

‘…Maul.’

Anxiety welled up inside Ivan, squeezing his insides. He clutched his stomach before putting on a forced, exaggerated smile.

“Maaaaaul, buddy!” he sang. “Guess it’s just you and me, right pal?”

The Haxorus shook his head. “Nah, it’s just you.”

Maul began tugging at his own scarf.

‘Crapnoonononono-’

“Maul, my friend, you’re reasonable! A-and smart! You can see the potential here, right?” Ivan asked, smiling as wide as he possibly could.

Maul shrugged. “Sorry, Ivy, but I don’t like that kind of hard work. I was only on the team ‘cause the boss owed my parents a lot of money. Besides, it’ll be no fun without Lynn.”

Ivan felt his heart smashing against his chest, pleading for him to act. “Wait! I’ll give you a raise! And I’ll stock the base with your favorite foods! How does that sound?”

Maul rubbed his chin in thought. Ivan looked at him expectantly, but to his terror, the Haxorus pulled off his scarf. It fell lazily to the ground. “Nah. Thanks for the offer though.  I gotta go, Lynn and I have plans. Goodbye!” 

The Haxorus waved before lumbered away. Ivan stood on the rock, shaking as the last member of his team left the campsite and around a bend in the path. 

‘That could have gone better,’ Ivan thought. He sniffled and began to tear up, dread creeping through his body and consuming his joy.

The Grovyle looked around the miserable camp. He was alone. There was nobody and nothing here, save for a long-dead campfire, the tents, some litter Lynn and Maul left, and-

“Bennett!” Ivan blurted, the thought crashing into him. 

The Grovyle dashed toward his tent. In the wake of everything, he had forgotten the sleeping Buneary.

When Ivan reached the tent, he threw open the flap and slipped inside. He wildly searched for the boy before he saw the quivering, sobbing mass of blankets that had buried itself in the far corner.

Ivan’s face blanched as his heart sank. “Bennett, buddy? It’s okay, it’s just me. Don’t be scared, the fighting is over and you can come out. I’m so, so sorry.”

The mound of blankets continued to cry and tremble. Ivan knelt and peeled away the layers of cloth. After removing four blankets, he found the Buneary, his face wet with tears.

“W-why were you and that mean Hydreigon hurting each other?” he whimpered, eyeing Ivan’s arms. The Grovyle gasped as he inspected them; he had forgotten about the spattered blood. The guilt that overcame him was more painful than any wound Umbrich could have inflicted. 

“We’ll be okay,” Ivan replied, making his voice soft and soothing. “He was going to do something awful. He was going to make your mommy pay a lot of money for you to come home. I know it’s scary, but nobody’s getting hurt anymore, okay? I think it’s time to get you home.”

Ivan scooped Bennett into his arms and embraced him. Bennett wept for another moment, a trickle of tears flowing down Ivan’s chest. The Grovyle held the boy for a minute more until he went quiet. 

Ivan slowly peeled Bennet from his chest. The Buneary’s eyes were closed; he had fallen back into a peaceful sleep. 

Ivan breathed a huge sigh of relief. He nestled Bennett back into the pile of blankets. Once the Buneary was tucked in, he grabbed his satchel and exited the tent.

The sun was steadily rising in the sky, showering the woodlands with light. Ivan basked in it as he rubbed a medicinal potion on the bite marks on his arms and neck. He gritted his teeth at first but exhaled as he felt the Oran berry elixir already treating the wounds. With his injuries addressed, he finally had a moment to think. 

‘That was insane, but somehow after all this, I have become a rescue team leader. Like you, Dad,’ Ivan thought. A warm but bittersweet feeling filled his chest as he clutched his newly won amulet. It had been a symbol of greed and power, adorning only the most detestable of rescue team leaders. 

But now, it belonged to him. 

‘The team might be mine now, but I won’t let it change me. I’m going to change it, instead,’ he promised himself. ‘It’s about time Nightscale did some good. First order of business: getting Benett home safe.’

The Grovyle looked at the pristine blue sky. He nodded before holding the jewel solemnly to his chest. 

“I’ll make this team into something you’d be proud of Dad,” he vowed. All he hoped was that the message would get through.