Chapter 13: Past Insight

Rockruff opened his eyes as chilly water lapped at his feet. He lifted his head, feeling sand cling to the side of his face. He stared at the waterfall pouring in front of him a few feet away. ‘Did we get sent back to Bubula Cove?‘ he wondered. Rockruff shifted to check for Team Piksqueak but stopped. Something was covering his body. Something… soft. He turned his head and gasped.

A pair of blueish-gray scarves were draped over him. Little specks of gold glittered in them like the waves. A sphere surrounding an upside down triangle was painted in their center, reminiscent of the similar triangle symbol found down in Sea Kissed Wastes.

Behind Rockruff, Pichu pushed herself up, spitting out sand. “Pleffft, plegh! How did I eat all this sand?!”

“Watch where you’re spitting!” Pachirisu said to her right. She sat up and kept her tail away from Pichu.

On Pichu’s left, Morpeko sleepily rubbed her eyes, continuing to lay on the ground. “Meh… did we make it out?”

“I think so,” Pichu answered. She looked at Rockruff and screamed. “Ruffy’s being eaten by a monster! Quick team, we have to save him!”

“Wait wait wait! It’s alright, I’m alright!” Rockruff shouted, sitting up. The scarves fell to the floor. “Oh shoot!” He gently scooped them up in his mouth, being careful not to bite or leave saliva on them.

Pichu stopped gathering electricity. “Oh, they’re items? Where’d you pick those up? You didn’t have them on you when we left.”

“I domow,” Rockruff replied, his speech muffled entirely.

Pachirisu walked over and held out her paws. “Let me hold’em. It’ll be easier.”

Rockruff obliged. “Be careful please. They might not be that durable.”

“They look pretty durable to me,” Pachirisu said, inspecting them closely. “Brand new, even!”

“Wah, they’re so much prettier than ours!” Morpeko remarked.

“And there’s two of them. A perfect match for pokémon who like each other. Eh, eh?” Pichu said, winking.

Rockruff’s ears and tail stood straight at the realization. “Seriously, we’re just really good friends…” He got to all fours and winced. His hind leg still hurt from Stunfisk’s Snap Trap. ‘I hope this heals before I head back to the guild. How else will I explain it to Litleo?‘

“You’ve gotta have some idea of how these scarves appeared, dont’cha, Ruffy?” Pichu asked.

‘Do I?‘ The details were cloudy in his mind. ‘I know I heard a voice.‘ He looked out to the sea. “I think… Deerling gave them to me.”

“That ghost you helped? How?” Pachirisu said.

“I remember them thanking me before I left. This must be their way of showing it.” Rockruff bowed his head to the ocean. ‘I hope you both are at peace now.‘

“This means you won’t have to search elsewhere for a gift!” Morpeko realized, bouncing happily.

“Actually, yeah! The scarves are perfect,” Rockruff replied.

“That’s good for you and all, but we didn’t get anything from that place. Not even one Poké,” Pichu said, puffing her cheeks out. “I didn’t want to take the jewelry cause I don’t want a ghost haunting me…”

“Oh, right… sorry. I did promise you would get something out of it. If you want, I could-“

“Aaaaah shoosh, Ruffy! I was kidding,” Pichu interrupted. “We’ll make the Poké up by doing double the commissions, right, team?”

Pachirisu and Morpeko nodded.

“It’s settled! Your payment will be…” Pichu went on, beckoning him. “Come closer. I have to whisper it.”

Rockruff leaned in. Pichu put a paw on his left shoulder. A tingle entered him and he jerked back from the shock. “Ow! You- I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“Hehe! She got you good,” Pachirisu commented.

Pichu put on her smug face. “Consider that your payment.”

Rockruff shook his head, chuckling. “Alrighty. Are you three heading back to the guild?”

“Yep, yep!”

“Could I ask you to take the scarves back with you, please? I don’t have my team’s bag and I’m not sure bringing it to my family is a good move either.”

“You want us to take them? What if Litleo sees?” Pichu asked.

“You’ll probably have to hide them in your room for a bit.”

Morpeko gasped. “Like a stealth mission.”

“Hmm, okay. No ‘mon will know where we hide them, not even us!” Pichu exclaimed, storing the scarves in their bag.

“Great, thank you,” Rockruff said. Not having to worry about what he was carrying around would make visiting his home much smoother. “Have a safe trip!”

“We’ll see you soon! Don’t get into more trouble!” Pichu called, running off with her teammates.

“Very funny!” Rockruff shouted back. He glanced at his hind leg and tested walking around. There was a slight pain, but nothing he couldn’t handle. ‘If I’m quick enough, I should be able to reach Rugged Crags a little after nightfall. Not ideal, but oh well.‘

“Let’s see if my hiking skills are up to par.”

---

Rockruff walked along the rock-strewn trail, studying the sky. The moon crept up on the horizon, which meant his earlier guess was correct. He would arrive home soon. He steered off the trail, ducking into the mini underpass two stone formations had created. It marked the beginning of Rugged Crags’ settlement, and was easily missed by the average traveler if they didn’t know what to look for.

‘Knowing the ‘mon there though, they want to keep it that way. Too bad I can’t change their minds to make it clearer,‘ Rockruff thought. He never understood why it needed to be so secretive. He took one step out of the underpass when a pebble clattered ahead of him.

“Oh mighty and weary traveler, you have the nerve to show your face here again?” a silvery voice said.

‘That voice…‘ Rockruff pretended to look around. “I used to live here. Still do, in fact.”

“Not according to the new rules. Once you leave, you can never return.”

Rockruff turned his head up. The silhouette of a head stared down from the rock ledge. They jumped and landed on a boulder to the right of him, staying crouched.

“Is that so? Just try and stop me from walking in,” Rockruff challenged.

The other pokémon stood tall, revealing a rockruff almost identical to him. They were missing the pebbles around their neck, but their eyes were a dark green compared to his light blue. “Ruffers.”

“Roca.”

The two stared in silence for a few moments. Then Roca broke into a smile.

“That’s not faaaaiirr! I can never beat you in these contests,” she playfully whined.

“You’ll never beat the better sibling. That’s just how it works,” Rockruff said, smirking. “How’d you know it was me?”

Roca hopped off the boulder and rubbed her head along the scruff of Rockruff’s neck. “You’re my twin brother. I’d recognize your scent anywhere!”

“You didn’t catch me all the way from home did you?”

“Course not! I was on my way back from a scavenge when I picked up your smell. I’ve been trailing you for a while. You’ve lost your touch sticking with the towners.”

Rockruff broke off the contact. “Do you have to say it like that? They’re good ‘mon. Especially those at the guild.”

Roca looked at him, narrowing her eyes. “I do and will say it like that. You know how I feel about you being in there.”

“And I appreciate your concern, but it’s perfect. There’s a lot I have to tell you. I’ve even found the best partner,” Rockruff assured, booping her snout.

“Hey, I’m not a pup anymore,” Roca said, batting his paw. “Are they wild?”

“Who?”

“Your partner.”

“Oh. They are of sorts.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I’ll tell you more in the morning.”

“Typical.” She stood at his right side. “I bet you’re excited to see everymon.”

“They’ll all be resting won’t they? I’m hoping the reunion can wait until morning,” Rockruff said. To say the kids in the settlement liked him would be an understatement. If they saw him, he wouldn’t be able to leave for hours.

The two of them began moving, matching each other’s steps. Roca frowned at her brother’s half-limp.

“You’re limping,” she commented. “What happened?”

‘And here I thought I was hiding it well.‘ Rockruff inhaled. “I had a little job to take care of before coming and got hurt. It’s not serious.”

“Not serious my a-“

“Woah, woah, when did you start using that word?” Rockruff said, halting.

She halted too. “What? A-“

“Stop it!”

“You lost scolding privileges once you left! It’s not even that bad of a word,” Roca argued. She nudged him along. “What if you’re limping for the rest of your life? This is another reason you should quit and do something else.”

“I really hope you’re not going to batter me with reasons to quit the entire time I’m here,” Rockruff stated.

Roca whimpered softly. “I get it, I get it. I know this means a lot to you.”

“No worries. This means a lot to you too,” Rockruff said, leaning his head against hers. “But me and you have to grow in our own ways.”

“So you said before… Are you staying long?”

Rockruff shook his head. “Guild work never stops. And I can’t leave my partner alone for too long. I’ll be heading back in the late afternoon.”

“Oh, but you can leave me alone for what, a year?” Roca argued.

“Have you been practicing your guilt trips? I swear they weren’t this effective before.”

They laughed and soon neared the settlement’s grounds. A ring of crooked rocks surrounded the rugged mountain wall, forming a natural barrier. They slipped inside one of the small cracks. Rockruff took a deep breath, feeling comforted by the earthy scent. Everything looked the same since he left. Well, almost.

In the mountain wall were dozens of holes, used to house all the ‘mon living in the settlement. Rocky stairs allowed access to the second and third “floors.” That was normal. What wasn’t was the new gaping hole off in the distance. ‘I’ll have to check that out later.‘ The most noticeable change was the renovation of the water well set up in the middle of the settlement. It was definitely larger than Rockruff remembered. Pink and green flowers circled around its base.

“Like the changes?” Roca whispered, walking to one of the bottom holes.

“Looking good,” Rockruff answered. “This place needed a pop of color with the well. But what’s with the giant hole? That can’t be another place for sleeping.”

Roca spoke in a lower pitch, mimicking him. “Tell you more in the morning.”

“Ha-ha. But the joke’s on you. I can wait.”

Roca paused outside a sealed hole and tapped her paw on it. The stone sealing it came down.

“Out late again, Roca?” a sandslash greeted, tending to a small fire in the wall. The color of the quills on his back alternated between a brown and golden yellow. He turned around. “Wait a darn sec’. Did you multiply?”

“Pop, that joke stopped being funny a long time ago,” Roca said, walking in and laying on one of the three straw beds to the side.

Sandslash harrumphed. “It was worth a try. I’m sure my dashing boyo Ruffers would agree!”

“Hiya, Pop,” Rockruff replied, smiling. “I have to side with Roca on this one.”

“Ganging up on me as soon as you return, oh, the memories. Come give Salna a big hug!”

Salna scooped Rockruff into his arms and squeezed. ‘Ow! My ribs!‘ Rockruff kept quiet however, not wanting to ruin the moment. Salna released him a couple moments later.

“Look at you, a part of the guild. You look… stronger. And happier!” Salna lifted the tip of Rockruff’s scarf with a claw. “Even got the professional appearance going on. I sure hope you’ve been helping lots of ‘mon in your time there.”

“You bet! My partner and I help whoever we can,” Rockruff said, holding his head high.

“‘Stronger’ is funny,” Roca cut in, getting up. She pretended to sway on her feet. “You should’ve seen the way Ruffers came in, Pop. He was all staggering and panting, ready to tip over from the slightest wind! He’s lucky I saw him.”

Salna’s jaw dropped. “Geepers. Is that true?”

“She’s exaggerating,” Rockruff denied, sticking his tongue out at Roca.

Roca giggled. “Maybe a little, but you are going to tell him about-” She pointed a forepaw at his leg.

Rockruff shook his head, eyes wide. “Mm-mm!”

Roca nodded. “Mm-hm!”

“Mm-mm!”

“Mm-hm!”

“Mm-mm!”

“Mm-hm!”

“What in the continents are you two saying?” Salna asked, looking between them.

“It’s-” Rockruff sighed. “I might be a little hurt on my hind leg. But I had an Oran Berry! Roca doesn’t need to fuss over it.”

“Show me. I want to join in on this fuss.”

Rockruff pivoted to show his left hind leg.

“A bite wound? You’ll need a tad more than an Oran Berry to be sure it heals properly,” Salna said. He moved to a collection of pots near the fire. “Let’s lookie here… I know we’ve got some leftover Sitrus Salad.” He opened the lid off a short red pot. “Oops, not here. Is it this one? Drat, I should’ve thrown this out already. How about…”

Rockruff and Roca exchanged bemused glances. Roca yawned and laid down again, turning over.

“I’m going to bed. We’ll talk in the morning, ‘kay?” she said.

“That was a given. Nighty night,” Rockruff replied.

“Here it is!” Salna exclaimed, holding a tall red pot. He dumped the contents inside onto a stone plate and passed it to Rockruff. “It’s not the best looking meal, but it serves its purpose.”

“Thanks, Pop. I missed your food,” Rockruff said.

“They feed you better over there, I’m sure. How could you miss your old pop’s food?”

“It is better, but it’s not home.”

“You’re missing our local charm. I get it. But tell me, you do like it over there? You aren’t here because you quit?” Salna asked, in the midst of reorganizing his pots.

“No, no, I’m still very much in it. The guild is amazing. I’d never think about leaving.” ‘Unless… Litleo decided to.‘

“That’s good, my boyo. Keep doing what you enjoy. We will cheer you from home.”

Roca raised a forepaw. “I might be ninety percent cheering, the other ten percent is-“

“Go to sleep already!” Rockruff said, chuckling.

“Sheesh, I am!”

Salna raised the ground up, sealing the hole. “This should help you.” He turned and patted Rockruff on the head. “I’m darn glad you came to visit us.”

“Me too.” Rockruff shut his eyes, taking in the warmth from the fire and his family. He finished the salad as Salna happened to speak up.

“Any interesting stories to share? I’m in need of some new material for the little ‘mon.”

“Oh, I’ve got plenty.” Rockruff recounted his favorite memories from the guild, pausing at times to let his dad laugh or ask questions. Halfway through, he went quiet.

“Something the matter?” Salna queried.

“Uh, can you check if Roca is asleep?” he said, eyeing where his sister slept.

Salna waddled over and prodded Roca with his claw. “Out like a tyrunt.”

“Okay. There’s a story I wanna share with you, but I’ll be keeping it from Roca.”

“You share everything with your sister. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“I don’t think she’d be very happy hearing what I did this past day.”

“Geepers. And that is?”

‘Stunfisk and Deerling’s story needs to be told.‘ Rockruff scratched the back of his ear. “Well, there’s this area called Sea Kissed Wastes…”

He went into the day’s events, explaining what he saw and did. He made an extra effort to recall the finer details of the journal. After all, none of them took it with them or would be able to go back there.

“And near the end, Stunfisk used the last of his energy to get us out. I think he finally joined the rest of his ‘mon,” Rockruff finished, gazing at the fire.

Salna wiped a tear from his eye. “What a grand tale! This is great material, Ruffers.”

“I knew you’d like it. But… I hoped Stunfisk could’ve come back to the guild with me. All that time down there, he must’ve been awfully lonely.”

“And in those final moments you described, he wasn’t. You did the right thing, like you always do.” Salna patted Rockruff’s back.

“I don’t know about that,” Rockruff said, ears drooping. Right thing? There wasn’t anything inherently right OR wrong with what he did. ‘I only offered to be Stunfisk’s friend, how can that be judged? And I didn’t get to act on it either…‘ “I kind of half-lied to my partner about what I was doing,” Rockruff went on. “I don’t think that’s right.”

“This Litleo, you said? She sounds like a doozy of a character,” Salna remarked.

Rockruff laughed and covered his mouth quickly. “A good doozy. I wouldn’t be where I am without her.”

“Then you be sure to tell her the truth, and to Roca too,” Salna instructed, pointing a claw at him. “Lying to the two ‘mon you cherish most in your life, you’re asking for an earful in both ears!”

“I will, Pop, I will.”

“You darn better. I’ll be retiring for the night. G’night.”

“G’night!”

Salna took the bed ahead of Roca, leaving the one beside Roca for Rockruff. Rockruff laid in it, snuggling up to his sister. ‘Heh, I’d forgotten how nice this feels.‘ His eyelids closed and sleep took him quickly. He awoke to sunlight striking the right side of his face.

“Rise and Rollout, Ruffers!” he heard Salna say.

“That’s a phrase I did not miss…” Rockruff mumbled.

“What’s this stitch here?” Roca asked.

“Hm?” Rockruff glimpsed in her direction, seeing his scarf in Roca’s paws. “He- hey! You can’t strip me when I’m asleep. That’s cruel.”

“You remember our old pact, don’t you?” Roca stated mockingly. “‘Whatever yours is mine, and whatever is mine is yours.’ Besides, I’m only looking at it.”

Rockruff joined her and leaned in to what she was looking at. Yellow letters of ‘T.A.R.’ were stitched into the inside of his scarf. “Oh, these? T.A. is Team Ardor, my team name. The extra R is me.”

“Team Ardor. It suits you,” Roca said, giving his scarf back. “And nice badge.”

“Thanks!”

“Does your partner have something similar?

“She doesn’t have the letters, if that’s what you’re asking. I had the stitching done for myself because I thought it was cool, haha… Uh, Pop, could you help me put this on again?”

“Sure thing,” Salna replied. He went behind Rockruff and looped the scarf around his neck, tying the knot tight.

A roggenrola skidded to a halt in front of the hole. “Tell’ah Salna! Tell’ah Salna! What story are you- Ruffers? You’re home?”

“Hiya, Ronne. I am for a short bit today,” Rockruff responded.

“Everymon, Ruffers is home! Ruffers is home!” Ronne shouted, jumping up and down.

“Here comes the kid brigade,” Roca said, bringing her ears down in anticipation.

A band of small pokémon stampeded to their location, their chorus of voices making any nearby mons’ ears hurt.

“Come play with us!” a rolycoly exclaimed.

“Can you help me move stuff for my parents?” a cranidos shouted.

“Tell us about the guild!” a carbink squealed.

“Woah, woah! I’m just as excited to see all of you, but let’s take it one at a time, okay?” Rockruff said, waving a paw. “I’ll do my best for each of you.”

“Wait, what about our talk?” Roca asked, letting out a tiny whine.

“We’ll have a chance later!” Rockruff called, being tugged away by the children. “It shouldn’t take a while!”

Roca looked to Salna and both shook their heads.

---

A few hours later, Rockruff fell on his side, exhausted from entertaining the crowd of kids. He laid on the cliff overlooking the settlement. Peace and quiet at last.

“You didn’t have to give in to every single one of their requests, you know,” Roca said, sitting down next to him.

“I’d feel bad if I didn’t,” Rockruff admitted. “All their innocent faces, how could I crush them like that?”

“I thought as much. Are you ready to chat, though?”

“With you, of course. You know you never need to ask.”

“Then start by telling me about your partner. I’d like to know about them.”

Rockruff shifted to rest his head on his paws, a smile forming on his mouth. “Litleo. I met her after leaving here for the guild. We stumbled into each other and since then, we’ve stuck together. She’s headstrong. Very sarcastic, but means well. She’s a heck of a battler too. I trust her with my life.”

“That’s a strong statement,” Roca commented.

“I do mean it. It doesn’t matter where she’s from, we protect each other.”

Roca laid her head beside his. “I always wanted to be the ‘mon to have your back.”

“You still can. Me, you, and Litleo in the guild, it’d be so much fun!” Rockruff exclaimed, raising his head.

“But I’m… not ready to leave yet.”

Rockruff sat up. “Haven’t you been going on scavenges to practice leaving?”

“There’s more to it than that.” She wouldn’t look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“If I joined the guild, nothing would change. I’d still be behind you, needing your protection to cover my a- me. I don’t want to be depending on you anymore.”

Rockruff ran his paw along his sister’s back. ‘She’s definitely matured while I was away.‘

“It’s like you said, we have to grow our own ways. I’m still finding my path,” Roca finished, glancing at him.

“I’m supporting any path you take.”

“Hehe, thanks.” Roca observed the sky for a few moments. “Do you think our parents wanted us to stick together?”

“Parents… so you’re not talking about Pop?” Rockruff surmised, following her gaze.

“Mhm. What do you think our real parents wanted?”

Rockruff took a few moments to decide. “I like to think they would’ve been okay with anything we wanted to do.”

“Ever the optimist.”

“You have Salna to thank for that. He’s as much as a real parent to us. I wouldn’t change it.”

“Me either, but do you ever wonder what happened for them to leave us?” Roca said, a pinch of bitterness laced in her words.

“I… guess I haven’t. With Salna I didn’t feel the need to think about them too much,” Rockruff answered, frowning. “I didn’t realize you still thought about this.”

“It’s not all the time. You just happened to remind me of the subject.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?” he replied, booping her nose. “It’s my turn for a question.”

“I told you to quit that… What?”

“What’s the giant hole for?”

“That’s the trade center,” Roca said. “Recently the town merchants have been becoming more fearless with us. Chief Ryn figured it’d be nice to have a space they can barter in.”

‘It’s good to see Chief Ryn have reason at least.‘ Rockruff stood, stifling a yawn. “Before you know it this place will become a town.”

“As if! We’re keeping our wild roots forever,” Roca scoffed, sitting up straight.

“Integrating the two wouldn’t be so bad. The guild makes it work.”

“On a small scale. Any bigger and it might backfire.”

“If I’m the optimist, you right now are definitely the pessimist.” A PLING went off from Rockruff’s Linkbead. “Oh, sorry, gotta take this,” he said, turning around and tapping it. “Hiya.”

“Wait, it worked! It worked! Ruffy! We finally reached you!” Pichu’s voice came through.

“Pichu? How long have you been trying?” Rockruff said, wide eyed.

“Hours at this point! We left the guild right now hoping to get a better signal. You sure live in a place with horrible reception!“

Roca opened her mouth, offended, but Rockruff stopped her.

“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” he said.

“Kiiiiiind of. Funny story, we got back to the guild yesterday thinking it was the same day we left…” Pichu began.

“But it turns out,” Pachirisu picked up, “we’ve been gone a whole three days. And today marks four for you since you left.“

Rockruff’s whole body froze. “You mean… it’s been way past when I said I’d be back?”

“You got that right!” Morpeko cheerfully chimed in.

“And we, being the great team we are, thought it would be good to let you know that Litleo is not happy. At all,” Pichu said, giggling. “You’re gonna be in for it when you arrive!”

“Er, thanks for the heads up. I’m on my way now,” Rockruff stated.

“Travel safe!”

Rockruff tapped the Linkbead. “Sorry, looks like I’ll be cutting my stay short.”

“Is that right, Ruffy?” Roca said, eyebrow raised.

“Oh, that. Er, that’s Pichu and her team’s nickname for me. I actually go by plain ol’ Rockruff,” he replied.

Roca frowned. “What’s wrong with your wild name?”

“I just thought… going by Rockruff would make sure townsmon don’t have any negative stigmas about me before we even meet. It could help me change their minds about us, you know?”

“So you’re throwing away our tradition to fit in with them.”

“Hey, it’s not like that.” Rockruff watched Roca stare at the ground, not meeting his eyes. “Do you really want us to leave on a bad note?”

“No,” Roca pouted. “But we were barely able to do anything.”

“I know.” Rockruff touched his head to hers. “But this isn’t the last time I’m visiting. I promise it’ll be a longer stay next time.”

“Don’t wait a year again to do so, ‘kay?”

“Mmk. Hey, better yet, you could come visit me at the guild one of these days!”

“Maybe.” Roca stepped back, meeting his eyes. “I’m leaving you in Litleo’s care. She better be what you say and keep you safe.”

“You don’t have to worry. Me and her are an unstoppable team,” Rockruff beamed.

“I hope so,” Roca said.

Rockruff nodded to Roca, smiling, and descended the cliff. He stopped by Salna’s cave. “Pop, I’ll be going now!”

Salna looked toward him, almost dropping a pot. “Geepers, don’t scare me like that! But alrighty, my boyo. See you soon!”

“See you!” He turned and dashed out of the settlement. ‘Litleo, I hope you aren’t too mad at me.‘

---

Rockruff walked onto the courtyard of the guild, seeing Litleo pace back and forth inside the lobby. He gulped. Was she angry pacing or worry pacing? ‘I can’t catch her expression. Is she-‘

At that moment, Litleo looked in his direction and narrowed her eyes. She stormed over to him. “Out of all the pokémon I thought couldn’t count, I didn’t expect you to be one of them!”

‘Uh oh.’ Rockruff preemptively flinched, bracing for the rest of her scolding. A pair of forelegs embraced his neck. ‘Huh?‘ Rockruff opened his eyes. ‘She’s… hugging me?‘

“I’ve been so worried. I tried pinging your Linkbead but couldn’t get through. What happened to being timely and trustworthy?” she said.

He blinked, still trying to process what was happening. “Are you actually hugging me?”

“Is that so weird?” Litleo asked, breaking it off.

“Coming from you, very weird.”

“Shut up,” she replied, lightly shoving him.

Rockruff chuckled. “I’ll stop. But, I’m really sorry for making you worry. I lost track of time and that’s my fault.”

“How do you lose it for two extra days?”

“Well…” Rockruff stared to the side, ready to issue a lie. Salna’s words played in his head. ‘You’re asking for an earful.‘ He made eye contact with Litleo. “Tell you what. Go around to the other side of the guild. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”

“What? Why? I should be telling you what to do, not you telling me.”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises though.”

“Do it for me?” Rockruff pleaded, holding his forepaws up.

Litleo bit her lip and sighed. “Fine, but just this once.”

“You’re the best, Miss Leo!”

“Whatever you say, Ruffers.”

Litleo set about making her way to the opposite end of the guild. Once she disappeared from view, Rockruff went into the guild and up the stairs to the fourth floor. He popped his head into Team Piksqueak’s quarters. Pichu and her team were lounging about on their beds.

“Pichu, hiya,” Rockruff said.

Pichu bounced up, electricity jumping out of her cheeks. “Hi hi, Ruffy! How’d it go with Litleo?”

“Different than I expected. She didn’t blow up at me at all.”

“She didn’t? Are you sure that’s Litleo?” Pachirisu said.

“I’d love to comment on that but I’m sorta in a rush at the moment. Can you bring out the scarves?” Rockruff requested.

Morpeko fished them out behind a large thunderbolt pillow. “Here they are!”

Rockruff went to her and had Morpeko lay them on his back. “Thanks. And you’re sure Litleo didn’t see them?”

“Nope nope! No ‘mon saw them. We smuggled them in like true criminals,” Pichu said, particularly smug.

“I assume that’ll be your next line of work if you ever get kicked out of the guild?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Are you gifting the scarves right now?” Pachirisu asked.

“Mhm. Litleo is waiting so I can’t stay long to talk,” Rockruff answered, nearing the arch of the room. “Thank you for all your help again.”

“Hehe, it was fun, Ruffy! Let’s do this another time,” Pichu said, beckoning her teammates to her. “We’ll pick the next place to explore and you can bring Litleo.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

“We hope she likes the gift!”

Team Piksqueak gave a cheerful wave. Rockruff bounded down to his and Litleo’s quarters. He found their item bag resting on top of her pillow. He slid the scarves off his back and put them in it, then slung the bag over his shoulder. ‘They should be hidden well enough. Alrighty, I’m all set.’ Rockruff exited the guild and went through the training area to get around back. He came to find Litleo facing his direction. She raised an eyebrow.

“You brought our satchel? What’s going on?” Litleo questioned.

“I was hoping before we get to that, we’d have our little discussion about our families,” Rockruff replied, settling next to her right side. He patted the ground.

Litleo turned and sat down. “You want to talk about our families after you made me worry my head off? The audacity almost offends me.” She looked out to the lake.

Straight ahead from where they sat, an opening in the land let the lake’s contents flow out toward a river and into the sea. A touch of orange reflected in the water as the sun began its daily setting.

“Funnily enough, the time and place is appropriate. It’s pretty out here,” Litleo said.

“Is that a yes?” Rockruff clarified.

“…Yeah. It is.” She picked at the grass with a claw. “I hope you aren’t expecting to hear something crazy or interesting. Where do you want to start?”

“How about general stuff? Who they are, any siblings?”

Litleo kept staring at the lake. “There’s not much to my family. They’re both… um, pyroar. I’ve got the basic mom and dad. No siblings. Mom is the energetic one. Dad likes doing his own thing. Either way, it stands to reason I should be on their minds. No better way to put it than saying they don’t really care about me.”

Rockruff instantly wanted to offer some comfort words, but kept quiet.

“What a shocker, right?” Litleo continued, full of sarcasm. “I won’t bore you with the details. It’s… in the past anyway. But essentially, anything I did was overshadowed by their own interests. They always put me second. Like an afterthought.”

“They never put you first? At all?” Rockruff asked.

“When I was little, sure. Once I could do the bare minimum they left me alone. My every attempt to impress them? Ignored. Act up? Didn’t care. If I was lucky, I’d get a ‘great job’ and nothing more.” She sighed. “Again, all in the past. There you have it. I bet you’re real excited to talk now.”

“Actually, I am. You’ve gotta stop being so negative! ‘A cheerful mind is the best solution out of a Bind!'”

“Another one of your quotes?”

“You bet! I’m glad to know the reasoning behind this hard outer shell of yours,” he said, tapping a forepaw on top of her head.

Litleo readjusted her mane. “Ha-ha. You probably have a perfect family.”

“I wouldn’t go as far to call them perfect. No family is.”

“Fine, ideal.”

“What makes you think that?” Rockruff said.

“No offense, but with the way you are, it’s hard to imagine you growing up in anything BUT a perfect world,” Litleo replied, brow furrowed.

“Hmm, you make a good argument. Too bad it’s wrong.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“It’s true! The only family I have, or blood family if you want to call it that, is my twin sister, Roca. We’re orphans.”

Litleo blinked rapidly. “How can you say that so casually? You have a twin and you’re orphans? Get out of here.”

Rockruff laughed. “Alrighty.” He sat up.

Litleo whacked him back down. “You know what I mean!” she said.

“Ow, you hit me right on my spine… Er, back to what I was saying, I don’t have any solid memories of our parents. As far as I can remember it’s been only me and Roca. We had to survive on our own for a bit, trying to stay in places that weren’t towns or mystery dungeons.”

“No towns cause you’re wild, huh?”

He flashed her a grin. “Where did you get to be so smart? I don’t blame the townsmon for not being so nice to us. It’s not like we seemed the most trustworthy to begin with.”

“That’s still no excuse for them to do that to you,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, well, it’s why we’re in the guild to change that, right?”

Litleo shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Eventually Roca and I came across the Rugged Crags settlement by accident,” Rockruff continued, making sure the scarves were still out of sight. “Salna, a sandslash, found us and instantly took us in. I’m proud to call him our Pop.”

“Took you in just like that? He sounds like a great pokémon.”

“One of the best! He’s a storyteller for the settlement kids, yet still found the time to raise us.” He nodded at the surfacing memories. “I couldn’t be more thankful. That’s pretty much my family.”

“At least yours turned out to be happy. If you’re out here, where’s your sister?” Litleo asked.

“Still living in Rugged Crags.”

“She didn’t want to join the guild with you?”

Rockruff let out a short exhale. “We may be twins, but we don’t share a lot of the same ideas. She dislikes townsmon, for one.”

Litleo’s attention fully focused on him. “I thought twins tend to share ideas. How did you end up so different?”

“Perspective, maybe. Before Salna came into our life I was the one keeping her safe and making sure we were alright. I think she feels bad for having to rely so much on me, even though I tell her I’m more than happy to.”

“You’ve been this way all your life, huh? You’re going to overwork yourself one day, you know that?” Litleo remarked, worry apparent.

“And if I don’t, who will? I don’t want to see others in the position I was in.” A determined look set in his face. “Unseen, alone, and unwanted. Roca believes that’s what our parents must’ve thought to leave us. I still have that lingering feeling she might be right.” Rockruff was standing now. A fiery passion burned in his chest as the sun’s rays yielded to the coming night. “That’s why I try to be friends with everymon I can. Some might call me annoying or superficial. But I don’t want to be forgotten, and neither should they.” He paused, another train of thought rushing into his mouth. “Is it also so hard to believe there are those like me who just want to help? To not have to prove I have evil intentions hidden away?”

There he went. The whole point of this staged talk was so he could learn more about Litleo, but he instead spouted about himself. Rockruff lowered his head. “Whoops. Got caught up there.”

“I quite liked hearing that. Stop being so negative,” Litleo said, smirking. She lifted his chin with her paw. “You forget I’m your partner. We’re Team Ardor. We’ll overwork ourselves and do this together. I’m fine and happy helping you out. I may not have many good memories with my family, but I do have better ones with you.”

Rockruff’s tail wagged excitedly at the comment. What better time to gift the scarves than now? But first… “You know, you never specified what your mom and dad do in their lives. Or where they live.”

Litleo stared at her paws, shuffling them. “Yeah… I said I’d tell you about them, and yet here I am, barely giving any info. Sorry. I figured, if I’m choosing not to see them again, what’s the point in saying anything about them?” She gazed into his eyes. “One day soon, I promise I’ll tell you the rest of my story.”

Rockruff held the gaze. Underneath those eyes of hers, what was she hiding? ‘Then again, I haven’t been totally honest with her either. Maybe that’s why we’re a good team. Even if we both have secrets, we’re okay with each other.‘

“Will it include some explanation about our meeting?” Rockruff said.

“You really had to remind me about that?” Litleo grumbled, huffing.

“You know it,” he said, smiling. He laid their bag on the ground.

“Yes, it will.”

“Good, hehe. Speaking of not giving info, I uh, lied when I said I was only going to visit my family.”

“Figures. What else did you do?”

Rockruff opened the bag. “I went looking for a gift for you.”

Litleo’s tail stuck straight out. “You were looking for what?”

He set the scarves out in front of her, letting them glimmer in the remaining light. Rockruff’s breath caught as he waited for Litleo’s reaction. Seconds passed and she said nothing. ‘Did I misjudge her?‘ His heart sank. “You… don’t like them?”

She shook her head, mane heating up. “No, no, of course I like them! It’s- I- um, I’ve never received something like this before.”

“You’re not lying?” Rockruff asked, breath coming back.

“I’d toss them into the water if I was lying.” They shared a laugh. Litleo reached out with her right forepaw, feeling the fabric. “These are amazing. Thank you.” She paused. “There’s two here. Does that mean one for me and one for you?”

“Yup. Kinda cool, right? We’d match and look great doing our jobs.” He noted her frown. “We don’t have to wear them right away. We can do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“I was thinking it’d be fitting to wear them when we achieve Veteran rank, since they’re flashy and would fit well with the gold badge. And knowing us, we’ll be there soon.”

“I like the way you think! Sure. We’ll put them on then.”

“Also, I have to ask why you felt the need to get me something,” Litleo said, expression softening.

“You’ve been helpful and great to me. How could I not?” he said, shifting a smidge closer to her.

“Your thanks is more than enough.”

“I know,” Rockruff replied, forming a small grin. “I still feel thanks isn’t enough to show how much you mean to me as my partner. I can’t imagine anyone else being by my side. And you know… after hearing about your family, hopefully this tells you I’ll put you first. Always.”

‘Heh, I didn’t mean for that to be sappy but- hey, wait… is that a…?‘ Rockruff wondered. Quickly, Litleo pulled him close into a hug, not letting him see her face.

“Twice in one day, I must be lucky,” Rockruff quipped.

“Promise you’ll never leave my side,” she said, voice breaking slightly.

“You know, I can’t quite literally do that…”

“Dummy. You know what I mean.” Litleo gripped him tighter. “Then promise… promise me we won’t ever really be separated. Even if we’re far apart, we’ll be together.”

Rockruff’s heart and tail danced. Now that, he could do. He would do.

Rockruff closed his eyes, giving her a gentle nuzzle. He felt her tense up but then relax. “I promise,” he whispered, his words being carried by the wind.

‘I’ll watch over you no matter the distance.‘

---

End of Special Arc 1