Kero is baaaack! Lol.
“Nya… walking sucks,” Isis whined again. It was cute the first few times, but now it became a predictable milestone for me and Dan to endure every time the sky turned a darker shade of color. “Why can’t we just make Kero a member of our team? Then we could teleport him back to our base in an instant!”

“And be reprimanded when we arrive,” Dan finished, casting his gray head back to the two following him. “If we showed up with another team member out of the blue, she’d have our hides and our badges! Besides,” he shook his head, looking to the path before him again. “We’re still not sure who Kero is. If someone is worried about him, then making him a member would only put him in more danger than we can afford.”

“I know,” the Meowth released with a sigh, pure disappointment marking her pretty white face. “But we could, like, fire him or something when we get there, couldn’t we? Come on… you hate the walking too, don’t you, Kero?”

Her wide eyes pleaded with me to agree but, to be honest, the walk had helped cool my head and calm my nerves. I could stand for more of it; after all, that revive seed had completely restored my stamina, even if it didn’t do anything for the wound on my shoulder.

“I’m fine, Isis,” I replied, remorsefully watching the hope of my compliance bleed from her face. She opened her mouth and uttered a single syllable before the Machop cut her short, stopping in his tracks and turning to face the whining feline.

“Suck it up, would you? It’s only about another hours walk from here. You’ll be fine.” Dan gave a small shake of his head. “By the Original, you Meowth are high maintenance mon, aren’t you?”

Isis looked genuinely insulted. “Hey! That’s not very nice, you jerk! I can’t help it if I was born with sensitive foot pads.” She picked up one of her ankles and rubbed the bottom of her brown-furred feet, brushing dirt and a few flecks of debris from between her toes. I knew first-hand how terrible the ground was in the forest, especially now that it was getting harder to see. My tail-flame was much more prominent, the glow seeming to light the way nicely for our gray-skinned leader.

“Well, here,” I offered, turning my back to her and curling my flaming tail out of the way. Both she and her Machop looked at me quizzically so I patted my shoulders and looked back to the Meowth. “Hop on. My feet are tougher than yours and it’s the least I can do for helping me out back there.”

Dan’s red eyes seemed to not believe what they saw. “Kero, you shouldn’t encourage-“

I lurched forward as a light, yet persistent furry mass thrust itself upon my back. Two white arms wrapped themselves around my shoulders and chest while two brown-tipped feet slid beneath my elbows like a saddle, resting comfortably in them with a little wriggle. I could feel the chill touch of the metal tools she wore around her sash, the coolness making me shiver before the tools quickly warmed to against my heated scales. She leaned her head over my shoulder and sighed happily, her feet swinging up and down as she got comfortable in her new saddle. “Thank you, Kero! I always wanted to ride a dragon, nya~!”

Dan shook his head at the display as I struggled with the new weight, thankful that her slender frame was easily bearable despite my mildly irritating injury. “You can’t have a chauffeur everywhere, Isis.”

“But I can have one to take me home! You’re just mad because you didn’t think of it first.”

“I don’t need a ride.”

“Of course you don’t,” she smiled, sticking her little tongue out. “I was talking about the idea of giving me one.” The Meowth started nuzzling into the side of my face, the dull rumble of a purr vibrating from her neck and down my spine. “Kero’s such a gentleman, nya.”

That last little noise sounded like the end to a cute child’s song, one that I was quickly growing fond of. I let her snuggle against me before taking a few careful steps to get used to the weight on my back as I moved. “It’s no trouble. You’re pretty light, actually.”

“And the compliments! I wanna keep him... we could say he’s a pet! He could stay in my room and do all the chores around the place while we’re on missions! We could pay him in fruit!”

I’m a pet? I suddenly imagined a collar being wrapped around my neck and being pulled along on a leash by the Meowth. I really didn’t know how to take that thought and Dan didn’t dignify her request with a response other than shaking his head some more and continuing to walk. I treaded behind him, Isis’ body lightly bouncing and her white fur barely moving across the scales on my back. It felt good, especially in the places where I’d been scratched by the bark earlier.

After a while, her delighted purring begun to slowly die down, her breaths getting increasingly deeper. She was falling asleep on me.

“So warm…” She breathed her words, the light, musical tone of her voice echoing in my mind like a tiny bell. It was actually quite nice to hear her purring come to an end and feeling her head rest on my shoulder like a scaly pillow. I steadied my pace as I kept walking, taking care not to jostle my slumbering passenger.

We walked in silence for a while till we reached the forest’s edge. Once we had passed the trees, I let out a sigh. “Ah… it looks like we’re clear of that mess.”

Dan remained silent for a time and I began to grow nervous. I thought perhaps I’d upset him in some way till he began to speak, his words sounding slow but well thought out. “I’d like to thank you, Kero.”

The sudden gratitude surprised me. “Huh?”

“For what you did back there. It is rare to see someone so willing to put their life on the line for anything anymore, especially not for someone they barely know. You’re an enigma, but if nothing else, I know that I can trust you.”

“Oh…” I let a small smile split my little lips as my tail softly swayed. “Thanks… I’m glad that I have some allies.”

“Anyone who would risk their neck to help a mon in need deserves more than allies. If it were up to me, I’d gladly fight alongside you.”

I looked down, keeping my smile, but now a little apprehensive. “Not that I did very much fighting. They pretty much creamed me back there.”

“That is true; you are a pathetic warrior to be bested by that trio.” I suddenly knew how Isis felt when Dan spoke to her like that. It was a dramatic shift from compliment to insult, and I wanted to defend myself, but I really had no ammunition.

However, he did it for me. “But battles are not won by sheer strength alone. Compared to you, the Poochyena had that much… but they lacked heart. You were able to stand up to them to protect our client, who you didn’t even know. In fact, you didn’t know anyone, and that is the key.”

He stopped and turned around, a rather bold look in his eyes that bordered on admirable and manic. He pointed at me most dramatically and made his next statement with words that resonated with a boasting quality of insanity.

“It proves who you really are: even when you lose all knowledge of yourself, you are the principle of righteous honor! At your most basic level, you are a defender of those in need. That, no matter who you were, defines you absolutely.”

There was a silent pause, where not even the wind dared question those words out of confusion or fear. I was thinking about what he said, and he was right. Perhaps knowing that would help me find out who I was. After all, apparently my ideology of ‘heroic stupidity’ was so uncommon that there were bound to be only a few groups that I could belong to.

At least, that’s what I hoped.

The silence was finally broken by a cute yawn. “Shh… trying… shleep… be quiet, windbag…”

Isis spoke those words while adjusting herself more comfortably onto my back, making the Machop standing before us melt from his dramatic pose and turn back around, resuming his quiet steps. “Well, you won’t get much rest. We’re nearly there.”

I stifled my laughter for the comfort of the Meowth and for what remained of Dan’s pride. Starting to walk again, I shuddered as a warm, yet rough sensation washed over my neck. It was like wet sandpaper being gently scraped across my scales. The soft, raspy sound that came from Isis’ head made me realize that she was licking me. Dan must have heard the sound as well, because he turned his head as he walked, smiling at me.

“Hah… that’s why I didn’t offer to carry her. She grooms in her sleep and she licks my skin raw every time. I do appreciate it, though. At least you got her to be quiet. An epic victory.”

I did my best to ignore the tongue, but my best wasn’t good enough. Even as I continued walking, I was made aware of every lick, which left the scales on my neck wet with such a thin layer of feline saliva that it quickly, and coldly, evaporated with the passing breeze. It felt good in an odd sort of way, probably because it made Isis seem softer and cuter than before, almost pathetically so.

I smiled as I walked, enjoying my little passenger as we drew closer to my new destination. Soon enough, I would meet someone that could help me; at least, I hoped that they could. Granted, hope was my best friend, but my allies stood firm on their position that meeting their leader would help me understand who I was, or at least find out where I come from.

As if sensing my thoughts, Dan threw back a wave. “I’m sure our leader will be able to help you, Kero. You’ll be reunited with your loved ones soon enough. Now, watch out up ahead, there is a pretty steep hill we have to climb and I don’t want to hear Isis whining if she falls off your back.”

=============

It wasn’t long before we stood at the base of the HQ. I only knew what it was, though, because Isis yawned and woke up when we arrived, saying “We’re home.” That word sounded good to me, home, but looking at it…

Well, it was a shack that was in need of some cosmetic repair. The shape of the structure was a large dome, with mottled brown planks that had to have some sort of bug living in them to look that way. It was large, though, and it did have a few windows in the front. I know I shouldn’t be critical of my new home, even if it was hopefully temporary. It would be terribly impolite.

Dan went up to the thing and knocked on the large door, a few flecks of bark peeling off of the wooden portal. He noticed it and chuckled, scratching the back of his flat-horned head and looking towards me. “I apologize for the state of things, Kero. We’ve been a bit tight on money, so this is the best we can do for the moment.”

I was about to wave the comment off when the door burst open, a huge mass of white fur towering over the Machop and a paw-full of sharp, heavy claws landing on the gray thing’s head. I took a few steps back in fear but Isis giggled sweetly in my ear. “No worries, Kero.”

On the verge of asking the Meowth what was going on, I heard a deeper, yet still feminine voice break the tension. “What was that, Dan?” I looked back to them, and saw the creature lifting Dan by his head to meet her gaze. Her entire body was covered in white fur, save for several red markings, including a zig-zag pattern running across her midsection and red blotches below her fistful of claws, making it look like she had just made a fresh kill. Her left eye was struck through with another red mark, which shot downward to her cheek and blazed up to one of her long, pointed ears. It was a Zangoose. Her build was slightly chubby, as was common for the species, but what stood out the most, at least, I thought, were the two furry breasts that hung from her chest. Yeah, she… she was a female.

“Are you apologizing for the state of your home? You don’t have to stay here you know.” Her voice was calm, deadly calm, like a cloaked dagger, which matched her appearance quite well. I caught a glimpse of her fangs, but I’m sure that Dan had more of an eyeful. “Remember, I built this place with my own claws. I put a lot of hard work into it.” She made it sound she was looking for a soft, apologetic compliment, but she might as well have been asking for one with a knife at your throat.

I’m sure Dan felt it himself. “I…uh…” He could barely speak, and his eyes were wide with a fear that I didn’t think he could have. “S… ah… sorry, Mistress Tavi. I should have said that anyone would feel honored to stay in this glorious hall.”

“Better,” she smiled, moving to put him down, then noticing me. She scanned me for a moment, then raised her brow, blinking. “Who’s the kid?”

Isis hopped off my back, but I barely had a chance to have her warmth leave me before she hugged me and looked towards her leader. “This is Kero, Miss Tavi!” She said, no fear present in her cheerful voice. “We found him in the woods. He doesn’t remember who he is or where he’s from, so I took him back here to see if you could help him.”

I saw the Zangoose purse her lips and her ears droop with a hint of annoyance, her bushy tail swinging back and forth slowly as she looked back to her captive cohort. “Dan, did you know about this?”

“Er… Yes, Mistress Tavi.”

“And I’m sure that, before jumping into this impromptu mission, you made certain to accomplish the one you were assigned, correct?”

“Of course, Mistress! We would never disobey-“

“Then where’s the money?”

I saw the Machop’s stubby tail shoot straight out, going stiff as his whole body tensed. “I…er, we…um… forgot.”

With her other hand, she raised it up, and Dan braced for an impact. However, she simply brought it to her head, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. Isis jumped in front of me, her own tail rigid. Apparently, she forgot to.

“Nyo, we didn’t!” She claimed, taking out her badge. “We would have, Miss, but the badge didn’t work on Kero! We couldn’t leave him in the woods just to go get some money, could we?”

Tavi’s ears twitched and she lowered her claws, letting Dan back down. I swear I could see the relief flooding through him, every muscle releasing its tension one at a time.

She looked at me, then reached just inside the door. She returned with a badge similar to the ones the others had and repeated what they had done to see if they were telling the truth. The golden light, no matter how wondrous and brilliant, was getting quite boring, its majesty dulled by the fact that it doesn’t do anything. When I was still standing before her, she let out a little “Huh,” and tossed the badge backwards, Dan having to catch it before it smacked into the ground.

Isis skipped up to her, smiling and rolling her tail in her claws. “We think it’s because he’s wild. See, the badge doesn’t work on ferals, and if that’s the case, you might get a big reward from the family, right? I mean, they’re dragons! They should be loaded!!”

Her volume was instantly muted by a heavy claw flicking itself across her coin, she rolled backwards, standing and rubbing her rump. I knew I should have felt concerned, but admittedly I found the sight of a white furball barreling backwards a bit amusing. “Oow! Why?”

“The badge works on ferals,” Tavi said, crouching to be on eye-level with me and placing on claw over her knee. Those crimson eyes bore into my head and I had to stop myself from taking a step back. Rather, I couldn’t; I felt like I couldn’t move. Now I know how Dan must have felt. I just hope she let me keep my face.

However, her realization stumped me and my friends, who looked to each other and shrugged. Tavi sighed, the hot breath washing against my chest scales. It was a clean breath, which was a relief; there was a subtle fear I had that only half of those red markings were just fur.

She stood and turned towards her teammates. “Alright, this is a new team. I’m not surprised you’re not all too familiar with how the badge works. The best way to describe it,” she said, looking towards me and twitching her ears. “Is that it sends you home.”

Dan cocked his head and Isis gave out a curious “Nyo,” prompting more from their mistress. She crossed her thick arms and closed her eyes, as if reading from a manual underneath her eyelids.

“The badge was created by Psychic Pokémon, which makes it easy for them to scan the minds of their targets. It does this to find out what the Pokémon perceives as home. If you use it on someone from the town, it obviously sends them back to town, but using it on a feral will have no effect if the wild one considers its home to be the wilderness in which it is standing. It does synch up with your report, though; even if he was feral, then the badge would have returned him to his home, had he any memory of it. After all, no Charmander call these woods home, or any woods for that matter.”

Isis let out an “Ooooh,” of realization, leaving me to just stand and ponder what the Zangoose said. “So… not even a psychic scan could find out where I’m from, huh?”

Tavi returned her attention to me, and her eyes were surprisingly soft. They didn’t resemble the blades of judgment from before and I honestly felt comforted by them. “Don’t worry, kid, the badge has a very limited amount of power. We’ll find out where you’re from in no time at all.”

She placed her heavy paw on my head and I feared I was about to be lifted like Dan. She just ruffled my scalp, though, toying with my head as if it was full of hair. I found myself… hypnotized, and it took me a while to figure out that I was staring rather blatantly at the two massive breasts swinging in front of my head. I heard her give a short, very girlish laugh. “You’ll be the cutest little chore I’ve had to deal with since starting this thing up.”

I wasn’t insulted, par se. It meant, at least, that she was willing to help me. That filled me with enough joy to not even feel the effects of the gentle ribbing. Isis agreed, her background noises translating to “He is cute, isn’t he? Like a plush doll on fire!”

The Zangoose rose, breaking her voluptuous spell on me, and turned to face her two companions. “I’ll have to contact our clients and tell them that it will be tomorrow before we collect our payment. Hopefully, they won’t dock us any; the Touliani family is very particular about having planned meetings to discuss such things. Saving his daughter just might be the leverage we need to get more missions from his rather prestigious group.”

Dan’s eyes went wide. “She was Arianna Touliani? What was she doing in Thunderwave Cave?”

“I don’t know. I heard she was a bit of a rebel, but it’s a stupid move to go beyond the city walls without an escort. After all, the tremors are making all the ferals nervous and some are becoming much more territorial than they normally are, attacking anyone on sight to protect the little sanctuary that they found for themselves.”

It was my turn to cock my head. “Tremors? What is causing them?”

She sighed and shrugged, stepping back towards the hut. “Damned if I know, kid. There used to be one Rescue Team, and that was Alakazam’s. When these tremors started, there was so much chaos that we needed to make more just to handle the disaster workload. If you have any more questions, keep them to yourself until we’re out of the night air, alright?”

As soon as she said it, I noticed it, my skin free of feline warmth and my own blushing blood and leaving me with a cold, empty feeling. I felt my tail-flame grow a bit brighter to compensate. Opening the door, the Zangoose bid us all inside. “Alright everyone, get in,” she said, grabbing her badge from Dan.

When I entered the den, I was surprised that I didn’t smell the rotten wood. In fact, the scent of fresh pine filled my sensitive nostrils. It was a very soothing and fresh. Moonlight shone through the windows leaving circles of light on the floor that illuminated very little, save for the middle of the den. In the center of this main room was a large, square table, two chairs sitting closer to the door while the third was at the head. This must be where they plan their missions.

Tavi stepped into the room and went to the chair at the head, sitting her larger body down and relaxing as she opened up her badge. “I need to make a call to Donovan Touliani. I really hope that his daughter didn’t get hurt.”

Isis leaped into the room, landing all paws down on the table and sitting on her haunches. Looking to her leader, she smiled. “Not a scratch on her!”

“Really?”

Isis nodded and Dan approached the table as well. “That’s right. She was being chased by Poochyena but they never got a chance to attack her.”

“Wow, hey, not bad guys. That’ll definitely put our team in good with the Toulianis.”

I noticed there was a free seat and sat down. I knew it was Isis’ but I doubt, with the way she is, that she ever used it. As soon as I took my seat in that cold hard wood, though, Isis’ eyes caught me, her irises gleaming with a haunting glow and her voice, though still cheery, had a deeper tone to it. “Actually, it was Kero. He held them off long enough for us to perform the rescue.”

Tavi closed her badge, the dull click making me jump a little as she looked at me. “You’re kidding… you can fight?”

“Um…”

She placed the badge on the table and sighed. “Well… that’s a bit disappointing. If she goes home telling her father that a stranger saved her instead of our team, then it’ll look pretty bad for us.”

I mentally winced and took a gulp to calm myself. I didn’t mean to screw up anybody’s life. What if she kicks me out because of it? Hell, what if she-

“Nyaha, I don’t think she knew!”

Isis’ chipper mood made me jump out of my somber one and I looked to her, waiting for her to deliver an explanation from those smiling lips and happy, swishing tail. Dan, however, was the one that spoke. “She’s right. Kero presented a standard of selfless courage that you don’t see outside of a rescue team. It’s possible that Adrianna thought that he was with us when he helped her.”

Tavi’s bushy tail swayed a little at that. “Then we’re not screwed out of payment at least. But now I’m curious as to what the Hell happened out there.”

She scanned us all and, sitting with the crew, I felt like I was part of their team for an instant. I suppose it was more out of a shared emotion of fear, but any sort of camaraderie was better than none, right?

“Now, all of you, I need answers. Start talking.”