The Will To Protect_Part 3

     After their escape, the three continued their way north, along the western shore, toward Pokémon Square. They figured whatever hope there was left for Plamen's survival, they could get a real rescue team to save him.

     "Hurry up!" Baraq barked back at Nina, who was lagging behind. "The sooner we get there, the sooner someone could rescue Plamen!"

     "I'm coming, dang it!" she snapped back irritably. "Unlike someone, I had to do most of the fighting! So, I don't have as much energy left as you do!"

     "I don't wanna hear your lame excuses! I was the one who ran us out! I'm obviously more exhausted than you!"

     "Yeah, that really shows!"

     The two kept arguing that way as they traveled, over even the most trivial things, or otherwise grudgingly kept silent. Keahi quietly rode on Baraq's back, trying to tune out the yelling, trying not to think.
     When they rested at night, Keahi's plaguing thoughts kept him awake. "We're going to save you, Dad…" he tried saying to himself for reassurance. "Just hang on a little longer…" But every way he looked at it, he couldn't help but think there was no use…
     Two days later, they were crossing a vast field, nearing their final destination.

     "It should be just around here, right?" Baraq wondered aloud, looking around. "Maybe behind those trees way over there…"

     "It's supposed to be along a cliff that overlooks the sea," Nina reminded him. "I told you that if we just followed that river, we would have found it by now!"

     "Hey! I was the one who suggested swimming across that river, but no! You just kept chickening out!"

     "You know I can't swim that well, and Keahi can't swim at all! Did you really expect to carry us both all the way across?!"

     "I could have managed it!"

     "All we had to do was follow the river downstream, and we would have found the dang town by now! But you just had to try to convince us that that would've taken longer! And now look where we are! You got us lost!"

     "I'm not lost! I know what I'm doing! We just need to keep going this way!"

     "Some co-leader you are! At least Plamen never got us lost!"

     Baraq sparked up dangerously. "Well, Plamen's not here anymore, is he?! Because SOMEONE just HAD to agree to leave him behind!"

     Nina bared her sharp fangs at him. "You think I WANTED to leave him?! I was only trying to follow his wishes and save his son before he could get himself killed!"

     "SHUT UP!" Keahi screamed, and the two stopped to stare at him. "Just stop it! Stop fighting all the time! I can't take it anymore!" He sped off toward the wall of trees as fast as he could manage.

     Baraq and Nina watched in shock as he ran, and then looked at each other shamefully.

***

     When they found him, he was hiding inside an old, abandoned hut, huddled up and sobbing in a corner. They slowly walked up to him.

     "Keahi…?" Nina began softly. "We're really sorry…"

     "You're right," Baraq told him. "We really shouldn't be fighting like this…"

     Keahi sniffled. "Y-you guys never f-fought like this when…wh-when Dad was…"

     "We were just frustrated…"

     "Why…? Why did he have to do that…? Just to save us? But if we just… If we just held on a little longer, then maybe… Maybe…" More tears fell.

     Nina hugged him sympathetically. "I know… I know… But we didn't have much else of a choice at that point…"

     Baraq knelt down to him. "Don't worry, Keahi. Once we find a rescue team to help us, they'll save your dad in no time, you'll see…"

     "A rescue team?" They turned to the doorway to see that a Lombre was peeking in. "You said you needed the help of a rescue team, didn't you?" he asked. "Well, then you came to the right place."

     As it turned out, they had finally reached Pokémon Square, the central town for rescue teams. Lombre helped them find a team quickly, and that team set out to Southern Cavern in search for the missing Typhlosion.
     The three waited days for them to return with him… But when they did finally come back, all they had with them was a tattered, red scarf. His scarf. It was all they could find.

     Keahi sat alone in the abandoned hut, clenching onto the red scarf, blankly staring at it as his mind wandered to older memories.

     "Hey, dad? Can I have a little sister?" …

     "But Keahi… You can't have a little sister…"

     "Aww, please? I promise to take good care of her! I'll protect her from bullies, and get stuff for her… And she would do the same for me!"

     "I-I'm sorry, Keahi, but… I-it's just not that easy." …

     "So, then, when we get to Pokémon Square?"

     "We'll see."

     "Which probably still means no…"

     "It was selfish of me to ask that of him…" he whispered to himself. "He was having a hard enough time as it was, with everything else he was dealing with… I must have been making it so much harder…"

     "What happened to Mom, Dad?"

     "Hm…? You don't remember, do you? You were still pretty little…"

     "He said he couldn't save her… In that sudden outbreak of natural disasters, and all those confused and angry Pokémon…"

     "Is that why you want to start your own rescue team? To make up for not being able to save Mom…?"

     "…Yeah… I guess you can put it that way…"

     "And he wanted to carry on her wish that Pokémon would live more peacefully with each other…"

     "As the duty of a rescue team, it's their job maintain the peace in the world. Especially now that natural disasters are getting more out of control and Pokémon are becoming more enraged because of them."

     Keahi continued to stare at the red scarf as he thought, and a new determination began to boil up inside of him. He clenched more tightly onto it, and then tied it onto his arm.

***

     "You're what?" Nina asked, a bit shocked.

     "I'm taking over for my dad and making my own rescue team!"

     "But Keahi," Baraq objected, "we were just going to go back home. Besides, you're still much too young to be able to handle a rescue team."

     "Then, I'll just have to get stronger, won't I?" he rebutted. "I'll train every day, just like you guys did!"

     "Keahi…"

     "I'm not going back with you! I'm going to take my dad's dream and make it my own! If I just keep working hard, I'll have my own rescue team in no time! The best rescue team you'll ever know, you'll see! And with my partners by my side, we'll bring more peace to the world!"

     Baraq and Nina looked at each other and sighed. Then, they looked back at Keahi and smiled. "If that's what you wanna do, then go for it!" Baraq encouraged.

     "We'll wish you the best of luck, Keahi. Your dad would be very proud of you."

     Keahi smiled back and nodded.

***

     From then on, he began training. Although, when he trained…

     He Tackled a Wurmple. "Take that, Wurmple!" But the Wurmple turned back on him, covering him with a sticky String Shot and following up with a Tackle of its own. Keahi lied on the ground as the Wurmple inched away. "…Okay, you win…"

     And when he tried asking around for a partner to help him start a rescue team…

     "So, how about it, Pidgey? We could be the best team ever!" But the Pidgey only stared at him, unimpressed, and then started Pecking his head. "Owowowow! Stop that! I was only asking!"

     A couple of short years passed, and his determination, as well as his confidence, dwindled. Although some of the townsfolk cheered him on, others laughed and made fun of him for his seemingly farfetched ideal, saying he was too weak and too scared to form a great rescue team, let alone the best. And even through all the teasing, he still could never seem to bring himself to train past the outskirts of Tiny Woods. His timidity would always find excuses for him not to, and he couldn't help but begin to believe the taunting.
     But above that…he was lonely. If he could just have a friend, he thought. A friend who would actually team up with him to form his rescue team, who would always stay by his side and help give him the motivation to push through all the hardships. He would protect them from the bad guys and get stuff for them…
     "And they would do the same for me…" He sighed. "Just like a brother and sis--wha!" Suddenly, he tripped on something while he wasn't looking and fell flat on his face. "Ow…" He pushed himself off the ground and looked at what he tripped over. His eyes widened at the sight. "A Skitty…?" He stood up and examined the unconscious Pokémon. "I've never seen a Skitty in this area before…" He scanned the area for anyone else, but it seemed that the Skitty was alone. "Maybe she collapsed from exhaustion…? I hope she's not dead…" He shook her a bit. "…Um… …Excuse me. …Please, wake up."

     Maybe she could be that friend…

***
***
***

     "Come on, wake up."

     Keahi opened his eyes to find Sanura shaking him awake and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Did I actually fall asleep?"

     "Yeah, you were out like a light. You must be exhausted. But I didn't think you'd want to sleep through dinner, so…" His stomach growled, and they both started laughing. "Hahaha, I thought not. Let's go eat, then!" She ran ahead.

     Keahi ran after her and thought. That's right… Thanks to Sanura, I was able to carry out my dad's dream. Better than I could have imagined, even! We formed our rescue team together and saved the world! And the world is finally becoming more peaceful again after so long. He laughed jubilantly at the memories. Dad… Wherever you are, you don't have to worry about me. I have Sanura, and we'll always be there for each other. She's been the best friend anyone's ever had… And she's the best little sister I could have ever asked for.