She remembers the time when she was just a pup.
She was a Lillipup, like she still is, and, at the time, she was an It.
It was boring most of the time, as the furless two-legged creatures would come and go, just watching her and talking to each other, sometimes without even leaving any food.
Then one day they started to train her, she started to understand how to use her moves, and how to move without these 'humans', as they called themselves, much to their discontent.
They hated it as much as the fact that she refused to evolve.
Why evolve? She saw no reason for that.
She was good as a Lillipup.
That was how she passed the time in her cage.
She battled by herself in the limited space until someone took her to train or to give her food.
Then one day they changed her cage.
It was bigger, more barren and greyer.
It was there where she met her pack.
The Houndour and Poochyena were just born, three full years younger than her, as the humans said.
They were curious and silly, but also sad and scared.
She didn't see that in them.
She smelled it.
She could smell their fear of the place, of the humans.
Of her.
And she couldn't blame them.
She felt the same too in the start.
So she did the only thing she could think of.
She formed a pack.
She took them under her wing and for then on she was the only one that could approach them, the humans were afraid of her and wouldn't dare to do something, so they started to receive less and less atencion, and less and less food.
They would leave them to rot in this big cage, hardly big enough for the three of them to play or train on their own.
Or so she thought.
One day they brought them more food than usual, were more gentle than usual and more cooperative than usual.
They even left the room when the food was served.
They never left the room! They always watched to see if they would eat everything!
But at the time they didn't notice, it had been a few days since the last meal, so they dug in without thinking.
A big mistake, since, after eating a bit, they started to cough, and the world started to turn black.
And then they woke up in the Ranch.
There they met Nature, a bizarrely kind being that she couldn't help but suspect.
When would he betray them?
When would they be forced to do something they don't want to?
When would they be put in a cage again?
But nothing happened.
She weren't betrayed, they weren't forced to do anything, they weren't put in a cage.
Nothing happened in two years.
But couldn't help but suspect.
So they started to cause chaos.
They needed to assert dominance.
It was in the second year that she met Zorua.
The little thing was left out of her pack, being a bit timid for their tastes
When they met, she was crying in a bush, and just cried louder when she saw them.
She reeked of fear, insecurity and sadness.
They already had a bad reputation at the time and even this barely one month old Zorua knew they were trouble.
But then she called her to her pack.
She fit in perfectly, soon joining them on their shenanigans and developing a mask of a traditional Zorua.
But only in front of others.
Not even Nature knew their true nature (no intentional pun), and she made sure of this.
That thing in human skin couldn't be this good.
It was impossible.
The only one they would respect and act normally there was an Audino called Faith.
She was nice, and, even though she couldn't talk, her notebook had many things to say, even if Lillipup was the only one who could read.
But the best thing about her was that she understood them.
Just like Lillipup could smell her pack's emotions, Faith could hear theirs.
And much better than most Audino.
So she made a deal with the Audino, to not tell anyone about their acting, she didn't like it, but complayed.
But then the ranch opened for business.
She knew that the Pokemon here would be sold, she expected that, as there was no free meal in the world.
But Nature said she, Houndour and Poochyena wouldn't.
Adopted.
That was the word used.
But just them.
Zorua had to be purchased.
She asked why this and he said that she couldn't be classified as a rescue by the standards, and that was one of the rules the one who brought them here made, and that he couldn't change it as much as he would like to.
But he promised her that he found a loophole, so they would share a 'file', and she, Houndour and Poochyena could only be taken if Zorua was with them, and Zorua could only leave if they were with her.
So she was satisfied.
As suspicious as she was of Nature, she saw with her own eyes how much he respected promises, so she could rest assured that they would be together, even though she knew nobody would want them.
But then someone did.
Right on the second day, Nature came to them and told them that there was someone who wanted to see them.
She was tense, even if she pretended not to be
So she did what she did best.
She caused a scene.
She opened the door with a bang, her pack right behind her, and she called out for the one that wanted to see them with an attitude.
But then she saw him.
A boy.
Far older than her and the members of her pack, but young by human standards, with strange pointy ears.
He was looking at them with fascination.
Not the fascination that the humans she knew.
It was that silly curiosity that she saw in Houndour and Poochyena.
Then she smelled it.
A putrid smell of self-doubt and insecurity that she only felt when she met Lyka.
It was unbearably sad, to the point she could only speculate what might have happened for this boy to be in such a state.
She felt a spark inside her, similar, but not at all close, to an electric move.
She once heard Gothitelle tell the other young ones and rescues how it felt to find the right trainer, how a spark would lit up and ignited something they themselves couldn't understand.
She said sometimes it would take time, and sometimes it would happen immediately.
Lillipup smiled.
And, at that moment, she could only do one thing.
Invite him to her pack.
Because, just like the members of her pack, he smelled like someone who needed a friend.
_______________________________________
The moment he saw her, he knew she was the right one.
His skills didn't really rave a reaction, but he knew he could tame her.
But he didn't.
The instinct that told him that he could also told him that he didn't need to.
And he didn't really know why.
All he knew was that she was the one.
And that she felt the same.
So he squatted, his knees on the floor, a smile just like the one the group had formed in his lips.
"Only if we share leadership" He said.
The Lillipup smile got bigger, contempt in her face.
"Deal"
Now he was part of a pack.
And he has the impression that things will be a bit crazy from now on.
***
Sunflower was a bit surprised.
Well, by everything.
This place was way more interesting than he imagined.
And the creatures they have here sounded surprisingly efficient.
He actually wanted to get one for himself.
But decide to let the thought aside.
Today was Raff's day, not work day.
So he was quite curious to meet this so-called trouble.
But now he sees his nephew sitting on the floor, the Lillipup sitting in his lap like a little queen, the Zorua in his head looking at them like a hawk and the Houndour and Poochyena by his side like two guards.
"Seems like I am part of the pack now?"
His nephew had an amused smile on his face, as the owner of the place and the two Raboot, as he now knew, were astonished.
"I… have to admit that I wasn't expecting this outcome" The young owner said before adding "With all due respect"
"It's ok" Raff said with a smile "I wasn't expecting this too"
Sunflower could only smile in amusement.
This wasn't the first time this kind of thing happened, as Raff was actually considered the leader or co-leader of most Beast packs that live in the guild, helping with work.
He was the main reason why World Tree could raise Beasts more easily.
If you know what they need, why struggle?
Because of this, there was no one in the guild that didn't know Raff, much less how important he was to the guild.
If only he had graduated, he would already have been part of the guild.
But for now he was a member in name only.
Sunflower saw the small smile that appeared in the young man's face.
"Even though I'm worried about the world's safety" He said "I'm happy for you guys"
The Lillipup barked at the young man, who only chuckled.
"Say whatever you want" He said "But I'm really happy for you and your pack"
The Lillipup snarled at him, then turned her head.
Sunflower grinned, he could hear Lane and Yuko chuckling.
The little Beast just had too much pride for her petite size, and it was honestly amusing.
"So how about we go get your Rotom Dex?" The young man said.
That picked the interest of the group, especially Lillipup and her gang.
"Rotom Dex?" Raff, Lana and Sunflower said at the same time.
The Lillipup took this moment to jump from Raff's lap, barking before disappearing somewhere, leaving an exasperated look of Raboot.
"She went to get a Rotom that she likes" Raff translated "But what is a Rotom?"
"Rotom is one of many species of Pokemon" The young man explained "Being of Ghost and Electric Type, their greatest feature is the ability to possess electronics and travel through electric currents"
Sunflower remembered the explanation the young man had given about Types.
There were eighteen, all different and equally curious, just like the Pokemon themselves, and with that many Pokemon with more than one Type.
But a being that can possess electronics and travel through electric current was a bit surreal.
"What is a Rotom Dex?"
Lana, who was as curious as Raff, approached her uncle and extended her hand, letting the rest of the pack sniff on her while Raff explained that she was his niece.
"Rotom Dex is a Rotom that possessed a Pokedex designed for them" The young man explained "Different from standard Pokedex, that give you just information about Pokemon you point it at, they have much more detailed information about their necessities, evolution conditions and other facts about them"
"Me and Yuko decided that a Rotom Dex would be more interesting to Raff" Lane said "It can talk on it's own and know everything about Pokemon, so we thought that he might like more"
Sunflower nodded at that.
Knowing Raff, the boy would love to have a source of information about his new friends.
So he watched as the children interacted while waiting for Lillipup to return with a Rotom.
***
He heard it first before they saw it.
"Out of my way!"
It darted through the door with static energy and hit Nature in the face.
The entrance was immediately lit with the electricity that surrounded Nature.
When it stopped, a scorched Nature was left with a puffed hair as he took the thing out of his face.
It took Raff by surprise.
"Score!"
Lillipup came soon after, her smile as mischievous as ever.
'So this is a Rotom?' He thought.
It was orange with a pair of limbs that reminded him of a lightning symbol, its blue eyes a line cutting them in half and it had a smile on its face as it giggled.
"I thought you said you wanted to be a combat Rotom" Nature said.
"I changed sides!" It said.
It floated out of Nature's hands and started to circle around Raff.
"So you are the one the manence queen was talking about" It said with judging eyes "I expected someone bigger since you tamed her"
Raff just smiled at it, not at all offended.
"My name is Rafflesia Arnoldii Auberon" He said simply "But everyone call me Raff, and I might not be big, but I'm not weak either"
The Rotom stopped on its tracks, giving him a long look.
"Your name is stupidly long and complicated" It said "And isn't Rafflesia Arnoldii the name of a plant? There's two pokemon that look like it"
Raff gave it a helpless smile.
"Some elf tribes like to name their children after plants" He said "Even as a half-blood, I didn't scape the tradition"
It nodded at the information and resumed to circle around him again.
"Any reason for me to follow you?" It asked "Lillipup brought me here because I'm the only Rotom that she can tolere, but why should I go with you?"
He stopped to contemplate.
He didn't have a reason to make the Rotom come with him, and he knew that saying that his half-brother was paying for it wouldn't be a real reason.
So he told the truth.
"I don't know?" He said honestly "What would you like to hear from me? I know nothing about you, and you don't know anything about me, so how should I know what I'm supposed to ofere?"
The Pokemon stopped once again, the expression blank for a moment.
Then it showed a wide smile.
"Now I know why Lillipup likes you" He said.
It got closer to him, stopping by his ear.
"Nate is very easy going with everyone" It he spoke softly "But, apparently, he don't feels human sometimes, so the rescues can be quite wary of him, Lillipup and most ofher gang especially, even though the pokemon born in the ranch trust him a lot, me and Zorua included"
Raff saw as the pokemon around him nodded, even the Raboot siblings did so, even though they were a bit more distante, but if Nature heard it, he pretended not to and kept talking to the adults, assuring them that he was fine while cleaning himself.
"But you feel different from Nate even though you two are the same way" It said "You feel more… how to say it… natural? Normal? Comum? It's hard to explain, but I'd definitely say that you are interesting"
It moved from its position and stopped in front of his face.
"I'm curious to see what more in you is different from Nate" It said "So I'm coming with you"
Raff was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled.
"Welcome to the pack then"