Recap: Since Mary laid her egg, Keith has been visited in his dreams by a mysterious "split presence" that warns him of a coming danger.  Mary was laid to rest, and a few days later, the egg hatched.  What came out, however, shocked everyone.

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Chapter 3: Birth of Hardship

"You're sure this is the right place?  It seems pretty...small."

"Positive.  Command says that the target is here, along with a nice stash of unborn recruits."

A shadowy figure emerged from the forest on the outskirts of a small pasture.  He was scanning for activity with a pair of infrared heat-sensing binoculars, while receiving and relaying information through a wireless headset.

"Wait, I've got ‘em," he spoke, his binoculars focused on a light-blue shed.  "Four humans, three Pokemon, one a medium-sized, the other two small."

"That's them," the headset buzzed in his ear.  "Any other life forms in the vicinity?"

Glancing around the rest of the landscape, the figure replied, "Just a few farm Pokemon, no serious threats."

"Very well.  Report back to base."

"Roger that.  Over and out."  The figure returned the binoculars' gaze to the figures in the shed.  "After this, nothing will be able to stop us," he said with a smirk, before turning and disappearing once more into the woods.

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The sun was beginning to set, casting its fiery-orange rays across the early evening sky. 

"Oh my god!" Mom whispered, her hands covering her mouth in surprise.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," Dad said, slowly shaking his head side-to-side.

Both Steven and I were too dumbfounded to say anything.  Nothing like this had ever happened on our little ranch.  Heck, as far as Pokemon birth records show, nothing like this had ever happened anywhere.  There was always the infrequent case of a Pokemon laying two eggs at once, thereby giving birth to twins.  Yet sitting on the table, amidst the fragments of the one eggshell, were not one, but two Eevee.

The newborn twins shook off the last few pieces of shell, and then began looking around the crowded table, shrinking back from our curious stares.  Finally one of them, the brown/tan colored one, which turned out to be a female, spotted Ardent, who had been watching the scene from behind them.  The pup gave a happy yip and ran to her, causing the silver colored Eevee, her brother, to follow.  They both snuggled right up to Ardent and began nuzzling her, a notion that the now-adoptive mother returned lovingly.

Seeing the affectionate sight caused me to smile, recovering from my previous shock.  "So, I guess twins explains why the egg was so large?" I asked, looking to my father.

"I suppose so, along with that irregular heartbeat reading.  I guess two hearts sound juuuust a bit different than one," he replied, chuckling at his own little joke.

I then turned my attention to Ardent, who had begun to give the silver pup a tongue bath.  "Guess they think you're their mom, huh?" I asked with a small grin.  "I'm happy for you girl."

"I'm glad as well," a soft, feminine voice spoke out.

Once again, everyone's jaw dropped in surprise, aside from Ardent, who looked around at us with a confused expression, the pups having curled up together and fallen asleep.

"What's wrong?" Ardent asked.  "You all look as if you've seen a Gastly."

This time, Steven was the first to recover, at least partially.  "D-did you j-j-just t-talk?" he managed to stutter.

"Did I?" Ardent said, her brow now furrowed.  "Can you all really understand me?"

"Clear as day, girl," Dad answered, obviously still stunned by the fact that he was now conversing with a Pokemon.

"What in the world is going on?" Mom asked to no one in particular.

"I think we'd all like to know that," I said, still staring at Ardent.  I felt the exact same way my mother did: confused.  Weird things were happening on this farm: Mary's abnormal pregnancy, strange presences in my dreams, twin Eevee, and now a Pokemon, my best friend no less, starts talking.  What was going to happen next, flying Grumpig?

Finally, Dad spoke up again.  "Well, something tells me we're not going to figure everything out tonight.  It's getting late and we haven't even gotten dinner started yet.  I say we get a good night's rest and see what we can find in the morning."

At this everyone agreed, but then Steven interjected, "What about the pups?"

Mom looked to him with a confused expression.  "What about them, Steven?"

Steven rolled his eyes and stated, "We still haven't named them yet."

"Oh, right!  I completely forgot," Mom said bringing a palm to her forehead.  "Well, let's wake them up and then they can decide what they like."

At this, Ardent, still cuddled against the snoozing pups, began to lick them until they were awake, and then explained what was happening.  Seeming to understand, they looked around at us, awaiting their possible names, but still staying close to Ardent.

"Okay, let's see here..." Steven mused.  "How about Bonnie and Clyde?"

"No way," I argued, "that's too stereotypical for boy-girl twins."  The pups also showed their displeasure, shaking their heads side to side.

"Alright then, how about Jack and Bella," Mom suggested.  I actually liked those names, but once again the Eevee disapproved.

"Well, I'm no good with names, that's why you're mother named you two," Dad admitted.  "What do you got, Keith?"

"Uhhhh...ermmmm..." I stammered, also having a problem with picking names.  I was about to pass when I felt a strange feeling in my mind.  Then suddenly, I had a thought, one that was not my own.

"Hello, Earth to Keith?"  I was vaguely aware of Steven's hand waving in front of my face, before I suddenly spoke up.

"Keira and Grayson."

There was a slight pause before Steven spoke up again.  "Keira and Grayson?  I've never even heard of people with those names.  I still say mine were..." He was cut short as the pups immediately barked their approval with satisfied expressions.

"Huh," Mom started.  "It's like they knew exactly what they wanted to be named."

"Well, I guess the people have spoken," Dad chuckled.  He then picked up the female, who yelped in surprise, and said, "By the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you Keira, and..." after trading pups, "I pronounce you Grayson."  The three of us rolled our eyes at Dad's overdramatic display.

"Well, contrary to Stevie's opinion, I think they are wonderful names," Ardent chimed in, earning her a glare from my brother.

Once they settled down, we helped the pups down off the table, though they shied away from our reaches.  Then after disposing of the eggshell remnants, we put the pillow the egg had been on back into the makeshift den.  Inside, Ardent curled up with her "children", who promptly fell asleep.  Dad proceeded to get two bowls from a nearby cabinet, while I walked to the icebox outside and grabbed a pail of fresh milk, the contents of which I poured into the bowls for the sleeping Eevee.  Afterward, we left Ardent, Keira, and Grayson, shutting the shed door behind us and walking back towards the house.

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‘Well, so much for excitement,' I wearily thought to myself as I pitched yet another pile of hay into the barn.  Several days had passed since the arrival of Keira and Grayson, and despite all of the strange happenings in the past few weeks, things had managed to return to their standard, dull state.  Trainers, travelers, and all manner of people once again began to frequent the farm, whether to drop off an egg, check in on ones they had left, or pick up their newborn Pokemon.

With her own newborns to care for, Ardent had quickly adapted to her new role as mother, keeping a vigilant watch over the pups, who were now beginning to explore their new home.  Oftentimes, while I was doing chores, as was the case on this particular day, I would see them out in the pasture, either playing a game of tag or tussling in the tall grass, always with Ardent close behind.  Her overprotective behavior frequently caused me to chuckle; it seemed that protectiveness was one thing she had inherited from Mary.

As for the pups themselves, they were perfectly normal - well, as normal as a regular-colored and shiny pair of twin Eevee born from the same egg can be.  The day after their birth, Mom, Ardent, the pups, and I piled into Dad's old pickup and rode into town to have the local nurse, Matilda, give the younglings a check-up.  Ever smiling, the friendly nurse listened with great interest to our story and happily agreed; yet after many various samples, screenings, and studies, there were no abnormal results.  The mystery surrounding these seemingly normal Pokemon remained just that.

So yet again, I found myself laboring under the sun's unforgiving glare, no better or worse for the events of the past few days.  Pausing to wipe the sweat from my brow, I looked up to catch a brief glimpse of navy-colored fur as it disappeared into the forest; apparently Ardent was having trouble reining in the pups' mischievous behavior...again.  Jabbing my pitchfork into the ground, I took off at a leisurely walk to see if she needed help, smirking to myself the whole way.

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"Ha ha, you can't catch me!"

"Yes I can!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

Two high-pitched voices rang out across the field as the shiny Eevee, Grayson, was chased continually by his sister.  This game of tag had become standard routine for the pups as they grew up and became more and more restless.  Although Keira seemed to be losing, in a matter of minutes she would overtake her brother, tussle in the tall grass for a moment, and then flee as he gave chase.  This would continue in a seemingly nonstop cycle; the two had near-boundless energy.

The same could not be said, however, for their mother.  Because of her over-protectiveness, Ardent insisted on following the Eevee twins everywhere they went in order to keep them from getting into trouble.  The result of this was that she was constantly chasing after them as they played, and she had nowhere near the endurance they possessed.

"Those...those little...gremlins," she panted with ragged breath, pausing briefly to keep from collapsing.  "They're gonna...kill me...one of these...days."  After somewhat regaining her energy, she glanced around to see where her charges had gotten to, only to see the cream-colored tip of a tail disappear into a shrub at the edge of the forest.

"Oh no," she gasped.  She knew from personal experience, namely the training she had done with Keith, that although these woods were fairly tame, there were still some pretty nasty Pokemon located within, and her thoughts immediately jumped to worst-case scenarios.  Not wasting a second more, she dashed off in pursuit, hoping to catch the two before it was too late.

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Low-hanging tree branches flew past, and unkempt bushes became blurs as Grayson poured his energy into evading his sister.  Dodging over many gnarled roots and around thick tree trunks, he worked his way deeper and deeper into the forest.  Finally, he chanced a glance back and was rewarded when Keira was nowhere to be seen.  Confident in his victory, he slowed considerably until he came to a complete halt, slightly panting but otherwise looking no worse-for-the-wear after his feat.

The off-color Eevee began to take in his surroundings, noting that he had never been this deep into the woods.  He had managed to work his way into a small clearing, no larger than 15 yards in diameter.  All around, oaks and elms stood tall like proud sentinels, keeping a careful watch over the clearing.  A handful of moss-coated boulders littered the space; to Grayson, they almost seemed to resemble thrones in some ancient court.  Feeling triumphant, he scrambled to the top of the largest boulder in order to survey his dominion, basking in his imagined glory.

The moment was cut short all too soon, as Grayson was suddenly and forcefully tackled from his throne.  After rolling a few times from his momentum, he was able to reorient himself, seeing that his attacker had now pinned him to the ground, and that it was none other than Keira.

"No fair, sis!" he complained.  "How'd you find me?"

Keira grinned widely before responding.  "It's not that hard when you're showing off like a stupid Honchkrow."

"Shut up, and get offa me!" he barked, struggling to free himself.

"Not until you say I'm faster, stronger and waaay cuter than you," she taunted.

"Not in a million years!"  This crossed the line for Grayson; never in his life would he admit or even entertain the idea that his sister was better than him.  As brother, he believed, he should never be outdone by who he preferred to think of as his little sister.  His pride caused a surge of energy to pulse through his body, and suddenly, not only did he knock Keira off from on top of him, but within seconds he managed to return the favor as he successfully pinned her on her back.  The female Eevee squirmed and struggled against her brother's weight, but to no avail.

"Hey, you cheated!" she spat in his face.

"I don't have to cheat, I'm just better than you," he said arrogantly, barely trying to contain the smirk now spread across his muzzle, his bushy silver tail waving proudly behind him.

So caught up were they in their argument that they failed to notice the shadowy presence intruding on their play.  A thick green vine began to snake its way through the grass towards the pups, inching closer and closer while remaining completely unnoticed.  Just a few more feet, and its target would be realized...

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A heavy silence seemed to hang in the air as I leisurely walked through the pasture towards the woods.  The day itself was perfectly peaceful: a bright sun was out, very few clouds tainted the sky, and a slight westerly breeze had started.  Yet some unseen force cast a feeling of dread over it all.  As I neared the forest, I tried to push those thoughts of unease and danger from my mind; seconds later, they were sadly confirmed.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream pierced the afternoon air, instantly chilling my spine to the very core.  That feeling soon melted away, though, as an enormous blast of fire erupted from within the maze of trees.  Immediately realizing where the scream had come from, I broke into a sprint towards the inferno's point of origin.  Time dragged on as I seemed to be getting no closer to my goal, yet somehow I finally emerged into the clearing.

I could feel my heart skip a beat as I took in the horrifying scene before me.  The once verdant grass had been charred black from the intense heat, and massive scorch marks adorned many of the surrounding trees.  Towards the far edge, there appeared to be a large chunk of coal on the ground, though upon closer inspection, I discovered the gruesome truth: it was actually the blackened, burnt remains of some unidentifiable creature.

Yet of all this, the most disturbing scene was located towards the middle of the clearing.  Lying on the ashen grass was Ardent, sobbing and huddled, along with a crying and slightly blackened Keira, around a quivering Grayson.  His eyes were clenched tightly as if he was being tortured, and tears flowed freely from them.  I immediately rushed to the mourning family, kneeling and rubbing Ardent's back to get her attention.  When she looked up at me, her eyes were bloodshot, and she spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I...I failed...I'm a terrible mother..." was all she could get out before freely breaking into sobs again.  I knelt there for what felt like hours, not knowing what to do except to try and comfort the disconsolate group of Pokemon.

Finally, after several minutes, Dad and Steven came bursting through the trees, having seen the flame from the house.  They, too, were utterly stunned by the sight of the clearing, and just stared for a while before also attempting to comfort Ardent and the pups.  Eventually, after they had calmed down slightly, we each took one in our arms to take back to the house, with Dad holding Ardent, Steven carrying Keira, and myself holding the still-trembling Grayson.

The six of us made it back to the egg shed, where Mom was already waiting for us, curious as to what had happened.  She followed us into the back room, where Steven and I set the pups in their den.  Keira immediately snuggled up to her brother trying to soothe him, and the two fell into an uneasy sleep.  Afterward, I turned to my long-time companion, who was still sniffling slightly, and began to gently run my hand along her back.

"Ardent, whatever happened, it's not your fault," I said calmingly.  "Sometimes, accidents happen, and there's nothing you can do about them."

"No..."

"What?" I asked, not sure if she had said anything due to her low voice.

"No," she said more forcefully, "it was my fault.  I should've been there.  I should've never let them out of my sight.  Because of me, they were attacked, and I couldn't do anything to stop it."

I wanted to argue with her, but realized I couldn't until I knew what had occurred.  We were silent for several minutes; I didn't want to force her to relive the obviously painful memories.  Though at last, as I continued to stroke her, I spoke up.

"Ardent, what exactly happened out there?  We need to know."

I could tell she had been dreading this moment, yet she knew that she would eventually have to explain.  The rest of my family gathered around as she took a deep breath.

"I...I was chasing after them, trying to keep up...I stopped for a second, just to catch my breath...I should've kept going...they ran into the woods, and I lost sight of them.  I followed their scents, trying to find them...and then..."

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Still struggling to free herself, Keira caught a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a green snake rearing its head, preparing to strike at her brother.

"Grayson, look out!" she screamed, but just a moment too late.  Her brother turned only to have the vine snag his back-right ankle, hoist him into the air, and drag him to the edge of the clearing.  Keira quickly rose to her feet and moved to bite the vine, only to have another attack her from the side, knocking her several feet away, unconscious.

Grayson looked around frantically as he tried to locate the vine's owner, only to come face-to-face with a monstrous Victreebel.  The plant Pokemon resembled a yellow pitcher with green spots and large leaves jutting out on either side and on top.  The mouth was ringed by two sharp fangs, and two menacing eyes, focused on the monster's prey, were located just below the teeth.

"W-w-what d-do you want?" Grayson asked fearfully, his whole body trembling.

The Victreebel gave him a vicious glare while responding in a deep, raspy voice.  "You little brats are trespassing on my territory, and I don't like trespassers."  He managed what looked to be a wicked smile before continuing.  "As punishment, I think I might just have a little afternoon snack."

At this revelation, Grayson's eyes shot open and began to fill with tears.  "Please, no! Don't eat me!  I promise I won't come back!  I promise!!"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that: what's done is done.  Now behave and I might make it quick and painless," the Victreebel said mockingly, before lifting the helpless Eevee directly above his gaping maw.  Grayson began to thrash wildly, praying that he would be saved.  The seconds dragged on like hours as he drew closer and closer to his demise.

Just as his head was about to be completely engulfed, a disturbance in one of the nearby bushes caused the Victreebel to pause momentarily.  Despite this, Grayson's fear had put him into a near-paralyzing trance, making him incognizant of anything other than his impending demise.

It was at this time that Ardent burst forth from the undergrowth, eyes wide in shock, fear, and outrage as she beheld her son about to be devoured by this vile creature.  Her emotions boiled over as she let out a loud screech.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

The Victreebel froze in terror at the outburst, and could only stand motionless as the flames on Ardent's crown and haunches flared up even brighter.  Her entire body began to shimmer with a tangible wave of heat that only intensified more and more.  Finally, just as it seemed she would implode from the sheer amount of energy, she threw her head back, sending the attack outward in a wave of pure incendiary destruction.  The soft grass instantly turned to blackened crisps as it came into contact with the overheated air.  The trees themselves seemed to bend away from the incredible force.

Then, it hit the Victreebel like an oncoming semi.  The despicable Pokemon was blown back several yards to the other side of the clearing, its leafy skin instantly setting ablaze.  It began to flail about wildly, in the process tossing Grayson, who had been protected from the brunt of the attack by being partially inside the Victreebel.  He landed near the now semi-conscious Keira, whose fur had been singed significantly more, but was far away enough not to receive any serious burns.

The Victreebel, on the other hand, had had no such luck; his entire leafy body was now covered in roiling flames, and was rapidly becoming charred.  His thrashing lessened significantly as the attack began to exact its toll on him.  Finally, he stopped moving altogether and simply lay on the ground, his corpse becoming further and further burnt until the flames eventually ran out of fuel, leaving an obsidian lump in their wake.

Ardent, meanwhile, had simply stood watching aghast, not believing that she could have wreaked this kind of carnage.  Her trance was broken, though, when a small, whimpering voice met her ears.

"M-m-mom, th-there's s-something wrong with g-g-Grayson."

Ardent immediately ran to her children.  Keira, who had spoken, was standing over her brother, who looked to be no more than a quivering mass of silver fur.  Tears streamed down his face, matting the fur around his eyes, which were clenched shut.  Ardent began to lick his face in an attempt to comfort him, but he would not respond.  Then, a thought she had never wanted to consider formed in her mind.

I...I caused this.  This is all my fault.  I couldn't protect them.

I failed them, and I failed you.

Gradually, she was overcome by her grief, and she broke into painful sobs, curling around Grayson in the process.  She wept for her children, wept for herself, wept for the sake of weeping; all of it poured out into her lament, plunging her into a horrible depression.  Keira, seeing her mother, the most powerful figure in her life, break down like that, also began to weep, feeling the weight of Ardent's sorrow weigh her down as well.  Together, the small family sobbed and sobbed, each for their own reason, but nonetheless mourning as one.

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Though her tears had begun anew as she recounted the tragic events, Ardent had managed to keep from utterly falling apart again.  She now sat silent as my family absorbed the terrible story, looking down at her feet in shame.  I now knew why she would have blamed herself for it all, but then I also knew I couldn't let her suffer any more guilt.

"Ardent, I'm really sorry," I began cautiously, not wanting to upset her any more.  "I'm sorry that what happened did...but you still can't blame yourself.  The circumstances were beyond your control."

"Of course they were in my control!" she snapped at me, her scarlet eyes fiery with anger.  "It was my responsibility...no, my sworn duty to protect them, and I've failed!"

"Have you really?" Dad countered  "By saving their lives from that horrible Victreebel, you've failed to protect them?  The way I see it, you succeeded in preventing more harm from coming to them."

"But I should've protected them from any harm!  Because I was too lazy to keep them within my sight, Keira was injured and Grayson was traumatized!  I can never look them in the eyes again.  I've failed them as a mother...and I failed my mother."

At this, Steven furrowed his brow in confusion.  "I don't understand..."

Ardent let out a heavy sigh before continuing.  "After mom...after Mary died, I swore that I would raise and protect her children as though they were my own.  I swore on her memory, and now, because I almost let them be killed...I've let her down.  I've disappointed her."

Now, I understood.  "Ardent, do you really think Mary is disappointed in you?  You saved her children's lives!  She would be proud of you, and thankful to have such a wonderful daughter."

"But..." she tried to interrupt.

"Besides," Mom pitched in, "don't you remember?  Mary wasn't the perfect mother, either.  Remember when she decided to introduce you to the Miltank?"

"Oh yeah," Steven recalled with a slight chuckle.  "You accidentally let off an Ember attack and spooked Elsa, who almost trampled you."

"Exactly," Mom resumed.  "There were plenty of times where some accident happened, and you got hurt, or almost got hurt.  The same thing happened with me and my boys here."  She was now kneeling down to Ardent's level, speaking directly to her.  "Mothers can't protect their children from every possible danger out there.  It's just not possible.  What matters is that you help them out of that trouble, and teach them about that danger, sometimes requiring a little discipline, to prevent it from happening again.  That's what being a mother is truly about: giving your children the tools they need to survive without your protection."

What seemed to be a long time passed with nobody saying anything, as Ardent contemplated what had just been said.  Finally, a small smile appeared on her face as she looked up at Mom.  "I guess...I guess you're right.  I can't protect them from everything, but I can help them protect themselves.  Thank you."  Then, Ardent jumped up and wrapped Mom in tight embrace.  Mom hadn't expected this, but she quickly returned the gesture, stroking the Quilava's back.

After releasing Mom, Ardent thanked the rest of us for our caring, and then retreated into her den to sleep with the pups.  Quietly, we left the room, with me leaving last.  Before I turned out the light, I took one last look at the sleeping family.  Ardent was still smiling, and Keira and Grayson both seemed to have calmed considerably.  Wiping a tear from my eye, I flicked the light switch off and gently shut the door.

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In the dead of night, two shadowy figures crept from the woods towards the Lancer property, gazing out at the three buildings, particularly the large shed they knew contained their ultimate target.

"So, when do we move?" one asked the other.

"Boss says we wait," replied the second.  "Not sure why we can't just take ‘em now."

"Eh, I figure it's easier not to ask questions.  Extends your lifespan."

"You can say that again."

After another few minutes of banter, the two men returned to the dark confines of the forest, back towards their base.