Lutro always enjoyed the times his mother would tell him stories. Fact or fiction, they would always be entertaining tales of dangers, desires, and ultimately triumphs of good over evil. Pearl, a heavyset Buizel that Lutro clearly inherited his pair of large, fluffy tails from, always made sure her little Lutro was comfortable and had plenty of snacks for story time. She’d cuddle up close to him and begin weaving the tale, the two tucked away in a cozy little home bumped up against a large, calm lake. Of these tales Lutro’s favorites by far were ones starring his father’s various exploits around the land. An explorer’s life featured a wide variety of other Pokémon, allies and enemies alike, all of which would keep Lutro glued to the spot. He of course knew that his father was never in any real danger in the stories, given that he still visited on the occasions he had time off from his exploring… But that didn’t stop him from fretting all the same. Lutro’s desire to become a great explorer, just like his father, solidified with every new story told to him.

It was through these stories that Lutro learned why his father, Koa, was a Flareon. It wasn’t out of the question of course, but most of his friends, Water-types predominantly, were shocked to hear of Lutro’s Fire-type heritage! Lutro simply never questioned it, as it was a fact for him his entire life. Both parents were around constantly when being raised from infancy, and as promised, Koa took his son out exploring with him! He kept his missions and excursions quite elementary and danger-free with Lutro in tow, naturally, but despite all preparations the Buizel got a fair share of the action he always craved. After being settled back with Koa’s current partner keeping an eye on him, he’d would showcase why he was one of the most renowned explorers across the land. With his fiery yellow-orange scarf billowing from the excess heat constantly pouring out from his form, the Flareon would immolate any who dared threaten his son or the safety of others. Surrender was rapt, and Koa would strut back into town with his son, ears perked as the usual cheers reached him. That spot on Koa’s back was Lutro’s favorite napping place, with all that Flareon fluff keeping him warm and toasty, completely safe in his father’s presence.

It wasn’t all happy times concerning Koa, however. Life as an explorer spared little time for raising a family. Lutro understood the great mission Koa and all the other brave explorers of the various guilds was a never-ending struggle, but that didn’t make his departures any easier. Lutro would escort his father from the lake as far as permitted, then be turned away despite a last-ditch effort to come with. He’d watch his father go, then make the gradual trip home, into the warm embrace of Pearl. The years of development were a repeated cycle of this, Lutro growing into the Buizel he is today and working towards his explorer goals. One day he could be his father’s own partner, saving the world together.

Being a Buizel, Lutro was always a natural swimmer. Pearl taught him every trick and technique she knew, including the notion that size was deceiving: Their tails would more than compensate for the two Buizels’ well-fed size. Before long Pearl and Lutro could flow through water like nobody’s business, even racing from edge to edge, dipping in and out, having a great time. Pearl also instructed the best ways of remaining submerged for long periods of time, taking advantage of the extra air within their flotation sacs to do so. It was hard to dip under with all that air around the neck keeping them afloat, but with the right angle and tail spins, it was manageable. After a while Lutro could even hold his breath longer than Pearl! The proud mother fed him a double helping that night: A floppy Magikarp and a squirming Wooper, both who lingered a little too long near the Buizel den.

With those aquatic advantages on his side, Lutro was sure the first guild he applied for would be a lock. What else could be asked of him, with Lutro being the son of Koa, being an ace swimmer, and a heart in the right place? Combat, as it turned out, was quite important, and something Lutro was very good at observing, not so much doing. It took a half-dozen rejections (with many an insult tossed his way given his size from lurking guild members as he left, once more, defeated from the guild hall) to make a tearful Lutro return home empty-pawed for what he assumed would be the last time. Why even try anymore? The defeated Buizel wasn’t entirely sure what to do with his life, other than stay at home and spend days lounging in the lake, staring up at the sky, with dreams of a father-son explorer team evaporating away.

The lull Lutro had fallen into had not escaped notice. Pearl couldn’t even get a rise out of him anymore not matter what stories she told, or what food was offered. There was only one tale starring Koa that she’d never related to him, since it was rather dear to her and she felt he needed to be older to appreciate it fully. With Lutro lost in the depths of recent failures and crushed hopes, she felt it was as good as time as any.

And so, Lutro got to learn how his big Buizel of a mother fell in love with large Flareon of a father. When she came right out and said she was a “damsel in distress, just like in all those other silly tales” Lutro couldn’t help but laugh. Pearl? Some helpless little Buizel that wouldn’t smack around whoever dared lay a paw on her, or family? Preposterous! But she insisted that that’s exactly what happened! No Pokémon, not even Koa, were invincible, like she felt one night. She and others were rounded up and stolen from their homes, with her being a victim because of her own size. “She’ll fetch us the most for sure!” the Flygon crowed, casually lumping Pearl into a cage. She thought she was doomed, wrent from her home, to be sold at the whims by a gang of greedy Pokémon bandits.

“And that’s what would’ve happened if he didn’t appear,” she continued, Lutro’s eyes wide and frightened at an event that would never come to pass. She continued on how, like the sun cresting over a hill after a long, sleepless night, Koa the Flareon blazed into the action, with what must have been his entire guild at his heels. The battle was ferocious, with the kidnapped Pokémon helplessly watching from the many cages they were locked behind. That night, some villains were brought to justice, devoured and experiencing what some of the kidnapped would likely have faced. A few guild members weren’t fast enough, suffering similar fates, as increasingly-desperate bandits grabbed, gulped, and fled with their Pokémon meals in tow. With many injured or struggling to escape their fate as food, things came down between the leader of the kidnappers, and Koa. Surviving guild members were releasing victims from their cages and tending to wounded, while keeping eyes on the restrained villains who hadn’t already fled. They’d just gotten to Pearl when Flygon, in a moment of desperation, abandoned the drawn-out fight with Flareon, snatched the Buizel cage up, and took off with his prize.

Pearl thought herself a goner until a blaze that lit up the night engulfed herself and the Flygon alike. The pair plummeted back to earth, Flygon burned and unconscious, Pearl bracing in the cage for the worst of it. Then her fall halted when Koa, with a calculated leap, scored a catch and braced his whole body around it. His form cushioned the ensuing a rocky downhill roll, Pearl no worse for wear outside some dizziness. It took a powerful burst of water from her to wake the fallen Flareon after they stopped, who had a leg clearly inoperable and several small fires smoldering around the fluffy coat. The water put those out with a hiss and roused Koa, who gave a wincing nod, half his mouth perking into a toothy grin. He freed Pearled with a ferocious bite to one of the cage bars, ripping it away before promptly flopping on his side. Pearled served as a crutch to lead him back to the rest of the guild, who took him from her. They gathered the kidnap victims and escorted them away from the terrible scene, prisoners and rescued Pokémon alike all taken to the guild. Nobody knew what happened to Flygon, though there was no trace of him found.

Lutro sat in shock. That was the most mesmerizing tale he’d ever heard! And with the worst consequences a guild member could suffer, digesting in the stomachs of the few bandits that escaped, it was no wonder guilds rejected him and put such an emphasis on combative skills. They could be gobbled up before they know what happened! Despite all these thoughts, he prodded his mother to go on. She wrapped up the story fairly quickly as there wasn’t much more to tell: Pearl stayed at the guild and nursed Koa back to full health. She and he fell for one-another during that time, the two returning to her lakeside home for further recuperation. The year together was wonderful, and Lutro entered their lives not long after. “Not the first, and probably not the last, child of his running that’s around out there,” she concluded with a soft smile, hugging to Lutro gently.

It was then Lutro learned that he actually had siblings! It was something he’d always wanted but thought would never get. Pearl didn’t have the answers and his father never really talked about family save for him and her, probably waiting for her to break the news first! Pokémon don’t tend to be monogamous, with Lutro’s father being a living example, and it seldom was an issue. The incredible tale coupled with its implications on Lutro’s life rose him out of his funk, and for the first time in a while he slept a peaceful, dreamless sleep, and renewed his vigor in becoming a proper explorer.

As it happened, there was a guild opening up a few positions some weeks later. The Serpents’ Guild had a fairly positive reputation in the area, being the place to go if you had a problem that needed solving. It wouldn’t be his last chance, Lutro knew, but outside of waiting to re-apply elsewhere, he’d have to travel far to find any more openings. With a hug of good luck from Pearl, Lutro set out on a try that would eventually be successful, thrusting Lutro into the life of danger and exploration. It was a rocky start, with doubts and risks aplenty, but he’d finally made it. His exploits in how he finally attained his dream are detailed elsewhere, but sufficient to say the plump Buizel had finally found a home away from home in the Serpents’ Guild. Lutro was now right where he wanted to be, and one day he vowed that he would work together with his father side by side, not sidelined, and be a force for good in the world.