Blaziken and Zigzagoon, standing night watch, were like the most loyal sentries, guarding opposite sides of the camp. Their blue and aqua-blue eyes quietly swept through the darkness, their ears catching even the slightest unusual sound.
While resting in meditation, Gardevoir maintained a shallow mental alertness as well. Her Inner Focus spread like an invisible radar net, covering the area around the camp.
The night slowly passed amid tranquility and vigilance.
In the latter half of the night, Mightyena and Krokorok took over their posts.
Krokorok's heavy body crouched at the camp entrance like a boulder, while Mightyena lay quietly in a corner, continuing to scout with his hearing and sense of smell.
Everything was peaceful.
Until around two in the morning, a faint, restless tremor came from Xinhai's arms.
"Wuu... Axew..." A weak, frightened murmur rose in its sleep.
Axew seemed to have fallen into some unpleasant dream. Its small body curled up, its claws unconsciously clutching the edge of the blanket as muffled whimpers escaped its throat.
It dreamed of cold rocks, the indifferent or mocking gazes of its clanmates, and its father's resolute figure walking away... Loneliness, fear, and the chill of abandonment seized it once more.
"Vee?" (Axew?) Eevee, sleeping on Xinhai's other side, was the first to wake. It groggily lifted its head, but upon seeing Axew's distress, it immediately snapped awake. Anxiously, it comforted Axew with its little paws while sending gentle waves through Confusion.
Almost at the same time, Xinhai, who had been sleeping lightly, opened his eyes. He immediately noticed that something was wrong with Axew.
He did not make a sound. He simply reached out and gently held the trembling little Pokémon in his arms, letting Axew feel his warmth and heartbeat more clearly.
With his other hand, he softly and