The Human Species (PG-13)

[ShadedSkies]

So, Ethan lost to Whitney at some point. I really can't blame him for that. But hey, he most likely battled her sometime before he became a celebrity. It probably happened during his quest to acquire all eight gym badges. How did his "pathetic loss" become so well known?

Someone recorded it. It's like an embarrassing home video - Here you have a new-found prodigy challenging the Elite Four and on par with Red... And here's a video of him getting udderly destroyed by a cow.

I'm going to have to agree with Zoroark when she said that Lucario was playing a dangerous game. He sure doesn't seem to take his relationship with Zerobi too seriously. I knew they weren't exactly intimate quite yet, but is Zerobi so unstable that she would revert to her almost feral ways if she were to break up with him?

"Feral" is a harsh way of putting it. You too follow the instinct to eat, no? To drink? To sleep? Zerobi's body is merely constructed different in a manner where she is made to desire blood as an instinct. Clearly she's MEANT to be killing people while going on about her life, which is (to me) a hilarious contradiction.

Still, she did manage to abstain for seven years without anyone in the world looking after her, so it mostly hinges on her willpower not eroding for whatever reason.

Zoroark is planning to take a 'vacation' after this is all over. At least it's affordable. She sure seemed willing to cling to life as a kit, though. That was before she wanted to exact her almost revenge on the human race. I guess the only thing that doesn't change is that things change.

Indeed, Zorua wished to be free because she believed life could go back to the way it was. But she was so badly traumatized, she came to realize that simply wasn't happening, and instead began to long for her own end.

I have to say, I like how you played up the demon miltank of Whitney's, though I never had any problem with her myself, I can certainly see why others did.

The one in Pokemon Stadium 2's second round is still an unstoppable beast. My team of lv100 Mewtwo, Heracross and Snorlax couldn't put a DENT into it. Complete party wipe.

So scars and being oblivious has its charms eh? I wonder if that only works if you're also a good fighter, because it ain't working for me xD

I feel you, man. Everyone said my scar was going to look really cool when I grew up, but all it did was make me look dangerous.

Anyway, I do like you discussed the possibilities of relationships here in this latest chapter and how difficult it would be to pursue them.

You'd think it feels weird, debating the outcome of a story I already know the outcome to with myself. But no, these characters are so fleshed out by now that I can totally see things from THEIR point of view. Ain't that something?

 

[DrewLols]

You know, I just thought of something unrelated to the last chapter, but related to the story itself.

In the pokemon mystery dungeon games, the player forgets everything regarding their human life. In The Human Species, the main character forgets everything about pokemon. Seems like flip-flopetry.

Was this intentional, or am I looking too deep into this?

 

[ShadedSkies]

You know, I just thought of something unrelated to the last chapter, but related to the story itself.

In the pokemon mystery dungeon games, the player forgets everything regarding their human life. In The Human Species, the main character forgets everything about pokemon. Seems like flip-flopetry.

Was this intentional, or am I looking too deep into this?

It's the same, actually. Even if the MC in Rescue remembers, he never talks about his former life, and in Explorers he doesn't remember anything because it's actually important to the plot this time.

As much as I like those games, I do hate selective Amnesia. How come he remembers being human but can't remember he's from a post-apocalyptic future? How come the first guy forgot everything about what led him to become a Pokemon? Easy writing, that's why! I laid down a very specific rule with Ethan - If it's related to Pokemon, he can't recall it. There's a reason for it (it was his deepest wish when meeting Arceus), it kept his past shrouded in mystery (since he was a Pokemon trainer) and prevents that cheesy OH MY GOD I SUDDENLY REMEMBER EVERYTHING-conclusion that happens so often in media you'd think Amnesia wasn't a real affliction.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 104

Carefree Returner Blue

Lucario yawned as he woke up, only to be greeted by the most unusual sound of something boiling. It was quickly followed by a sound he recognized all too well – His stomach rumbling. Any normal person would have seen this as a sign of something tasty being cooked, but Lucario knew better. He had thought himself hearing a frying pan earlier, which turned out to be the hissing of a vicious snake Pokémon. Surely this was nothing but a putrid purple puddle Pokémon, bubbling merely to stir up his impending starvation.

"Sup," someone said, making Lucario jump in surprise. He had not sensed another aura nearby and figured that he was alone. He looked around and almost fell back in surprise when he realized the source of the voice stood directly behind him in a crouched position.

Mixed feelings ran through Lucario as he saw Blue look at him, a thick azure beanie covering most of his head. Body scrawny and face dry, the lack of wrinkles did little to hide the champion's true age. Same could be said for his ultra-modern expensive-looking jacket of snazzy colors with more zippers and pockets than could possibly be necessary, unless one needed to transport the contents of a neatly arranged sowing kit. Lucario had to admit it was impressive for Blue to stay hunched over with no effort, hoping his own knees would be in the same pristine condition whenever he reached the Pokémon definition of "old".

Blue flashed a smile as he saw Lucario rub his eyes, obviously wondering if he was dreaming. He turned off the portable stove he had brought and removed the lid from the pot, reaching in with chopsticks to pull out a white rectangle of steaming jelly-like substance.

"Tofu for the road?" Blue asked with an earnest expression, "Classic family recipe. Gramps used to make 'em like this whenever he pulled an all-nighter."

Indeed, Lucario figured nostalgia to be the only plausible explanation for cooking Tofu out of one's own free will. Possibly an ancient tradition, seeing how the grandfather of someone already old enough to be a grandfather himself was most likely around to see the birth of the universe. Certain that chopsticks were out of the question for his freakishly oversized fingers, Lucario grabbed the Tofu with his bare hands and started blowing on it, trying to ignore the burning sensation crawling past his fur. Blue snickered for a moment before pulling a rattling bottle out of his jacket, picking out a few pills of different colors, size and shape.

"Razadyne, Exelon, Namenda…" Blue muttered to himself, throwing them inside his mouth and dry gulping with a strong swallow, "Yep… Definitely a family recipe."

Momentarily curious over what kind of Pokémon an Exelon was, Lucario rid himself of any thought pertaining to some old man's dietary habits and unceremoniously stuffed the chunk of Tofu into his mouth.

"Like it?" Blue asked as Lucario chewed, or at least tried to with the funky consistence of the soy milk.

"I mean, it's not exactly bad…" Lucario mumbled before swallowing, "… Just, you know, what the hell am I even tasting?"

"Haha! Yes, it's weird, but at least it's easy to make," Blue laughed while heartily slapping his knee, "More time to train!"

"More like sit back and relax while training others," Lucario muttered, to which he was given a comprehensive nod and shrug, "Wait… You understand me?"

"A little," Blue explained while holding up a finger, "Grew up with Pokémon, you know. Used to kick back in gramps' lab all day, not much else to do where I'm from."

"Could you stop saying 'gramps'? It's creepy," Lucario requested and wondered if no one else had told Blue how weird it was for a 70-year old man to talk like a little kid. Blue's smile grew even wider as he shook his head and stood up.

"Come on. You're eager to see the shiny, right?" he said while reaching into one of the many pockets of his jacket, "Today we're riding in style!"

Expecting a huge Pokémon with massive wings, Lucario hastily stepped away as Blue pulled out and opened up a Pokéball. A tiny little red light shot out, forming a creature barely reaching up to Lucario's waist. It was a short and physically inferior humanoid with yellow skin and slanted eyes, and looking at it made Lucario feel uncomfortable for some reason. He instead turned towards Blue, trying to figure out whether he was serious or not.

"Abra, use teleport!" Blue said, and suddenly Lucario witnessed the room around him moving. His body was being spun around by an unseen miscreant, faster and faster until everything looked like a blur. Holding back the nausea building up, he felt himself lifting from the ground for a moment, and when his feet set down again it was not against a rocky floor but a remarkably smooth surface. Everything became much brighter in an instant, and a feeling of disorientation struck him as he felt like gravity had reversed. Trying to turn himself upright, he instead fell flat on his back which to him felt like being pulled sharply to the left against a very large wall. His body stopped spinning, his balance slowly fell into place and Lucario's eyes opened wide as he saw where he was.

The term "teleportation" echoed in his mind and sated his curiosity as to why he was in a completely different place compared to ten seconds earlier. It was a huge well-lit room with walls and floor painted in a relaxing mixture of blue, white and pink. Expecting to see an assortment of lamps above him, there was instead a true monstrosity of a machine with flashing lights, screens with large numbers presented on them and what looked like a sprinkler system thrown in for good measure. It was literally staring down at him – In an attempt to keep in tone with the rest of the calming room, the screens had been placed in a manner which gave the impression of a giant mechanical smiling face.

"E-Excuse me?" a high-pitched metallic voice resounded, making Lucario jump in surprise from the notion that the machine had come to life. However, he realized the voice had come from his left, where he saw a small spherical figure hovering next to him. It had a body made of steel with a large unblinking eyeball staring at him in admiration, magnets and screws sticking out of its sides. Flabbergasted by being confronted by a real life robot, Lucario just barely noticed that the room was filled with all manner of different Pokémon and even a few humans, many of them looking directly at him.

"Ar*BZZT* Are you nospike Lucario?" the Magnemite finally asked with a stammer that sounded more like a glitch.

"He means Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!" an older-sounding Pokémon suddenly yelled out, Lucario turning his head towards the crowd on unidentifiable shapes and faces. There was an eager bird with two heads, a grumpy-looking frog with the leaf of a water-lily on its head and no less than three little teddy bears guarded by a very tall grizzly he sorely hoped he would not be fighting anytime soon.

"Of course he is!" a smaller version of the Floatzel he had once fought shouted while pointing at his backside, "I see it! I see the grave dirt!"

There was a resounding gasp throughout the room, almost everyone staring at Lucario who was too disoriented to make sense of it all. He made an effort to wipe some of the dirt away from his back, an unavoidable result of sleeping in a filthy cave for several weeks.

"OK, what in the actual-" he said out loud, but was cut short as the aforementioned Buizel suddenly rushed towards him, pressing the flotation device around its neck against his chest.

"Oh man is it true you beat Zoroark and Entei and saved Mew and totally wrecked that place in Saffron and-" the Buizel chatted happily with huge eyes beaming in excitement. Lucario tried to find a moment to interject when he felt a tap on his shoulder, surprisingly relieved to see Blue standing behind him.

"C'mon, she's not here," the champion said while looking a little bothered, "Kept getting pestered by onlookers, being shiny and all. Let's go."

Lucario nodded and turned to shove or tell off the eager Buizel, but to his surprise the water-Pokémon had already fallen silent. It was now staring at Blue, its orange face beginning lose color. Blue flashed him a grin in return before heading towards a door further away, prompting Lucario to follow him.

"Oh my god, was that a bloody champ!?" they heard someone shouting behind them as they hastily exited the room.

They entered a corridor, and Lucario figured he was in some kind of hospital. Stretchers of varying sizes were lined up, and no matter where he looked the place seemed to be swarming with round pink egg-carrying Pokémon. Most had a smile on their lips and greeted him as they walked past, but some looked stressed out and one was even sleeping on the floor, collapsed from exhaustion.

"So… Where're you from?" Blue asked in a casual manner while strolling down the hallway, throwing glances of minor interest here and there.

"New Bark Town," Lucario answered honestly, thinking about how far away from home he was. There were no hospitals in New Bark Town, so you had to get to Cherrygrove City if anything happened. He had been forced to go there after "accidentally" ingesting a very tasty-looking mushroom as a child, and while this place did look similar, the presence of Pokémon in his memory was lacking.

"Bork? New Bork- Oh, New Bark Town?" Blue interpreted his answer with a little difficulty, his eyes lighting up in recognition, "Elm's old place? There were wild Riolu there? I should've gone there more often!"

"What, you've been there?" Lucario asked, fairly certain there was nothing of value to be found in his backwater hometown. That was the reason he had left, after all.

"Elm and Oak were old colleagues, so I kept up the partnership after gramps passed away," Blue explained while thinking to himself and being quiet for a moment, "… Hey, you ever heard of Ethan?"

Lucario hesitated for a second, having completely forgotten whether he was supposed to give away his real identity or not. For some reason, it felt harder to keep track of things without Zerobi or Mew to regularly talk things over with.

"Met him in New Bark Town when he was just a little tyke!" Blue exclaimed before Lucario could answer, "Running around Elm's lab, playing with Pokémon… Reminded me of myself when I was his age."

A sudden recognition struck Lucario, feeling something very familiar about the suggested scenario. On the move, he lost focus on where he was going and accidentally bumped into a regular human nurse, snapping him out of his impending flashback. The nurse bowed her head while Lucario whispered an apology, sad to know she wouldn't understand him anyway.

"But hey, if you're from there, maybe I met you as a kid too!" Blue exclaimed with a bright expression before scratching the underside of his chin, "… What are you, a failed science experiment or something? I know Elm was up to some weird stuff, but those scars…"

Blue trailed off and stared at Lucario's back, looking for any signs of what might have happened there. Lucario wished he had an answer, both Zoroark and Blue pointing out that his scars didn't look like they had been inflicted by battle. As for his origins, thanks to Mew's efforts he was more of a successful science experiment, but the surgical operation that gave him life again had not been what left the scars. He made a mental note to ask Rukario about them.

They left the Pokécenter, finding themselves in the middle of a town. Apart from the hyper-modern installation behind them, most of the buildings looked rural but sturdy and well-built. He could hardly believe his eyes, but despite the characteristic snow thawing away, the familiar architecture and abundance of trees told him that he was back in Snowpoint City.

Many thoughts ran through his head at once. He was back to the beginning, wondering just how far away he had been teleported by the mysterious Abra. There were no sirens blaring over his presence, so he figured he was safe for now, but running into the Fierce Fighting Force again seemed like it could be a hindrance to his reunion with Rukario. This is where he had first met her, he remembered, curious if maybe this is where she lived. Zerobi's home was nearby for sure, but he was certain it hadn't changed much since they left it behind.

"So, how're Mew and Celebi?" Blue started a new subject, letting his eyes stick with a red penguin-looking Pokémon passing by. Lucario snapped out of his reminiscence with a depressing sensation inside. So much had happened – He had met the Legendary Trio and watched them crumble. He had met Mew and watched her die. He shook his head and reinforced his desire to be more careful with those he had left.

"Half dead," Lucario responded, not sure if he should or even wanted to elaborate. Blue probably didn't understand anyway, as he showed no surprise or sadness in response. A sudden gasp could be heard from the Pokémon they had just passed by, which Lucario tried to ignore.

"And… The virus?" Blue asked a bit more quietly, also noticing that they weren't exactly in private with people and Pokémon walking about.

"Safe," Lucario answered short and concise. This seemed to work better, Blue sighing out audibly. He removed his beanie for a moment and scratched his irritated scalp, a large concern lifting from his conscience.

"Y'know, those two're pretty crafty," Blue said while putting his cap on again, "Held me up and wrote V-I-R-U-S in the snow. Of course, I initially figured they just wanted me to catch some and die, but… Hehe, I guess that wasn't too far from the truth."

"You've got that right," Lucario scoffed, having completely forgotten that they were actually supposed to be fighting Blue by the time they appeared to stop Darkrai. His train of thoughts was interrupted as Blue moved closer, walking next to him awkwardly close.

"Not FORCING them or anything, but, just…" Blue mumbled with an overly amicable tone, "… If they WANT a life of luxury, eternal glory and super stardom, I wouldn't mind taking them in. You know. For a while."

Lucario glanced at him for a moment, Blue nudging his arm as if to further bolster his suggestion.

"On their terms, of course!" he chimed with an expression of excitement mixed with hopefulness, "Nothing big, just a fight or two. I've got this great idea for an unbeatable strategy that'd change the face of competitive battling forever and… You could put in a good word for me? Yeah? Us New Barkers have stick together, huh?"

"You're not from there!" Lucario burst out with feigned indignation, finding it impossible to not be cheered up by Blue's carefree nature.

"Right, right," Blue said quickly while tapping his chest, "Just get me into contact with Celebi. Or Mew. I mean, you can't just decide for them! You don't know, maybe they'll be thrilled!"

Lucario was certain Celebi would be less than thrilled by the suggestion, and any contact established with Mew would have to be through a spirit medium. But as far he could tell, Blue appeared a lot nicer compared to the other trainers he had met until now. A permanent grin stuck on the old champion's face, and Lucario wondered how he could even be the same person who had attacked him for no reason only a year earlier.

"In there," Blue suddenly spoke up, pointing ahead. Lucario saw a house much like any other, differentiating itself only through a few extra windows on the second floor as well as a wooden sign, reading 'Hotel'. The letters on the sign were carved out with amazing precision and filled in with a hardened substance that almost seemed to glow. He doubted it was the work of humans.

Blue stepped ahead of him as they entered the foyer, almost as if trying to hide him away from view. It was nothing of grand display like Silver's mansion, but rather a narrow corridor with nicely woven yet notably dirty carpeting, antique-looking furnishing and an altogether homely atmosphere. There was no time for him to suck it in, for suddenly there was the abrupt sound of someone hastily pushing a chair away.

"PLEASE. STOP. NO MORE!" a desperate voice filled the place. Further ahead there was a man standing behind a desk, someone in his late 40's whose tailsuit seemed out of place in the rural environment.

"Sup! Also, what?" Blue answered cheerfully while raising a hand to say hello. The unremarkable man stared at the renowned trainer, clearly struggling with choosing his words wisely.

"Good sir, my lifelong dream is but a joke!" the man pleaded while putting his hands together in a begging gesture, "Merely three legitimate residents among four Pokémon? This can be called a people hotel no longer!"

Lucario peeked out from behind Blue, causing the man to flinch at the sight.

"The carpet is mud, the pantry stuffed with foul-smelling berries and I can hear them at night!" he continued with discomfort in his voice before pointing at Lucario with disdain, "I. Can hear. EVERYTHING. And now… Another long-eared wolf taking up residence…!?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, this Lucario here isn't planning on spending the night," Blue responded with a smile, and then suddenly nudged Lucario's arm again, "I think? Bet you wouldn't mind, eh? Know what I mean?"

"Just… Visiting," Lucario responded in monotone, actually feeling sympathetic towards the hostile owner. The otherwise beautiful flooring did look very filthy, and had he still been human he probably would have settled for a less cheap-looking place. Blue almost looked disappointed for a moment before he trod ahead.

"You heard the gentleman, just visiting!" Blue said as he turned back and leaned up against the desk, pointing to a staircase in the corner of the corridor, "Room 202, upstairs. No need to knock, she can probably already sense you."

"Please! Take the other one with you!" the owner of the hotel pleaded, becoming more infuriated as he was faced with Blue's back, "Store your Pokémon in Pokécenters like everyone else!"

"That one's a special case. Believe me, this place couldn't hold all of my Pokémon," Blue replied cockily while signaling for Lucario to go on ahead. Lucario nodded in gratefulness, feeling a familiar aura directly above him. He looked for a suitable place to wipe the underside of his feet, sighed when he couldn't and went upstairs while Blue and the owner kept jabbering on about soiled family heirlooms and health inspections.

 

[Azurus]

Somehow I had a hard time following this chapter, I dunno if it was my eyes jumping all over the place or the text, but I couldn't make too much sense from it.
Anyway, so Blue is trying to introduce/re-introduce (?) Lucario to someone? I'm guessing Rukario, but it's a little hard to tell for me. I was kinda hoping for Lucario to share a bit more information or for Blue to ask more direct questions, but I guess we will see what happens next chapter.

Always reading and ever waiting, I'll be looking forward to the next one, and hopefully I won't be so tired when I do.

 

[DrewLols]

The only way I can imaging Blue as an old man is to simply change his hair color to gray while keeping his other physical qualities the same. He sure doesn't act like an old man like Red does. He might be my favorite of the three champions only because of his friendliness. I'm sure Lucario agrees, although he doesn't seem to particularly like any of them.

Rukario is finally making another appearance. I can't picture how she'll respond to seeing him again. I thought she had come to terms with him not being her husband any longer, but she sure didn't seem to mind the idea of being captured as long as she was with him. I still can't really picture how the immanent confrontation will go down. I thought that the reintroduction of the Piplup/Prinplup would prompt an awkward conversation. Nah. Nothing but hatred and fertility reduction. Things certainly DID get awkward afterwards, though. Not going to make any assumptions this time. I'm prepared for whatever 'weird' you're going to throw at us.

Lot of ambiguity in this post. Fehh...

 

[ShadedSkies]

The only way I can imaging Blue as an old man is to simply change his hair color to gray while keeping his other physical qualities the same. He sure doesn't act like an old man like Red does. He might be my favorite of the three champions only because of his friendliness. I'm sure Lucario agrees, although he doesn't seem to particularly like any of them.

The champions actually represent different ways of handling old age.

There's Red, who has more or less given up and simply doesn't care much about the world around him, mostly stuck thinking about events and friends of the past.

Then there's his opposite Blue, who desperately tries to keep up with the times, always striving for a future goal and an idyllic tomorrow that he might not come to see.

And Brendan, who's… Well, odd. Between dementia, Alzheimer's and all other sorts of fun mind-corroding diseases we get to experience as we grow old, there's a plethora of choice as to which you would attribute him with.

Ethan's plight should be pretty obvious by now - Regret, the desire to go back and do things differently. The only one who doesn't fit into this is Lucas, because although he is a champion, he's very young and his Pokemon journey is far from over. We'll see which role he falls into when he starts to mature.

Not going to make any assumptions this time. I'm prepared for whatever 'weird' you're going to throw at us..

Rukario is an alien. Machine. That was built to represent the real Rukario who was possessed by Zerobi's mother.

Weird or not, I put in foreshadowing for nearly every future event, so if you study previous chapters you can probably predict what's going to happen. Think back, and not just about the Rukario we know, but the Rukario that Cyon knew.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 105

Bedridden Spouse Rukario

Rukario heard someone coming up the stairs and hastily pulled the bedsheets up to her neck. Not because she was cold, in fact adding cotton to fur would soon make it quite unbearably hot for her, especially now that winter had departed. Instead it was to keep up the appearance of a meek, badly hurt woman, for the aura approaching her was someone she hoped to get as much sympathy from as possible.

To her surprise, there was a soft knock on the door. Surely he knew she could sense him from miles away?

"Come in," Rukario said loudly, and Lucario started fiddling with the doorknob on the outside. He found the enormous hands of a Pokémon incompatible for the task, and eventually had to resort to using his forearm to open the door.

Lucario's heart sank as he saw Rukario, bedridden nearly two years after their last meeting. It had been dreadful to find out how much the Piplup had changed, but with Rukario it was equally saddening to see she had not changed at all. Rukario had to make an effort to keep from gasping, faced once again with her lost love. She quickly studied his body and to her dismay noticed a few new scars added to his already generous supply.

But with that, she had her evidence. She had doubted herself and promised to move on with her life for a long time now, yet still a strangely triumphant feeling filled her heart when she realized she had been right about him being Cyon all along. This new information overwhelmed her, and she had no idea how to go about using it. Lucario mistook her stunned gaze for impatience, as if waiting for him to start the conversation.

"Y-Yo," Lucario stammered, losing his cool from the sudden oppressive atmosphere, "How are you, uh, feeling?"

An awkward silence filled the room as Rukario regarded him quietly. She could tell that he was nervous, and it surprised her. This behavior was much more reminiscent of his old self. Had he regained some of his memories? Is that why he was here? Left hanging without a reply, Lucario figured he should just get things over with before any more misconceptions could take root.

"I found out what happened to Cyon," he spoke while trying to remember the speech he had fabricated earlier during his drinking binge. Perhaps not the best origin for an explanation, but in a case revolving around body abduction and ghosts, the wild tales of a drunkard were more reasonable than the truth. Not that Rukario was someone who normally adhered to logic, but outright admitting that he was Cyon would only continue their pointless waltz towards mutual despair. He figured that giving any reasonable explanation would be a better idea, enough to rid him of guilt and help her to move on.

"Uh… Are you ready?" he asked, worried by Rukario's silence. If she was giving him the silent treatment, her sweet expression failed to show. In fact, it looked as enamored as when she had first thought him to be her husband.

"… Go on…" Rukario answered, surprisingly uninterested in hearing what he had to say. She wanted to confront him with her evidence as quickly as possible, but did not want to appear too forceful or even giddy about it.

"You… Probably already expected this, but…" Lucario explained while looking down at the floor in a feigned attempt at sorrow, "… It was Deoxys. I spoke to a legendary Pokémon who fought Deoxys and found Cyon's body nearby. She left it together with the other victims."

His simple yet somewhat unlikely tale did not sound quite as convincing now as it had after 12 beers, but he opened his eyes hoping for an expression of acceptance quick resolution to this awkward situation. He felt so relieved when he saw Rukario looking at him with a gentle smile that he was forced to give one in return.

"Liar," Rukario replied with a sweet voice, and Lucario froze up. With Cyon's voice, Cyon's aura and while covered in Cyon's scars, this Lucario still had the gall to tell her there was no connection. Granted, he did speak in a very different manner, and it would not be completely impossible for two Lucario to share similar voices or similar aura. But…

"Your scars are precisely the same," Rukario presented her evidence with a soft, enchanting voice, "And no spikes… That cannot be a coincidence."

Lucario turned away from her, trying to suppress his panicked expression. He hadn't thought about that - There was actually no way of denying that whatever scars Cyon had, he had as well. He had always relied on logic being his strongest weapon against Rukario, but now it was somehow being used against him. He suddenly realized that she had been right all along in thinking that he was Cyon, and was in fact not the unreasonable spouse he had always thought of her as.

"Please, Cyon…" Rukario spoke up while trying to figure out what his shunning reaction meant, "You are in denial, you must have simply forgotten-"
"I got these scars the same way Cyon did," Lucario interrupted her, hinting at the only explanation with even a shred of plausibility to it. He prepared himself for further probing, but had a feeling bluffing would not get him much further. He had no idea how Cyon got his scars, and even if he did, Rukario would never believe the inane notion of two individuals ending up with the exact same scars.

But there was no retort. He turned back to see Rukario looking very surprised, an expression he unintentionally copied.

"You mean… You were also a part of…?" Rukario whispered in astonishment as she felt her mouth drying up. Lucario realized he was on to something and quickly wiped any trace of befuddlement from his face.

"You… Know about that?" he asked with a frown while brushing past the scars on his chest in a seemingly meaningful way, "Yeah. I feigned memory loss because I hate talking about it. These scars… They start to ache when I do."

"… There were… More…? But you… I…" Rukario spoke quietly in defeat, Lucario keeping up his charade and cursing himself for ruining his only chance to find out just how the hell Cyon did get those scars. He quickly thought up more lies to cover himself, but it seemed Rukario had at long last given up.

And with that, Rukario's undeniable evidence was ripped away from her. She had been so sure this time. Her newfound hope fell to pieces almost immediately and was replaced by a strong feeling of doubt in herself.

"… Deoxys…?" she whispered to herself in disbelief, the name of the feared one suddenly sounding a lot more menacing than before, "Was it… Really that simple…? I… Oh my god, I…"

Rukario grabbed the sheets hard and stared blankly at foot of the bed. Of course Cyon was dead. Why had it been so hard to admit? He would never abandon her like he did out of his own free will, ever. This Lucario was obviously nothing like her husband, yet she had tried clinging on to a random stranger based only on his appearance, fervently ignoring reality to desperately pursue a mere fantasy. Was she really that desperate? Had she completely lost her sanity?

"Ruined your life, didn't I?" Lucario said after a while with a guilty tone. Rukario looked up at him in dumbfounded silence, and Lucario found her endlessly longing eyes particularly painful to look at.

"You know… Gave you false hope about Cyon being alive…" Lucario continued while looking off to the side, wondering if he at least could make her realize the kind of internal distress he suffered from mistreating her, "Made you sacrifice yourself to help me defeat Blue…"

"Must you take credit for everything?" Rukario suddenly asked with a stern voice, forcibly choking down her sorrow. Lucario sighed out loud, staring up into the ceiling.

"… Alright, fine…" he groaned agonizingly, "… You beat Blue… I was just in the way, like usual…"

"Not that," Rukario clarified. The innocent Lucario she had led on with her denial and desperation looked back at her, and she suddenly felt both amazed and grateful that he had not taken advantage of her weakness.

"The one responsible for ruining my life is not you…" she admitted quietly before looking back at the foot of the bed, "… It was me."

A pressure lifted off her chest and left her body through a very deep sigh. The Cyon she knew had been gone for a few years, but the notion that he would one day return, that she could reawaken his memories within the spikeless Lucario or at least find a clue as to what happened had always stayed with her. But now, all that was but a feverish dream of the past. Her obsession was over, and it was time to move on.

Rukario rubbed her face to dispel any forming tears before sitting up and flipping the bedsheets away. Lucario flinched in shock as he was flashed by her naked body, forgetting he had witnessed naked Pokémon on a daily basis for the past 2 years. This one was particularly jarring though, because she was not wearing her trademark pants. However, her undergarments had not been hiding anything he had not seen before, and he quickly composed himself as to not stir up any unwarranted feelings in either of them.

He was glad to see that she was not hurt in any visible manner. In fact, going by the last time he looked at himself in the mirror, she seemed a lot healthier than his malnourished self. Her arms and legs were visibly strong yet slender and flexible, something Lucario would liken to a toned feminine gestalt were it not for the fact that it was a spitting image of his own. The color of her fur is what signified her as a shiny, but Lucario found it difficult to see how it would make her stand out in a universe where nearly inhabitant was painted in screaming, garish colors. Any admiration of her womanly chest would ultimately divert to the enormous spike protruding between them, and Lucario had to remind himself that no matter how emotional things get, hugs were out of the question.

"Hey, take it easy… Can you walk?" Lucario asked as Rukario slowly got out of bed. She looked at him for a moment before straightening her back.

"I am fine. I was just trying to evoke pity," Rukario admitted with a hint of shame before looking out of the only window in the room, "I can't believe I almost… No, this ends here. I am done with this silly game."

She bent over and picked up a yellow piece of clothing – Her pants, newly washed and even more sparkling clean than before. Faced with her posterior, Lucario decided this was a great time to look outside the window as well, noticing a line of peculiar footprints in the melting snow just outside the window. Almost looked like pawprint, the kind of pathetically simplistic writing Pokémon used and he had no idea how to read.

"… I need to work out. A lot," Rukario suddenly said, not taking very long to put on her only article of clothing, "Join me."

Hesitating, Lucario realized he had nothing better to do at the moment, and that he could use some training after doing nothing but sleep and drinking for so long. They went downstairs, getting a dirty look from the grumpy owner behind the desk. Blue was nowhere in sight, and Lucario understood that he was effectively stranded in Snowpoint City with Rukario until the aged champion returned.

Rukario led him through the crowds of humans and Pokémon to an empty area just at the edge of town, a place Lucario remembered running through with Zerobi with police hot on their tail. Thinking Rukario had some secret agenda with bringing him back there, Lucario was a bit surprised to find they were actually going to train. Both too strong for activities like pushups and jogging, they were forced to find creative ways of training, such as lifting heavy rocks, jumping several feet into the air and, of course, the inevitable sparring. Lucario figured it would be a lot safer compared to sparring with Zerobi and her unwieldy claws, or Mew and her inherent ability to very easily crush him like a bug. Withholding his strength in fear of hurting her and causing more distress, Lucario was quickly reminded of how Rukario had soundly trashed the Skarmory and Arcanine despite being at a severe type disadvantage against both. Rukario proved to be absolutely nothing like the frail bedridden woman he had first gotten the impression of, and soon Lucario found himself with his arms forced behind his back.

"Don't hold back. I can take it," Rukario requested between gasps, annoyed she had won in such a simplistic manner.

"O-Of course I'm going to hold back, we're only sparring!" Lucario growled in equal annoyance as she released him, but still decided to put in some more effort. Although his muscles had deteriorated a bit from his long inactivity, it was clear who the superior fighter was. Rukario was both fast and powerful, but not to the horrifying extent of Torana, and lacking unpredictable attributes like Darkrai, Lucario was easily able to dodge, block or parry her physical strikes. When the time came to go on the offensive, he held back the bulk of his strength, as he assumed she also did since he was not being barbequed by her expert use of blue fire with every blow.

"Aura allowed!?" Rukario asked in a hurry as they clashed together, as if reading his mind.

"Hell no!" Lucario shouted back, having suffered more than enough of the painful and bile-inducing aura during practice sessions. Rukario huffed in frustration as she stepped back, only to put her whole body into a tackle. Lucario did the mistake of blocking it instead of avoiding it, a flash of pain shooting through his arms as he realized it had been a serious attack. Rukario delivered several fast punches, and although Lucario was able to deflect most, anyone else would have been turned into mincemeat by her assault.

"Whoa! Hey!" Lucario yelled to interrupt her, "Find someone else if you want a real fight!"

"Ten… Seconds…!" Rukario panted with exasperation as she stepped back, "Fight me… For real… Even if… Only ten seconds… Please…"

Obviously low on stamina, her expression was pleading yet full of determination. Lucario had no idea what she hoped to achieve with this, but then again he never seen her this fired up before either, not even when they had been fighting Blue together. The memory of how she had taken a few nasty hits and come out fine resonated within his mind, and he decided to at least partially fulfill her wish. Had it been for real, he would have used Extreme Speed or an Aura Sphere. Instead, he decided to give her the brawl of a lifetime.

Lucario dashed towards Rukario, pretending to go for a full-on tackle yet dropping low for a leg sweep in the last second. Falling for his feint, Rukario was fast enough to step back from his attack anyway, exploiting the opening by bringing her fist down like a hammer upon his exposed shoulder. Lucario groaned in pain as the force pushed him closer to the ground, but the next second used the very same arm that had been struck to retaliate with an uppercut. Caught off guard by his resilience, the blow struck Rukario's chin with perfect accuracy, causing her to lose balance, stumble away for a few paces before falling flat on her back.

Adrenaline soared, but quickly diminished as Lucario exhaled and witnessed Rukario's immobile form on the ground. It reminded him of his second battle against Zoroark, who had been utterly defeated by a single one of his uppercuts. He ran over to see if she was still conscious, and was surprised to find her staring up into the sky with a very rare smile across her face.

"Amazing…" she whispered quietly, a trickle of blood running down her chin. She was dizzy and cold uncomfortably crept up her neck, but the chilly soil made for a perfect ice package against her headache. Her smile rid Lucario of whatever guilt was building up inside him, wondering why punching her in the face had not provided this pleasant result when he had done it earlier. As she was apparently not in any hurry to get up, Lucario decided to sit down beside her, the frozen soil making him glad he was at least wearing pants.

"You're way stronger than you appear," Lucario mumbled, scratching his buzzing shoulder. He hoped it was not simply because she was a Lucario, as it would belittle his own achievements.

"All free shinys are strong. Or very good at running," Rukario said with clear pronunciation, proving she had withstood the blow considerably better than Zoroark. Lucario decided not to point out that technically she was captured by Blue, because if the old trainer was a man of his word he would release her whenever she was ready, and the lingering pain in his shoulder proved that she was definitively more than ready.

"Did you and Cyon, uh, 'work out' like this often?" Lucario asked with genuine curiosity, wondering if maybe he was on to how Cyon got a few of those scars. Rukario's smile faded, and Lucario realized he had unintentionally brought up a painful subject.

"… No. I stopped after we became a couple," Rukario answered bitterly, "He always hated it. Training. Fighting."

"Yeah… Nothing says romance like punching each other," Lucario muttered as he used his hand to wipe away some of the blood from Rukario's chin, a habit anyone familiar with Zerobi would eventually develop. To his surprise, her smile returned as she suddenly started to giggle.

"What?" Lucario asked, rubbing his hand against the ground to replace the blood with dirt.

"I suppose I used to be a bit of a… Brawler," Rukario admitted before closing her eyes, "Guess I never stopped enjoying some things about it."

"Used to be…?" Lucario repeated quietly, twisting his shoulder around and noticing it still wasn't feeling quite right. Rukario felt the dizziness receding and coldness increasing, finally sitting upright.

"Like I said, Cyon hated violence," she elaborated while wiping some of the outdoor filth away from her back, "I was fighting on a daily basis when he appeared and spoke of a different way, that strength wasn't everything. He used to say there was a peaceful resolution to every problem."

Lucario withheld any attempt to point out Cyon's sentiment sure didn't save him against Deoxys, especially respectful of the dead when they possessed the ability to occasionally pop up and chastise him.

"I quit battling after we became a couple, and figured that it was because I matured…" Rukario explained while looking up at the sky, her eyes squinting in the sunlight, "… But I've been thinking… What if I only changed for his sake?"

Rukario thought back to her days as a Riolu. Punching and kicking, scratching and biting almost since birth to stifle those wanting to capture or simply challenge a shiny. Cyon had always felt so sorry for her because of it, cursing those who would force someone into a life of endless battle at such a young age. While her friends had spoken of these times with contempt, she herself had never truly understood why. She did not mind fighting, because she was good at it. It was an excitement found nowhere else, an endless source of thrill which yielded both prestige and rewards.

Of course, there were many other things in life she enjoyed, so giving up battling did not seem like a big deal at the time. She and Cyon had fallen deep in love, but realized many of their habits were quite incompatible for a relationship to fully work out. Rukario had been forced to evacuate the area whenever Cyon cooked up one of his revolting human meals, as he was incapable of eating berries without choking in disgust. Meanwhile, he had become increasingly distressed with her perchance to accept any challenges, returning home with bruises, fractures and a far too narrow escape from capture. To nurture their relationship, they had decided to both make sacrifices - He would learn to eat like a Pokémon, and she would learn to stop fighting.

Flooded with memories of the past, Rukario felt her eyes grow a little tired from the strong light. She bent her head down and saw Lucario staring off into the distance, and suddenly realized she really knew nothing about this person she had been chasing for so long.

"What about you? Have you ever met someone who changed you?" Rukario asked while patting him on the shoulder she had previously attacked, making one Lucario's long ears twitch.

"A couple," Lucario answered honestly without really pondering the question. Seemed reasonable - Ivy had made him hate Pokémon, Zerobi had made him stop hating Pokémon and so on.

"A… Couple!?" Rukario repeated in shock, wondering if Lucario realized the gravity of her question, "No, I mean… Someone who changed your life forever. Someone so important, your life would have been radically different without him."

This time, Lucario thought hard to himself. The list of people and Pokémon who had affected him in some way was innumerable, but had any of them fundamentally altered his course in life?

"Yeah… Like I said, a couple," Lucario insisted as he turned to face her to prove he was earnest, "Honestly, I never had a decided path in life to follow. I just keep moving in whatever direction people push me in."

Rukario stared at him in silence with a confused expression.

"Never…? Really?" she whispered after a few seconds, "No childhood dreams? Just… Letting the spur of the moment decide…?"

It sounded less than admirable, but Lucario knew that whatever childhood dreams he once had were gone with his departure from the world of humanity. If his dream was to become a Pokémon Master, he had already fulfilled it long ago. What kind of ideas for the future did he have after that? It bothered him that he could not remember, did his life really revolve around Pokémon to the point where even his future was occupied by them?

"I knew it. You are nothing like Cyon," Rukario said before visibly choking down what sounded a little like a laughter, "But… I think you are a lot like me. Letting yourself get swept away by someone."

"Hey, don't make it sound like that!" Lucario burst out with annoyance from being judged, "I've never been forced to do anything. What, I'm not independent just because I followed a suggestion? If the suggestion sucked, I would've done something else."

"So… You only agree to good suggestions?" Rukario asked while taking a gander of disbelief at the Lucario's dreadfully thin body, "Then, want to go eat something?"

"Sorry, not a big fan of berries," Lucario answered while shaking his head, although the Tofu from earlier was hardly a filling meal. Suddenly, Rukario's smile disappeared as she gave him a strange expression.

"… Oh really?" she exclaimed with curiosity before looking back towards Snowpoint City, "Well… I'm certain they have something else in town. My treat."

Not one to turn down such a rare chance, Lucario nodded eagerly as they went back into town. And even though he knew he should be feeling overjoyed at the prospect of finally getting some real food, he could not shake the feeling that Rukario was planning something.

 

[DrewLols]

Daw, now I feel bad for assuming weird. Previously, we've had two ridiculous encounters with the penguin, three insane encounters with Brendan (not counting the time he gave Lucario bread), two heartfelt conversations with Rukario, two overpowering confrontations with Red, two eccentric encounters with Blue, and partridge in a pear tree. I guess you could say that some of these events are foreseeable.

It SEEMS that Cyon got his scars from fighting Rukario in the past, what with him being a pacifist, and her being, uh, not that. That's my guess, although if this chapter was heavily implying that, then I feel bad again.

So, what could she be planning? Maybe she is going to force feed him, or something. Seems that he could afford to gain a pound or twenty.

 

[Azurus]

Rukario is now going to make sure that this is in fact cyon/not cyon as she probably only knows of one pokemon who doesn't like pokemon food.

Anyway, interesting chapter again, I look forward to what Rukario has planned here.

 

[DrewLols]

I am a little confused as to how Lucar-Ethan-io explained Cyon's death to Ru-kar-io. Did you skip that part seeing as it would just be re-explaining what the reader already knows, or am I not picking up on some implications? Kinda hope it's the former, since I am paying as much attention to this story as possible. That's 'cause I love it so very much xD. Rukario seemed to understand what happened after the word "Deoxys" was introduced, but did he get her to believe that he was human? If so, I never found out how.

 

[ShadedSkies]

It SEEMS that Cyon got his scars from fighting Rukario in the past, what with him being a pacifist, and her being, uh, not that. That's my guess, although if this chapter was heavily implying that, then I feel bad again.

Come on, you don't get scars like that by fighting. If so, most Pokémon would look like zombies! Zoroark suggested they were grafted by human tools back when, and Rukario seems ready to believe there are others with similar scars out there. Except WE know there isn't, because we know Lucario's just lying. Hmm.

Rukario is now going to make sure that this is in fact cyon/not cyon as she probably only knows of one pokemon who doesn't like pokemon food.

It's not solid proof, but it's definitively a hint. I mean, there could be another person with the same appearance, aura, voice, scent and highly unusual taste in food, right?

I am a little confused as to how Lucar-Ethan-io explained Cyon's death to Ru-kar-io. Did you skip that part seeing as it would just be re-explaining what the reader already knows, or am I not picking up on some implications? Kinda hope it's the former, since I am paying as much attention to this story as possible. That's 'cause I love it so very much xD. Rukario seemed to understand what happened after the word "Deoxys" was introduced, but did he get her to believe that he was human? If so, I never found out how.

No, Rukario doesn't really know anything about Lucario. Remember that Deoxys claimed the lives of very many, so pretty much everyone in the world knows about it by now, and since Cyon disappeared around that time she had probably thought about the possibility before.

 

[DrewLols]

Oh! Now it makes sense. Sorry if you had to spell it out for me. Now I'm suspecting that it was some sort of surgery, which would support Zoroark's theory.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 106

Dangerous Dark Assassin

A taste so wondrous, it surely had to be of another world. A packet of nutrition designed to encourage a pleased palette, a portal connecting his tongue with a whole new dimension of taste. It filled him with the desire to kneel in fervent prayer, praising whichever higher being would accept responsibility for allowing him this momentary yet oh so beautiful glimpse into heaven. His body sounded no complains, satisfied as it began laying a foundation of muscles and fat that would keep him alive for months to come.

"How is it?" Rukario asked with an intent stare. Lucario remembered his situation and faked a gag reflex.

"Terrible," Lucario lied, pulling down the corners of his mouth as if tasting something disgusting, "Whoops, manners. It's… OK, I guess?"

Rukario looked disappointed, and Lucario knew it was not simply because she thought he had scored a bad meal.

"No, that's alright," she said quietly while looking down at the ground, "Cyon used to… Never mind."

Why was she admitting it? Like he was really going to fall for such an obvious trick. It bothered Lucario to publicly shame the food that pleased him so, but he considered Rukario's peace of mind a slight bit more important. Thankfully, the cook in the food booth looked unaffected by his harsh words, a bulky guy working his spatula like a warrior and filling the chilly neighborhood with steam carrying the smell of fried vegetables. Going by the numerous Pokémon wandering around, it must not be as revolting to their noses as curry and mint were to Zerobi. Suddenly, Lucario realized that if that had not been the case, his unusual taste in food would have been revealed as soon as they got within range of the aroma and he made a desperate lunge for it, before even taking his first bite.

He looked at Rukario while finishing his meal, still feigning disgust with every bite. She was deep in thought, and it worried him because he was coming to realize that she was actually clever, and dangerously so. If he stayed with her she would find out the truth sooner or later. Even so, her behavior was giving him mixed signals and he was having trouble figuring out her intentions. After all this time, was she still trying to prove that he was Cyon? Considering the fighting, eating and getting him to talk about himself, it seemed more likely this was all just to reassure her that he was NOT Cyon.

"What're you thinking about?" Lucario finally asked, wiping the corners of his mouth with a not-so-clean napkin. Rukario continued thinking for another few seconds, before facing him with an earnest gaze.

"Do you think I am strong?" she asked.

"… You were trashing Blue, and you need to ask?" Lucario answered, and Rukario took a deep breath.

"So. Strong enough to fight on a competitive level?" she asked hopefully. The sudden question made a hairy ball of a Pokémon a few paces away turn its head towards them for a moment before walking away, quietly scoffing to itself. It took Lucario a moment to recognize the question – He had expected something regarding Cyon or maybe himself, but was instead faced with something unlike anything he had been asked before.

"Not sure, it's not like I'm a professional," Lucario replied with a shrug, sizing up Rukario and finding it impossible not to compare her unfavorably to his more fearsome opponents, "To be honest, I've met some crazy powerful trained Pokémon, like Torana and Raik-"

"Torana!?" Rukario suddenly burst out in shock, interrupting him as she stared in awe, "Surely you have not fought THE Torana?"

"What, Brendan's Blaziken? Strongest Pokémon ever?" Lucario said nonchalantly with an obvious tone of glee to his voice, "Yep, fought her. Beat her."

Rukario's stare of awe immediately turned into a skeptical look, clearly not buying his unlikely story.

"… She wasn't using any fire moves until the end," Lucario admitted with a very bitter sigh, wishing he'd be allowed to act high and mighty just once in his life, "And I kind of, well, almost died."

"Tell me in detail," Rukario requested, her skepticism diminishing but still desiring verification. Lucario started by simply detailing the situation and area to prove his legitimacy, but Rukario insisted on hearing a blow-by-blow explanation of the fight itself. The memory was still fresh in his mind, each faded bruise and soft spot across his body like a memo of the past. She would ask him of the techniques he used, how he was able to exploit Torana's openings and other strategic accomplishments that were really just spur of the moment. After a while, he wondered if Rukario was really just seeing if he was telling the truth, or had reasons of her own to be listening to this.

"… Very interesting…" Rukario said after the story was finished, a rather big and excited smile on her face. Lucario felt like asking her what she was thinking of again, but decided to keep quiet. She probably had a lot to think about without him interrupting her thoughts over and over.

"Blue has been egging me on to utilize my skill in battle," Rukario spoke up after a while, her smile remaining fast as she looked at him with genuine passion, "Real battles, I mean. Competitive level. I just never thought it was possible for a Lucario like me, until…"

"D… Did I just alter the course of your life?" Lucario stammered in shock as Rukario giggled.

"Second time, now," Rukario admitted before closing her eyes and shaking her head, "… No. It is like you said – This is something I want to do from my own free will. Not something I feel I have to do, because…"

Her newfound smile suddenly disappeared.

"… Because…" she repeated with a blank stare. Lucario looked behind him, wondering if she had seen something dangerous. Indeed, there was a rather menacing cyclops tree walking down the street with roots for feet, but such sights were really nothing special in a world of Pokémon.

"I… Completely forgot…" Rukario gasped as she put her hand over her mouth, "For the first time since… Why is it that being with someone who looks and sounds exactly like Cyon made me forget about him?"

"Maybe because aside from that, I'm not like Cyon at all?" Lucario responded quickly to put on some pressure, afraid she would revert to her former pitiful state. It was a fear shared by Rukario, who had previously fallen so deep into despair she thought she would never escape. Her life had been geared towards being spent in solitude while mourning Cyon forever, or latching on to anyone similar enough for endless emotional support.

But here she was, smiling and talking about the future, battling and eating out with a friend, nary a thought spared to the past. And she had done it on her own. No, she thought, not entirely on her own – Through refusing to assist her, the spikeless Lucario had inadvertently helped her, forcing her to take command and work everything out by herself. She had reached out for a helping hand, and he had swatted it away every time.

Removing her hand from her mouth, she looked at Lucario with skepticism. She had no idea whether to be grateful or not for what was ultimately a complete unwillingness to help someone in a bad situation, but she was suddenly feeling very good about herself and he was the only one to play any part in it whatsoever. He had come here today to see if she was alright and decided to go along with what she wanted to do, even though none of this had ever been his responsibility in the first place.

"Not even a little," she spoke clearly before putting on her gentle smile from earlier, "I cannot believe I forgot to ask… But what is your name?"

"Lucario?" he replied with a hint of confusion, fairly certain she already knew.

"No, no… Your REAL name," Rukario insisted before moving a little closer to him. Lucario figured that being a Lucario herself, it must be very annoying to refer to someone else as "Lucario". He possessed one name he knew for certain he would not be telling her, and so he went for the answer he always did in these kinds of situations.

"Ethan," Lucario said confidently while staring into Rukario's eyes. Would they display surprise? Would they display any recognition at all? Would they display amazement, would they display fear or would they even display hatred?

His musings seemed to be for nothing, because he instantly lost sight of her face as something soft brushed past him. Glancing down, he saw Rukario taking hold of his hands. It was strange to be touched by paws as big as his own, almost like being grasped by something wearing large pillows for gloves.

"Ethan…" she said earnestly, "I am sorry for how I treated you, Ethan."

Lucario swallowed as he noticed two passerby's stopping and staring at them, a brightly colored hawk whispering something to what could only be described as a wormy substance sticking out of a hollow rock.

"Whoa, hey, I'm sorry for hitting you and all that," Lucario responded shakily while twisting his head around in embarrassment, "Come on, don't apologize. You saved me and I treated you like dirt all the time."

"Well, then. I forgive you?" Rukario redacted her statement before letting go; also starting to notice the attention they were getting. The odd duo of bird and worm smiled as they quickly turned their heads and went on their way. Lucario had no idea why they were getting so many looks from strangers, wondering if two Lucario being together was taboo or something. However, Rukario was not quite as naïve – She knew that the ones not stopped in their tracks from the fact that they were seeing a shiny would definitely be interested by a Lucario with no spikes.

"I should go back to the hotel to speak with Blue," Rukario said as she was finally getting a bit tired of being in the public's eye, "What are your plans?"

"Same. I need to teleport back to where I was," Lucario explained, fairly certain he had nothing else to do in Snowpoint City. Rukario looked at him with a confused expression.

"You… Teleported here?" she asked before looking around, "From another Pokécenter?"

"From… A cave in the middle of nowhere?" Lucario unintentionally mimicked the manner of her answer, "Why?"

"You don't know? It's only possible to teleport to Pokécenters," Rukario explained, wondering how far Lucario had traveled just to see her, "And only the one previously visited. Flying is better, and you can usually hire a ride from cities like this, as long as you have money."

Lucario shrugged, but was actually getting a bit concerned now. It occurred to him that Blue did not know what relationship he and Rukario had - It was possible that the trainer had dumped him there and left, thinking he was home now. Lucario had no idea where Nomad's Land was or how to get back to there, and chasing Blue around the world just for such a menial task seemed like a huge waste of time.

"Here," Rukario said, stretching out her arm towards him. Lucario looked down for a moment, noticing four large yellow coins in the palm of her hand.

"It should be enough for a ride anywhere," she said with an urging tone, "I owe you one for snatching you out of the sky, remember?"

"Haha… Yeah," Lucario snickered. He had only been flying four times in his life, the first time while he was dying from a pathetic defeat, the second abruptly ending by getting tackled out of the sky, the third during a powerful storm and the fourth one while in a cage. Given this unpleasant history he was not exactly looking forward to it, but wanted to end his meeting with Rukario on a high note before anything bad spontaneously happened. Reminding himself not to instigate a hug, Lucario put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's been fun. Let's do this again sometime," he said, Rukario looking at him with a stunned expression.

"Ethan… Don't be gone too long," she replied with a nod, "Next time we meet, I'll show you how far I've made it on my own."

The moment held on a bit longer than necessary before they separated, Lucario nodding to her in return. Both were filled with a great deal of thoughts about the other as they turned and walked in separate directions. Rukario turned back one last time to see Lucario disappearing behind an alleyway, faintly wondering if she was ever going to see him again.

The temperature dropped slightly as the shadows of the afternoon grew longer, and Lucario felt a bout of nostalgia from wandering the snowy city he had left behind so long ago. Thoughts of the past clouded his mind, but cleared his thoughts as to what to make of Rukario. The strangest conjecture came upon him as he questioned if maybe they weren't so different after all. Rukario had been hunted by trainers all her life for being a shiny, and he had been hunted all of his short life as a Lucario for a bit more complex reasons. She too had trouble figuring out what to do with her life, and Lucario hoped he would not waste years wandering aimlessly as she did. But most importantly, she had fallen into depression and desperation after losing Cyon, and Lucario suddenly realized he might end up the same regarding Mew if he did not forget about her soon. How could he claim any moral high ground when he would probably react the same if someone looking exactly like Mew were to appear and taunt him with her very existence? There was a distinct match between them, perhaps even more so than when his body still belonged to Cyon.

Lost in thoughts, Lucario failed to notice the presence of one unlike the others in town. An assassin, skulking around in the shadows of the alleyway. Despite carrying all the necessary tools for dispatching any prey, the assassin was not after anyone at this particular moment. That is, before noticing a certain spikeless Lucario walking down the street.

Keeping to the darkness, the assassin followed the seemingly lost Lucario until certain that they were alone. Overly confident in his ability to sense the aura of those around him, Lucario was careless and took no note as the murderous assailant sneaked up behind him. Even as the killer reached out with the weapon that had seen to the death of so many others he remained oblivious, not noticing that something was wrong until the sharp edge was beginning to tickle the hair on his right shoulder.

"Boo," the assassin whispered into his ear, causing Lucario to quickly step forward before spinning around, holding up a guard and getting ready to fight. But he eased up as he realized who it was, feeling a mixture of happiness and surprise.

"Zerobi!?" Lucario blurted out in shock, "What the… What a coincidence! Why are you here?"

"… I live here?" Zerobi answered with a blank stare, the elegant Weavile pleasantly surprised to see Lucario back on his feet with a sober posture, "This is the only populated area for fifty miles, where would I be if not here?"

"Oh yeah. How's the old place doing?" Lucario asked while crossing his arms and feeling a pang of bother. Was Zerobi thinking of retiring from their adventures? Zerobi noticed Lucario's sudden unease and subdued a laughter, hoping to cheer him up somehow.

"Oh, you know. Obnoxious squatters. Big hole in the ceiling," Zerobi muttered while waving one of her scythe-like hands around, "I think I can do better. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course!" Lucario said loudly, but Zerobi's skeptical look told him that explanation wouldn't fly, "Nah. Just here to visit an old friend. You?"

"Same… Which is weird, considering neither of us have any old friends," Zerobi answered while letting the tone of her voice drop. The two were seemingly trying to outmatch the other with how much skepticism they could emote, Zerobi grimacing to create many lines in her forehead with Lucario mimicking Rukario's reaction to his story about Torana while also inquisitively scratching the bottom of his chin. Eventually they both cracked from the silly display, Lucario giving a short laugh as Zerobi turned her head down and giggled.

"Rukario," Lucario exclaimed, "Think I finally got her to stop chasing me around."

"Ah," Zerobi replied while lifting her head, "Wait, she's still here? She lives here too?"

"I have no idea," Lucario exclaimed while shrugging, wanting to shift the subject before being forced to revisit the past few hours so soon, "Who did you meet?"

Zerobi closed her eyes as she thought to herself for a moment, her excitement diminishing as she was suddenly feeling very somber. She saw no reason to hide what she had been up to, it was just that she felt a bit awkward talking about it with a third party.

"Well, I've been patching things up with my best friend…" Zerobi explained, wondering if Lucario had any idea what she was talking about, "You know, best friend pre-killing spree."

"… Wish you wouldn't put it like that," Lucario mumbled with a hint of disgust, suddenly being reminded of a less charming part to her character. Still, one short minute together with the Weavile and he already felt like he could understand her better than the soothsaying Zoroark or Snivy.

"Sorry," Zerobi said while wagging her colorful finger, "Anyway, it's nice to be talking to her again. She doesn't hate my guts! Can you believe it!?"

Lucario did think it a bit weird, considering how much Zerobi had gone on about everyone wanting her dead. Well, if he was able to forgive her, why not? He was so caught up in their conversation, it took him a long while to realize something was off about Zerobi's normally colorless metal claws. He let his vision drift slowly downwards when he noticed something the size of a clove of bananas hanging from the tip of one of her fingers. A colorful box with a ribbon, a distinct lack of scratches proving it had not had too much interaction with her scythe-hands.

"What's that?" Lucario asked while pointing towards Zerobi's midsection. Zerobi furrowed her brow as she looked down at herself, before realizing what he was referring to.

"Oh, right, I picked up a present!" Zerobi said cheerfully as she held up the dangling object in front of him, "Christmas Eevee, or something? We were busy with that whole virus thing and missed it, but you're supposed to give each other presents. Perfect cure for a depression, don't you think?"

"Wow! Hey, thanks!" Lucario exclaimed joyfully as he reached out. However, Zerobi quickly withdrew her claw and stepped back, her expression showing dismay.

"It's, uh, not for you," Zerobi explained hastily while keeping the box securely behind her back, "Sis is the only one I've heard talk about Christmas, I didn't know you… I mean, it'd be weird to just randomly give someone a present, right?"

"Who'd complain?" Lucario asked with a shrug before trying to move around her to get another peek, "Come on, I was depressed too! Let me have it!"

"You REALLY wouldn't find much use for this… I hope," Zerobi clarified while twisting around to keep the present out of his reach, figuring Celebi would be none too happy if someone else knew of its contents, "I burnt the last of my money on this too, so unless you feel like celebrating Christmas by beating up and robbing some helpless trainer…"

"I do!" Lucario yelled as he gave up on retrieving the box and crossed his arms in disapproval, "Actually, I wouldn't mind having some cash. Maybe it's time for me to get a job? I mean, I bet the market for violence and theft is pretty saturated."

"… A job?" Zerobi repeated with a baffled expression, the sudden shift in subject making her instantly forget all about the present, "Uh, Lucario? You're not human anymore. No need to slave away for cash, just find a nice cave to stay in and a good supply of berries!"

"But I hate sleeping in caves and eating berries," Lucario pointed out while moving closer to her and stretching out his arm, "If I had a job, I could sleep in a bed and eat real food! Also-"

Swift as the wind, Lucario's outstretched arm reached down and gave Zerobi's box a quick tap from behind, causing it to easily slip off her claw and into Lucario's other hand.

"H-Hey! Don't open it!" Zerobi pleaded as she tried to take it back, Lucario stepping back a mile to avoid the onslaught of her massive sharp claws. He suddenly felt a bit guilty as he decided not to open the box, but instead held it up to his ear and rattled it. It was of medium weight, and there was something big and rectangular inside smashing against some kind of padding. He sighed out in disappointment – Inside the box was another box, and he had no way of determining its contents.

Zerobi had a look of disappointment on her face as she approached him and held up her claw. Lucario reflected her expression as he slowly hung the present back where it belonged.

"You can tell me, I'm good at keeping secrets," Lucario tried one last time, but Zerobi simply shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. This is private," she said, and suddenly an idea sprung up within Lucario.

"Aha! Of course, it's a pair of briefs!" he said while pointing at the box, "You know, underwear? Not even Celebi can deal with the biting cold of this region around those regions, can she?"

"Pfft," Zerobi snorted in amusement as she turned and started walking down the alleyway, "Imagine how weird she'd look with underwear on."

"Wouldn't be that b…" Lucario argued before imagining the silly display for a moment and cracking up, "… Heheh, yeah, I guess it'd be pretty bad."

Fleeting images of Celebi with nothing but boxer shorts on passed imperceptibly through Lucario's mind as Zerobi took a moment to rejoice that the two of them were together again, even though they had not been apart for too long. She had always had faith that he would overcome his drunken depression, but it was still nice to verify that he back in shape, although maybe not in the perfect shape she had come to remember him by. Zerobi realized that her little prank earlier had cost her a welcome hug, and that she still had no mints for future kissing sessions. Asking her deeply grieving sister for something so selfish would be a new low, even for her. She hoped her present would not be taken the wrong way, it did cost her most of whatever little money she had left hidden in her old home, and keeping the nature of it secret from Lucario would not be easy. Even so, she was simply feeling too good with herself after reconciling with Eve, and had an overwhelming urge to share some of it.

"So… You want to go do something?" Zerobi asked as she noticed Lucario looking into the display window of Fabricadabra, a textile shop from which she had bought a makeshift cloak a few years back. Unsurprisingly, he was sizing up a pair of shorts.

"Sure. Just ate, though," Lucario said as he let his four coins from earlier tumble around the palm of his hand, muttering slightly while looking at the price tag.

"Then come on," Zerobi said as she ushered him in another direction, "I know a place where you can put that money to good use."

 

[DrewLols]

Huh... He got away with it. He even convinced her that he defeated the strongest non-legendary around. Which is true, of course.

Bah, you never explained WHY teleport always brings you back to the last pokemon center you visited. Maybe psychics have this weird unwritten rule allowing only teleports to pokemon centers in the event that one gets captured. That's not realistic, though. Pokemon is supposed to be realistic!

This is the second time that you've psyked us out with Zerobi. The last time was when she was having an emotional breakdown, and this time, well, we didn't even know it was her at first... but still!

It has occurred to me that in the event Lucatio DOES end up breaking Zerobi's heart and DOES cause her to return to her sadistic ways, he won't be able to detect her aura, and she could pounce at any time. That's kinda scary. I love it.

The cliffhanger of this chapter is that Lucario needs new pants, but can't decide on what brand. Maybe Zerobi has something else in mind. Maybe magazines? He does owe her some new magazines.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 107

Epilogue of Episode XIV
Reading

Although fairly big, it was an inconspicuous building in every way. Clad in grey walls, it had both a sloping ramp and a staircase leading up its humble entryway wearing a telltale sign reading "Two Essay", with a figure of a boy wearing glasses lying on top of the two S:es.

"A bookstore?" Lucario spoke up after a moment of silence, "… You do know I'm practically living in a fantasy novel, right?"

"That's exactly why! Pick a book about something you want to learn more about," Zerobi replied as she effortlessly walked up the ramp, "You have to stop relying on me for all your information, I never even graduated high school."

Lucario sighed as he followed her, but could not find any good footing on the slippery slope. Instead he sidetracked and went up the staircase.

"Besides, I need to practice my reading skills," Zerobi pointed out with a sigh as the doors in front of her opened automatically, "I went from reading every day to not reading ever. I don't want to forget everything and have to start over from scratch."

"Isn't it like riding a bike? You never forget how to do it?" Lucario asked while strenuously climbing the staircase, his misshapen feet finding it a bit difficult to accommodate the design clearly meant for humans. Zerobi looked back at him with an expression that suggested she did not agree that riding a bicycle was easy, and then they moved inside.

The air in the bookstore was stuffy and carried the telltale fragrance of paper. Apart from the two of them there were no Pokémon inside, but there were not that many humans either. Nothing but an old lady scouring the bookcases for something to read, a younger lady by the register twiddling a pencil and a man in his forties flipping through the pages of a book, all of them looking fairly bored.

Unsurprisingly, books were everywhere. Overflowing bookcases segregated into category and organized alphabetically, stacks of literature in bargain bins and multiple book-related accessories, one looking more superfluous than the next. Zerobi noticed they had rearranged the interior, and was busy searching for a particular section of the store that normally fancied her interests. Meanwhile, Lucario lazily perused their immediate vicinity, reading the titles and looking at the covers. Most looked pretty dull and generic, but even so there was one that caught his eye. A book called "The Islands Of Death," with a very familiar group of islands pictured on the cover.

"Oh, hey. A book on the great war," he said out loud while opening the book, immediately recognizing a legendary photograph of a blonde man in army fatigue leaning up against the ruins of a destroyed school in Striaton City, "Brings back memories…"

Zerobi looked at the book with mild interest, lifting it carefully with a clawed finger to catch a glimpse of the cover. She stared at it for a few moments before letting go.

"Wait… You weren't around for the great war, were you?" she asked with curiosity. She knew Lucario was older than he appeared, on account of living a long life as a human before even turning into a Pokémon. While his body was slightly younger than hers, he was definitely a few years older in terms of how long he had been alive.

"It happened 50 years before I was born, so no," Lucario replied with a snarky tone as he continued flipping through the pages, "They just taught us about it in school a lot."

"Hmm. They didn't teach us much history," Zerobi mumbled as she leaned up next to him to read the contents of the book, "What was it again, Kanto fought Unova and won?"

"Actually, it was a coalition between Kanto and Johto against Unova, who had an alliance with Sinnoh," Lucario explained, surprised to remember so much about history he had never revisited since the tedious lectures of schooldays long gone by. Zerobi nuzzled up affectingly against his shoulder which made him notice that everyone else in the store were staring at them, although he did not realize the people had been giving him odd looks for a while now simply for being a Pokémon with an open book in his hands.

"Uh, the dispute was regarding ownership on the Sevii Islands though, so technically it was just Kanto and Unova with anything to gain from it," he continued with a rapid pace as to shift her mind to other matters. Zerobi smiled and closed her eyes, unintentionally paying attention despite the subject of war not being very romantic.

"Sevii… You mean Navel Rock…?" she whispered dreamily before her eyes suddenly shot open in surprise, "Wait, what? Why would anyone fight a war over that tiny little island!?"

Lucario shrugged while scanning the book for relevant information.

"Resources, I think. No one's sure of who really owned them. Started with an embargo and things escalated," he muttered before looking at Zerobi hugging his side, "They really didn't teach you anything at school, huh?"

"They really only taught us about it from our point of view, I guess," Zerobi responded while staring blankly at the book, "We call it the Genealogy Wars, or 'Gen Wars' for short. You made it sound like it was only a war between human interests, why do you think Pokémon were in it?"

Lucario was about to make a condescending remark before stopping at a page, and indeed, there was a picture with both humans and Pokémon side by side in dirty conditions. The war he remembered did not involve Pokémon at all.

"Humans… Forced them?" he suggested, figuring it would only be logical to bring super powered beasts to a conflict between life and death, "What, you're saying they had their own reasons?"

Zerobi exhaled a puff of air as she tried to remember. History lessons about the great war took place during a time when most of her attention was focused on Evolution's Gate.

"Supposedly most Pokémon didn't particularly like the Pokémon heralding from other regions back then," she explained in a low tone, her neck starting to hurt from leaning so heavily on Lucario's shoulder, "Figured they had inferior genes. Kanto Pokémon thought Unova Pokémon looked weird and ridiculous, they said we were weak and had really simplistic appearances and so on."

"But… You all look weird," Lucario pointed out, not having detected any hierarchy of strangeness among Pokémon. Zerobi snickered as she separated from him and stood up, cracking her neck back into place.

"… Heh. Hehehe. That's a funny way to look at it," she said while feeling refreshed, "Anyway, the human conflict was a good chance to show supremacy. Very many died before we came to the conclusion that Kanto Pokémon were indeed better at killing than those from Unova."

Lucario stared at her with disbelief for a moment before putting the book back in the bookcase.

"Hey, it's a better reason for fighting than some useless island," Zerobi said while shrugging.

"Marginally," Lucario mumbled and started looking for something else to read. Zerobi went deeper into the store, having finally found the section she was looking for. They each tried reading a few random books before meeting up again five minutes later.

"Found anything good yet?" Zerobi asked, trying to catch a peek on whatever Lucario was reading.

"It's just a cookbook," Lucario muttered with disappointment before putting it back on the shelf.

"Hold on, don't you need that?" Zerobi asked while making a mental note of the book's title for future purchase, "You always complain about everything tasting bad. If someone close to you learned how to cook…"

"Cookbooks don't teach you how to cook," Lucario explained with disdain, "They just contain complicated recipes. Makes it more likely to screw things up."

"Oh…" Zerobi exclaimed sadly, realizing that learning how to cook just entered the realms of impossibility, "Surely it teaches you something?"

"Well… I did learn why humans are smarter than Pokémon," Lucario said. The corners of Zerobi's mouth quickly turned downwards and her expression demanded an explanation.

"See, you all eat berries, right?" Lucario relegated what he had just learned with a proud tone to his voice, "Well, that cookbook said cooked food makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrition. It's like a preemptive stage of digestion outside the stomach, which in return helps build neurons and leads to bigger brains."

"What? I don't get it," Zerobi said out loud, feeling a bit offended by the notion that humans were inherently smarter than Pokémon. Humans did have an easier time with a couple of skills that few Pokémon could appreciate such as complicated math and finer arts, but many Pokémon possessed unique senses that improved other cognitive functions.

"According to that book, it's because you eat everything raw and thus have no brain power," Lucario chided with a superior smile. Zerobi rolled her eyes in response. While humans excelled in things such as construction and music, writing and painting, Pokémon were generally better at remembering things correctly and processing new information. Hence why she could remember the name, type and footprint of almost every Pokémon in existence after only a year of study, whereas a human would need a Pokédex to keep track of things.

"Oh please," she scoffed, "It's not like berries are hard to digest."

"Says you!" Lucario shouted before suppressing a laugh, "Hehehaha, whatever. Bet it's smarter than your book."

"Bet it is," Zerobi replied bluntly, holding it up to show Lucario. On the cover was a very, very romanticized version of a Gardevoir held in the arms of a shirtless, muscled human with a confident expression on his face, the title 'Forbidden Sir Knight' hanging above them in a stylized font. Lucario still vividly remembered the Gardevoir he had seen at Brendan's side, wondering how this beautiful and attractive woman on the cover could ever be derived from that cancerous apprehension to aesthetics.

"I didn't know you liked romantic novels," Lucario said with mild distaste.

"I don't," Zerobi replied quickly before starting to read it again, "Well, I like some. But only the best."

"So, you've read quite a few?" Lucario asked, but Zerobi remained silent as she continued reading. Feeling bored, he looked around and realized they were in a very strange section of the store, if the covers around him were anything to go by. Most of the books had a scantily clad woman being held by a Pokémon, the latter very male and surprisingly human-like in appearance. Some were like the one Zerobi was reading and had the genders between the species reversed, but those were few and far between. Feeling a bit disgusted by the display, he was about to leave when he found a book that really caught his eye.

On the cover was a Lucario, one of his filthy paws caressing the thigh of a beautiful lady in regal, albeit almost fully removed clothing.

Lucario continued to stare at the picture. Despite each passing second filling him with revulsion, he could not turn away. Many a time he had seen his reflection in a lake or mirror, but no matter where or when, he had always recognized a certain spark of humanity within himself. His bipedal stature, his strong arms and his shorts all heralded to his former appearance.

Only when pictured in a romanticized manner could he see how wrong he had been. There was no comparison between the fair woman and the abominable beast that held her. Ears, nose and black lumps stuck out from his face like a whole hand of sore thumbs. Lucario caressed his own face, feeling every inch of his elongated nose, noting his ears involuntarily flicking from his touch and sensing minor nausea from squeezing the stuff that hung behind his head. He looked down at his legs – They did not feel too different, but boy did they look different. He himself was not sure where his legs ended and his feet began. Who would think to ruin a perfectly fine picture by forcing something like himself into it?

"Nope, not feeling it," Zerobi exclaimed as she slammed the book shut, "I guess I've gotten too picky. I'd kill to be able to erase my memory and read 'Nine Years of Flame, Nine Years of Shame' again for the first time."

She looked up at Lucario, who was looking back at her with a horrified expression.

"I mean, I wouldn't REALLY kill…" Zerobi corrected herself as she waved her big hand in front of the stunned Lucario, "… It's a joke? Hello?"

"Can we go now? I'm getting sick of this place," Lucario stated bluntly as he cast a glance around the area, trying not to let on that he was also getting sick from this place.

"I suppose. Did you find a book about Ethan yet?" Zerobi asked while putting Forbidden Sir Knight back where she had taken it.

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed in confusion. Zerobi sighed as she reluctantly picked up a different book.

"To fill in the gaps in your memory?" she asked with a slightly annoyed tone. In an instant, Lucario's muddled expression cleared up.

"Th-They wrote books about me!?" he stammered in surprise.

"People write books about everything," Zerobi clarified as she started reading the back of the new book with a vacant expression, "Check out any encyclopedia about famous trainers, you're sure to be in it."

Happy with any excuse to get away from the sordid romantic section, Lucario scoured the store and finally found a book named 'How to Conquer the World of Pokémon', promising a detailed look on the lives and journeys of the four major champions; Red, Blue, Brendan and Ethan. Fifteen minutes later Zerobi had made her pick, buying two books of varying flavor; The first was named 'Debunking The Truth', a book exploring the many mysteries of the world through science and reason rather than superstition and subscription count, as Zerobi herself put it. She herself suggested Lucario not know much about the second book, an offer he gladly took her up on after his previous encounter with the horrors of romantic novels.

The sun was setting as they left the store, Lucario letting his only remaining coin fall into the bag where their books laid.

"Thanks for carrying," Zerobi expressed with gratitude, knowing no handle in the world was designed to accommodate her claws, "Where'd you get that money, anyway?"

"Whoops!" Lucario exclaimed as he froze up, remembering that the money was meant to bring him to Nomad's Land, "… Uh, do you know the way back? Did you come here on foot?"

"You didn't?" Zerobi responded with a hint of surprise, knowing how stingy the revolutionaries were with letting anyone hitch a ride.

"Nah, I teleported here with Blue," Lucario answered calmly.

"Blue…" Zerobi repeated in an equally calm manner, before her mouth fell open and she raised her voice, "… Blue!? Are you mad!? What if Brendan and Red-"

"Don't worry, don't worry! I already talked to them," Lucario interrupted her while waving his hands around. Zerobi stared at him in disbelief, not seeing any visible damage across his body.

"You're… Off the hook?" Zerobi drew the only conclusion she could think of, fairly certain the revolutionaries would not come to bat for Lucario against two legendary dogs.

"Kind of. At least for the time being, I think," Lucario admitted as he wondered which chapter of his new book he should start with. He was eager to know more about his life as Ethan, but knowing what makes the likes of Brendan tick might come to save his life one day.

A heavy weight suddenly lifted from Zerobi's heart, and she was forced to bite her tongue to keep herself from shouting out in joy. Victory, she thought to herself. The last obstacle before retiring to a nice, peaceful life was gone. At long last, the time had come to make a decisive move.

"Finally. No more running," she whispered innocently while nudging a little closer to Lucario, "We've had two pretty stressful years, huh?"

"For sure," Lucario agreed while not noticing her subtle approach, "I'm worn out as hell."

"Then let's go somewhere!" Zerobi exclaimed happily as her face lit up, "If we stick around with those revolutionaries, we're bound to get dragged into something else!"

"Go somewhere?" Lucario asked while scratching the back of his head, "Where? Another bookstore?"

"Anywhere but here!" Zerobi continued while letting her hand point towards the horizon where the sun was setting, "Come on, we deserve a vacation more than anyone. Let's sit back and watch the revolutionaries and legendaries wrap this whole thing on their own."

Surprised by this sudden request, Lucario could not help but be affected by Zerobi's peppy demeanor. It reminded him of the time they had been stuck with the rest of the legendaries, and she suggested they get out of there and go somewhere else. He wondered if maybe she had an issue with large crowds.

"I guess," Lucario replied with a shrug, not certain that he was in a position where he was even allowed to just ditch all of his responsibilities, "I think I can go on a little bit longer, though. It'd feel a bit pointless if I just gave up now when there's so much left to accomplish."

Lowering her arm, Zerobi looked at him as her smile suddenly began to vanish. It was a minor setback, but she had waited too long to be able to easily shrug it off. She was starting to feel tired, so very tired of this game.

"A little bit longer…" she repeated quietly before looking the other way, not sure on what to say next. She was tethered between pressing on, and just outright giving up here and now to spare herself pointless effort.

"Wh-What?" Lucario stuttered, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. He thought his statement would make her happy.

"… You're finally free, but you still want to keep going…?" Zerobi said with a questioning voice, trying to find out what he was thinking, "I don't get you. Haven't you already accomplished enough?"

"W… Well, I'm not really allowed to tell anyone about the virus," Lucario explained, trying to figure out what was wrong about what he was saying, "And Torana decided to cop out of admitting my victory. Come on, you can see why after all this I don't want to go down in history as a nobody, right?"

Zerobi couldn't, as she herself would have been perfectly happy going down in history as a nobody rather than a genocidal monster. It was definitively not a legitimate reason to see her golden chance to settle down with Lucario slipping away.

"You don't have to force yourself to live in constant peril just to accomplish things, you know…" she tried to negotiate, "If you're looking for recognition, there are other things we could do. You don't even want to try something different?"

Lucario crossed his arms, starting to realize that Zerobi was only worried about him getting hurt. For the first time in ages he was not under any direct threat, and he figured she wanted him to pull out before getting dragged into something else. However, at the same time it felt weird to give up right when he was finally free to do whatever he wanted. If things started to get dangerous again, he could always bail out then.

"Like I said, just let me try this a little while longer," Lucario said while putting his hand on Zerobi's shoulder, "Starting to feel like all my training was for nothing. If I haven't garnished some goddamn respect by the end of this, I'm going to feel very miserable."

Zerobi stared into his eyes, not detecting deception and not expecting it either. Her withheld hostility was starting to ebb away, and she wondered if she had overreacted. The fact that he was not entirely opposed to the idea was good news, after all. She would just have to be a little more patient.

"Wouldn't want that," she replied and felt herself cheer up, "Bet you're still only known around these parts as the guy who beat up six police officers."

Lucario smiled for a moment before the weight of her statement hit him. He looked around, the previously calming environment starting to feel less safe.

"Yeah… Uh, maybe we should get going already?" he said, trying to pick up the aura of four angry Mienfoo out to exact vengeance. Remembering their narrow escape, Zerobi snickered as she waved for Lucario to follow her, and they went on their way back to Nomad's Land.

Unnoticed by both, a minor tremor passed underneath their feet. The dying shakes of a mighty rumble originating from a place many miles away, far beneath the Earth's mantle. This seemingly unimportant event would come to baffle many dedicated geologists. A continent-wide tremble, but no earthquake or devastation anywhere. What had caused it? What did it mean? Complicated explanations and wild theories would fly around the science community for some time to come, but to the intended recipient this message was immediately obvious.

Rise to the surface
Let the destruction be eternal

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 108

Many Unruly Mankey

Dawn broke, but did little to wake up the peacefully sleeping forest. Unparalleled stillness and silence reigned apart from the quietly rustling of leaves in the wind, and the occasional muttering of a certain Lucario who was quickly getting fed up with the treacherous terrain. While not quite on the same level as the jungle surrounding No Man's Land, the many roots and bushes did their part to slow him down and stub his toes.

"With so much overgrowth… You'd expect things to be a little warmer…" Lucario groaned as he could see that his breath was still visible from the cold. Zerobi followed him at a two meter distance, having gotten smacked by far too many accidentally bent branches snapping back into place to willingly move any closer. She also took the opportunity to make sure they were not being stalked, the unnaturally quiet forest making her feel uneasy.

"Weren't you complaining about the climate the last time too?" she asked, wondering if she even needed to point out that things were already getting little too warm for her taste. Lucario let the comment linger in his mind for a few moments before he suddenly stopped and looked around.

"Wait… Did we pass through here the last time?" Lucario asked, feeling a sense of familiarity about the woods. He could not shake the feeling that he had been there before, even though there weren't any unique telltale signs to set it apart from any other typical forest.

"Nope. We went south then, this is west," Zerobi explained as she approached from behind and gave him a light push, "Come on, keep going. I don't like this place."

"Me neither. I can't put my finger on it, but something's strange…" Lucario muttered as he continued walking, the two of entering a small clearing. A calming sunlit meadow surrounded by trees and rocks, a perfect spot for weary travelers or inhabitants looking for relaxation. However, this peaceful sight only made Zerobi feel less calm.

"You mean, beside the fact that this entire place is completely devoid of Pokémon…?" she whispered with a low tone, certain that she had ever seen such a fine display of nature to go completely uninhabited before. There was no shortage of wilderness that even Pokémon avoided, but when she passed through here three weeks prior it had been teeming with life and action.

"Huh? No, it isn't," Lucario said before tapping the side of his head, "I sense multiple aura all around us."

Zerobi felt a little relieved to hear that, but looking around the spookily deserted area showed nothing but foliage all around.

"… Really? I can't see any-" she started, but was interrupted by a nearby snort. It was followed by branches snapping and leaves rustling as several round figures popped out from above, previously hidden by the thick tree crowns. Zerobi gasped and turned around, pushing her back up against Lucario's as she realized they were being surrounded.

"You've got some pretty bad eyesight, then!" Lucario shouted, failing to get a good look at whatever was ambushing them, the white ball-shaped creatures bouncing around from root to branch, crown to soil with impeccable dexterity. He grit his teeth while holding up his guard, but the weird Pokémon never made a move to strike, instead moving around them in disorienting patterns.

Finally they stopped with almost perfect synchronization, and a sinister cackle filled the air. Lucario felt his muscles untighten as he got a good look at their assailants and realized it was just a pack of Mankey. Chittering balls of hair with lanky limbs, angry eyes and a slender tail, Lucario already knew the stinging sensation of their tiny claws but was not really afraid of Pokémon he had been able to trash back at the very start of his life as a Lucario.

However, these Mankey were quite different from any other Pokémon he had met. Instead of appearing as a massive group of identical twins, each individual was wearing unique apparel to clearly distinguish them from one another. It ranged from scruffy hats to various pieces of human clothing worn on their heads, armbands and wris****ches wrapped around their tails and some had taken to use lipstick and other makeup in a poor attempt at war paint.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lucario laughed out loud, doubling over from the silly display as the sinister cackling diminished, "What are you wearing!?"

"Society!" one Mankey with a fingerless glove on the end of its tail yelled out, "Which we killed!"

"Taxes!" another Mankey yelled out, covered in some kind of sparkle and glittering nicely in the sun, "Your taxes!"

Without warning, all the Mankey started answering at once in a maelstrom of chatter, drowning out Lucario's continuous laughter. Amidst the tumult, Zerobi edged closer and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Hey, hey… Shouldn't we be running?" Zerobi whispered, wondering if this was a good time for joking around, "… Are they really that weak?"

"Hehehe, yep," Lucario whispered confidently, not noticing any impressive aura anywhere close, "If they want to fight, I'll have this wrapped up in twenty seconds."

The Mankey started arguing louder, prompting Lucario to stop laughing and instead cover his abused ears. But as he did so, his inner senses told him that a slightly more notable aura further away was on the move and heading towards them. As if on que, the Mankey all fell silent and looked towards a part of the forest where they could hear branches audibly snapping.

A very large Mankey suddenly came rushing from behind one of the trees, making a mighty leap and grabbing on to a high branch. Swinging a frontal flip, his heavy body made the whole tree bend before he landed with a slam on top of the branch and immediately made himself comfortable, leaning up against the stem and letting his legs dangle.

"Welcome to the great wild, city slickers!" the huge Mankey said with a gruff voice, raising his hand in a seemingly benevolent gesture. The rest of the Mankey cheered at his arrival, jumping up and down in excitement or swinging around in circles. Apart from the size, Lucario noticed that this particular Mankey did not have a tail, and instead of random loot taken from an old lady's handbag, he wore tough iron braces around his wrists and ankles. Zerobi had no trouble recognizing that it was a Primeape, and also that they were in more trouble.

"… Thanks…?" Lucario replied with a confused shrug, never really sure if the random monsters he frequently met wanted to be courteous or wanted him dead. Judging by Zerobi's frantic shoulder now jutting into his ribs like a jackhammer, he figured it was the latter.

"I'm the king of this forest," the Primeape said with an almost regal voice as he glared at them, his true expression hidden behind a wall of mossy fur, "And the tolls are very steep."

"Kekeke! How steep are they, boss?" a Mankey chimed in before rolling around on the ground like a ball.

"Give us everything you own, and you may go on your way!" the Primeape shouted out loud, and all of the Mankey started cackling at once. Zerobi stopped poking Lucario and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, Lucario holding open the bag he had been carrying to let her peek inside. It contained the books they had bought a week back, but more importantly, the present Zerobi had bought for her sister. Zerobi gave off a painful expression as she stared at the present, but eventually closed her eyes and reluctantly nodded.

"Uh, none of this is worth fighting over," Lucario tried to plead as he looked up at the Primeape, "Are we really going to argue over some books and a plastic bag?"

"AND your pants," the Primeape answered with a grin, "Keep arguing, and we'll take your lives as well."

In an instant, Zerobi's grim expression lightened up and instead made its way over to Lucario, a demonic shadow falling over his face. He tightened his fist, letting his knuckles drift slowly over the ragged and filthy pair of shorts that was his only proof of humanity. The very same pair that had been with him all this time, the reliable pants that had successfully withstood the fierce fire of Torana and Arcanine. It beamed of Celebi's aura, a memento of his long gone quest to find Mew that he wished to retain, still thinking he could vaguely detect her scent beneath the many layers of sweat and dirt. He was not opposed to getting a fresher, fancier pair, but had yet to find a suitable replacement since they were of unknown origin. The idea of going au naturel until that point was not an appealing thought.

"Well, yes, that's the general idea…" Lucario said with a shrug and a smirk before raising his voice and glaring with hostility, "… Because the only way you're taking my pants is from my cold, dead body!"

The pack of Mankey fell quiet. Thirty two eyes stared at Lucario in surprise, before sixteen mouths started laughing in unison.

"Lucario, just give them your pants!" Zerobi pleaded, giving up on the notion of whispering as the situation was turning desperate, "These are all fighting-types! If you're looking to start a melee, I won't last a minute!"

"Again with the 'fighting-types'," Lucario muttered while glancing to the side, making sure none of the Mankey tried to rush him from outside his field of vision, "If you're implying there's a type of Pokémon that's NOT into fighting, I sure as hell haven't met one!"

The Mankey were still heartily ridiculing him by sticking out their tongues and displaying their bottoms when the Primeape lifted an arm, and they silenced in under a second.

"Outmatched, outmaneuvered, outnumbered and at a type disadvantage… But you still want to fight?" he said with an amused tone to his voice, despite the fact that his glare remained unchanged.

"We told you, boss!" a Mankey on their left chimed in, "Him and that stupid flower are crazy!"

Zerobi's temple tightened; she had been called many derogatory things before, but never a stupid flower. However, to Lucario this expression was not quite as unfamiliar, and he tried to remember where and when he had heard it. He was not given sufficient time as the Primeape suddenly bashed his chest, or possibly his face due to the difficulty of telling where or even if his head and body were separated.

"Fine! Been a while since we had some real bloodshed!" the Primeape roared triumphantly as he got ready to spring into action, the Mankey following his directive.

"Wait, wait! Not all at once!" Zerobi suddenly yelled out, temporarily halting the group's advance, "You can't just gang up on travelers like this!"

The Primeape scoffed and spat on the ground.

"These are the wilds, you spoiled brat!" he growled while clenching his fist, "For the last time - Hand us your stuff or die!"

Dejected, Zerobi frowned and prepared herself for battle. Wondering if this Primeape was as easily agitated as your typical Mankey, Lucario decided to try being rougher.

"Question – How can you be the leader if you can't even handle one guy on your own?" Lucario asked with a very loud voice while shrugging, "Or… Maybe you aren't the leader? Maybe you're just really, really fat and ugly? And scared? Scared of losing?"

The taunt did not seem too harsh coming out, but apparently it was enough. The Primeape's already hostile eyes sharpened, and he stood tall on the branch. All around them, gasps and stammering was heard.

"H-He pissed off the boss!" one Mankey stuttered fearfully.

"He's in for it now!" another Mankey yelled with a hopeful tone. The Primeape wasted no time in leaping down from the tree, Zerobi taking the opportunity to hastily back away from the smiling Lucario.

"Have it your way, you little ****! I'll rip you to shreds!" the Primeape roared as he lunged towards Lucario, bringing down both fists at once to crush him. Lucario moved out of range, retaining his stability as the Primeape's mighty attack sent a shockwave through the ground. Ignoring his misses, the Primeape kept up the assault by throwing punch after punch in Lucario's direction.

"Slowpoke!" Lucario shouted as adrenaline shot through him, finding it easy to sidestep each of the round gorilla's telegraphed punches. It did not take long for his opponent's simplistic fighting style to present an opening, Lucario pushing the ape's extended arm aside while bringing in his own for the kill. His elbow struck the Primeape's left eye, forcing the hardened primate to flinch for a moment as Lucario followed up with a few more punches.

"Hah! Pathetic!" he yelled triumphantly as the Primeape quickly backed away from him, "Pfft, maybe I've been dealing with too many legendaries? This guy's nothing!"

"Don't get careless!" Zerobi yelled in his direction, hoping Lucario could just score an easy victory for once so they could continue on their way.

"Careless? I'm kicking his *** up and down the- WHOA!" Lucario replied, but was interrupted mid-shrug as the Primeape charged with a tackle. It went past as Lucario spun around his foe and snuck in a quick hit, the Primeape giving off a deep growl and starting to throw wild punches left and right in an attempt to hit him. Lucario continued dodging and wanted to exploit the hairy beast's grossly inadequate defenses, but the sheer flurry of attacks left no chance for him to even get close. He figured it was better to let the big ape run out of stamina instead of outright knocking him out.

"Does it hurt? I can tell it hurts," Lucario taunted him on, and the Primeape responded by delivering a few devastating punches in his direction. One struck a nearby tree by mistake and ripped the bark off the impact site, although the Primeape did not show any signs of pain or stopping his endless barrage. The Mankey were cheering and shouting like spectators at a wrestling match as the Primeape tried to punch Lucario's head and he ducked. The Primeape threw his body towards Lucario and he sidestepped. The Primeape trashed violently in every direction and Lucario merely stepped back, completely avoiding the flurry of attacks. Lucario was beginning to feel complacent and wondered how much longer this was going to go on. In fact, the muscles around his torso and legs were starting to feel tired simply from twisting and dodging so much.

"Absolutely shameful! Just give up before I get serious!" Lucario shouted, failing to hide the growing fatigue in his voice as his breathing came in hard. There was no way a bulky monster doing such strenuous moves could possibly tire him out. But just to be safe side, Lucario decided to give up on simply outlasting the Primeape and instead try a counterattack. The Primeape roared as he tried to grind Lucario's head to dust between both his fists, Lucario ducking to avoid the attack and instead sweeping the ground with his leg out to knock his opponent off his feet. It was a success and the Primeape grunted as he lost balance, but while still being in midair, he lashed out with a fearsome right hook. Still crouching, Lucario had no chance to dodge as the blow struck him in the side, throwing him a significant distance away and causing him to roll uncontrollably into a large root. There was a slam and a painful crack of something breaking as Lucario came to an abrupt halt against the tree, Zerobi gasping while the Mankey howled.

The Primeape got back on his feet and gave off a triumphant bellow, showing no signs of weariness from the hectic fight. The loud noise echoed throughout the forest, alerting the few other Pokémon still crawling around that the Primeape and his gang had claimed yet another victim. Most would take this as a good reason to hastily crawl in the other direction. But not too far away from the scene of conflict, a rather different kind of Pokémon was leaning against a rock and sleeping.

The sound resonated through both of its skulls as the Pokémon quietly opened its eyes. Yawning and stretching lazily, it looked around to see what had disturbed its slumber. Hearing the incessant chitter of chimps, it concluded that the pack of Mankey had found itself in great conflict. An opportunist through and through, the scaly Pokémon picked up the weapon next to it and began walking towards the noise.

 

[DrewLols]

Azurus! You're supposed to be here! Come back to us, friend.

I bet that Lucario has returned to where he met Ivy. The presence of mankey gives it away. He also seems to remember this place, so there's always that.

Well, this is a bit pathetic. Lucario being smacked around by a non-uber powerful opponent? He's really out of shape. He seems to do that a lot. He's in great shape after dealing with wave after wave of opponents, then has his downtime like his time traveling with Mew. Then he starts kicking butt once more only to go into a state of drunken depression for weeks. Bye-bye progress. Still, considering that he's taken much more damage in the past, I don't think he's down for the count after one good hit from the Primape.

That pokemon in the bushes... I would say that it's Ivy, but picking up weapons doesn't seem like it would be her forte. You mentioned a charmeleon in a previous chapter, so unless it's someone new, I'm guessing that we'll be encountering him. I'll be around.

 

[Azurus]

I'm sorry I'm late! Been caught up in moderator and game master duties for a game recently along with playing with friends. Haven't had much time to read.

So, Ethan's let himself go and is becoming tired from a simple skirmish and got himself pushed around, gg, git gud.
I have to wonder who this bladed, scaley pokemon is though.

Anyway. nice to see Zerobii again, but she never got to deliver that present, so I wonder what happened there, unless it happened between chapters.

I also enjoyed Ethans and Rukarios interaction, and hope to see a friendly duel between them in the future.

I feel like I'm supposed to know what that underground presence was, but at the moment, I'm drawing a blank.

Sorry again for my absence, at least I got to read 3 chapters instead of 1 between updates.
Keep it up, looking forward to another.

 

[Karate_Man]

Finally caught up with everyone, yeah!
Ok so the name of this fic alone caused me to sign-up and now that I have an account and finished reading the whole thing up till this point, I'm psyched for more!
Now I need to read the other works you've written just to feel satisfied!
The past few days of reading has also given me quite an interesting insight as to how others see the world of Pokemon as well as your explanation of some interesting phenomena, like reproduction within the legendaries, as well as use of realism, though I doubt humans are as pitifully fragile as you make us out to be. We can be very resilient.
At any rate, this story has kept me on the edge of my seat through every chapter and I can't wait to read how Lugia takes the news about Mew, unless he found out already and is instead looking for Lucario for some very detailed answers and a good reason to fight/destroy him before something else takes his mind off murdering our clueless hero.

Maybe Deoxys is finally regenerating from those arms that it left in the Earths crust during its battle against Mew & Ethan.