The Human Species (PG-13)

[Dormant]

I MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEE IIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!

Wow! This story is great! And to be frank, quite sad...

Lots of life questioning things in this story. Purpose, surviving, and insanity.

I'm glad some characters are alive at this point. I'm sad about Mew though

You love messing with cliches and not follow them at all! One could say you walked up to cliche's house and burn it to the ground with deadly lasers.

"Yo, Lucario!" Brendan shouted cheerfully while eagerly waving his hand, "We got sick of hunting you down all the time, so we decided to team up and kill you right now!"

...F*cking Brendan! Why you gotta ruin the mood with your dumb*ss craziness?

Anyways, nice fic I enjoyed it a lot and I can't wait for the next chapter!

EDIT: I like the fic in general, but it can get quite misanthropic from time to time(But that might be your plan). And the Pokemon are agreeing with Team Plasma in this fic with Zoroark acting almost like N except much more cunning, ruthless and overall meaner in general with no evil fathers plotting behind the scenes.

And the whole No Man's Land reminds me of 'Pokemon Rebellion' made by Typhlogirl in the 2005s. The tone of the story somewhat reminds me of it as well.

Other than that! Keep up the good work!

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 101

Three Pokémon Champions

"Quit being a jerk, Brendan," Blue muttered with chide, sneering at his fellow champion.

"It's six in the goddamn morning, twenty degrees below minus ten with wind raping my face and you expect me to be NICE!?" Brendan burst out while ferociously slapping his steed, "Let's see action! Fire! Blood!"

The Suicune beneath him yawned and blinked a few times, looking more than ready to curl up in a warm bed somewhere.

"Problem is, this Lucario totally understands everything you're saying," Blue said and turned towards Lucario, greeting him with a big smile, "Hey, spikeless Lucario! You want to know about that shiny Lucario, right? Pick me!"

Lucario stood still with a blank expression, not really sure what was going on. Red noticed his confusion, the old master crossing his arms.

"It seems all three of us have unfinished business with you," Red explained as Raikou gave off a short huff, his newly forged mask fogging up from the heated exhale, "Worry not. All jokes aside, we only wish to talk and have no intention of hurting or capturing you."

"Of course not!" Blue exclaimed while raising a hand, "A loss is a loss, no need for rematches!"

Red slowly turned his head and stared at Blue in disbelief, the same rival who had fought him at least a thousand times in the past five decades demanding revenge for anything and everything. Lucario was busy keeping his eyes fixed at Brendan's malignant grin, not too surprised a death threat would qualify as a joke to that wildcard.

"And so, we felt it would only be fair for you to decide which one of us to go with first," Red said before bowing his head in a display of respect, "We hand ourselves over to your judgment."

The words resonated through Lucario's ears, though he could not let himself break eye contact with Brendan, not wanting to take any risks in case he decided to sic Suicune on him. Brendan noticed this and snickered, rummaging through the pockets inside his jacket.

"You know who's in here, don't you?" Brendan asked with a singsong voice while holding up a purple Pokéball, "What can I say? She's been DYING to see you."

Lucario flinched, recognizing the unusual coloration of the Pokéball. Back then he had not realized there was anything strange about it, but the deep single color clearly distinguished it from the other Pokéballs he had the misfortune of encountering.

He remembered the small penguin, the thought of whom had filled him with guilt on more than one occasion. He had met her right after Ivy's betrayal, a period of time when he had been convinced that Pokémon were nothing but bad news, which was not long before Zerobi saved his life and proved to him differently. Dreadfully used to being attacked by random wild Pokémon, he had seen no problem with leaving the tiny penguin to whatever fate held in store for her, even if it meant being captured by the unjustly powerful trainer tracking him. While making amends by saving her had not exactly been a priority in his mind, in some ways he could not shake the feeling that it was his responsibility to alleviate her of the maniacal Brendan's control.

Bored by his pondering, Blue tapped his Skarmory on the head and caused the steely bird to fly a bit closer to Lucario.

"Couldn't bring the shiny with me, she's still too hurt to leave the Pokécenter…" Blue explained, trying to play on his sympathies, "… But if you don't mind the trip, I'm sure she would appreciate the company. She's all alone, you know. Waiting for someone to come visit her."

The elderly Blue could not hide his expression of excitement, but was still met with seriousness from Lucario. He knew all too well the reason why Rukario was in the hospital, and that it was high time to finish his business with her. It was not going to be easy – She had sacrificed herself to save his life, putting her in a very good bargaining position and making it a whole lot harder to justifiably smack her around like before. She had been right about him being Cyon, but considering how clingy she had been before, even alluding to that fact might bring about unwanted consequences. Lucario still had no idea how to handle the complicated scenario, but knew he had to deal with her sooner or later.

Red sat still on Raikou, shrugging lightly.

"No agenda. I simply wish to talk," he spoke short and concise while fixing his eyes into Lucario's, "Man to man."

"That's it? That's it! Time to choose, you get to decide which one of us to go with first!" Blue said loudly before directing the Skarmory to move back to the others, "Just walk up to the one you pick. Who will it be?"

Blue was smiling, Red looked tranquil and Brendan had a mischievous expression. Lucario was still recovering from the idea that he was not about to be murdered, and began to wonder what to do. Reuniting with the frail penguin he had abandoned, who had haunted him with guilt for the past two years. Checking up to see if Rukario was doing fine, thanking her for saving him and telling her about Cyon's fate. Or simply having a peaceful chat with Red, the god of Pokémon trainers who despite what he said probably had some agenda in mind. The more he thought about it, the obvious path became clearer. It was not as complicated as it had first seemed, and he swiftly made his decision.

Spitting on the ground in disgust, Lucario turned around and chose to head back inside the cave to get a drink. Blue's mouth fell open, Red sighing out loud as Brendan started laughing.

"Eyahahaha! First Ethan, now this! That's the second time we've been stood up!" Brendan cackled as Blue scratched the top of his head.

"Fine. It seems we must decide amongst ourselves!" Blue exclaimed while pounding his chest, "Obviously, I want to go first. Do I sense an approaching conflict?"

"I can wait for my turn," Red mentioned, apparently indifferent to this turn of events. Brendan's words had set his mind wandering, leading him back to the day over ten years ago when he was crowned eternal champion, a scene so similar to this one. It had been cold back then too, though there had been no snow. He had just gone up on stage with a much younger Blue and Brendan, both of them soaking up as much love from the audience as possible. Red personally had trouble greeting the thousands of unfamiliar faces admiring his status and achievements. Child prodigy, reigning undefeated champion until retirement, it was a success story that inspired a whole new generation and created an icon for people to look up to.

It felt a bit sad to let it all go. Even though they were mostly strangers, he knew they must have been disappointment in him when they realized that he was no longer the champ. The announcer once more reminded them of the results of the final battle at Pokémon Stadium, how Ethan had defeated the legendary Red in fair combat. It did not bother him as much as they probably thought, as he felt this was the perfect end to his legend. Finally being surpassed by the second generation, proving that the best trainers are not aging men but inspired youngsters. Hopefully Ethan would go through the same ritual, eventually defeated to continue the cycle Red had set into motion and thereby let his legacy remain.

And so, the crowning ceremony began. The crowd fell silent, holding their breaths while awaiting the arrival of the eternal champion Ethan. And they waited. And waited.

Murmurs could be heard as Red realized something was wrong. He had not seen Ethan since the aftermath of their battle, and tried his best to keep a straight face as the stage workers behind him erupted in chaos. He looked to his side, noticing Blue appeared just as confused as he was. Brendan, on the other hand, was smiling. A broad smile that only seemed to widen as time passed. The vicious champion noticed his stare and gave one right back.

"Hehehe…" Brendan snickered, "Don't you get it?"

Both my rival and I faced Brendan, the crowd too busy talking amongst themselves about this fiasco to hear him speak.

"Not even you, Blue?" Brendan continued as he lifted an eyebrow, "Hah! It's so obvious, so bleedin' obvious why he's not here!"

Straightening his trademark jacket, Brendan pointed out over the oblivious audience, letting his arms sweep the area.

"This extravagant ceremony… That precious title of 'eternal champion'… It doesn't mean anything to him!" Brendan burst out, grinning so hard it almost looked painful, "The fight was all he cared about! And because he won, this nonsense… It's all beneath him! To him, we're nothing!"
Brendan's smile remained unchanged as he let his arms stretch out wider. His head fell back to meet the skies with a fervent gaze. Immediately, he erupted into laughter.
"… Hah! Hahaha! Eyahahahahaha!" Brendan cackled as his voice echoed around the area, "He really became the very best!"

While Red was deep in the world of days bygone, Lucario found himself getting bored watching Brendan and Blue bicker back and forth as to who was going to manhandle him first. But every second was another second closer to Celebi returning to bail him out, unless they had already captured her. He could not sense her aura, and the idea of them handing her a snack and letting her off on her merry way seemed unlikely.

"Such meaningless arguments! We shall solve this through battle!" Brendan yelled while pulling out a Pokéball from his jacket, the red and white proving it was different from the one he had displayed before.

"That takes too long… I say we settle this with the foundation of all Pokémon battles!" Blue replied before holding up an open palm, "Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

Far too jaded to allow this to go on, Lucario decided that this was his best chance to escape and get drunk again. He had barely started walking towards the cave before a triumphant shout filled the air.

"I win!" Brendan's overly happy voice sounded, halting Lucario in his steps. He turned around and saw the big Suicune approaching him with graceful steps.

"So, Lucario! Here, climb up and…" Brendan said as he patted an empty spot on Suicune's back, before stopping himself and shrugging, "… Nah, that's just boring! Suicune, Ice Beam!"

Suicune had no intention of leaving his somber state to use such a strenuous attack and instead opened his mouth, spitting a large gob of saliva at Lucario. Turning around and stepping back in disgust, Lucario's lower body was drenched by saliva and he suddenly felt a chilling cold take grip of his legs. He lost his balance and fell over, his feet covered by a thin yet sturdy film of ice.

"Ahh! Hey!" Lucario yelped as he tried to get up, everything below his waist literally frozen in place, "I thought you were going to let me choose!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Brendan chimed as he dismounted and bent down next to Lucario, "It's like a playdate! Let's play pretend, you know, pretending this is a playdate and not a kidnapping!"

He picked up Lucario and hoisted him up on Suicune's back, showing a bit of difficulty due to the Pokémon's weight.

"No! Wait!" Lucario shouted in desperation, flailing about as much as possible in an attempt to escape what was clearly the worst case scenario, "I choose Blue! Red, save me!"

He mustered up his most harmless and innocent face as he stared over at Red, whose mind was still on Ethan. However, he met Lucario's gaze for a moment and it seemed to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Brendan, if that Lucario is not in pristine shape by the time my turn arrives…" Red said with a dangerous tone to his voice as Brendan energetically leaped back up on Suicune.

"Relax, I couldn't break a physical specimen like this even if I wanted to!" he joked before looking back at Lucario and scratching his chin, "Actually, I think I could. Hmm… I should at least try before making erroneous conclusions!"

"This is bullcrap!" Lucario yelled one last time, suddenly realizing what a fool he was for thinking he had a choice in the first place. Brendan kicked Suicune's sides, and the somewhat sleepy dog set off into the morning's sunrise.

They traveled for a few minutes, the alcoholic content of Lucario's stomach shaking nauseously against Suicune's galloping. Lucario sensed the aura of those in Nomad's Land trail off together with Raikou's and Skarmory's, but considering the situation he was now he, he paid little mind to their current well-being. Brendan continued muttering to himself and did not seem to understand anything Lucario said, and Suicune himself was as quiet as a razed mausoleum. The ice around his legs eventually melted and he could have used a burst of aura at any moment for one last spiteful blow, but knew that pissing off Suicune and Brendan at this point was probably akin to signing his own death warrant, which sounded a whole lot worse now than it did two years prior. His sadness over Mew's passing seemed so far away, aware that his own life was at stake again.

"Perfect!" Brendan suddenly said, the word going unnoticed by Lucario until he received a sharp kick to his gut, threatening to unload it as he tumbled off Suicune's rear and fell into the snow. Standing up and wondering what hellish destination he had been brought to, all he could see was an endless expanse of snowfields.

"There's nothing here, so we need to make something happen!" Brendan continued with glee, "Get it?"

Lucario clutched his stomach and stifled a sour burp, filling his mouth with the taste of stale beer and bile. The horrible flavor reminded him of his first kiss, an association he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life. Reminded of his recent decadent lifestyle, he was definitively not in the mood for a battle. Beseeching Brendan's better judgment, he quietly nodded in response. The champion looked disappointed by his compliance for a moment before reaching into his jacket.

"Well, let's get the dull part over with first," Brendan muttered as he suddenly pulled out a purple Pokéball. Immediately the portable containment facility clicked open and a red light shot out, crashing down in front of Lucario and taking on the familiar shape of a certain penguin he had not seen in what seemed like a hundred chapters.

 

[Azurus]

Nice end there, "seemed like a hundred chapters" no seeming about it.
I bet the little pokemon is now fully evolved, I wonder as to what they will have to say.

Man, if only these chapters came out faster, anyway, looking forward to the next one.

 

[DrewLols]

Well, I guess you're back with another chapter, eh? The cliffhanger wasn't even real! Meh... Well, I kinda suspected it since Brendan DID say that the 'war' was over. Then again, he is pretty psychotic.

I have been waiting for a second encounter with the penguin since, well, about a hundred chapters like you said. Looks like you decided to break the fourth wall there. Which reminds me, are you planning on gathering all the characters together in some sort of rec room so that they can discuss the story? Ya know, like you've done before? Wouldn't be a proper SS ending without it.

 

[Dormant]

Man, this story really reminds me of Latias' Journey, where legendaries have parents whose species are sometimes completely different(Or in general, has parents) And Deoxys is portrayed as an incarnation of pure evil that wants to destroy everything for the lols. But still, it's different. It has similarities, but it's a fine work on it's own!

P.S. I don't mean to be rude, but why aren't you responding to reviews? Just saying...

 

[ShadedSkies]

P.S. I don't mean to be rude, but why aren't you responding to reviews? Just saying...

Whenever I come here and have a new chapter almost ready, I usually just post that, leaving the replies for a day when I've been enjoying my free time a little too much and haven't written a damn thing.

Guess which it is now!

So Gallade has recovered? He's...er, okay?

Maybe I missed the detail earlier or something haha

He's the happiest guy in the story. A little thing like losing his friends isn't going to bring him down now that his career's on the upswing! Just don't tell him the screenplay needs work, that'd crush him.

Still, you know that the world has been turned upside down when instead of the intellectual lecturing the idiot, it's the idiot lecturing the, well, nvm...

I suddenly have the urge to make a Dumb & Dumber Pokemon spinoff. Except it would probably work better with the Gallade and Umbreon instead of a grumpy Lucario. He can star in a buddy cop comedy, if Snivy calls in sick.

I expect to be surprised with action but I know it's coming to a close, and as such, have mixed feelings right with the story. Like a hurry up already and get to the point but at the same time, I don't want it to end.

Clearly, the solution for me is to write a whole lot and quickly. I'd like to think I did that before, well, now. But hey, the break between year 10 and 11 lasted for 6 months, so I'm enjoying my free time!

You love messing with cliches and not follow them at all! One could say you walked up to cliche's house and burn it to the ground with deadly lasers.

Suffer not a cliche to exist. If you've read this far, it is most likely only to sate your own undying disgust with cliches.

EDIT: I like the fic in general, but it can get quite misanthropic from time to time(But that might be your plan). And the Pokemon are agreeing with Team Plasma in this fic with Zoroark acting almost like N except much more cunning, ruthless and overall meaner in general with no evil fathers plotting behind the scenes.

No one hates misanthropy more than me. Honestly, I even consider assholes like Brendan to be extremely impressive, considering he put himself on top of a world filled with dragons burning hotter than the sun AND MADE THEM STRONGER FOR HIS OWN AMUSEMENT!

Not to mention Lucario's human (a champion like Brendan in fact, showing that it's hardly the profession that's the issue) and next to the likes of Zerobi and Darkrai he's a saint!

And the whole No Man's Land reminds me of 'Pokemon Rebellion' made by Typhlogirl in the 2005s. The tone of the story somewhat reminds me of it as well.

Never read it, but the idea of a Pokemon Rebellion has been done five million times by everyone. The twist is that this is actually a Human Rebellion, humanity getting fed up with their fragile position in a world with overpowered monsters. Now THAT's something I had never seen before. For some reason people don't consider humanity oppressed despite physically being at the mercy of literally any Pokemon in the world. Oh no, don't let the mean nasty man club that poor defenseless 20 foot monolith of steel! Sure, why don't you let IT invent the wheel and construct society!?

While Zoroark did stage a typical Pokémon Rebellion, it's showing limited success in actually changing anything. Just like in real life! And according to Mew, it's actually deepening the cleft between humans and Pokémon and making things worse. Just like in real... Well, you know what I mean.

Which reminds me, are you planning on gathering all the characters together in some sort of rec room so that they can discuss the story? Ya know, like you've done before? Wouldn't be a proper SS ending without it.

I thought no one liked it when I did that, so I purposely didn't! I had to force myself not to do it, and now the moment has passed! Damn it, I need to go back in time and fix things!

Huh? Use time travel to save Mew? No way, this is more important!

Man, this story really reminds me of Latias' Journey, where legendaries have parents whose species are sometimes completely different(Or in general, has parents) And Deoxys is portrayed as an incarnation of pure evil that wants to destroy everything for the lols. But still, it's different. It has similarities, but it's a fine work on it's own!

Is that one of the movies? Never saw it, but there's a cool song called Latios' Rescue or something.

Went with the family thing because come on, three birds themed around weather, named ArticUNO, ZapDOS and MolTRES? It'd be way too unrealistic to NOT make them related! One thing led to another and I also used this to make ancient Pokemon like Celebi more relatable, putting them at a somewhat realistic age and not old enough to be your ancestor's mother. Characters that look and act like children yet are actually five gorillion years old are lazily written and piss me off.

Deoxys merely filled the role of any powerful legendary. Settled on him because he looks kind of human, which was a very, very early spoiler as to his true nature. Plus, he's got weird abilities and strong enough to be banned in the metagame, which made for an unusual and exciting battle.

At least I hope it was. How should I know!? If I may ask all of you, which has been your favorite battle in the series so far?

 

[DrewLols]

Hrmmm... I guess my favorite fight would be the one against Lucas. We got to see the legendary trio interact with Lucario and Zerobi, Pikablu meets his kryptonite, some slashing occurred, and the battle results in two downed dragons, a passed out trainer if I remember correctly, and a free Celebi! It was all worth it!

Also, I didn't realize that people didn't appreciate the story's fourth wall breaking parties. That time travel idea sounds pretty cool, though... Uh, wait, isn't Celebi the time travelling pokemon? She's REALLY not pulling her weight if she didn't even think of going back in time to save her best friend. Some eloquent time traveler she is...

 

[joey1234]

My favorite would have to be the battle against Torana. I loved the battle not only because it was truly an epic display, but because it showed that one little thing can change the flow of everything.

 

[Azurus]

At this point I have forgotten at how a lot of the battles play out, I don't blame your story telling ability, but my lack of memory when it comes to things in general. I did enjoy all of them though, but I can't pick out any particular one without re-reading it all. Sorry, my opinion doesn't help you much.

 

[Dormant]

Is that one of the movies? Never saw it, but there's a cool song called Latios' Rescue or something.

Actually, it's a Fanfiction based on the third Pokemon Movie. And... it's quite unsettling...

Went with the family thing because come on, three birds themed around weather, named ArticUNO, ZapDOS and MolTRES? It'd be way too unrealistic to NOT make them related! One thing led to another and I also used this to make ancient Pokemon like Celebi more relatable, putting them at a somewhat realistic age and not old enough to be your ancestor's mother. Characters that look and act like children yet are actually five gorillion years old are lazily written and piss me off.

Yeah, I understand the three birds I mean, A lot of fanfics has them related. But I'm more talking about the fact a Celebi having a Gengar for a father and a Weavile as a sister is pretty... odd... O_O

Deoxys merely filled the role of any powerful legendary. Settled on him because he looks kind of human, which was a very, very early spoiler as to his true nature. Plus, he's got weird abilities and strong enough to be banned in the metagame, which made for an unusual and exciting battle.

At least I hope it was. How should I know!? If I may ask all of you, which has been your favorite battle in the series so far?

True. Since Deoxys is... well, an alien. People tend to make him a powerful world ending being of pure pure evil. Which makes him a great generic doomsday villain!

 

[ShadedSkies]

Hrmmm... I guess my favorite fight would be the one against Lucas. We got to see the legendary trio interact with Lucario and Zerobi, Pikablu meets his kryptonite, some slashing occurred, and the battle results in two downed dragons, a passed out trainer if I remember correctly, and a free Celebi! It was all worth it!

Not to mention the C-word! Which I didn't, because I censored it. But hey, remember when Celebi was so sheltered that foul language would offend her? Her life must've been so nice and peaceful before I started writing these stories.

I wrote that quite long ago, yet there was foreshadowing in it for several future events, including some that have yet to come. If you read it again now, I'm sure you wouldn't miss this part:

"Whatever!" Pikablu exclaimed while throwing his arms up into the air, "I'm not sitting on the sidelines like a bloody cripple!"

And, of course, an early notice regarding the Gallade's amazing perception:

"Whatever" Kabuta said while shrugging her shoulders and trying to act cool, "We'll show this idiot what happens when you pick on Lucario!"
"Yeaaah!" the Gallade chimed in cheerfully, "Except for the Lucario thing! I don't care! But you do! So YEAAAH anyway!"
"Hmm…" she muttered as she saw Lucario collapse on the ground from exhaustion, "Let's hurry!"
"No, like, seriously, why do you even give a crap?" the Gallade asked curiously, "Don't tell me… You actually like him!?"
"He's got you beaten out by fifty million points in my 'like' department" Kabuta replied sarcastically, "... And no, that still doesn't mean that I like him."
"So you say…" the Gallade said, trying to think of the most infuriating thing he could tease her with, "… Hah! But it's obvious that you're in love!"
"W-WHAT!?" Kabuta stammered angrily as she was at a loss for words, "Shut your mouth! Shut it 'bout things you don't know nothing 'bout…"

Also, I didn't realize that people didn't appreciate the story's fourth wall breaking parties. That time travel idea sounds pretty cool, though... Uh, wait, isn't Celebi the time travelling pokemon? She's REALLY not pulling her weight if she didn't even think of going back in time to save her best friend. Some eloquent time traveler she is...

Unfortunately, although it seems that time travel is indeed possible in real life, we would never be able to travel to a point before the means on how to do so were discovered. Considering the many recent happenings Celebi would like to undo, it does seem like a good opportunity to start learning how to travel in time.

She'd probably just make things worse. Poor Lucario, being chased by Suicune! Let's help him out a little! Of course, now he was never saved by Zerobi and didn't feel like he owed her, which means they didn't stick together and he wasn't there to help fight Lucas, which means Celebi is still captured and could never have made the trip back in time in the first place. Nngah.

My favorite would have to be the battle against Torana. I loved the battle not only because it was truly an epic display, but because it showed that one little thing can change the flow of everything.

Here's the music I was listening to when I came up with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFHeVGjU2PE

That battle marks the only major change I've done to the script since I started this story back right before New Year's Eve 2010. It shows - With all the buildup, the presentation of the legendary dogs and general foreshadowing here and there, the fight was clearly supposed to be between Lucario and Suicune.

Problem is, I couldn't make it work! Compared to Entei and Raikou, it was a boring fight! I had already done everything I wanted with it back in chapter 2 and 3, so there was nothing left to explore. So instead I shifted the focus to WHY Brendan is a champion - Not by abusing legendaries, but by training regular Pokemon into monstrous powerhouses. Considering Blaziken ended up in Uber after that dream world ability, I figured it was something interesting to work with.

Glad you liked it, felt like a risky move on my end! There are still fragments of this change, showing what an easily breakable machine the story is. Brendan's backstory was supposed to be there too, now I have to shoehorn it in somewhere else. If you're wondering why Suicune looked so sleepy in the last chapter, it's because I never gave him the screentime he was waiting for. No, really! What other reason could there be?

Yeah, I understand the three birds I mean, A lot of fanfics has them related. But I'm more talking about the fact a Celebi having a Gengar for a father and a Weavile as a sister is pretty... odd... O_O

Well, even legendaries had to come from somewhere, right? The very first Mew didn't take form by a couple of eukaryota clotting together, she must've been born from two regular Pokemon. Even now, evolution marches on!

Also, Celebi's father was a Weavile. He's the narrator of the diary back in chapter BIRTH. The Gengar is Mew's father!

True. Since Deoxys is... well, an alien. People tend to make him a powerful world ending being of pure pure evil. Which makes him a great generic doomsday villain!

I disagree with any form of "evil" ever desiring "doomsday". Evil is selfishness, doing others harm for personal gain. Now, destroying the world isn't like kicking someone who's down or conquering the weak and helpless - It's the same as committing suicide, which is probably the last thing on your list if you're a hedonistic swine. An evil character simply wouldn't act that way.

Deoxys was insane, and not "The Joker insane" or "Ted Bundy insane", but insane as in they literally pumped his brain with fluids and rewired his neural system until was like a rabies-inflicted cannon. That's the kind of mentality it would take for someone to willingly destroy the world, and to be fair, I doubt he even knew what he was doing.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 102

Neglected Partner Prinplup

The air was still and solemn as Lucario regarded the creature in front of him, quite a bit bigger than what he had expected. She was almost as tall as he was, and considerably wider. Irreversibly changed by time, yet Lucario had no trouble recognizing the maturing penguin. Her orange beak and glossy eyes were still in place, her navy flippers covered in sleek hair just like before and her white nipples had somehow multiplied by two.

"Lucario?" she whispered with a meek voice as she stared into his eyes with an expression just as stunned as his own. Two long years had passed since their brief meeting, and only now did Lucario realize they didn't really have much to talk about.

"Hey," was all he could think of to say, the bland phrase not doing much to dispel the tense atmosphere.

"Lucario…" she whispered again, closing her eyes halfway as she began to stumble towards him with flippers outstretched. Instantly reminded of how the penguin would incessantly chase him around trying to kiss him, this time Lucario simply did not have the heart to coldly keep her away. He welcomed her with open arms, but would soon regret his lenience. The penguin fell into his arms with a hazy expression, but immediately pushed her open beak towards his face, making Lucario forget about the cold and begin to sweat profusely.

"Ah, eh," Lucario stammered nervously, his pride and tastebuds demanding that he headbutt her and immediately run for the hills. But having seen her weakened walk and distraught expression, he once more gave way to empathy and could not ruin what she had obviously been dreaming of for so long. Just one, he figured, and however horrible it would be, it couldn't be worse than getting bossed around by Brendan for two whole years. That, and he found himself completely out of options that did not involve breaking his own neck.

He closed his eyes and shut his lips as hard as possible to prevent any unwanted intrusion. Loathing every part of his conscience, he braced himself and prayed that his extended nose would finally prove itself useful as one last line of defense from the approaching penguin.

It did. The cartilage of his overgrown snout bent easily, but still managed to absorb the brunt of the impact together with minor assistance from his eyelids. His mouth filled up with an all too recognizable taste, not that of stale berries but warm blood. Indeed, their intimate reunion was less like a waltz between tongues and more like being smashed in the face by a solid block of ice. Strangely preferring this to the former scenario, Lucario reeled back several steps as the Prinplup kept her head in place after the unexpected headbutt.

"… LUCARIO…" she growled once more, her voice sounding less meek and more ravenous as Lucario stumbled to regain his footing on the slippery snow.

"Wait! Y-You're not here to kiss me!?" Lucario exclaimed while clutching the tip of his bloodied nose.

"Ki... I-I..." the tall bird responded, mishearing him while her face turned red in anger, "... I'd LOVE to kill you!"

She jumped towards him, landing on her belly and gliding across the snow. Lucario sidestepped the telegraphed attack with little effort.

"Lonesome Wanderer Lucario? A hero? What a joke!" the Prinplup shouted as she came to a stop and turned around, "I bet you don't even remember me!"

"Of course I remember you, you crazy thing!" Lucario shouted back while pointing towards the heavily amused Brendan, "That's why I've followed you all the way here, to save you from this guy!"

The medium-sized penguin crossed her flippers in front of her face and spat out a white beam, covering her arms in an icy mist which quickly froze solid.

"Two years too late!" she yelled while running towards him, "You left me! I was your biggest fan and you left me to die, not lifting a finger to help!"

Trying to step away from her charge, Lucario realized his footing against the slippery snow was nowhere near as good as hers. He was forced to block as her previously harmless flippers quickly swung his way, now reinforced by a not-entirely intimidating cover of ice. It was a decent hit with the coldness biting into his skin, but hardly anything compared to what he regularly endured.

"I told you to run like fifty-" Lucario responded, being cut off as her wing-like fin poked past his block and nearly struck his eye, "STOP HITTING ME! Can't we talk this over like civilized people!? I can get you fish!"

"I don't eat fish, filthy cannibal!" she replied angrily, "And I don't want to be your sidekick! In fact…"

She stepped closer as Lucario protected his face and especially his eye. But the attack appeared lower than that, as she kicked him in the left side with a surprisingly sturdy foot.

"B-Bastard! You've got rabies, or something!?" Lucario coughed, not able to hide the sharp pain as his terribly brittle liver shook in fear, "I worried so much about you, and this is how you repay me!?"

"Repaying you with payback! You preyed on me because I was young, but I'm not that weak anymore!" the Prinplup roared with a defiant gaze as she leaned forward and held out her flippers, "Come on! Hit me with your Aura Sphere or Aura Storm! I dare you!"

Finally she realized he wasn't fighting back, Lucario thought. Progress.

"Who the hell do you take me for!? I came here to save you, not singe you!" Lucario yelled while shaking his head. The Prinplup remained silent and continued giving off an opening, obviously baiting him into attacking her. He knew this was his best chance to resolve this peacefully.

"Fine, I get it. Berserk until you tire out. I won't retaliate, I'm better than that," Lucario explained quietly as he lowered his arms and closed his eyes. As different as she was from before, the penguin he remembered had been a decent being merely two years ago. She was clearly angry with him, but would probably not have the heart to beat down someone unwilling to even defend themselves.

Lucario was once again amazed by the sturdiness of her left foot as it struck with the force of a thousand Aura Spheres right between his legs. His unprotected organ proved a poor defense against her battering ram of a foot, the sensation overwhelming Lucario as he groaned, coughed and nearly fell over. Hunching over and clutching his damaged pride as if that would somehow make it hurt less or heal faster, it took a number of seconds before the worst pain diminished and left a mere lingering urge to undo his breakfast.

"Heh…" Lucario whispered as he straightened himself up, facing the pouting Prinplup with a deceptively calm smile before jumping towards her with a scream, "… I'll RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Eyes flying open in fear, the Prinplup finally slipped on the snow and fell back. Lucario's hands were just about to wrap around her neck as her body flashed red and shrank, slipping between his huge fingers and back into the Pokéball in Brendan's hand.

"You know what? I take it back, that was great," Brendan said cheerfully as he regarded the Pokéball with amusement, "Here's her Pokéball. You want it?"

"Yeah, at the bottom of the ocean!" Lucario yelled while finding it difficult to stay upright as a result of his smashed pride, "Seriously! Nail that thing shut and never open it again!"

"Wasn't planning on giving it to you, anyway," Brendan muttered and moved the Pokéball back under his jacket, "She's shaping up to be a good fighter. Three, four years and she'll be top class."

Lucario huffed, this time hoping Brendan normally kept his Pokémon on a tight leash to prevent the Prinplup from getting free, or he could look forward to getting assassinated by an icicle sometime in the future.

"Alright, so, we're done here?" Lucario asked with a shrug and a pained expression, "I can go? You're not going to suddenly attack me, right?"

"Of course, she's not the real reason I called you here," Brendan said and pointed at Lucario with his left arm, "Rejoice! You, Lucario, is about to become the third most famous fighting legend in existence!"

"… I knew it," Lucario groaned, having no idea what Brendan was talking about but certain it would end up with him getting hurt by something. The notion that Brendan would let him escape relatively unharmed seemed ridiculous. The champion pressed down on his left elbow, the familiar action causing a red light to shoot out like a laser and bring an even more familiar being into existence.

The snow immediately melted as Torana's talons came down on it. The icy winds turned visible as her heated body caused a massive condensation all around her, like an eruption of steam at the top of a bubbling pot. The muscular avian hadn't changed much, tall and imposing just like before, an uninterested expression belying her undying desire for battle.

"Oh my god! I knew it! I KNEW it!" Lucario shouted loudly in disbelief, not at all surprised by Brendan going back on his word but startled that he didn't even have anything sporting in mind, simply fine with destroying him in the absolutely most obvious manner. He clenched his fists and struck a battle pose, eliciting a confused expression from Blaziken, Brendan and even Suicune.

"Hmpf. Yes, I did come here without the intention of harming you," Brendan muttered before he stepped off Suicune and walked towards Lucario as his voice took on a dangerous tone, "But rest assured that should you BUDGE an INCH during what I am about to do, you WILL, and I repeat, WILL die in a manner so gruesome it will referred to as certain proof of the non-existence of any benevolent higher power, simply for having allowed it to happen."

Lucario froze up as Torana approached him in a manner similar to her master. He was in absolutely no shape to deal with or even escape someone like her, and could only inch back slightly while fighting the urge to run. Brendan decreased the tension slightly by slapping Lucario's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"So, just bear with me. Torana, take the left," Brendan said while never letting his hand leave his shoulder, flashing Lucario a grin. Lucario returned it with a very strained and insincere smile, as if trying to crumble a pebble between his teeth. Suddenly, Brendan dropped his kind facade and started to run his hand down Lucario's arm, feeling and gripping his overarm. Surprised by this creepy development, Lucario suddenly felt Torana start to do the same with his left side, thankfully not using her claws as she poked and prodded.

"D… Does complaining count as budging?" Lucario stammered, shivering from the unwanted attention.

"Passable biceps, but damaged flexor carpi radialis. Torana?" Brendan asked, ignoring Lucario while looking over at Torana. She nodded and gave him thumbs up, or what might pass for it with a three-fingered hand.

"Good. Legs next," Brendan said and crouched down, continuing his inspection with Lucario's lower body. Lucario felt like he was at the doctor's office, with a mad scientist replacing the certified PhD. It took all available self-restraint to keep himself from lashing out, especially as Torana's warm leathery hands passed over certain very sensitive and badly aching places they probably should have been staying away from.

"Far from sturdy, but supple and gamey enough to withstand blunt trauma," Brendan said as he sighed and stood up.

"I disagree. I could break them with one strike," the Blaziken responded as she stepped away from Lucario, who opened his mouth as if to urge her not to. Brendan started laughing, somehow understanding Torana as he extracted a fairly large plastic bottle from his jacket.

"Torana, use Non-Violence and Converse!" Brendan shouted as he moved away and put down the bottle on the ground, "I've got stuff to mix, so I'll let you two be alone for a moment."

Brendan edged further and further away, still within earshot but hardly able to understand them anyway. Vision straying from trainer to Pokémon, Lucario saw a slightly uncomfortable expression pass Torana's face as she looked at him and slowly opened her beak.

"Nice weather," she said unironically. Lucario reflexively slapped his forehead.

"It's a goddamn blizzard!" he burst out in response, "You're a Fire-type! Aren't you cold?"

"No," Torana answered, and then fell quiet. Many seconds passed. Feeling the levels of awkwardness reach critical, Lucario hastily thought about something to talk about.

"So, uh… You healed up OK after our fight?" he asked, remembering how torn up they had both been. He probably had it worse, but at least he had Mew to patch him up afterwards. Torana tilted her head slightly to the side, regarding him from a slightly different angle before responding.

"Have we met?" she asked. Lucario opened his mouth, and then let it close. Had he mixed up two different Blaziken? Didn't seem too unlikely, but he could clearly sense that her aura was the same as before.

"It's me, Lucario!" he shouted while pointing to himself. Torana let her neck return to its former position, scratching her forehead in disinterest.

"ExtremeSpeed? Blue fiery explosion?" Lucario continued, trying to nudge her memory. It apparently worked as Torana's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition.

"Ah," she said before swiftly returning to her detached expression, "Did you come here for revenge?"

"Revenge!?" Lucario repeated in pure annoyance, "Hey, I was the one who beat YOU, not the other way around!"

The Blaziken suddenly lowered her head and gave off a very serious expression.

"That was just sparring," she spoke with an equally serious tone, "Protect, Flare Blitz… A real match would have ended with my victory in two turns."

"Sparring!?" Lucario exclaimed with disbelief, remembering how intense it had been, "My eyes nearly melted out of my sockets!"

"Yes. That was stupid of you," Torana responded as bluntly as usual, obviously referring to his last attack. Suddenly a rematch did not seem like such a bad idea in Lucario's eyes, Torana's alien behavior and unwillingness to admit his victory starting to tick him off.

"I… Remember you being more talkative when we fought," Lucario pointed out, although even in silence her demeaning personality was as present as ever.

"Because we fought," Torana replied quickly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "No point in talking otherwise."

Lucario fixed his gaze at her, defiantly testing her theory. Surprisingly, Torana was the one to break the silence, Lucario's expression telling her he had misunderstood.

"Talk is for the weak. Diplomacy for the oppressed, relying on the mercy of others to achieve something," she said as she took a step closer to Lucario, "If you want something, really want something and absolutely can't take 'no' for an answer… Then force is the only way."

She leaned forward to make her head level with his, and Lucario quickly stepped back several paces from her imposing form. He was not about to repeat the Prinplup fiasco by needlessly holding his ground, because he was certain the Blaziken could mess him up a whole lot worse whether she wanted to kill him or kiss him.

"I have built up large amounts of force. I can have anything I want," Torana continued as she rose to her full height, "Even you."

Before he knew it, Lucario had struck a battle pose, once more ready to defend himself from the powerful firebird. But nothing came of it, as Brendan casually strode up behind her.

"So glad to see you two hitting it off!" he said with a snicker before throwing something towards Lucario, "Here, drink this."

The same reflexes that had let Lucario dodge fire blasts and great swords made grabbing the object in midair an easy task. It was the bottle Brendan had been working with earlier, a closed lid on top with a thick, very suspicious-looking concoction resting within.

"No," Lucario immediately responded while looking up.

"It will make you stronger. It's a customized mixture of calcium, protein, iron, zinc and carbon!" Brendan counted up while casually dropping an empty pouch into the snow next to him, "All vitamins designed to make you strong! Very expensive!"

"Do you think I was born yesterday!?" Lucario shouted with rage, discarding the bottle in a similar manner, "You probably poisoned it. Or spat in it. I know you!"

Brendan sighed and pressed down on his elbow, Torana barely reacting as she turned bright red and disappeared inside her trainer's sleeve. As the billowing condensation from her steaming body dissipated, Lucario took the opportunity to reconsider his decision – Getting stronger was always a good thing, and Brendan had proven himself capable of making some seriously powerful adversaries. He plucked the bottle from the ground, swearing to himself that he would let someone like Celebi scan its contents THOROUGLY before even considering a swig.

"So… What do you think of Torana? Strong, isn't she?" Brendan asked with an unusually calm voice as he walked back to his other Pokémon, leaning up against Suicune. Lucario had to agree, considering there weren't many other positive attribute he could give her. And considering their conversation earlier, to him her strength was not a good thing at all.

"My masterwork. Every muscle toned to perfection, every move executed without fail," Brendan said while waving his hand around, "The pinnacle of physique."

"You sure?" Lucario asked, thinking the pinnacle of physique was something more akin to a mountain of muscle like Connor, or a literal mountain of something like Lugia. Not to say Torana was not impressive, every part of her body from fist to breast seemingly tough enough to crack rocks. Brendan ignored him, or simply couldn't understand him.

"The only thing lacking… Is passion," Brendan muttered and sighed again, looking up at the sky, "Determination is not the issue. She fights at my command until unconsciousness, but you showed me that is simply not enough. I need someone ready to DIE to win. Someone capable of flying into a blind rage so severe they would not even care if their entire body was on fire."

Brendan stared at Lucario, examining his body one more time. Lucario figured he was searching for burns after the disastrous finale to his fight with Torana, and knew he would find none too severe thanks to Mew's care.

"It just so happens that your build nicely compliments hers," Brendan explained with a smile as he stopped leaning against Suicune, "Terrific individual values. Fitting ability. Perfect nature, and I've got Everstones coming out of my butt."

Pointing towards Lucario, the trainer's eyes were once again burning with the same spirit that had led him to become such a successful champion in the first place. A constant struggle for improvement, an endless desire for challenge and brilliant creativity opening yet another path to traverse.

"Combine that with both your speed-related moves and the result will be the strongest Pokémon in the world!" Brendan shouted before bashing his chest, "I have trained Pokémon from childhood. I have trained Pokémon from birth… But never before have I trained one preconception!"

"Conception…?" Lucario repeated, looking down at the bottle once more. Individual values and Everstones were one thing, but the last word was something he recognized. His heart began to beat faster as he realized what Brendan was implying, the snickering trainer leaping up on Suicune's back once more.

"So get stronger, or I can't guarantee you'll even survive the wedding night!" Brendan yelled before slapping Suicune's rear for absolutely no reason, "Farewell, Lucario! We will meet again, and then you shall enter legend as the father of the strongest Pokémon in the world!"

"Wait!" Lucario screamed with his arm outstretched as Brendan and his steed ran away, the mane of Suicune glittering in the morning sunlight. Lucario was left alone with a million troubling thoughts, but felt relieved that he remained relatively unharmed by the encounter.

"Can I at least… Get a ride back…?" Lucario mumbled to himself, sighing as he began his hour-long trek back to the caves of Nomad's Land and the life-saving alcohol stored within. If he was fast enough, he figured he could drink this terrifying development between him and Torana into complete oblivion.

 

[Pink Harzard]

I've been spying a long time at this fic but I will now emerge to give some comments. I'm not a experienced reviewer so please bear with me.

"Wait! Y-You're not here to kiss me!?" Lucario exclaimed while clutching the tip of his bloodied nose.

"Ki... I-I..." the tall bird responded, mishearing him while her face turned red in anger, "... I'd LOVE to kill you!"

Autch

"Heh…" Lucario whispered as he straightened himself up, facing the pouting Prinplup with a deceptively calm smile before jumping towards her with a scream, "… I'll RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Important lesson: never kick someone in the dark places who is stronger than you.

Eyes flying open in fear, the Prinplup finally slipped on the snow and fell back. Lucario's hands were just about to wrap around her neck as her body flashed red and shrank, slipping between his huge fingers and back into the Pokéball in Brendan's hand.

"You know what? I take it back, that was great," Brendan said cheerfully as he regarded the Pokéball with amusement, "Here's her Pokéball. You want it?"

That Brandan is sure nuts.

"Good. Legs next," Brendan said and crouched down, continuing his inspection with Lucario's lower body. Lucario felt like he was at the doctor's office, with a mad scientist replacing the certified PhD. It took all available self-restraint to keep himself from lashing out, especially as Torana's warm leathery hands passed over certain very sensitive and badly aching places they probably should have been staying away from.

Okay... that last part is realy sickening.

"Nice weather," she said unironically. Lucario reflexively slapped his forehead.

"It's a goddamn blizzard!" he burst out in response

The weather question not always works.

"It will make you stronger. It's a customized mixture of calcium, protein, iron, zinc and carbon!" Brendan counted up while casually dropping an empty pouch into the snow next to him, "All vitamins designed to make you strong! Very expensive!"

Carbon a vitamine? Don't you mean carbos?

"Do you think I was born yesterday!?" Lucario shouted with rage, discarding the bottle in a similar manner, "You probably poisoned it. Or spat in it. I know you!"

Spit doesn't sound that horrible. Wait, we talk about Brendan

"It just so happens that your build nicely compliments hers," Brendan explained with a smile as he stopped leaning against Suicune, "Terrific individual values. Fitting ability. Perfect nature, and I've got Everstones coming out of my butt."

Sounds like a breeding plan...

"Combine that with both your speed-related moves and the result will be the strongest Pokémon in the world!" Brendan shouted before bashing his chest, "I have trained Pokémon from childhood. I have trained Pokémon from birth… But never before have I trained one preconception!"

"Conception…?" Lucario repeated, looking down at the bottle once more. Individual values and Everstones were one thing, but the last word was something he recognized. His heart began to beat faster as he realized what Brendan was implying, the snickering trainer leaping up on Suicune's back once more.

How on the world will Brendan get what he need of Lucario? He doens't want it. Brendan's plan sounds just so disturbing.

"Can I at least… Get a ride back…?" Lucario mumbled to himself, sighing as he began his hour-long trek back to the caves of Nomad's Land and the life-saving alcohol stored within. If he was fast enough, he figured he could drink this terrifying development between him and Torana into complete oblivion.

Stay away from the drinks and just make a run for it. Just when he stops drinking, he gets in trouble again.

This chapter had some supprises. Every time I think Brendan can't get more disturbing, you succeed in doing it. Well done ^^

 

[Azurus]

Wow, that's quite an... interesting way to end the chapter.
Somehow, I don't think this will go as either of them expect, Brendan or Lucario/Ethan, though I'm curious as to the events of the next chapter.

Keep it coming Shaded, I'll always be reading.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Carbon a vitamine? Don't you mean carbos?

Just Brendan teasing Lucario, like usual. I mean, of course it contains Carbon! How would it not? His reasoning for excluding Carbos is because Lucario's Speed EV's are already great.

How on the world will Brendan get what he need of Lucario? He doens't want it. Brendan's plan sounds just so disturbing.

The Daycare has ways of making Pokémon breed. Because no matter how disturbing the story is, always remember that the canon is worse.

Keep it coming Shaded, I'll always be reading.

Good to hear! When the story's turned to crap and everyone else has abandoned me, I'll count on you to still be here! Can't wait for Chapter 255: Resurrected Zombie Mew

 

[DrewLols]

Eh? It seems that Lucario has a lot of suitors considering that he doesn't go out of his way to appear appealing. He's been a drunkard for weeks, after all. The Piplup previously liked him for looking like her favorite cartoon character, Zerobi likes him, Rukario likes him (to be fair, she thought he was her husband), Kabuta was infatuated with him, the Dragonair wanted him out of desperation, that Espeon sure didn't seem to mind being tackled, and Mew LOVED him! I haven't forgiven you for killing off Mew, by the way. You did it twice! I think I got 'em all... Nope. Torona. What exactly is Lucario doing so right? Hrmm...

So, after insane trainer comes up with insane breeding plan of insanity, he's just going to leave Lucario in the snow to walk back? I guess that's just the kind of guy he is. Can't tell if Torona has much of an opinion of her trainer's plan. It's impossible to read her. Always so passive. She sure seems happy to announce her power over Lucario, though.

I'm guessing that it's safe to assume that more escapades are coming in the future to balance out the darker side of this story. I'll be waiting.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Eh? It seems that Lucario has a lot of suitors considering that he doesn't go out of his way to appear appealing. He's been a drunkard for weeks, after all. The Piplup previously liked him for looking like her favorite cartoon character, Zerobi likes him, Rukario likes him (to be fair, she thought he was her husband), Kabuta was infatuated with him, the Dragonair wanted him out of desperation, that Espeon sure didn't seem to mind being tackled, and Mew LOVED him! I haven't forgiven you for killing off Mew, by the way. You did it twice! I think I got 'em all... Nope. Torona. What exactly is Lucario doing so right? Hrmm...

Next chapter touches on that, but I'd say you explained it yourself best! They're all interested in him for different reasons, the cruel twist being that Lucario himself has no use for it, in fact causing him nothing but a lot of distress and crushing guilt when he simply can't return their feelings.

I still haven't forgiven MYSELF for killing off Mew. But it's all for the betterment of the story, as you'll eventually see. I would never have killed off my favorite character had it not opened the door to make this story as interesting as it can possibly be!

So, after insane trainer comes up with insane breeding plan of insanity, he's just going to leave Lucario in the snow to walk back? I guess that's just the kind of guy he is. Can't tell if Torona has much of an opinion of her trainer's plan. It's impossible to read her. Always so passive. She sure seems happy to announce her power over Lucario, though.

She's a bully, kind of. Not to say there isn't a point to her way of life. If she played nice and peaceful, could she ever "have" Lucario? Hell no! But using overwhelming force, how would anyone stop her?

I'm guessing that it's safe to assume that more escapades are coming in the future to balance out the darker side of this story.

Oh yes. Not entirely though, it's best to mix it up.

 

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 103

Deadly Demonic Entity

Reading, writing, signing. Zoroark was getting rather skilled at her daily work routine by now, keeping a secure grip on the pencil with claws designed for far more primal purposes than bureaucracy. It was not just her physiology either - The whole scenery screamed of absurdity. A rock with a cushion for a seat. An even more oversized slate for a desk. No electricity or even a lantern, the cave walls themselves glowing eerily after usage of Flash, turning them luminescent for a few days at a time, making it even harder for her to sleep than usual. Zoroark found herself missing the comfort of No Man's Land, the closest thing she had to a home.

Suddenly, she heard rapid footsteps outside, heading towards her. From the growing sound, she determined that it was a biped with padded feet and minimum weight, someone very fast. An assassin? Or just an eager aide with urgent news? One situation called for her to turn invisible and hide, the other urging her presence. Compromising, she created an illusion of herself sitting by the desk while silently moving to lean up against one of the walls, prepared for an ambush if necessary.
The assailant appeared at the entrance, and she felt relieved to see it was just Lucario. She dropped her illusion, but immediately wished she hadn't.

He looked utterly terrified. Whether incapacitated by Raikou or in the presence of Darkrai himself, his current expression showed fear of a degree she had never witnessed before.

"D… Demon…!" Lucario gasped while breathing heavily, "There's a Devil in the bar!"

He tried to remain standing, but his knees faltered as he sunk down against the wall. Zoroark ran up to catch him and supported him against her shoulder, ignoring the fact that he was now referring to their stash of alcohol as a bar.

"Probably just the Gengar-" Zoroark tried to calm him down, having just gotten the report that the Gengar had deserted them for unknown reasons. But Lucario would have none of it, looking at her with eyes wide open in panic.

"DO YOU THINK I'D GET THIS FREAKED OUT BY A DAMN GHOST!?" he screamed in her face as she flinched, "This thing's flesh and blood… Might even be Darkrai…!"

Darkrai - A name that would forevermore grab her attention. Whatever was happening, it was serious. Although lacking information, Zoroark did her best to hastily formulate a plan. First of all, others had to be warned of this threat, especially the ones closest to the danger zone.

"Quick, run ahead!" she shouted while helping Lucario up to his feet, "There's a Miltank I just sent there to-"

But as quickly as things had turned serious, it all melted away. Zoroark's face dropped in a sheepish fashion, feeling very stupid.

"Lucario… By any chance…" she asked with a growing frown, "… Did this 'demon' have udders?"

"H-How should I know!?" Lucario stammered, wondering why the tension had suddenly diffused, "One look and I bolted out of there!"

"What about hooves?" Zoroark asked in a monotone. This time, Lucario's expression showed recognition.

"That's why it's a Devil!" he pointed out with a heavy shudder from the traumatizing memory, "Diamond-hard hooves with enough strength to shatter bone with a single stomp! How would I block such destructive force!?"
Zoroark sighed very deeply as she moved back to her seat and sat down. Seeing that Lucario was straying far from the road of calming down, she wondered if she should explain things to him or just let him suffer for getting her so riled up over nothing.

"Everyone has heard about Ethan's pathetic loss against Whitney," Zoroark said, opting for the nice approach, "I assume you do not remember it… But it seems to have left a pretty bad impress-"
"There you are!" a different voice interrupted her, and yet another unannounced visitor came inside her den. Zoroark remained undaunted, but Lucario felt his stomach clench up at the sound, fear giving birth to new power as he ran away and pressed up against the wall behind the Dark-type and her makeshift study. By the entrance where he had been standing barely a second earlier, the source of his fears trod in.

"No! NO! STAY AWAY!" Lucario yelled in the hopes of deterring the new arrival. He felt his breathing come in harder as his mind struggled to comprehend the true nature of the horror in front of him. Like Zoroark had suggested, it indeed had udders. Sore and vulgar tumors of flesh sticking out from its belly, like snakes trying to escape the sickly sack of flesh. Its hooves looked positively small in comparison to the rest of its chubby body, but he could very easily imagine one of his ribs snapping like an unfortunate twig underneath their unparalleled crushing strength.

However, the single most terrifying aspect of it all was undoubtedly its face. It was soft. It was kind. Looking at it, one might think his fear of the chubby dairy producer was unfounded and irrational. But he knew it all to be a façade, a ruse to lull him into a false sense of security. Before his vision, Lucario kept seeing the demon curl up into a ball and begin to roll towards him. The scenario still just a figment of his imagination, he never, ever wanted to see it curl up into a ball and roll towards him. If it were to happen, he was sure to scream out loud, lose consciousness or even expire in a heart attack. The idea that such a homely-looking creature could at any moment transform into the very definition of madness, an icon of malice was too much to handle.

Huffing audibly, the Miltank looked towards Zoroark with a bothered expression while pointing at Lucario.

"Not what ah had in mind when ah volunteered!" she spoke with a dialect, which to Lucario sounded like a hellspawn chanting a spell of misfortune, "He said he'd punch me!"

"Punchkickbite you!" Lucario clarified immediately and loudly, "I said I'd punchkickbite you and I'm sticking to that unless you piss off, w-weakling!"

"Quiet, Lucario," Zoroark told the trembling fighting-type before turning towards her volunteer and wondering how the hell she was going to explain this, "Well… I asked you if you could help him stop drinking, and it seems to have worked… Somehow. Thank you."

The Miltank looked back and forth between Zoroark and Lucario with her hands on her hips, taking a moment to figure out the bizarre situation. Her concerned expression slowly faded into a calm smile as she began to walk towards Lucario.

"D-Don't…" Lucario stammered in warning, fondling the wall behind him in search for any manner of secret escape route Zoroark might have installed.

"Well shucks, ya scared?" the Miltank asked sincerely while keeping up her grin, "Afraid of what li'l ol' me could do to ya?"

"NO!" Lucario screamed in defiance while pressing up as hard as physically possible against the wall, hoping the ghost of Mew would appear to pull him through it. Zoroark merely sat and watched as the Miltank went past her, approaching the squirming Lucario.

"Good. Usually y'all see Miltank as nothing too jarrin'," she said before leaning in closer to whisper something, "But that's just fine. That's how ah catch 'em off guard."

Lucario bit down hard enough to crumble his own jawline to keep himself from passing out, but was finding it more and more difficulty to remain dignified until death as he could see his own reflection in the Miltank's huge, intimidating eyes.

"Speaking of which, she'll be taking up the position that Gengar left," Zoroark spoke up, not entirely sure if she wanted to break up whatever was happening, "So, if you want another drink, you'll have to go through her."
Staring at the Miltank with a strained expression before opening his mouth, a meek moan of fear was the only answer Lucario could muster up. Zoroark sighed, signaling for the Miltank to move back so they could have a normal conversation. The bipedal cow barely took a step back, focusing all her attention on Lucario's hilarious reaction.

"P-Position…" Lucario stuttered after he felt the Miltank was at a slightly safer distance, "You mean… B-Bartender?"

"Bouncer," Zoroark corrected him with a smile. Lucario stared at the Miltank, who returned his glance with a mischievous glint in her eye. He felt his own eyes water up as he looked back at Zoroark with a pleading expression.

"Oh, fine," Zoroark said with dismay as she stood up and walked up to the Miltank, Lucario's pathetic state actually begging to worry her that something bad was about to happen, "You are allowed to give Lucario here one bottle per week."

"That bein' a filthy bottle of stinkin' beer…" the Miltank asked while playfully slapping her udders, "… Or a healthy servin' of nutritious milk?"

"HRRRKK!" Lucario wheezed, falling to his knees and threatening to puke from the suggestion, bile overflowing to the point where he felt like he had vomit running through his veins. Both the Miltank and Zoroark could not help but crack up slightly as he lay on the ground, clutching his stomach while twisting and turning in unimaginable disgust.

"Could you ask him that every time?" Zoroark requested, believing she had discovered the perfect cure for Lucario's growing issue with alcohol.

"Hahaha, oh yes," the Miltank laughed in response, "This is fun."

It took Lucario a few minutes to fully recover. The mental image of udders being tugged in all the wrong ways while sending a ripple over the plump devil would haunt him until the end of times. It was at that time he finally decided to secure himself a cyanide tablet to carry around, lest he was ever forced to actually drink the fluids of the demonic being. When he felt ready to face the world again, he realized Zoroark was crouching down next to him, and the Miltank was nowhere in sight.

"So. Unaffected by Darkrai, were you?" she asked with amusement, painfully aware that her own paralyzation of terror was probably just as undignified, "Completely fearless?"

Sounding off a groan, Lucario wondered why everyone was picking on him all of a sudden. Whatever respect he had built up must've been shattered after his long bout of depression, he figured. Zerobi was sure to treat him more nicely, but after asking around a bit he found out she had gone somewhere else, promising to be back in a few days. If only she had an aura, he could track her down as a great excuse of getting as far away from the devilish cow as possible.

"… I can handle a nightmare…" Lucario coughed as he slowly rose to his knees, "… That thing's for real. Please tell me she's a pacifist."

"Yes," Zoroark replied and calmly went back to her seat, "Entered No Man's Land out of her own free will. Volunteered to come here for the sole purpose of kicking butt. Definitively a pacifist."

Lucario swallowed loudly. He wanted to know more about what the hell happened to Ethan to create such a phobia, but would greatly prefer never seeing or thinking about the horrifying Miltank ever again.

"At least she's returning to No Man's Land soon, right?" Lucario asked hopefully, retracting his cheerful tone as Zoroark looked at him with a slightly hurtful expression, "And… You too?"

"Regrettably," Zoroark replied, sad to miss out on whatever antics he would get up to next, "The first convoy has already departed. We are moving back in segments so we can travel easier and make it harder for an ambush. Hard to tell who else knows about the virus, so we will keep secret which convoy brings it back."

The issue of the virus returned to Lucario's mind again after long absence. Between the sudden appearance by Darkrai, Mew's death and his own struggles with drinking he had completely forgotten about something that was probably worth a lot more attention than anything else. He looked into Zoroark's eyes in silence, hoping he had not made a mistake by placing his trust in her to handle it. She returned his stare with a calm yet analyzing gaze.

"You know… There will always be a place for you in No Man's Land if you want to settle down," Zoroark spoke up while reclining back, stretching her arms to ease the tension from hours of writing, "A few of the human residences are still untouched. I suppose you would feel right at home in one of those?"

"Thanks," Lucario replied, the idea sounding strangely distant as he shrugged off the unusual emotion, "… I mean, not much choice, I guess. Don't really know what to do with my life, now that Mew's…"

He fell quiet, surprising even himself. He thought himself over Mew's passing, but was still finding it hard to talk about. Zoroark's inquisitive gaze was not helping at all. But it was true - He had gone from running for his life to searching for Mew, traveling to the legendaries to chasing down Mew again. With her gone, he was finding himself without a real destination for the first time in two years.

"Don't worry. I know that feeling," Zoroark said, feeling a little bad over teasing him before considering he was still in mourning, "If there's nothing left to fight for, what's the point of living?"

"Honestly, I'm pretty tired of fighting. I'd like to try something else for once," Lucario responded and sighed, running a hand past his ear. The hole left by Silver had closed up, but he was not about to forget about it and every other scar on his body anytime soon.

"Oh, please!" Zoroark suddenly exclaimed while reclining back even further, "If you were to stop fighting, what's left for you then? What would you do?"

"… Lots of things! Like… Uh…" Lucario answered quickly, but found his initiative faltering. Aside from eating and sleeping, what did he want to do with his life? How he would play video games with his freakishly oversized fingers? He could get a job, but nothing in particular interested him, and the good openings were probably occupied by humans and others with the qualification of actually being able to talk.

"I am the same," Zoroark spoke up to break his train of thoughts, adding a sigh of reluctance, "At least I still have No Man's Land to fight for."

"… Oh yeah? And then what?" Lucario asked, turning the question back on her for suggestions regarding his own predicament, "What will you do when you retire?"

Zoroark looked at him with confusion as she slowly sat up straight.

"Retire?" she repeated before placing her elbow on the desk-like slate, "I already told you, the odds of me seeing this thing through are zero. For placing myself in such a vulnerable and controversial position, at some point I will surely be killed."

"Eh, that's just the pessimism talking," Lucario said with a shrug, "You'll do fine! Just keep your wits about you and all you need's a bit of luck."

"Fortune to some, misfortune to others…" Zoroark muttered darkly to herself.

"What?" Lucario exclaimed, not exactly hearing what she said but wondering if his attempts to cheer her up had backfired somehow. This assumption proved to be correct as Zoroark fixed a serious stare into him, showing that she was past the point of cracking jokes.

"It seems you do not quite understand," she said with a bit of a monotone, "The only reason I continue to live is because the world is in dire need of me… And when that is no longer true, I will take my well-deserved, hard-earned vacation."

A seemingly innocent sentence, but the gravity of her expression told a different story. Lucario reflected it as he came to understand what she was hinting at.

"… You're serious?" he asked, his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden, "Come on. Living's rough, but to just give up on it like that…"

"Easy for you to say. My whole life has been a constant fight for survival," Zoroark elaborated, knowing Lucario was the only person in the world she'd ever be able to tell this to, "I struggle and suffer with a passion, but comfort and whatever else you would use to define 'good living' is such a foreign concept to me. I feel nothing for it."

"That's because you're working your butt off every day!" Lucario replied loudly while waving his arm to the side, trying to put the good things in life on display, "Make things better for yourself, you're missing out on way too much! Learn to eat, learn to laugh, learn to love…"

"And who would teach me? You?" Zoroark asked with an amused tone, but her face was anything but cheerful, "Funny statement coming from someone who's a loner despite women throwing themselves at him day and night. You know less about love than I do, and definitively less about eating."

"You've got women throwing themselves at you too!" Lucario said in a misguided attempt to make her feel better, the image of a particular Sigilyph appearing in his mind, "Just, uh… Reveal your real gender after this is all done, and I bet you can meet some guys with no problem!"

Apparently Zoroark had enough, slamming down her hands on the table with minor force before standing up.

"Just… Stop," she said while holding up a hand to silence him, "I may have grown up loveless, but from observation alone I can see love for what it truly is."

Lucario crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall, trying not to lose his cool as Zoroark fixed an icy gaze into him.

"Pestilence," she said, "A plague, infectious and debilitating. What else could transform reasonable men and women into creatures willing to do anything to fulfill their desires? A misguided affection may turn a deep friendship into sorrowful longing, envy and even loathing. Can you name a single other thing in this universe capable of bringing about such misfortune?"

"Well, it can't be all that bad if your other option is to kill yourself!" Lucario retorted, curious how she came to the conclusion that love was somehow worse than suicide, "You're not even going to try it out? What do you have to lose?"

"Of course, I would prefer to fall at the hands of an enemy," Zoroark continued as she turned her back to him and walked towards the opposite wall, "An assassin, maybe? It will paint me out as a martyr, but that is hardly the reason for my wish. In truth, of all the horrors I have been subjected to, suicide is the one thing I have been spared. To die honorably would be a fine footnote to my obituary."

"You dodged my question," Lucario said bluntly, "No disease affects the dead, not even love. Why not at least try it out? Are you scared that you're wrong, that you might actually come to enjoy life?"

Zoroark continued looking away from him, staring into the wall. Unseen to all, she flash a little smile, believing she preferred Lucario's earlier inebriated state if only because he was unable to talk back to her. Having lived the better parts of her life with a fully encompassing death wish and good reason for it, she had never really asked herself if it really had to be that way. She had been eager so long for release from the sleepless nights, the traumatic memories, to simply not kill herself when she was able to seemed like a weird decision to make.

"Who knows?" she said quietly, honestly not knowing the answer to his question, "Love's out there… But we both refuse to seek it… What's the world going to do with two lonesome bastards like us?"

"I'm not lonesome," Lucario chimed in, thinking that term was not entirely befitting of his current status, "I'm, uh, dating Zerobi."

For some reason, he could not stop himself from hesitating, an action which did not go unnoticed by Zoroark who was more than ready to switch the subject.

"Which is why you refuse to kiss her and she's constantly frustrated, I assume?" she said as she turned towards him with a bemused expression, "Even out here in the snow, your relationship is frigid. Is she holding you hostage?"

"Uh, no…" Lucario muttered, realizing everyone was picking up on the shaky nature of their relationship, "We're just… Trying it out. Seeing if anything's there."

"Is there?" Zoroark asked earnestly, moving to sit down again. Lucario swallowed hard, finding himself on the spot. Only minutes earlier he had been pining for Zerobi's presence, but mostly because she was sure to be nice to him unlike everyone else. He choked down a minor gag reflex at the thought of kissing her again, especially now that Celebi could not grow mint properly in the harsh cold.

But it was more than that. He had not seen her since realizing he had far more feelings for Mew than he had originally understood. All this time he had thought himself incapable of loving Pokémon if only because they were so strange, both in appearance and nature. Did his much too short appreciation for Mew prove that he could find himself in a similar relationship with Zerobi? Or instead, did it mean that it truly was impossible for him to love Zerobi, seeing how even after all this time he had never felt the same way for her as he did Mew? He himself did not know. Seeing her again might help nudge his feelings in the right direction. A simple verification, no matter the outcome.

"Well… Definitely on her end," Lucario said while scratching the back of his head, trying to play it off as nothing too serious. This immediately backfired as Zoroark stared at him for several seconds with what could only be described as a face of pure uneasiness, as if watching a Slowpoke try to cross a railroad.

"… You are playing a very dangerous game, Lucario," she finally spoke up, "One that will end up costing your life."

She placed her elbows on the table while crossing her spiked claws in front of her mouth, appearing deep in thought. Lucario really had nothing to say to that, waiting for her to continue.

"Consider who she is, and what she has done," Zoroark explained, her serious expression never fading, "Love does not bring about redemption. If anything, it brings about more desperation and madness. She fights her urge for blood valiantly, using your relationship as a foundation of morality. Should she discover that it was a lie… The question is not 'if' she will snap and kill you, but 'how quickly'."

"What? No! You're just paranoid, and jealous, and…" Lucario shouted back defiantly, even though every word resonated badly against his better judgment, "… Like, 'how quickly' as in how long I have to get away after breaking her heart?"

"As in how long she decides to torture you before letting you die," Zoroark elaborated, all too familiar with Astrid's testimony regarding Zerobi's rampage. Lucario pointed at her as if to say something, his face freezing up in utter horror for a moment before clutching his forehead and throwing his head back in frustration.

"Goddamn it! Why does anyone fall in love with me!?" he shouted with anguish, the memory of Torana's unorthodox proposal not remedied since he was never able to get a drink, "It makes no sense! I'm a damn human, I'm not supposed to be attractive to Pokémon!"

"Disputable, considering the rumors I've heard regarding Ethan and the close companionship he had with his Pokémon," Zoroark said while waving her hand in a gesture of disagreement. Lucario froze up again, and an expression of complete unadulterated disgust took form across his face.

"Oh my GOD," Lucario spoke as if dislodging feces from between his teeth, "Don't tell me-"

"No, no," Zoroark interrupted while waving both hands for empathies, suddenly finding it a bit difficult to withhold laughter, "Heh. Just mentioning that Ethan's Pokémon loved their trainer very, very much. Mostly just the females."

"MOSTLY!?" Lucario screamed as if a Miltank had just snuck up on him, quickly scanning the room for any blunt instrument or matches, "Quick, how do I make myself unattractive!? I'll set fire to my face, that'll make me disgusting, right?"

"Or dead," Zoroark suggested, "Considering all the scars you bear, a few extra might just make you more attractive. Ask a girl."

Narrowly halting himself from bashing his head against a sharp-looking protrusion in the cavern's wall, he slowly turned his face towards Zoroark. They looked at each other for a moment.

"A normal girl," Zoroark clarified with a shrug, "Frankly, I'm just amazed you started this whole thing being a proponent of life and love."

"I… Of course I am!" Lucario stammered, looking at the protrusion for a second before moving away from it, "Just… On my terms, damn it!"

A sigh escaped Zoroark's lips as the papers on top of her desk finally caught her eye. They had been talking a long time, and her work was still nowhere near finished. It was time to wrap things up.

"Tell me what you find," she said, restraining herself from getting up and giving Lucario a pat on the shoulder, "And feel free to join me in solitude should your efforts be fruitless. For what it's worth, loneliness isn't too bad with two people."

Without further ado, she picked up the paper on top and started reading. Lucario got the gist, but was not about to leave just yet.

"Hey," he said. Zoroark pretended to ignore him.

"You're my friend," Lucario continued while holding out a hand, "Don't you dare try to kill yourself anytime soon. When this is all over you give me a month, and I'll show you how sweet life can be."

"You will just be wasting your time," Zoroark groaned in response, her ridiculous work ethic starting to kick in at the sight of an unsigned order.

"That's OK. I've got nothing but time to waste," Lucario insisted, the fact bringing him down a bit.

"Fine," Zoroark finally said, thinking it would be fun to see what he had planned if nothing else, "We can talk later, OK? Long-distance leadership does not afford many wasted minutes. Until these orders are signed, the builders are loitering about back in No Man's Land when they could be constructing a new rail for-"

She looked up from her paper, noticing Lucario had already left. Wondering what it must feel like to be able to sense the presence of others via aura, she resumed her work, aware that she would be lying with a new set of thoughts the next time sleepiness came for her.

 

[DrewLols]

An udderly terrible pun.

We ALL had trouble with Whitney's miltank. Anyone who says otherwise must have inflammable pants. The Twitch team made it past her, though, so it's not impossible even with almost random button presses. 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? Hilarious encounter with the miltank, by the way. Lucario can become strangely irrational with the correct trigger.

You said you'd go over Lucario's unintentional charm, and you did. So, scars are apparently the secret... Maybe running with scissors isn't such a bad idea after all.

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?

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.

On an unrelated matter, Twitch is almost done with pokemon crystal. Praise helix.

 

[Azurus]

Well I'm late in responding to which I apologize. 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.
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 Anyway, I do like you discussed the possibilities of relationships here in this latest chapter and how difficult it would be to pursue them.

Looking forward to yet another chapter, I do enjoy reading these ever so much.

We ALL had trouble with Whitney's miltank. Anyone who says otherwise must have inflammable pants.

A couple of growls and a geodude or the female machop gotten from a trade was enough to beat it. It isn't that difficult if you carry a variety of attack types and have a decently typed team. Though attract with defense curl and rollout with milk drink for recovery can be brutal if you are unprepared for it.