//------------------------------// // Part 7: Hard Training, and Harsh Lessons // Story: Tales from the Pokemon Universe: Aura of Empathy // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// Riley and Sunset, along with their respective Lucarios met up on a portion of Cianwood’s beach, far enough away from the town so that they wouldn’t be disrupted. “Feel the energy of the Earth around you, feel the Aura. It’s with you at all times, never lose sight of that,” Riley’s Lucario -Or Luke as he preferred to be known as- instructed. “I… I cannot,” Sunset’s Lucario admitted after a few moments. “Just try. You have the potential. Just reach out, and sense the farthest thing you can. Doesn’t have to be miles away, can only be just a couple feet ahead hidden beyond your sight,” Luke instructed calmly. “I know you can do it, you can already sense things close by even if you can’t see them. Now we just have to expand that horizon. Block out the rest of the world, let the impossible… become possible,” Then Sunset’s Lucario shut his eyes and felt everything around him. Nothing else mattered, nothing but the Aura. And as he followed the older Lucario’s instructions, he then sensed something. A selection of Pidgeys roosting in the trees for an afternoon nap, Ratata running through the bushes bringing meals back to their burrows. “Good… Good!” Luke praised, pleased by his student’s progress. “Just take things slow, don’t rush them. This is not something you can become a master of in just a few short days. Now let us move on to something a little easier. The Aura Sphere. To use a variation on a training method on an Anime I watched once, imagine you holding a water balloon, making it expand with water until you have a full sphere. Replace that water with your Aura, and you are one step closer,” Sunset’s Lucario grunted as he focused all of his Aura energy into one of his paws, and little by little, a tiny sphere formed until it blinked out of existence entirely. Lucario hung his head in shame. “I… I have failed…” He whispered in self-disgust until Riley’s Lucario slapped him around the back of the head. “Don’t tell yourself that! No, you haven’t failed at all!” Luke admonished. “That is astounding for someone so new at this, for most Lucario it would take several days to even form a tiny sphere like that!” “I… I just imagined forming a Focus Blast, and applied the Aura Sphere technique to it, that’s all,” Sunset’s Lucario admitted. “Then, you’re that much closer. Knowing Focus Blast is a good stepping stool to learning Aura Sphere. Actually, now that we’re on the subject of moves, a practice battle is in order I think. Just to see where you stand,” And so the battle began. Nearby, Sunset and Riley stood watching the two Lucario duke it out. Luke got in close with a series of punches and kicks, Close Combat. Even with the Mind Reader move, Lucario was unable to catch all of them and almost never knew where the next blow would come from. Sunset’s Lucario charged up a Force Palm and thrusted Luke back a few feet, stirring up some of the sand beneath their paws, but he was quick to retaliate and formed a bone club of blue energy in his paws and swung at Lucario with it like it was a baseball bat. Lucario leaped above the attack and kicked Luke in the face but was soon sent flying back by a Blaze Kick. This being a Fire Type attack, and Lucario being part Steel, you can imagine what happened. “Your Lucario, he’s too specialized. Too focused on Fighting-type moves,” Riley noted as he observed, as Sunset ran over to her Lucario and sprayed him with a potion. “You need to branch him out, teach him moves that would be useful against various types of Pokemon.” “Then what do I do?” Sunset asked, looking towards Riley. “This… This is where we come in,” His Lucario answered. “I’m not leaving, nor is my trainer until Lucario is fully ready for a real battle. And that starts, with him overcoming his fear of Skarmories. If he faces one and freezes up mid-battle, the outcome would be obvious.” Just then, Riley let out his own Skarmory. As his Lucario predicted, Sunset’s Lucario froze up in fear just as soon as he saw her. “Get… Get away from me!” Lucario snarled out. But the Skarmory didn’t and instead stepped forwards. Sunset tried to run to Lucario, but Riley pulled her back. “No, he needs this,” He instructed. “Just watch, I promise you Lucario won’t be harmed.” True to Riley’s words, the Skarmory didn’t even hurt Lucario, not in the slightest. Instead, she talked to him. “You don’t have to tell me your story, about why you’re so afraid of me,” She said in a motherly tone, not too far removed from Sunset’s Dragonair. “I can read it all over your face. Dive-bombed right?”She asked and Sunset’s Lucario nodded. “Listen, now normally us Skarmory are very gentle. We have a rule. Don’t bother us, and we won’t bother you. I suspect, given what little I overheard from Elm, that wasn’t the case with you. Something different happened to you. I am not that kind of Skarmony. To us, the flock is everything. Loyalty is everything, you understand?” Lucario nodded, slowly getting over his fear of this Skarmory. She reminded him of a Spearow, her demeanor, and attitudes to flocks. Lucario nervously reached out to touch one of her crimson red wing feathers but hesitated. “Go on, you can touch them. It won’t bother me.”the Skarmory replied, and Lucario nervously stroked her wingblades. “T-Thank you…” He whispered. “Thank you, Ms…” “Just call me Hellina. All of my friends do.” “Then thank you… Hellina.” Lucario whispered as the Skarmory gave him a gentle nibble on one of his ears and Sunset smiled. Just one small step at a time, that’s what it took. Dusk fell, and as the Pokemon Center was a good distance away, Riley had decided it would be best for Sunset and all of her Pokemon to camp out on the beach with him, Luke and Hellina. Currently, he was laying up against a rock fast asleep, the brim of his fedora hiding his face. His Lucario lay nearby, snoozing in the summer night, the soft waves against the shore lulling them both to sleep. However, not all were asleep, as shown by Sunset’s Lucario, still hard at work practicing his Aura Sphere. Continually, he tried to focus his inner energy and continually, failed to produce more than a tiny sphere which quickly blinked out of existence. Rufflet and Ninetales stood awake and alert nearby, both keeping an eye out for any danger and watching Lucario in interest. Ninetales, although he didn’t know much about the Aura Sphere move for obvious reasons had a feeling the only way Lucario was going to produce a good sized one was during the heat of battle. He’d found, quite often during an intense battle, his Dopamine and Adrenaline levels would be skyrocketing and he’d be able to focus much more on powerful attacks than usual. Ninetales suspected the same of Lucario. He’d have to ask Riley’s own when morning came. Nearby, Dragonair and Talonflame were nestled up to Sunset protectively near her sleeping bag. It perhaps could be compared to a giant cuddle pile of scales, skin, and feathers. It was rather adorable, watching the rise and falls of their chests and how close they were to their trainer. Interestingly, it appeared Dragonair wasn’t fully asleep as occasionally one eye popped open and darted around in search of any potential threats, not too dissimilar to various cat-like Pokemon’s sleeping patterns. Not that anybody could probably blame her really for being paranoid. This was still the same beach where a Gyarados had snuck up on Lucario and Sunset with very little warning and almost succeeded in killing them after all. Unsurprisingly, Sunset had yet to reveal that little factoid to her mother over the phone and was probably trying to put it off for as long as possible. Arceus only knew how her mother would take her baby girl being nearly swallowed up by a Gyarados. Seeing no potential threats, from the beach or the nearby woodlands, Dragonair curled back around Sunset, resting her head near Sunset’s in the sand nearby. Lucario threw a kick, and then another kick and added a few punches to the mix each time speeding up his attacks. This was an attempt to self-teach himself the Close Combat maneuver that Riley’s Lucario had given him so much trouble with in their practice match. By this time, Rufflet had lost interest and had gone off to explore escaping everyone’s notice. It caught notice of something slithering in the bushes and Rufflet let out a small squawk of triumph as his eyes narrowed at the challenge and launched a series of Peck attacks at the purple form he’d found. This turned out to be a very large mistake, as he soon found himself lifted up by the leg by one very ticked off Arbok. “Meema, help!” Rufflet shouted. Sunset didn’t hear his cries, but somebody else did. A set of ears perked up, and eyes narrowed as paws began hitting the ground as Lucario rushed to the rescue. “Get away from him!” he barked as the Aura Pokémon roundhouse-kicked the Arbok in the face knocking Rufflet from his grip and into Lucario’s waiting arms. He gently sat the Eaglet Pokémon down on the ground and said softly “Here, you get going. I’ll handle this,” “But-” “GO!” Lucario barked as he stared down his opponent. Rufflet got the message and ran for it. Suddenly, the Arbok’s eyes narrowed in pure hatred, and Lucario’s mind flashbacked. “HELP!” Kiara’s distinctive voice screeched out from somewhere nearby. Lucario’s eyes shot open and he took off running towards her and found her laying on the ground near a dirt path. While he knew his best friend had a flock that would come flying to her rescue as soon as they heard her calls, Lucario also knew he was much closer to Kiara then they were and had a better chance at making it to her. And then, Lucario saw Kiara. There she was, twitching in pain with a giant purple King Cobra like Pokemon looming over her, it’s tongue flicking back and forth from it’s mouth. “Get away from her…” Lucario growled out. The Arbok hissed and launched itself towards Lucario firing Poison Sting after Poison Sting from it’s mouth like a machine gun. Lucario jumped to the left and then to the right with Agility to avoid the stings as the Arbok flew past him. “Oh, don’t think you’re getting away that easily, not after how you hurt my friend!” he snarled out. Lucario then grabbed the Arbok by the tail, swinging it around a full 360 degrees and then tossing it into a boulder head first, knocking it unconscious. He let out a low growl, this was the exact same Arbok that had attacked Kiara when he was younger, and now the cycle was repeating itself with Rufflet. The Arbok launched itself forwards, and Lucario smirked. “So, it’s a re-match you want huh? Well, if that’s how it’s going to be…” Lucario leaped to the left allowing the Arbok’s body to hit the sand and it let out a hiss of anger before firing Poison Sting after Poison Sting. “New battlefield… Same old tactics…” Lucario muttered to himself as he dodged left and right to avoid the stingers and pulled back his fist and to his surprise, he found it crackling with electricity. Lucario Thunder-Punched the giant snake and it hissed out in pain. “Hey, what’s going on here?” Ninetales shouted before his eyes narrowed when he saw Rufflet on the ground whimpering in pain and Lucario fighting off a very angry Arbok. Even in his tired mind, he could surmise what had happened. His eyes narrowed in rage, and just as Lucario launched another Thunder Punch -Much to Ninetales’ shock, confirming his earlier theory- the Fox Pokémon fired off an Ice Beam at the Arbok. Both attacks hit dead-on, and the Pokemon slithered off hissing in both pain and anger. As soon as the Arbok had fled, Lucario soon found himself smacked around the head by an Iron Tail attack. Despite Lucario being a Steel-type himself, that Iron Tail attack did sting a little, perhaps due to the fact that he was hit by all nine of Ninetales’ tails. “What was that for?” Lucario snapped, rubbing his head in pain. “What do you think? Being a moron, that’s what!” Ninetales barked back. “I was protecting Rufflet, I really don’t think that qualifies as being a moron!” Lucario snapped back. “No, but you were being a reckless idiot though!” Ninetales shouted back and Lucario held back a growl. Hellina groaned, having been awakened by all the arguing and walked over, Sunset’s Pokedex in her beak. “Here, perhaps this will help,” she said and sat down the Pokedex. “Just look up Rufflet’s entry in it, that’ll explain things.” Of course, what she hadn’t counted on was Lucario’s inability to use such a thing. After a few minutes of fiddling, he’d still been unable to bring up the entry in question. “How… How does Sunset do this?” Lucario thought in frustration as he tried pushing the various buttons on the Pokedex. Finally, taking pity on the Aura Pokemon, Ninetales sighed and shoved him out of the way. “Here, let me, ya idiot.” Ninetales sighed and began carefully using taps of his paws to find Rufflet’s entry in the Pokedex. (But not before using one of his tails to slap himself in the face in embarrassment at Lucario.) “Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokémon. They can crush berries with their talons. They bravely stand up to any opponent, no matter how strong it is without any form of fear. They do this not out of courage, but out of sheer recklessness. However, their frequent fights help them become stronger till their eventual evolution.” Ninetales then brought up the entry for Braviary. A holographic image of a giant eagle-like Pokemon, dark red feathers on its back and dark blue feathers lining the underside. The tail feathers were a combination of dark blue and yellow. Its two feet ended in sharp talons with an equally dangerous looking beak on the tip of the Pokemon’s face. On the head, it was covered with a plume of white feathers, extending almost all of the way down to its. All in all, the entire head of Braviary looked as if it wore a Native American war bonnet. “Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rufflet. Because of its devotion to its friends, Braviary will continue battling, long even after sustaining injury. This reputation has earned it the title “Soldier of the Sky”. The more scars it earns, the more respect it gains from its flock or comrades.” “That…” Hellina commented, gesturing to the holographic image, “Is what Rufflet hopes to one day become, a fierce fighter who would take on all comers, no matter their size and would have the power to back it up.” Lucario read and scrolled through the entry with widened eyes before he frowned. “But still, attacking an opponent such as an Arbok without any plan is no excuse. He could have been hurt or, worse… And at such a young age! Even I can tell he’s barely at battling age!” the Aura Pokémon snarled out. “Yes…” Hellina admitted. “I don’t like it as much as you do either, but it’s not in our nature to interfere with the ways of other Pokemon. Our world is cruel and unforgiving, but we all have our natures and they must be respected. Ask yourself, would you interfere in a dance of the Clefairies worshipping a Moon Stone, or a Bagon smashing his head against a rock or jumping off a cliff in hoping to fly like his Salamence brothers and sisters?” “Not in YOUR nature perhaps, but it is in mine. If it led to the Pokemon in question’s safety, yes… I would,” Lucario snarled back at the Skarmory, making her eyes widen in surprise. “Yes, I would interfere. There’s a difference between not interfering and protecting those who can’t do it themselves, is there not?” “You’re starting to sound more and more like a Sword of Justice every day, and not that there’s anything wrong with that I admit,” Hellina replied. “But interfering in a Pokemon’s natural way of growth? Maybe you and I were raised differently, but honestly…” “Honestly?” Lucario growled out, and Ninetales wisely had taken a few steps back, not wanting to get in the middle of the two Steel-Types. “You know it’s wrong, and what if Rufflet had been killed? He’s like a son to Sunset. Ask yourself, what if you had seen your chick killed because of what Rufflet pulled? What if you had a chick and he or she did something similar and wound up dead because of it?” Lucario knew that was a low blow, but it was an effective one, as evidenced by Hellina hanging her head. “You’re… You’re absolutely right, I’m sorry. I… I wasn’t thinking right. I’ve been raised in the wild, taught by my parents the ways of Pokemon thinking, but not the ways of thinking like a parent or older brother figure in this case. For that, I apologize.”Hellina said, hanging her head in shame before she chuckled. “What’s so funny?” Lucario asked curiously, an eyebrow raised. “It seems you were the one to teach me something now. I helped you get over your fear of my kind, taught you that not all of us are monsters, and now look who’s learning something… I’m sorry Lucario, you were right and I was wrong.” Lucario said nothing but instead went to find Rufflet who was shivering and shaking in fear. “That… That mean old snake won’t try and eat me again, will it?” Rufflet whispered, and Lucario pulled him into a hug. “No, not while I’m around. Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, one day you’ll be soaring up there in the skies as a Braviary and those snakes will be the ones afraid of you, I imagine.” “You really mean that?” Rufflet asked, eyes widened and Lucario sat down beside him. “Sure. Now, lemme tell you about a Spearow friend of mine from when I was just a young pup, not much older than you actually…”