//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Lost and Found // by MyrrWhisp //------------------------------// Dusk the Riolu slowly opened his eyes as the first warm rays of sun-light shone into the cave, its warm glow touched him and his mother as they laid in their mossy nest. The first thing he had noticed was that it was getting warmer as the new spring came. It was his first spring since he hatched, and so the natural warmth was both new and welcoming. He gave a small smile as he let himself lay there for a few, soaking up the warmth of the sun. His muzzle gaped as he let out a long yawn, his grogginess fading as he laid there. He shifted to a new position and sneezed as a piece of moss tickled his nose. After a few more minutes of trying to go back to sleep, he gave up, seeing there was no way that he was going to rest anymore. He sat up from the nest, stretching his long arms to rid of the strained muscles, and forced himself upon his two feet. He shook his body to get rid of the excess moss that stubbornly decided to cling to his body. Dusk slowly padded over to the entrance of the cave that was his home. He had to blink a few times before he could look at the sight without narrowing his eyes. The cave was upon a large hill, overseeing the whole forest and the lake beyond it. He first looked up at the sky, and a smile crept on his face. The sky exploded into shades of yellow, pink, orange, and a few specks of white, which were from a few clouds that were able to survive the last rainstorm. Then the Riolu looked down to the forest, his blue ears perking in interest. He was used to the forest without leaves, or at least have yellow to brown leaves. Now that Spring was here, the forest awoke from her dead, silent state, and seemed to be bursting with new life. There was so much green, and it was very odd to Dusk. Even from here, Dusk could hear the chatter of the forest dwelling Pokémon as they started or continued their morning routine. There was so much chatter, that he couldn't distinguish what Pokémon is talking. It was confusing to him, but it was a nice add to his life. He finally looked beyond the forest to what had grabbed his interest since he first noticed it. It was a pulsing blob of blue mass which his mother told him was a Lake. He had never gone to this place yet, but his mother told him once he is older he could go with her to the lake. Hold on..., Dusk thought for a few moments, She told me we could go today! Excitement flooded through Dusk's mind as he remember the promise his mother gave him. He could see it now. The wind blowing in his face, the roar of the water as it lapped at the shore ahead, and new Pokémon to befriend there! Oh he couldn't wait! At that moment, the Riolu turned to gaze at his mother, who was still fast asleep in the comfy moss nest. He would have to wait for her to wake up from her slumber if they were to go to the lake. He looked back to the entrance, looking up at the sky. The sun had just emerged from the horizon and was slowly ascending into the sky. Well... He thought, It is early right now... I guess I will wait. So Dusk waited, and waited, and waited. Many hours passed when he woke upon his back, his tail hurting for being squished. "Ow!" He yipped as he sat up, rubbing the beginning of his tail, waiting it to not throb. Wait a minute! He thought How long had I slept like that? The Riolu, still sitting down, looked up at the sky from the entrance, he could barely see the sun, since it had almost risen to the peak of the sky, almost being obscured by their ceiling. What? It is almost mid-day?! He exclaimed, shocked on how the time flied since he must of fell asleep. He shoved himself up from his sitting position and turned to see where his mother was. To his surprise though, she was still fast asleep. This annoyed the Riolu slightly, since she would of been up and in the forest hours ago. Her sleeping this long was not common, but when she did, it would be hard to wake her up. He knew it would take a long time to get to the lake, and at this rate, it would be dark by the time they arrived if she didn't wake up soon. Dusk gave out a small sigh, I guess I might as well wake her up then. He thought with reluctance. So Dusk padded forward a few paw-steps, reaching the moss nest in ease. He knee-led down and stretched his arms to her, shaking her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. "Common Mom, wake up!" Dusk waited for a response, yet none came. She only shifted slightly, and kept on sleeping. He gave out a sigh, and shook her again, a little bit harder this time. Still, unfortunately, no response. ` He sat down where he was, giving up. He crossed his furry arms and thought deeply, a troubled expression in the young Riolu's face. How would he be able to wake her up? She was in a very deep sleep after all... After raging in his head for a plan to wake his mom up, a perfect idea popped up. The Riolu inspected the idea, and finally he accepted it happily. A mischievous smile crept onto his face. Well, I guess this is the only way to wake mom up.. He thought with excitement and amusement. This was going to be fun! Dusk forced himself up onto two legs. Padding back to the entrance of the cave. Instead of examining the area outside, he turned around. With one paw ahead of the other, he prepared to run. He sprinted forward, his arms soaring behind him, and jumped, landing onto his mother with an "Oof!" He giggled at his mischievous act, yipping happily. "Common Mom, wake up! We have to go to the lake!" He laid on his belly, giving his mom a big hug. The mother Lucario responded, but not the way he wanted. She grumbled in an inaudible tone, and buried her muzzle deeper into the mossy nest. She was being hard to wake. "Mom.... you promised!" He pouted, disappointed and sad by her reluctance to wake up. "Okay, okay! I am up..." His mother groaned after many seconds of silence. "Yay!" He cheered. Dusk rolled off his mom and the nest, and then got up once again, trotting to the entrance once again to wait for her to go. His mother forced herself to get up from her comfortable nest, letting out a sigh as she gained her footing. "How does he get all this energy?" She barked, her tail bobbing back and forth as she padded over to join her son at the entrance. "Okay. Let's go!" --- Dusk and his mother started on their journey to the lake happily. Dusk was on the front, exploring the place around him while his mother stayed back, keeping a watchful eye on them. They descended the rocky hill, boulders stretching high above them as they went. He had been through here plenty of times, yet it still fascinated him. His mom called it the Boulder path, since the boulders lined up in a path as they would go to and through from their cave. It was easier to go this way than any other rout from their cave to the forest. Not many other Pokémon lived near here though, so they were basically the only ones that used it. His mind wandered to the lake, trying to imagine what it will be like. Today was a clear day, so the water will be calm and clear. Mom said they could get to the lake by just following trail they were on, called the Boulder Path. Speaking of names, he didn't know what the name of the lake yet. Did it even have a name? He turned, walking backwards easily as he concentrated on his mother, who was watching him intently. "Mom, what is this lake called anyways?" He asked. She gave him a hearty smile, and responded, "It is called Lake Valor, remember that well, there are times that you might need to come back here one day when you are older." He nodded silently, hopping back to a forwards walk once again. What did she mean that he would need to know this someday? Well.. He thought, Nothing is going to change by just pondering about it. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts back as he looked forward. He could hear the buzz of the Pokémon who inhabited the area slowly get louder, and so he smiled. They were getting to the heart of the forest, the most eventful place he has know so far in his life. The thick brush surrounded the path as the pair moved on. He could hear some Staravia above him, some flying in the sky, and some in the trees, picking the delicious fruit that the trees bared. In the bushes, he could hear the sounds of Bidoof, Shinx, and other Pokémon that he didn't care to recognize. This was a place that exited him, there was always something going on here, whether it would be night or day. After a while of silently walking by the neighboring Pokémon that was also using the trail, something perked his interest. A nearby bush was rustling slightly. Curious now, he trotted a few paces from his mother, stopping at the bush, eyeing it with great interest. --- His mother kept her steady pace, giving a chuckle of amusement as her curious son examined the bush. By the smell of it, this Pokémon wouldn't be a threat. Just in case though, she kept her eyes on the young Riolu, making sure that he didn't get hurt. She didn't know what she would be able to do if something bad happened to him, many threats are targeted at her, and she knew that they were also now passed onto him. All she could do was protect him to the best of her abilities. --- Dusk peered closer at the bush, which was now twitching, as if nervous or something. All he could see that was odd was a small brown patch with a pink triangle in the middle. He cocked his head sideways, confused on what it is. Not thinking, he stretched his arm, poking the pink triangle in a 'Boop' motion. Nothing could prepare him for what happened next. He yowled in surprise as whatever was inside the bush jumped on him, a small brown figure his put him to the ground. He landed with a thud, his vision blurry at the impact. It took his a while to recover, his mind confused. He blinked his eyes constantly, recovering his vision. On top of the Riolu, was a small Buneary, laughing quite hard. She then suddenly stopped her laughing, giving him a big, goofy smile. "Hello!" She said cheerily, looking exited to meet him, "I am Tris! What is your name?" He stared for a few moments, still processing the new information. Then he noticed that he was staring, and he blushed in embarrassment, replying quickly. "O- Oh!" He stampeded, "Hello, I am Dusk." For some reason, the Buneary didn't look disturbed by his behavior, Tris just grinned, hopping off of him, and hopped around with a joyful aura around her. It made him smile back at her. What an interesting Pokémon... Tris stopped her hopping, opening her mouth to continue speaking. "Dusk.. that's a cool name!" She Complimented, giving him a courtesy in greeting. "I never seen a Riolu before, Oh it is so nice to meet you!" Dusk blinked repeatedly, trying to soak in all the information as the Buneary sped by on her introduction. Okay her name is Tris and she is defiantly exited to see me... He thought looked at Tris, who was watching him expectantly with a sweet smile. Only then did he realize that she was waiting for a response from him. Oh! "Uh... Well it's very nice to meet you too!" He yipped, stumbling back onto his feet. Now that he had his footing back, he looked around for his mother. She was right on the other side of the trail, concealing her smile and stifling a giggle. " Well hello there Tris." His mother cheerily woofed, "So your mother let you go exploring again?" The Buneary's eyes widened as she remembered something, and then she hopping around in excitement, "Oh, of course! I almost forgot! I was going to go to the lake again today!" She grinned at them happily. The Riolu looked back to his mother, and even he could see that his mother was planning something, since he had that certain thoughtful expression on her face. It almost seemed that he could see the gears starting to turn in that head of hers. What is she going to do next.... He thought with interest. "So you're going to the lake?" She gave a small chuckle, "Why, we are also going to the lake too! Would you like to come with us Tris?" She asked politely, it was a friendly gesture, none the less. "Sure! It would be twice the fun!" Tris exclaimed, hopping ahead on the trail gleefully. Well, that was interesting. He thought, following the extremely excited Buneary and his mother along the trail. What interesting things might happen at the lake now? --- Dusk's ears perked as the slush of liquid came into earshot, it was like a whisper to him, inaudible yet luring like it wanted him to follow the sound. His tail wagged furiously with excitement and looked up at his mother, her golden eyes greeting his own. "We are almost there..." She woofed, a small, warm smile on her face. With that alone, he got extremely excited, he was almost at the lake! He had been waiting months for this moment! Without thinking, he dashed forward, the distance between the mother with the Buneary and his mother lengthening. Behind him, he could hear his mother yell something, and the Buneary screech. That scared him, but before he could stop, he was sent flying into the brush to the side of the trail. Everything just went in slow motion. His eyes widened as he saw who had shoved him, his own mother had shoved him, her eyes seemed to be filled with panic. /But what's wrong?/ He couldn't dwell on that for long though. He let out a screech of pain as he fell into a bed of brambles. The thorns pierced his skin, and entangled him, threatening to hurt him if he got up. A surge of pain slashed at his right shoulder, making him silently wail in agony. Tears came into his eyes as he forced himself up, the thorns tearing out of his skin as he did so. The Riolu stared at the site in disbelief, for his mom was in more trouble than him. She had been entangled in some kind of net, and yet whenever she struggled, the net would shock his mother with bolts of electricity. "Mom!" He yelped, clutching his shoulder in shock, he was bleeding. He winced as he stumbled toward his mother, he had to get her out, he just had to! He almost touched the net, before his mother interrupted him. "No!" She growled at him, which made him take a step back. "It will shock you if you touch it! I'll be fine, just let me-" She couldn't finish her sentence, as another shock wave exploded from the net, making her screech in pain. After the shock was over, she fell on her knees, panting with effort. Her sides heaved as she tried to not fall down and faint. "Mom... I am scared... you have to get out of there!" He whimpered, fear bubbling through his consciousness. The net will hurt her even more of he tried to help, or if she showed any signs of struggle. So how could she get free? He knelt down with his mother, examining the net for any faults. He didn't notice that a shadow had crept over to him. As the shadow was big enough to cover him, he finally noticed this, and slowly looked behind him with wide eyes. Before him, stood a trainer. This wasn't a normal, goofy trainer that he was used to seeing. This trainer was a full grown man. He was wearing a black suit, and on his shirt a bid Red R was put in it. What scared him the most though, was that his eyes where icy-blue, cold and judging as the trainer was Staring at him. His eyes almost glowed ,since his hair was also black. Oh, now he was more scared that he had ever been. "Oh?" The trainer said in a low voice, a creepy grin went onto his face. "Looks like I finally got you Lucario." His cold eyes fell on him, which made him shiver slightly. "Looks like you came with a perfect present to!" He leaned in closer, taunting his mother, who was now looking at the trainer with a death glare. "This Riolu will be a perfect gift for the boss..." The Lucario had enough of that ,and so she forced herself up, sparks flying, and she said this, her hands circled around a forming ball of energy. "Aura... Sphere!" She let loose the Aura Sphere, and even though it was strong, the net seemed to absorb the Aura Sphere. Then, after a few Silent moments, a huge shock wave came from the net, shocking his mother with such force, he could even see her tears evaporate into thin air. "Moma!" He yelled in panic. "Please stop..." He whimpered, tears forming in her own eyes. His ears drooped as the man looked over to him again, seemingly looking like he had now lost interest with his mother. Oh no... He thought, Now it must be my turn for a beating... The trainer gazed down at the terrified Riolu, giving him a grin that sent shivers though his body. "Well then, you aren't going to be much of a burden, aren't you?" The man said and then continued, "I guess my Treeko will be to much for a Pokémon as weak as you are right now. Go Treeko!" The man selected the first of the three balls attached to his belt, sending out the Treeko from his capsule. The Treeko looked at Dusk coldly, almost mimicking the Trainers glare. "Oh, Looks like he finally sent me out to do something interesting." The Treeko sneered. "Just capture the Riolu Treeko and then we can go." The man looked to his mother again. "I have already taken care of her anyways." Dusk's thoughts were now a strained mess, he had no clue what to do. He had to flee, it was his only chance to escape! He, though, abandon his own mother! What will he do? Oh what can I do?! He thought with frustration. He looked to his mom as he saw her move in the corner of his eye. She forced herself up, panting heavily in exhaustion. "Dusk... Flee now! Get out of here as fast as you can!" She plead, her eyes wide as tears flowed freely down her face. He was now more scared the he had been so far, and he had a feeling that it was going to get worse. "I-I can't leave!" He cried, " I can't leave without you!" "You must! You have to go now! I am not asking you!" She growled desperately for him to leave her. "But-" He tried to protest, but he was cut off by a glare and her growl. "No buts... Now go!" He hesitated for a moment, gritting his teeth in frustration at what he knew he had to do. /Why? Why did this happen to us?/ He thought bitterly as he glared at the apposing Treeko, who was looking quite amused at him and his mother's struggles. He then hopped to the side of the Treeko, dashing past him before he could react, and sped away from the scene and across the lakeside. --- If any Pokémon were around, then this might of been a bad sight. You would first see a horrified Riolu dashing past you as fast as the young thing could go, and then you would see a Treeko hot on pursuit, looking extremely angry. Dusk could hear the Protests, Yelps of surprise, and some Screams of fear behind him as he went on. "You can't keep sprinting like that forever, coward!" Dusk could hear the Treeko taunting him from close behind, which made him even more than he used to be. The Iron Ball of fear and dread seemed to grow bigger by the minute as he felt himself tire. He was faster than the Treeko, yet this Treeko had more endurance than him. That was Dusk's downfall in all of this. He struggled to keep the pace after a while, panting hard in the attempt to get more air circulation though his body. His muscles burned in protest, for he had never tried to run this far or this fast. He was truly at his limits. Which where not enough. No, no, no, no, no! Dusk wailed in his mind, his vision a blur as tears flowed down his face. This was supposed to be a great experience with Mom and Tris... and look where that had gotten me! He screamed his anger in his mind at the plain irony of this as he clenched his teeth and forced himself further, only now remembering the wound that was still on his shoulder, bleeding. He had to do something! But- " Hah-... You... can't keep..... up that.... pace!" The Treeko panted to Dusk, and his heart skipped a beat. The Treeko sounded to be closer than before, so he didn't dare look back. He could feel himself faltering as he tried his best to keep from the Treeko. Common! You can do this! He tried to encourage himself, but thoughts surged though his head of failing to flee from the Treeko, and being trapped to who knows where. They would use him to do something horrible, and his freedom would be lost forever. Then, he started to panic. I- I am not going to make it... His face went slack in horror, his jaw opened wide. Am I... The world grew silent to him as he blocked all sound and feeling, ignoring the grouped up pain that he was in. Then he gave a silent plea for help, to Arceus, or any other being that could help him. Please, someone help me! Not only a few seconds later, Dusk felt his foot twist and lost grip with one of the slippery rocks on the lake-bed. His mind filled with dread and horror as he knew that this had just sealed his fate. He was going to be caught by the Treeko, taken to the trainer, and then get shipped to whoever this 'Boss' was. He would never see her again, nor have fun with his few Pokémon friends, even Tris, and he would never get his first time having fun at the lake like he always wanted. All his dreams shattered at that moment as he closed his eyes in defeat, fainting in exhaustion and waiting for his dreadful fate to come.