Summary: As the title says, a collection of one-shots between Korrina and her partner Pokemon, Lucario.
Korrina and Lucario One-Shots
Chapter One
Injuries
Lucario had never been fond of roller skating, as it was known to cause many injuries to almost everyone that did it. What bothered him even more was that Korrina was subjecting herself to the blades, and the sheer thought of his trainer becoming injured bothered Lucario greately.
Nevertheless, Korrina wasn't too concerned about having accidents, as her mind was focused on the wondrous thrills and adrenaline that skating brought to her. Wearing no protection aside from her helmet, she performed the most outstanding and talented, yet extremely dangerous, tricks, often frightening her youngest Pokemon, Mienfoo.
"Lucario, I've never understood why Korrina skates. It's so dangerous..." Mienfoo would often ask Lucario this question, and today was no exception.
Lucario often grew impatient of answering the same question to the small beast, however Mienfoo still persisted, "She's a teenager, Mienfoo."
"What's that gotta do with anything?"
"Teens...well, human teens anyway, have this thing called rebellion. They enjoy bending the rules, doing the opposite of what is normally declared appropriate and safe. In Korrina's case, it's doing these ridiculously dangerous skating tricks without wearing any bodily protection. Sure, she wears a helmet, but what about her arms and legs? If she were to crash-"
"Hey, don't say that!" Mienfoo interrupted, "She's Korrina! She won't have an accident! Stop being so optimistic all the time, Lucario!" He stormed away from Lucario, suddenly holding an unusual grudge towards the Aura Pokemon.
Dumbfounded and speechless from Mienfoo's outburst, all Lucario could say was, "Does he even know what optimistic means?" to himself. Chucking, he mumbled, "I think he meant to say pessimistic..."
Katrina casually strode along the pavements of Shalour City on her skates, happy to be having a break from the gym. Challengers had been flooding in recently, so Korrina was extremely restricted to practicing her skating for at least an hour every three days. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a little out of practice from the lack of skating.
As Shalour City wasn't particularly big, Korrina decided to leave her Pokemon to their own devices on the other side of town. Of course, it wasn't as if she was trying to get away from them, but she had wanted a break from pretty much everyone, including her Pokemon, whom could be somewhat pestering at times.
Travelling a little further and into another, fairly quiet, street, Korrina noticed several rails connected to a stair case, "Maybe I can practice my balancing here!" She said to herself, "It's perfect! There's pretty much no-one here, so I don't have to worry about hitting anyone! Like I did with grandfather a few weeks back..."
She edged closer to the rails, now noticing that they were both covered in a sticky, tar-like substance, "Is that oil?" Korrina wondered, "Eh, no problem. I'll be fine. I've done it sooo many times before, right?" However, Korrina wasn't that sure if she would be fine, but due to her own desperation of wanting to practice her skating, she allowed it to take over her common sense.
"OK, HERE I GO!" She exclaimed in excitement, firstly skating backwards a little and then forwards, picking up her speed as she went. She skilfully hopped onto one of the rails and slid down with perfection and ease, landing on two feet as she arrived at bottom of the rail and hopped off.
"Geez, that was easy. Don't know what I was worryin' about. Ha ha, if I can do it once without fail, I can do it again, and again, and again!" Quickly, she ran back up the stairs, anticipating to balance on the oily rails once more, as many times as she possibly could.
Lucario sat on a wooden bench, his head in his palms, gazing in dissatisfaction at the floor. Mienfoo had been gone for quite a while now, but he had probably gone to join Machoke and Hawlucha somewhere else. He was unsure of how long he had been sitting there, bored out of his mind, but he had been praying that Korrina was happy, or most importantly, un-injured. Normally, Korrina would have returned at least an hour ago, but there had still been no sign if her.
"Where are you, Korrina?" Lucario asked himself, "Just please be OK...I may be a pessimist, like Mienfoo was trying to say earlier, but I worry for a reason..."
"LUCARIO, LUCARIO!"
"Huh?" Lucario turned to face the sudden voice calling out his name, feeling somewhat confused, "Hawlucha?" He asked his teammate calmly, "What's happened? Why are you so panicked?"
Hawlucha flew over to Lucario, shaking his shoulders in impatience, "It's...Korrina...acci-" Sounding extremely breathless, Lucario couldn't understand much she was saying, apart from something about Korrina.
"Hawlucha, calm down! What's wrong with Korrina? And say it slowly so I'm able to understand, alright?"
"SHE'S HAD AN ACCIDENT!" Hawlucha blurted out, screaming in Lucario's face.
Lucario felt his heart drop and shatter; he gulped, trying to process this information for a short moment, before grabbing Hawlucha's wing. He dragged her across the floor, earning a groan from the flying-fighter.
"Hawlucha, hurry up!" Lucario shouted, more in an extreme panic rather then anger, "Just tell me where she is!" Hawlucha took a moment to try and think up of a response, but soon enough, Lucario interrupted her thoughts, "FOR ARCEUS' SAKE, TELL ME WHERE SHE IS, HAWLUCHA!"
"S-She's in that side street with the stairs!"
Lucario nodded, sprinting off as fast as his legs could carry him, letting go of Hawlucha's wing. The sheer thought of Korrina injured brought tears to Lucario's eyes, but he soon shook them off and forgot about them. He had to be there, quick, for Korrina's sake, because he had no idea how severe his trainer's injuries were, nor did he even know if she was conscious. He just had to be there...he had to...
As Lucario and Hawlucha arrived in the back path where Korrina had been practicing before, the two immediately noticed something laying on the stairs in the distance. In flash, the Pokemon were over there, soon knowing exactly who resided on the stairs, laying flat on her back; Korrina.
Lucario first noticed her helmet; it was cracked and chipped, seemingly just barely holding together. Her face had blood pouring down on one side, blood droplets trickling over her left eye, nose and lips. One of her arms had minor scratches and scars, while the other was bleeding, too. Her hands were bruised and her elbows bled and looked sore. Her knees were the worst, though. Skin had literally been taken off from this accident, trickling blood replacing it. The blood stained her legs, and a couple of droplets had got on her skates. What was most concerning was that she was completely unconscious, he eyes firmly shut.
"Why didn't you see to her sooner?" Lucario demanded aggressively, turning towards a concerned Hawlucha.
"She's too heavy for me to lift...that's why I came straight to you..."
"Right, we've got to get her to a Pokemon Center!" Lucario gently picked Korrina up, supporting her back and neck with his paws. He felt like he was about to break down in tears at the sight of Korrina beaten up and bruised, tears forming in his eyes. Quickly, he shook them off and began to sprint towards the nearest Pokemon Center. Although not deemed a 'human hospital' (as, it was, hence the name, for Pokemon only), the Pokemon Center was nearer then any hospital around, so it was really his best best.
Hawlucha glided along from behind in the air, calling down to Lucario, "I'll go and get Machoke and Mienfoo! I know where they are!"
"Fine! And get Gurkinn too!" Lucario retorted. Hawlucha nodded her head and flew away in another direction, leaving Lucario to his own devices.
He sped up paths and streets, clutching Korrina's badly bleeding and bruised body. He held her close to him, feeling the cool temperatures of her damaged body. Tears pin-pricked his eyes once more, and he felt his jaw quiver, but he simply ignored his worries and sadness, and set his mind focused on his vital goal; get Korrina to the Pokemon Center.
Why did he have to be correct from before? Why did he seem to foresee what was going to happen to Korrina? Maybe, just maybe, if he hadn't made that premonition from before, then none of this would have happened...Lucario couldn't even remember the last time Korrina had an accident...
After two minutes or so, Lucario arrived outside of the Pokemon Center, bursting through the doors. A couple of people glanced over at him as he carried Korrina towards Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff, who were busy consulting a patient and its trainer at the time.
"Lucar, Lucar!" ("Nurse Joy, Nurse Joy!") He growled, tugging almost viciously at Nurse Joy's uniform.
"Hmm..." Nurse Joy mumbled, casually looking down for a brief moment at Lucario. Her sights then set on Korrina, then concerning her greately, "Oh no, Korrina! Right, Wigglytuff, could you please get me a stretcher to put Korrina on?"
"Wigglytuff!" ("Of course!") Wigglytuff nodded his head, quickly running towards a nearby stretcher. He wheeled it over, and Lucario, along with the aid of Nurse Joy, laid Korrina onto it. Wigglytuff wheeled the stretcher down a hallway, Nurse Joy following along with him. After a couple of moments, they took a sharp turn down another coridoor and were soon gone.
Lucario had been waiting for at least two hours in the center, now, but he had not seen Wugglytuff or Nurse Joy return with any news on Korrina since they had taken her in. He sat propped up on a sofa, fiddling with his paws nervously. Not only that, but Hawlucha hadn't returned with everyone else...
"LUCARIO!" Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Mienfoo screamed, jumping into Lucario's lap. He tightly hugged Lucario, his paws set firm on the Aura Pokemon's waist.
Machoke soon came in after Mienfoo, trying to prise the small Pokemon off of Lucario. However, despite Machoke's strength, Mienfoo refused to let go of Lucario, his head now nuzzled into Lucario's chest. Quietly, he mumbled, "I-I'm sorry..." Wait, had he been crying?
Lucario lifted Mienfoo's chin up to face his own, their eyes interlocking. Mienfoo had indeed been crying, his eyes glazed over with uncried tears, "I'm sorry I doubted you...I guess I was wrong...Korrina isn't superhuman, after all..."
"Hey, don't worry about that. I had been taking the topic too seriously. And, anyway, that's not important, now, so don't worry. Korrina's our top priority, so let's pray for her sake, right?"
Mienfoo smiled slightly and nodded his head, "Right."
"Hawlucha's with Gurkinn outside, in case you were wondering." Machoke spoke up, facing the automatic glass doors, "No clue why, though. By the way, sorry about our lateness. Even though Hawlucha came flying to us pretty quick from where she left off, we had trouble finding Gurkinn...eventually we found him in a shop, though..."
"No problem," Lucario gave a soft smile to the large-biceped Pokemon, "What's important now is that we're all here for Korrina."
"Course."
After a moment of silence between the three Pokemon, Gurkinn and Hawlucha appeared into the room from outside and walked (or flew, in Hawlucha's case) over to the seating area towards Lucario and his teammates. Hawlucha sat down next to Lucario and sweetly smiled at him. Lucario nodded as a sign of gratitude.
Gurkinn, as reserved as always, stood opposite Lucario, his hands behind his back. He looked down at the floor, clearly concerned greatly for his granddaughter (even though he normally put her through harsh training excercises to up her physical and mental strengths, he wasn't heartless and hated it when she injured herself), before glancing up at Lucario.
"Thank you," He firmly stated, his eyes scanning on the other Pokemon as well as Lucario, "All of you. I am extremely thankful for your loyalty to your trainer, my cherished granddaughter. If it weren't for all of you, I can't even bare to imagine what would have happened to Korrina."
Each of the Pokemon said 'your welcome' in their own cries, with Gurkinn interpreting their responses almost perfectly. He gave a small smile to them once again, but had, more clearly, directed it mostly at Lucario. Well, that's what Lucario had seemed to think, anyways...
"Excuse me!" Calling from behind the five, Gurkinn turned around to face a running Nurse Joy. She wiped a little sweat off her forehead, panting a little, "You're all here for Korrina, right? She's all bandaged up and has now gained consciousness. She had requested to see all of you as soon as I had told her that Lucario had brought her here. Would you all like to see her?"
The Pokemon all exclaimed enthusiastically, Gurkinn calmly nodding and replying with, "Of course."
The five, along with Nurse Joy, walked silently through the corridor, Nurse Joy guiding them to Korrina's hospital room. They stopped outside of a blue door with a wide glass window outside, revealing a smiling Korrina laying on the bed. The bedsheets had been thrown off, revealing her bandaged legs. One of her arms was in a plaster cast, and her hands both bore bandages. Her helmet had been taken off, revealing her somewhat messy hair in it's entirety. All of the blood was cleared from her body, bandages seemingly replacing the rich red.
The Pokemon all burst into the room, wanting to be the first to greet her. Mienfoo, naturally being the smallest, had got through first, climbing up on the bed next to Korrina.
"Mien, Mienfoo!" ("Korrina, you're OK!") Mienfoo giggled.
"Aw, course I am, Mienfoo, it's justa couple of scatches n' cuts." Korrina grinned sheepishly at her youngest and smallest Pokemon. She stroked his head with her good hand, rubbing behind his ears. Mienfoo laughed a little.
Hawlucha and Machoke stood happy from the other side of Korrina, looking down at her and smiling with glee. Lucario, being the last one in the room, was the last to arrive next to Korrina, standing on Mienfoo's side. Nurse Joy left the room after that, proud that she had saved someone else that many cared a lot about. She smiled and waved a goodbye, proceeding to make her way back to the front desk. Everyone seemed to be in a very, very good mood...well, all apart from Gurkinn, who glanced at Korrina from the other end of the room with cold-hearted eyes.
"Korrina," He huffed, catching everyone else's attention, "I can't believe you've let yourself get into this. Letting your pride and overconfidence get in the way of your common sense. If anything, I should very well ban skating permanently from the gym and yourself."
Korrina's smile faded. She glanced down at her bandaged hands, her eyes quickly welling up with tears. Her lip quivered as she began to whimper, "I'm sorry, grandfather...I guess I got too carried away with my practice..."
"Indeed you did!"
Lucario felt an unknown form of anger bubble up inside of him; he was completely furious! Gurkinn didn't have the right to talk to Korrina like that, especially after she had a serious accident that could have potentially been more vital then it's outcome. He gripped his fists tightly, trying to control and not show his temper, however Mienfoo and Korrina both seemed to have noticed.
"What's the matter, Lucario?" Korrina asked, trying to cancel out the tears that were still forming in her eyes as a result of Gurkinn's scolding previously.
"Mien, Mien Mienfoo?" ("Yeah, Lucario. What's wrong?") Mienfoo wondered.
"Luc..." ("Doesn't matter...") Lucario grumbled, realising the worst thing to do was to lash out there and then at Gurkinn. Truly, he respected the guru and all, but Lucario often disliked the way Gurkinn treated his granddaughter. And this hadn't been the first time in which he had made Korrina on the brink of tears. Of course, he cared about her like any grandfather would to his granddaughter, but sometimes the methods in which he showed his love were unusual and often impractical to sympathize with a teen.
"Hmm.." Korrina mumbled out of wonder at Lucario's response, "Eh, anyhow, I'm totally on the brink of recovery! In fact, I think I could get up outta' this bed right now!" Lucario frowned that this. Korrina was attempting to forget what Gurkinn had told her by putting on a brave expression, which wasn't particularly working. He knew it. He could sense her Aura, and, as result, her hidden emotions.
In an attempt to prove this, she tried to lean forward on the bed, only to be greeted by excruciating pains in her arms and legs, "OWWWWWWWW!" She screamed, flopping back down on the mattress immediately, "IT HURTS!"
"Luc, Lucario...Rio, Lucar Luc." ("It will at first...you've just had a horrific accident.") Lucario explained, although knowing that Korrina would not understand him.
"Heh...I guess you're right, then..." Korrina sighed, gently moving her bandaged hand to pet Lucario on the head, "I'll have to take it easy for a while, won't I? Won't be easy for me, but I'll have to live with it, right?"
Lucario nodded in response, pleased that she had understood him at least a little. Mienfoo cuddled up into her neck, whether as Hawlucha and Machoke stood by her side. Gurkinn silently watched the Pokemon brace their injured trainer, an ineligible expression held on his face. Lucario hugged her carefully, comforting her from above.
He truly loved Korrina, and would honestly do anything to keep her out of harms way, defend her well being, and even stick up to her grandfather if he had to. This was what love was about.
But still...now he hated roller skating more then ever...
END