Lucario's Tale

Hello my fellow fanfictioners, Here is a story that I have been brewing in my mind since last year and one that I've been really looking forward to doing. This is a story of how Lucario joined Ash's team. This story takes place after the events of Chapter 2 and before the events of Chapter 3 of AKZWU. Speaking of AKZWU, the rules that have been created there also apply here. So Ash has every pokemon he has captured on his person and his vocabulary will be increased a bit, etc. I hope that this will be a delightful story to you all. Please Enjoy.

Also, here is a motivational quote.

"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
― Albert Camus

"This isn't a bad place to spend a few days, huh buddy?" Ash said, looking around at his surroundings. "Pika Pika Cha Pi Kachu Pikapi (Yeah, it looks really great Ash)" Pikachu replied as he gazed upon the scenery.

They were in one of the biggest known forests in the Sinnoh region, Yuju Forest. Right now they were working their way through said forest because it was the most direct route to Mt Corenet.

They were heading to Mt Corenet to train like they never trained before. They had suffered a loss against Paul a month and a half ago and they had left everything behind except Ash's pokemon. Some may have said that this idea was really stupid. But Ash's definition of stupid never really matched up with anyone else's. However, today was a day that differed greatly from the month and a half that they started their journey.

The trek continued in silence as the duo looked around. The forest wasn't too dense, but would require more than a couple of days to bypass. Not that it mattered. This wasn't only the biggest forest, but also the most beautiful. The trees, although naturally grown, looked stunning, as if they were crafted and tended to by some of the worlds greatest topiarists. They of course weren't moulded into shapes like other trees that were modified by the tree specialists, but they looked very healthy and grew very well.

The silence was often a companion, travelling with the duo before something made a sound, be it Starlys chirping or the leaves of the trees rustling. It was quite relaxing really, being able to just absorb nature as it was at peace around them. The gentle winds caressing their faces, the occasional pokemon or two that jumped out of the bushes, often playing, the yells of terror and pain and... wait, what?

Ash and Pikachu were suddenly drawn out of their peaceful stroll as the cries were heard by both of them. "Somebody needs help! Let's go buddy!" Ash said to Pikachu. Pikachu was, of course, not hesitant to help whoever needed it.

Ash quickly sprinted to wherever the sound was coming from, Pikachu tensing himself, preparing for battle if one were to occur. Ash jumped over a bush and continued running, batting branches out of the way when they appeared in front of his face.

With every push of his legs, the cries grew louder. This obviously made Ash and Pikachu very anxious, but they still pushed on, for they would need a focused mind to be able to help out whoever was in trouble, and judging by the voice and some growling that had suddenly become audible, it was DEEP trouble.

Ash batted one last branch out of his way and was horrified at what he and Pikachu saw.

In a clearing, in front of a large tree, was a pack of at least six Houndoom all snapping their jaws and slashing their claws at the being in the center. Needless to say, Ash and Pikachu were furious that a bunch of Houndoom had ganged up against one being that was probably helpless against the attacks, hence the cries of pain

Not being able to witness this act of maliciousness any longer, Ash and Pikachu stepped into the clearing.

"Hey!" Ash called to the pack of Houndoom. All six of them turned around to face the intruder who possessed the voice. Although all of them were a bit surprised that a human had come across their path, they stood firm, hardly faltered and continued growling in an attempt to try to dissuade Ash and Pikachu from their goal of rescuing the soul trapped in the Houndooms wrath.

The lone being also heard Ash's outburst. "W-Who is that? Is that you, Master? No, that's not your voice, it's someone else's..." Thought the victim of the canine assault before finally succumbing to his wounds and fainting.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and faced the pack, cheeks sparking. He and Ash looked at each other and nodded. "Alright Pikachu, let's show them what they're up against!" Ash called. "Cha (Yeah!)" Pikachu agreed.

The sparks intensified on Pikachu's red pouches and electrical energy started to dance around the mouse's body. Both Ash and Pikachu smiled.

"Do it..."

Meanwhile, in another part of the Yuju forest, a lone trainer was leaning against a tree. This trainer had a suave-looking blonde hairstyle, green eyes and tan skin. He wore a red shirt with a black leather vest placed over it, brown trousers with rips in them and wore shoes and gloves a deep black color. "'Nother boring day in the Yuju Forest." The trainer complained with a slight accent. "I'd pay to get out of this place, or at least see somethin' worth seein'." He said.

Turns out, this guy got his wish almost immediately.

A huge bolt of lightning suddenly shot up into the sky a fair distance away, shocking (no pun intended) the trainer. He fell over as he gazed at the pillar of electricity. Sure it looked small, maybe about a pencil width across, but he was two days walking from that pillar so the area where it was must've been massive. "What the!? Where's that coming from!?" he cried. It seemed to take forever for the energy to dissipate. Static electricity resonated through the air and tingled the body of the stupefied trainer. He shivered as the sensations coursed through his body. "I-It must be a legendary! No other pokemon could've fired an attack like that!" He said, standing up. He dusted himself off and looked to the sky. "I'm strong, but I'm nothin' against a legendary. Gotta get outta this forest before that pokemon comes for Dominic Stew!" he said. He picked up his bag but since it was unzipped, a bunch of stuff fell out, it being a very weak bag. "Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Dominic said as he started to pack his belongings back in.

He suddenly stopped as his eyes spotted a singular empty pokeball among the items. He picked it up and examined it. One thought came to his mind.

"Did I do the right thing?"

Suddenly, a grin appeared on his face. "Of course, I did the right thing! That weakling didn't deserve bein' my pokemon." He reassured himself. He packed the last item into his bag and slung it on his back, proceeding to get some distance before nightfall.

The Houndoom looked in horror at the immense power being displayed. They couldn't comprehend this, it was incredible. Ash was looking onward and had his arms folded as he watched the reaction of the Houndoom and Pikachu's output of energy. Ash's face was calm yet he was feeling slightly worried. Any action that Pikachu performed that went above half of his full potential, which was being displayed right now was capable of harming the electric type. Ash could only hope that his starter would be all right.

Eventually, the magnitude of electrical power began to cease and most of the volts began to vanish. Pikachu started to visibly relax as the flow of power gradually disappeared. The attack wasn't meant to go near the group of Houndoom. If it did, it might've hurt the victim even more. It was merely for intimidating the group. It did a pretty darn good job of it too.

The six Houndooms took a step backward in fear from the one who could probably turn them into dust at his trainer's word. Of course Ash and Pikachu knew they would never do that, but the dark canines didn't. And at that moment, a very wise choice was made.

All the Houndoom turned around and bolted away from the duo yapping in fear of their lives. They didn't scatter, for it was safer to stay together. As one unit, they leapt over a series of bushes as fast as they could.

Ash and Pikachu grinned. "That'll teach them to gang up on someone. You okay buddy?" Ash said to his partner. "Pika Cha Pikapi Cha Pika Pikachu Chu Chupi (Never better Ash. Guess training is starting to pay off)" Pikachu said while stretching a bit.

Ash smiled, but then remembered why exactly Pikachu's Thunderbolt was necsessary. "We need to check out the victim!" Ash cried. Pikachu nodded at Ash's reasoning. They both dashed over to the still being that was in the center of the onslaught to check what kind of condition it was in. What they saw shocked them a lot.

Unconscious and curled up in a ball, which was obviously a means of self-defense, was a Lucario, badly damaged.

There were numerous injuries marring the Lucario's body. On the left leg was a deep gash that had been created by a powerful Slash attack. Blood was seeping out at an alarmingly fast rate. Multiple other cuts were distributed throughout the body. Upon the Lucario's right arm was a horrific bite wound that had blood coming from it, coating some of the arm in a dark crimson red. Blood also trickled down the corner of Lucario's mouth, leaving a trail. A cut had come dangerously close to the pokemon's right eye. And streaming from the eyes were tears of pain that had generated when the onslaught began.

It was lucky that Ash nor Pikachu fainted at the sight of these nightmarish injuries. Both saw maybe a scrape or a bruise every once in a while, nothing ever got to this level. The duo could not believe that this kind of brutality could even exist. A mix of emotions ran through the two. Horror, at the wounds. Anger, at the Houndoom for causing them. And Panic, at the fact that the Aura pokemon currently had a very slim chance of surviving.

Ash hurriedly took of his bag, opened it and dug around for anything that could help. They were too far away from a Pokemon Center to even think of bringing Lucario to one, and even if they weren't, moving the pokemon's body would prove too hazardous and possibly cause more damage.

Ash kneeled down and took out some bandages and some Hyper Potion, a potion that could heal the most grievous of wounds. Ash had received it as a reward for helping a man named Andrew get his Nosepass back from some Pokemon Poachers.

He quickly sprayed some of the healing potion onto the small cuts and scratches then wrapped them up with bandages to prevent any infections that could potentially harm Lucario more. However, the bite mark and the gash were very large injuries and would require some more healing then the other wounds. The Hyper Potion was almost empty after being applied to all the other wounds. In desperation, Ash sprayed what was left on the biggest wounds. Obviously, it wasn't enough as it ran out. It was only about a quarter full after being used on some of Ash's other pokemon, so there wasn't much to begin with.

Ash and Pikachu were now really scared as the chances of the pokemon in front of them surviving were now really slim indeed. They didn't have anything else that could heal the extreme injuries. Both Ash and Pikachu racked their brains trying to see if they could think of a solution. "That's it!" Ash suddenly cried as he once again dug into his backpack and retrieved a pokeball. Pikachu was confused. Ash didn't have any pokemon that knew any healing moves that affected others. None except...

Ash tossed the pokeball up in the air. The ball split open and a white light burst out, eventually manifesting into a pokemon. However, before Ash could inform the pokemon of what was going on, he was then immediately flattened.

"Bay Bayleefbay Bay Bayleef (Hi Ash, what's up?)" The energetic pokemon asked.

Bayleef, once a Chikorita, was a lot more affectionate to Ash then most of his other pokemon. She was a brilliant grass type and a great friend. Her only flaw however (not to her but to others) was the fact that nearly every time she came out of her pokeball, she found it imperative to give her trainer a Body Slam greeting.

Bayleef nuzzled Ash enthusiastically. "Bay Bayleefbay Bayleef Leef Bayle- (So, Ash, where are we going toda-)" Bayleef suddenly cut herself off as she realised something odd. Normally, whenever Bayleef did this, Ash might groan in pain a bit, but soon after, he was smiling and laughing, brightening everyone's day. However, this time, no signs of amusement was found. Bayleef could instantly tell that something was wrong and inwardly hoped that she had done nothing to upset her trainer. "B-Bayleefbay Bay Bayleef? (A-Ash, what's wrong?)" She asked. Ash then looked Bayleef in the eye. "You've should never see something this horrible Bayleef, and if it were possible, I'd like to keep it that way, but I need you to help me with something." Ash said, looking over to Lucario's direction. Bayleef followed Ash's line of sight and saw the most horrific thing she had seen since the time Team Rocket sent Arbok and Victreebel to attack Ash, the very thing that had sparked her evolution.

Looking at the poor Aura pokemon, Bayleef realised what Ash wanted. "Bay Bay Leef Bayleef Bay Bayleefbay? (You want me to use Aromatherapy, right Ash?)" Bayleef asked. Ash nodded at his pokemon's reasoning. Bayleef then hopped off Ash and looked back at Lucario. "Bay Bayleef Bay Bay Leef Bay Bayleef (But Aromatherapy doesn't heal that much.)" Bayleef said.

"Pika Cha Pikachu Chu Pi Pikachupi Pikapi (Yeah, it's only really useful when curing status effects like burns or poison.)" Pikachu continued. Ash looked at Lucario's wounds. Blood was flowing from both. "As long as it does something, I'll take it. Stopping the blood flow would be good enough. Bayleef, since you're the only one on the team that can heal others in some way, you need to try!" Ash cried.

Bayleef was a bit shocked at the sudden urgency in Ash's voice, but she knew that he was just worried for Lucario. The grass type nodded and made her way over to the Aura pokemon.

She began to lower her head to the ground, eyes closed in concentration, and the whole area was bathed in silence. The leaf on her head slowly began to wave, like a flag flapping in the wind. And as it did, a light pink, sparkling mist emanated from it. The mist then traversed the air over to Lucario's body. The mystical aroma then covered Lucario's still form, hovering around the pokemon.

Ash, Pikachu and Bayleef were super relieved to see the worst of Lucario's wounds close up a bit, stopping the blood flow and knitting the separated flesh together, not completely, but enough to at least wrap bandages around them without too much blood soaking through. With a fulfilled purpose, the mist began to slowly vanish from existence.

Ash, not wanting to waste the only chance they had, quickly and carefully wrapped the remainders of Lucario's wounds in bandages. "That should do. Thanks a lot Bayleef, if it weren't for you, Lucario would have been as good as dead." Ash praised. Bayleef smiled at her trainer's praise. Had they not of had a dying pokemon on their hands a few moments ago, Bayleef would've had a Body Slam celebration for a certain trainer. So she just stuck with a content grin.

Ash's face returned to a frown. "Still, we need to get Lucario out of here in case those Houndoom come back. I doubt that they will, but it's worth taking precaution for." Ash said.

Pikachu and Bayleef nodded at this logic. However they were wary. Was Lucario able to be moved in his condition? Sure, the situation was a lot better now as Lucario was undoubtedly going to live. But was it safe enough? Ash however, thought that this was a risk that they were going to take.

Ash then reached into his bag again and retrieved another pokeball and just like Bayleef's, tossed it up into the air, releasing the pokemon.

One of the most regal-like and dazzling pokemon in Ash's team emerged from the light and flapped her huge wings to stay a few meters above the ground. "Hey Pidgeot." Ash greeted.

"Pidgeot Pidgegepidge Geot Pid- (Hello Ash, what's happenin-)" She stopped in shock as she noticed the still form of a pokemon on the ground, wrapped in numerous bandages. "I'll tell you what happened later Pidgeot, but right now we need to relocate. Can you see if you can find a space away from here, but not too far away? If we move Lucario any more then we need to, we'll risk even more injury." Ash said.

Pidgeot nodded, very willing to help out, and instantly took off to the skies.

"I hope she finds something soon..." Ash said in a worried tone.

Five minutes later, they were still waiting on Pidgeot to find something. It came to a point where everyone was actually worried of the fact that Pidgeot might've encountered something bad.

Meanwhile...

"Alright birdy, you're mine!" Dominic yelled as he threw an empty pokeball at a strong and healthy looking Pidgeot. The Bird pokemon had no need to dodge the capturing device as pokeballs didn't work on already captured pokemon. Pidgeot had only come down here to check if this was a sufficient place to bring the Lucario to. But the bird then remembered that Ash had told her to find a place that was close. Sure this was only five minutes away but only to her. She was flying with no obstacles in her way at a speed of Mach 2. There was no doubt that she could traverse two days worth of walking in about 5 minutes. She was about to turn back and find somewhere closer, but before she could, some trainer had stumbled upon the clearing and was now attempting to capture her. Pidgeot had decided that it was just easier to let the trainer know that she already had a trainer, and by a glance, one that was much better than this one.

As the red and white sphere flew through the air, Dominic began to feel skeptical. "This pokemon looks strong. So why isn't it makin' any effort to dodge? Strong pokemon are usually too proud to let themselves be captured without a fight." he thought. As the ball hit Pidgeot's side, a red glow engulfed her. Suddenly, the red glow dissipated and the ball was sent flying back to Dominic. "Wha-" Dominic gasped as he caught the ball. Pidgeot, having proved her point without even saying anything, then took off, away from the stupefied trainer.

Dominic just stood in one spot for some time, trying to process what had happened. "Must...Must of had a trainer." he deduced as he started to make his way from the area. "That's a shame..."

Ash was pacing back and forth, hoping that one of his oldest and reliable pokemon was alright. Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. "Rghhh, I can't take it anymore!" he yelled making Bayleef and Pikachu jump. Ash knew it was wrong to doubt his pokemon, but in an unfamliar place, where anything could happen if they didn't know about it, was making Ash very anxious. In fact, he was just about to send Staraptor out to search for Pidgeot when he suddenly heard a screech. Ash's face instantly washed over with relief. He looked above to see Pidgeot, safe and well. The bird landed in front of everyone. "Pidgeot! I'm so glad you're okay!" Ash said.

The bird preened her feathers, a smile on her beak. "Pidge Pidgeot Pidgeotpidge Pidgeot Pidgeot Pidge (Aw, come on Ash. Don't tell me that you were worried)." She said.

Ash chuckled. "Anyway, did you find anything?" Ash asked. Pigeot nodded. "Pidgeot Geot Pidge Geotpidge Pidgeot (Yeah, I found a good place on my way back here. Follow me.)" She said as she flapped her big wings to reach an altitude of a few meters off the ground. "Okay, just give me a second." Ash said.

Ash then slid his arms underneath Lucario's back and legs and with great care, lifted the pokemon off the ground. He then shifted Lucario's position a little to provide comfort and to prevent any further injury.

(Yes I know that this way of carrying someone is called a "Bridal Carry" but that sounds really weird to me so I'm not calling it that.)

Once Lucario had been secured safely in Ash's arms, Pidgeot began to lead everyone to this place that she had found.

On the way, Ash kept throwing worried glances at the pokemon in his arms. Just because Lucario would survive didn't mean that any trauma wouldn't be left behind. Being attacked by six Houndoom that didn't care whether you could fight back or not would do that to you. Even now, Lucario was subconsciously letting out small whimpers making the group's hearts almost break in pity. "Don't worry Lucario, we'll do everything we can, we promise." Ash thought.

About ten minutes of walking had transpired, and impatience was starting to spread. "Hey Pidgeot, how long 'till we reach this place?" Ash asked. "Pidge Pidgeot Geot Pidgepidge (Don't worry, we're nearly there Ash)" Pidgeot reassured. True to her word, the tunnel of trees they were travelling through soon ended giving everyone an eyeful of a stunning sight.

The clearing was of a great size and looked marvelous. It had soft grass and some of the land was elevated higher than other portions of the land as if Arceus himself was focused in not making this land perfect but still a marvel to any eye. The clearing even had a big crystal blue lake that had different types of water pokemon swimming in it. And on on one of the elevated pieces of earth there was something that they needed. "An Oran Berry tree, that'll come in handy." Ash thought. Speaking of trees, there were about four large ones spread around the area.

As everyone took in the sights, Ash decided to break the silence.

"Y-You really outdid yourself this time Pidgeot." Ash said as he stroked the Pidgeot's crest, causing the bird to lean into the touch and chirp in content as Ash's petting gave the Pidgeot great pleasure. "Pidge Pidge Pidgepidge (You're welcome Ash.)" Pidgeot replied.

Ash then moved to the center of the clearing and placed Lucario down with extreme care. He then got his sleeping bag from his backpack and placed it down on the ground, flat. After doing this, he slowly moved the Aura pokemon on it. The grass may had been soft, but Lucario would need an actual thing to lay on to ensure full recovery. Ash then took off his vest and folded it up. After doing this, he lifted up Lucario's head slightly and placed the vest under. This made the vest act as a makeshift pillow to provide some more comfort to Lucario.

Ash then rubbed his chin in thought. He didn't have any kind of fabric large enough to act as a blanket. His eyes widened in realisation, as he suddenly remembered that he actually did have something like that.

Ash reached into his bag and pulled out some something black and eerie, a cloak that he'd just gotten a week before. Ash wasn't one that usually wanted to hide his face. He was never really an antisocial person. However, to maintain uninterrupted training and near perfect discretion, he deduced that the cloak needed to be donned, no matter what. He had, however, taken the cloak off for now since the forest was a private and large place where it was highly unlikely that someone could come across his path. Right now though, the cloak had another use.

Ash unfolded the black garb and gently placed it over Lucario. He then stood up, satisfied that Lucario was in the best way possible at the given time.

Ash then sat down next to the pokemon, having every intention of staying by Lucario's side, just like he did for Charizard when the fire type was frozen by Poliwrath. This led to Charizard finally reclaiming his loyalty to the Pallet native. Lucario still looked fretful, so Ash reached out and gently caressed the pokemon's head. Ash's touch was like magic to any pokemon that had a problem, and this moment proved it as Lucario's expression soon changed from upset to relaxed. Ash didn't stop until he was sure that Lucario was now having a peaceful rest. "You've sure had it rough haven't you?" Ash thought.

Pikachu then ran up to Ash. "Pi Pikapi... (Hey Ash...)" Pikachu began. Ash turned to his starter. "Yeah buddy?" he asked. "Pika Cha Pikachu Pikapika Chu Kachu? (Do you think that maybe you could let everyone else out too?) The electric type asked. Ash smiled at this question. "You know what, yeah that's a great idea Pikachu, although..." Ash trailed off as he looked back at Lucario. "It's too bad that we couldn't do it under different circumstances." He finished as he went to retrieve the rest of his pokeballs.

He unzipped his bag and took out a heaping of pokeballs that contained his beloved pokemon. One by one, he tossed them up into the air calling upon his pokemon friends. Before long, the clearing was littered with all of Ash's pokemon. Every single one stood to attention...oh wait.

Ash was crushed from above by his enthusiastic and friendly Gliscor, and bitten on the head by his Gible who, well...really liked to bite stuff. "AAAAAHHH, C'MON GUYS! NOW'S NOT THE TIME!" Ash cried as the two pokemon displayed their interpretation of affection to Ash.

However, they were confused a bit when Ash said "Now's not the time." Normally, at any time, Ash didn't mind too much when either took their actions of affection, so why now? Both the pokemon got their answer when their vision crossed a jackal-like pokemon, covered in bandages and pieces of fur stained red. Gliscor and Gible hurriedly stumbled off Ash when they saw the sight. All of the other pokemon looked to where the two pokemon were looking, only to be shocked beyond belief. In front of them was a Lucario that had obviously gone through a lot if the bandages covering multiple wounds had anything to say about it.

"B-B-Bulbabulb Saur Bulsar Bulbasaur? (A-A-Ash, what happened to that pokemon?)" Bulbasaur timidly asked, scared of the blood and the wounds that had been tended to by Ash. The Seed pokemon had never seen injuries like these before, and was actually terrified by wondering just how much worse Lucario would've ended up if Ash hadn't stepped in which, he assumed, was exactly what happened. All of the other pokemon shared Bulbasaur's shock and fear.

"Listen everyone..." Ash started. The pokemon realised that Ash was talking to them and paid attention. "Me and Pikachu found this Lucario being attacked by a pack of Houndoom. We intervened and stopped the attack, and I patched up Lucario to the best of my ability, with Bayleef's help of course." Ash explained. Bayleef beamed at that last part. Ash continued. "This guy is gonna live, but we'll need to be gentle when Lucario wakes up. We don't need him running off and hurting himself more 'kay guys?" Ash finished. All the pokemon nodded at Ash's reasoning.

"Now, unrelated to the last topic, Pidgeot found us this nice clearing, so I think that we can all relax here for a while. I'll watch over Lucario, you guys can go and play around and stuff." Everyone was unsure about this. They didn't really want to leave their trainer and best friend alone with the responsibility of taking care of the Aura pokemon while they were having fun. "Don't worry guys, I'll be fine. Go have some fun." Ash said with a grin. The pokemon finally resented and spread throughout the clearing.

All of Ash's water types were all too happy to jump into the lake and start splashing each other while the flying types were content with roosting in the trees. Most of the other pokemon either started to chase each other in a game of tag or just seeked shade under the trees, except Bulbasaur, for an obvious reason. Whenever Heracross would get the chance, he would hide in the shade and attempt to ambush Bulbasaur and suck the pollen out of his bulb, which always ended up with a strong Vine Whip from the annoyed pokemon. Any other pokemon just decided to have a nap in the sunshine. Unsurprisingly, Snorlax was the first to participate in this activity.

Ash smiled as he saw all his pokemon having a good time. He thought himself truly lucky to have such invaluable, irreplaceable friends. Friends that he wouldn't trade for anything, He then looked back at Lucario, who was, to Ash's relief, still sleeping peacefully.

Ash then thought back to when he found Lucario being attacked. It was rather odd. Why would a pack of Houndoom attack a practically defenseless pokemon like Lucario? What was their motive. Cruelty like this easily made Ash's blood boil. Attacking someone weaker than yourself? You'd be a coward. Pikachu's "light show" sure taught them that lesson.

Ash suddenly heard a growl. A stomach growl to be precise. But it wasn't his, for once.

Ash looked over to Lucario. He knew what was going on, although it didn't take a genius to figure it out. "I guess you're hungry, huh?" Ash asked to Lucario even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Ash then suddenly remembered the Oran Berry tree that he noticed upon entering the clearing. "I think some Oran Berries are just what Lucario needs now" Ash thought. Even if they had some Oran Berries before, they wouldn't of helped the Aura pokemon, they could now however.

Ash slowly got up and began to make his way over to the tree that had the ripe, healing berries on it. He thought it was really unusual though. Judging by the feel of the earth, one would expect that Oran Berries couldn't grow here. The soil wasn't too dry, but dry enough to raise suspicion on how the particular berries would grow. Ash got his answer when he reached the tree. He found that a small pool of water was on a small ledge above the tree, when it overflowed, the water would drip down and hydrate the plant. Marveling at this unique concept, Ash reminded himself what he was here for.

He kneeled down to the ground and carefully picked a few berries from the tree. "These should be enough." Ash said to himself, holding the berries in his arms.

Ash started to walk back to Lucario. He knew cooking wasn't his strong suit, but at least Brock had taught him how to make a decent berry mix for healing pokemon.

He stopped suddenly when the thought of one of his friends entered his mind. Even now, Ash wasn't sure that leaving them without warning was the right thing to do. Brock had helped Ash so much throughout his journey and Dawn always had a good mood that helped to cheer up anyone, unless in a bad situation or her bad hair issues, a frown was rarely seen on Dawn's face. Ash chuckled a bit when he remembered how fussy the girl could be when it came to hair, even resorting to using Piplup's Bubblebeam attack to get rid of bed head. He did miss his friends dearly, but he couldn't go back, not until he and his pokemon were strong. Stronger then Paul. Heck, maybe until they were as strong as Cynthia just to be safe. Still, he didn't want to be away that long. Getting up to Cynthia's or even any of the Elite 4's level could take years. Ash couldn't stay away that long. Like it or not, he had friends that relied on him to prove Paul wrong, so getting above his level would be good enough for Ash and his pokemon. Ash shook these thoughts out of his head and resumed walking back over to Lucario.

Upon reaching him, Ash sat back down and began to prepare the mix. He had a few utensils just for preparing berries, should an opportunity arise for an occasion. An occasion which just so happened to be now. He peeled the berries of their skin and began to chop them up. After that was done, he began to mash the diced berries into mush. And after a few short minutes the mix was complete. It wasn't very appealing really. To be honest, it just looked like a blue paste. But Ash didn't care as long as it helped.

Just then, Ash heard a loud cry. "Pikapi Pi Pikachu Pikacha Pikachu! (Hey Ash, look what I found!)" It said. Ash turned around to find Pikachu behind him. What he was holding made Ash smile. In Pikachu's paws was a thicked leaved herb that curled outwards at the tips of the leaves. "Pikachu, that...that a Revival Herb!" Ash said in awe. "Pi Pikachu Chu Pika Pikachu Pi Cha (Yep, I found it a little ways off here, further into the forest) Pikachu replied. Ash raised an eyebrow at this. "Uh, why were you in the forest?" Ash asked. He was glad that they had something to help Lucario even more, but why did Pikachu feel the need to go out to the forest in the first place? "Pikachu Pi Pika Pikacha Kachu (I smelled some Pecha Berries)" Pikachu simply replied. Ash smiled in response. Pecha Berries were Pikachu's second favorite snack next to ketchup. If he had an opportunity to indulge in either one, he would show no hesitation in becoming his own pokemon.

Grinning at this fact, he took the rejuvenating herb from Pikachu's paws and began to ground it into a powder. He then added the powder to the berry paste and gave it a few stirs to distribute the powder throughout the mixture.

"There we go." Ash said as he put away the utensils. The mixture still didn't look that impressive but appeal be darned if this concoction would help Lucario. "We'd better see if this stuff works." Ash said.

As much as he hated the need to wake Lucario up, it needed to be done.

Ash reached over to Lucario and gently nudged his sleeping form. "Hey, Lucario?" Ash whispered. However, there was no reaction. "Hey, Lucario?" Ash repeated while continuing to nudge the pokemon. Even Pikachu helped out by nudging Lucario's arm.

Gradually to to the duo's relief, a small moan came from the Aura pokemon as unconsciousness soon faded from his mind. One of Lucario's eyes cracked open, then the other showing pure red irides and deep black pupils. Before long, Lucario had awakened.

As blurriness danced around Lucario's vision, he eventually noticed two figures at his side.

"W-Who are you?" Lucario asked. Both Ash and Pikachu were shocked to find a voice inside their heads until they realised that Lucario was using his aura to transmit his thoughts. Ash smiled at Lucario's question. " Don't worry, we're friends. My name's Ash, and this is my buddy Pikachu." Ash said. "Pikachu (Hi there!)" Pikachu greeted.

"Ash and Pikachu?" Lucario repeated. There was still a bit of blurriness clouding his sight, so he blinked a few times to try get rid of it. "W-What happened?" he asked. Ash wasn't too sure if he wanted Lucario to be reminded of this, but he had the right to know.

"Well Lucario, Pikachu and I were making our way through this forest when we heard something. When we investigated, we found you, being attacked by a pack of Houndooms." Ash recounted. Lucario's eyes suddenly opened wide as the horrifying memories suddenly resurfaced.

He was just standing there, minding his own business, not hurting anyone. His Master had commanded him to wait for him while he looked for some new pokemon. An hour and a half passed, and Lucario was beginning to worry greatly if something happened to his Master. However, before he could go and search for him, the six Houndoom jumped the Aura pokemon, claiming that he had stolen the pack's food stash. Before Lucario could say anything, the pack began to attack. Lucario fought back to the best of his ability, but he was quickly and easily overwhelmed. He felt more and more wounds begin to mar his body until it became to much and he collapsed to the ground. Even after showing that there was absolutely no chance in him fighting back, the Houndoom continued their onslaught. Lucario could do nothing but receive more injuries and cry out as pain resonated through his being. He thought that his life had come to an end as he felt himself begin to lose consciousness. Tears escaped his eyes as he thought this. Just then, all those present heard something, a single word: "Hey!" This word singlehandedly stopped the assault and got the Houndoom to focus on something else. Lucario also heard the voice. It was human, but not his Master's. That was all Lucario could deduce before blacking out.

As these memories replayed through his head, Lucario suddenly began to panic. His breathing became rapid and his mind raced frantically. Ash and Pikachu were instantly worried. "L-Lucario!" Ash cried. This was bad and it was going to go to worse if something wasn't done about it. "Lucario, relax, it's in the past now, please calm down!" Ash cried.

These words seemed to have an impact on Lucario as he visibly to calm down. "That's it Lucario, just relax." Ash said. He then started to gently caress the Aura pokemon's head. As Lucario felt the soft stroking upon his head, he found himself confused. He didn't think that this felt weird and it didn't hurt. In fact, it was kind of the opposite. It was a calming touch almost like it made all his pain and panic vanish. As said before, Ash's touch was like magic to any kind of pokemon that was troubled.

Ash then took away his hand. "Are you better now?" Ash asked with a smile. Lucario looked right at Ash. His smile was comforting and his brown eyes were soft and full of hope. Lucario knew that this trainer was a great person, no doubt. Slowly, his confused expression transformed into a grin of his own. "Yeah..." He replied.

And that concludes the first chapter of Lucario's Tale. I am so glad I was finally able to get this story started afer having it in my head for so long. I originally wanted this story to be one huge chapter, but I then realised that once I had enough to make a decent chapter, that would be really stupid as I was taking too long. I figured that it had been too long since you guy had got something from me and thus, here is a new story for you. And since I was working on this story in mind that it would become a huge chapter, chapter 2 already has a good head start into production so that's not too far away. Thanks for reading. 'Till next time, Goodbye my fellow fanfictioners!