Despite how wonderful flying had been and how amazing it had been to look down on the world, when Mew finally landed in Lavaridge town late that evening, Lucifer collapsed off of her. He was hot—so hot he felt like he was going to pass out. He was grateful to the little wretch of a cat when she shape shifted back into something else and the heat from her Moltres form disappeared. Black spots danced before his eyes, and his body felt like lead weight. Lucifer sat, dropping his head between his knees to control the dizziness—it felt as if every time he moved his head a wave of nausea passed through him.

"Are you all right?"

He didn't respond for a moment, too weak to even make himself form a response. Then, he felt cool wings fold around him, and he gave a low sound of appreciation, leaning into the soft and cold plumage of feathers. A soft and chilled wind blew on the back of his head, falling over his ears, and it took a moment for Lucifer to register that it wasn't the wind but Mew's chilled breath.

After a minute or two, he finally managed a gruff, "Thanks."

He heard her giggle. "You're welcome!"

Lucifer sighed in defeat. That giggle . . . If it could make his anger dissipate, it could make anyone feel better. He relaxed for once, resting against her, letting her cool him off with her gentle remedies. He heard Mew humming a soft lullaby—it was soothing to hear, and as his body temperature returned to normal, he felt his eyes sag, his breathing deepen. And then, just as he thought he was falling asleep, a bright voice woke him.

"Hey! How about we go ahead to the Pokemon Center and take a dip in the hot springs?"

Lucifer blinked up at her. She was an Articuno now, her grand head turned towards the light of the town just over the bend. "You up for it?"

It was the first time she was asking him. He was tempted to say no, that he wanted to rest and sleep after the grueling day of enduring the heat, but . . . Lucifer found himself oddly willing for once to listen to her. And, maybe it was because she had taken the time to ask for his opinion.

But he spoke too soon. She jumped up, shifting again, saying, "All right! Let's go!"

It was on the tip of his tongue to disagree hotly with her, but he found any words he had sucked away when he looked at her. "Mew?"

She turned her head, her blue eyes still as blue as they had been, but this time she hadn't shape shifted into a pokemon—she was a human. It was disorienting to look at her. He had to look up to see her, but she was still short for human. Her skin was a milky white, hair a golden color that cascaded down to her shoulder blades. She was a vision of beauty, even to a pokemon, and Lucario felt his heart skip a beat. She wore nothing but a leotard and pink tights, some kind of dance shoes that Lucifer wasn't used to seeing.

"See? Don't I look amazing?" She twirled around to show herself off, grinning from ear to ear. "I figured out how to do this some time ago! I wanted to interact with humans on their level, not as a mere pokemon in their eyes. So I figured out how to shape shift into a human! Handy, isn't it?"

Lucifer swallowed, standing. "Yes . . . Of course."

"But I've perfected it even more! Check this out!" Lucifer started when her psychic powers touched him, and he blinked when he suddenly had to look slightly down instead of up to see her. He looked down—and jerked wildly, stepping backwards with a cry.

"Mew!"

Now he was human too! His eyes widened in shock, staring in almost horror at his hands so different, his chest, each place devoid of the spikes he was used to.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "Here."

And then he was covered by some shorts and a t-shirt, socks and converse shoes covering his bare feet.

"Better?"

He looked up at her, fury glazing his eyes. "No! Change me back! I don't want this!"

She blinked, a bit taken off guard at his anger, but Lucifer didn't care—this was ludicrous! "No," she said, and she crossed her arms. "You're being a party pooper, and I won't have it! Now come on!"

She ran off, switching her own outfit to shorts and a tee as she ran, and Lucifer shot off after her. "Mew! Get back here!" He ran after her, but the human form was different—he found he couldn't run half as fast as he used to, and it infuriated him. But, Mew had accomplished what she wanted—she was going to get to the city for people to see them both before he could get her to change them back. And then they'd have to stay in this awful human form.

"Don't use my name!" she shouted back to him. "My codename is: Rachel! So only call me Rachel from now on!"

It was too late. She was already in the city, waving brightly to people as she ambled along, and Lucifer stopped his run, jaw clenching tight as someone noticed him. The lady started, raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and moved on. Stalking after Mew, he grabbed her arm as she started to veer away from the path to the Pokemon Center.

"I did not agree to this," he growled lowly in her ear.

She waved a hand dismissively. "I knew you wouldn't, so I did it without your say so. So get used to it, you'll have to be a human to blend in with me—they give a person queer looks when you have a silent pokemon next to you giving everyone death glares." Mew giggled and smiled at him when he turned a black glare on her. "See? Aren't you just too cute! Now, stop dragging me around," and she wrenched her arm from his grasp, waltzing along in front of him, "and escort me like a lady."

Lucifer rolled his eyes, walking stolidly behind her, whipped. Dang cat had won again. Forced to become human, Lucifer followed her to the Pokemon Center where he found that they were going to be staying.

He started to follow her into her room—she slapped a hand on his chest. "Excuse me? Where do you think you're going? Your room is there," and she pointed behind him. "I am a lady—I need my privacy!" And she slammed the door in his face.

Lucifer stood outside her door, a bit stunned. He debated this. He was a male and she was female—it was no wonder she wanted her privacy. But wasn't that the time where she was most vulnerable, and she was alone and anyone could get her?

The door opened again, and Mew was laughing. "Aw, I'm just kidding, get in here!" and she had grabbed him by his shirt, yanking him through the doorway.

Lucifer staggered into the room. It was clean, bed sheets pulled back tight and neat. The floor was spotless so that he could see his own face in it, plain curtains hung over the window. The color scheme was white and red—there were a couple red pillows on the bed, the white curtains having a trim of red, and any decoration was mostly red or white. Lucifer scoffed to himself at the plain and boring room—at least it held its purpose.

He passed the dresser—and he halted, staring at his reflection. Was that . . . what he really looked like? He supposed he was handsome, but that wasn't what made him stop. His eyes were a blazing blue, so shocking and potent that the blue seemed to take them over, to bleed into the whites and the pupil. His hair was blue too.

"Mew," he found himself saying slowly, "I . . . Couldn't you have at least made my hair a different color if my eyes . . ."

She came to stand next to him, looking in the mirror with him. "No. The hair stays blue. It took enough of my psychic powers to at least make it look normal."

Lucifer jerked, blinking wide at her. "Normal?"

"Yeah!" she said instantly. "Here, this is what it looked like before," and she waved her hand, and he felt psychic powers lift off him.

Lucifer jolted again as his thick hair became electric blue as well, seeming to lift off of his head as if it were weightless. It seemed to almost float, but it was as equally blue as his stark blue eyes.

"You want to know what that is?" Mew asked, and before he knew it, she had dug both hands into his hair, ruffling it as she brought her face right next to his. "THIS is your untapped potential for the aura." Then, she grabbed a handful of his thick hair behind his head, shoving his face close to the mirror until all he could see was his own eyes. "THAT blue color—that is how powerful your aura is. So powerful that it changes your very appearance because it can't be contained inside of you."

No. He couldn't possibly be as powerful as she hinted. Yet . . . As he backed up a little more to get a better look at his hair, he could see the energies thriving in it, making it move and stand and wave at the sheer power inside him. Lucifer swallowed, staring into his eyes. What if she was right? What if . . . what if all it took was him believing in himself? Could he actually master the aura inside him and become the greatest there was? It was almost too much for his mind to handle. But he could see the evidence right there by looking at himself that—

"Lucifer!"

He jumped, a knee jamming into the dresser. "What?" he growled as he turned around.

Mew studied herself in the full-length mirror. "Hm. What color should I wear, Lucifer? Purple?" Lucifer jumped when she twirled, her outfit suddenly becoming drastically cut, showing more than he thought it should. He couldn't help how his eyes popped at the bikini she wore, now colored an electric purple that was fading and changing colors, to a deep dark purple and back to a lighter color.

She spun again. "How about red?" And she was still wearing a two piece bikini, only this one was lower cut around the waist and had no straps on the top, a frill around the waist and a frill below her breast. "Oh! Cherries!" and it changed again, this time bleaching white before little red cherries popped up all over it.

Lucifer's chest pounded hard—it was even skimpier than the last. But then, she changed her mind again. "No, no, no—pink!" He sucked in a breath when she twirled around again, but his fears were put to rest when she wore a halter top and tight boy shorts, actually the most conservative bathing suit she had tried on yet.

But . . . Though she had asked his opinion, he found himself tongue-tied. All he could think was leopard skin, leopard, leopard—he knew it would make her look like a warrior goddess with her golden hair.

"No—better. Leopard."

His eyes shot up as she switched outfits yet again, and his breath stilled. It was perfect. Somehow, he had known that leopard would look good on her—

Wait! He felt his suspicions rise again. That wasn't just happenstance that she randomly decided to try a leopard pattern just when he thought about it . . . was it? "Mew?" he started to say, careful to hide his suspicion so that she wouldn't suspect anything.

"You were right—leopard does look better!" she said to him, making him jolt as she twisted and turned to get a better look at the one piece swimsuit she now wore, lifting her hair to make sure the halter top was tied to her liking. It looked as if something had clawed her right side, three thin rips decorating her right waist and displaying the faintest of skin.

Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, but Mew beat him to the punch again. "You want to know how I knew what you were thinking? Well, I'll tell you. I read your aura."

Lucifer didn't bother to hide his suspicion this time, narrowing his eyes at her in the Pokecenter room. "You read my aura?" he repeated. "You weren't even looking at me!"

She shrugged, ogling herself in the mirror again. "So? I saw your aura through the mirror, though it was a bit disoriented because it was reflected." She messed with her hair, even though they fell in perfect golden locks down her back. "Besides, I could feel yourself screaming on the inside that I would look good in it through your aura, so I tried it out and—viola!" Mew threw up her hands, smiling as she turned around to him. "I look great now. But—what to put you in?"

Lucifer started, opening his mouth. "Mew—"

"I told you, my codename is Rachel, so use it!" And he suddenly jumped when the air conditioning washed over the bare skin of his chest. Looking down, he silently groaned on the inside—she had started to change his outfit too. He was wearing simple swim trunks, green with pink flowers.

Mew tutted her tongue. "Nope." She switched the colors to an oceanic blue, added little Luvidsc to it, switched the pokemon to a twisting Eelektross, then gave up again, letting it fall blank and white. "Hmm . . ." she murmured softly to herself. "No pink . . . No green . . . Purple?" Lucifer crossed his arms as he waited for her to choose. The purple stripes appeared jagged on his trunks until the material suddenly switched, hugging his skin tight as a Speedo, and the pattern changed to a Seviper, its jaw open around his—

"Mew, no," he said flatly, resisting the urge to blush.

"Of course not that," she said flippantly, "I'm just having fun. Would you rather a thong?"

He scowled at her, snapping, "Well stop having fun! If we're going to do this, then hurry up and let's be done with it."

She rolled her eyes, saying, "But the point IS to have fun. Relax already." And finally, she changed the awful Speedo into normal swim trunks again, this time dying them a deep blue with electric blue flames on them. "Better?"

"Fine," he said quickly. "Whatever. Let's just do it."

Mew's lips twitched, and he assumed she was just going to brush off his sour attitude all together, because she ran to the bathroom, grabbed the towels and tossed one at him, squealing, "All right, let's go! Hot tub time!"

Lucifer scowled again as she grabbed his hand, forcibly dragging him out the door and down the hallway. He followed unwilling as they headed towards the back to go to the hot spring—but a passel of giggling girls stopped them. The small group pushed one forward that was trying vainly not to be, fresh out of the hot spring because they had their towels wrapped around their bodies, hair still wet.

"Um . . ." she started shyly, and Mew jumped right in.

"Hi!" she said brightly to her. "My name's Rachel! And this is—" she didn't miss a beat as she gestured to Lucifer, "Dexter. Dexter, say hi."

Lucifer took one glance at the jittery girls and nearly scowled yet again. "Hi," he stated shortly, making the first one blink as he took Mew's arm. "Let's go, Rachel," and he drug her out the back door.

"Wait!" she cried, glancing over her shoulder as they disappeared away from the girls. "What's wrong? They like you!"

Furious, he spun her around, whispering, "They are HUMANS! We are pokemon, and never will be human. It doesn't matter if they like me, I am a human for the moment, but I am a pokemon forever."

He glanced over at the girls, who were staring curiously, and he growled, and he grabbed Mew's elbow, dragging her down the wooden walkway towards the hot tub. Mew wrenched herself from his grasp.

"Okay, that has GOT to stop," she told him, putting her hands on her hips as he whirled on her. "Do NOT start dragging me off like you've been doing, I am not putting up with that crap anymore, I'll be sure to knock you silly if you try that again. Got it?"

Lucifer's jaw clenched, but he couldn't do anything—she was stronger, and like it or not, she was in charge. "Fine."

She perked up instantly. "Good! Now, it's time for the hot springs!" Mew scampered ahead, tossing her towel aside as she stepped into the deserted hot spring, sighing as the warmth of the water hit her. As she lowered herself fully in it, she gestured to Lucifer. "Come on in and join me! It's great!"

He rolled his eyes, but sank in next to her—the water was hot, but not uncomfortable. He shot Mew a look, and she nodded.

"Yep. The heat's not bothering you right now, is it?" When Lucifer shook his head, she added, "It's because you're not a Lucario. Your steel half isn't bothering you now."

He went to the opposite side, looking out over all the people that still walked about in the late evening as the sun fully disappeared beyond the horizon. Mew relaxed next to him, but he could feel her looking at him. Lucifer crossed his arms against the edge of the pool, resting his chin on them as he watched them. The tub wasn't bad . . . but it wasn't great. He just sat, waiting for Mew to be ready to get out.

"Shall we go back to lesson one?"

Lucifer frowned, not even turning to her. He wanted to say no, but . . . he wasn't going to improve by doing nothing. "What could we possibly do here?" he asked tiredly.

"Plenty," Mew said easily. "I want you to use your aura to look out there and see those people."

Lucifer frowned more, but followed instructions. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the aura, not seeing far down the hill to the folks that still lingered out there. He could see the slope of the hill until about halfway down where it blurred, and faded, disappearing from his sight.

He sighed. "I can't see them."

"Do you know what a normal person's aura looks like?"

Lucifer nodded. He remembered seeing his trainer's aura.

"Then look at my aura."

Turning around, Lucifer stopped short, eyes widening. It was so . . . so beautiful. So BRIGHT. Unconsciously, Lucifer moved closer, grabbing her arms as his lips parted in shock at seeing the aura so clearly for once in his life.

"Mew," he whispered, forgetting her codename again, "I—I can see it. Mew, I—I see the aura!"

He watched as her aura churned, humor showing through as well as a degree of—what was it? Compassion?—and he heard her laugh, felt the shake of her beneath his hands. "Well of course you can," she said a bit wryly, but he knew that she was trying to be careful with her emotions—he could see nearly everything while looking at her aura. "You are a Lucario after all—I believe," and she added amazed sarcasm to her voice, "That they are actually quite gifted, I'm sure they are!"

Lucifer shook his head, staring at her aura as he watched the emotions ripple through it, stunned at the sheer beauty of seeing the aura so clearly, stunned at the beauty of seeing her aura. It was then he realized that she was the Mother of all pokemon, and of course, she would because she was almost the entity of life itself.

"But . . ." he whispered softly, thinking of his trainer, "Yours is so . . . so beautiful. I've—I've never seen an aura like this before." She practically glowed before him because her aura was so strong—he bet that he could see hers farther away than any other aura he ever met in his lifetime.

Hearing something, Lucifer looked up—and froze, a bit puzzled seeing three more auras in front of him, yet they were weak and faint to his vision compared to Mew's strong and vibrant one. He opened his eyes, saw three old women coming closer, and they caught sight of the two in the pool.

Lucifer quickly shoved back from Mew, angry when he felt a blush sear his cheeks at his swift retreat, knowing exactly what caused all three of them to giggle like young girls again. Curse her for making herself so shapely and beautiful, and he so built and handsome!

"Oh, don't mind us," the first old lady said as she got into the hot spring with them, her friends following as they smiled at them. "Young lovers are so adorable!"

Lucifer's scowl deepened, but he didn't know how to fix the situation without embarrassing themselves further, so succumbed to silence at his own corner of the pool, looking out blankly over the town.

"Oh, he's shy!" one of the other grannies said with a laugh, and Lucifer had to admit he was grateful when Mew came to the rescue again.

"Oh!" He could hear a faint blush in Mew's voice. "No, we're not lovers ma'am, please don't get this confused."

"You say you're not?" one of the women asked. "Well, I find that hard to believe after such passion like that!"

Lucifer silently grumbled to himself that it was passion for seeing the aura, the one thing he had never seen so clearly in his life—not this, this—this obnoxious and vain cat! And it was true too, he felt nothing for Mew herself, just awe at looking at the aura for once—and he felt a low urge in his chest to see it again.

"It wasn't me though—he was looking at my aura, and it was the first one he had seen clearly."

Wasn't that saying too much? Lucifer could only listen as one of their company said, "The aura?"

"Yeah!" Mew's response was zealous, and he could hear a lecture coming. "You see, Dexter and I are Aura Guardians, some of the few people in the world that can actually manipulate auras! Oh! I forgot—My name is Rachel, and this is Dexter."

Several more introductions were passed around behind Lucifer, and he wondered belatedly where Mew had gotten a name like Dexter. Soon, Mew was questioned about him looking at her aura, and she launched into an explanation.

"You see," she was saying, "I've been teaching Dexter to use his aura better, because he's not very good at it yet. His vision with the aura is limited, and I was trying to get him to see the aura better by looking at mine—mine's really bright, kinda neon-like." Lucifer frowned. That was the understatement of the year. "So naturally, being the first aura he saw clearly, he was pretty animated."

He could hear the women talking amongst themselves, and he was going to zone out completely when he heard Mew say, "Okay, Dexter, can you see their auras?"

Turning obediently at her voice, Lucifer closed his eyes and looked at the auras. They were weaker, but he could see them clearly. He cut a glance over to Mew longing to see her brightness again—and was rewarded with seeing the silhouette of her body engulfed by a beaming blue aura.

"Yes, I see them," he told her.

"Good! Now look down on those people on the sidewalk. Can you see them?"

Loathing to turn away from that grand sight, he forced himself to look back down the slope of the hill. Still, about halfway down the hill, he lost the vision again, and he sighed, "No. I can't see them."

He heard movement behind him, then felt Mew reaching around him to put her hands on his. Something close to a shock ran through them, and she said, "How about now?"

Lucifer looked up—and he gave a short yell, jerking backwards into Mew where his head cracked against something, and her hands jumped from him.

"Ow! That was my jaw!"

Lucifer looked back at her with wide eyes, barely taking hint at her rubbing her jaw. He nearly burst out her name again, but managed to control himself at the last second. "M—I saw it! I—I saw them with the aura! Wh-what did you do?"

She smiled at him then, saying, "Well, I used my aura to channel into yours, giving you the extra boost you needed to see."

Heart pounding with excitement, Lucifer whirled around, looking down at the people. "Can—Can you do it again?"

"Sure." He felt Mew reach around him again as she laid her hands on his, and Lucifer swallowed hard as the aura spread out far, letting him see the whole expanse with his aura. He felt a breath expel shakily from him. He . . . he could see it all. Everything! He looked down on the people that walked by, so easily seeing them. Heart pounding in his chest, he looked out farther—he could see a trainer coming from the edge of the city! He could see the auras of pokemon sleeping in the trees! He could see everything.

When Mew started to let go, he grabbed her hands, yanking her against him. Unwilling to let go of the connection that was letting him see the aura, he held her hands tightly as he surveyed everything. Overwhelmed at seeing everything through the eyes of one who could actually use their aura properly, Lucifer let his gaze roam over the trees, through things! He could see people dining in a restaurant.


Mew waited for him to say something, and when he didn't Mew decided he had seen enough—however, just as she started to pull back, he grabbed her hands in a steely grip, yanking her forward.

Her breath caught when she was pressed fully against his back. What—a hot blush touched her cheeks in mortification when she saw how her breasts flattened against his skin—they weren't big, but still, what had possessed her to make them as big as they were! A slight panic picked up in her when he still refused to let go, but it disappeared for a different emotion when she heard him speak.

"Mew . . ." he whispered softly in awe, and she felt her compassion rise with the steam from the hot spring. "I—I can see . . . I'm seeing with the aura!"

A feeling overwhelmed her. A feeling that made her want to relax into the poor, misunderstood Lucario, and she felt her eyelids lowering as she felt her compassion rise. Then, she panicked again, yanking herself free of him.


Lucifer jolted back to reality as soon as Mew yanked herself away, sharply cutting him off from her aura and leaving him with his own. Then, it all became a void to him again except for that little bit that he could see.

He whirled on Mew who had a pink face, snapping, "And what was the point of that?"

She shrugged lightly, avoiding his gaze as she said, "I've been in the hot spring for too long. See? My face is getting all flushed." And she hoisted herself up for a slight break, bringing herself out of the water.

Angry that he was helpless without her, Lucifer growled, "You just let me feel the aura and then you jerk it away? What was the point of that?"

Mew raised an eyebrow at him. "The point? To give you something to work for so that you're willing to work. "

Lucifer clenched his jaw tightly, more angry at himself than he was at Mew, furious that he still couldn't touch the aura; he left the tub and everyone in it, snatching up his towel so he wouldn't drip like a dog all the way through the Pokecenter's hallways.

It was only a little later that he heard a knock on his door. "Dexter?" He rolled his eyes, not answering her. Where had she come up with the bloody name? "Be ready to go early in the morning—we wake when the sun wakes, and leave immediately after!"

He rolled over on the bed and tried to go to sleep. All the better.


"Dexter!"

Lucifer jolted awake, cracking his eyes open at Mew. She was dressed different, pants and hiking boots, a loose plaid shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. She even had a floppy hiker hat. "What are you waiting on? Let's go!"

He groaned but woke as bidden, sitting up. He soon found that she had already switched his clothing—he was dressed similarly, and he frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Training!" Mew said brightly. "Lesson Number Three: Teaching you endurance!" She grabbed his hand when he still blinked owlishly at her, half asleep, but he woke up as he had to jog to keep up with her she was leaving the Pokemon Center so quickly.

The instant they stepped outside the doors though, Mew took off running. Lucifer didn't waste his breath—somehow, he knew he was going to need it later. Following her down the streets, he kept her in his sights all the way out of the city and into a nearby forest, but was surprised when she suddenly stopped and whirled on him.

"All right—here we are!" and she suddenly shape shifted into a Pichu again, and Lucifer looked down—and saw the spike on his chest. He was a Lucario again!

He glanced over as she planted herself on his neck, piggyback style. "Mew?"

"Let's go!" and she pointed up the Jagged Pass. "Endurance can't come any better than trying to run up the Jagged Pass, and then we'll start training at Mt. Chimney!"

"Then get off," Lucifer growled. "I'm not your horse—you can come up on your own."

"No!" Surprised she was disagreeing, Mew stated, "I'm on you for extra weight, silly! Now don't you tell me to get off your shoulder again or else I'll turn into something heavier and you'll STILL be bringing me to the top! Now let's get a move on!"

Lucifer gritted his teeth and said nothing. It was clear she was being stubborn and there was no changing her mind, so he started to run, trying not to look up the massive mountain and think of how long a day it was going to be.

Careful not to stumble, Lucifer ran up at Mew's prompting to not walk, saying that she wanted to make it up fast. And so quickly, Lucifer found that Mew's light weight was getting heavier and heavier the farther up he went, the more tired he got. He stopped for drinks in the small creeks running down, but soon found himself without a water source because they were running up a volcano. He found that Mew was his source of water now, whenever she gave him a drink of water. As the heat got more and more unbearable the farther up he went, more sweat poured off his body at the strenuous exercise.

"Lesson Number Four!" Mew proclaimed as he panted, yet again asking for a drink. "Learning to endure the heat!" Lucifer nodded silently, heaving deep breaths before taking off again. He could see the crest—and it was about time too. He could feel hunger gnawing at his stomach, and knew it must be in the middle of the day. Finding a driving urge to make it to the top, Lucifer sped up a little, muscles burning at the overuse until he broke free over the top, Mew sitting pertly as a Pichu on his shoulder as he heaved a great gasp, finding smooth land. He had finally made it to the top of Mt. Chimney.

"Great job, Lucifer!" Mew congratulated him instantly as he bent over and gasped for air, leaping off his shoulder. The heat was so intense! The air shimmered with it, and he could see the lava bubbling from where he stood—he was melting in the heat! It burned down his throat when he gasped more.

Lucifer had never been more grateful to Mew than when she transformed into a Tropius, planting herself between him and the lava, also acting as shade for him as he rested. Collapsing at her feet, he leaned against her leg as she used her wings to fan him. He arched—the breeze was delicious!

Mew leaned her head down next to him. "Here," she said. "Have a banana! You need to eat something. It'll help!"

Tired, Lucifer reached up and took a fruit from her neck, peeling it apart. Taking a bite, he rested back in a miniature heaven in the middle of the heat of hell. It was a tasty fruit, sweet as he regenerated his energy and cooled off some, and he depleted her neck of fruit. The ache of hunger was subdued, but not stated.

Then, Mew suddenly transformed again, this time into a Blastoise as she gave him a drink, and then she cried, "All right! Down to business!"

Lucifer blinked, standing. "What kind of business?"

"Training you, of course!" Lucifer blinked as she backed up, changing yet again so that she was an Infernape. "Lesson Number Five: the art of combat! I want to see how you fight without your attacking moves!" Her fingers curled, egging him on. "Attack me!"

Lucifer gritted his teeth, but knew that now was the time where his training seriously began. Attacking conservatively at first, he tried to learn Mew's style of fighting—but she wouldn't have it. She brought on the offensive, making Lucifer fall back for a minute, blocking her hands and periodic kicks, but he refused to be put on the defensive—Lucifer made the first hit of the match, striking her side before she dutifully accepted drawing defense to her side, watching his movements and understanding how he fought. Lucifer and Mew traded blows, hitting each other until they finally broke away, chests heaving.

"All right," Mew said, resetting her position, "Now, you can use your attacks."

That made it all the easier for Lucifer. Coming first with a Mega Punch, Mew countered him with the same move, and he soon found that she countered him with the same moves. Unable to get past her defenses, Lucifer improved more, grabbing one of her arms and twisting it back hard as he nearly ripped her shoulder from her socket—and then her tail wrapped around his ankle, hefting him up easily. A Fire Punch sent him crashing back, pain making him grunt and groan when he hit the ground at the super effective hit. Before Lucifer could even think to defend, a Flame Burst hit him hard, making him scream out in pain, the remnants of the attack little bits of fire that loitered around him.

Lucifer shook hard as he struggled back to his feet, the sheer heat around him making him dizzy. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

Mew just shrugged a shoulder. "Lesson Number Six: conquering the weaknesses of your steel type side. Heat, fighting attacks—you name it, we're conquering it." Then, without warning, she sent a Flamethrower his way, the attack amplified by the blazing sun and the boiling lava—Lucifer ducked out of the way, struggling to stay alert as Mew led him in this deadly dance.

The day passed slowly for Lucifer. He succumbed to her rigorous training because he knew she would make him a better Lucario in the end, but the niggling feeling that she was even less lenient in her training than his old trainer had been, stayed in his mind.

The day passed to evening—finally, Mew said they would stop.

Lucifer's knees shook, and he plopped down hard on the ground, exhausted. Mew stopped to hydrate him well again, giving him a blessed Icy Wind to cool him off after the hard attacks he had taken.

He didn't get to rest long though. "All right, time to head back down to the Pokemon Center," Mew said, and Lucifer couldn't stop a groan.

"I don't have to carry you, do I?" He honestly didn't think he could take it.

But she shook her head, changing into an Absol so she could handle the rough terrain of the Jagged Pass better. "No, you've worked hard—I won't make you carry me. But you can and will make it to the bottom. I'm sure you can do it."

Lucifer nodded, forced his body up, and began the long descent. Mew carried on well next to him, but she honestly looked none worse for the wear. Lucifer spent all his energy focused on getting down the mountain again, but even with him trying so hard, his exhaustion was inevitable—he stumbled, tripped, and started to fall, but he felt a soft, cool body supporting him. Worn out completely, he accepted the ride from Mew, now a Suicune, and found himself at the bottom in record time.

Mew changed into a small Pichu again, letting Lucario back on his feet. She jumped up on his shoulder, and he almost thought he would fall over. "Come on," she said softly. "Just to the Pokemon Center. We're almost there."

He nodded mutely, grateful when she got off to lead the way. The Pokemon Center slowly came into view—he stumbled in, and Mew immediately had Nurse Joy there to take care of him. It was under different circumstances coming into the Pokecenter, but Lucifer didn't care anymore—he just wanted to sleep.

But, a tiny Pichu patted his cheeks, keeping him awake a bit longer. "Your battle style is nice, but we're going to improve it, all right?" His eyelids started to droop again as he felt himself being hooked up to a machine, and Mew patted his cheeks again. "You did well. Go on and sleep."

And, oddly, after everything she had put him through, it made all the difference to hear that she appreciated his dedication to the training.