The hotel room, two hours later
Why won't it stay down? Chris looked in the mirror. Despite soaking his raven-black hair it kept curling up as it dried. Chris stared at himself. He looked like an average teenage trainer, but in reality he was a water master, a very old one. He was part of an order, like the aura guardians of old, that worked in the shadows to maintain peace in the Pokémon world. Unlike the aura guardians, his order took great care to avoid the spotlight. Getting attention would inevitably result in the organization being hunted by organizations like Team Rocket which have overwhelming manpower and resources. Hence members of the order preferred to stay in the shadows quietly assisting others who fought their foes. That was his mission, but for now he was on vacation.
Given that Chris was a water master, it would seem obvious that he would carry a team of water Pokémon. Contradicting logic, he currently had only two Pokémon and neither were water types.
Chris stepped out of the hotel bathroom to see the two members of his team hard at work. Luke was doing one arm pushups on the floor while Robbin, a female swellow, was perched on the back of a chair keeping count for him. Chris need not ask what had inspired this impromptu workout as the T.V. was tuned to the P1 Grand Prix. Chris took a seat on the bed just in time to see a primeape knockout a hitmonchan.
Swellow cawed three hundred. Luke lay down on the ground for a moment before slowly getting to his feet. Chris stared at the Lucario.
"Training for something in particular?" Chris ask rhetorically.
Luke grinned. "That hitmonchan deserved to loose; he did not block at all. I could win that thing easy…"
"Assuming that primeape does not knock you out too."
"Is that a no?"
"It's a maybe. Now go get cleaned up, you still have dirt in your fur from earlier."
Chris watched Luke walk into the bathroom. Always looking for a fight. A primeape no less. Chris glanced back at the T.V. That could not have been Ash's old primeape, could it?
Chris dismissed the thought and took a seat by Robbin. He began stroking her head gently.
Robbin stared at him accusingly.
"Let me guess if I take Luke to compete in the P1 Grand Prix you want me to let you compete in a Pokéringer competition." The swellow nodded affirmatively. "Fair enough."
Robbin cawed happily.
"Only one more question then do you want to sleep in your luxury ball or out here? Robbin tapped the ball and disappeared in a beam of red light. "Good night then."
Luke came out of the bathroom a while later, after a long session with the hairdryer. He threw himself on the bed and grunted. Chris took a seat on the bed by him. Chris checked Luke's chest spike. Despite filing it down only a week ago, at Luke's request, the spike had already started re-growing. Thankfully, the tip remained dull. Chris stroked around the spike.
"Need a message son?" Chris ask.
Luke had been hoping his trainer would ask. Luke rolled over immediately so Chris could get to work.
"The problem with you fighting types, you have all these muscles, but the moment you stop using them they all knot up."
Luke did not respond. Instead he closed his eyes and let his ears lay flat against his skull.
"Hey Luke." An ear lifted up lazily. "Do you think that primeape is getting a celebratory massage?"
"I don't know, but I am sure that hitmonchan will not want anyone touching it for a while." Luke chuckled.
Chris finished the message and crawled under the covers. Luke got under the covers beside him, resting his canine head on the human's shoulder. Chris stroked Luke's head with his other hand.
"I almost forgot to ask if you wanted to sleep in your luxury ball."
"The bed is fine… besides someone needs to keep an eye on you and make sure you stay out of trouble."
"This coming from the one who causes most of the trouble."
"Good night dad."
"Good night son."
Chris fell asleep within a minute holding the orphan lucario securely in his arms. Luke was awake longer, long enough to feel his pulse slow and synchronize with his master's pulse. He fell asleep with a grin on his muzzle. Had he stayed awake longer he might have noticed their aura's synchronize too. One could only imagine how large a grin that revelation would have gotten.
