Acceptance

~Here comes another!~ Mew alerted. Lucario, standing ever vigilant, didn't bulge in the wake of the hurtling projectile. He could make out what it was and the precise area from which it came. From the sound alone, he could also denote that it was being hit and not thrown. The shooter was incredibly strong, but Lucario, thanks to years of defending the world's most legendary entity, he was stronger.

His eyes began to glow a dark purple and an aura of the same hue arose and wafted around him similar to a fervent yet stoic inferno. His senses heightened, allowing him to view the playing field in dulled motion. He, on the other hand, remained at full speed. Lucario meandered toward the projectile reeling his right paw back and his left forward. Once the missile breached his striking range, with reflexes as fast as a Pigeot in dive, he shot his left paw forward and it lightly pressed against the cylindrical piece of wood. The reverberation of the impact on the other hand was a powerful echo and it resonated for seconds. It stopped in midair as if all the momentum had been sucked out of it and Lucario's fur, as a result, smoothed backward as if a light breeze overcame it.

~That was anticlimactic.~ Said Mew who hovered over the focused Lucario's body. Even she could feel the force he put into the strike, but from him she'd seen more far more devastation.

~It's not over yet.~ Lucario assured his equal. The would-be killer of the blue pokemon simply fell to his feet. Blue steam expelled from it and soon thereafter, the section of wood was quartered.

~I could've made it about sixty-four slices if I wanted, but I'd rather spare the theatrics.~

~You didn't spare the theatrics, Lu. Your highest is Sixteen.~ Retorted Mew as she flutter around his left arm.

~Totally not the point right now ma'am.~ Lucario bent down and picked up a slice of the remnants of the wood piece. The front end was as smooth as a Psyduck's down, but the other end had a distinctive indent in it. It was foot print. Something had kicked this thing at the duo.

~Lemme see.~ Mew requested. Lucario handed her a slice, then picked up another. The next slice had a toe print embedded in it. It was a sharp toe. ~Who do you think did this?~ Asks Lucario who seemed to be amazed at the amount of force he imagined one would have to use to place an kick imprint in solid wood.

~Lu!~ Another piece of wood was shot out of the thicket of leaves. This one had its own distinction as it was in the shape of a cube. Lucario quickly examined the cube and realized he could not deflect this one for it was rotating at a very high speed. Instead of reenacting his previous tactic, he speedily goes into a stance. He lifted his arms parallel to the ground leaving his torso open as if to accept the devastating attack. Mew looked on the scene with eyes that easily spelled out, "I know what this is." The cube smashes through Lucario's nearly transparent body and he splits into two almost intangible images of himself before vanishing.

~The last thing I wished for you to engage in.~ The uneasy fluff of pink lamented as she drew circles and ovals worriedly in the air. Watching Lucario evade the projectile kept her oblivious that she too had a fight of her own. From her left side just barely outside of her peripheral, a ball of darkness came at her at odd vertical angles and patterns. She instantly deduced it was a technique humans would call a Shadow Ball. She lifted her hands using a modified form of the defensive maneuver known as Reflect to do nearly that. The ball of darkness that was deflected rather than reflected off of the wall rebounded upward harming nothing but the treetops and a few Metapods and Cascoons. Using only a small fraction of her vast psychic skills, she caught them, but a few were mistakenly neglected. Two Kakunas had just come into existence and were still undergoing the process of understanding how to connect to a tree and hang. Mew rested the ones she'd gather upon the marshy ground but the others, whose path toward conclusion was hastily shortening, she could not find the speed to help.

Mew closed her eyes and hid her face beneath her hands as the two weaker pokemon plummeted. ~No!~ A light almost motherly voice called out. The two freefalling Kakunas, now enveloped in a thin veil of light green illumination, slowed halted only inches from the ground. After being seen as safe, they were lowered to the soft ground and the owner of the harp-like voice revealed itself to the befuddled Mew. A light green dress billowed as it walked out from behind the trunk of a massive moss covered tree. Its eyes opened to reveal blood crimson eyes over white and as intimidating as they seemed, a glimmer in them let Mew know that to bring harm upon her was not its true intention. It's only piece of headgear stretched from its back to the upper center of its face. It was a Gardevoir whose psychic abilities seemed to be far ahead of most of its own kind. Mew could feel the energy pouring from the other psychic in torrents and cascades, but she didn't lower her guard nor did she become frightened. Instead, she felt almost welcomed. She remained apprehensive as her blue eyes met the ruby gaze of her opponent.

For a moment, no one spoke. The Gardevoir stepped forward and Mew's reaction was a slight narrow of her eyes accompanied by a tensing of her body. Once again, silence settled over the two combatants until the mysterious thicket to the right of them began to rattle.

One being shot into the air and another being pursued. As they slowed in ascent, the blurs could be made out visually. The more elevated entity left a shadow against the ground that proclaimed it had no head. Its right had the length of a meter stick, but the other didn't. This was simply because its left leg was bent towards the ground. Its color couldn't be easily mad e out due to the glare, but Mew could easily tell what it was. Before they began to descend into another zone of the lush forest, she mouthed its name silently before turning its attention back to her opposing force.

Lucario and his mystery opponent landed in a section of the forest inhabited with Staraptors, Fearows, Starli and Sparrow. Besides the majority, other birds of prey littered the area. Some were newborn and could not fly. Others were fully grown and in their prime. To the right of them was a deep dark cave that bellowed with the deep snores and wet drips of water off of the beige stalactites. The head of an Ursaring, which poked out from behind a rock was visible as it slept.

Lucario viewed the other fighting type pokemon with near confusion. He'd never seen such a thing. Its body was a light red and brown mix and its eyes rested upon its torso. There was no mouth. There were only two arms and two extremely dangerous legs. The ligaments of the pokemon's lower appendages seem to be made out of a material that could stretch or be stretched to amazing lengths it was because of this realization Lucario remained defensive and vigilant. Even its feet were studded with razor sharp toenails.

~...Hitmonlee.~ Lucario whispered as the recollection finally crossed his mind. Before he could act upon the thought and speak though, the Hitmonlee swung its mighty right leg diagonally across its body in a kick. Lucario leaned back and evaded the kick, but not the air that it brought with it. The Hitmonlee remained on a fast relentless offensive. It lowered its foot quickly nearly smashing the right side of Lucario's face. Instead, Lucario spins, effectively dodging the kick and counters with a swipe of his stiffened tail. The Hitmonlee dropped back onto its back and sprung back up driving both its powerful feet at Lucario.

A smirked impressed its way onto Lucario's face prior to him meandering to the left side of Hitmonlee's heavy attack which contrasted all of his previous light-footed assaults. With the window of time he was provided rapidly closing, Lucario wasted no time pressing his right paw against the supple spongy material of Hitmonlee's left appendage. In an instant, his normally scarlet eyes shimmered a hazy dark amethyst tint and the four tendrils dangling from the back of his head wavered in the uncontrolled expulsion of his growing aura. As he prepared the conflict ending blow, two cryptic words softly parted his dark lips. ~It's over.~

Lucario's aura was channeled from the center of his body into his extended paw where it became concentrated and highly volatile. With the focusing of the attack complete, he blasted the force of his soul in a beam-like discharge onto the arm of his opponent. The burst of the contact range attack sent the unknowing Hitmonlee skipping along the pliable and peaty ground until a large tree trunk covered in lichen yielded its series of painful skips and rolls. Lucario, now considerably weaker and panting from using his second strongest attack, lowers his palm and stands a firm stance now with his paws fisted tightly. ~Do you want more!~ Asked the apparent victor of the skirmish haughtily. ~Huh?~

As he requested an answer from the Hitmonlee, Lucario hadn't noticed that the bird pokemon around him became tense in his presence. They were scared of him and the power he displayed to take down their protector. He sensed their aura and his red eyes began to shift from one to the next. The younger pokemon ogled him as if in his arsenal was an attack that could bring upon them death in one swish of his paw. The older ones eyes burned with a fervent desire to live. If life wasn't guaranteed, that same aspiration would allow them to fight until they were assured their offspring could. They were willing to throw away their lives to do just that and some of them even stood prepared. Lucario looked at them all in wonder and gauged their emotions accordingly. They were scared. All of them.

He, much like Mew on the other side of the forest, wished not to incur an even bigger fight and powered down for the sake of them all. The four dark tendrils that hung from the back of his head lowered until the tips of them were toward the ground and he breathed. Even that slight motion made the viewing inhabitants flinch in alarm.

The downed Hitmonlee only lifted its dark-ringed almond shaped eyes to the scarlet glaring ones of his former opponent who seemed to be in mental combat with the surrounding denizens. He lifted his working arm to block the bright light of the sun so that he could better identify the other pokemon. After swift inspection, the Hitmonlee's eyes widened in the realization of why he'd lost the match. He had never seen this pokemon before and therefore didn't know what it was capable of. Blue fur, a tail, red eyes and dark yet powerful appendages adorned his foe. A spike protruded from its chest and each. The Hitmonlee didn't know whether to call it punishment for past sins or just another evolutionary new. Bewilderment settled in his heart but that soon was replaced by the lofty feeling of acceptance. Admitting defeat, the downed fighter finally spoke out in a voice as firm as a Snorlax's hold on an pertinent path and as deep as Slowpoke's well.

~Take me.~ Hitmonlee demanded stoically. His three fingers knotted into a fist and his body tensed waiting for asked for death blow.

~Wha...~ Lucario asked with a cocked brow and a tilted confused gaze.

~If you're going to kill anyone in here, just let it be me. Spare the others...please. I beg of you...don't bring them any harm...~

~Harm? What are you—You're team rocket lies won't work on me.~ Lucario was interjected by Hitmonlee.

~ I know your kind. I've seen what you all are capable of. You all are traitors who've turned you back on pokemon...your own kind. Just do it. Make it swift and painless~ Hitmonlee preached as he shut his eyes. His arm fell as if to denote his spirit finally being broken. ~Just finish the job. I've been running for too long. Now you've caught me.~

~The last thing I want to do is bring you harm my friend. We're brother's here. A few seconds ago we weren't because you were trying to kill me, but it's okay now I suppose. C'mon, get up. I'm not going to do anything else.~ Lucario finally managed to get a word in edgewise but Hitmonlee continued to only stare at the blue pokemon before him.

~You're not of Team Rocket blue one?~ Hitmonlee asked as he gradually drew himself up.

~No. I'd never be. Like you said, if I was, I would've had turned my back on all of my kind. That'd be hypocrisy would it not? Now, c'mon.~

~If you're not of Team Rocket, blue, then who...and what are you?~

~I'm of you. And please, call me Lucario. Or Lu for short.~

~Lu...cario.~ Hitmonlee said, forever etching the name into his mind. ~Lucario. You can call me Hitmonlee. There is another protector here that I want you to meet.~

~There is someone I'd like you to meet as well. Where is she I don't know.~

~She stays at the forefront of the forest. That is the section she gave to herself to guard. She hasn't come back here yet to check on us, so that would mean-~ The Hitmonlee is cut off by a loud explosion to the side of them just over the trees they had leaped over a while back.

~I think I know where they are and what they're doing...~ Hitmonlee sprang past Lucario and a flurry of short hops and blasted through the trees. ~If you don't want to get left, I suggest you follow. Quickly!~

Lucario simply sighed and smoothed his forehead frustratedly. ~I'm right behind you!~ Before he could take off though, he saw that the pokemon that feared him earlier seemed to had lightened up in the midst of his and Hitmonlee's conversation. Lightly blushing from a tinge of embarrassment, Lucario waved at them and apology before speeding off through the forest behind his newfound friend...

Just where they had been left, the two psychic pokemon still battled and neither one gave the other any scope or margin for failure. Gardevoir used a personal favorite that she had learned a while back. It was a move that most trainers knew as 'Psywave'. Mew blocked the attack with a psywave of her own and returned using the basic psychic confusion. In the face of the powerful Mew, Gardevoir wasn't much of a fight, but being that she was more advanced than other Gardevoir, she kept Mew on her toes defensively. As another psywave was defensively light screened, Mew teleported behind the oblivious Gardevoir catching her off guard. Wasting no time, she attacked from behind with a pulse of darkness. The attack was super effective against Gardevoir's psychic type. Because of this, it sent her to the ground almost instantly and from this, Mew could tell it was a critical hit.

Sympathetic for her fallen combatant, she hovered lower to Gardevoir's downed frame asking concernedly, ~Are you okay? Listen, I didn't mean to do that. I'm terribly sorry—I just...~

Gardvoir opened her eyes and looked over to the apologetic tuft of pink then toward the shrouded sky. A smile passed her lips and her eyes slowly sealed once more. ~Mew. You can stop.~ She spoke in the same soft tones that heralded her first appearance. ~I'm fine for now. Just don't kill me next time alright?~

Mew was taken aback at both the Gardevoir's dexterity, endurance and of its apparent knowledge of her. ~Although your special defense seems to be exceptionally high, I think I may have struck you a tad too hard ma'am for we've never met. How do you know me?~ asked the legendary as politely as a confused pokemon could.

~All of us know of you. You're Mew. The fabled holder of all D.N.A A legend among us as one would say.~ Gardevoir sat up and looked at the bewildered Mew. Its red eyes met the indigo eyes of the puzzled psychic and for a few seconds, they conversed through sight. Mew, in the end, tilted her head and then sighed. This was a sign that evidently, she had given up on trying to understand the otherwise convoluted pokemon.

Gardevoir only giggled at Mew's apparent befuddlement and stood up. A thin white film encased the pokemon and she shined like the sun. Due to the natural canopy that blotted out the majority of the sunlight, Mew's eyes were now somewhat sensitive to intense luminosities. She used the bulbous tip of her tail to cover her eyes in the light of the now healing Gardevoir.

Gardevoir extended its right hand and smiled amiably. ~Come Mew. There is someone I want you to meet. I think your blue friend has already become acquainted with him while we did so with each other.~

AN: I just need help with one thing. When I want to refer to a large amount of the same pokemon, do I put an 'S'? I ask because I used Starly and plural instead of Starli. Idk why but yeah. Also, remember to read and enjoy. If you've found this...heh...you've either read or skimmed. Good job either way. Thank you and goodnight. :)