Chapter 4
Over the next few weeks, Pikachu spent her days learning and perfecting the power of the aura. Lucario taught her how to see if she was blinded or if it was too dark to see and to close her eyes and look ahead and see what was coming. Soon one day came where Lucario had hung hundreds of small logs onto tree branches. The logs swung down over and over again. Lucario stood in the middle of the swinging logs, blindfolded. Pikachu watched as Lucario dodged each and every one that swung near him without any trouble or hesitation. Eventually, Lucario jumped out of the swarm of logs and took off the blindfold and handed it to Pikachu.
"Now you try. Remember to concentrate and to reach out." He said.
Pikachu nodded and put on the blindfold. Pikachu concentrated and saw the forest in blue. She jumped into the swarm of swinging logs. She ducked and dodged the logs, a little shakily at first. She cleared her mind and allowed her aura to be her eyes and ears. She could see each log coming toward her in the front and could hear the swing of the logs from the back. She steadily dodged the logs as gracefully as Lucario. After a few minutes she heard Lucario say "That's enough."
Pikachu flipped out of the swarm of logs and took off the blindfold.
"Very good. You're a fast learner." Lucario said.
"Thank you master." Pikachu said. The sun was beginning to set.
"It's late. We should head back to the mountain".
Pikachu nodded and they traveled back to the mountain.
Late that night as Pikachu and Lucario slept, Pikachu's ears twitched. Something was coming, and something bad. She sprang to her feet with her senses on alert. She could sense that something big was heading their way. Pikachu closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Her aura took her into the sky not too far from the mountain and saw a large ship with a small ship latched on underneath. The large ship radiated an evil red aura while the smaller ship had a pure blue aura glowing, but very faintly. Pikachu opened her eyes and came back to reality. She couldn't believe it. It was the Shadow ship.
The Shadow ship was originally a floating island called the Island of the Ancients. Pikachu had been prisoner there and used to power the generator before she was rescued by Samus and reunited with the Smash bros in Brawl. But when the island was blown up by a subspace bomb it became a ship. But that wasn't the only thing that frightened Pikachu, it was the small ship latched underneath the Shadow ship. It was the Halberd!
Lucario sensed Pikachu's aura and leapt to his feet. Lucario noticed how scared Pikachu looked and used his own aura to see what Pikachu was seeing. Meanwhile, Pikachu was struggling to understand what was going on. Then she realized that the Smash bros must've been in Halberd looking for her. While they were looking they must've encountered the Shadow ship and been captured. Tears began to come to Pikachu's eyes. Her friends were now in the hands of the Shadow brawlers, all because she had run away. Lucario opened his eyes and noticed Pikachu's face.
"What's wrong Pikachu?" Lucario asked "Do you know something about this ship coming our way?"
Pikachu stared at the ground. "I know it all too well." She said.
Pikachu told Lucario about the ship. Lucario listened intently. "What does it have to do with your feeling of sadness? I understand your anger to this ship, but why are you sad as well?" He asked.
Pikachu stared in the direction of the ship. "Did you see the smaller ship latched on underneath the Shadow ship?" Pikachu asked.
Lucario nodded.
"It's the Smash bros' ship." Pikachu said.
"I see. They must have been looking for you." Lucario said.
Pikachu nodded. "We have to help them. If the shadow brawlers destroy them then they will take over the world. Please master. We have to rescue them." Pikachu said.
Lucario looked at the sky. Finally he said. "Very well. We will get aboard the ship when it passes the mountain."
Pikachu's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.
"This will prove if you can master your aura effectively. But helping your friends will be your responsibility." Lucario said.
Pikachu nodded. She was fully confident that she could do it. The two Pokémon waited on the mountain for the ship to pass. As they jumped onboard the ship, Lucario sensed many enemies on board. He hoped that the two of them would be enough.