A/N It took about five attempts, but I finally finished this and do feel very good about it.

Lucy (Luke's mom) and Rain belong to me.

After yelling, I proceed to tackle my mom with full force. The first thing I notice is that my mom is totally freaked out. The second thing I notice is extreme pain in my side. The third thing I notice is that I'm pinned against the wall by an angry Staraptor.

I groan, annoyed at the sudden attack. "Rain, will you just calm down? It's me, Luke!" He stares at me in anger, and I shake my head in frustration. For a split second I had forgotten nobody calls me that besides Riku. "Riolu, I mean Riolu. You know, son of the great leader? Aura-less freak that gets ignored? Hello? Anybody?" I tense up, hoping that mom isn't as annoyed as Rain is.

"Hahaha, Rain, it's ok, just let him go." Is that laughing I hear? No doubt about it, my mom's laughing. Relief floods my veins as Rain finally lets me go, flying slowly back up to a branch from the tree where he was resting.

I fall to the ground, catching myself to avoid looking like a complete fool. I look up and see that my mom is still laughing. I'm sure glad that she's taking it as a joke, but I can't deny that the split second after I yelled she was genuinely afraid. Even without my aura powers, I've always been able to read emotions well, and there's no doubt in my mind that I really sacred her. So it's true, she couldn't see me at all.

She continues laughing for a while to my surprise and I can't help but join her. It did feel really good to catch her off guard like that, and I take any victory I can get. I probably should apologize, though.

"Sorry about that mom, but I just couldn't help it. You looked too serene."

"Oh please don't apologize, Riolu, I needed that." She chuckles, obviously enjoying the interruption. "Watching Rain snatch you up like that was priceless." Oh. Great. "He's the one you should be apologizing to, catching him off guard like that. He's always a bit grumpy when he wakes up."

"Hmph, more like fuming."

"You did attack me when I was defenseless," she counters.

"Come on, you should have seen me a mile away." Please, tell me the truth. Don't lie to me. I want to trust you.

"I can't see everything at once, I was distracted with my mission." Liar. "Now apologize to Rain."

Realizing I have no other choice, I turn, unwillingly, to Rain. "I'm sorry for…" Sorry for what? Surprising mom and waking him up? "…surprising you like that." I wait for him to answer, but only continue getting a cold stare.

"Rain's sorry as well, not to mention a bit embarrassed."

"I'll bet. It would mean a lot more if he told me himself, though." I say, rubbing my sore chest. I stare up at the intimidating bird, hoping for some kind of apology, only getting silence in reply. Come to think of it, he hasn't talked at all in a long time.

"You're the one who tackled me after scaring me half to death. He was just protecting me; he doesn't have to say anything." Great, more secrets, I think, groaning inside. I can tell from the slight hesitation in her voice that there's something she's not telling me about Rain. To be honest I'm used to it. I'm hardly ever told everything that's going on, and I've grown accustomed to noticing when I'm being deceived or lied to.

I don't let my annoyance show, of course. I simply chuckle. "Yeah, I guess."

"Now, is there anything important you needed to tell me? I'm busy and don't have a lot of time." Very nice change of subject.

"Well, I needed to talk to you for a while, if you don't mind."

"Riolu, you know I can't do that right now. I appreciate the distraction, but I'm in the middle of scouting the northern lands for any ambushes the Master might have set up. I need to make sure Team Regret is safe." I again notice slight hesitation and try not to roll my eyes.

"Please? I really need your help." Please don't ignore me like everyone else. Not now.

She pauses for a second, deciding if the mission that she was really on could afford a break. Then she looks down at me and smiles. She has the brightest smile in the world to me. I don't care how many times I'm lied to. Seeing someone smile to me and willing to talk almost never happens. "Of course, I couldn't find anything anyway. How are you doing?"

"Doing fine, I guess. I'm still just trying to evolve so that I can finally get some respect around here."

"Riolu, I've told you before, the only way for your kind to evolve is through joy and happiness." Fat chance.

"Well, I didn't come here to talk about myself any. It's about Riku." I walk over to a nearby tree and pick up and apple to try and hide my anxiety. "Riku needs to be given a break. He's getting pressured so much that he doesn't even want to evolve now. When dad found out about that…well, I'm sure you heard what happened." I bite into the apple, my hand shaking slightly.

Mom sighs. "Your father's been under a lot of stress lately, but he only wants the best for Riku. That's why he's getting so much training. Riku's our only chance for continuing the line of leaders; you know that. He has to get that training. There is more to this than just Riku. It's about the entire resistance. A good leader knows when to look at the big picture."

"Big picture? Do you actually care about Riku's feelings, or just about him becoming an all-powerful Lucario?" Mom's eyes flash with anger. I quiet down, wondering how mom will react when I tell her everything that's happened. But … I promised Riku. I have to do this. My voice almost a whisper, I continue. "Have you ever seen Riku after training, mom? Have you?"

Mom looks down to the ground, which I take as a no. "I have. This isn't just training, mom, Riku's getting abused. Whenever dad gets angry, Riku bears the full brunt of it, day in, day out. Every day he's unhappy and injured. His leg was even broken yesterday. It almost makes me glad I don't have any aura." I swallow some more of the apple while waiting for a reply.

Mom turns away, unable to look me in the eye. "I know. It's ok, though. It'll…make him…stronger."

I choke, the apple I'm eating getting caught in my throat. I cough violently until it finally comes back out. As soon as I get my breath, I yell, "What?"

Mom's head is still down, ashamed, and her voice comes out in a monotone.. "There's nothing I can do, Riolu. Like I said, this is for the benefit of the entire resistance. It's about a nation living in fear and hatred, and we're the only ones who can stop it. This is for the best. You know full well that only a complete Lucario can lead the resistance." I guess that makes me incomplete. Thanks a lot.

I shout back, growing frustrated with her calm attitude towards this. "Riku's the one living in fear and hatred! And from the leader of the very resistance claiming to be fighting against it! That's not just cruel, it makes him a hypocrite! Neither of you care about Riku. You just care about your stupid resistance!"

Mom's aura sensors hanging off the back of her head begin to rise, signaling her anger. "Don't you dare talk about me or your father like that. We've gone through more pain than you'll ever know! He's only doing what he has to do!"

My aura sensors stay down like they've always been, despite the fact that I'm fuming. "Oh yeah? Then what's Tesla doing out there in the prison, huh? I've seen her before, she's a diplomat in Ice town. She might even have been sympathetic to our cause until you started torturing her!"

Mom's tail twitches. Her voices lowers quite a bit, but remains firm. "She knew information about the Master that we needed to have access to. Being a diplomat, she's developed methods to block out mindreading, so we needed to use more...harsh methods to learn it. It had to be done."

"You don't get it! It's a bad decision. You can't just torture any Pokémon that has information you might need! We need other Pokémon to think that we're trying to help! Dad doesn't have to torture Tesla, just like he doesn't have to abuse Riku. He's only doing it because he's too angry against this Master to think straight!"

Mom just shook her head. "This argument is over. You don't understand everything, Riolu. You're too young. You won't realize why we have to do this until you've been hurt by the Master as well. Riku's training stays." I just stare back at her, incredulous. Her expression softens a bit as she reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be ok in the end. I promise." I pause for a moment, looking into her eyes. They're soft and warm. She thinks she's telling the truth, but I just can't believe her.

I push her hand off and turn away. "I thought you were better than him. I thought you cared. My mistake."