Again, I was expecting this to be a short chapter, yet I end up going on longer than I wanted to. Oh well. Might as well get on with it.
Still no new reviews to respond to so I won't delay the chapter any longer than I'd like to, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 32: The Powers of Friendship
Quietly sitting at his desk in the expansive office, Lucas swirled the cocktail in his glass before taking a quick swig, setting it down with a quiet clink as he reached for the bottle of whiskey and refilled the cup.
Lucas paused with the drink to his lips when a knock rang from the doors, "You may enter." He called, setting the glass down and sitting up as the large double-doors swung open. A woman in a black business outfit stepped inside with a pair of men clad in identical grey jumpsuits following behind, cautiously examining the room around them.
The men stopped a few feet from the desk when Lucas raised his hand, the woman on the other hand continued walking to the side of the desk, turning to face the men as well. The room was silent save for the ticking of the large grandfather clock in the corner, the man on the left finally spoke up, "So, your the guy who needed some extra hands?" He asked, brushing his swampy-green hair aside.
Lucas simply nodded, "That is correct. I am in need of individuals with your ability." He stood from his seat and walked around the desk, "You see, I've taken notice of the work you two do as poachers, and it is quite rare of me to think this way of such beings."
The green-haired man scowled, "So what is it you want us to do?"
Lucas chuckled, "It's simple really, all you need to do is wait at the Northern exit of Reflection Cave and intercept any trainers who pass through to Shalour City and relieve them of their Pokemon, think you can manage that?"
The two men looked at one another and smirked, the man on the right nodded with his brown hair falling out of place, "Of course we can handle it, it's just doing what we normally do."
Lucas nodded and returned to his seat, "Good. If you do manage to be successful, then I may consider recruiting you as permanent members of Team Flare." He looked at the woman and nodded, the woman returning the gesture and walking to a nearby shelf where she retrieved a mahogany lock-box and brought it to the men. "These should guarantee your success, a Manectric capable of Mega Evolution, as well as a special kind of stone." The woman opened the box and held it out for the men to take the Pokeball and the strange crimson stone from the case. "Oh, and one last thing before you go. There's one trainer you will not engage with, he is more powerful than you two could ever imagine."
The men looked at each other confused, "Alright then, but how will we know what trainer you're talking about?"
"Simple, this trainer is currently traveling with a Braixen wearing a diamond necklace." Lucas scowled and tightened his fists, "I still have some unfinished business with that boy." Releasing his grip, Lucas dropped into his chair and sighed, "Now, off with you two, and remember: failure is not an option!"
With their tasks laid out for them, the two men followed the woman as she escorted them out of the office and down the hall. "We will supply you two with some extra gear before dropping you off at the destination. Got it?" The men nodded and were soon geared up and off to Reflection Cave.
After spending the night in Geosenge Town, Aura and the others were making their way through Reflection Cave to reach their next destination: Shalour City.
Over the few hours they spent walking through the dimly lit caverns, Diamond and Lilly had started to fall behind a bit as they constantly stopped to marvel at the glittering crystals and stones lining every surface of the cave. Meanwhile, Prince had also taken up the rear as he couldn't help but feel something was off, although he was unable to sense anything harmful nearby, he still chose to keep his guard up just in case.
"Ooh~ Look at this one!" Lilly cooed as her and Diamond paused to examine a bright pink crystal jutting from the cave wall.
Looking back at them, Aura let out a light sigh and shook his head with a smirk, "Glad to see Lilly is adapting well, her and Diamond already seem pretty close." Spotting a bright light up ahead, the group came to a halt as Aura turned around and called to the other three. "Come on, guys! I think we found the exit!"
The three Pokemon looked over to their trainer and nodded, but just as they were about to catch up with them, they froze in place as a large net made of thick black wire suddenly dropped from the ceiling above the others and pushed them to the ground, the iron balls at the edges causing multiple booming sounds to echo through the tunnels.
"Aura!" they all called, rushing to aid their friends only to suddenly be blasted back by a barrage of intense lightning bolts from nowhere. As the three Pokemon lay across the cave floor, a large Pokemon with blue fur and yellow spikes along it's back had jumped out from behind a corner, slowly edging it's way toward them as a pair of men stepped out behind it. They both wore similar dark-grey jumpsuits with combat knifes strapped to their shoulders and black combat boots.
Dan's eyes widened, "A Mega Manectric?! That must have been it's Discharge attack!" he said in worry and surprise.
"What the hell is going on?!" Aura spat, trying to lift the heavy net off of them to no avail.
One of the men, having long swampy-green hair, just looked down at Aura and grinned, "It's business, kid. You wouldn't understand." The man let out a gruff laugh and dropped a black duffel bag onto the ground, "Now, hand over all your Pokemon or else!"
Aura scowled at the man and gripped the ropes tightly, "Not a damn chance! Tia, cut us out of here with Slash!" He said. The Absol let out a low growl with her horn glowing white, however, as she forced her horn against the ropes, they almost seemed to glow a bit before everyone let out cries of pain as crimson sparks violently surged from the netting and engulfed them all in a bright flash. Lilly, Prince, and Diamond all shuddered from the echoing cries.
The green-haired man laughed again, "Gotta love the equipment they gave us for this. Try all you want, but you ain't cuttin' through that wire!"
Over by the Manectric, the other man with messy brown hair had suddenly froze in place as he watched the three Pokemon slowly push themselves back up, his gaze falling on the Braixen in particular. "Uh… Adam? I think we made a mistake." He stuttered; although it was dark in the cave, he swore he saw a glint near the Braixen's chest.
"What the hell's your problem, Nathan? What mistake could we have possibly made here?!" He snapped, turning to see his partner shivering as the Pokemon slowly got to their feet using the cave walls for support. The brown-haired man pointed to the Braixen and gulped, Adam realizing what he meant and scowling in response, "Idiot! Just because this kid's got a Braixen don't mean he's the one! Besides," Adam looked down at the net, "that guy said the trainer was like super powerful or some shit, meanwhile all I see are a couple of weak little brats who can't even escape a net!" Lifting his leg, the man slammed his foot down against Aura's back, eliciting another shout of pain from the trainer as he swore through his teeth.
("Get away from him…") the men heard a female voice say in their minds. Looking around, they spotted the Braixen barely standing on her own and glaring at them with her eyes vibrantly glowing scarlet red. Still collecting their strength, Prince and Lilly remained on their knees and watched Diamond slowly drop her bag behind her, a few black spots burnt into the protective lining. ("I said, get away from him!") She threatened the men telepathically.
"Diamond! Stay back!" Aura called, seeing his mate painfully forcing herself to stand and defend them.
The green-haired man turned and scowled, "Shut it, kid!" He lifted a little black device from his pocket and pressed the red button on top, sending a massive bolt of electricity through the netting once again. With a smirk, he turned back to Diamond and held out his hand, "Stay out of our way! Manectric, Discharge!"
Letting out a low growl, sparks began to fly from the Manectric's mane while Diamond continued to hold her ground. With a loud bark, Manectric unleashed a barrage of bolts from it's mane that fired off in multiple directions, many colliding with the cave walls and causing rocks to fall, while some just narrowly missed directly striking Prince and Lilly, but within seconds, many of the wild blasts of lightning connected with their target, delivering massive damage to the Braixen as she screamed in pain from the electricity coursing through her.
After a few seconds the Discharge ceased and the Braixen wobbled back and forth with some of her fur slightly singed, they all watched in horror as she she slowly dropped to her knees and fell on her side, her necklace clinking against the cave's cold floor.
"Diamond!" Aura yelled, clenching his fists in anger. He looked up and glared at the men with pure rage, "You bastards!"
As the two men just glared back and laughed at Aura's misfortune, commenting on his pathetic excuses for Pokemon, Lilly and Prince were still frozen with their eyes on Diamond. A surge of emotions filled their minds as they looked over to their trainer, the two went wide eyed from the sight of large blue waves of energy emanating from him as his cries of sorrow and anger echoed in their thoughts.
All of a sudden, an orb of light appeared at their chests and floated up, shining brightly and catching the attention of everyone in the cave, even causing the Manectric to pause out of curiosity.
"What the hell's going on?!" The green-haired man sneered.
Lilly and Prince looked at each other, then to Diamond, then to their friends trapped within the net. It was clear to them what was occurring, and the two silently nodded and closed their eyes as nothing but joyful thoughts filled their minds. The orbs of light floated back to their chests and the two became completely enveloped in a white light, tears welled up in Aura's eyes as all the worry and sadness he felt in that moment had just vanished as he watched the two Pokemon's bodies grow in size and take on new forms.
The light suddenly burst from the duo's bodies, leaving everyone speechless as Prince and Lilly now stood in their fully evolved forms, Lucario and Lopunny.
"Amazing." Dan muttered.
Lilly and Prince opened their eyes and faced their trainer with loyal and determined eyes. With only a short nod, the two stepped forward and prepared to fight with the sole purpose of protecting their friends.
The men scowled at the duo, "If you think you'll be stronger than our Mega Manectric just by evolving, then you're pretty fucking stupid Pokemon!" The green-haired man sneered. "Manectric, take them out with Thunder!"
Charging electricity in it's mane, the moment it began flashing with sparks, Manectric let out a roar and unleashed a massive bolt of lightning at the two. Quick as they could, Lilly and Prince lunged to either side of the cavern as the Thunder shot past and obliterated a large stalagmite farther back.
The man stumbled back, "H-how the hell did they dodge it so easily?!" He shook his head, "No matter! If range won't work, get close with Fire Fang!" Flames burst from the side of Manectric's mouth as it opened, bright red fire covered it's fangs and left a trail of embers as it moved. The electric-type lowered it's body and immediately lunged in Lilly's direction.
Running at such a speed it became just a blue and yellow blur that would be near impossible to avoid, however, in an instant the Manectric had skid to a complete stop inches from the Rabbit Pokemon, it's burning fangs clasped around a glowing blue bone firmly held by the Lucario. Everyone was left shocked from the sight as none of them even saw the Lucario run into the fray.
Dan and Aura stared in awe at Prince's strength whilst he continued to hold off the Mega Manectric with Bone Rush, the sight felt a little ironic to Aura as it was very similar to how he had fended off against the Mightyena back when he first met Prince. And as if those were his intentions from the start, Prince let out a loud bark and abruptly twisted the bone which threw off the Manectric's balance, giving the Lucario the perfect opportunity to shift his weight and hurl the much larger and heavier Pokemon into a cluster of stalactites, causing them to fall with the canine and smash into it's body.
Prince dispelled the staff-like bone and backed away to Lilly's side with heavy breaths and sweat drenching the fur on his forehead. Lilly stepped up and held the jackal's shoulder, the two glancing at one another before returning their gaze to the pile of rocks and rubble, the two unfazed as the stones started shaking before a massive burst of electricity blasted the rocks away in all directions and the Manectric stood back up.
A few rocks shot past the men who immediately scowled at the Pokemon, "Watch where you fucking aim dammit!" The Manectric faced them and snarled, an ominous glow lining it's whole body as it snapped it's gaze back towards the duo.
Producing a shower of sparks from it's mane once again, the Manectric let out a howl as it's body became entirely enveloped in a flashing yellow and orange aura, then charging toward the two Pokemon once more; however, it had made a crucial error in that moment. Driven by anger and rage, the Pokemon ignored all sense of reason in it's mind as Prince conjured another staff-like bone in his paws, while Lilly took a deep breath and released a beam of flashing blue energy at the ground below, freezing it in a solid layer of ice.
Finally, just as the Manectric was about to collide with the two Pokemon, Lilly leaped backwards while Prince ducked down and swung his bone at the Mega Pokemon's legs, causing it to painfully face plant into the frozen floor and slide forward into a wall, completely disrupting the flowing energy of it's Wild Charge. Shaking off the pain, Manectric tried to stand only to loose it's footing and slip on the icy floor.
Taking their chance to finish the fight, Prince held his bone firmly as he lunged forward, splitting the one bone into two, and Lilly's legs began glowing white as she followed close beside the Lucario. Both at once, Prince began unleashing a flurry of blows with his Bone Rush while Lilly ducked down and suddenly sprang up at the Manectric's side, nailing the Pokemon directly in the ribs with her knee, slightly lifting it into the air as Prince dropped his bones and jumped up next to Lilly. His right leg suddenly burst into flames as him and Lilly delivered the final blow, combining their High Jump Kick and Blaze Kick, the two simultaneously slammed their legs into the Manectric and launched it across the cavern directly into the two men, carrying them along with it into the cave wall. A flash overcame Manectric as it reverted to it's original form with the two men unconscious below it.
With that threat now dealt with, Prince quickly returned to the net holding the others and effortlessly cut through the ropes with Metal Claw. Once they were all out, Aura rushed over to Diamond's side where Lilly already sat. "Diamond? Are you okay?" He asked.
A quiet groan came from her as she opened her eyes. Diamond struggled to move, but it was no use as her entire body had gone completely numb with waves sparks randomly jumping across her figure, revealing she had been severely paralyzed from the Manectric's Discharge.
Aura held her side gently, "Don't try to move, okay? I'll get a Potion and Paralyze Heal from my bag."
As Aura slipped off his bag and began digging through the medicine pouch, Dan came up and tapped his shoulder, "Not to be rude, but what are we gonna do about those guys?" He asked, pointing to the unconscious men under the Manectric.
Aura pulled out his phone and handed it over, "See if you can get a hold of the police in Shalour City." He glanced between Stan and Lilly, "You two help make sure they don't do anything if they wake up, got it?" The two nodded and followed behind Dan toward the men, Dan pausing for a moment to pick up the torn net to tie up the men for extra security. Returning to his bag, Aura finally pulled out the medicine and began to treat the Braixen's wounds, spraying the contents of the Potion onto her injuries.
Diamond grit her teeth and hissed from the stinging, although painful to an extent, she knew it was only the medicine taking effect and it would be over soon. She felt the spraying stop for a second as Dan returned Aura's cellphone, informing him the police would arrive in ten minutes to retrieve the men. Once Dan had gone back to watch over the two men, Aura continued to treat Diamond.
After Diamond's wounds had been treated and her Paralysis was swiftly recovering, Aura had lifted the fox's head into his lap for comfort as he quietly pet between her ears. He suddenly paused as Prince walked up to him with Diamond's backpack in his arms, "Thanks, Prince." The Lucario set the bag down and sat on his knees with his head hung low, Aura scratched his cheek confused, "Is something the matter?"
Prince stayed silent for a moment before lowering his head even further, "I'm sorry, Master Aura, I failed to prevent the attack on you and Diamond and everyone else." He bowed down even further as Aura just sat there blinking, "I should have sensed their intentions much sooner. I apologize for my mistake."
Aura stared at the jackal with a perplexed expression, "Prince, none of this is your fault, if anything it's thanks to you and Lilly that we're safe." The Lucario looked up to deny it, but Aura kept talking, "My abilities may still be weak, but not even I could sense anything at the time, so don't blame yourself for this. Besides, thanks to this encounter you and Lilly evolved, so think of this as a learning experience to help you grow; and you know what, after we get to Shalour City, we'll both work on strengthening our abilities."
Prince sat up with a look of shock and gratitude on his face, a smile tugged at his lips as he could physically feel the bond between him and Aura grow stronger just from his words. Blinking away a tear, Prince firmly nodded and bowed his head, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Aura. I'm honored to be your Pokemon and will do my best to become as strong as I can."
Aura sighed and shook his head with a grin, "Then let's do our best together."
The ten minutes had gone by quick with Diamond fully recovering from the paralysis, although it saddened her when she noticed her necklace chain had been partially damaged by the electricity, cheering up as Aura offered to have it fixed while in Shalour City. Soon enough they all heard the echo of nearing vehicles and slamming doors come from the cave's exit, a woman and three men all dressed in blue uniforms running in with flashlights and guns at the ready. "Are you the ones who called us?" Jenny asked, holstering her gun and clicking off her light.
Dan walked over and waved his hand, "That would be me, thanks for coming."
"Of course, and thank you for incapacitating the perpetrators. If you'd please show us to them we can get them hauled off to prison as soon as possible." Receiving a nod from Dan, Jenny ordered the men to follow and they made quick work of carrying the men out of the cave. "Thanks again for the help, these men had been wanted for poaching but it's been hard to keep track of them lately."
Waving it off, Aura and Dan followed Jenny out of the cave with their Pokemon close behind, and what they saw left them all amazed. What could only be a thirty minute walk down a grassy slope, they saw the beautiful seaside spectacle of Shalour City.
The office had remained quiet for hours as Lucas just continued to drink his cocktails with nothing more than his thoughts keeping him busy. A knocking at his door caught his attention, Flare slowly poked her head up from her heated blanket and twitched her ears. "You may enter." Lucas called, taking another sip of his drink before setting it atop his desk.
The door pushed open as the same woman from earlier walked through, "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I have some news about those men you hired." She told him, flipping through a few pages on her clipboard.
"They failed, didn't they?" Lucas asked seriously. The woman stayed silent. "I figured they would probably fuck it up, damn mortals." Lucas sat in his chair and ushered the woman to explain.
Removing two sheets of paper from her clipboard, the woman approached the desk, setting the papers out for Lucas to read. "It seems they had attacked the boy after all, but they were defeated by his Pokemon and arrested soon after while unconscious." She flipped through a few more papers, "And no need to worry about the Aura Stone nor the Manectric, I sent someone to fetch them immediately and they should be returning shortly."
Lucas leaned back in his chair and sighed, "Thank you for taking care of it, if there is nothing else then you may leave for the night."
The woman bowed, "Thank you, sir. Good night." Only getting a grunt in response, the woman sighed and left the office, leaving Lucas to once again ponder his next moves thoroughly.
I don't really have much to put here for the AN this time. But I do wanna mention that I might be a bit slower this month so I can think over the chapters for this part of the story. One other thing I need to mention is that I'm probably gonna be leaving a lot unexplained for a period of time, but as I have said quite frequently, pretty much everything that is unexplained now, will be explained later on at some point. I just wanna avoid causing too much stress by overthinking about how to explain something immediately, just a heads up for what will take place during this period of the story.
Anyhow, thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far. I appreciate helpful feedback and seeing what you all think of the story. I make sure to read reviews and respond to them if possible.
Until next time. ~Aura
