The next morning, the Pokémon were up very early. Light just began to stream into the cave when I heard them shuffling around, all getting ready to head back out. I sat up and stretched out before meeting with the smiles of my partners. Seeing their happy faces filled me with enough strength to do anything.
"Good morning, everybody," I said with a similar smile. They all wished me a good morning too before getting back to work. I then took a deep breath assuming that getting up would be as much of a struggle as usual, but however, I felt considerably less pain for some reason. As I stood up by myself for the first time in a while, I noticed Slowking smiling in reaction from across the room. I didn't know how to respond so I threw her a thumbs-up.
In less than ten minutes, all of us ate some berries for breakfast, drank some water, and gathered up all the last of the supplies. Before we left though, Slowking let us know her plan. She told us that we would continue heading West, following the Southern Tier Expressway until we reached just outside the town of Limestone, where we would then head South into Pennsylvania. Once we all agreed to her plan, Slowking headed out and took the lead.
As we followed closely after her, I took a deep breath in preparation for the long hours of walking that were ahead. Although I could stand and walk a little by myself, I was still very weak and most likely unable to run. Yet I didn't sweat it because I knew I had my Pokémon to lean on if I fell.
The first hour or so of walking was boring and somewhat hard to adjust to. Slowking intentionally set a slow pace, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep up if we rushed. However, even though the forests and fields we walked through were flat, I was still very tired and wished I was still sleeping. Spending all my time walking across the state really drained me, and I longed to be back in my comfortable bed back home. Unfortunately, I knew very well that reality was gone. I chuckled thinking about how another reason I was saving the Pokémon World was to be able to sleep in my own bed again.
After finally walking off the sleepiness, I became content with the constant moving, and around that time Slowking also allowed us to talk with each other quietly. I checked in with Dusty and Riolu, who seemed to be happy and motivated as usual. They both seemed a bit hungry, but weren't we all.
I then turned back around with a smile on my face and began facing forward again, continuing to think about them; it was truly a blessing that they both got along so well. In the beginning of the trip, they hardly spoke to each other, let alone even looked at each other. To see them so well acquainted with each other now made me a happy trainer. I smiled, realizing that I was finally able to say those two words. Clenching my fist, I promised myself that after I saved the Pokémon World, I would come back and be the best trainer I could.
The weather was overcast all day. Sometimes we would get a quick drizzle of rain, but it would stop soon after. The clouds above us raced by, continuing to be pushed along by the strong gales miles above us. By noon, it was a comfortable temperature outside, and I almost unzipped my winter jacket to cool down. As I was about to, however, it began to rain again, so I kept it on to not get wet.
Early into the afternoon, we reached a small river next to a wooded area and followed it towards our destination. There was a road to our right which turned left ahead and headed off towards the college town of St. Bonaventure. Just then, Slowking stopped. We all nearly crashed into each other as she turned around.
"...How experienced are all of you in battle?" Confused by the sudden miscellaneous question, I took a second to respond.
"Uh, I mean, we've been in a couple of battles. Before I met Dusty, Riolu and I had our first battle against Eliza. It was a close one, but Riolu came out on top. And then a couple days later, Dusty went against another Garbodor and won… Both were very fierce battles." Riolu and Dusty looked proud of their victories. "Then, on the trip to Hornell, the two of them banded together to help me with Buzzwole… And obviously, Zabu, Riolu, and Dusty, all helped me with the battle against the Ultra Beasts outside of Hornell." I stopped for a moment to briefly wonder about Zabu's whereabouts now.
"Is that all?" Slowking asked, looking a bit skeptical.
"Yep, that's it."
"Hmm… Although your record is only wins so far, it will take more to put up a considerable fight against Darkrai and the rest of the Prismatic Army."
"I understand. But your point of telling us this is…?"
"I was thinking that we all take a short break from traveling and practice some moves, just in case."
"You think that's a good idea? Is it safe?"
"Darkrai and the Ultra Beasts are miles away looking for us. I am fairly sure that we will be unbothered since we have not seen a single enemy in the last day or so. Not to mention, I would like to see firsthand how you and your partners can handle themselves in a battle, especially since you possess the power of Mega Evolution." Slowking pointed down to the wristband on my arm, hidden under my coat sleeve. I pushed my sleeve down and looked at the black wristband with the shiny rainbow stone in the middle. I was still surprised it was still in one piece, after falling down so many times in the past couple days. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Riolu was also observing his oversized gauntlet.
We then headed over to a plot of flat grassland next to the river. The blades of grass were up to about my ankles and still a bit wet from the intermittent rain. A large oak tree stood behind us, the leaves turning colors starting to drift to the ground in the early Autumn wind. Across the way, at least twenty yards out, was a large, formidable sycamore tree, standing tall against the skyline. The sturdy branches and long leaves swayed in the breeze as well.
Slowking volunteered to be the test dummy in our training.
"I know a thing or two about battling. Do not worry about me, human." She remarked, walking parallel with the river and stopping about ten yards out.
"Okay, Riolu. Why don't you go first?" I said to Riolu, who happily hopped out in front of me. I gave him a thumbs up when he was in position, and he briefly placed his paw over his chest.
"Whenever you are ready, human! Give Riolu a command!" Slowking shouted from down the way.
"Ready, Riolu?"
"Rio!" he called back, turning his head so he could see me.
"Alright, start off with a Force Palm!" Riolu faced forwards and sprinted off towards Slowking, who remained still at the other end. I watched carefully as he dashed in with all his speed and lunged at Slowking, preparing his Force Palm. But just as Riolu's attack was about to hit, I saw Slowking's eyes flash a purple color and a shield of the same color suddenly surrounded her.
Riolu's Force Palm exploded, making direct contact with the Protect, sending him back through the air. He landed a couple yards back safely, slowly sliding to a halt. The shield was unfazed and faded away as soon as Riolu stopped.
"A good attack, but you must keep them coming!"
"Okay! Riolu, Quick Attack!" I yelled, starting to get back into the battling groove. Riolu then dashed towards Slowking at mach speeds. Still, Riolu's speediness was no match for the veteran Slowking, who slid out of the way before Riolu's attack could hit. This time, Riolu did not land safely, as he'd put all of his weight into the Quick Attack, hoping it would hit. Riolu hit the ground hard and began to tumble, quickly stopping in the wet grass. When he stood up, he was covered in water and shook it off quickly.
"You must be quicker than that, Riolu. Keep the attacks coming!" Slowking yelled.
"Okay, use Feint!" Riolu jumped towards Slowking again, right as she put up her shield. However, this time Riolu phased through the shield and the little sucker punch hit Slowking right in the gut. Slowking was hardly phased from the attack however, and she used her Psychic powers to pick Riolu up and send him back a couple feet through the air. Riolu landed safely again, focused on Slowking.
"Very nice. I can tell you two know a thing or two about battling. That is enough attacks from Riolu for now… Send Garbodor in."
"You heard her, Riolu. Come back out here and rest for a while." Riolu nodded and ran back to the oak tree where Dusty was watching us from. I turned around to see him standing up and heading towards me. He eventually stopped a couple feet in front of me and turned around to give me his familiar open mouth smile.
"You've got this, Dusty," I said, smiling back. Dusty nodded and turned back out again, facing Slowking.
"Give your commands when you are ready, human!" Slowking called.
"Start off with Sludge Bomb, Dusty!" In reaction, Dusty contracted his stomach, preparing to let his attack loose. He opened his mouth soon after and heaved upwards, releasing the purple sludge ball off towards Slowking. Due to the distance, Slowking had plenty of time to stand aside. It hit the ground and erupted, creating a crater and sending purple slime everywhere. However, Slowking was far enough away to where none of the Sludge Bomb splashed on her.
"That was a good attack, but it might not be suited for far away targets. Try something up close that is more likely to hit!" Slowking called back.
"Alright Dusty, get in there with a Body Slam!"
"Gar!" Dusty took a huff of air and began running off towards Slowking. For being as big as he was, Dusty sure could haul himself around. When he got within close proximity of Slowking, Dusty hopped into the air and sent himself towards Slowking. Still, he was not fast enough, as Slowking sidestepped once more. He landed hard on his stomach and created a Dusty-shaped marking on the grass. Shaking off the pain of missing and the dew, he picked himself up and trotted back a couple yards from Slowking.
"You have to be quicker with those attacks!" Slowking yelled, trying to be helpful.
"Acid Spray! Don't stop until it hits!" I yelled back. Dusty held out his long arm as acid began to spit out from the holes. Slowking stood in position and put up another shield. The Acid Spray hit the psychic shield and splattered off, sending gross green liquid everywhere. However, Dusty kept letting the disgusting liquid come out, putting the pressure on Slowking.
Suddenly, Slowking let down her shield and sidestepped quickly, dodging the attack. Before Dusty had a chance to react, Slowking used her psychic powers and lifted him up; he struggled for a moment once he realized he was no longer on the ground. Slowking then pushed Dusty back through the air and let go. Dusty landed on his feet and skidded to a halt once he hit the ground but looked a bit out of breath.
"Enough! I have seen plenty. Let us go by the oak tree and converse," Slowking added as soon as Dusty landed safely. We all began heading for the oak tree, curious to see what she had to say. Dusty ran over to catch up with us and I met with my Pokémon to tell them about what I thought.
"You both did very well… I don't have any complaints. Let's see what Slowking says, though." They nodded and we all turned around to face Slowking as she slowly made her way to us. She stopped a couple feet in front of us and began to talk.
"It seems you and your Pokémon have quite a bit of experience, human. I am utmost surprised how you all work together, considering you have only battled a number of times. However, I still have some concerns I would like to go over." Slowking straightened her stance and held her hands behind her back, ready to critique Riolu and Dusty.
"I will start with Riolu. You are quite fast, and your attacks are remarkably powerful for your size. Yet, you must find the balance between these two. I noticed after your Quick Attack, you hit the ground hard. Try not to put all of your weight into attacks, especially if you are not sure if you will be able to land them. I suggest using Quick Attack up close, so it is more likely to strike the opponent and to give it an element of surprise. Other than that… Maybe you could try to use your attacks in different and unpredictable ways? Have you ever used Force Palm to jump higher?" Riolu nodded and looked back to me for an explanation.
"I think we've experimented with that technique a little but haven't put it into action yet."
"Excellent! It is wonderful to see you explore your possibilities. Spontaneous but safe choices in any battle are a good strategy. Hopefully you will find new ways to use your moves in different ways." Slowking then cleared her throat and turned to Dusty who was eagerly awaiting what she had to say. "I will now move onto Garbodor. It seems that you and Riolu are in different places when it comes to battling. You seem to be more of the type who is careful in the approach of their attacks… Is that so?" Dusty thought for a second and nodded yes to that statement.
"That's what I thought. A strategy you could use is also getting up close before you use your attacks. It might be hard for you to hit an attack if you are the center of attention or far away, but keep in mind that if you are careful in your execution of a move, you are more likely to hit the foe with that said move. Watch your opponent's movements if needed and study them to get a better understanding of what their strategy is. Also, the use of your tendrils may bring the upper hand in a fight, especially if the opponent does not expect it… And now, some ideas for both of you." Slowking closed her eyes and held one hand up to make a point.
"If you can, try and exploit surroundings or the Pokémon themselves. Using both of those to your advantage can be game-changing. For example, breaking a branch up above could cause a distraction and even some damage. Or, if a Pokémon has a fear or dislike of something, use that on them as an attack… And… That is all I can think of at the time being." Slowking re-opened her eyes and returned to her original stance. She then turned around and stared up at the passing clouds. "You know…"
"What is it, Slowking?" I asked.
"It is still quite early… I think we can train some more."
"Oh? In what way?"
"I think Riolu and Garbodor should have a mock battle against each other."
"...Wait, what? You're being serious?" I was slightly taken aback by that statement. I didn't think friends should fight, even if it was for fun; especially with Riolu and Dusty. Could a fight possibly put a dent in their budding friendship? I turned around hoping to see them in disagreement with Slowking's idea, but they both were staring at each other in battle stances with grins on their faces.
"You two really want to battle each other?" I asked, not expecting their response. Both Riolu and Dusty nodded vigorously, and turned back to each other, a rivalry brewing. In some sense, I was kind of jealous of their competition-to-be.
"Then it is decided," Slowking chimed in. We all turned to her. "Garbodor and Riolu will have a mock battle. The human will not be making calls, so be sure to follow your best judgment. Make sure to not hurt each other, but make it feel like a real battle!"
"Gar!"
"Rio!" they replied in unison and ran out to the field, Dusty heading down to the far end near the sycamore tree. I turned around to face them, Slowking next to me.
"Shall we head out there, human?"
"Uh, yeah, sure..." I mumbled, still a bit uneasy about the decision.
"Do not fret, human. Garbodor and Riolu know it is a mock fight and not a real one. They will not hurt each other, I promise." Hearing that from Slowking made me feel a little better, but something inside of me couldn't shake the fact that this could be a bad idea. Yet, I nodded in understanding anyways and we headed out to the middle of the field.
"Remember, this is a mock fight!" Slowking yelled as we arrived to watch just outside the middle of the battlefield. "Be competitive but be safe too!" Both Riolu and Dusty stood in their battle stances, ready for the call. I was still nervous and gripped my hand into a fist, hoping no one would be hurt. "On your marks! Ready… Set… Fight!" Slowking called, starting the battle.
The two Pokémon began a full-on dash at each other, getting in close like Slowking suggested. All the way, I saw their smiling faces as they ran towards each other. Once in range, Riolu made the first attack. He jumped into the air and used Quick Attack on Dusty. Surprised by the sudden attack, Dusty slipped to the ground and slid, as Riolu landed behind him with excellent pose.
Dusty quickly reacted and leaped back onto his feet, before holding out his right tendril and let an Acid Spray fly towards Riolu. Riolu's eyes widened as he turned to see the onslaught of gross green acid balls flying his way, but immediately got ready to get out of the way. Riolu dipped, ducked, and dodged, weaving around all the acid balls, making his way towards Dusty.
Dusty saw what was happening however and stopped his Acid Spray attack, getting ready for Riolu to get up close. In reaction, Riolu probably thought that Dusty was tired, so he dashed in once he was in range to hit another Quick Attack. This was not the case however, as Dusty caught Riolu with his tendrils once he came towards him. Riolu was stunned for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do; he writhed back and forth trying to get out of Dusty's grasp.
Before Riolu had a chance to escape, Dusty pulled his tendril back and flung it forward at a low angle, tossing Riolu forwards through the air. I could tell it wasn't as hard as Dusty could throw, but Riolu definitely went flying. He hit the ground and tumbled a few times, eventually coming to a stop. He stood up as soon as he could and shook off the water from the grass; Riolu then grinned and began to dash back in to confront Dusty once more.
This time, Dusty went to attack with his tendrils and shot them out immediately to catch Riolu off guard. However, Riolu was ready, and started dodging them. He ran all around, and it wasn't long before Dusty's arms were tangled in knots. Dusty tried, but couldn't move his arms, leaving him defenseless.
Seeing his opening, Riolu went in to capitalize on it, dashing towards Dusty and jumping in the air, preparing a Force Palm. Dusty cringed and closed his eyes, waiting for the attack to hit. I gritted my teeth as Riolu's Force Palm burst out in Dusty's face, sending Dusty one way and Riolu the other.
Dusty's first reaction to this was to retract his arms. As Riolu's attack hit, Dusty's tendrils were right behind Riolu. To everyone's surprise however, Dusty's tendrils bounced up off the ground from the Force Palm and knocked Riolu high into the air. I gasped in horror as I saw him fly upwards, going almost as high as the top of the sycamore tree.
"Riolu!" I called, dashing into help.
"Wait!" Slowking called, trying to let what was happening play out. I ran with all my speed to the center of the field where Riolu was quickly falling from the sky, ignoring any and all pain. However, I quickly noticed I wasn't going to be fast enough to catch him in time, as I was too far away, and my pace was too slow. Feeling the burn of determination, I dived towards Riolu's approximate position in a last-ditch effort. I shut my eyes, hoping for the best.
Right as I slammed into the ground and slid forwards, I felt Riolu's fur touch my arms; I quickly held them up to make sure he wouldn't be hurt from the fall. Skidding to a rough stop, I was completely covered in water and a bit of mud from the tall grass. As I opened my eyes to find Riolu completely unharmed, I let out a loud sigh of relief; it was a miracle I hadn't tripped or landed on a tree root in the process. Riolu opened his eyes too, a look of fear still on his face.
"Riolu… You're okay!" I yelled, my heart still pumping out of my chest. I set Riolu down and stood up. "Thank goodness…" I mumbled, happy my plan worked out the way it did.
"R-Riolu…" Riolu said, pangs of fear still obvious in his voice.
"Human!" Slowking cried. I turned around to see Slowking and Dusty running quickly to the scene. "Is everything alright? Are you or Riolu hurt?"
"No, I think we're both fine. I'm a little sore, but that's all."
"...My word, that was some catch."
"I know, I'm surprised I pulled it off too," I said, still in disbelief. I turned back to Riolu who was standing up now and shakily brushing himself off. As Dusty bounded over, his arms still tied in knots behind him, we surrounded Riolu, to see if he was actually okay.
"Are you sure you are okay, Riolu?" Slowking asked again.
"Rio..." Riolu said, slowly nodding.
"Gar…" Dusty looked sad and sorry for what he'd done, but Riolu nodded to him and let out a small smile. Although it was unspoken, Garbodor knew what it meant and smiled back at Riolu's apology. I was happy to see that they made up as well.
Seeing as I was the only one who hadn't said or done anything, I kneeled down to Riolu, who looked at me.
"Riolu… I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I would've done if you were really hurt." Riolu looked away, the slight embarrassment showing on his cheeks. "Well, I think that's definitely enough training for now. What do you say, Slowking?"
"Absolutely. Let's eat some berries and get back out on the road. Oh, and I'll help you untie your tendrils, Garbodor." Slowking turned around and Dusty followed her eagerly back to the other tree where she'd set her satchel down. I stood up and turned to head out with them, when I heard a soft,
"Ri…" I turned once again to face Riolu. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Woah, woah, what's the matter, buddy?" I kneeled back down and got face to face. "It's okay. I'm here… Were you scared?" Riolu ran in and hugged me tight. Surprised by the sudden motion, I did what was natural and hugged back.
"R-io..." it said, quietly sobbing.
"It's okay… It's over now. You're safe," I consoled. He let go of the hug and sat down, sniffling and wiping away a tear. Seeing as he was still a little out of it and I was feeling inspired from all the talking with Slowking the night before, I decided to do something different. "Look, Riolu..." I sighed, ready to get this off my chest.
"You and Dusty are my best friends. I promise that I will never, ever leave either of you. I will always be there, and I'm sure Dusty and Slowking will do the same. You can one-hundred percent count on us." He stared into my eyes, and I smiled back at him.
"Rio…" Riolu said happily with a smile. He then closed his eyes and placed his paw in front of his heart like always. Suddenly, a light blue and white colored light wrapped around him.
Surprised by the sudden event, I backpedaled and fell on my butt a couple feet away. The wondrous light was almost blinding, and it swirled around until it had completely covered him; a strange almost electric noise continuously came from inside the light too. I turned to see Slowking and Dusty breaking into the berry stash, unknowing of what was unfolding in front of me.
"Uh, Slowking?!" I yelled, trying to get her attention. I turned back to see the amorphous light stretch out and lengthen. It started to form into a familiar shape, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The figure was a little over three-fourths of my height and had large, pointy, radar-dish ears. Some points grew on the figure's chest and arms, and the tail increased in size. My eyes widened in awe as I realized what was happening.
"Luuuucar!" I heard, as the light and sound disappeared, leaving bits of shiny light blue dust floating in the air. Standing where Riolu just stood, a new Pokémon arose. Its fur was colored the same blue and black color as Riolu, but with a tan chest. It had steel spikes on its chest and arms and stood on the toes of black haunches. In front of its glowing red eyes, the Mega Gauntlet and dark blue scarf it wore finally fit and looked snug.
"R-Riolu!" I yelped, dashing back in. "You... You evolved!" I cried in joy. Lucario studied its new form and looked at its arms and chest. It seemed to be in disbelief, its mouth agape and eyes wide. Slowking and Dusty came rushing in to see what the commotion was all about.
"Goodness!" Slowking said as she arrived, looking just as surprised as the newly evolved Lucario; Dusty looked on in the same manner. I was absolutely speechless; I was so unsure what to say or do I just stood there watching Lucario getting used to its new form. All I knew was that I was happy and filled with an overwhelming amount of joy. Slowking and Dusty didn't seem to know what to do either; they did the same thing as I. Finally, after a good ten seconds or so, Slowking broke the silence.
"Well, it seems you had a better relationship with the human than I previously imagined, Lucario. Riolu only evolve into Lucario through high friendship…" There was a pause. I suddenly blushed, and I felt like the joy inside me wanted to burst out. I kept that emotion bottled as Slowking continued talking. "We should all celebrate Lucario's evolution! Maybe I'll pull out some ripe berries I've been hiding…?" Dusty's eyes widened and he opened his big mouth, nearly drooling.
"I think the same thing! What do you say, Lucario?" I questioned.
"Car," he said with a new deep and grisly voice, nodding yes.
"Excellent, let us get right to it! Follow me," Slowking added. She and Dusty once again headed back over, but I stopped Lucario before he could get walking.
"Can I add one more thing?" Lucario looked a bit confused but nodded yes again. I smiled and put my hand on Lucario's shoulder. "Lucario… You and Dusty, as well as Slowking, make me the happiest person on this planet. I don't really know what to say other than… Thank you. Thank you for being a friend. I don't normally come out with all this sappy stuff… But I just feel… Overwhelmingly happy." We smiled at each other.
"But there's something else there too. I guess parents would get this feeling when they see their children grow up… But I don't know, I'm just really confused right now. Although I do know one thing: you're my friend. One of my best friends. Here's to a lot more time together… Partner." Lucario looked like he was going to tear up again, but closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them. No tears were left, but he looked confident and determined. He grabbed my other hand and then nodded. At that moment, I thought I felt a strange energy connecting us, stemming from the Mega Bracelet and Gauntlet. He noticed it too, and we nodded in unison.
"Come on, let's go get some food… Oh, and this is the last thing, I mean it." I let go of his paw and stepped a couple steps back. "You're all grown up now, and I was thinking… I never gave you a nickname. Y'know, Dusty and Zabu always had theirs. How about one for you… Maybe Sycamore?" I pointed up to the tree. Lucario looked up, and just as he did, the cloud cover opened for a brief moment and the sun shone down on the tree, casting a shadow across the river. Lucario looked down and nodded yes, then placed his paw over his chest.
"Great! I'll call you Sycamore from now on." I turned around and gestured for him to follow me. Sycamore then bounded over to my side, and we went to get some delicious berries from Slowking (before Dusty could eat them all).