And thus, the plan begins. Nobody said anything about the plan working flawlessly, though…

I encourage all you aura fanatics to read on, enjoy, and review.

Chapter 7: A Very Odd Team

Gone were the days Chris would think Lucario were the fiercest of Pokémon who did anything but mundane activities. His…or rather, the Lucario in his home has showed him that curiosity was perhaps the most lethal weapon that would rope unlucky individuals into dangerous traps that would forever change their life.

This was the case today. It all involved a Wiimote and a Nunchuk.

After having directed Lucario to do the usual morning routine that was eating breakfast and having a refreshing shower followed by dental hygiene, it was time for Chris to put his plan in action: get Lucario to play video games with him. The plan was very thrilling. Lucario proved that he saw more into what made video games very exciting. He was put in a good course.

Awkwardly holding a Wiimote and a Nunchuk in his rather large paws – which were even larger on him due to his tremendous size – Lucario had no trouble pressing the comparably smaller buttons. Chris was impressed that this Lucario could manage to achieve such a feat. "I can easily use any region of my fingers as a solid point to touch anything smaller without overlapping…but I need a little more practice, still," he had told Chris. The articulation of his three large "fingers" on each hand was impressive as well. A finger in charge of the upper buttons, another in charge of any side buttons.

Chris fought back the thought involving taking a picture of a large Lucario holding the controllers. "I'll never stop saying this. You're amazing in so many ways beyond your incredible strength." Lucario preened a little, feeling touched at the remarks. "Are you…really sure you want to play video games with me?"

"They seemed like a good way to pass the time as I saw you play them," Lucario said. "But…why start with these, uh, controllers? I saw you playing with another one…"

"I just thought that you needed to have a fresh start before you move on to more complicated games," Chris said. "It's…also a test of patience to see how long you can stay calm."

"I see no reason why I should throw a tantrum over this," Lucario said with a deadpan look.

Chris shrugged. "Every person is different in a single topic… You'll never know till you try." They both stared at the TV in front of them. Amusing as it was, Chris was making Lucario play Wii Sports. The plan was to have him play every single sport event. Seeing that Lucario was a Fighting-type, the most obvious first choice was to have him play boxing. "Have you ever heard about boxing?"

"Oh, yes," Lucario said, smiling a bit. "Us Fighting-types are into that sort of sport…but I can't remember why I like it even if I never got to participate in a boxing match."

"(Probably because Pokémon games never have a boxing mini-game in them,)" Chris thought. He refrained from voicing out his thoughts. "Incidentally, do you know how to read, Lucario?"

Lucario grimaced and shook his head. "I can only talk…" he admitted.

A very happy thought crossed Chris's mind. "Oh, do you mind if I teach you how to read soon?"

The Aura Pokémon's lips formed a small smile. "Please do," he said. "I want to learn many more things… They all are very enlightening."

There were more things to show Lucario. There were so many days, all of them being special. He could hardly wait what else to do after this plan was over with, but he needed to focus on the current situation. "I'll gladly teach you," Chris said smiling. "For now, though, let's start your first boxing match."

"Am I going to punch you?" Lucario asked, and Chris saw his anguished look. He was afraid of the concept of punching somebody far more defenseless. "I…I don't want to…"

Chris shivered at the thought. "N-no, you don't punch a living person in this game," he said, and Lucario sighed in relief. "What you're going to do is this… The controllers, they respond to the motion of your hands."

The Aura Pokémon raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's weird," he admitted.

"We're in a new generation where games are starting to become far more interactive than before," Chris explained. "Technology is advancing rather fast in this world. We'll eventually have flying cars in a few years…but I really don't think that'll happen." He shook his head. "In any case, the left controller you're holding has the function to move a pointer at the screen. Try it."

Confused, Lucario moved the Wiimote in his hand to the screen. He got startled a bit when a small hand appeared, hovering over the screen's area. Tilting his head, he wobbled the controller, watching the pointer following his control's aiming direction. "That's really curious…" he said. "Uh, how am I playing boxing again?"

Chris forgot Lucario couldn't read. "Move that pointer over that rectangle over there… No, the other one."

A few minutes passed and Lucario had been taught everything he needed to know about playing boxing. He just had to make sure that he didn't throw wide punches since the two controllers were attached by a short cable that could easily snap if Lucario wasn't careful.

Chris saw that Lucario looked like a pro. Fists clenched tightly on the controllers brought in front of his chest, the Lucario was even hopping slightly to the sides. Something told Chris that Lucario was getting a little too much into the experience. The Aura Pokémon grunted and growled occasionally whenever throwing slow, but clean punches forward. "And these opponents are supposed to stand a chance against me? Don't make me laugh," Lucario said deadpan.

The teenager chuckled and thought Lucario was cool saying such a thing. "You're kind of a natural for this game. There are going to be harder opponents as you progress, though," Chris said.

"Huh, I would like to have a go with them," Lucario said. "These people are dropping like flies against me…"

The Lucario had a burning fighting spirit, Chris thought. Even though Lucario was playing a simulation, he thought he was doing valuable exercise. He completely enjoyed boxing, feeling proud of every single Mii opponent that doubled over and lost the heated matches against him. "They're lucky I'm not there inside the TV," Lucario commented. "Otherwise, they would have died at the first attack."

"My goodness, you're really into this," Chris said flatly.

"And they're making a grave mistake. I'll let them keep fighting me…"

Chris didn't like how Lucario was showing some heavy examples of pure cockyness, but he let the Aura Pokémon go on. As long as Lucario was thrilled to play, it would help Chris to open up more to him. Yesterday just proved that Lucario, deep down, didn't mind the prospect of protecting the teen even if it meant enjoying his company. Chris had to bring that thought out from Lucario's depths.

There was no way Chris could get Lucario back to his world…

From the start, Lucario had been enjoying beating so many opponents. Thinking that Lucario needed to rest between matches, Chris took it upon himself to become some sort of coach and hand Lucario a bottle of cold water, but he knew the Aura Pokémon's stamina was very inhuman. Even then, Lucario sat down on the bed and took the bottle, almost entirely drinking more than half the water. "This is so good," he said, flashing a small smile. "It does feel like I'm doing real-life boxing."

"I'm so but so glad that you're enjoying yourself," Chris said, returning the smile.

Lucario nodded almost too quickly. "I can't wait to continue my long winning streak. These opponents are getting harder, yet they're not that difficult."

"I'll be sitting here watching you. If you feel tired, I'll give you more water."

"Thank you."

The thankful message made Chris feel at home as he saw Lucario stand his full height, raising his eager fists to do battle.

That feeling of being on top of the world was soon coming to an end.

Lucario started to lose, much to his chagrin. His long winning streak had been forever shattered. That meant he needed to start from the ground and create another one to break his record. Unfortunately, he was playing to raise his rank. The opponents were outsmarting his moves. Chris's fears then surfaced when he heard Lucario say, "How is it possible that I'm starting to lose against these people?"

"I-it's just the game trying to make things more challenging," Chris said. "I-I believe you can eventually defeat them."

Lucario barely managed to defeat the next set of opponents. Soon enough, he fell into a rather long losing streak that was making his blood boil. Chris noticed the scary serious look on the Aura Pokémon's red eyes. His eyelids were inclining down on his muzzle's direction while the back portions held their ground. He was glaring fiercely at the screen.

Just as Lucario was losing his remaining health in the game, Chris said, "Y-you know, you probably need to pause the game for a bit an-"

"AAH!" Lucario let out a small yet loud shout as his character doubled over, losing to his opponent. The Aura Pokémon bared his fangs and tightened his fists in pure frustration.

Then a very startling sound came from his hands.

Lucario briefly snapped out from his rage, dropping the fierce glare. Chris covered his mouth as Lucario stared down at the controllers. Somewhere along his frustration, his almighty hands had put up an unnecessarily tight grip on the controllers that they had been reduced to crumpled plastic and broken chips. The broken batteries had let out a few sparks, but Lucario's tough body didn't feel a tingle.

"…My…my controllers…" Chris muttered.

"…" Lucario averted his eyes from looking at Chris. He was now blushing in embarrassment. "…I…I'm sorry for…for this…" Lucario closed his eyes, angered that he couldn't come up with a better apology.

Chris couldn't shake the fact that this was going to happen eventually. After watching Lucario so thrilled to punch virtual people silly, it all had to end badly soon enough. Chris was not as competitive as Lucario, but the first thought the latter needed a small break. It was Lucario's first time, after all. "…It's…not that bad, really," Chris said. "I still have reserves…and money is not hard to come by."

"Still…" Lucario muttered, sitting down. The teen sighed and grabbed the remains of the unlucky controllers, dropping them in a nearby trash can. Lucario put his chin on his hands. "This is so embarrassing…"

"I hope you're not referring to your…losing streak," Chris struggled to say the last words.

"…I don't know if I should continue," Lucario muttered depressed.

Chris felt stuck in his plan. It had turned out for the worse. "(I just don't like seeing him like that. It's going to make him feel so down! I need to change this…) Listen…" Lucario turned to him, although he did it very slow, "…there are far better games in this one that won't make you feel like this… If you give me a chance, I'll assure you that you won't regret it."

Lucario moved his eyes away, his face facing the teen. "…"

"You were having so much fun," Chris pointed out. "I…I want to see you so lively like that."

Lucario then looked up to Chris. As he did so, he stood fully back up, now staring down at him. He seemed to be thinking when he fell silent. "…If you say so," he said, forcing a small smile.

"(Alright, there might be still a chance…)" Chris nodded and smiled, taking another controller. "For the next set of games, though, we're going to be using just one controller. The Nunchuk isn't necessary."

Lucario looked ashamed. "You're not thinking that I might break two, right?" he asked.

"N-no, no," Chris said, looking a bit shaken. "The other games really don't need the Nunchuk."

"Okay…"

The teen felt really sorry for the Aura Pokémon. It was like a giant was tearing things apart by accident, having no control of himself. Perhaps Chris needed to change Lucario for the better. The next lessons of life he wanted to impart to Lucario would have different results, as long as nothing disastrous would drive the Aura Pokémon to anger or shame…or a combination of both.

A tennis match would probably help to cheer his spirits.

After a while of having explained the control for the game, Lucario had no trouble playing it. It was far less stressful than the boxing matches. "This is…kind of dull," Lucario finally admitted.

"(I feared he'd say that,)" Chris thought. "Well…let's play together as a team."

Lucario looked surprised at the idea. "More than one player can play this?"

"Of course. You saw the options before getting here, right? It's not always fun to play by yourself. For that, many games have the option for multiple people to play together or against each other…" Chris grimaced. "Since I don't want to repeat your first competitive issues, we're going to play together as a team against the computer characters."

Lucario briefly recalled the thrill of a trainer and Pokémon working together in a battle. This was vastly different, yet he couldn't help but think it was sort of the same… Something was odd, though…

How much longer would he try to remember the vague memories he had of the past? It was something he hadn't told Chris yet. Lucario was under the illusion that he shared many fond memories with his trainer; memories he was trying hard to uncover…yet felt like there was nothing. The psychological trauma in his mind was haunting him. The new memories he was making now were completely overshadowing the past he tried to remember.

Feeling sidetracked, Lucario snapped out from his thoughts and focused on the present. There was no use lingering on the past…

The time passed, and the two eventually reached a new friendly stage. Playing together, Lucario deemed Chris a fun person, and Chris deemed Lucario a very capable player. Chris then just heard Lucario chuckle. "I can't believe this, but…I'm better than you at hitting the ball."

"T-that's just because I'm rusty!" Chris said embarrassed. "I never put too much attention to this game because I had better games to play!"

"Really now…"

"I hope for the life of you that you're not playfully mocking me!"

"You just missed the ball."

"S-stop distracting me!"

"But I'm just telling you to focus."

"O-okay, I'll focus! (He's having his day now, but I need to stop getting flustered!)"

The teen never found out the Aura Pokémon had read his mind, pleased to hear he was briefly outsmarting his human teacher.

Eventually, the two managed to play with more sync, and the playful teasing died down as the game matches went on. Unfortunately, they reached the same point where the computer characters were giving them a run for their money. However, since Chris was roped into the game this time, there was a positive outcome.

Lucario grunted in frustration. "They're getting better than us," he said.

"It's okay," Chris said. "We can still pull through. If we can't, we'll train harder in exhibition matches."

The Aura Pokémon smiled. "That's just an indication that there's more room for improvement. I like to think I can become better."

"Yes, exactly! It'd be boring winning all the time otherwise."

"Yes…yes, it would… (That's funny… I never thought I'd say that. Here I was, thinking losing was a very bad thing… He really is a good teacher…)" Lucario looked sideways at Chris. "(…I…I can't let him make me think that he's better than my trainer… It's just….it's just…!)"

The game paused, snapping Lucario out of his thoughts. "I'm getting bored of playing tennis already," Chris said. "Are you?"

"What? Uh… I guess so," Lucario replied.

"You look odd… Did something happen?" Chris asked.

"N-no, nothing happened," the Aura Pokémon said. "Can we please continue? I'm eager to see what else is in store for us."

"…" Chris forced a smile and nodded. "Have you ever heard about golf?"

The next phase of the plan was making Lucario into a golfer. It took half a smooth swing of his arms and hands to break a second Wiimote over his head, the pieces lifelessly bumping down his body. His jaw fell in shock. "I-I'm sorry!" Lucario uttered a fast apology. "I did it without even thinking!"

"I-I still have two more to spare," Chris said, hesitant to say the fact. He took the broken pieces and tossed them in the trash can, joining the unlucky victims inside. He handed over another controller to Lucario. "Please, be careful. They're dropping even faster than I thought they would for my tastes…"

"Y-yes… I-I'll be more careful, I promise…" Lucario shyly took the third controller.

Lucario had a hard time trying to get the controls right. He would swing too fast, as if he wanted to send the golf ball across the sky instead of the hole. Chris had made it a rule not to get too close to Lucario while he used the controller, or else the possibility of dying was high. Knowing the almighty Aura Pokémon, he would really come to a halt. He was a master at anticipating blows.

The topic about controlling his strength was a different matter, but that was for another day.

The Aura Pokémon eventually caught the ball of the control, and he was now swinging clean shots at the highest level without overlapping. "Who thought it was a good idea to put this limit in my swings?" Lucario questioned, clearly a bit peeved about not showcasing his full potential.

"Well, you got to remember this is a family game… There needs to be a chance for anybody to be able to win," Chris explained.

There came another issue that didn't involve breaking a third controller. Due to the game's nature to add a wind hazard, Lucario couldn't tell exactly what it meant. He just knew it played a part in the game. He did notice that his ball would smoothly turn to the direction the arrow on the screen pointed at. "I assume that arrow has some effect on my swings?" Lucario theorized.

"O-oh! Yes," Chris said. "That arrow tells you the direction where the wind is going. Depending on how fast it is, your shots will be affected."

"The number changes between holes every once in a while."

"It's completely at random, so you need to adjust your direction a bit… It won't always be perfect, but you can get very close to avoiding a fatal mistake."

"I…I just don't know how to tell," Lucario said. "Do I need to…read?"

It became apparent that Lucario was annoyed that he couldn't read properly. There was something odd to that once Chris had recalled that Lucario had read the cover of the game he was playing two days ago. "Wait a minute. You don't know how to read, yet you read the cover you picked two days ago?"

Lucario paused the game and looked away from Chris. "…I read…except not through the common method," he said, turning to look at Chris. "I read your mind while you were playing. You just happened to think what I saw on the cover. I think you saw me, and you immediately assumed I was going to read the words… In fact, I've been using you as my method for reading all this time…" His ears, very slightly, drooped. "…This is very embarrassing for me to admit…"

"(He…seriously needs guidance,)" Chris said. "(Without guidance, he'll be intruding a little too much into my own thoughts…)" The teen patted the Aura Pokémon's back. "Please, don't be so embarrassed. You're doing an amazing progress."

"Am I?" Lucario asked, worried that it wasn't true.

"Yes, you do," Chris said. "You're still shaken by the fact you're here all alone in the world…but you have me for support, and I'll do the best of my ability to teach you what you want…" He forced a smile. "You're paying me with your company…and…that's really all I could ask for…"

"…Chris…" Lucario muttered. "…Thank you for telling me that."

"We're supporting each other like Pokémon and trainer," Chris said. He gasped under his breath and shook his head. "I-I mean, we're like Pokémon and trainer, but that doesn't mean we're officially like that! You still have your trainer…"

Lucario smiled a bit. "I don't mind you being a replacement for my trainer...i-in that you teach me all this, that is. (I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon…)"

Chris decided that it was a nice gesture to give Lucario a hug. The Aura Pokémon got startled by the action. "Let's keep enjoying our time together, shall we?" Chris asked.

"(On the other hand…I like where this is going,)" Lucario thought pleased. "All right, let us continue…but I don't like golf much."

"Let's try baseball next!" Chris piped up.

He was the star of the stadium: The Aura Pokémon Baseball Player Extraordinaire. Together with his (replacement) human partner Chris, the computer characters stood no chance to their combined might. Sure, the virtual ball should have sent straight into space with his strength, but the limitations of the game did not stop him to pave his way to stardom.

"Aren't any of these sports in real life, too?" Lucario asked while swinging a clean hit to the ball, scoring a Home Run. "Instead of trying them out in the house, why don't we go out? Oh, wait, I remember…"

Chris rubbed his chin. "I could try to sneak you out with your Poké Ball to somewhere alone… But I fear you'd get spotted."

"It's very easy for me to detect over ten-thousand auras in a hundred miles, though."

"Yes, but we still need to…" Chris did a double-take after registering the statement better. "Say how many what when?"

Lucario looked down at him. "From where I am standing right now, I can detect thousands of people within a hundred miles going in their everyday life. For example, there are three people living right next door… They seem to be having their meal."

The teen blinked in surprise. Chris knew there were three people next door. He had never told Lucario about any neighbors. "R-really now?" he asked. "If I remember, well-trained Lucario can detect auras within a mile or so…but you can really go beyond that limit?"

Lucario was just about to swing. "It's very easy to me…" He swung his bat. "Do other Lucario have that…limit? It looks pretty underdeveloped compared to what I can do."

"That's because you're some kind of top percentage Lucario!" Chris said. "All the Lucario I have seen…uh…from the TV and the games I've played don't really look like you… Seriously, you never met another Lucario?"

"Sadly, no," Lucario said. "The opponents I've faced never had a single Riolu for that matter… What was that about? It's like no trainers wanted to have a shot at owning my line."

"Your species are really that rare in-game," Chris pointed out. "Only the most important people do own one, though…"

"I see. It's a shame I can't accurately compare myself with another Lucario."

There was no way to confirm that all Lucario were nukers bent of dominating the Pokémon World, so Chris came up with a better response. "I truly believe you're the best Lucario out there."

Lucario blinked, blushing a bit at the remark. "…Thanks…" He smiled to himself, scoring another Home Run.

"You're such a natural for baseball."

"I know."

"You've gotten awfully cocky, too…"

"I know… I mean…"

"It kind of suits you, though. You really look cool."

"T-thanks again…"

Lucario had a magnificent run in his first baseball session. However, winning a lot led him to get bored quickly of the sport. "There's one last sport for you to try out: bowling," Chris said. "You want to go ahead with it? Maybe we can play against each other for real…"

The Aura Pokémon looked concerned. "I'll try not to let my competitive spirit get the better of me," he said. "Things are at stake now that you want to play against me…"

"You really don't know how frightened I am after hearing you say that…"

"Actually, your aura is emitting emotional waves of pure fright," Lucario pointed out until he gasped slightly. "W-what I'm trying to say is…I won't snap at you. I promise… Also, I won't crush another controller."

"I'll take your word for it…"

Time passed and Chris could hardly believe that this Lucario was wiping the floor with his sorry butt. Recalling that the swing of the arm in bowling was very crucial, Chris could only assume that Lucario had perfect hand movements despite the fact the Aura Pokémon's hands were huge. The score was a sight to behold. Chris was nearly 40 points behind. "How can this be even happening?" Chris questioned. "R-right, I'm just into other games. T-this is just a different genre I'm really not very into…"

"Maybe I was born for this."

"Q-quiet, you big cocky blue dog…"

"Do you want to destroy your controller? I found it a very good stress reliever." Chris stared at him with a very deadpan look. "S-sorry…"

"I have no hope winning against you…and I'm not even letting you win!"

There was so much good chemistry going on between the human and the Pokémon. The whole day went by as they recalled all the moments Lucario enjoyed so much. As night finally came around, Chris was lying on his bed with Lucario sitting down next to it. A big change, however, was that the Aura Pokémon was not facing away from the teen. Lucario was now sitting sideways, his back leaning against the drawer. He looked down at Chris. "Thank you so much for everything today," Lucario thanked Chris.

Chris put his arms on top of his body. "We really had so much fun today…if you don't count the controllers you…" When he saw Lucario looking down in shame, Chris decided to drop the way he was going. "…I-it's no big deal! I have a lot of spare money to buy replacements! Please, don't get so down…"

"I won't…" Lucario said, smiling truthfully at Chris. "Today made me realize that I need to learn how to read. It's very embarrassing… Has any other Pokémon done this before?"

The teen looked up at the ceiling. "Lucario, that's something I really don't know myself," he said. "But…you have showed me that Pokémon like you are capable of so much more if they put their minds into it… Honestly, I'd never thought I'd get the chance to see it firsthand, but here you are, adapting so well to what a normal human like me gets to do…"

The Aura Pokémon blushed a bit. "Is it that weird?"

"Absolutely not!" Chris said. "You are a Lucario with limitless potential… You have unbelievable strength…you can eat and hold a fork properly despite your size…you can play video games…your aura abilities look flawless… Just think about what else you can do after I teach you everything I know!"

Lucario made a happy expression. "You think I can do it?"

"Yes, you can!" the teen said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to start teaching you how to read. From there, we'll branch out to other things… Once you master all that, you'll become an example of a Renaissance Pokémon."

"A Renaissance Pokémon?" Lucario wondered.

"Oh…I learned this from school last semester. Hundreds of years ago, the term Renaissance Man referred to a person who was the jack of all trades…"

"And master of none, I believe," Lucario said. "That sounds depressing…"

"Oh no, that's not how it is," Chris said. "The Renaissance Man was the jack of all trades AND master of all that he learned… Nowadays, though, there hasn't been another Renaissance Man in this day and age, but I do believe many people try to be one…" He looked worried. "The only level we can achieve is being the jack of all trades, though…which is why I want you to reach that point…and maybe, just maybe be a master."

Lucario blinked, liking the idea of being a Renaissance Pokémon. "…Please, let us work together to become just like that," he said, his eyes heavily implying excitement.

"I don't know if I can do it, but since you're so pumped up…" Chris smiled, "I wish to see how far you can progress."

The teen was taken aback once Lucario placed a hand on top of his hands. "Let's do this tomorrow."

Chris stared at Lucario's hand for a long while till he shyly cupped his own hands. The human's hands could barely cover the Pokémon's hand. The two felt a warm feeling coursing through them, and they did not want to break up from their action. "…Yes, let's do this tomorrow."

The two chuckled together before going to sleep.

The Aura Pokémon would rarely have his back facing the teen from that moment and onwards. Deep in his subconscious, Lucario was accepting Chris as a true friend to support himself…and maybe even more…

The light of the moon outside would distract his train of thoughts. Lucario, though, could hardly wait what else he could learn from his smart instructor. A trainer and Pokémon bond was starting to grow in place of a vague one…

Next chapter, Lucario is going to be taught how to read. We'll see how that goes for him.

I encourage everyone to review.