Thus ends the longest prologue I have ever written.

Flashback 03: My Mistake

The battle lasted for over an hour. I blame it in part using too much of our power in the beginning minutes in hopes of overpowering one another, leaving us with nothing left but physical attacks with bursts of flair to pick up the slack.

I knew that we were reaching the end of our fight judging by the sound of our breaths, the sluggishness of our attacks, and even our pulse. My pulse had at least doubled in the last hour, and whenever we clashed against each other I could hear his. His heart beats faster then a Yanma's wings in the heat of battle, befitting of a Pokemon who uses pulses of energy in his attacks.

To be honest I had never felt so eager to fight before. In the past it has been my obligation to fight; for my training, for my master, or for the sake of proving that I was still the strongest in the world. My original intention may have been to prove a point, but sometime in between I had lost myself completely.

I may even go as far as to say it was ... thrilling. My battles before had one sided with the exception of my bout with mother, but even then I had confidence that I could beat her. Here I found the gray line shortly after experiencing that Dark Pulse attack. It could go either way, and even if I did lose I would not be angry or disappointed in myself.

Not that I planned on losing, of course.

Lucario made a fatal mistake when he avoided another of my Focus Punches. Instead of simply stepping out of the way he flipped backwards only to find his back slapping against the canyon's walls. I could see the wide eyed panic in his eyes seconds before I took advantage of the situation.

Moments later he would find himself trapped between a rock and my face. I kept him against the wall by holding one of his black wrists in either hand high above his head, pulling his feet a few inches from the ground until his face was about level with mine. The emotion was all but drained from his face when he tilted his head back to look up at me. His thin chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, coming out a pant between his barely opened lips. I could see his little fangs, partially surprised that the fighter didn't try to bite me before.

I did not know why I continued to stare at him. My own rapid breathing was a fleeting thought compared to the rush of thoughts and emotions flowing through me now. In my mind I was the victor, but I hardly wanted to go around screaming it from the rooftops. The fight was rendered insignificant, and yet the events that transpired were dominating my mind.

Domination ... That was what I hoped to accomplish in fighting him, right? Though now it was true that I was victorious other strange, new, feelings overwhelmed the need to fulfill my original desire. That word ... desire ... to be used in this context was completely foreign to me. I did not know what trouble it may lead to until it was too late to stop it.

Lucario was struggling in my grip again, this time because I blocked his mouth from taking in anymore of the oxygen he so desperately needed. Slight tilt of the head downwards brought my lips against his with caution, testing the waters and the other Pokemon's reaction. That new feeling that came over my exploded into what could be described as a fiery passion from an outsider looking in. The shocks it sent down my curved spine were different from the ones I experienced earlier. The feeling of warmth was welcoming, and my dependency on it grew.

" W-what are you - " I completely forgot that we could still communicate even though our lips were intertwined, but his mental protest was halted when I decided to explore further.

Pokemon did not normally show their affection for one another in this way. I knew this, and though my actions were driven by primal instinct I could not help but add a little human influence to it. Leaning into him, I pushed my tongue against his lips until I could feel his fangs grazing it. I don't think I was even thinking consciously at this point. All I knew was what I wanted to feel more, which was why my paws slid down his raised arms to his shoulder blades and continued downward until they rest on the small of his back.

I embraced him, and at the same time I ensured that he wouldn't get away from my grasp by hoisting him into the air. Lucario could do very little from his position except put his hands on the tops of my shoulders. I didn't know if it was because he was trying to pull away from me or trying to return the embrace as my mind was too clouded to even register his thoughts.

... I was ... foolish.

These new feelings overwhelmed me, and I in turned overwhelmed Lucario. That night I gave into my bazaar cravings and I did not know the extent of what transpired until the following morning when I awoke in that bed of flowers. The wave guiding Pokemon from last night laid under me, slightly curled up despite my arms still being wrapped around his waist. Lucario looked exhausted. It took a moment of assessment of our position and condition before I was able to determine why ...

I ... mated with Lucario, and judging by the claw marks in the dirt around there he had not been a willing participant. I could not remember anything that happened last night beyond pinning the smaller Pokemon to the wall, and I did not want to remember. It was unforgivable. I felt sick just thinking about what anguish I could have caused the already disturbed Pokemon.

It was unforgivable, and I immediately began to feel remorse. Seldom do I feel remorse about anything, but the repeated panicky thought of what transpired in my mind prevented me from simply brushing it aside. I felt compelled to do ... something. An apology immediately came to mind though I knew that such a gesture wouldn't do any good. It'd be like slapping someone across the face and saying it was an accident!

Lucario moved slightly. I could not tell if it was because he stirred or because I removed my arms from his waist. He did not awake fully much to my relief. That was best, I think, because I assured myself that I was not ready to face him. I was entirely too weak to fight off another melee of attacks, and I imagine that he must be doing considerably worst.

With no other options I did the only thing I could do ...

I ran. Teleported actually, and left him alone in that canyon.

To be Continued ...