A/N: I know... this is long overdue. Many apologies to those who waited for an update. I had been overly distracted and busy... But here it is! Now enjoy! (The key is to combine the titles together...)
...and always had been.
It was amazing, to say the least: having such astounding, powerful creatures of various forms as companions.
Lucas could not help but envy the other whenever one of the three different creatures showed their affection for the beast-trainer.
The blond boy often hid his jealousy behind a timid smile.
Resting within the dusty chamber scorched by flames and drenched with water, Lucas quietly watched the taller boy speak to the fire dragon – the one friend the trainer had recently reunited with after a rather intense battle.
It had been a painful battle for the dark-haired boy; Lucas had sensed the deep guilt and sorrow plaguing the trainer's mind throughout the fight. The bond the trainer shared with his beastly companions was visibly strong. Altogether, the human and the Pokemon made such an awesome team.
The turtle named Squirtle and the plant-creature named Ivysaur were standing around the other two, each portraying their characteristic joy for the return of their lost friend.
Sighing, Lucas slowly turned around to leave the happy group to themselves. He did not want to intrude.
He entered the dark tunnel opposite to where he and the other boy came. The ancient ruins were deathly silent; only the sound of his scuffling steps disturbed the calm, musky air.
Lucas slightly frowned. Usually he could sense the presence of the evil Subspace foes lurking ahead within the ruins. There had been many and he knew there were more of them. So why have they all suddenly vanished?
Having the enemy disappear should be a good thing, but Lucas knew better; those fiends were up to something.
With his mind too troubled to take heed to his surroundings, the blond-haired boy unknowingly stepped onto weak stone ground. When his foot fell through crumbling stone he instinctively let out a gasp of surprise.
It was after a few short seconds of his descent did he act in haste to save himself. He called forth his powers and concentrated the need to levitate. However, Lucas did not fully succeed…
Something heavy struck his head from above and knocked him senseless. He was unaware of what happened after for he was cast within a realm of darkness.
A rumbling noise stirred him into consciousness. At first, the sound was hardly distinguishable but it eventually became clearer just as the haze shrouding his mind slowly disappeared.
It was a familiar voice calling his name. Pain flooded through his skull when he attempted to move. He hissed and was soon told to lie still. The boy wordlessly listened.
Carefully, he opened his eyes and saw two faces hovering above him – both reflecting their own level of concern. The dragon's aqua-blue eyes bore down at him with a slight hint of worry while the dark-haired boy, the one who held Lucas's throbbing head aloft, frowned heavily.
Lucas stared in mild confusion before his brain could conclude the reason for his current situation: He had fallen from high beyond the dark abyss above him and the others. The taller boy… he must have flown on his great beast to reach Lucas.
The blond-haired boy was most grateful that they came. Weakly, he formed a thankful smile, drawing a sigh of relief from the beast-trainer. With his help, Lucas sat right up to take a look around the dark area he had fallen.
Charizard's flaming tail was the only source of light. Its hot orange glow lit up the tight corridor littered with shattered stone. Ancient carvings riddled the walls and layers of dust covered most of the stone-block ground. Where did they fall into?
Lucas could assume it was a hidden passageway. He rubbed his forehead as a dull ache began to surface as he tried to detect any unfriendly foes lying within the darkness. However, the pain hindered his concentration and he groaned in frustration.
A strong hand gripped his shoulder. Lucas peered up at the other boy who knitted his brow in worry. Reaching behind him, the trainer grabbed something linked onto his belt and tossed the item to the ground.
In a flash, Squirtle appeared out of its Pokeball and happily announced its arrival. It hopped on its two feet and waved its arms in excitement.
A gentle rub on top of its head brought a wide smile to form. Grinning, the beast-trainer slightly nodded at Lucas and motioned him to stay put. The dark-haired boy then gave the turtle a command to protect the injured boy.
Lucas sounded his protest but the trainer simply snorted and shook his head to disregard Lucas's words. With a wave of his hand, the trainer called for Charizard to follow.
Grunting, the dragon obliged and stomped behind the boy – taking with it the only source of light.
Frowning, Lucas could only watch as the flickering flame vanished deep within the tunnel. As the darkness slowly swept around him, his breath became short. He uncontrollably shivered; not at the cold but at the overwhelming fear of the dark that gripped his soul.
The dusty air was thick and stale, making it much harder to breathe. Lucas was in a state of panic but then he heard Squirtle whimper beside him. He was not the only one afraid.
The blond-haired boy gently reached over and did not hesitate to place his hand upon the turtle's head. As he had seen the other boy do many times, Lucas mimicked the action that often brought a smile on the water creature's face.
Although he could not see, Lucas could feel Squirtle's anxiety fade away. A small smile formed on his lips. Rubbing the turtle's head was rather calming…
He wasn't sure how long he kept it up. The darkness did not bother him at all for he knew he was not alone. Squirtle had drawn close, murmuring quietly under the boy's touch.
Lucas had always been fond of the turtle. Having fought side-by-side with the playful creature in battles was fun and exhilarating. Squirtle was a strong, brave beast. Not once did it ever falter under the shadows of towering fiends… because Lucas knew that Squirtle would give everything it had to fight for its human friend.
Back in the abandoned zoo, Lucas witnessed the bravery of both Squirtle and its trainer. Together, the pair boldly went against the mass of enemies threatening to overtake them. Lucas had been highly distraught at that time… After witnessing the tragic fate of the boy who saved him, the blond-haired fighter was left with nothing but fear.
Lucas had been afraid. He was scared of falling within the same fate as the other.
However, much was resolved when he encountered the beast-trainer and his companion, Squirtle.
A distinct echo of clicking stone reached Lucas's ears. The boy froze from the sound, making Squirtle voice its concern for him. Quietly, he hushed the turtle.
Something continued to clack softly against the unseen stone further down the tunnel in the opposite direction the taller boy and Charizard had gone. The sound grew as the source drew near.
Closing his eyes, Lucas breathed deeply to calm his nerves. Then, ignoring the dull ache in his head, he concentrated his mind. He gritted his teeth when he sensed the hostile energy emitting from the approaching being.
Determined to fight, Lucas rose unsteadily to his feet, taking note of his sore, bruised limbs he had been unaware of. Clenching his jaw at the pain, he did not falter for Squirtle had lent a helping hand.
The boy smiled at its help and gave it a gentle squeeze on its soft, fleshy arm. He pulled away carefully to show the turtle that he was capable of standing on his own. He sounded a warning to the water creature in a low whisper.
Squirtle grumbled in distaste. It was obviously not in the mood to fight in the dark.
Lucas felt just the same way. He snapped his fingers then pointed his right index outward as energy surged from within his body to the tip of his finger. Sparkling white light penetrated the shadows as Lucas held his power.
He offered the watching turtle a confident smirk and a nod. In return, Squirtle broadly grinned and faced the tunnel boldly.
Together they waited anxiously.
Lucas knitted his brow in concentration, trying to keep his Psi powers steady. The flickering white energy lit the depths of the ancient tunnel.
Deep within the shadows where light did not reach, two visible red eyes penetrated the dark.
Immediately, Lucas recognized the advancing enemy – a Primid. Behind the sole fiend, more appeared, some wielding glowing green blades. The sound of their scuffling feet reverberated around the narrow passage and soon, their slow march became a stomping run when they saw the boy and the turtle shrouded in light.
Squirtle, with a cry of determination, charged at the enemies head-first, much to Lucas's surprise. Although he could not see clearly, the boy was still able to witness Squirtle plowing through the line of fiends, (due to the flailing sword beams and swerving glowing eyes.)
Willing to aid the brave turtle, Lucas concentrated on the Psi energy he held on the tip of his finger. He changed its property with a simple thought. Instead of electrifying light, fire took its place.
The boy needlessly took aim and launched a PK fire at an unsuspecting foe. Flames burst upon impact, painfully scorching the unarmed Primid. It flinched shortly but soon recovered from the blow. However, it was not fast enough to notice another PK fire heading in its direction.
Once more, a burst of orange light lit the darkened tunnel briefly as the Primid was struck with flames.
The wide grin of satisfaction was soon wiped from Lucas's face when he heard a pained cry coming from Squirtle. The turtle was knocked away by a glowing sword.
Despite having no light to see, the boy could sense the water Pokemon's presence flying towards him.
Lucas was quick to prepare himself; with open arms he attempted to catch the turtle but due to Squirtle's even size, it ended up crashing into Lucas.
The boy was knocked far back, winded and senseless.
Gasping for air, Lucas was down on his back. A weight that once pressed against his body instantly left after landing – Squirtle was already up and lunging straight for the oncoming fiends. The boy, on the other hand, groaned as he staggered to his feet.
Faintness threatened to make him fall but Lucas held on by sheer willpower. He couldn't allow Squirtle to face the enemies on its own!
He breathed sharply and summoned his power. With his eyes tightly shut in deep concentration, he conjured a PK thunder bolt. Sensing the enemies' location within the darkness, he mentally controlled the electrifying bolt towards the group that already surrounded the blind water Pokemon.
His PK thunder penetrated through the line of fiends, sending intense jolts throughout their bodies. The Primids were stunned, allowing Squirtle the chance to attack. It tackled a sword-wielding foe and stole its sword.
Now clamping onto a glowing blade in its mouth, Squirtle twirled amongst the group of enemies and slashed at all who were near. It was a pretty cool display in the dark – the light green beam danced around the orbs of red.
Lucas readied another PK fire but held it back when he saw no need of it – Squirtle was handling things easily with its new weapon.
Smiling in astonishment, the boy dissipated his Psi energy and watched the dancing blade in the dark.
It was not long before the small group of Primids were defeated. Squirtle was soundly exhausted. It dropped its stolen blade and slumped to the ground.
Lucas quickly made his way over to the weary turtle and placed a gentle hand upon its head. Snapping his fingers, he called forth a tiny spark of light at the end of his finger to illuminate a small area.
He gave Squirtle a tiny smirk and in return the turtle broadly grinned. It stood up and hopped on its tail and feet in joy, seemingly full of energy once more. But the turtle was truly exhausted; it soon fell forward onto all fours, panting tiredly.
Slightly frowning, the boy smiled and patted the turtle lightly on the head. To thank the water creature for its protection, Lucas softly rubbed its head like before. A pleased murmur sounded from the blue turtle once again and Lucas diminished his light for it was no longer needed.
Familiar footsteps echoed through the dark tunnel moments later.
A relieved smile adorned Lucas's lips when he sensed the beast-trainer's aura. Gently, he nudged the sleeping Squirtle beside him and informed it of their friends' return.
The turtle was up with renewed vigour, sounding its joyous cries to the approaching figures silhouetted by orange light. Upon the sound of the trainer's voice, Squirtle sprinted towards the dark-haired boy who laughed at the Pokemon's greeting.
Before Lucas was up on his own feet, the beast-trainer was already making his way hastily towards the other. The taller boy soundly offered something in his outstretched hand.
It was took dark to make out what the object was at first but as Charizard drew nearer, Lucas soon recognized the familiar M on the fleshy red tomato. A Maxim Tomato! The trainer had gone and searched for it…
Lucas thankfully accepted the fruit but hesitated to eat it. Squirtle deserved it more.
When the blond boy gave the tomato to the turtle, Squirtle tore it in half and offered one piece back.
With an amusing laugh, Lucas accepted it and together they ate. (Although, Squirtle chomped it all down in one bite while Lucas took his time to avoid making a mess.)
The healing fruit made Lucas feel much better. He relayed his thanks once more to the taller boy.
His friend grinned – which Lucas noticed was very similar to Squirtle's smile. The taller boy then dabbed a thumb back down where he and Charizard had gone, indicating that he had found a path to go.
Ready to leave the dark tunnel, Lucas nodded at him. The fire-tailed dragon led the way while the boys followed right behind with an energetic Squirtle hopping beside them.
Lucas greatly smiled. He had been a little foolish to envy the other boy for having such close companions as a team for he knew now that he was – and always had been – part of the team all along.
A/N: This will be my last Smash Bros. Brawl short story series and saying that, I hoped you all greatly enjoyed it. Perhaps I'll continue on with something when inspiration strikes me but since my free time is now limited due to work, I will mainly focus on finishing my other incomplete stories.
And so, I thank all you readers who had taken the time to dwell upon my stories. Although many of your words are silent, it's great to see the number of hits each story has had.
Be it words of praise or hate for this final piece - I do hope you review. Now take care everyone!