Author's Note: For anyone returning to this fic (all four or so of you), I edited the beginning of the first chapter to start when the Andrites receive the bad news about Astra. Also, because I kept screwing up the math, just an FYI that Astra died ten years ago, but started her journey thirteen years ago. My bad for not being able to math good. New readers, just move along.
Chapter 3: Better Understanding
Both gym leader and pokemon alike blinked at the outburst. "Pardon, but does this Lucario belong to you? I'm afraid he's been here for the past hour demanding a gym battle, and I've been trying to explain why I can't give it to him. It's becoming quite the bother."
Alex's confusion was palpable. "Gym battle? Why would…never mind. To answer your question, no, he's not mine. It's kind of a long story, but the main point is we met on Route 20 and he's looking for his trainer."
Cheren curiously eyed the newcomer. "That's rather kind of you, helping a fellow trainer like that. I assume you're here to challenge me for a badge as well?"
He reached up and nervously scratched behind his head. "See, that's half true," Alex began with a chuckle. "I'm not a trainer, but I do want to challenge you for a badge."
Cheren blinked, but quickly realized what he meant. "I see then. You're choosing to earn your trainer's license by challenge. I'm surprised you even know about that law. I didn't even know about it before I became a gym leader." The young gym leader—only a few years older than himself, Alex realized—offered his hand to his new acquaintance. "Cheren Shiro. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Alexander Andrite," he said as he returned the handshake. "I didn't know about it until this guy at the Pokemon Center told me. He said you were really good about getting trainers started out and—"
Lucario interrupted him and barked something at Cheren. One look at Alex's confused face, and the dark-haired gym leader frowned and said, "It's rather rude to talk about someone when they can't understand you. Why don't you repeat yourself so that both of us can hear?"
Lucario groaned, but did as he was asked. As I said, Lucario projected rather indignantly, I've been here for an hour now trying to get you to fight me, and you're going to just accept his challenge as soon as he walks in the door? He doesn't even have a pokemon! Lucario glanced at Alex and added, No offense though.
Alex didn't really know what to make of that. "None taken…? I think?"
An exasperated sigh escaped the dark-haired gym leader. "I've already explained it to you before, you can't earn gym badges. If you really want I'll fight you, but even if you somehow beat me I couldn't give you a gym badge because you're not a trainer. Hell, you're not even human—how did I end up arguing rules and regulations with a pokemon!? This is just absurd…"
He's not a trainer either though! Lucario protested.
Cheren groaned. "No, he isn't apparently. However, he is human and can challenge me for his license, as I said a moment ago. Unless you intend to become a trainer," Lucario started to speak, "which you can't do because you're a pokemon, by the way," Lucario's stopped, "I can't give you a badge. End of story."
This was too bizarre for Alex to handle. Determined to steer the conversation towards something relatively normal, he asked the obvious, "Why don't you just have your trainer challenge the gym with you Lucario? If you really want to fight Cheren that badly, surely he wouldn't mind—"
He's not here, Lucario interrupted. I spent a couple of hours asking around and found his house. His mother is still there, but apparently he moved to Nimbassa several months ago. The last she heard from him, he'd already won several badges… That fact seemed to displease the Aura pokemon, and Alex had no idea why. Before he could ask, Lucario continued, I'm going to travel to Nimbassa, but I want to earn some badges along the way. That's all there is to it.
Before Alex could object and ask one of his many questions, Cheren interrupted them with a loud cough. "I think I see a solution here," he began. "You need a pokemon to fight with," he motioned to Alex, "and you want a gym badge…for some reason," he pointed to Lucario. "Why don't the two of you work together? Alex, it would test how well you can work with and befriend a new pokemon. Lucario, you still wouldn't have the badge, but your trainer can call Alex and he can vouch for you that you won it. That is why you want it right, to show to your trainer?"
Lucario nodded, placated by the arrangement. Alex was still confused—why did Lucario need to show a badge to his trainer?—but sat aside his curiosity. He had a badge to win, and the fact he already knew a lot of Lucario's moves was a big help. "That works for me. When can we start?"
Cheren smiled, partly because he was relieved to get this Lucario off his back, but mostly because of the teenager's enthusiasm. "Luckily for you, I don't have any other challenges scheduled today. I'd like to ask you a few questions to make sure you understand the basics, and then we can head into the courtyard in the back and have our match there. Now, if you'll follow me…"
The party of three left the reception area and entered a long hallway with lots of doors on both sides. Alex peered inside each room and saw rows of desks, large whiteboards at the front, and the occasional projector hanging from the ceiling. "Whoa, it's like a school in here," Alex observed.
"Correct," Cheren replied with a proud grin. "A trainer and his pokemon have to be in peak physical condition, but none of that without strategy. Knowledge is power; never forget that." The conversation shifted and Cheren began asking Alex questions. What were the eighteen known pokemon types? What were their strengths, weaknesses, and immunities? What types was a Lucario, and how does his dual-typing compensate or compound his weaknesses? And so on. Alex answered swiftly, and got most of the questions right (How was he to know steel types didn't resist dark!? He could have sworn he read somewhere that they did…). They reached the end of the hallway just as Alex answered his last question. Satisfied, Cheren announced he would accept Alex's challenge and pushed open a set of doors.
They opened to reveal a large dirt battlefield defined by worn-looking white chalk. On either side was a small podium, one for the challenger, the other for Cheren, from which trainers could send out and recall pokemon while keeping an eye on their opponent. A few gym-goers sat in the bleachers, stragglers from the crowds that came to watch gym battles all day. It was sparse and modest and devoid of tricks. In short, perfect for two trainers to go all-out, nothing but the strength of their pokemon and their wits to pull them through.
Alex could barely contain his excitement. Here he was, out on the battlefield and ready to take on a gym leader! If he was paying attention, he would have noticed Lucario beside him, tense and nervous, occasionally taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"Before we begin Alex," Cheren said, commanding his challengers' attention, "I have one final question for you." The blonde-haired teenager leaned his head to the side as Cheren continued, "You obviously understand pokemon very well, at the very least the species that live in Unova. If you took the written exam, I have no doubt you'd pass easily. Why bother challenging me and going through all this trouble?"
Alex sighed and for the second time that day explained his problem. As expected, Cheren absorbed everything, and promptly quipped that walking on a sprained ankle, let alone running across a city, before leaving home in the dead of night was not the brightest of moves. Lucario already knew Alex's father didn't want him to be a trainer, but when Alex explained the reason why he wanted it so badly the Aura pokemon became more somber. His story finished, he watched the dark-haired gym leader contemplate his answer.
"You know, I have a friend who went through the same thing," Cheren began. "Her name is Bianca. Her dad was convinced she couldn't handle herself or a pokemon and was determined to keep her home for as long as possible."
Curiosity piqued, Alex asked, "Really? What did she do? Did her father let her leave?"
"Goodness no," Cheren answered with a chuckle. "She basically had to run away from home. Luckily for her, Professor Juniper had already taken care of the issue of a trainer's license. It helps to have friends in high places I suppose."
Alex nodded. He of course knew about Professor Juniper, Unova's most famous pokemon researcher. After a pause, he asked, "So, did everything work out? Between your friend and her father I mean?"
Cheren smiled. "Eventually. It took Elsa's intervention in Nimbassa, but after a long argument he finally accepted that she had to go be her own person. When she first started off, she was timid and flighty. Now she's one of Professor Juniper's assistants, and it's amazing how much going on that adventure changed her..." He looked wistful for a moment, but then placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and looked directly into his eyes. "My point for telling you this is don't be afraid to chase your dreams. As a gym leader I won't go easy on you today, and frankly if I did it would be a great disservice to you. No matter what happens, don't give up. Understood?"
Alex hesitantly nodded. "I understand."
A quick smile flashed across Cheren's face, and then he started towards his podium. The referee noticed the gym leader and challenger and quickly scrambled to the center of the outside boundary. Alex took his position at the other podium, and Lucario stepped inside the chalk outline and readied himself for whatever Cheren sent out.
"This will be a one-on-one battle," Cheren explained as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "The match will continue until either one side is unable to battle or until forfeit. Given the nature of this particular challenge, the normal rules regarding number of badges and difficulty will be suspended and the gym leader shall use whatever pokemon he sees fit. Do you, the challenger, understand the terms of this match and accept them?"
Alex looked to Lucario, growling and crouched into a fighting stance. "I do," he answered with finality.
"Good." Cheren's smile turned into a determined scowl, and with a roar he sent out his first pokemon, "Alright Stoutland, show him what it means to be a pokemon trainer!"
The red-and-white ball opened, and light exploded from the container. It took the shape of something large and hairy, with four legs and a thick tail. Its fur was different shades of tan and blue, and a thick mustache dominated its canine face. In an instant, the Stoutland identified his opponent and issued a loud, defiant growl and crouched in wait for its trainer's orders.
"Normal type huh?" Alex muttered to himself. "Ok then…Lucario, let's start this off with—!"
Before he could complete the order, Lucario launched himself at the terrier, fast as a bullet and fists coated in steel. The large terrier rolled to the side, deflecting the brunt of Lucario's Bullet Punch, before slamming into the blue jackal was all his weight. It knocked him backwards, but otherwise didn't faze him, and he switched attacks and went for a Force Palm instead.
"Stoutland, dive into the dirt!" The terrier obeyed Cheren's command and dove below ground, just in time to dodge Lucario's swing. Lucario looked for a sign of his opponent's movements, but the earth remained completely still. He closed his eyes to use aura-sight, and promptly dodged as 135 pounds of terrier exploded from the ground.
Alex was starting to panic. Lucario would be able to sense each attack, but eventually he'd tire and Stoutland's Dig would do huge damage to the steel type. Lucario weren't known for their endurance, but if Stoutland was robbed of his super-effective move that same steel typing would let him tank the blows from the terrier's other attacks. "Lucario, stay as close as you can! Don't let Stoutland use Dig!"
Rather than just close the distance, Lucario choose to attack with a Hi Jump Kick. Stoutland promptly dove underground, dodging the attack and allowing Lucario to land painfully several yards away. Before he could get up, Stoutland emerged from beneath and hit him dead-on with an explosion of rock and dirt.
Alex cursed under his breath. Why…why wouldn't Lucario listen to him!? The blue jackal landed with a thud, and the giant terrier stood afar admiring his work. Alex noticed Cheren staring at him from across the arena. He seemed…disappointed? Was he disappointed with him? It wasn't his fault Lucario wouldn't obey his comm—!
Of course. Alex wasn't his trainer, and Lucario didn't respect him. He recalled their conversation in the Pokemon Center and how he'd listed off all the ways he'd burdened the Aura pokemon. Lucario had been too polite to say anything at the time, but it was clear now he agreed and thought worse of Alex for it. The blonde-haired teenager was frustrated with Lucario, but he was frustrated even more with himself. Just another mistake, just another way he was a screw up…
No! He would not give up! He grit his teeth and then shouted, "Lucario! If you want to win this as badly as I do, please listen to me!" At this point, the blue jackal managed to get back onto wobbly feet and regarded Alex with a skeptical glare. Undaunted, he continued, "You have to stay close to Stoutland. If you attack from far away, he'll just pop back underground before you can reach him. You'll get hit a few times, but your typing should mitigate the damage and you can hit him with Force Palm in the meantime. I know you're already tired, but if we play this right we can still win this!"
Lucario frowned, but nodded in understanding. Unseen by either of them, Cheren's smile turned bittersweet. His opponent was definitely thinking on his feet, but he'd made a tactical error…
Lucario used Bullet Punch to close the distance, knowing the giant terrier would dodge but that it would satisfy the first part of Alex's plan. To his surprise, Cheren actually ordered Stoutland to remain still, and the giant canine weathered the blow with relative ease. Before Lucario could react, Cheren issued one final order:
"Stoutland, use Superpower!"
A blinding white glow covered Stoutland's body. With a mighty paw, he delivered a devastating blow which launched his opponent across the arena. Lucario tumbled on the dirt floor and skidded to a stop right in front of Alex's podium, knocked unconscious the moment he was hit.
"Lucario is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory goes to Leader Cheren!"
Alex wasn't really listening. Slowly, he dragged himself out of the podium and in front of Lucario. He was already stirring, and in a moment the Aura pokemon would regain consciousness. Alex failed to notice Cheren recall his pokemon and cross the other side of the field. "Do you know what you did wrong?" he asked.
"Which part?" Alex asked bitterly, never taking his eyes off Lucario. "Was it coming in here thinking Lucario would cooperate with me, or was it when I ran away from home thinking I could actually make this work?"
Cheren promptly slapped him upside the head. Alex let out an "ow!" and Cheren glared at him. "Don't be an idiot! I already told you I wasn't going to make it easy. You promised me you wouldn't give up if you lost, remember?" Alex nodded meekly, and Cheren calmed down a little. "Your mistake was being too hasty. It was good that you were thinking on your feet and devising new tactics to fit the situation, but you ordered Lucario to close in on Stoutland without knowing all of his moves. You didn't consider the main strength of the normal type; their diversity. Normal type pokemon can learn a wide variety of attacks, and it's the reason I use them at this gym. Assuming I had only one attack that could affect Lucario was foolish, and that assumption is what cost you the match."
By now Lucario was awake, and he flinched when he suddenly found Cheren's scowl directed at him. "And you," he began, "should have listened to Alex. You went all-out without any consideration for what Stoutland might do, and refused to listen to most of Alex's tactics. You're strong and you had type advantage; if you allowed Alex to help, you might have won the match."
Lucario whimpered a little, but Cheren ignored it. "Overall, the both of you did rather well. Seriously though, this was your first battle working together and Alex's first battle ever…not to mention you're both as stubborn as mules. It's a little insulting to me that you two thought you'd win on your first go. Strength isn't something given to you; you have to earn it. And the thing about it is, no matter how strong you get, there will always be someone stronger than you. I had to learn that the hard way…" he looked thoughtful for a moment, but continued, "Always strive to be the best you can, but don't be upset when you run into someone better than you. In all likelihood, they had to work very hard to get to where they are."
His lecture finished, the dark-haired gym leader turned and went for the door. "Go take Lucario to the Pokemon Center. If you two can work out your differences then good, but just so you know Alex I'm willing to lend you a rental that will be more…cooperative." Lucario growled but otherwise did nothing. "Come back whenever you're ready, I'll be here waiting."
Cheren made his exit, and for a while Alex and Lucario sat at the podium. Neither was willing to break the silence; in the end, they wordlessly agreed to walk to the Pokemon Center together. It was long past sundown when they got there and their trip was utterly silent. They entered, Alex rented his room, and the nurse treated Lucario's injuries. Alex didn't bother to wait for him and went upstairs. Their partnership was probably over and he didn't feel like seeing him anyway. He promptly locked the door to his room and flopped onto the bed. The furniture was sparse and the mattress was lumpy, but it was cheap and would work better than dirt and grass by the river. His ankle throbbed a little, but he was in too sour of a mood to pay it any mind.
He'd planned for this, hadn't he? Colress' money would allow him to stay here a few more nights, so he'd have plenty of chances to try again. Of course, even if he did win and got his license, he still wasn't sure what he would do afterwards… A light knock peeled him from his thoughts. Alex slowly limped to the door, undid the locks, and cracked it to get a look at his visitor. To his surprise, it was Lucario.
…hi… he projected. Alex didn't react, and Lucario eventually continued, You weren't downstairs when the nurse was finished with me. She said you rented a room here, so I was wondering if maybe I could spend the night? Alex considered it. On one hand, he was in a position to do Lucario a favor for once. However, he was still bitter about his loss to Cheren and really just wanted to be left alone to sort out his thoughts. Lucario sensed the emotion and added, I'm sorry about the match today. I wasn't strong enough to win on my own and wouldn't listen to you. I…underestimated you, and it cost both of us.
Alex's face softened. He opened the door and motioned for Lucario to enter. The blue jackal did so and Alex closed the door and locked it. Lucario took a spot by the window and Alex sat on the edge of his bed. "So…what exactly was that about anyway?" Alex asked. "Were you always planning to challenge the gym leader, or does this have something to do with your trainer moving to Nimbassa?"
Red eyes, normally bright and fierce, stared solemnly into cyan. No, not until I found out my trainer was already part-way through the gyms. I don't know why, but it didn't occur to me he'd already started the league challenge. I should have known better… A loud sigh escape the Aura pokemon and he added, Alex, I need to tell you something.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Okay then…what is it?"
It seemed to take Lucario a moment to steel himself for whatever he was about to say. Slowly, sadly, he projected, Remember when I told you I was separated from my trainer? That wasn't the whole truth. We weren't separated…he released me into the wild. The room became deathly quiet, and Lucario realized he had Alex's complete, undivided attention. He continued, My trainer hatched me from an egg and raised me for three years. He wants to become Unova's Pokemon Champion, and he was raising a team to take on the gyms. We trained all the time and he always pushed me to do my best...but it wasn't enough. I lost most of my matches, and the ones I didn't were only because I was recalled before I could faint. I could feel his frustration every time I lost. He was always so nice to me, and I felt like I was getting in his way. I desperately wanted to get better and start winning matches, but I just couldn't… A few tears came to his eyes, but they were quickly brushed away with a black paw.
Alex didn't need to be told what happened next. "He didn't think you were strong enough for his team, so he released you."
Lucario nodded solemnly. I was still a Riolu at the time. I hoped that when I evolved I would finally be strong enough to start winning and make him happy. But he never gave me that chance. He released me in a forest I didn't recognize and smashed my pokeball right in front of me. He said he didn't need me anymore and that I'd be happier in the wild than I would be sitting in the storage system. I tried to follow him, but he kept telling me to leave; eventually, he sent out one of his other pokemon to chase me off. It was the last I ever saw of him… Lucario finished his story. He looked expectedly at Alex and waited to hear his thoughts. He didn't wait long.
"That's…that's horrible!" Alex shouted. Something inside of him just snapped, consumed by a righteous fury he'd never experienced before. Capturing a pokemon was one thing, but hatching one from an egg…it changed everything. You raised them, protected them, and taught them how to survive; you became a family. Throwing Lucario away for such a callous reason made his skin crawl. "How could he—that motherfu—why would you want to go back to a trainer like that!?" Lucario's eyes widened at the sheer scale of Alex's a strange way, it was touching. "You're way too good for somebody like him! What he did was just…just evil!"
He didn't immediately reply. Deep down, I think I know all of that, Lucario began. But he released me because he thought I'd never get strong. I want to show him he was wrong, make him regret abandoning me in that forest! That's why I need the gym badge—before, I thought just evolving would be enough, but if his team's already won him several than I have to go a step beyond! I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only way I'll ever get any peace of mind…
Alex began to object, but thought better of it. He didn't get along with his father, but at least he still had him; Lucario's family basically disowned him. This was haunting him, Alex realized, and would continue to haunt him until Lucario finally confronted his trainer. Nothing he could say would dissuade him.
Which begged the question, "Why tell me?" Lucario raised a brow and Alex elaborated, "You went to all that trouble to make sure I didn't know the first time. You could have left after the nurse was done and we would have never seen each other again. Why tell me?"
Lucario fidgeted and looked at the floor, seemingly too embarrassed to look Alex in the eye. I was afraid if I left, you would be mad at me. I…kind of wasn't thinking straight at the time, and to be honest I didn't have a high opinion of your abilities when we met. I wanted to win so badly, and I was afraid if I listened to you we'd lose. The Aura pokemon sighed. After what Cheren said though…I realized how selfish I was being, and that maybe I'd been too quick to judge you. That match meant just as much to you as it did to me. I figured you should know why I did what I did. Lucario hesitated for a moment. Also, I'm not sure why but I think I can trust you with this. Other humans just tell me how sorry they are and say I should move on. Other pokemon say the same thing. You understand though, right...?
Alex thought about it for a moment. "Not really," he admitted, and Lucario wilted. "Your trainer sounds like an asshole. I'm kind of with everyone else you've talked to and think you should try to forget him. However…" Alex smiled, and Lucario perked up a little, "I do understand wanting something more than anything else in the world. If you really want this, I'm with you one-hundred percent. Suddenly, Alex had an idea. "Hey Lucario, how about we make a deal?"
Lucario blinked. A…deal?
"Yeah," Alex began, cocky grin spread across his face. "Why don't we go back to the gym tomorrow and challenge Cheren again. If we win, I'll give you the Basic Badge. You have a nice, shiny badge to rub in your trainer's face, and I get my trainer's license. Win-win for everyone."
Lucario couldn't believe it. You'd just give me the badge? Just like that?
"Well, yeah," Alex replied nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I just want to be a trainer. I don't really care about challenging the Unova League, so long as I get to go on an adventure. It would mean more to you than it would to me, and honestly I'm just happy to be able to help for once."
For a moment, the blue jackal was speechless. Then, slowly, he smiled. …thank you, he projected. Not just for the badge, but for listening to me.
Alex grinned. There was no guarantee they'd win, but Lucario spoke as if it were a sure thing. "Anytime. Now, we need to figure out how we're going to beat Cheren's Stoutland. He's got two different attacks that are super effective against you, one for up close and one he can use from far-away…"
And so human and pokemon spent the evening talking strategy. It was well past midnight when they finally felt they had a counter to Cheren's Stoutland and went to bed. Alex snuggled under his blanket and watched Lucario curl into a ball by the window. He wished he could talk him into letting go of his abusive trainer. He wished even more he knew a better way to help other than giving him a badge. However, he also knew Lucario's mind was made up and there was nothing he could say that would dissuade him from that goal. It was odd; earlier that night, he was a little mad at the Aura pokemon. He knew it was unjustified and unfair, and that it likely wouldn't have made a difference whether Lucario listened to him or not today, but he had been mad all the same. However, Lucario opening up to him was humbling. It made him realize no matter how rotten things seemed, there was always someone out there who had it worse.
His thoughts returned to what he would do after he got his license. He wanted to go back home and show it to his father. Surely Alistair would relent and give Alex his blessing once he knew how he got his license. Surely it would be proof Alex could make it as a pokemon trainer and that they didn't have to worry about him ending up like Astra. However, the possibility that none of that was true and he'd have to confront his father again terrified him. He desperately wanted his father's approval, and it occurred to him Lucario must have felt the same way about his trainer. Maybe he did understand after all…
Alex decided he'd spent enough time dwelling on this topic. There was a gym battle to win tomorrow after all! The blonde-haired teenager turned on his side, closed his eyes, and drifted into a light, troubled sleep.
Author's Note: Not gonna' lie, totally stole Cheren's surname from Coffee Included, author of Alphabet Soup. I don't have high opinions of B/W's story, but her take on it is nothing short of an epic, and the fact she made it so compelling makes it, in my opinion, one of the best Pokemon fanfictions ever made. Seriously, go read it!
Also, the post-gym battle scene was an absolute bitch to write for me. I'm really, really horrible about having characters overreact, and I spent a lot of time re-writing that scene to make it seem less far-fetched without losing any emotional charge. My original plan was to have them fight with each other, but I couldn't figure out a reason why Lucario would bother to stay with Alex if he was actually mad. So instead, I gave Lucario a guilt complex and decided he'd seek out Alex to apologize instead.
Fun fact: Cheren was originally the one to meet Alex in the Pokemon Center last chapter. But then I realized it seemed rather cruel for Cheren to get his hopes up and then crush him in a gym battle, so I had Colress talk to him instead. I wanted to introduce him earlier anyway, and it seems in character for him to be somewhat helpful to the protagonist. I mean, it's not like he has ulterior motives or anything…
Cough
So yeah, please let me know what you think. I'm trying to keep the review-whoring to a minimum, but I would like to know what people think of my story. Anonymous reviews are enabled, for any readers out there without an account (wink wink, nudge nudge). You can be honest with me; I'm a big boy, I can take it!
