A/N: (Old) A lot of the following section is based off of the portrayal from the fanfiction Ash Ketchum: Being More by The Orion Writer and of the movie itself, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. I do recommend watching the movies, if you haven't already, and reading The Orion Writer's story, I do enjoy it so.
(New) I was skimming through this as I was cutting it out for posting and I cringed a couple of times… I think I was a tad too excited when I was writing this, so I skimped out on some details. My bad, friends. :P Well, whenever I get back to writing Pokémon, you can be assured that I should have less grammatical and detail errors :D Anyway, enjoy!
'The Aura is with me!' Lucario incanted mentally, activating his Aura Sight. He scanned the city for Ash, finding him with ease. There were no other Aura signatures as large as his. He was happy to see that the two were currently in their hotel room, out of the view of regular humans.
Lucario dashed on the rooftops, striding about on his way to Ash. He clenched Sir Aaron's gloves tightly. He had not stopped mourning his lost friend, having cried a few times on his way back. But, he would move on, like Sir Aaron wanted him to. He would make new friends, live his life to the fullest. He swore to himself that he would succeed…and he would make Sir Aaron proud.
Smiling, Lucario knocked on the kitchen window that he had departed from. Delia came to the window and opened it, surprise on her face.
Ash turned from the sofa, where he was reading some books on Pokémon, to see the Aura Pokémon. He broke out into a grin, happy to see Lucario return. "Welcome back, Lucario! Did you find what you wanted?" Ash asked, referring to the Aura Pokémon's journey to find out the truth. Delia listened intently.
Lucario smiled sadly, in memory of his master. "I'm glad to say that I was wrong…Sir Aaron really was a hero. The greatest hero there ever was."
Ash and Delia both smiled at him, both also noticing the undertone in his voice. The mother-son duo locked eyes for a moment, nodding to each other. They walked up to Lucario and hugged him simultaneously. "I'm glad for you, Lucario. I really am," Ash said earnestly.
Lucario's eyes widened at the gesture and suddenly, he felt all of his tension leave his body. For the first time in six days, he relaxed and felt tired…but safe. "Thank you both…if you don't mind, I would like to rest. Would you two mind if I stayed here with you?"
"Of course, Lucario. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you like," Delia said with a warm smile.
Lucario's eyes lit up, not expecting to be welcomed so quickly. Tears threatened to gather up in his eyes again, but he held them back, smiling instead. "Thank you…both. Ash…I would like you to take these." Lucario handed the gloves he held to the young child.
"What are these?" Ash asked, treating the pair of gloves delicately.
"Those…are my master's gloves. The gloves of Sir Aaron. They helped him with focusing his Aura. I think both Sir Aaron and I would agree in giving them to you."
Ash looked at the gloves with awe. "I'll take good care of them. Thank you, Lucario," he said seriously.
Lucario nodded in thanks to the child. "I'd like to rest now, if you don't mind."
"Of course, you can sleep in Ash's room." Ash nodded affirmatively to his mother's statement.
…..
"One thing you must understand, Ash, is that learning how to control Aura takes years of effort. The most I would be able to teach you before you return to Pallet Town is how to feel its presence and access it. Anything else would take too long," Lucario stated.
"Really? That kind of sucks." Ash frowned.
Lucario thought about the proposition lurking at the forefront of his mind. Would they accept? What if they didn't? He hesitated, but steeled himself. 'Ash, I will teach you as much as I can about Aura, but that will take time. Time that we do not have…if I stay here, that is." Ash was confused for a moment, before understanding what he meant. He grinned. Delia remained confused, so Lucario continued after taking a deep breath. "There's nothing here for me anymore. Ash seems to understand what I mean. Everything I once knew is gone from here, as I am a remnant of the past. If it is alright with you, Ms. Ketchum, I would like to come with you and your son."
Delia gasped in surprise, while Ash broke into an ear-splitting grin. The mother looked to her son. "Please, mom? I'd love it if he came along," he said pleadingly. He had a feeling she would say yes though.
Delia thought about the advantages and disadvantages. Lucario would be able to teach Ash how to defend himself, which would be helpful in her son's ambition to become a Pokémon trainer. Also, Aura was an innate part of him. He had to right to learn how to use it. Lucario wouldn't be a burden to bring along, either. He was obviously self-sufficient. There were no disadvantages she could think about. It was indeed an easy decision.
"We'd love to have you along," Delia said with a smile.
He turned to Ash and was somewhat shocked by the differences. The child had Sir Aaron's gloves on and his usual smile on his face. However, his eyes burned with determination that seemed unnatural in a child. The crystals on the gloves grew brighter as blue aura coated his hands.
"I'll make you and Sir Aaron proud, Lucario. That's a promise."
Lucario determined then and there that Ash was special. He would do everything he could to help Ash on his path to greatness. He would mentor Ash in the ways of the Aura, help him in understanding Pokémon, and anything else he needed. He swore it on his life.
Ash's stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, a blush appearing on his face. "Couldn't go long without breakfast, could you dear?" Delia giggled, moving to the kitchen. Lucario chuckled.
"Hey Lucario?" The Aura Pokémon looked over to Ash. The young trainer's hands still glowed with his Aura as he extended them to Lucario, open for a handshake. "Friends?"
Lucario smiled as he reached over and shook Ash's hand. "Friends."
…..
Ash Ketchum – Age 8
Kanto Region, Summer Camp…
"Hey! Everybody! Where is everybody!" the girl shouted.
Suddenly, the bush rustled, startling her. She turned to run, but tripped, screaming slightly as she fell. She lay on the ground in fear as the bush rustled more, when a Poliwag suddenly jumped out. It looked around for a few seconds. She looked at the little Pokémon in fear, recoiling back slightly, when it looked at her. It jumped off soon after.
Her eyes watered from the pain she felt from her knee and fear she felt being alone. "T-that's why I didn't even want to come to this camp," she whimpered as her tears pooled up. "Mama!" she cried out as her tears dripped onto her face.
The bushes rustled some more, startling her again. 'I just want to go home…' she thought, closing her eyes in fear and leaking more tears down her cheeks.
"Hey, what are you doing out here?" a voice called out. Her eyes snapped open to see a tanned boy with black hair and brown eyes. "Hi, my name's Ash!" His eyes wandered down to her leg. "Oh, you're hurt…"
He walked over to the girl on the ground, taking out a blue handkerchief that he had in his pocket. 'I don't have anything to actually fix her with…but I can still help!' "Here, this should help a little!" He tied the handkerchief neatly around her leg. She tried to move.
"Ow! It still hurts," she whimpered. "I still can't get up…!"
Ash smiled softly at the girl. "Never give up until the end. Here, I'll help you up." He took her by the hand and brought her in, standing her up, but bringing her into his arms. He hugged her to comfort her slightly, a blush coming onto her face. "See, you stood!"
She looked down at herself, surprised that she wasn't feeling that much pain after all. "Come on, let's get back to the campsite!"
"T-thank you. My name is Serena…" she stammered, being led along by the hand.
Ash could feel her hand warming up, easily hearing the embarrassment in her voice. "Nice to meet you, Serena! I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you from another region?"
"Y-yea, I'm from the Kalos Region…my mom wanted to move here to see if it would be a good place to stay, so we're here for the summer," Serena answered.
"That's pretty cool. What's Kalos like?" Ash asked, feeling strangely at peace with this girl he just met.
For the rest of the way back to the campsite, the two children continued to chat, Serena slowly opening up for the first time that summer.
…..
Ash Ketchum – Age 9
Kanto Region, Pallet Town…
"You are a very strange child, you are aware of that, right?" Lucario said, eyebrows raised at Ash.
"Pssh… I have no idea what you're talking about," Ash replied nonchalantly.
"You're doing one-handed handstands with two large rocks balanced on both feet…"
"It's just training, I'm sure you've done stuff like this before."
"Yes…but I am a Pokémon…you are a human."
Ash shrugged in response, kicking off the rocks and flipping back onto his feet. "Oh, I'm sure anybody could do it with proper training."
"You also wield Aura like its second nature to you. Along with the fact that you seem to be able to use Aura to simulate Pokémon moves and other types, you are probably more adept with it than I am…" Lucario deadpanned.
"I'm not sure how much I'm authorized to tell you about that," Ash responded, whistling innocently. Aura wasn't entirely different from the nature of chakra, so it didn't take much effort to get the hang of.
'Oh, I thought this might come up at some point. Your Pokémon can be told of your true purpose, Chosen. Conceal it from humans, however," boomed Arceus into their minds.
Lucario's eyes widened in shock, receiving a vision of the creator. He turned to Ash, who was nervously scratching the back of his head and laughing. "Wow, you have a talent for popping in conveniently, Arceus."
Lucario immediately knelt in front of Ash, who frowned. "Forgive me for not knowing, Chosen, I-"
"Lucario, stop that right now. You're my friend, not any servant or subordinate. You should know better than that," Ash immediately snapped.
The tone of the boy's voice stood Lucario up immediately. The Aura Pokémon looked apologetic. "I apologize, Ash. I should have known better, my friend…"
He waved it off. "Well, whatever…guess that's one way to break the ice on that subject."
Arceus chuckled to herself in the Hall of Origin, watching her Chosen.
…..
A/N: For anybody who's curious, he's still wearing the same clothes he does in the show, plus Sir Aaron's gloves. I guess you can say he's around the same height as Gary, or a tad taller. Rather attractive, all you need to imagine~
Ash Ketchum – Age 10
Kanto Region, Pallet Town…
A green sphere of energy smashed into the ground, narrowly avoided by Ash. Ash suddenly vanished from his vision, forcing Lucario to immediately switch to Aura Sight.
Before he could react, Ash closed in and kicked twice in succession, legs coated in white energy. The attack slammed into Lucario's chest, knocking him back savagely.
"Ash! If you don't get going, you're going to be late!" Delia called out from the kitchen.
"Ok, mom! Just a minute!" Ash yelled back. "Guess we're done for now, Lucario."
"Thank Arceus for small mercies…the strength you possess for a human still astounds me," the Aura Pokémon stated, rubbing his chest. "Thank you for holding back."
"No point in injuring my friend, right? Come on, let's get going. I don't want to miss my big day!" Ash yelled excitedly. Lucario nodded and tapped the Pokéball on his belt, disappearing in a flash of red light. "Well, better get there quickly." Ash's eyes glowed blue as Sir Aaron's gloves flew over to his hands. He flashed white and disappeared from the yard.
…..
Ash entered through the door to the Pokémon Ranch, deciding to avoid the forward path. Too many people to potentially see him. He thought he heard cheerleaders too. Probably Gary. "Hey, Professor Oak, are you in here?"
"Over here!" the old man called out.
Ash walked over to the center of the Lab, seeing the three Pokémon that were normally given out to beginners. "Hi Professor Oak, I hope I wasn't too late. Though, from what I can see, it appears that they're all taken," he observed, looking at the Pokéballs with his Aura Sight.
They were empty.
"Hehehe…" Professor Oak laughed nervously. "Sorry about that Ash. But don't worry, I have the perfect Pokémon just for you!"
A Pokéball rose out of the middle of the Starter Pokémon table, with a little lightning bolt mark on it. Ash raised an eyebrow. "Why did you have that specifically there if it wasn't prepared beforehand?"
"Uh, don't worry about that Ash. Anyway, fair warning, the Pokémon inside is pretty feisty. Any other trainer that had him before always returned him," Professor Oak explained.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine. We'll come to an understanding." Ash opened up the Pokéball, the white beam of light striking the table and materializing. A small, yellow, mouse-like Pokémon came out.
"This again? Doesn't the old fool understand? I don't want a trainer!" Pikachu said in annoyance.
Ash crouched until he was face to face with the little mouse Pokémon. "You know, if I couldn't understand every single word that you said, I'm sure that would've sounded really cute."
"Well, of course, but you're just a human and humans can't….wait, what?"
Ash grinned at the electric mouse. "Nice to meet you, Pikachu. Starting from today, I'm on a quest to become a Pokémon master! Will you help me?"
Pikachu looked at Ash like he was crazy. "You? A Pokémon master? You've got to be joking, right?"
He got ready to ridicule this newbie trainer some more, but found himself staring into Ash's eyes. Eyes filled with determination. "You won't know till I try, will you? What's the worst that could happen? Give me a chance, will you?"
Pikachu scoffed at the hat-wearing trainer, but decided to go with it. He would just convince this kid to give him back to the Professor, just like he always did.
Ash held up the Pokéball, but felt a wave of annoyance roll over Pikachu when he did. "You don't like being in the Pokéball? Well, whatever. You can sit on my head or shoulder," Ash gestured.
The electric mouse looked at him in surprise, but did so, taking up a perch on Ash's left shoulder. 'This kid is strange…' the mouse thought. "Also…why can he talk to me?"
Professor Oak watched the byplay with a smile. For the last five years, Ash had constantly been at the lab, studying Pokémon, asking questions, and helping with the Pokémon that Professor Oak held. The young boy's passion for Pokémon was unmatched and he absorbed knowledge like a sponge.
Ash was constantly a great help at the Ranch, able to communicate with the Pokémon and tell the Professor of any needs or problems that they faced. Lucario sometimes worked to train some of the Fighting-Type Pokémon at the Ranch, such as Hitmonlee and Mankey.
Professor Oak snapped back to attention to continue his duty as the Professor seeing off a starting trainer.
"Here is a regional Pokédex, five Pokéballs, and a Pokégear for your journey. The Pokédex will function as an encyclopedia for Pokémon, passport, credit card, taking videos, pictures, and many other things."
Ash smiled and took the three items. He hooked the five Pokéballs onto his trainer's belt, alongside Pikachu's lightning-marked one. He attached the red Pokégear to his wrist.
The Pokégear was a device that originated in Johto and spread over to Kanto. The further off regions had their own equivalents, but they all had a similar function for the most part. The Pokégear served as a map, contact book, phone, and few other miniscule things. As such, the Pokégear started to be given out to a small amount of trainers to aid in their journeys, mostly the trainers that started out at a lab like Professor Oak's.
"Thanks Professor, I appreciate it!" Ash said happily. "I've gotta get going now, Professor Oak. Need to say bye to my mom and then get started on my journey."
"Of course! Have a nice journey, Ash. I'll contact you once I receive notification that you've arrived in Viridian City," he said with a nod.
Professor Oak watched the new trainer depart with a smile, slightly regretful that he was losing his best assistant. With a sigh, he returned back inside.
…..
Delia Ketchum whistled as she cleaned the house, waiting for her dear son to come back from the Lab. She heard the door opening and went out to greet him.
"Welcome back, honey!" she said affectionately.
"Hey mom, I'm back. This is my new partner, Pikachu! He'll be my starter Pokémon for the journey," Ash said, gesturing to the yellow mouse on his shoulder.
"Oh! He's so cute!" Delia squealed, taking Pikachu into a hug. She eventually let go of the mouse, who took a deep breath of air to refill his squashed lungs.
She turned to look at Ash. "It feels like it was just yesterday when you were my little boy, begging to go to Professor Oak's Lab to see some of the Pokémon…and now you're all grown up and ready to go," Delia said, eyes clouded slightly by tears.
"Mom…" Ash hugged his mother gently. The two just stood there for a moment. His mother broke off from the hug with a soft smile, wiping away her tears.
"My, my, what's come over me? I didn't want to send you away like this," Delia joked. "I'm so proud of you, Ash…and I'm sure your father would be to. It's time for your journey to begin." She handed over a backpack, filled with some clothes, supplies, and other assorted things that Ash had prepared. "Make sure you brush your teeth side-to-side and shower constantly. Make sure you're clean for all the young ladies that you come across in your journey, you wouldn't want to chase them off! Always eat like a gentlemen, not like a hungry Snorlax. Treat your Pokémon with care, and don't forget to change your under-"
Ash stopped his mom with another hug and a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure to remember it all and I'll make you proud, mom. I promise, I'll become a Pokémon master!"
Delia smiled brightly. "Go get 'em, honey!"
Ash nodded and walked away with one last wave of goodbye. Delia watched her son walk off for his Pokémon journey, just like his father years ago. She leaked a few more tears, but kept a smile on her face as he faded from view.
…..
"Your mother is a very affectionate person," Pikachu groaned, trying to work out a creak in his neck.
"I know, and I love her all the more for it."
The duo were well on their way to Viridian City as something crossed his mind. The Pokéball on his necklace burst open, releasing Lucario from within.
"You forgot to let me out, Ash…" the Aura Pokémon stated, a vein popping out on his forehead.
Ash laughed nervously as Lucario redirected his attention to the yellow mouse on his shoulder. "Oh right, this is Pikachu. Pikachu, meet Lucario, my first friend."
Pikachu's ears twitched. "Friend? Not pet? Toy? Servant? Tool?" he asked curiously. He was startled by Ash's reaction.
Pure disgust and hatred marred Ash's otherwise innocent features for all but a moment.
"No. Lucario is my friend. And I hope that you decide to be as well. Any one that treats their Pokémon companions as anything less than a comrade doesn't deserve to be a trainer at all," Ash stated with venom.
Pikachu went silent to ponder his new trainer's words. Lucario noticed the confusion. 'Would it be safe to assume that your past trainers were people that treated you as such?' the Aura Pokémon asked telepathically.
Pikachu was startled by the connection, but calmed down quickly. 'Yes…they were. And you're telling me that this kid won't?'
'Ash is perhaps the kindest human I have ever met, second only to his mother. He treats me with respect, works alongside me as a partner and friend. I see that you haven't quite accepted him yet…I would urge you to do so. He could be the greatest friend you will ever make.' Lucario cut the link there, giving the mouse time to think.
Pikachu turned to see a Pokédex in front of his face and the device's monotone voice began to speak. "Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon and the evolution of Pichu. It can generate electric attacks from the electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks. This Pikachu is male and knows the moves Thundershock, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, and Double Team. It has the ability Static and the hidden ability Lightning Rod, both are active at all times."
Ash whistled in surprise at the information. The two abilities were a pleasant surprise, Static to aid in any physical confrontations and Lightning Rod to help Pikachu in any electrical power struggles. He seemed to be more of a speed-oriented type anyway, so it fit.
"Wow, you're pretty powerful," Ash commented off-handedly. Pikachu preened under the praise. "There's a slight disadvantage to your move set though. You don't really have anything for Ground and Rock-Types. The first gym leader uses Rock and Ground-Types. That might be a problem."
Pikachu grimaced, knowing his own limits. "So, what should I do?" he asked, testing his trainer for competence.
"I'm going to teach you some new moves to give you a weapon to use against Ground/Rock-Types. Iron Tail and Dig would be good moves to teach you. Rock-Types also tend to be slower in the scale of Pokémon, so we'll train in you in speed, to dodge and run circles around them. You already know Double Team, which should help a lot. You'll be near impossible for them to hit. What do you think, does that sound good?"
Pikachu tilted his head in confusion. "You're letting me have a choice?"
Ash smiled, understanding Pikachu's shock. He plucked the mouse off his shoulder and hugged him. Pikachu was stunned by the sudden movement, as the trainer began to speak. "How can a Pokémon become any stronger if their own will is disregarded in their training? How can a trainer even call themselves one if they don't care for each Pokémon that joins their family? It's all up to you, Pikachu."
'Family...greatest friend I'll ever meet…' Pikachu looked Ash in the eyes. "Do you really mean that?"
Ash looked straight back, sincerity shining through his eyes. "Every word of it. I swear on my life and Aura." His eyes flashed blue, startling the Electric Mouse Pokémon, yet also adding much more credibility to his claim.
"…Ok, Ash. I'll help you on your journey to become a Pokémon master…and you'll be my first friend. Now, let's get to training!" Pikachu said happily.
The last few moments had cemented it. He could just see it in Ash's eyes. If he needed to, he would give his life up for any Pokémon that he cared for. He would follow this trainer through till the very end.
Ash smiled brightly, happy that Pikachu had finally accepted him. He much preferred earning trust than muscling in obedience, like most people would attempt to do. Pikachu's heart warmed at the earnest smile from Ash.
…..
"Oh Arceus, save me from this demon!" Pikachu whined, collapsed on Ash's sleeping bag. "This isn't training, this is torture!"
"Hey, don't complain. It's entirely reasonable and productive. Besides, I do the same exercises at two times the pace and repetition, so it's totally doable," Ash said as he mixed some food for his friend.
Pikachu sighed, but Ash was right. He had learned Iron Tail and Flash from his eager trainer and was told that they would talk more about what next after he had a break.
The Mouse Pokémon had learned that Ash was rather unique...
Instead of using the Technical Machines that many trainers bought, with only a single-time usage, Ash himself watched the instruction videos and committed them to memory, so he could teach multiple Pokémon the moves.
Pikachu also found himself worked to the bone in order to train his speed and stamina, though Ash promised that more balanced training would come in later on. 'Oh, the horror…' Pikachu thought to himself. A little scent trail floated over to the tired mouse, stopping in front of his nose.
He sniffed and immediately snapped his head up, eyes wide open. He dashed over to Ash, locating the source of the wonderful smell. "What is that? What's that smell?" he said excitedly.
"Homemade Pokémon food. Took a lot of experimenting to get it down right, but Professor Oak had a lot of Pokémon for me to work with. Yours specifically has Shuca Berries in it." Ash set down the plate in front of Pikachu, who immediately dug in.
"Oh, wow, this tastes so good!" Pikachu said in delight, savoring the tangy primary flavor of the food, complemented by an undertone of sweetness that appealed to his taste buds. "What're Shuca Berries?"
"Special berries from the Sinnoh Region. They don't grow naturally here in Kanto, but I persuaded my mom to order some and grow them in our garden. The Shuca Berry itself has the effect of weakening damage caused by super effective Ground-Type attacks. I read something on how adding berries like this to food will naturally increase a Pokémon's resistance to their opposing type, so this should be perfect for you."
"Wow, you sure studied a lot about Pokémon before you even started your journey, huh?" Pikachu asked. He was pretty sure that most trainers wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of knowledge that Ash had stored up.
"You should have seen him. Outside of training with me in the arts of Aura and playing with that girl Serena when she was still here in Kanto, Ash spent almost all of his time researching on Pokémon. Professor Oak even offered him an assistant position if the whole trainer bit didn't work out," Lucario snorted.
Pikachu laughed at that and finished up his meal before laying on his back contentedly. "Well, I'm ready to talk about training now."
"Perfect. Before I saw anything else, amazing job out there today, Pikachu. I was worried that the regimen might be too straining, but you worked your way through it," Ash said with a smile. He brought the Mouse Pokémon into his lap, petting his head affectionately.
Pikachu twitched, but couldn't resist the comfortable grooming. "Thanks. I'm not kidding about my goal to become the strongest Electric-Type in the world!" he said with determination.
Ash nodded at his companion and began the overview. "You've outperformed what I expected today. I didn't quite expect you to finish with Flash today, but since you did, you should have no problem learning more diverse moves. At the moment, we can keep on working to help you specialize, but eventually we'll need to balance you out." Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow, we can work on one of the more complex Electric-Type moves I was thinking of and keep working towards Agility. All-in-all, you're doing a great job!" Pikachu smiled at the compliment.
"What is your plan for the Gym, Ash? You haven't discussed that in detail yet," Lucario asked.
"With Pikachu's training and the Gym's typing in mind, I was thinking hit-and run tactics would be our best bet. They'll be hard pressed to hit Pikachu and we should be able to overwhelm the Gym with his speed. I'd like to get another Pokémon before we get to Pewter Gym though. I heard that the Gym leader goes with two on two battles, so I need a second."
"You could just use me," Lucario commented.
"I could…but you could also probably destroy every gym in the Kanto Region easily…" Ash deadpanned. "As a trainer, I need to gain entry to the Indigo League legitimately, which means with my own Pokémon and not with you steamrolling everything. If I am going use you, it'll be in the Indigo League or similar situations, nothing less."
Pikachu raised his head curiously. "How strong are you, Lucario?"
"I believe the Professor rated me at around Elite Four level, if you are aware of what that means." Pikachu gaped at the Aura Pokémon, who chuckled at the mouse's expression. "I have years of experience and a variety of moves available to me. I work myself ragged every day. Keep training as Ash directs you, and you'll be as strong one day. Maybe even stronger."
Pikachu nodded in understanding, swearing that he would do his best. Lucario's explanation raised a point of interest with Ash.
He hadn't used the Pokédex on the Aura Pokémon yet, so he didn't know all of his moves. He snapped his Pokédex open and activated it to scan Lucario.
"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements. This Lucario is male and knows the moves Force Palm, Extreme Speed, Close Combat, Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Bone Rush, Metal Claw, Low Kick, Detect, Protect, Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Feint, Counter, Shadow Ball, and Shadow Claw. This Lucario has the ability Inner Focus, meaning that this Pokémon will never flinch or hesitate to strike."
Ash took a moment to enjoy his yellow companion's reaction. Pikachu's jaw was flat on the ground in astonishment. Ash himself wasn't entirely surprised at the revelation of Lucario's move set.
Somebody had to be sparring with the Aura Pokémon, after all.
The silence was broken by a screaming in the distance, growing louder by the moment. "Somebody help me!" An orange-haired girl crested the hill riding her bike, pursued by a flock of Spearow and a Fearow.
She was having a rather bad day. She's spent most of the day fishing at the nearby river, only to have no fruitful bites on her lure. In her frustration, she'd kicked a stone laying nearby on the riverbank. She heard a cry of pain before the flock of hostile birds came out to pursue her.
She rode off towards Viridian City in hopes of losing the flock, but they were persistent, keeping up with her even as she biked away.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Lucario, Dark Pulse!" she heard shouted. The bolt of electricity and shockwave of darkness flew over her head, slamming into the flock, immediately sending them reeling. The Fearow shrieked indignantly and tried to fly away, only to fall to the ground paralyzed and reeling from the damage. A Pokéball slapped into the large bird of prey, taking it into the capsule. The ball shook a few times before confirming the capture.
"Hey, do you mind picking that up and bringing it over here?" the voice called out.
She complied and located the source of her rescuers, riding over to the trio of figures. "Hello!" she called out.
"Hi, what's your name? I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town," he said, introducing himself with a smile. "These are my friends, Lucario and Pikachu." The Aura Pokémon nodded to the orange-haired girl, Pikachu greeting her, even though she probably only heard a 'Pika!"
She moved closer into the camp, finally getting a good look at the trainer that helped her out. 'Wow, he's pretty cute,' she thought idly, blushing slightly. 'A bit young though. Maybe a few more years…' "My name is Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean City. Thank you for helping me."
"No problem at all! Do you want to stay with us for the night? It's getting rather late out and we have food to share. You seem like you could go for a nice meal."
Misty opened her mouth to speak, but her stomach rumbled slightly to interrupt her. She blushed in embarrassment. Ash, Lucario, and Pikachu chuckled in amusement.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you Ash!" she said appreciatively. She handed over the Pokéball with Fearow in it and settled down for a meal.
The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully and the quartet soon went to sleep. Lucario retreated into his Pokéball, Ash curled up with Pikachu in his sleeping bag, and Misty unrolled her own.
'So, how are we going to do this…?' Ash thought before his consciousness faded off to sleep.
…..