*Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 1! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you enjoy Chapter 2! It mainly focuses on a fight between Lucario and Tigress.

Chapter 2: Crouching Tigress

Lucario took a seat at one of the orphanage's many wooden tables. Once the caretaker passed out each kid's portion of rice and noodles, she also took it upon herself to accompany him there, alongside a few orphans who were particularly interested in learning more about their unusual-looking savior. One of them was the bunny girl, Tú, from before.

The Aura Pokémon was given a pair of chopsticks to eat with, but he couldn't seem to hold them properly in his paws. Food just fell the moment he brought it close to his mouth.

The elderly goat found this rather amusing, given the fact that Lucario was, for the most part, a grown adult. His deep, gravelly voice couldn't have come from someone any younger, after all.

"Having some trouble, Mr. Lucario?" She chuckled.

Lucario cleared his throat and sheepishly nodded.

"Yes. I'm afraid I've never… used these utensils before." He said while trying and failing to pinch a piece of rice with his chopsticks. "Thank you for the meal, though, ma'am. I appreciate your kindness."

"My pleasure, dear! And please just call me Ms. Shānyáng. There's no need to be so formal."

Lucario bowed his head in understanding. "If that's what you prefer."

He then noticed Tú reach into his bowl with her own chopsticks and hover some noodles in front of his face.

"They're pretty easy to use once you get used to them." She kindly said. "Here. Try some!"

A part of him felt a little embarrassed being fed by a young girl, but it wouldn't be right to decline her act of generosity either. Upsetting a child wouldn't be wise in any situation and this moment was no exception.

"Thank you."

He then grabbed Tú's chopsticks and slurped the noodles down his throat. They tasted, to his pleasant surprise, absolutely delicious.

"Wow. These are good!"

Not wanting to waste a single morsel of his food, Lucario quickly gobbled up every piece of rice and noodles he could find. He even managed to master using chopsticks within seconds, which took him and everyone else a bit by surprise.

"Well, it looks like someone was hungry." Ms. Shānyáng quipped.

Tú nodded. "More than that! He must have been starving!"

Lucario took a sip of tea and smiled. A piece of chocolate would have been the icing on the cake for this type of meal. Sadly, he had a feeling that candy bars, like the one that human child, Max, gave him, didn't really exist in this world.

"You're both right. I haven't eaten that much food in quite a while."

Ms. Shānyáng raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Really? That's a bit hard to believe, given your current physique. You appear to be in rather good shape."

"That is mainly a result of my Aura. I've done my fair share of… training and fighting in the past, so normally, I can go without eating anything for days or even weeks at most."

Tú and the other orphans' eyes lit up at the mention of Lucario's training.

"Then you really are a kung fu master! I knew it!" A duckling beamed.

A young pig nudged him with his shoulder. "Pfft. Obviously. No one can fight that good without at least some experience with martial arts."

Lucario scrunched up his nose in minor annoyance. They were still under the impression that his Aura and attacks were a product of kung fu, or whatever style of combat existed in this China country.

"No, you're mistaken. I may have some knowledge of martial arts, but I am by no means a kung fu master, like you assume." He rested a paw in front of his chest and gestured to himself. "I am what is known as an Aura Guardian."

The orphans scratched their heads, trying to figure out what exactly an Aura Guardian could be.

"Huh. Never heard of that before…" The piglet muttered.

"I wouldn't expect you to. Back where I come from, me and my master, Sir Aaron, went around manipulating the Aura within our bodies to help those in need, especially during times of war and great hardship."

"Wow! That explains why you were able to beat up those mean old crocs! You're a superhero, Mr. Lucario!" Tú proclaimed. She was practically bouncing up and down from excitement and admiration.

The Steel/Fighting-type was starting to feel a little embarrassed in that moment. He shyly looked away and stroked the back of his head.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. Master was always more of the heroic type…"

Ms. Shānyáng warmly grinned. "Looks like some of his heroism rubbed off on you then. You claim that you're not a kung fu master, but your conduct and performance in battle say otherwise. I'm almost curious to see what Master Shifu and the Furious Five think of you."

Lucario titled his head to the side with newfound interest.

"Furious Five, hm? Who are they?"

"They are five powerful kung fu masters sworn to protect the Valley of Peace and all of China itself. Each of them have been trained by the Jade Palace's current grandmaster, Shifu, to utilize a specific style of martial arts in combat." The old goat explained. "Their names are Viper, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and finally—"

Suddenly, as if through sheer coincidence, Bao Gu Orphanage's front door was opened by a female South China Tiger with amber eyes and orange fur. Her outfit comprised of a red qipao that had golden patterns shaped like vines, and black pants which somewhat matched her striped tail. She also had brown stripes that extended along her forehead and arms.

Every single orphan gasped in response to her presence.

"TIGRESS!"

She awkwardly waved at them. "Hello, everyone."

The kids then jumped out of their seats to greet the kung fu master with warm smiles and hugs. Tú, however, preferred to stay by Lucario's side for the time being.

"This is a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, dear? Don't you have some more training to do?" Ms. Shānyáng asked.

"Master Shifu recommended that I take a short break in between each session of training. I tried my best to decline, but you know how he is…" Tigress grumbled. She then smiled at her old caretaker and looked around the room. "Besides, I needed to make sure the Jade Palace's monthly donation arrived here safely. Did you receive it on time?"

The goat nodded and brought out the large bag of money from her pocket.

"It did, yes, but a few bandits came and almost took all of it from us. The children and I would have been in serious danger if not for this helpful stranger here coming to our rescue."

"Stranger?"

Tigress darted her eyes toward the blue and black-furred man sitting at a nearby table. His appearance was unusual, but she was astute enough to realize that this individual had experienced his fair share of battles in the past.

However, she could tell that he wasn't a famous martial artist like herself, Shifu, and the rest of the Five. She would have remembered hearing about someone like him.

"Hello," Lucario said. "My name is Lucario."

Even his name didn't seem all that commonplace. She pursed her lips and bowed her head.

"Tigress. Thank you for protecting these children from harm. I neglected to put their wellbeing into consideration when I had a messenger deliver this money. For that, I apologize."

The Aura Pokémon studied Tigress's Aura and figure from head to toe. Based on her present energy, he could tell that she felt a bit unnerved by his presence. He couldn't hold that against her, obviously. Pokémon looked rather odd when compared to mere animals like her and the orphans, even the more cute, defenseless species.

"There's no need to feel anxious around me. I merely did what I thought was right. I have no ulterior motives beyond figuring out where I am and how I got here." Lucario assured her.

Tigress's eyes widened from shock. It was as if Lucario had managed to read her mind somehow.

"How did you—"

Her response was interrupted by an enthusiastic bunny hopping in front of her.

"Mr. Lucario's a good guy, Tigress! You should have seen him take down all five of those crocodiles by himself! He was all like 'Whoosh!' and 'Bam!' and 'Thwack!'." Tú shouted while poorly imitating Bone Rush's movements. "It was super-duper awesome!"

"Yeah. I bet he could put you and the rest of the Furious Five to shame!" A piglet boldly claimed.

"Definitely! That Aura Guardian stuff could blow them all away.

The children all began to chatter away about Lucario and his abilities, causing Tigress to narrow her eyes in further suspicion. Knowing how competitive the young tiger could be, Ms. Shānyáng tried her best to quiet the orphans down.

"Shh! Settle down, children! Mr. Lucario came here to relax, remember?"

Amber eyes met red as Tigress stared the Pokémon down with newfound determination.

"You're strong enough to take me on, huh? Is that so?" She crossed her arms and smirked. "Then how about we have a little sparring match outside. It'll help me see how formidable you really are, Mr. Lucario."

Bao Gu Orphanage's caretaker placed a hand over her forehead and sighed. "Oh dear. This won't end well…"

Lucario calmly finished drinking the rest of his tea and stood up. He then walked closer to Tigress, sporting his own confident smirk.

"Challenge accepted then, Master Tigress. If I win this spar of yours, I'd like you to take me to this Jade Palace location. I think it'll help me answer some questions concerning my arrival here."

The kung fu master wasn't certain what he meant by that statement, but she could learn more about it another time. Fighting and defeating Lucario in combat was her top priority now.

"You have yourself a deal then. Let's go."

Both of them then exited the communal center and prepared for their spar outside. Lucario calmly pressed his paws together and took deep, shallow breaths while Tigress outstretched her body on all fours.

Ms. Shānyáng nervously looked from Lucario to Tigress in worry. Much like the children themselves, she wasn't certain who to root for. She didn't wish to see either of them get hurt or humiliated, but such outcomes were inevitable for fights like this one.

Her orphans, on the other hand, couldn't contain their excitement. Some of them were already placing bets on who was more likely to win in the end. Others just wanted to see Tigress and Lucario's respective abilities on full display.

"Mind counting us off, Ms. Shānyáng?" Tigress requested.

"O-Oh, of course, dear!" The old goat bleated. "Ready…"

The two fighters stood in their own fighting stances. Tigress crouched herself down to the ground using all four limbs while Lucario bent one of his knees upward and focused on defense above everything else.

The wind brushed past both of their faces as Lucario and Tigress stared each other down. An uncomfortable silence filled the air until finally, Ms. Shānyáng signaled for them to start.

"Begin!"

Not wasting a single second, Tigress bounded into the air and pounced on her newest prey. She quickly stood on her two legs, and let loose a relentless volley of punches and kicks. Lucario, using Detect, evaded the most offensive attacks and blocked each subsequent kick with his own legs.

As soon as Tigress lunged at his face, Lucario stepped to the side and punched at her stomach twice. The Tiger Style slightly recoiled, clutching her bruised abdomen in surprise.

He actually hit me?! And twice in a row too?

Tigress narrowed her eyes and let out a low, guttural growl.

"Hmph. Lucky shot."

She slid across the ground and performed a forward somersault above Lucario. Attempting to hammer his body into the ground, the Aura Pokémon thought fast and jumped into the air. The two combatants exchanged consecutive blows with one another in midair, causing the orphans to whoop with sheer delight.

One after the other, both Lucario and Tigress managed to successfully deal some damage to their bodies. Even Lucario was given a few scratches on his face and chest, but thankfully, they weren't potent enough to stop him from fighting.

Their airborne stalemate came to an end once their respective kicks both hit them squarely across the face. Gritting their teeth in pain, Lucario and Tigress put some distance between them, and took some time to breathe.

"Hey! Why'd you stop! Keep going! Keep going!" An orphaned whined.

"Hush now, child! Can't you see that they're exhausted?" Ms. Shānyáng scolded him.

"Yeah. Hush!" Tú chimed in. She struggled to keep her eyes away from Tigress and Lucario's fight. They were just too amazing, from her childlike perspective.

The aforementioned fighters inspected their injuries and panted from exhaustion.

"I can see that you're a kung fu master for a reason." Lucario said.

"You're not so bad yourself," Tigress begrudgingly admitted. "Tell me. Is this what an Aura Guardian is capable of at full strength?"

Sir Aaron's apprentice shook his head. He felt guilty holding back against such a formidable opponent, but with Aura at his disposal, the spar would have been over right away.

"Afraid not. I haven't shown you all of my strongest techniques yet. Not even the ones I used against those vile bandits."

"W-What?!" Tigress choked.

"Extreme Speed."

Lucario's eyes suddenly glowed a dark blue as he vanished into thin air and appeared right behind Tigress. Before she could even react, he struck her multiple times in the back with his paws. The amount of pain she felt was indescribable and far different from anything she's ever experienced.

How… how is he doing this?!

He then took advantage of Tigress's discombobulated state to sprint in front of her and relentlessly uppercut her across the chin. Tigress, to everyone's shock, went flying and crashed into the ground.

She attempted to get up and fight back, but was stopped by Lucario holding a large green bone of energy right below her chin.

"Do you give up?"

Tigress was stunned speechless. In all her years studying and mastering kung fu, she had only lost a fight against Master Shifu. No one else, not even her fellow Furious Five members, could even dare to challenge her in combat.

Now, this foreign stranger succeeded in doing the impossible by using a type of energy she had never heard about. She would have found the whole situation comical if not for the fact that it was taking place right in front of her.

Who is this person?! And is there a chance that he could possibly be the—"

"Do you wish to keep fighting? Or do you yield? Which is it?"

Tigress shook away those thoughts and looked into Lucario's eyes. They were fierce, yet… surprisingly filled with some kind of sadness at the same time.

"No… I give up. You win." Tigress bitterly muttered. She sported a sullen, downcast expression until Lucario dispersed his Bone Rush attack and offered her a hand.

"That was a good fight. I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime if you're open to it."

The South China Tiger grabbed ahold of Lucario's paw and awkwardly brushed some dust off of her shirt. She looked away and attempted to maintain her gruff, no-nonsense exterior.

"As amusing as a rematch against you may sound, we should focus on getting to the Jade Palace first." Tigress replied. "A deal is a deal, after all."

"Agreed."

Lucario turned toward the denizens of Bao Gu Orphanage and smiled.

"Guess this is goodbye then. Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Shānyáng. The food really was delicious."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Lucario. Feel free to visit us again at any time." The caretaker said. She placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Judging by how much of a beating you've given our Tigress there, I have a good feeling that the Valley of Peace will be seeing you quite often soon."

Tigress placed both paws on her hips in offense. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, don't be so serious, dear. You kung fu masters are supposed to be humble in the face of defeat, aren't you?"

Shifu's adoptive daughter slumped her shoulders, knowing that what Ms. Shānyáng said was, in fact, correct.

"Yes. No need to remind me."

Lucario smiled at this little moment. He could tell that Tigress and Ms. Shānyáng had some history together.

"Well, lead the way—"

"N-No!"

The young bunny, Tú, dashed over to Lucario and hugged his leg. There were fresh tears falling from her eyes.

"Do you have to go so soon? You promised to stay the night here!"

Lucario knelt down and gently wiped away the little girl's tears with his paw.

"Yes, I did, but there's been a slight change of plans, Tú. The Jade Palace will help me learn more about this country and the people living in it. Otherwise, I'll be wandering around from place to place without any sense of direction or purpose."

Tú sniffled and nuzzled her cheek against Lucario's paw. "B-But, but—"

"Like Ms. Shānyáng said, I'll be able to visit here at any time. I doubt the Jade Palace is that far away, so I will be able to see you again someday."

"Promise?"

Lucario softly patted her on the head and grinned.

"I promise."

This made all of the rabbit's tears completely disappear as she smiled and hugged Lucario's leg once again.

"Okay! Bye-bye, Mr. Lucario! I'll miss you."

Smiling, the Aura Pokémon caught up with Tigress and waved his hand at the orphans.

"Until we meet again, everyone."

After the remaining kids shouted their own farewells, both Lucario and Tigress began walking over to the Jade Palace. It would take a few hours at most to reach it, but the distance could have been much worse than that.

They remained silent for a moment or two before Lucario decided to break the ice.

"I'm assuming you used to live there, hm?"

Tigress lightly nodded her head. "Yes. I was left there by my parents as a baby. No one really wanted a tiger cub for a daughter until… well, Master Shifu showed up. He helped me learn to belong there and, sooner or later, Ms. Shānyáng warmed up to me as well."

Lucario could relate to that kind of upbringing. As a young Riolu, he hadn't known what it was like to have a family either until Sir Aaron came along.

"I see. Shifu must mean a lot to you then?"

"More than a lot. He means everything to me." Tigress murmured in a quiet, barely audible voice. "I just wish he could feel the same…"

"What was that?"

"It's nothing." She growled before sighing and regaining her composure. "How about you? I'm assuming that based on your skills, you once had a master as well?"

"That's right. His name was Sir Aaron… and he meant everything to me as well." Lucario's expression suddenly became a bit more somber. "But, unfortunately, he's not around anymore. He died a long time ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Tigress whispered.

"It's alright. It wasn't right of me to dwell on the past, anyways." Lucario noted. He then pointed to the path in front of them. "Let's pick up the pace a bit, shall we?"

"Sure. Follow me."

With that, Tigress sprinted in quadrupedal fashion while Lucario ran with his arms hanging backward. Both of their minds were racing with thoughts about the past, but neither of them had much interest in discussing those moments so openly. It'd be best to share information about Master Shifu and Sir Aaron respectively at a later date.

Lucario had much more important matters to deal with, after all. One of which was figuring out why he was sent to his alternate, Pokémon-free world in the first place.

*And that's the end of Chapter 2! Not much really happened in this chapter, but I still hope the character interactions and Lucario's spar with Tigress was worth reading. Bao Gu Orphanage was featured in "Secrets of the Furious Five" as the place where Tigress lived before being discovered by Master Shifu, so I decided to have her be the one who donated money to it. Ms. Shānyáng (the Chinese word for "goat") is based on the orphanage's caretaker from that special, which is why Tigress and her have some familiarity with one another.

Tú (the Chinese word for "rabbit" btw) is mainly an OC that will appear throughout the story. She'll be a character who looks up to Lucario as an older brother/father figure, so she might have an important role later on (maybe as Lucario's apprentice? I'm not too sure yet). I'll have to think about it a bit more as the story progresses.

Now, Tigress and Lucario are on their way to the Jade Palace. Chapter 3 will focus on Lucario's meeting with Shifu, Oogway, and the rest of the Furious Five, so I'm looking forward to writing that when I get the chance. Please leave a favorite, follow, and/or review to tell me what you think. Take care, guys!

P.S. Tigress will eventually become Lucario's love interest in later chapters. I might have one or two other characters develop an interest in Lucario, but Tigress will be the main pairing above all else. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing.

Also, here's Lucario's current moveset. He might learn new moves as the story goes on.

1. Aura Sphere

2. Detect

3. Bone Rush

4. Extreme Speed