It was yet another boring and usual day for Lucario- read, write, train, eat, gather food, stargaze, sleep, repeat. The same pattern has been going on for quite some time now, stretching out for five whole days after the last time he saw Lycanroc.
Sometimes during his routine, he would think back to his friend and wonder where he is or what he's doing. For some reason though, he couldn't stop the guilt from causing Lycanroc's claw to break from seeping into his mind.
It was like one of those annoying plants that would stick to his fur and wouldn't let go. Lucario hated them, mostly because they also had spikes which usually hurt him whenever he tried getting those plants off of himself.
One day, during his daily training consisting of punching trees and running around the forest, he saw a bright pink light flash out from behind one of the trees. He stopped dead in his tracks and focused, trying to pick up the aura of anything that is or was there.
Luckily for him, whoever or whatever that was, was still there. Moreover, it was a Pokemon. Lucario suddenly got the idea that this day wouldn't be as boring as all the previous ones.
Chapter 2: "Cloaked in deception."
"Between the known and the unknown, there exists a delicate moment where the world blushes with the secrets held within the orange embrace of the shadows."
There was an audible rustling of leaves from behind the tree before a small and chubby female Pikachu emerged from the bushes. She brushed her red cheeks and looked over at Lucario, not expecting him to be there.
"Hello. Are you a Pikachu? I've never seen any here." Lucario curiously inched closer to the little yellow furball as she did the opposite, slowly backing away.
"What are you, blind or something? Of course, I'm a Pikachu, you dumb dog!" The sudden outburst had certainly surprised the Aura Pokemon, who was now detecting bits of anger targeted towards him.
"There's no need to be so angry about it, I'm just naturally curious." Lucario took another step forward, disregarding any signs of the small Mouse Pokemon's obvious attempt at chasing him away.
As he took another step towards her, a set of big and black claws slashed at him from her direction. At first, he thought that there was someone else behind her. Upon further inspection though, he found out that no one was there. That means that the attack must've come from the Pikachu herself.
Thankfully he managed to dodge the attack, which only enraged the electric mouse, causing her to swipe left and right at him, managing to score in a few hits but missing most of them.
Lucario swiftly jumped back in order to avoid the Fury Swipes, leaving the Pikachu swiping away at air with her eyes closed, thinking he was still there. It was an amusing sight, but the Aura Pokemon mustn't let that distract him. He was in a fight now, after all.
Lucario advanced towards her from the side in an attempt to flank her. Unfortunately, she noticed him and turned towards him, irritated. "I'll strike you a deal; you leave me alone and I don't claw your eyes out."
It was clear- the Pikachu certainly did not want anything to do with Lucario and would do anything in order to keep it that way. Acknowledging that, the Fighting-type moved back and raised his paws. "Alright, I surrender."
"Good." Pikachu snapped and turned back around towards the rushing river, hopping off into the distance as Lucario stood in place, baffled by her aggressive demeanour.
He shrugged and continued running by his usual path, which was from the treehouse, to and by the river, ending on the waterfall. He would then have a quick stop to rest and drink water before turning around and running all the way back to his home.
While jogging, his mind was usually clear and free of any thoughts other than the road ahead of him. This day was different though, since he couldn't get the feeling that something about that Pikachu felt... off.
The way she was acting wasn't that weird, since she probably felt intimidated by his posture. But then, what was that strange light that he saw before the electric mouse appeared from behind the tree?
No book wrote about such phenomena, or at least not the ones he read. He'd have to delve deeper into his studies and search for anything regarding a pinkish light. The more he thought about it, the more it excited him. To be able to learn something new about Pokemon, and from your personal experience too! If only...
THUMP!
A moment of carelessness caused Lucario to trip on something and fall. "God, can't you see where you're going?" Huh. What do you know, turns out it's a someone, not something. And the voice sounded familiar to the Aura Pokemon too.
"Lycanroc?" Lucario looked up from the ground and turned to see his friend, who was not as pleasantly surprised. "Lycanroc! It's you!"
"Oh. It's just you." The Wolf Pokemon sighed and turned back to the river, lapping up water from it and splashing it all around.
Lucario rolled over from his stomach and sat next to Lycanroc. He could feel some sort of stressed and aggravated aura radiating from him. Seeing this, the Aura Pokemon inched a bit closer and tilted his head.
"Are you alright?" He finally spoke out with a hint of concern in his voice. It was obvious that something was bugging Lycanroc, and he would not let it go.
His friend stopped drinking loudly from the river and sat back on his haunches, turning to Lucario. "Yes, it's just some personal matter. Stupid stuff, really. A packmate approached me earlier today and attempted to scare me off into never returning with a Night Slash." He turned back to the river and stared at his own reflection. "It's not like I plan on returning anyways."
There was so much emotion put into Lycanroc's words that Lucario couldn't comprehend which one was having the biggest influence on his friend. Was it the anger? Or maybe the surprise? Before he could figure it out though, a question crossed his mind. His ears immediately perked up and he inched his head closer to Lycanroc's
"And this Night Slash move... what does it look like?" He felt like the Wolf Pokemon's encounter was oddly similar to his own with the Pikachu earlier.
"Let's see... It's sort of just a dark purple slash." Lycanroc tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Why are you asking?"
"No particular reason." Lucario responded with his head in the clouds. He was too focused on thinking about something to care how awkward it must've felt. "I have another question, Lycanroc."
The Wolf Pokemon nodded. "What's your question?"
"Have you ever seen a Pikachu with Night Slash?"
Silence befell upon them both, as Lycanroc thought deep and hard to try to remember if he ever saw one. "No, I don't think I have." After answering, Lycanroc finally joined the pieces together and his face immediately lit up.
Seeing this, Lucario smiled and crossed his arms, looking at Lycanroc. "Then I think there might be an impostor somewhere in these woods."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"A little higher!" Lucario called out from above to his friend, trying to tie a piece of rope to a tall branch right above the path from his treehouse to the river.
"That's the highest it goes, sorry." Lycanroc replied with a quizzical look on his face. "Thought I still don't understand how you intend to catch that someone with... this." He stared at the contraption that Lucario was hanging.
It was a wooden cage, small enough for it to be unnoticeable among the lush trees but big enough so that whoever the impostor was would surely fit inside.
"When time comes," Lucario jumped down to the ground from the rocky pillar, having successfully tied the rope to the branch. "you'll see."
"Alright, let's say hypothetically that your trap does work; how will you even get that someone in there?"
Lycanroc's question has struck Lucario deeply as he never really thought about it. But, as he had always told himself as a Riolu, "If there is no plan, think of the crudest thing that would work." He beamed at Lycanroc. "Because chances are that it will."
"First thing that comes to my mind would be live bait, but..." Seeing Lucario's smile turn into a wide grin, Lycanroc shook his head pleadingly. "Don't tell me you're considering this?"
"Come on, don't tell me you have better ideas! Because I know you don't!" Lucario laughed whilst Lycanroc's mind was racing, thinking of all the worst outcomes and 'what ifs'.
"Don't overthink this, you'll be the one in control of the trap. I'll bait them under it, you just have to make sure to release it at the right moment." Lucario pat his friend on the back and motioned towards the bushes to his left. "The release mechanism is behind the tree over there."
"A-And what if it doesn't release? Or if that Pokemon catches up to you and injures you? It could kill you!" Lycanroc sounded and looked genuinely worried for Lucario.
Seeing this, the Aura Pokemon sighed and knelt down in front of his friend. "I promise I'll be fine."
"...Fine." Lycanroc said hesitantly and trotted to the side of the pathway where the rope was supposed to be. Lucario was right with it thankfully, and it was there as he said.
Lucario got up off the ground and rubbed his paws, feeling the excitement rush into his mind. He smiled and looked around himself, thinking of where the Pokemon might've went.
Ultimately, Lucario chose to go to the river as it was the last place he saw the Pikachu run off to. It was always busy there, so he didn't expect the task to be easy. Then even if he found who he was looking for, he still needed to bring them to the cage where Lycanroc was stationed.
Contrary to the fact, the river was oddly silent, with only the sound of the rushing water present. No younger Pokemon playing around, no elderly chatting, just the soothing breeze of the water.
Lucario walked up to the river and gazed down into it, capturing a school of fish Pokemon passing by. He turned his sight upwards and right to the source of the river- the waterfall. Nothing.
He turned his head 180 degrees and looked left, spotting a lonely Pikachu calmly sipping water, completely oblivious to the fact that someone is observing her.
Lucario started walking towards her and made his presence known by whistling loudly, a skill he picked up during his training sessions.
The electric mouse swiftly snapped her neck towards the source of the sound and frowned upon seeing who it was. "You. I thought I made it clear that I don't want you anywhere near me." Pikachu sounded annoyed and clearly angry at Lucario for not listening.
"I know, but your offer of clawing my eyes out sounded tempting. Besides," He grinned as he got closer, really rubbing it in. "I'd like to see you try."
"You little-!" Pikachu quickly shook the water off of her mouth and rushed towards Lucario who was now running towards the path to his treehouse. His plan had worked, and all he needed to worry about now was for her not to catch him and for Lycanroc to release the cage at the right time.
Pikachu growled as she gave chase to the blue annoyance, determined to catch up to him and show him what she can do. Lucario shuddered as he took wind of what Pikachu was thinking about, all of the thought being of all the different ways in which she would torture him.
They both finally made it close enough to Lycanroc where Lucario could see the trap suspended above the path. He came to a grinding halt right under the cage and held his paws out to stop her too.
She did right as he wanted and stopped, just a few meters away from him and the ambush. She panted heavily due to the exercise, while Lucario was breathing calmly. Looks like all the running he has done finally paid off.
"Why are you so insistent on annoying me?!" Pikachu huffed out and took a step towards Lucario.
The Aura Pokemon on the other hand mirrored her movement and took a step backwards. "I just felt like it would be fun." He smiled to taunt her even further.
"Then go annoy somebody else!" Another step further towards the cage, dwindling on the rope.
Another step backwards. "An opportunity showed itself and I took it. There was nobody else around!" Lucario laughed. One more step and it's done...
"Do I look like I care?!" Pikachu took another step forward and stared at her tormentor in baffled fury.
"Now!" Lucario called out and Lycanroc snipped the rope with his claw. The cage came flying downwards, trapping Pikachu inside and leaving her even more confused.
She grabbed the wooden bars from the inside and stared at Lucario, more furious than ever before. "What is the meaning of this?! Let me out and maybe I won't kill you later!" She screamed at him, but he only laughed at her attempt to intimidate him into actually letting her out.
Lucario looked at Lycanroc who was still hiding and beckoned him over to have a look at Pikachu. "We're not letting you out until you show us your true form."
"The hell do you even mean by 'true form'?! This is my true form!" She glanced over at Lycanroc and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Great, another dumb dog."
Lycanroc was taken aback and looked over at Lucario who only shrugged. There's nothing he could do about her temper. "We know you're not a Pikachu. Because if you were, you could've easily paralyzed me while we were running."
Pikachu scoffed and stared bewilderedly at the duo. "I- What're you-"
"Not only that, but if you really wanted to get out of this here trap, you could've easily struck it down with a thunder or something." He cut her in the middle of her speech and leaned forward, grinning. "Come on, strike me with a thunder or at least some jolt of electricity. You are a Pikachu after all, no?" He tilted his head.
Pikachu gritted her teeth and pointed at Lycanroc. "Make him leave and then we'll talk."
Lucario and Lycanroc looked at each other before the former nodded and sent his wolf friend away. After he was gone, Lucario turned to Pikachu again and crossed his arms. "Done. Now it's your turn."
"...You'll pay for this." Pikachu said and suddenly started emitting the same pink glow that Lucario saw earlier that day. He covered his eyes from the blinding light and looked away.
After a moment had passed, the glow started to die down and Lucario looked at what remained in the cage.
Instead of a female Pikachu, there stood a Zoroark of the same gender, holding on to the bars of the cage and frowning unhappily. "Satisfied?" She said through gritted teeth.
"Very." Lucario admitted and admired her new appearance. "So, you're a Zoroark? I've never actually seen one before..." He started circling the cage, taking a look at her from all sides.
"Well, I did what you wanted me to do. Now let me out." She shook the trap and staring down Lucario.
"Nah, I think I'll leave you there. Have fun!" He waved to her and started to walk down the path to his treehouse. He could sense a faint feeling of fear emitting from her now that he's walking away. In a way, it was fun to see someone so tough and rude get scared.
She groaned in dissatisfaction and called out to him. "God dammit, alright! You win!" She sighed and got down on her knees, still holding the bars. "What do I have to do for you to actually let me out?"
Lucario grinned once again and turned around, now walking back towards the cage and Zoroark trapped inside. "How about... be my friend? How does that sound, hm?"
Zoroark's eyes widened as she looked up into his. Lucario didn't sound like he was joking either, which made her confusion even bigger. "But why? I was mean to you, rude, I even attacked you! And even after all that, you want me to be your friend?"
"Yeah!" Lucario said enthusiastically, his tail wagging slightly behind him. "Or at least don't act like a feral Pokemon to me or my friend."
Zoroark seemed to seriously consider his offer, taking her sweet time to think about it. Eventually, she looked down at the ground and nodded her head in affirmation. "Fine."
Lucario smiled and headed over to the bushes where Lycanroc was earlier. After a moment had passed, the cage started to lift itself off the ground as he pulled on the rope attached.
Zoroark crouched out of her entrapment and looked at the cage as it came crashing down as soon as she exited. She flinched at that and turned to Lucario who was exiting the brush. "So you just want me to act normal around you?"
"Yup. That's all there is to it." Lucario brushed his paws and put them on his hips, looking proud of himself. He had a reason to do so after all- he befriended and tamed a wild Pokemon.
Zoroark looked Lucario up and down before sighing and turning around to the river. "I'll head out then. Hopefully we'll never meet again, aura mutt." She added and was off.
"Aura mutt?" He repeated to himself and looked at his paws, perplexed by her insult. He shrugged it off and turned the opposite way of which Zoroark was going in, in hopes of reaching his treehouse.
As he was about to head off though, Lucario noticed a small teal bangle right next to the cage, presumably Zoroark's possession. But with her away, he could do nothing but keep it for himself as a sort of keepsake. He'd give it back once they meet again, if they even will cross paths ever again.
Who would've thought that a normal looking Pikachu, albeit strangely aggressive, could hide a Zoroark underneath. Speaking of Zoroark's disguise, is there a limit to how big of an illusion one can create? Can they turn into a small Caterpie and hide in the brush? Or what if they could turn into humans, disguising themselves and being able to infiltrate human complexes?
All those thoughts certainly excited Lucario, but for now he should focus on getting back home safely. The night's slowly creeping in and Lucario certainly doesn't want to be caught outside during that time.
During his way home, he didn't encounter Lycanroc, which was strange considering he went this way. Although, he could've also probably just gone by the treehouse and somewhere else. Lucario didn't see or feel his aura, that's for sure.
Upon reaching the treehouse and climbing inside, Lucario placed the teal bangle on the same shelf he kept all his and Decidueye's possessions. He took a glance at the journal laying just beside the bookshelf but decided against writing down today's story. He felt like there would be more to it, now that he has something that's Zoroark's.
Ignoring the journal, he went and grabbed himself a quick snack from the food crate- a juicy and spicy Cheri berry. Lucario didn't really eat anything today due to the rush he was in with all that capturing Zoroark, making that trap, planning everything out... It was exhausting.
Lucario reached out into the crate, only to scrape the bottom of it. During all this scramble, he forgot to replenish the crate. He sighed, defeated, and sat down with his back against the wall. Literally and figuratively. He could either starve tonight, or he could go out and gather the berries.
Choosing not to die tonight, Lucario stood up and grabbed the berry basket from under the shelf. He was solely fuelled by his own determination and will to live now.
Standing right next to the entrance with the basket under his arm, he looked back into the treehouse and looked at everything and anything he would need. Lucario then got the genius idea to grab the bangle with him, were he to encounter Zoroark on his wave to the berry cave.
With the bangle in the basket, he headed down the ladder again and started making his way to the river. Thankfully, it wasn't night yet. It was dawn, and the brightly orange sunset really painted the mood of the forest- calm and relaxing, but also never lacking adventures. And that's what Lucario liked about this place.
Nothing interesting happened while he was going to the river, yet once he arrived at the body of water, he noticed that it was now full of older Pokemon, conversing with each other and exchanging gossips.
Lucario paid no heed to them and ignored all the chit-chat going on around him. His stomach grumbled loudly in dissatisfaction and hunger as he made his way towards the concealed cave opening.
The Aura Pokemon jumped on one of the rocks and then on to the platform, squeezing in through the opening in the rockface to get inside. Instead of the usual silence and soft splashing of water, he was met with a quiet hum coming from somewhere further inside.
Lucario stopped himself just as he was about to enter and focused on the aura inside the cave, trying to discern where that humming might be coming from. He closed his eyes and let the aura waves crash down on him and drown him in the darkness.
Through the dark shade of aura, he could make out a red and black fox at the opposite end of the cave, brushing her mane and humming herself a song. As much as Lucario enjoyed being hidden though, he knew he wasn't in any danger- it was Zoroark, after all.
Lucario made his way inside the cave and looked around, trying to spot where exactly Zoroark was stationed. As he saw earlier with his aura, she was at theN opposite end of the cave behind the small pond in the middle, doing exactly as he thought she would.
Lucario chuckled quietly to himself, deciding not to disturb her and instead listen in on what she was humming as he picked berries from a particularly tall tree.
The song sounded like a lullaby, meant to quiet and calm down baby Pokemon. Was Zoroark really humming to herself, or was she humming for somebody? Lucario's question would soon be answered as a twig snapped under his weight with a loud crack reverberating through the cave.
Zoroark stopped brushing her mane and looked back at the entrance, spotting Lucario hanging on to a branch with her impeccable eyesight. "It's you. What're you doing here? Trying to stalk me?" She called out to him and stood up from the ground.
Lucario noticed that the fur on her mane was neatly and smartly tied together, now that she didn't have her bangle to keep it in place. He dropped down to the ground from the tree and placed the berry basket right next to it.
"Here, I think this is yours." Lucario said, grabbing the teal trinket from the basket and reaching his paw out to her in an attempt to give it to her.
Zoroark hesitantly approached and quickly grabbed her possession out of Lucario's paw. She took a look at it and examined it thoroughly in suspicion that Lucario might've done something to it.
"Don't worry, it's not broken or anything. I just figured that I'd take it with me in case we found each other." Lucario smiled sincerely and bowed slightly.
Zoroark thought about something for a moment before throwing the bangle back at Lucario. "I have plenty more, take it. You look like you need it too." She smirked and gestured at the aura receptors on Lucario's head, probably thinking they were regular hair.
Lucario laughed at her remark and waved his paw at her. "Don't be silly, this is not hair."
"Then what are they if not hair? Are they tentacles that retract and grapple things?" She laughed along with Lucario, growing just a bit warmer towards him.
"They are something called "Aura Receptors". Thanks to them, I am able to sense aura and even bend it to my will." He exclaimed proudly and puffed out his chest.
"I see, I see... Maybe you're not just a piece of mutt after all." Zoroark punched Lucario lightly on his shoulder, causing him to yelp quietly in pain.
As Lucario continued to rub the pain away from his shoulder, the awkwardness between the two of them became apparent. There wasn't much to talk about, though Lucario soon found another topic to discuss.
"Zoroark, have you ever been to the city?" He asked with genuine curiosity.
"You mean that stinking palace of scum that humans call 'Gube'? Yeah, I used to live there." Zoroark replied with slight aggression in her voice. It was obvious that she didn't like it and she didn't try to hide it.
The fact that she used to live there caught Lucario off guard as his eyes widened at this information. "Used to? What happened? Did humans chase you out or something?" He added that last part sarcastically and as a joke.
"As a matter of fact, yes."
Lucario did not expect that and was certainly not anticipating hearing that answer. "Oh." He said simply and sat down against the berry tree he was supposed to harvest his food from.
Seeing this, Zoroark sat on the opposite side of the tree, away from him. "Do you want to hear my story?" She asked, her tone now a lot more solemn and calm compared to the previous aggressive she had.
Lucario's ears perked up and he nodded even if she doesn't see it. "If only you feel comfortable sharing it."
"Then grab a berry and some water because this is going to be a long one."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Faster, daddy!" The little Zorua called out from inside the mane of an adult Zoroark who was running around a plain field, playing with his daughter.
They soon came to a stop as the adult held on to a tree, trying to catch his breath. Meanwhile, the youngling jumped out of her father's mane and wagged her tail excitedly, staring at her father figure. "Come on dad, I bet I'm faster than you!"
"Sure sweetheart, just wait a second... Let daddy catch his breath..." He breathed heavily from exhaustion but speedily recovered from his fatigue. "Okay, bring it on, youngblood!"
Zorua started dashing through the field of flowers, her black fur revealing her position amongst all the white and green flora. Her dad soon caught up to her and started to overtake her, speeding past her and running towards a hill.
Zorua gave chase with as much power as she had, but ultimately failing to catch up to her predecessor, who has left her in a cloud of dust.
"Come on youngling, are you giving up? ARE YOU A QUITTER?!" Her father yelled out to her from atop the hill which she only now got to.
"I am not giving up! I am not a quitter!" Zorua said enthusiastically, filled with determination. Eventually she reached the hill and flopped down onto the ground right at her father's feet.
"Would you look at that, turns out you're really not a quitter." The adult laughed and looked down at Zorua who was hugging the ground. "Let's head back to the den. I bet everyone is worried sick about us." The Zoroark kneeled down and let Zorua get in his mane.
It was quite the trek from the plain fields filled with flowers to the seemingly lonely cave with little to no vegetation. Though even if it didn't look like that on the outside, it was bustling with life and many other Zoroark who seek refuge there.
To most it would look like the Zoroark just walked through a wall, but to him, there was no wall. It was just an illusion, created and kept up by the pack elder, the strongest and oldest Zoroark in the small underground village.
Zorua peeked curiously out of her father's mane and looked around at all the different kids playing around, as well as other older Zoroark, talking loudly and laughing together.
Soon, the father-daughter duo found themselves in a less lively area with less Pokemon running around. It was calm, silent. Little to nobody walked around this part of the cave, making it a perfect housing area with multiple little dens around in the cave walls.
Soon enough, they both got to their own den, where the Zoroark let her daughter out of his fur. He was about to speak to her, when a loud explosion sounded through the cave.
They both covered their ears and the father looked at her daughter. Both were terrified, but it was no time to cower in fear. Someone was attacking the small village.
Zoroark carried his daughter to the corner of the den and covered her in hay, effectively hiding her from anyone. "Sweetie, I need you to stay calm and don't move. Don't walk out of the den under all circumstances and stay hidden. Daddy will be back shortly."
Before Zorua could protest, her father was off and headed towards the source of panic. Screams, fluids splashing over the walls and the sound of metal clanking reverberated through the entirety of the cave.
But as quickly as they came, the screams and panic stopped suddenly. Now only the sound of metal scraping against rock remained. And the sound wasn't getting farther away from Zorua either- in fact, it was getting closer, growing louder by the second.
And closer.
Until eventually it all stopped. Someone was right outside Zorua's den. Three long metallic claws reached out towards the leaves and grass covering the house, pulling it away.
A Sandslash stood in the doorway, looking around for any sounds of movement. It had strange markings over both his hands, depicting three circles at the beginning of each claw, and all of them connecting to a single line running all the way to its eye, where a diamond marking was.
Zorua held her breath, waiting for the Sandslash to pass. But they didn't stop. Instead, the Sandslash entered the den and looked around, moving all the hay on the ground with his claws.
Then he noticed the little bundle of hay in the corner and approached it. But before he could do anything to it, a voice called out. A human.
"Come on, we're not being paid for stealing! We're here to exterminate them." The human voice sounded female and was eerily calm despite the panic here earlier.
Thankfully, Sandslash obeyed his master and retreated out of Zorua's den, leaving her scared and shaking in the corner. Once both Sandslash and the human passed, from behind them started walking a Bastiodon, scraping the spikes on the lower part of his headplate against the ground and blocking the exit.
As soon as the three passed, Zorua stealthily made her way out of her hiding place and exited the den. The image she saw that day... Zorua would never forget it.
Everyone that she had known, everyone that she didn't know, all of them laying on the ground, motionless. The cave walls were splattered with a red liquid, the same one as on the ground around all the Zoroark and Zorua.
Holding back the tears and the urge to throw up, Zorua made her way through the aftermath of a massacre but soon stopped, staring dead ahead.
In front of her, laid her father, with the same blank and hollow expression as everyone else. Zorua hugged him and kissed his forehead, as if he was still there, as if he would come back to life.
The only thing she took from him was the teal trinket he had on his mane that neatly bounded the fur together. Zorua put it over her neck and ran as fast and as silently as she could out of the blood-ridden cave, not looking back.
And the last thing she heard, was the swish of claws and the splatter of blood, coming from deep within the cave.
From that day on, Zorua swore to one day find and take revenge on the human that rid her of her father.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zorua's life drastically changed ever since she last stepped out of the cave. She became bitter and rude, isolating herself from others believing that they want to harm her in one way or another.
Eventually, she even evolved and found herself using her illusions more and more to disguise herself and slowly integrate with the rest of society.
Though it wasn't easy, the now Zoroark made friends with many other Pokemon, albeit disguised as a whole another species. It didn't bother her though. Her good friends would accept her even if she showed them that she is really a Zoroark.
It didn't go that way.
On the day that Zoroark finally revealed her true form to her best friend, a Pangoro, she was surprised to learn that not everyone likes Zoroark. And especially not her.
"I don't care how good our friendship is, you were actively lying to me this whole time!" Pangoro yelled out, furious at his friend.
"But..." Before Zoroark could say anything, the Daunting Pokemon stopped her and cut himself in.
"I don't want to see you ever again! And if I do, I'll make sure to mash you into a pulp just for all these lies you've fed me!" Pangoro then chased Zoroark out of his own den and slammed the wooden door shut with enough force to actually break it.
Zoroark stood there, in front of the door to her ex-friend's house, alone again. She then went on, seeking refuge in her other friends. First a Houndoom, then a Golett, and ending on her last friend which she hoped would not turn her down like everyone else- a Dartrix.
They were very good friends with each other and very close as well. From what Zoroark knew, Dartrix was a traveller, stopping to rest every so often in a major and populated area.
Her blue feathered friend had also told her that he was cast off from his flock for being "different" while he was still a tiny Rowlet, forced to survive on his own. Almost like her.
Upon arriving to Dartrix' tree, Zoroark knocked on the hollow wood, expecting her friend to fly out of the top to meet her. Except nobody came. She knocked again, hoping that her owl friend just didn't hear her. But alas, no answer.
She was left alone again, and the bitterness from long ago started to resurface. Zoroark hid herself ever since that happened, disguising and using illusions to her advantage as to not draw attention and to not drive others away.
Zoroark too became a sort of traveller, going from one point to another in hopes of finding another pack that she could join or someplace she could call home again.
It was until she found a city, full of humans. Zoroark withheld all the hatred and decided against lashing out at random people, instead focusing on finding the devil that took her family.
Zoroark observed and listened on from the bushes near the outskirts of the city, trying to copy the art disguising herself as a human and being able to speak in the human language.
With time, she made noticeable progress and was able to hide herself very well. She took on the forms of many different humans, testing which one would accommodate to the taste of the city the best. She didn't want to look like a stray child after all.
Throughout the many forms she took on, only one was suitable for perfectly blending in with humans- a short woman with long, luscious red hair, all tied up smartly in a bundle with a teal band, always wearing dark clothing.
She even mastered speech, being able to converse in English freely whilst disguised as a human. This proved incredibly useful, as she was able to enter any human complex without anyone batting an eye.
Hence, the perfect conditions for tracking down and taking revenge on the woman from so long ago were born.
But that had to wait. It wasn't hard to look like a human, but acting as one was. Zoroark couldn't just run around from building to building, hoping that nobody would care or notice her. She had to play it smart if she wanted to catch the devil.
Zoroark lived in an abandoned house, the farthest away from the centre of Gube City. It was truly perfect- nobody ever visited that part of the city, giving her the opportunity to relax every so often as a Zoroark.
Unfortunately, someone must've caught wind of her being here, whether that be from someone putting the pieces together and finally noticing that Zoroark's human form looks oddly like a real Zoroark, or from her carelessness. Either way, someone came for her, and it didn't sound like that someone was there to negotiate.
Zoroark could just barely hear two humans conversing downstairs of the abandoned house. She made her way out of the dusty bedroom and walked closer towards the stairs leading down, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"I'm telling you, there's a Zoroark living here, Miss Meda! I'm not joking!" Said one of the voices. Male. Sounded like he was tough.
"Alright, you can stop nagging me about this. I believe you, alright? I'll find that Zoroark and get rid of it." It was her. The devil. The person whom Zoroark swore to hunt down and take revenge on. She turned around the corner and leaped down the stairs in hopes of catching the female human.
As Zoroark landed on the sturdy ground, she found that no one was there. Only a small voice recorder was laying on the ground in the middle of the room. From behind her, came out a loud laugh. "Too predictable!"
Zoroark snapped her head around, staring at the murderer of her father. Their eyes met, and before Zoroark could even growl, a projectile came flying towards her.
She dodged and looked back, seeing that the launched projectile expanded into a large net upon impact with the wall. Zoroark's gaze went back to Miss Lhiver, who was staring at her and grinning. "I'll give you two options. You either run and I don't kill you, or you don't run and I do."
Zoroark hesitated before turning around and making a run for the door as the human fired yet another projectile her way. "Yes! Run! Run and don't come back!" Meda yelled out to her as she ran into the forest.
For the third time in her life now, Zoroark was alone and scared. Although this time, she knew that the devil that took her father was in Gube City. It was only a matter of time before she would find her.
Zoroark wandered around the forest but didn't leave it. She found her goal after all. There was no need for further travel.
The hatred that was once exclusively targeted towards the human, was now spilling out on everyone and everything. She didn't care if it was a Pokemon or a human, Zoroark didn't want them near her.
For the majority of her time in the forest, she took on the form of a Pikachu in hopes of everyone else letting her live peacefully as she thought about how to get back at Meda.
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"And that's when we both met?" Lucario interjected, trusting his gut that Zoroark was finishing her story anyway and wouldn't mind.
"That's right, mutt. And I swear I'll have her head someday. For my father, and all my fallen friends." Zoroark clenched her fists and sighed.
Lucario suddenly felt bad for her. He didn't care how rude Zoroark could be towards him, as it was all overshadowed by the genuine concern and empathy. He wanted to help but didn't know how. He was useless, and he certainly felt that way.
"You know..." Lucario began, leaning back against the tree a little more. "Life isn't all about taking revenge. You have to stop from time to time and appreciate what you have, even if it's as small as having food to eat.
"I don't know how you feel, and I certainly can't share the same hate towards humans as you, but what I can do is be there with you, every step of the way. Think of me as a walking stick- I'll be there to support you when you no longer can."
Zoroark did the same as Lucario and relaxed against the tree. Lucario couldn't see it clearly, but he did notice a tear stroll down her cheek through his aura vision. Zoroark sniffed and exhaled deeply, calming herself down.
"Thanks mutt. I'll remember that." She said calmly and stood up from the roots of the tree, wiping away her tears. She walked around it and looked down at Lucario who was still sitting by it. She reached her paw out to him.
The Aura Pokemon happily took her paw and got up with her help. After that, they shook hands and exchanged smiles. His was one of genuine happiness that he could help, and hers was a thankful and firm smirk.
"It's getting late. You should go." Zoroark let go of Lucario's paw and noticed the basket he carried in here with himself. "You were here to pick berries?"
"I was, but then I noticed you and decided to talk with you instead." Lucario laughed and scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. It was true, he came here only to pick berries but ended up spending a lot of time, talking about Zoroark's past.
Just when Lucario was about to pick up the basket and head home though, Zoroark kicked the tree it was under, causing a cascade of berries to rain down on them with many falling down into the basket. "Here you go, mutt. Now run along, don't want you getting caught in that darkness."
Lucario nodded and picked up the basket. Yet when he was about to leave, he was once again stopped by Zoroark who called out to him. "Wait!" She said and tossed him the bangle he intended to give her back. "You forgot this."
"Oh, and uh... Let's just agree that this conversation never happened."
Even if Lucario didn't understand why she wanted it to be that way, he couldn't argue with her. Maybe it had something to do with all that she's been through and the process of trying to forget about it all? Or maybe she just wanted to act cold and distant towards him again. Either way, Lucario was happy that he could at least help Zoroark get it all off her chest.
On the way back home, nothing interesting happened, or at least nothing that Lucario noticed. It was dark, after all. He could barely see through the darkness of the night.
Once Lucario got to his treehouse, he poured the berries from the basket into the food crate and grabbed a Cheri berry he desired so long ago. He bit into it and opened his journal after putting Zoroark's trinket on the shelf with everything else.
"Today was a strange day. And it all went by so quickly too! Oh, how I wish it would last just a little longer so I could find out more about my new friend.
That friend in question is a Zoroark. I met her disguised as a Pikachu, and sort of forced her to show me her true form. Lycanroc helped me along the way, but besides that, he wasn't very present today. I wonder what he's doing in his free time.
Like Lycanroc, she's alone, with all her family and friends having gone to the afterlife. It was all because of a human, one that she calls 'Meda'. She sounds cruel, but I bet there's some good in her. Who knows, maybe I'll even meet her one day and be able to find out? Time will tell.
For now, I have to focus on the present. There's no reason to get lost in the future if you're stuck in the present, right? You'll just have to wait and see.
Zoroark also gave me something, another keepsake- her teal band. A symbol of courage and bravery, showing that even after the darkest of hours, light will come to save you. It's never worth giving up, because even if you fail while doing something, you'll fail with knowing that you at least tried.
Zoroark had many points in her life where she could've just given up and completely isolated herself from everything. And yet she didn't. That's who I strive to be someday. Someone that doesn't give up easily.
Someone like your friend, dad."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
This chapter was written a lot faster than I first anticipated. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I think that's up to you to decide.
The next chapter will probably focus around Lucario exploring Lycanroc's past and trying to understand it. I cannot say much, because at the time that I am writing these messages, I have to admit that not even the title for Chapter 3 is done!
Either way, I hope you enjoyed both this and all the previous instalments, and I hope that you will enjoy the next one as well.
Also changed the characters from Lucario/Zoroark/Lycanroc to just Lucario, seeing as the story focuses mainly on him and I plan on introducing many more characters in the future. I can say that everyone will return at one point though.
With all that said, Ave Mikesszz out.