Author's note: Heyo!
So, I've had a lot of fun playing the first Ranger game again lately. Partly for research, but partly because I really like the Ranger games!
Damn, though, the first game is brutal. It wears down your stylus/drawing pen like no one's business! It's no wonder I scratched my DS screen back in the day...
Regardless, I hope you enjoy today's chapter of Rangers, Aura Dogs and Lagomorphs! :D
Chapter Six: A Shared Feeling
Pikachu strained a smile. Goddamn it! That fecking riolu and his fecking aura powers! He'd honestly forgotten that lucario could do that. Probably because he'd never actually spent much time around one, and had only heard about what they could do from second-hand sources. Now he was finding out that riolu could do it, too!
God fricking damn it!
Just how the hell was he supposed to keep his emotions to himself with him nearby?!
... Speaking of which, the little shit... No, he had to use nicer wording... The young dog was cowering behind Buneary again. It was really nice that he'd taken to her and all, but using her as shield against him?
He tried to do some deep breathing through his nostrils, making sure to be as quiet and subtle as possible. Okay. Calm.
... Actually, what had he meant by 'too intense'?
He blinked to himself. His inner feelings weren't that strong, were they? After all, he was certain he'd done a great job hiding them over the years. Riolu being able to feel them was one thing, but saying they were 'too intense'? What did even mean?! How would his emotions be any stronger than anyone else's?!
... Regardless, he'd have to try and keep a cooler head around the young dog. Otherwise, he'd never earn his trust.
And how could he help him if Riolu didn't trust him?
He took another deep, yet subtle, breath, and managed to make his smile soften. Hopefully, that would be a good start.
After a moment, though, something occurred to him. Well, time to hit two spearow with one stone! He internally cackled at the thought of Ash doing that, then forced his thoughts to stay calm.
"(Hey, Riolu?)" he asked pleasantly. The young dog jumped, suddenly on-guard. Pikachu tried not to let his eyebrow twitch. "(If you're... you know, good at reading auras, then why couldn't you tell Buneary's good intentions earlier?)" He indicated the rabbit in question.
He saw her face light up in intrigue, and felt rather proud of himself for thinking of that.
No, calm mind... calm mind...
"(Uh...)" Riolu replied warily, "(I was... scared and tired and...)" His voice lowered to a mutter. "(I don't have enough zen...)"
"(Zen?)" Buneary asked curiously, glancing back at him.
"(Yeah... I need a calm mind to do the aura thing well... an-and I can usually do it! But I wasn't calm at the time, and I didn't trust anybody, so...)" He trailed off into mumbles.
"(Ah,)" Pikachu replied.
Right. He had been rather pissed earlier, back when he'd been attacking Ash and getting defensive with Buneary.
Pikachu felt a spike of anger at this, but worked hard to suppress it, lest he scare Riolu again. God, it was annoying, knowing that someone could read his emotions...
Regardless, maybe that anger of Riolu's could have helped them a bit in the crobat fight, but hey ho. Maybe it was for the better that he'd been calmed down with soothe bells.
"(So how do you get more of it?)" Munchlax asked cheerfully. "(This zen thing?)"
"(W-Well, we have to train for it...)" Riolu replied, "(train our minds and bodies and stuff... but... well, I didn't get to that part of the training yet...)"
Hmm, maybe Maylene's lucario could've done with a bit more of that. Pikachu internally cackled to himself at that.
"(Oh?)" Buneary asked Riolu gently.
"(Yeah, I was still in the middle of my Aura Sphere training, so...)"
"(Oh yeah, the Aura Sphere!)" Munchlax replied, happy as ever. Pikachu hadn't yet seen a different expression on that guy. "(It must be cool, having a move that riolu don't normally have!)"
"(Huh?)" Riolu looked intrigued for a second, like he hadn't considered this. "(... Yeah, I guess so.)"
Buneary beamed at him. "(Do you have any other moves?)" she asked.
He shook his head at her. "(Uh-uh. Just Aura Sphere.)"
Pikachu felt a massive spike of shock, but tried to squash it down. "(Oh, really?)" he asked.
Riolu winced. "(Y-Yeah... They... They want me to only focus on Aura Sphere...)"
"(Huh...)" Buneary replied. "(Kay then.)"
Pikachu blinked. Huh. Now that was pretty fricking weird. The people back home - wherever that was - only wanted him to train Aura Sphere?
He tried to picture himself with only Thunderbolt. Sure, he used that move a lot, but would he really get very far on just that move alone?
... Nah, hell no. Ground-types would be a pain in the ass to deal with. As well as anything else that was resistant to electricity. Plus, his reduced speed would make him a sitting target and urgh. Just no.
"(Aww, well, that's okay, Riolu!)" Munchlax said happily. "(I don't have many moves either! Just Work Up and Tackle!)"
Pikachu internally raised a questioning eyebrow. "(Hmm?)" he asked, turning to the bear. "(But didn't you say you were a helper pokémon?)"
"(Yeppers!)"
"(But...)" Riolu said, attracting Pikachu's attention, "(I don't think I'm one of those, though? They just want my Aura Sphere to be... really strong, and stuff...)"
Pikachu still found that frigging weird, but whatever suited the little guy's friends/family/trainers/whatever, he supposed...
"(Well, it seemed pretty strong to me!)" Buneary said with a smile. "(I saw it break that ranger's... uh... line thing on his spinning thing! So I guess the training's going well!)"
Riolu immediately brightened. "(You think so?)"
She nodded. "(Oh yeah! You're a strong little thing!)" She paused, glancing up at him. "(... Well, I say 'little', but you're taller than me...)"
"(Some species are just big, I guess!)" Munchlax said happily. "(I would know. My mom's huge!)" He waved his arms in the air for emphasis.
Pikachu fought to keep down a smirk. Oh, he'd bet she was huge...
Buneary giggled. "(Guess so.)" She glanced up at Riolu again. "(Oh yeah, Riolu? You were gonna say what this was?)" She pointed at the pink, string-tied pouch around his neck.
He looked down at it, and his eyes widened. "(Oh right!)" he replied. "(Well...)" He paused a moment. "(... I guess I can show you...)" Backing away for a bit of space, he grabbed the pouch and carefully pried it open. Everyone turned to face him as he reached inside and pulled something out. He held it up with both paws, causing the pouch to fall back in place. The object was a small wooden figurine. "(It's my special doll.)"
Heh, doll? How girly. Pikachu tried to squash down his amusement, though.
"(Ooh!)" Munchlax said excitedly, scooting a bit closer to look. "(That's so cool!)" He paused a moment, blinking at the figurine, then his face lit up. "(Oh hey, it's a riolu!)"
Pikachu blinked. "(Huh?)" he asked. He looked closer, but tried not to move too close, to avoid scaring Riolu. Now that he was looking, though, he could definitely see a riolu shape. "(Oh yeah...!)" Actually, he could also see large scratch marks along the edges, like it had been cut out of the wood. "(It's a carving, isn't it?)" He smiled at Riolu. "(Looks hand-made!)"
"(Y-Yeah,)" the dog replied, smiling at him slightly. Huzzah! Progress! "(The nice old man made it for me.)"
Heh, that was kinda cute. Pikachu wasn't sure why Riolu kept calling this person 'the nice old man' - like, didn't he have a name? - but whatever. Still cute.
He glanced over at Buneary, interested to see her reaction, but paused. She was staring unblinkingly at the carving, one paw resting on her fluff.
"(Buneary?)" he asked in concern.
She jumped, turning to him. "(Huh...?)" she asked dazedly.
"(You okay?)"
"(Y-Yeah, yeah!)" She turned back to Riolu, smiling. "(Sorry, I was kinda spellbound there. That's a real cute doll! It looks just like you~!)"
The dog beamed. "(You think so?)" he asked.
She nodded. "(Mm-hmm!)"
... Well, Pikachu supposed everything was fine, then! Internally, he sighed in relief. He'd wondered if there'd been a problem for a minute there!
Riolu looked down at his carving, a fond smile on his face. "(I was so upset when I lost it... but then the ranger guy found it! So I'm happy again.)"
"(That's good!)" Munchlax replied happily.
"(Yeah...)" Riolu continued to stare fondly at his carving.
There was a moment of comfortable silence in the group, as they all admired Riolu's carving, and how much it meant to the dog to have it back. It was rather heartwarming.
Smiling, Pikachu looked over at Buneary. He paused when he saw the same unblinking stare on her face. Except her eyes were much wider now, and her vision seemed to be a bit unfocused. Goddamn, what was up with her today?
"(Buneary?)" he asked. She didn't respond. She didn't even move to indicate she'd heard him. "(Uhhhh, Buneary?)"
He continued watching for any sort of reaction.
"(Hmm?)" Munchlax asked curiously. He walked over and waved a paw in front of her face. He stared at her, then looked at Pikachu. "(What's up with her?)"
Pikachu shrugged. "(Dunno.)" He looked at Buneary again. "(Hey, Bunea-)" The words froze in his mouth as a single tear dripped down her cheek. His panic levels skyrocketed, though he tried to keep his voice level. "(B... Buneary?)"
In a daze, she turned to him. "(... Huh?)" she asked slowly. She blinked. After a moment, she raised her paw to her cheek, wiped at it, then stared at her paw. "(... Huh.)"
"(Are... you okay?)" Riolu asked tentatively.
"(Uh... yeah, yeah!)" She wiped at her eye. "(Just... got something in my eye, I guess!)"
... Pikachu was pretty sure that was bullshit, but he wasn't about to say that. She'd gotten upset over something. He just wasn't sure what.
Was it Riolu's sentimentality towards the carving? He hadn't known she was that sensitive.
... That was kinda cute, if so.
He was caught by surprise as Ash approached, standing near Riolu, but not too close. The dog glanced up at him nervously.
"Hey, Riolu?" he said gently.
"(Y-Yeah?)" the dog replied, his grip on the carving tightening.
Ash knelt down, a soft smile on his face. "That doll's worth more to you than anything, isn't it?"
Riolu blinked. "(Huh? W-Well, yeah, but...)"
Huh, how did Ash know that? Well, Pikachu supposed maybe Kellyn had told him, or he'd seen the dog's face while staring at the carving. It probably didn't take a genius to figure that out.
Ash's smile widened. "I know, 'cause you used your aura to tell me!"
Pikachu almost fell over in shock. Almost. Everyone else around them gasped.
"(... His aura?)" Buneary asked slowly.
"(You... you can read my aura?)" Riolu asked in awe.
"Ash," Dawn asked curiously, "what do you mean he 'used his aura'?"
"He used his aura to transmit all of his emotions and memories," Brock explained. "Right, Ash?"
Ash turned briefly to look over his shoulder. "Yeah, that's it!" he replied.
Dawn gasped again. "Whoa, that's incredible!" she cried. "Riolu can do that?"
"Yeah," Brock replied. "Remember how the pokédex called them the 'emanation pokémon'? That's what it meant."
"Wow... but then why did no one else feel it?"
"Well..." Kellyn explained, "an aura is like a feeling, or a person's spirit. All living things have their own unique aura. Ash, my friend... it looks like your aura and Riolu's aura are a perfect match."
Ash chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so!" he replied, standing up again.
Pikachu's eyes widened. Whoa. A perfect match, huh? Damn.
... Wait, but Ash had already shared an aura signature with that Sir Aaron guy. Now he was sharing one with Riolu, too?! Three frigging people with the same aura. That was goddamn insane!
"(Really?)" Riolu asked in surprise. He looked around at the pokémon, and Pikachu tried to quash his emotions again. "(I mean... I know I'm an ema... an emani... emana...)" He frowned, looking confused, and Pikachu tried not to feel amused. "(Uh... a pokémon that projects its emotions, and stuff, but... only riolu and lucario are supposed to feel it, right?)"
"(Huh?)" Buneary asked in a daze. "(Oh, yeah! Probably. I dunno.)"
"(Me neither!)" Munchlax added. He beamed. "(Sounds cool, though!)"
"(Well,)" Pikachu replied, putting on a friendly smile, "(from what I've seen, yeah! Though Ash seems to have a bit of an affinity for it.)"
Riolu looked back at him in intrigue. "(Really?)"
Pikachu widened the smile. "(Yeah! He's a special case.)"
"(Oh...)" Riolu glanced up at Ash, then back down at Pikachu. "(... But it's kinda awkward knowing he can read my thoughts...)" He ducked his head awkwardly. "(I'll have to be more careful...)"
Pikachu's smile tightened a bit. Yeah, he could say the same...
Suddenly, he was distracted by a bleeping noise. Huh? That sounded like a pokédex, but what the hell would Ash or Dawn be scanning right now? Perking up his ears, he realised it was coming from Kellyn's direction. Turning towards the ranger to see what was going on, he saw him lifting his capture styler to his face and opening up the flap on it with a smile.
"Kellyn here," he said.
"Hi, it's Solana," a feminine voice replied.
Pikachu's ears perked up even more. Solana?! Wait a minute...
"Solana!" Ash cried out, rushing over to smile at the screen. Kellyn looked down at him in surprise. "And Plusle, too! Hey!"
Huh. It really was them! Fancy seeing them again!
"P... Plusle?" Dawn mumbled to herself. Pikachu's ears pricked in intrigue. Hmm?
"Well, if it isn't Ash!" Solana replied in a tone of pleased surprise. "It's been a long time. Is Pikachu still with you?"
"Yeah, he's over there." Ash pointed in Pikachu's direction. "Say hi, buddy!"
"(Hey!)" Pikachu called out in a friendly tone.
"You two know each other?" Kellyn asked, blinking at Ash, and then at the screen.
"Mm," Solana replied. "I met Ash and his friends on two previous missions." There was a pause. "... Do you remember that mission I mentioned, with Deoxys and the geomagnetic field?"
Kellyn nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Well... they were the ones who helped me during that mission. I'd have been... pretty stuck without them. Especially since Plusle wasn't feeling well at the time."
Plusle chuckled. "(Yeah, whoopsie...)" she added.
Pikachu would've felt proud, but he'd also been sick at the time, so bleh. He was proud of his friends for helping, though!
Kellyn smiled. "Ah, I see!" he replied.
Brock rushed over, shoving Ash out of the way with a yelp. Kellyn stared in shock as Brock clapped his hands together. "And I'd gladly help you again, Solana!" he cried. "Again and again, as many times as you asked me to!"
Solana laughed. "I appreciate it, Brock," she replied. "I might not have captured Deoxys without everyone's help."
"Well, I know another thing I can help you capture! Something that won't even struggle, not even a little bit! And that's me!" Popping out of his pokéball, Croagunk gave him a Poison Jab to his ass. Pikachu tried not to smirk as Brock shrieked, shivering from the pain, and hit the floor. "Capture incomplete..."
Ash and Kellyn chuckled awkwardly at him, though Dawn didn't seem to notice. Actually, she seemed a little out of it, still. Weird.
"... What happened?" Solana asked in confusion.
"(... Is he dead?)" Plusle asked.
Pikachu held in his amusement as Ash laughed. "Don't worry about him," the boy replied. "It's like Max, except more painful."
"Ouch..." Solana replied. "... Speaking of Max, are he and May there, too?"
"Nah. They left after I did the Battle Frontier." Ash turned his smile in Dawn's direction. "Dawn's here, though! My new friend from Sinnoh!" He paused, watching Dawn, who didn't move. His smile slipped as his eyebrow rose. "Uhhh, Dawn? Wanna come say hi?"
Dawn jumped. "Huh?!" she cried. "Oh... uh, sure!" She stiffly walked over with a kind of sheepish smile. "Heh... wow, Ash, didn't know you knew another pokémon ranger."
Ash smiled again. "Oh yeah, I know, like, three now!"
Dawn laughed awkwardly. "Really? That's pretty cool." She looked at the screen, immediately gritting her teeth with widened eyes and a strange squealing noise. Afterwards, she looked like she was forcing on a smile. "H-Hi there! Nice to meet you!" She paused a moment. "I-I like your clothes!"
Solana chuckled. "You're a shy one, aren't you?" she asked. "Well, thanks."
Pikachu internally raised an eyebrow. Dawn? Shy?
"(Hello~!)" Plusle said happily.
Dawn forced out some awkward laughter in response, immediately backing away from the screen.
Pikachu stared. What... the hell was up with her?
"(... Any idea what's up with Dawn, Buneary?)" he asked, turning to the rabbit.
She met his gaze, shaking her head. "(No clue,)" she replied.
"(She's... scared...)" Riolu said slowly, "(but... I don't know what of.)"
Pikachu stared at Riolu in shock. Dawn was... scared?!
Munchlax turned to blink in surprise at Riolu. "(Really?)" he asked. He looked around briefly. "(What could be scary?)"
"(Well... a lot of things were scary before. Though... I dunno about now...)"
Huh... so nobody knew what the hell was up with Dawn? How frigging weird...
"By the way, Solana," Kellyn said, attracting Pikachu's attention. He was wearing a frown. "What's the latest on the search?"
"We've determined the precise location of Hunter J's client," Solana replied, "and Officer Jenny and I are headed there now."
Jeez, it was so weird how she could switch so effortlessly between casual and professional tones. Kind of impressive, even.
Kellyn nodded. "Hm. Riolu's under our protection, and we're heading toward the rendezvous coordinates."
"Understood. We'll be in touch."
As Kellyn moved to close the call, a colossal echoing boom rang through the air, making Pikachu jump, though he tried not to show it. He swivelled his head in its direction. Was it thunder?! Was there a storm coming?!
But... the sky was blue and the clouds were white, so what the frick had made that noise?!
He watched the clouds for a little while longer, until a huge grey airship materialised on the horizon.
Pikachu frowned at it. Ohhh frick, it was Hunter J! She was on her way already!
"(Uh oh...)" Buneary mumbled.
"(Oh no, what's that?!)" Riolu yelped.
"(Aww no, it's that hunter lady's ship,)" Munchlax said. "(Well, that's not good.)"
Yeah. Damn right, it wasn't.