Hey there! I want to give a big thank-you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and faved the story. The response was honestly bigger than what I expected, and I really appreciate that.
Uber Ghidorah: The ones I'm thinking about are a blend of popular and less used. Ultimately I want a diverse and varied team with some commonality. If that makes sense.
Guest: That is literally the mission statement for the fic, hahaha. Thanks.
Thank you to vaultdwellerdead and hafy for their comments as well. Happy reading, Trainers! - Pug
"This is an outrage. I can't believe you'd do this, Penn."
"Yeah, well, it's about time I start living for myself—finding my own path."
"Training Pokémon is not a life."
Penn looks off to the sea as his mom chastises him on the other end of the phone. This is why he never calls. He and Lucario stroll across Skyarrow Bridge—a structure that's so long that Castelia and Pinwheel Forest get veiled by the haze when the duo reach the middle. Penn always joked to Riolu that the bridge exists in its own existential plane, or that it was a gate between dimensions. Riolu never got those jokes.
Penn keeps switching hands to hold the phone. He alternates between quick power-walking and slow sauntering. Lucario keeps ahead by a few meters, undeterred by his Trainer's constant pace changing.
"Training absolutely is a life, Mom," Penn argues. "I want to see the world, I wanna grow as a person. I can't clean and set tables for the rest of my life."
"This is ridiculous… You ghost us for over a year then drop this crap on us?"
He resists the urge to chuck his phone off the bridge. "You've never cared about what I wanted to do. You—"
"Do you want to end up like your brother?"
"Wow, you're bringing Damon into this? Really?"
"Yes really!" Of course she would.
"What happened with him is way more preferable to what's happening to me! No wonder you hold on to Julianne so much—you're ashamed of me and Damon, so you wanna mold her into the perfect child!"
"She stays with us because she wants to!"
"Because you made her want to!"
"So help me, Penn, if you go through with this…"
"Well, I'm gonna. Nothing you say or do will stop me."
A pause. "Yes, well…you're too old. Trainers start at ten!"
"Anyone can start anything they want at whatever age! I'm done being a busboy. So goodbye, Mom. Tell Dad and Julianne that I said hi."
Penn ends the call and shoves his phone into his pocket. He shouldn't be surprised it ended that way. Why did he even call her in the first place? He's been on cloud nine since he bought those Poké Balls—the feeling of starting something new, the excitement and anticipation of what's to come—was that it?
"I don't know why I even bother with her, Lucario," he says. "Be glad you've never met her."
"Grff." Lucario shrugs as he turns to Penn, letting his Trainer catch up.
"This is what she does—she looks at your hopes & dreams and she scolds you for having them. Dad goes along with it, and Julie is just straight up terrified of her."
Lucario gives him a reassuring, if a little awkward, pat on the arm. Penn chuckles and returns it with a nice scratch on the head, right between Lucario's ears. The Pokémon leans into it, happy to receive.
"I, um…" Penn says. "I have a confession to make."
"Hruf?"
"This journey—I have no clue where to go or what to do."
Lucario responds with an incredulous frown.
"I know, I know, I'm an idiot. It's just that…what Hilda said really inspired me, y'know? I need to start living, not just surviving. And the life I want is being a Trainer."
Lucario gives an assured grunt, but he's clearly still uneasy.
"It'll work out, pal. Doing the Gym Badge circuit would be the safest bet, but I wanna do something else. Something more. We could be Pokémon Rangers. Or maybe we could join the International Police. Or we could show off how cool you are in Contests!" Penn finds himself staring off to the sea as ideas upon ideas swim in his head. And then… "Oh! Actually forget all that crap. Let's become…Poké super heroes."
"Hruh?!"
"Blue Truth and the Mighty Lucario!"
Lucario covered his face with his paws. What had he gotten himself into…?
[Castelia City]
A man adjusts his tie as he exits the subway. He keeps the brim of his fedora tipped downward, hiding at least half his face from the countless people he passes by. He'd look just like any other ordinary person, save for two elements. One, his greasy, jet-black hair that reaches past the length of his shoulders. The men of Castelia typically have clean structured haircuts. Of course there are exceptions, so even then, this man remains unsuspicious. Two, the heavy metal briefcase he carries. When one arm starts to get tired, he switches to the other. Whatever's inside rumbles around as he walks. Some passersby take quick glances at it, noticing the strange golden symbol on its side. Some even recognize it as the logo for a company called the Aether Foundation.
The man can't believe how peaceful everything is. He's been to many places, many regions, already. They're all the same: unending peace. It sickened him at first, until he realized that it would make everything easier.
He finds himself at a pier, where nothing but the great blue sea and sky lay before him. He closes his eyes and takes in that cool, salty air.
"This world—it's like a blank canvas," he muses. "It's absolutely perfect."
[Nacrene City.]
For all the times he's been in Pinwheel Forest, Penn's never been over this side of it. For years, his world was just Castelia and the big forest on the other side of the bridge. Now, for the time in a very long while, his world has just expanded. Nacrene has no skyscrapers; the tallest structures here are the assorted lofts and warehouses. One building that catches his eye—easily the biggest in the city—is the museum. Hanging at its front are three display banners: one illustrating a Dragonite skeleton, another showing a knightly suit of armor, and a third with a teal-haired woman & her Watchog… Penn has heard of the Castelia Gym being inside an art gallery—maybe the Nacrene Gym is a similar case? He shrugs away the thought. He's not here for the Gym.
"Hey, Luke," he says to his Pokémon, "let's catch our breath at a café. Then we'll set out on Route 3. We can camp out there if we don't get to…uh…" He quickly checks the map on his phone. "…Striaton? Yeah, Striaton City. Let's just plan on going there tomor—"
"Grf." Lucario shakes his head firmly and points to the museum—to the banner of the Gym Leader.
"What, you wanna try to win a Badge?"
"Grrroof!" he says agitatedly.
"No way, pal. We're not ready for that yet. We couldn't even beat Hilda—how are we supposed to beat a Gym Leader who has, like, a full team?"
Grumbling in frustration, Lucario turns away and crosses his arms.
"If you're gonna be like that, you're going back in your ball."
"Hrmph!"
"Well…fine. Return." Penn pulls the Poké Ball from his overstuffed bag and recalls Lucario. He heaves a sigh as he shoves it in his jacket pocket. "I swear. My family, then my best friend…"
He gets to the small gate building that links Nacrene to Route 3 in no time at all. He angry-walks through it, barely minding not to shove past anyone inside. He just can't believe it; this is his journey. He decides what he can and can't do.
Route 3 begins with a wide dirt road that eventually leads to a lightly forested area. Striaton should be just beyond that. After five minutes or so of walking, he comes across something…interesting. A livestock transport truck, apparently on its way to Nacrene, sits awkwardly in a ditch off the side of the road. Some boards have broken off the pen on the trailer, and a man & his Herdier struggle to keep the flock of Mareep in line.
Penn's Castelian nature tells him to ignore it and move on. He's not in the best of moods, after all. But something compels him to do otherwise.
"Uh, excuse me," he calls to the rancher. "Need any help?"
It takes the stressed-out man a second to realize someone's speaking to him. He waves at Penn dismissively. "Nah, nah, I'm fine. Just some truck trouble."
"What happened?"
"Dagnabbed cat Pokémon jumped right in fronta me, made me lose c'ntrol. Parts o' the fence flew off somehow and almost made me lose the whole doggone flock."
"Almost?"
"Yeah, one got away and ran up the road. Musta been Lieutenant Surge. I call 'im that on account of how stupidly brave he is."
The Mareep all cry and bleat, as if calling to their lost brother. Penn notices a pink-colored one among the group. Herdier starts barking at them, making them baaa even louder.
"I could look for him," Penn says without much thought.
"Nah, don't trouble yourself. This here's my mess."
"No, I mean it. I'm headed there anyway—if I find him, I'll bring him back."
The rancher briefly watches his "mess," then takes a deep breath. "Well. Doesn't seem like I got much choice. What's your name, son?"
"Penn."
"Penn? Guess I'll take up your offer. You better hurry, though—the lieutenant loves gittin' inta trouble."
They say their farewells, then Penn takes off in a jog. He gets the feeling that this Mareep should stand out easily. "Lieutenant Surge" is quite the nickname for a Pokémon. He wonders if it comes from a character or person. He considers bringing out Lucario; his aura sensing abilities would be helpful. However…would he need to practice first? And for how long? Would he even want to help?
It looks like this search will be easy—a weak but visible stream of lightning erupts upward from the bundle of trees. Could it be from Surge, or just a wild Blitzle? It's Penn's only lead, so he pursues it. As he nears closer, he hears the yowls and hisses of a feline Pokémon. A vicious one at that. But it's replied with a strong, loud "Baaaa!"
Penn gets knocked to his feet when an electrified Liepard tumbles in front of him from the side. The Pokémon rolls to its feet and shakes off the electricity, then flees into a nearby bush. Penn stands up as well, wondering what the heck just happened. He gets a morsel of clarity when a Mareep emerges, its body still sizzling from that attack.
"Um…Lieutenant Surge?" he says.
The Mareep looks toward him and cocks its head. "Ba?" Funny how he knows his own nickname.
"Hey, uh… The rancher sent me. Can… Can you— Gah, this is weird. Do you wanna come back with me? Everyone really misses you."
Surge bleats in happiness and starts trotting toward Penn. That worked out really well. But once Surge reaches the center of the clearing, the Liepard leaps out from a tree—
"Look out!"
—and lands a nasty Slash attack. Its sheer, precise power sends Surge flying against a boulder, where he lies motionless. Liepard saunters toward him, ready to land the final blow. Penn knows he has to do something—anything. He quickly takes an empty Poké Ball out of his bag and takes a throwing stance. There's no way a regular ball will catch a nearly healthy Liepard, but it'll give him just the time he needs to pick up Surge and get out of there.
He aims the ball for Liepard's posterior and throws true. But something happens: he misses. Right as the ball leaves his fingers, Liepard leaps at the lieutenant with its claws out and fangs bared. The Poké Ball sails beneath its belly…and collides with Surge instead.
"…Oh crap."
The ball opens up and sucks in the energy-converted Mareep. Liepard meanwhile, with nothing to stop it, plows face first into the boulder. The Poké Ball seals shut and falls to the ground with a bounce. It shakes once, then twice…then thrice. The middle button flashes green as the ball locks with a final click.
Liepard shakes off its dazed state and focuses on Penn, no doubt angry that he made its "plaything" disappear. He immediately grabs Lucario's Poké Ball and sends out the Aura Pokémon.
"Luke, c-can you help me, please?"
Lucario smiles and gives his Trainer a firm, unconditional nod.
"…Thank you, pal. I mean it."
He takes a battle-ready stance, staring Liepard down. Undeterred, it hisses at him in response.
"Okay, let's do this—close in with Quick Attack!"
Lucario follows Penn's directions without hesitation. He dashes towards Liepard, white light trailing behind him. Just as he closes the distance, it dodges away with equal speed. Maneuvering behind him, it readies another Slash.
"Dodge it!"
This time Lucario hesitates, and Liepard strikes directly across his back. Penn winces as he remembers how that move one-hit KO'd Surge, but thankfully Lucario only stumbles forward. Thank goodness for his Steel typing. Liepard pauses; it clearly expected a different result. A chance for a perfect shot.
"Retaliate with Rock Smash!"
No hesitation this time. Penn wonders, is Lucario just better at offense than defense? To be fair, "dodge it" is not a specific command. Perhaps that was the key. Regardless, the palpable impact of Lucario slugging Liepard across the face brings Penn out of his thoughts. The feline Pokémon goes flying, kicking up clouds of dirt as it slides along the ground. For a few seconds, Penn and Lucario assume it's finally down and out…until it darts out of the dirt cloud. It flings itself at Lucario with yet another Slash attack prepared.
"Blockitwithyourarms!" he tries to say quickly.
Lucario crosses his arms in front of him and plants his feet to the ground. Liepard feebly strikes at the Aura Pokémon, only dealing minor damage. It tries again. Then again. And again, and again… But Lucario never loses his stance. Penn gets that feeling again—the one he experienced during his battle with Hilda. It's the excitement of being in sync with his Pokémon. No, his partner. It's the addictive electricity from knowing that victory is just moments away.
"Luke, push against it!"
Fatigue weighs on the wild Liepard, giving Lucario the time needed to see where the next Slash is coming from…and deflect it with a spiked fist. Minor damage becomes no damage at all. Liepard, though, still doesn't let up.
"Try deflecting with Rock Smash!"
Lucario focuses as he prepares the move, letting Liepard finally get some hits in. Penn starts to worry, but that concern dissipates as Lucario regains his composure. Liepard swings its claws from the side. Not only does he deflect it—he causes Liepard to slip backward. It's wide open. Penn nearly commands another Rock Smash, but Lucario seemingly reads his mind. He closes his fist tightly and unleashes one hell of a punch to Liepard's chest. It soars into the grove of trees, yowling in defeat, out of sight.
"Holy crap—that was incredible, Lucario!"
The two buddies embrace one another, then share a hearty fist bump. As they touch, Penn physically feels a wave of happiness & pride course through him. Lucario's body glows a dim teal, but only for a split second. Shocked, Penn pulls away, staring at his own hand, then at Lucario's. Stuff like this never happened when he was a Riolu.
Penn clears his throat. "Well. Great work, pal. Let's head back and give this Mareep back to the ranch guy." He scoops up Lieutenant Surge's Poké Ball, and the duo finally depart.
They sprint down the road of Route 3 as if the broken-down truck has somewhere else to be. Herdier and the flock are still bickering without end. The pen's been fixed—all that's left is the truck.
The rancher chortles when the two arrive. "Heh, didn't think ya'd come back!"
"Sor…sorry for taking s…so long," Penn musters through his aching lungs. After catching his breath, he holds out Surge's Poké Ball for the rancher to take. "Here's your Mareep, sir. I kinda, er, caught him by accident. He really gave that Liepard a good shock."
"Did he now?" He peers closely at the ball as Penn hands it to him. He holds it up to eye level, clearly deep contemplation. "Hrmmm…"
"Is…everything okay?"
He looks at Penn with an assured grin. "Just dandy, son. Thank you, I really appreciate it, but… I think the lieutenant would be better off with you."
"With… With m—? What?"
"Yep." The rancher jovially slaps the Poké Ball back in Penn's hand before he can protest. "Good luck on your adventure, kid. If you'll excuse, I got a truck to fix."
"What the—? Hey! Hey, wait!" Penn tries to hound out some answers, but the rancher crawls underneath the truck with tools in hand. The dumbfounded Trainer just stands there, holding Surge's ball like it's a foreign object. He looks at Lucario, desperate for some clarity, but the Pokémon only shrugs.
He thanks the rancher before making the trek back to Nacrene; Surge and Lucario definitely need healing after that scuffle with Liepard. He smiles and grips Surge's ball more comfortably—he can't wait to get to know the Mareep and start training with him.