A Boy and His Lucario Part 21
#21 of A Boy and His Lucario Series
Kyo was absolutely amazed at what Lucario was telling him. 'What are the odds?' Kyo kept thinking. 'I've never heard anything like this; it all seems like a movie or something.'
"And now they want me to stay and rule with them." Lucario finished.
"Stay? But what about John?" Kyo asked. Lucario's ears drooped.
"That's just it! I can't leave my Master behind. Kyo, I don't know what to do!"
"Just try to relax. Obviously they want you to think about it, so they're giving us time to stay here. Why not have a look around? I'm sure you'll find plenty to do to take your mind off it for a while." Lucario scratched his head in thought.
"I suppose you're right. I'm going to go look for Master." He said standing up. "Thanks for listening to me, Kyo."
"Anytime, my friend. Go enjoy yourself." Lucario nodded with a smile and left the room. Kyo sighed and fell back onto his bed. "One more thing for you to get involved in." he said to himself out loud.
John sat silent. He just looked straight at Ashito and bore no sign of emotion.
"John... I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it all back, but... but..." Ashito began to sob. "John, please forgive me!" Ashito's head was in his hands, his tears soaking his fur.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go now." John stood and walked back inside, leaving the weeping Husky alone. Ashito hadn't cried like this in a long time, so long he couldn't remember. A song he remembered from his days before Team Rocket began running through his head:
You should've known the price of evil,
And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah.
No one to call, everybody to fear.
Your tragic fate is looking so clear.
Oooooooh, it's your f*cking nightmare.
Those words couldn't have been more right. 'Joining that terrorist organization was the worst mistake I ever made!' he thought to himself 'It's responsible for all the pain in my life! I killed my friend's parents, and I turned into a literal monster!' He began whimpering as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"Ashito, you can't let this bother you your whole life." Ashito turned to see it was Lucario. "What's done is done, it's all in the past now. I don't know what Master is thinking, but I forgive you."
"H-how... how did you know?" Ashito continue to wipe his eyes.
"I knew from the day we met you, when Master told you Team Rocket killed his parents. I could sense a disturbance in your aura, so I decided to keep an eye on you. When I got the chance, I would read your thoughts, until one day it all came out. I'm sorry for violating your mind, but I needed to know what was going on." Lucario explained. Ashito couldn't believe it. He knew all this time?
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Because I know you're a good person. You're very kind to everyone you meet, including Master and me. We've never met a friend as good as you, and I didn't find any reason to believe that that should be ruined by a past event." Ashito stood and took several steps closer to Lucario.
"So, you forgive me?" he asked. Lucario nodded with a grin.
"I do." The next thing he knew, Lucario was off the ground. Ashito had snatched him up and held him tight in a loving embrace. His tears fell onto Lucario's head.
"Thank you so much, Lucario! You're one of the best friends I've ever had!" Lucario laughed and gasped for breath.
"You as well Ashito, you as well."
Kyo closed the door behind him. He turned and saw Ninetales standing behind him.
"How's it going?" She asked him. "Is your room nice? Ours is very pretty." Kyo smiled and caressed her head.
"I'm glad you like your room. How's Celia?" he asked.
"She's doing really well, she likes it here. She says she's never seen so many other Lucario in all her life."
"I don't think anyone has. I'm still processing that all of this is real. Do you want to go on a walk with me? I'd like to check out the village." Ninetales smiled and nodded.
"That sounds like fun, let's go!" The two of them set off down the hall, Ashito and Lucario came from the other direction back to the rooms.
"I think I'm going to go find a place to take a bath." Ashito said. "Care to join me?"
"Maybe some other time. I'm going to check on Celia now." Lucario said.
"Alright, have a good time." Ashito bowed. Lucario returned a bow and Ashito set off in search of a bath. Lucario turned and knocked on the girls' room door.
"Hi, Honey!" Celia answered. "Come on in!" Lucario walked into the room and noticed it looked much like the boys' room, only what was blue in theirs had been pink in here. Celia brought Lucario a cup of tea.
"Where did you get this?" he asked between sips.
"The nice hostess came and brought us a fresh pot. Can you believe it? We were served by another Lucario! There's so many of them here!" Lucario could tell she was fascinated by the Society. "I'm very happy I was able to come with you, I want to be there for you in these big moments." She blushed. Lucario grinned and gave her a lick on the snout, which made her giggle. "Say, how did it go with the council?" she finally asked. Lucario sighed and sat on Celia's bed. "Oh, that's not very reassuring." She said, taking a seat next to him.
"Well, it basically went like this." Lucario told the story the council had told him. Celia's mouth hung open.
"Lucario that's amazing! It explains so much! So your name is supposed to beChu?" she giggled "That's a cute name!" Lucario took a sip of his tea, trying to hide the fact that he blushed. "But I can defiantly see the problems."
"And on top of that, Master and Ashito just had a moment." He told Celia the other story.
"Really? It was Ashito? I never in a million years would have guessed that!"
"No one would." Lucario fell back on the bed. "Ugh. This was supposed to be a good trip to find my ancestry, but it's just become a big drama fest." Suddenly Celia fell on top of him. "Hey!"
"Shhhh, don't worry. I think I know what will cheer you up." She brought her muzzle in to meet his. Lucario closed his eyes and got lost in her sweet kiss; he loved it when she did that. Then, Celia moved her hands down, and Lucario felt a tingle.
"Oh yes, we have a most fabulous hot spring right behind the palace! I can take you there if you wish." The hostess answered Ashito's question about the bath.
"Ooh, that's sounds amazing. Yes, I'd like to see it please."
"Of course, right this way!" the Lucario led Ashito to a door on the main floor with large curtains draped over it. Each one boasted kanji, which Ashito assumed had something to do with the hot spring. "It's just beyond this door. A short walk up a lit path and you'll find thehot springsand everything you should need to enjoy your time." She explained.
"Thank you very much." Ashito offered a bow. The hostess returned a bow and walked back the way she had come. Ashito pushed at the curtains and began walking the path. It was a simple path, carved into the mountain with only a few lit lanterns every couple of feet apart. It was a short walk, maybe 30 seconds or so, before Ashito saw thehot springs. There were many different craters harboring the warm looking water. A small bamboo shed held towels and robes. Ashito removed his kimono, folded it neatly and set it in the shed, taking a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He observed the different craters and found a midsized one he thought looked nice. He removed the towel and neatly set it on the ground. One foot at a time he entered the hot spring, slowly lowering the rest of his furry body in. "Aaaaaaaaaaah, that feels good." He said aloud, finally sitting about chest high in the water. "I'm surprised there isn't anybody here, this is really nice." He took a deep breath and took in the sent of the clean air and sighed pleasurably. The warm water felt good, and he could feel his fur getting clean. The vibrant colors of sunset were gone, though the lanterns and stars did a good job of lighting the area. It was peaceful here, a good place to get away from all that had just happened. Ashito put his head back and relaxed with his eyes closed. This was perfect.
A bright flash of light lit up a small area of the mountain. It disappeared as soon as it had arrived, and in its path left a strange figure. He wasn't human, that was for sure, but he wore clothes just like a human would. The figure began tugging at a ring on his finger, but it wouldn't budge. "Crap." He said. He surveyed the area around him; it looked like he was in a mountainous area with no signs of anyone near him. "Oh well, it doesn't look there's anyone around to see me anyway." He assured himself. He began walking when he heard footsteps, ones that weren't his own. He quickly darted behind a boulder to hide his appearance from anyone coming. He peered around the boulder and used the binoculars he had obtained during a previous adventure. He looked through them and gasped. There was another creature that looked like him walking a little ways away. But the gasp was loud enough to alert the creature, and it looked in his direction. He watched as it got closer, finally deciding it was time to hide again, but it was too late. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, the creature was on top of him, showing its sharp teeth and growling.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" it barked at him. "Are you another experiment sent to kill me?!" its mouth moved closer.
"No! Please, don't hurt me! My name is Stevo, I come in peace!" Stevo cowered, putting his hands up to protect his face. The creature slowly backed off and held his hand out to help Stevo up. Stevo was reluctant, but he accepted the help and stood up.
"I'm sorry for attacking you, my name is Ashito. Please, follow me." Ashito started walking and Stevo followed.
'Where am I?' Stevo thought to himself. 'This isn't anything like the other places I've been.' Ashito lead him to a mounted lantern. Finally Stevo could see Ashito was a Husky. Stevo's mouth dropped. "You're an anthro!" Ashito chuckled.
"You are too, why so surprised?" Ashito was right. In the light, it was finally revealed that Stevo was an anthropomorphic Dalmatian. "Where are you from? I thought I was the only anthro is existence." Ashito wondered. Stevo was confused, but at least he now knew he wasn't in a universe filled with anthros.
"Before I answer that, where am I?"
"Probably somewhere you shouldn't be. You're in the Society of Mountain Lucario." Stevo froze.
"Wait... Lucario? As in... Pokémon?"
"Yep. That probably means you're not from any of the Pokémon regions?" Ashito guessed. Stevo shook his head.
"No, I'm from... well...." He didn't want to say that he had come here from another universe using this ring stuck on his finger, who would believe that? "I'm from theUnited States. A small town called New Zion in the southeast." Ashito's ears perked.
"Really? I've got a good friend who came from theU.S., only I think he's fromCalifornia. What state is New Zion in?"
"South Carolina."
"Hm, complete opposite sides of the country. But you still haven't answered my first question; I thought I was the only anthro is the world, how did you get this way?"
'Crap.' Stevo thought 'This guy means business. He about killed me a minute ago! If I don't answer him...' "Well, Ashito was it? It's a long and complicated story." Ashito laughed.
"Heh, I hear that. We'll have to exchange stories sometime." Ashito looked up at the sky. It was black, lit by billions of stars, a very clear night. "Well, it's already night time, why don't you come back to palace with me? You can meet my friends and stay with us if you'd like, I'm sure our hosts wouldn't mind."
"Really? But you just met me." Stevo said.
"My friends did the same thing when they found me, I don't see why I shouldn't do is also. Besides, we furries have to look out for each other." Ashito smiled and held out his hand. Stevo was a little confused, but happy to be accepted and shook the Husky's hand. Ashito turned and signaled for the Dalmatian to follow. "Do you happen to know your suit size?"
"No, why?"
"We'll have to get you fitted for a kimono."
Stevo marveled at everything he saw in the palace. 'This was all done by Pokémon? Maybe I shouldn't have stopped playing the games...' Ashito led Stevo to the rooms and invited him in. There wasn't anyone else in the room, perfect time to get Stevo a kimono. Ashito looked the Dalmatian over; he was wearing blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.
"I get the feeling you'd look good in a blue kimono." Ashito said. He started searching through the large chest where he had found his own white kimono. He could've sworn he had seen a blue one. "Ah ha, here it is!" Ashito pulled out the dark blue clothing. He held it up to Stevo's chest. "That looks like it'll fit you perfectly. Want to try it on?"
"Sure. Um... do you...?" Stevo moved his finger in a circular motion. Ashito smiled and turned around as not to watch Stevo undress. Stevo removed his jeans and t-shirt and slipped into his new kimono. "Ok, you can look now. What do you think?" Ashito turned and looked the Dalmatian over again. The dark blue color looked nice against his white fur, and the kimono itself fit like a glove.
"Lookin' good, kiddo! Now you're ready for a stay at the Society of Mountain Lucario." Ashito pet Stevo's head, taking advantage of the height difference. Ashito was about 6'4"; Stevo had to have been 5'8". "I'd introduce you to the others but it doesn't look like anyone's home..."
"Could you take me to see the rest of the society?" Stevo asked. Ashito's ears perked as he put his arm around Stevo's shoulder.
"Certainly! I've been wanting to see the rest myself! Come on; let's go find something to look at!" Ashito laughed and took his new friend outside of the palace. "Hey! Let's go have a look at the bazaar! I'm sure there are all sorts of things for sale there!" Stevo smiled with nod. It was nice to have arrived in a new place and be greeted so warmly.
'I wonder what my mission here will be.' Stevo asked himself while listening to Ashito talk about the bazaar.
Sensei Hosokawa meditated balancing on his cane. He was in the center of his pagoda, the candles all lit around him. Sensei opened his eyes and all the candles extinguished themselves. He stepped off his cane and took it in one hand and looked up at the golden dragon on the ceiling of the top floor.
"I sense a disturbance... John." Sensei slowly walked out of his pagoda and headed to the main dojo. "I feared this would happen." He told himself. When he got to the dojo, Donal was there training.
"Good evening, Sensei. Care to join me and Primeape in some sparring?" the Irish boy asked. Donal's Mankey had just evolved into Primeape the day before, and he wanted to make sure they would be ready to battle John and Lucario when they returned.
"Not tonight, Donal. In fact, would you both please return to the living quarters? I want to speak with you all. So please be sure you find Casey and tell him as well."
"Yes, Sensei." Donal said as he and Primeape bowed. Sensei continued out into the garden, where he found Siegfried. As usual, the large man was attending to his flowers, Hitmonlee was helping.
"Siegfried, Hitmonlee, your flowers look so beautiful in the moon light."
"Thank you, Sensei." Siegfried said slowly. "Do you need... something, Sensei?" Siegfried asked, having to look in his brain for the word "something", his German accent was very heavy.
"Ah, your English is improving Siegfried. But yes, I would like for you all to meet me in the living quarters, there's something I must tell you."
"Yes, Sensei." The German said with a bow and took his Pokémon with him to the living quarters. Sensei looked down at the flowers. There were rather nice, Siegfried always took such good care of them.
"You are the children of a gentle giant." Sensei spoke quietly to the flowers. "And what a great father he is to you all. We are fortunate to have you here." Sensei moved on into the living quarters. In the dining room he found his students and their Pokémon; Siegfried and Hitmonlee, Donal and Primeape, and his newest student Casey with his Pokémon Sawk, who had come from Oldale Town in Hoenn. Casey was a quiet 14 year old with spiky blonde hair who had come all the way from Hoenn to train under Sensei Hosokawa. His Sawk was loyal only to Casey, but definitely knew Sensei was far more powerful then himself, and respected his authority.
"Excuse me, Sensei." Casey spoke. "But may I ask why you've summoned us?"
"Yes my dear boy. My students, I have felt a disturbance. It's John, and I feel now is the time to tell you where I've really sent our friends."