FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Celebi stirred awake, the large flower she was lying on moving in response to the arrival of another day beyond the cavern's walls. She stretched out her arms as she flew up, grimacing as she was feeling stiff all over. A strong urge to go outside and lap up as much sun as possible struck her, the cold and darkness having taken a toll on her floral body. A few days earlier she would not even have noticed the passage of time, but the Gengar's unprecedented visit had reminded her that there was a world outside of where she currently was, tending to the leftovers of her murdered friend. She had never shied away from everything like this before. Although she had been raised to live in secrecy and seclusion, she had always been curious enough to get herself and those like the unfortunate Pichu in trouble. She couldn't help it - The vast world had so much to offer, and nothing disgusted her more than the idea of sitting alone in a cave.

But that was before her world broke into pieces. It had not caught her off guard completely, because she had feared that even if they managed to retrieve the virus successfully, there might be causalities. She could have coped with seeing Zoroark or some of the revolutionaries die. Losing Pikablu, Lucario and the others would have been painful, but she could have handled it. Even Zerobi's death was something she believed she would eventually overcome, but instead it was the most important person in her life who fell. Mew deserved to live more than anyone.

Celebi sighed in dismay while moving down to the flower again, placing a hand on Mew's forehead. Was she really wishing for the demise of her own sister? She knew she had to cherish those she had left, and could tell that spending so much time with a corpse was not doing wonders to her sanity. Even if she were to preserve Mew's body for all eternity, her friend would never wake up. Mew had always been there, and she felt safe in knowing that no matter what came to pass they would experience it together. They would greet joy and sadness together. Live and overcome hardships together. Indeed, the very first hardship after losing Mew seemed insurmountable as Celebi found her way of life shattered.

It was then that she felt herself enter the chambers. Or at least her aura did, the familiar presence by the room's only entrance telling her that another visitor had come, and this one was not as unexpected as the last one. Quickly running a hand across her face to dispose of any visible tears, she turned to face the new arrival.

Lucario looked around the area for a moment before casually examining Celebi. He had failed to pick up too many nuances when she came to visit him earlier due to being dead drunk, but now he could see that she was in surprisingly poor shape. She looked even smaller and thinner than usual, her skin was losing color because of diminishing chlorophyll, and the lines under her huge sunken eyes were like ravines. If it was due to sorrow, negligence or simply lack of sunlight he had no idea, but the cadaver of Mew on the flower seemed a thousand times more radiant than the wilting Celebi. He felt bad for her, realizing she was honoring the memory of Mew at the cost of her own health, but he was in no position to reprimand her, considering she was still keeping things together a lot better than he was.

"Celebi... May I have some time alone with Mew?" Lucario asked humbly, turning his attention towards the pedestal plant in the middle of the room. Still feeling broken down, Celebi thought to herself for a few moments, not too keen on leaving and no longer having either Mew or Lucario as company. She figured she could use some fresh air at least, hoping she did not look as much of a wreck as the recently sober Lucario. She nodded and began to float away, keeping in mind how long she could be gone before Mew's flesh stared decaying again.

"Don't... Listen in," Lucario requested, trying to think of a good explanation as to why. It was going to be sappy? He was about to reveal something he didn't want her or anyone else knowing? At any rate, Celebi decided not to question it as she simply nodded again and left the cave. He waited until he sensed her aura at an adequate distance away before slowly approaching where Mew was.

Instantly he realized why Celebi was spending so much time in there. Mew looked more alive than ever, shining brightly as if still in life. Her eyes were closed and her tail was hanging by the side of the flower she laid on, giving the illusion that the fabulous legendary was just resting, taking a short nap to cure her weariness before getting ready to face another day.

But Lucario knew better. Mew rarely slept, and when she did she was always hovering in midair. A quick scan with his aura told him that the beaming radiance was the work of Celebi and did not contain a trace of Mew's presence. She was not about to face another day. She was not breathing, moving or dreaming. She was dead.

"Hello... Mew..." Lucario said out loud as he sat down next to the colorful plant, his shoulders on the same level as her unmoving face, "Thought you might be bored, hanging around here with no one but Celebi, so I came to visit."

Lucario faked a smile before groaning to himself. That kind of corny behavior was not the reason he was there.

"No... That's not it..." he whispered, hoping she would not object to starting the conversation over from scratch, "I came to... Talk about things. Things that need to be said."

Already he was having trouble getting the words out. Mew did not seem nearly as dead as when she had been on her last legs out in the snow, and he felt stupid to be choking up with no one actually hearing him. Mew was in front of him, but never again would she listen to him or speak to him. Her life was over, but it was not for her sake that he had decided to do this.

"Listen... I'm sorry for being a useless piece of shit who let you die..." Lucario muttered while imagining that on some level she could understand him, "But come on... You know me. I screw up all the time; it couldn't have been that much of a surprise. I can't compete with the likes of Zoroark or Celebi, I'm just not that competent."

He sighed and placed his large palm on Mew's head. She used to hate it when he did that back at the start of their journey, proclaiming to despise all invasion of personal space. A few months of clinging onto his back cured her of that ailment, and she eventually grew to at the very least be indifferent to his touches.

"I couldn't save you... But I never claimed I could, either," Lucario explained while shaking the pleasant memory from his mind and looking off at a wall in nervousness, "I tried my best against unfavorable odds, so of course I failed. Had the requirements been to beat up that Torana again or something, I would've saved you for sure..."

It was an implausible scenario, but the idea of Fire-types bugged him. Had he been one, he could have easily saved Mew from the merciless cold. As he was now, aside from hugging her close there was not much else he could have done.

"And... I'm not the reason you fought Darkrai," Lucario continued as he scratched the back of his head, "That was your fight. We could have fled, but you wanted revenge for Cresselia... Wanted to rid the world of Darkrai... I don't blame you, not even a little, but I just want you to know... I'm not the reason you're dead."

A heavy exhale followed as Lucario withdrew his hand and leaned back on his arms. Although circumstances brought him, Darkrai and Mew to the same place, it was Mew who insisted there be a conflict. Even Darkrai seemed keen on letting things be after her appearance. Escaping the unimaginably speedy Deoxys was one thing, but even Lucario was able to outrun Darkrai for a good while. They could easily have made it away, and she would still be alive.

Lucario looked at Mew, wishing she would look back. Laying the guilt on her felt cowardly, but in life she had never been one to dodge blame. In fact, the only thing she seemed quite willing to dodge was him. He thought back to her final words, about how she really had avoided him on purpose, and the very obvious reason why.

"... Anyway, I've been thinking..." Lucario whispered as he shuffled a bit closer to the flower, "... About your feelings for me... How you said you love me, and all that..."

This time he stared directly at Mew instead of looking away. It was difficult as he had not anticipated her to be so beautiful still, but decided not to back down.

"... COMPLETELY ignoring the fact that I told you countless times that I don't care for Pokémon," Lucario growled with a harsh tone and a frown, "All while placing me in the awkward position of withholding what you said from everyone else, not to mention proving that old asshole Lugia right and making me look like a goddamn villain in the end even though I didn't do anything!"

Letting his voice grow to a shout, Lucario huffed as Mew was predictably showing no reaction whatsoever. Had she not had the convenient excuse of being dead, it would have irritated him even more.

"You're right. It was meaningless, and if I might add, rather stupid of you," he scoffed while showing a scornful sneer, "Avoiding me on purpose, like I'd actually do anything to harm you. I know you know I suck, but give me some credit. I would never knowingly kill someone I..."

Lucario noticed his speech sounding a bit hoarse. The raspy effect remained even as he lowered his voice. He swallowed to try and clear it up, but to no avail.

"... Forget what I just said..." Lucario whispered while running a palm across his eyes, "What I really meant to say was... The reason I chased you all over the place..."

He detected a hint of something wet in his palm as he looked at Mew, fixating on her still shape.

"A-And... Why I'm crying like wimp right now..." he stammered before taking a deep breath, "I think... I think I might've loved you, too..."

The words fell out of him with ease, but almost immediately he wished he could take them back. Words unheard but not unspoken, he was finally coming to terms with what had been bothering him so much all this time. His desperation in chasing her and sorrow of losing her was too powerful to stem from a simple friendship. It had been love, and he had been too inexperienced to recognize it until it was too late. Even now he felt confused, unsure of what to do or how to cope with the unfamiliar sensations, not to mention the concept of letting go forever, considering he never even had time to get started.

"That is why... This... Is our last meeting..." Lucario muttered as he stood up, his eyes never breaking contact with Mew's closed eyelids, "It's easier to just forget about it, stop dreaming of what could've been... I mean, I've got things left to do, people who have need of even an idiot like me..."

A vision of Zerobi flashed by his mind, and suddenly he felt guilty for some reason. Like it was up to him to decide who to love, or something. He still figured it would probably be best not to tell her or anybody else anything about this, considering he was trying to forget about it himself. He would have to take this unconventional break-up one step at a time and see what future held in store for his previously barren love life.

"Ahh... What could've been..." he repeated slowly as he looked over Mew one last time. If only he had realized it earlier. If only she had told him sooner. Would it even have worked out, or were they simply abandoning reason for emotion? She was a legendary, one with a million ideas on how to improve the world and the means to do it. She could not have stayed shackled to a regular Lucario like him forever, and unless he was able to keep up, he would have been forced to spend most of his life alone anyway. Children were out of the question and as were the means to create them, Lucario thinking that a relationship with Mew would probably be any man's nightmare.

So, why could he not stop staring at her? Even when dead, why did she shine so brightly? Starting to regret his decision to make this their final goodbye, Lucario moved closer to the flower, his stomach rubbing up against the leafy petals. Mew did not talk or think, yet still he was drawn to her like a bee to the pollen, making him fret that he had unknowingly been hexed by a spell of love or something of equal paranoia. But at this moment, it did not matter. No amount of pain in the world could ever erase the innocence of her face, even as it lay blank and still. Minutes passed as he simply looked at her, too weak of a man to turn around and leave. Surely he could not just let her go like this?

Conflicted as to what to do, he was reminded of an old story so much like theirs, the man giving his perished love one final kiss before taking his own life. The horrible scenario instantly broke Lucario out of the romantic atmosphere and brought him back to reality. As bad as his first kiss with Zerobi was, it was probably not as unpleasant as locking lips with an overly ripe corpse. And killing himself was the absolutely last thing on his mind, now that he had finally overcome the most devastating trauma of his life. Realizing he was leaning ever closer to Mew and breathing all over her, he quickly retracted himself.

"Sorry, sorry!" he squabbled as he stepped back, shaking his head in disapproval of what he had almost done, "I know, this is our last moment together. At least this I won't screw up."

Scarcely a moment away from breaking into tears again, he decided to wrap things up and give a respectful goodbye he would not come to regret when thinking back to this. Straightening his back, he placed a paw by his forehead in a salute.

"You are the greatest being I've ever known," he spoke with a voice carrying sympathy rather than authority, "If I run into Darkrai again, I'll send him to where you are so you can pay him back in person."

Sighing out, Lucario gazed over Mew one last time with a deep longing emerging in his chest. Carefully looking behind himself while making sure there was no aura nearby, he walked up to Mew one last time, hunching over and sneaking in a very quick kiss on her cheek.

"Farewell, Mew..." he whispered and closed his eyes, relishing in the overwhelming emotions, "Rest in peace."

---

Lucario felt usually good about himself as he walked through the complicated cave system. It seemed like a cheap move to receive forgiveness from a dead person, but he knew there was no guilt that could affect him if he denied responsibility. The sorrow of losing a loved one would linger, but he felt he could handle it. After all, fully encompassing happiness had not been his lot in life for many years.

Scanning the area for familiar presences, Lucario felt like he wanted to share his triumphant return with someone. Celebi was still gone though, there was no way for him to sense neither Zerobi nor Zoroark, and the occasional Pokémon he passed by seemed busy going somewhere else. Actually, as he came to realize, a lot of them seemed to be running away from the direction he was heading in, and the few whose expressions he could determine seemed frightened. Although most of them were too occupied with getting away from whatever laid ahead, the fifth Pokémon trying to move past suddenly noticed him and stopped in its tracks.

"L-Lucario!? There you are!" the Pokémon stammered in unexpected triumph mixed with fear. She was a Lilligant, her verdant body a familiar sight to Lucario who could not stop himself from slipping back to the past, experiencing the same flashback with Ivy that he had revisited two years earlier.

The Lilligant stared at him with confusion as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, a dreamy expression crossing his face. Wondering if she was exuding Sweet Scent or Aromatherapy by mistake, she knew there was no time for a relaxing break and hastily tried to slap him back to his senses. However, her weak leafy arms only brought about a gentle caress which allowed him to slip further into a coma, and in desperation she swiftly gave him a headbutt instead.

"They're calling for you! What did you do!?" she yelled right in his face as he recoiled from her attack, charging up a punch to counter in reflex. It was not until the very last moment that he recognized the soft, harmless face graced by innocent, pleading eyes about to be crushed by his fist, and managed to halt himself. The flashback was gone, and he was back in reality again.

"... Nothing?" Lucario mumbled with a dazed expression, "What's going on?"

She wanted to sigh out in relief after not having accidentally been punched into oblivion, but the looming threats behind kept her on edge.

"You have, um... Visitors!" the Lilligant exclaimed while pointing behind her, trying to hide her fear, "Go greet them! Fast!"

"Who?" Lucario asked in confusion, wondering just how many more people were seeking his audience, "Where?"

"You can't miss 'em! Go, or they'll come in here!" the Lilligant insisted as she ran past Lucario and suddenly pushed him in the direction she had come from.

"Wait, hold on!" Lucario shouted in surprise, not sure if he was ready to handle action so soon after such a tearful goodbye, "Can't you tell me anything!?"

"I'll tell you this - You picked the wrong day to stop drinking!" she responded quickly before letting go and running further into the cave, away from whatever was scaring away all the Pokémon. Wondering if this was some kind of prank, Lucario focused and suddenly detected the aura of two beings he recognized all too well.

His face drooped. The first thought to hit him was that he had an unusual knack to jump from one problem to the next. He had occasionally contemplated drinking for the rest of his days, only now realizing there were those in this world that would simply not allow it.

He kept walking. Might as well face it like a man and get it over with, he thought. This problem wasn't going away any time soon, and he wasn't going to feel nearly as suicidal later. He could not sense Celebi, but hoped she had not decided to go on an all-around the world tour as he would be finding himself in grave peril very soon. Not that it mattered, not even she could save him from the fate that lay ahead. No one could.

Seeing the exit, the outside lands were covered by snow and bright daylight. Not nearly a hostile as his last venture outside, but somehow the sight was even more troubling than Darkrai. Fangs and claws, thick limbs and manes, waiting patiently outside Nomad's Land were Raikou and Suicune, carrying Red and Brendan. Blue was also there, clinging on to his Skarmory which in truth was a rather pitiful sight compared to the two legendary dogs sandwiching it.

"Yo, Lucario!" Brendan shouted cheerfully while eagerly waving his hand, "We got sick of hunting you down all the time, so we decided to team up and kill you right now!"