The Human Species (PG-13)

[Rotomknight]

Don't DIE!!!!!
Zoroark is a girl?
I was expecting something like deoxys in armor.
Or some other super pokemon in a costume.

[Azurus]

We already knew long ago that Zoroark is a girl, you just had to pay attention.

Anyway, I'm interested to see just how Lucario is going to escape this time, and what Zoroark plans on doing now.

Looking forward to more and glad they could patch things up.

[ShadedSkies]

Well, the next episode will be the last for quite some time, because I have to get back to work again. Don't worry, I won't be leaving you on a cliffhanger!

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 61

Rocket Boss Giovanni

http://imageshack.us/a/img402/4839/giom.png

Lucario continued sleeping, the events of the previous day crawling through his head like frenzied insects, subjecting him to a very peculiar dream. He dreamed he was eating rice and curry off a black, furry pelt. A grain fell into a particularly thick bush of hair, but when he reached in for it his hand sunk into something and he was immediately struck by powerful static electricity. It was painless, but crippled his entire body as an angry roar sounded above him. There he saw a giant Connor, the bodybuilder's mouth open wide and giving off a guttural scream. In his hands he dangled a lifeless Mew back and forth by her tail, just out of reach from Zerobi who was jumping up and down to try and catch her.

"A dangerous one, is she not…?" the black pelt suddenly whispered with a voice that sounded a lot like Zoroark's, "I would not leave Mew in the care of that murderous psychopath…"

Lucario did not understand what the pelt was talking about, looking at the giant Connor taunting Zerobi more and more. Suddenly, Connor fell quiet. Zerobi had brought out her claws and cut into his kneecaps. A river of blood flowed from the wound and engulfed Zerobi, as she suddenly leaped up towards Mew and swished her claws past the small legendary, cutting her tail in half and sending her crashing down.

"NO!" Lucario shouted, and the vivid scene was no more. He sat up, his world transformed from a nightmarish realm into a tiny, dark room. It was completely empty room, and looked a bit like the inside of a closet. However, what caught Lucario's attention was not what he could see, but rather what he could hear.

Music.

The sound was slightly dampened and coming from the wall in front of him, but he could still make out what it was. It was a classical piece he faintly recognized, an orchestra playing and occasionally leaving room for a solo piano to show off. From the powerful, speedy sound of it he assumed the piece to still be in allegro, which meant this particular song had not been playing for long.

The more he listened, the more he realized just how poorly the wall in front of him was blocking the sound. While he had been anything but successful in the past when it came to breaking out of cages, he decided to at least give it a try. Pushing against the wall, he was quite surprised to find it easily giving way, almost like a door. The music struck a crescendo as light flooded his vision, and he could finally see where he was.

It was a grand hall, nearly as large the cavern Lucario had met the legendaries in. It had a regal air to it, luxurious pillars stretching up from the carpeted floor to the adorned ceiling. Several chandeliers hung above him, each one lit by hand with their tiny fires playing around and causing the entire room to flicker. Across the walls were paintings of landscapes humans and Pokémon, but most were unintelligible to the point where Lucario could no longer tell what they were supposed to display.

In the middle of the room stood a very long table, obviously designed for a dining hall. A multitude of chairs surrounded the giant table, but they were all unoccupied aside from one. Sitting by the far end of the table, as far away from Lucario as one could get, there was a man.

Although his skin was fairly pale, the man looked anything but unhealthy. He seemed to be around 30 years of age and had a strong air of importance about him, which Lucario assumed was because he was sitting at the end of the giant table like a king. The man wore a red tie and an orange suit, golden buttons shimmering like silver or crystal. Sitting straight with a curious smile on his face, he stared at Lucario. His eyes were red like lava, sharp as knives and for some reason appeared to be even more dangerous than both. In front of him was a glass filled with a red liquid, and a freshly uncorked bottle of wine stood next to it.

"Welcome to my humble mansion," the man suddenly said with a dry and deep voice, gesturing with his hand towards the empty chair, "Have a seat, Ethan."

Whatever Lucario had expected the human to say, it had not been that. His interest in the room and its glamorous decorations instantly disappeared, his attention focused entirely on the strange man.

"You… You know?" Lucario asked with his expression caught between bewilderment and worry, "How is that possible!?"

"Oh, I know you better than your own mother, Ethan…" the man explained as a hint of disgust crossed his face, "… Although considering the woman in question, I suppose that isn't saying much."

"You…" Lucario whispered quietly, very surprised to hear what sounded like an answer, "You understood me? You understand Pokémon speech?"

"Not at all," the man replied confidently before placing his arms on the table in a calm manner, "I am simply familiar enough with you to know exactly what you are going to say and do."

"… Oh yeah?" Lucario muttered defiantly, not at all pleased with the man's sense of superiority, "Well… Lovely barnacles grow upon the moon where only carrots may fly! How's that!?"

"I assume you are spouting gibberish as to throw me off?" the man asked with a slight shrug, once more beckoning Lucario to sit, "Do take a seat, so we may continue with the next phase of our conversation."

"Yeah… 'Conversation'…" Lucario repeated sarcastically. He forgot all about sitting down as a million thoughts raced through his mind at once, the idea that this man knew about his true nature all the way down to his shaky and rather private relationship with his mother overshadowing most. Apart from Mew and Zerobi, no one should know about his previous life as Ethan. Even he did not know until Mew told him.

"Perhaps a refresher would be in order?" the man said as he noticed Lucario's confused stare. He got to his feet, standing tall by the end of the table to let Lucario get a better look at him.

"I am the current leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni…" the man spoke with a powerful voice as he held up an open palm, "… But I believe you would remember me better by the name of Silver!"

"… Silver…?" Lucario repeated quietly. While the names 'Team Rocket' and 'Giovanni' were fresher in mind, neither had the same impact upon him as 'Silver'. He knew he had heard it somewhere before, so long ago it had to have been in another life. Even so, for some reason he felt his temper grow short, like he suddenly wanted to punch the smug bastard in the face.

"… We have been rivals since childhood, Ethan," Silver said with a look of burning passion on his face as he lifted his arms slightly, "Under the blazing hot sun, we fought. Within the coldest winter night, we fought. Beyond the realms of time and space itself, we fought."

The words struck a strange chord within Lucario. That a champion like he had been had many rivals was a given, but he had always assumed them to be Brendan, Red or other famous Pokémon trainers. He had never heard of anyone called Silver before, yet so far the strange man had proven to know him much better than anyone else.

"Hmpf. Feign ignorance as much as you please, I can recognize you all too well…" Silver said as he sat down and began musing to himself, "But I must wonder over your appearance… Were you so enamored with Pokémon that you ended up becoming one?"

They regarded each other for a moment, both silent. As far as Lucario could tell, Silver was not carrying any Pokéballs, and did not see any obvious containment space for them on his tightly pressed suit. This served to make him even more curious, wondering if perhaps his old rival had long since run out of hostile intentions.

"Go ahead. Sit," Silver said, this time with a more demanding tone to his voice, "I prepared this meal for your sake. You did not eat during the trip here, so you must be very hungry."

Lucario was. Little did Silver know that he had not eaten much before the trip either, or at any other point in his life except for the rice and curry the big flower Pokémon had served. He suddenly noticed a plate of widely colored plants and a spoon by the chair at his side of the table, the edible sprouts giving off steam and a very pleasant odor. He could tell from sight and smell alone that the food was about five stars above simple homely cookery, like something he excepted to see at a fancy restaurant right before a bill he would never be able to afford. Aware that he could just beat up Silver and split should anything bad happen, Lucario decided to indulge himself for a moment and finally sat down.

"You may eat," Silver said, the stern tone in his voice still quite apparent. While the food did look quite appetizing, Lucario knew better than to carelessly dig into a meal a man calling himself his rival had prepared. Carefully poking the sides of it with a fork, he tried to determine whether or not the food was poisoned, wondering if his inherent immunity was strong enough to save him.

"Come now, I would not greet your return after more than a decade with such childish tricks," Silver suddenly exclaimed, making Lucario wonder if he had accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud, "Besides, as a Lucario you would be immune to all forms of poison, no?"

However, Silver's words only served to increase Lucario's worry. He felt that everything was planned out too well, and began to wonder if Silver really was as vulnerable as he had first thought. The growling of his belly argued that he should not pass up a chance for actual food for anything, especially not needless paranoia. Rationalizing that he could use the strength only gained from a full stomach to fight off what was to come next, he dipped the spoon into his colorful meal and stuffed some of the plants in his mouth.

"Only the rarest… Only the finest…" Silver explained as he leaned back, picking up his glass of wine and swishing it around a bit, "I eat like this whenever I please. Plates lined with dining so exquisite, the peasants of the world would all die of starvation after taking just a whiff of this and realizing just how filthy their own food is!"

As much as Lucario wanted to disagree, there was no denying the eruption of taste coming from his tongue. In a world where berries were like ash and simple curry with rice was a gift from the gods, the food currently making its way down his throat was like ingesting the pure essence of life. The sheer nutrition his senses picked up was enough to make his deprived muscles revitalize in an instant. Lucario stopped breathing for a moment in utter shock at what he was experiencing, forcing himself back to consciousness as to not lower his guard before his rival.

"Heard my boy was the one to capture you the last time," Silver said before tipping his glass back and swiftly drinking up the content, turning quiet and leaving Lucario wondering what he meant.

"That was… Your son?" Lucario asked while thinking back. In between the agonizing pain inflicted by the tiny creature and the Zubat he had had such a nice chat with, he only faintly remembered that the hair of the arrogant boy that day had indeed been colored red.

"I can only assume what happened," Silver said as he set down the now empty glass, "But you of all people should know better than to underestimate a fledgling trainer… Especially one with the title of 'Silver'!"

"… You know, for a mortal enemy, you are quite courteous," Lucario said while prying his eyes away from his delectable meal and towards Silver, growing tired of their one-sided conversation, "Almost a shame that I have to beat you up and escape after this dinner."

"Oh, but of course. Our destiny as rivals has always been clear, Ethan," Silver responded with a sinister smile and longing gaze, "Ever since the day we first met… Do you remember? It was behind Professor Elm's laboratory…"

To his own surprise, Lucario did remember. While the details were still quite foggy, he recalled Elm and his lab quite well. They were just about the only interesting things in his hometown of New Bark, both quite mysterious and important. He would spend hours on end sitting outside by the back of the lab, dreaming of being allowed to come inside. While he was certain he had entered more than once, whatever was inside must have had a lot to do with Pokémon as he could not remember a single detail that lay beyond those doors.

What he did remember was the one day when he was not the only one out there. Another kid around his own age had come, and was trying to sneak a peek inside. He did not remember exactly why, but the two of them had ended up fighting over something.

"The day I took Cyndaquil was the most exhilarating day of my life," Silver whispered, leaning back and letting his eyes wander to one of the paintings depicting a small mammal on fire, "I had always attributed that feeling of triumph to Pokémon, and that is why I chose to walk down the path of a trainer."

Lucario suddenly came to, realizing that the plate in front of him was empty. The food had been so tasty, he had actually left his being to relive his youth once more. Taking yet another gander at Silver, he realized the man before him looked an awful lot like that kid, both giving off the same annoying sense of self-worth. The man's dry voice and rapidly changing expression was enough to bring him back to full awareness.

"However, unlike you, training Pokémon never was my passion in life…" Silver continued as his eyes turned dark, the smile across his face broadening and becoming wry, "… It was stealing."

Silver picked up the glass of wine again and drank a bit, relishing in the taste and memories for a moment before continuing.

"Liberating such a powerful tool from that foolish Professor Elm who did not even attempt to make use of it…" Silver started before he trailer off, closing his eyes and shaking his head solemnly, "… I was quite smart, even as a child. With it I defeated gym leader after gym leader, simply because I could…"

"… Gym leader…?" Lucario repeated, wondering what on earth Silver was prattling on about. He felt like he had heard the term before, and his thoughts suddenly turned to Zerobi and Mew, remembering that he would have to escape soon so he could start searching for them.

Suddenly, Silver leaned forward, putting his elbows against the table as he stared. His intense lava-colored gaze bore deep into Lucario, who felt like his very self was being examined.

"I hope you hugged that Chica of your very tightly, Ethan," Silver said with a sinister yet strangely joyful expression, "It could very easily have been her I stole that day. Which path in life do you think she would have taken, then? Would she still have become a goody two-shoes like yourself… Or perhaps a hardened criminal like me?"

Shrugging instinctively, Lucario definitively knew he had heard the name Chica before. He did not think too hard about it, as the latter part of Silver's speech is what caught his attention the most.

"Criminal? You pride yourself with that title?" Lucario huffed with a disappointed sneer, "You need to steal from others because you can't handle things on your own? Yeah, that's really impressive."

"… Going by that look on your face, I assume that you have misunderstood," Silver replied as his voice turned a bit sharper, "Not a criminal in the common sense of the word, no… Far beyond that."

"What, a… A lawbreaker?" Lucario exclaimed with confusion, recognizing that he was not exactly much of a law-abiding citizen himself, if beating several police officers unconscious counts as anything.

"The code of the Giovanni…" Silver said solemnly before lifting up the bottle of wine next to him, "Prey upon those weak of mind, and manipulate them into doing your bidding. That way, you can bend the smart to your will through the sheer force of numbers alone."

Pouring the rest of the wine into his glass, Silver suddenly started snickering to himself. It was a very low-key, content laughter.

"Power, skill, intelligence…" Silver muttered as he looked Lucario dead in the eye while holding up his glass, "Everything is meaningless before a man who wields other men."

Unlike with Zoroark's explanations earlier, Lucario had trouble following Silver's logic. To him, the biggest regret he felt was when thinking of all the others that had worked hard and paid dearly to help him. What was the point of personal improvement if he ended up relying on others, anyway? What was the point of struggling if he could not change things for the better? What was the point of living?

"I have thousands under my command, and in case you have yet to notice, everyone bows to me… Unwittingly or not," Silver continued as he drank from his glass and smiled, "Even Red, the eternal champion of Pokémon is now my lapdog… Sure, in the past you defeated him in combat, but what did that get you? He captured you on my behalf, and now you are also under my control."

While he could not deny that Red had captured him, Lucario disagreed with the last part. He was unshackled, so technically he could be at Silver's throat in three seconds, making sure it never uttered another sound again. He still could not help but wonder why Silver seemed so comfortable, sitting unarmed in the same room as a wild Pokémon desperate to escape.

Silver suddenly began to snicker, wagging a finger as if he had read Lucario's mind once more. The man quickly calmed himself down and gave off a sigh.

"You are in my extravagant mansion… Eating my luxurious food…" Silver whispered quietly, "All because I made your greatest opponent follow my will… The will of the Giovanni, the most powerful man on earth."

Taking another sip of wine, he suddenly slammed the glass down on the table.

"Although we are rivals… And even though you may have bested me over and over again within the realms of Pokémon…" Silver admitted reluctantly before looking up and gazing at Lucario with a triumphant stare, "… In the game of life, the winner is me."

The words hung in the air for a moment, and at that time Lucario knew exactly why he had been brought here. Silver was showing off, proving that he was better off than some mangy Pokémon with neither food to eat nor a roof to sleep under. He could still not remember much of their alleged rivalry, but felt himself starting to hate Silver all over again, wanting to see how much of a winner the man would look like without any teeth left in his skull.

"… But that would be too much of an anti-climactic finish to a rivalry such as ours, no?" Silver said with an amused tone as he leaned forward, "Fear not. I think we both know how this would always end."

As if on cue, Silver suddenly rose from his seat. Adjusting his tie while trying to hide his excitement, he waved his hand towards Lucario.

"Eat your fill. After this dinner, we shall duel…" Silver said as his expression contorted into one of pure malevolence, "… And then, you shall die."

[Rotomknight]

So what theese are some of the last chapters.

SILVER!
Tht's certainly a big change from HGSS, where you team up to fight Lance and Clair, then he understands Ethan's strength!

[Azurus]

Well this is definitely going to be an interesting duel, but how will they go about it? Surely not man vs pokemon? We all know how that went last time.

Keep up the good work, I rather enjoyed this whole exchange and look forward to more.

[Absol 4ever]

I have been reading this for quite some time and I absolutely love it, whenever I turn my laptop on I open this to see if a new chapter has been published. I've been a quiet reader but I felt the need to comment to show that there are more than about 5 people enjoying this, and more importantly if this isn't a cliffhanger I can't wait to see one! XD

[Rotomknight]

So i was hunting for fics on Fanfiction.net and saw you posted Le New chap.
Mighty fine cliffhanger, I will read it there if this isn't up when I check, however, I shall review here.
Spoiler Below, can't get spoilers to work
It can't be the end, can it? If it is, there are too many untied threads
SPOILER ENDS!

[ShadedSkies]

So what theese are some of the last chapters.

SILVER!
Tht's certainly a big change from HGSS, where you team up to fight Lance and Clair, then he understands Ethan's strength!

Well, a lot has happened since the end of the games... Just look at Brendan! Besides, I have to wonder... Was Silver ever that much of a trainer? He kept losing to Ethan, couldn't defeat the Elite Four and went to mope at Dragon's Den for the rest of the game. Did he continue to try and care for his Pokemon like he implied, or did he revert to his nature as a cruel, spiteful and power-hungry individual? If Ethan abandoned all of his Pokemon eleven years ago... How would Silver react?

Well this is definitely going to be an interesting duel, but how will they go about it? Surely not man vs pokemon? We all know how that went last time.

Lucario should really learn some of Deoxys' tricks. Exploding things with his mind and all that.

I have been reading this for quite some time and I absolutely love it, whenever I turn my laptop on I open this to see if a new chapter has been published. I've been a quiet reader but I felt the need to comment to show that there are more than about 5 people enjoying this, and more importantly if this isn't a cliffhanger I can't wait to see one! XD

Man, a lot of readers sure like Absol... Too bad I didn't include one as a character! Nice to see you reply, I always like hearing what people think. I mean, it's not like I can read the story, so that's the only fun I get!

So i was hunting for fics on Fanfiction.net

Hey, you can't read that! It's got, like, curse words, spelling errors and no pictures! And the background's white, not calming green like here!

[Rotomknight]

Fine...
I'll wait here, you are right though it is pratically a different story.

[Azurus]

My background is a nice soothing black, perfect for creating a nice atmosphere for writing. (Changing the forum theme is awesome)

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 62

Selfish Gunslinger Silver

http://imageshack.us/a/img528/5027/rivalsilver.png

The music slowly faded to nothingness. Lucario expected another generic classical piece to follow, but was met with only silence. Silence, and the thoughts of an offer he had definitively not expected.

"… A duel?" Lucario repeated as a sneer crossed his face, eyeing his rival carefully, "Fighting against some monster you trained is not what I'd refer to as a 'duel'!"

"Of course not," Silver replied before straightening his composure and gesturing for Lucario to stand up, "That is why we will be fighting the old fashioned way… Man to man."

Lucario's mouth opened, but quickly closed again. Silver still referring to him as a man was strange enough, but had his former rival gone so mad with power that he actually thought he could win in a brawl with a Pokémon?

"Pokémon is a game for children," Silver explained, noticing Lucario's addled reaction, "Do you honestly believe a man in my position has time for that? I stopped training Pokémon ages ago."

A moment passed as Silver waited for Lucario to do something. Even though he was still confused, Lucario decided to get up from his chair and walk away from the table. He hoped things would be easy for once, envisioning his rival whistling and summoning one or all of the legendary dogs to his side.

"Tell me… Do you know why was I given the position of Giovanni?" Silver asked, turning his face away slightly as his sinister grin grew wider, "My father was the previous Giovanni, true… But one is not given a prestigious title such as this through heritage alone."

Shrugging, Lucario thought back to what Zoroark had told him. Apparently she had not been right on the money with her assessment, something he would enjoy rubbing in her face later.

"I was given it out of fear," Silver said as he held up a hand with the palm wide open, "I do not require Pokémon to fight or kill. I destroy everything with my bare hands alone."

Lucario examined Silver with skeptic eyes. Fine clothing aside, the man had very little going for him, and in the muscle department he was actually rather lanky. Worrying that he might be carrying a knife or something, Lucario realized that he had spent the past month with someone who had six of those for hands, and she had been the least dangerous of his encounters.

"Fisticuffs? You against me?" Lucario asked while crossing his arms, starting to feel uncomfortable about the concept of beating up a weakling, "Are you serious?"

"… Well, perhaps not BARE hands…" Silver corrected himself, "Technology is the weapon of us humans, after all."

Lucario flinched as Silver reached into his inner pocket, thinking he was about to drag out a Pokéball. To his relief it was something completely different, something he had never seen before.

"Tell me… Do you know what this is?" Silver asked as he held up the object in his hand, which Lucario immediately deemed to be strangest contraption he had ever witnessed. It looked like a long, hollow pipe attached to a handle, vaguely shaped like a boomerang. The pipe section gleamed in silvery metal, while the handle was pitch black and seemed to have a leathery texture. Connecting the two sections was an elongated button, looking like some sort of trigger. As odd as it was, he could not help but feel that he had seen it somewhere before, thinking it must have something to do with Pokémon.

"It is a weapon of obscurity, something I liberated from one of my less fortunate targets and greatly improved upon," Silver explained while idly stroking the side of the object, "A cylindrical block, equipped with chambers for carrying projectiles… A barrel for accuracy, as to where the projectile will strike… And a hammer, striking the projectile with unimaginable force, strong enough to pierce even the toughest hides."

Lucario paid notice to every word, yet was unable to attribute any of it to the tiny little thing in Silver's hand. However, the whole thing still made him uneasy, since Silver would not be asking for a duel in the first place if he was simply faking its fighting capabilities.

"I suppose… If you have a major degree in engineering or happen to be as savvy with technology as the old Team Rocket executives, you might remember this being called a revolver," Silver muttered before picking off a strand of red hair that had gotten stuck inside the barrel, "Single-action, to be precise and thorough… And believe me, it is. I know. I built it."

"You… You seriously expect to fight me with that tiny little thing?" Lucario asked, the reality of the situation crawling up on him as his chin dropped further with each syllable, "I… I've fought monsters. Legendary monsters. Two seconds into this 'duel' and I will punch your head clean off!"

"I do believe there was a fragrance of concern in your voice, there…" Silver muttered while wagging a finger almost sheepishly, "Worry not. Choose whatever attack you may find suitable to finish me off."

Suddenly, the very same finger moved down to the trigger-like section of the revolver. There was a metallic clicking noise as Silver took a tight grip around the handle and pointed the muzzle directly towards Lucario.

"I do suggest, however…" Silver said confidently, "… That you make it extremely fast."

Conflicting emotions coursed through Lucario. As much as he wanted to sock it to Silver for threatening him with death, a punch with full force might actually kill the frail man. Much like the hunter he had faced, the idea of killing another human did not sit too well with him, and he had only done so back then in order to protect Zerobi. Even so, he had not forgotten how underestimating the hunter had led to him nearly losing everything as a result. The more he considered it, he realized he would rather end up killing a guy who was more or less asking for it than put himself at risk again.

"Go ahead… Attack…" Silver whispered quietly, his finger tapping the trigger impatiently. Deciding to go all out right from the start, Lucario breathed in as he charged the human with great speed.

An explosive bang sounded, so loud that Lucario immediately lost his breath and his sensitive ears began ringing. A force comparable to one of the Umbreon's tackles struck him in his right shoulder, making him involuntarily twist his torso as he took a step back. A very cold breeze passed through his shoulder, exactly like the time Suicune had pierced the exact same spot with an icicle. Then, the pain finally struck.

"G… GAAAHH!" Lucario howled as he clutched his right shoulder, now sporting a small hole of severed muscle tissue and damaged nerves. He looked at Silver with hate and fury, his confident rival opposing his expression with satisfaction and triumph. For an instant he felt his gag reflex kick in as the pain made him sick to his stomach, but the sensation disappeared as something else took its place. The picture book. The loud bang. The hole. It all pointed towards another memory that had nearly been forgotten, yet a memory that was not related to Pokémon at all.

"That's no… Revolver…!" Lucario growled as he felt warm blood trickle through his fingers, contrasting the chilled and aching insides of his shoulder, "… That's… A gun…!"

"Semantics, I assume?" Silver responded happily while waving the weapon around, his wrists still shaking a bit from the powerful recoil, "This is a revolver. I know. I built-"

"YOU SHOT ME!" Lucario burst out angrily, adrenaline pumping through him like never before. The pain was crippling, but it also served to fuel his rage. It was not as severe as what he had withstood against the Garchomp's fiery jaws, Raikou's thunder or even himself when failing to use the aura correctly, but still enough to make him swear thousands of curses upon the smug human and his little gun. The morality of punching Silver's head off no longer seemed important as Lucario lounged forward, roaring and running with all his might.

Silver pulled the trigger once more, realizing the danger and aiming at Lucario's head for a quick kill. However, as the revolver shook with the force of a hundred stampeding Tauros and the loud bang sounded again, Lucario's head immediately jerked downwards as a reflex, both his ears twitching violently. The bullet pierced through his left ear, only serving to make Lucario's constant roar even deeper. Understanding that his opponent's sensitive hearing would make the head a difficult target, Silver grit his teeth and aimed downwards, letting his finger squeeze the trigger. This shot hit Lucario squarely in his left kneecap, making his leg to limp as he began to fall. However, using the retained momentum and incomparable spite, he pushed himself up again with his right leg and flew towards Silver, who had no time to brace himself for impact.

Heavy as a rock, Lucario fell over Silver, easily bringing the human with him down to the floor. Noticing an explosive pain in his left ear and not able to make his left leg stop shaking, Lucario knew he would not be getting up any time soon. Taking the opportunity he had created, he grabbed a hold of the stunned Silver's hand and wrest the gun away from him. Throwing the revolver against the wall and then pulling back his left arm, he punched Silver right in the jaw.

"AH!" Silver exclaimed in pain as he flailed about, trying to get the violent Pokémon off him, "Stop!"

"Ooh, what's the matter?" Lucario said with a mocking tone, feeling like he wasn't able to put any real weight behind his blow due to his crippled shoulder and leg, "Big baby didn't expect to get hit? What's wrong, you gonna cry?

"You… Insolent…!" Silver grunted as he reached up and threw an uppercut against Lucario's chin, rattling his already shaken brain with even more pain. Lucario responded with an elbow to Silver's chest, making his rival lose his breath before kicking Lucario in the stomach, almost making him barf.

In an instant, all pretense of finesse was gone. Wrestling with each other on the ground, they were biting and scratching, punching and wailing, tussling and struggling. To a regular onlooker it would appear as a man being mauled by a wild Pokémon, but to them they were as children again, like two boys fighting over who was going to get to use the cool toy next. Memories of similar fights with Silver from his past flashed in and out of Lucario's head, yet he barely even noticed them in his flustered rage.

"Your mother is a harlot!" Silver screamed, taking a punch to the gut before lashing out and headbutting Lucario's nose.

"GAH! Your dad's a jerk!" Lucario snarled as he reared back from the blow, spitting a wad of blood in Silver's face.

"ARGH! At least I know who he is!" Silver yelled while wiping the slimy blood away from his eyes, "My father is better than yours!"

"Go ahead then, call for him!" Lucario shouted and started laughing a bit, "His rigid old butt would probably put up a better fight than you!"

He immediately stopped laughing as Silver mounted a mighty kick against his lame leg. The sudden spike in pain caused Lucario to howl and stagger, as Silver sat up and jammed his fingers deep into Lucario's shoulder wound. Screaming in pain, Lucario fell back as Silver rolled away towards where the revolver had been thrown.

Lucario fell on his back and was just about to get up when he noticed just how badly his leg had been damaged. He grunted in agony as the pain he had been able to ignore all this time came back in full force, amplified tenfold by Silver's last assault. His rage was quickly seeping out of him, replaced by a strange coldness emanating from his gunshot wounds. He noticed the heat all over him dissipating and suddenly felt feverish and weak, like he was going to suddenly puke his guts out before passing out.

Before he knew it, a hot and unyielding metallic object pressed up between his eyes. Looking up, he saw Silver glaring at him with pure rage.

"Wretched cur, know your place!" Silver bellowed, a trickle of blood running down the side of his snarling mouth, "I will flay you and use your hide as a carpet! That way, you shall lick my soles forever!"

Inhaling sharply, Lucario knew there was no hope for him to simply lie down and give up this time. Even so, he could do nothing but stare at Silver as the muzzle of the revolver pushed harder against him. His rival's hateful face suddenly gave off a delighted expression, and without another moment's hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

[Ga'Hooleone]

Well damn.

Silver's pretty spot-on with the translation of Ethan, that was pretty cool. I never really considered 'Silver' and 'Giovanni' as a title, that was also an interesting idea.

I see you managed to get time to write despite coming back to work. THIS, though, is definitely a cliffhanger.

Well, back to silent reading!

[Azurus]

And Silver was out of bullets...

For a split second I thought they became friends again during their tussle due to the description, but then I realize you were just saying they were acting childish.

Looking forward to the conclusion, not much left to go.

[JFought]

Ow! thats gotta hurt >.<

If the story ends here, I'm gonna go on a noob fan rage.

And Silver was the True Antagonist. I love it when there is a fake antagonist but the true villain reveals him/herself at the very end. My favorite example is Zero from Kirby.

[ShadedSkies]

Ow! thats gotta hurt >.<

If the story ends here, I'm gonna go on a noob fan rage.

And Silver was the True Antagonist. I love it when there is a fake antagonist but the true villain reveals him/herself at the very end. My favorite example is Zero from Kirby.

Oh yeah, I remember running into a big vampire at the end of the original Kirby for the NES. I guess DeDeDe just doesn't cut it as a real villain!

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 63

Supportive Flora Celebi

http://imageshack.us/a/img39/6429/cele.png

A quiet, metallic click sounded through the great hall. Lucario wondered if his ears and eyes had gone the same route as the rest of his body, everything seemingly frozen and surprisingly silent. Another click was heard as Silver pulled the trigger once more, harder this time. He growled as he pulled the trigger again and again, leaning his head forward to examine what was happening with the revolver. With each click, his ferocious expression began to dampen. Exhaustion finally setting in, he understood that the battle had been too rough on both him and his delicate piece of equipment.

"Why'd you have to slam it against the wall like that…?" Silver muttered before pulling the muzzle back from between Lucario's eyes, "See? You broke it. You will come to regret that as you slowly bleed out on my floor."

Sighing deeply, Silver sat down next to Lucario. The Pokémon before him lay battered and struggling to breathe, not even making the attempt to lash out anymore. Pride swelled in his chest. Ethan had thought himself safe from his grasp by transforming into a Pokémon, but he had seen through his disguise and finally won.

"How does it feel to finally be the one in the line of fire?" Silver asked with a subdued snicker, "We fought, Pokémon to Pokémon… But all I really wanted was to get you. To see you squirm. To see you in agony. To see you die."

Lucario wished he could give a response, but was currently using all of his strength to keep himself conscious. Looking down on his shoulder and leg, he could not believe how such tiny wounds could cause so much pain. From what he had thought earlier, guns would be useless against Pokémon, their hides too strong to penetrate. Thinking back to what Silver had said, he wondered if revolvers really were that different from guns.

"I no longer know what you are thinking, Ethan," Silver muttered as he crouched over Lucario, taunting him to try and attack, "I have never seen you in such a pitiful state before. Hmpf… I was rather looking forward to hearing your last words. Would you curse me? Would you swear revenge? Would you, I don't know, beat me up and hand me over to the authorities?"

Lucario had no such inhibitions any longer. He wanted to kill him, and would have done so already if he could still fight. He thought about using the Aura Sphere, and Silver's fine suit and torso ending up sharing a big hole. However, Silver sat to his right, and he lacked the power to turn around and shoot it from his left arm. Leading the unbelievably painful aura through what was now an open wound in his right shoulder did not seems like a good idea, lest he wanted to intentionally pass out due to intolerable suffering.

A few more minutes passed before Silver finally stood up.

"… Your death bores me," he grumbled while crossing his arms, "This duel is over. I shall go get this cylinder moving again, and then give a proper end to this rivalry once and for all."

He turned and walked towards a door to the side, Lucario just barely noticing what was happening.

"By all means, feel free to expire in the meantime," Silver said as he walked, a hidden smile crossing his face, "I might have to question the value of this encounter should you end up costing me any more bullets!"

The footsteps disappearing in the distance, Lucario now knew that he was alone. He did not mind it, hoping his rival would take his sweet time so he could recover, play dead and then leap into action once more. However, unlike with any normal wound or screwed up attempt at using the aura, he did not seem to be recovering all too quickly. In fact, the pain was getting stronger by the minute, the cool air already working on infecting his gunshot wounds with all manner of nasty diseases. Alone he lay, quietly realizing that there really was no way of him getting out of this alive.

A long time passed, Lucario going in and out of consciousness and feverish delusion. Somewhere in the distance he heard a gunshot go off, telling him that Silver would be returning quite soon. From feeling like he was going to barf to feeling like he was going to die, the glamorous chandelier above him grew hazy and spun around against the dark ceiling's backdrop. It was then he noticed that something familiar was in the air. For some reason, everything did not seem so bad anymore. He assumed he was feeling the last high before death, the pain faded off as he felt strangely content inside.

Suddenly, a face came into view. Someone was looking down at him. Vision blurry and mind scrambled, Lucario tried to figure out who it was. It was not Silver or Red, the head was too inhuman. It was not Zoroark or Zerobi, the head had no hair. It was not Mew, although the similarities were uncanny. It was the last person he had expected to see at that time.

"Lucario!" Celebi asked with a loud, determined voice and a stern expression Lucario had never seen on her before, "Where is Zerobi?"

"… Zero… Bi…?" Lucario wheezed, realizing he was barely even able to talk anymore, "… With Mew… N-Not here…"

"Not here?" Celebi repeated with her large emerald eyes gleaming upon her shaded yet still hardened face, drifting away from his head for a moment before immediately snapping back in shock, "… You are bleeding! Oh my, are you… Dying!?"

"… Kind… Of…" Lucario muttered and wondered if this was all just a dream. Celebi's expression softened and turned into one of worry as she flew down Lucario's body a bit to examine the wounded leg. Failing to lift his torso and instead deciding to look off to the side, Lucario saw the last person he wanted to see standing by the doorway.

"C-Celebi…!" Lucario stammered as he panicked, but lacked the strength to put any emphasis behind his words, "B-Behind… You…"

"Try not to speak; it is just a human without Pokéballs…" Celebi said confidently after a quick glance, her attention solely focused upon the inexplicable hole in Lucario's leg, "… B-But… What manner of wound is this? What could possibly have-"

A loud bang interrupted her. Faster than an instant, Celebi's barrier was in full force, surrounding every inch of her body while ready to deflect anything.

As the bang trailed off, a nearly soundless squelch whispered through the room. Celebi twitched, the quiet noise frightening her even more than the loud explosion earlier. She could feel that her barrier had been punctuated by something extremely small, so fast she had not even been able to see it. Looking down to see if it had left any trace at all, she noticed a patch of crimson red expanding over her stomach, like a rose opening itself in the sunlight.

"Dange… Rous…" Lucario wheezed, but he already knew it was too late. Celebi remained soaring but completely froze up, not moving and not even breathing. The unfamiliar sensation of pain wracked her body, leaving her confused and disoriented. Her blood dripped down and landed on the bottom of her bubble-like barrier, forming a tiny puddle of red hanging in midair.

"Too little, too late, Celebi… I have no interest in you anymore," Silver said bitter as he suddenly started laughing, "Hahaha! Both of you can go to hell together, Ethan!"

Silver began to circle them as he examined the still legendary from every angle. Lucario's consciousness had nearly faded to nothing, but he was still aware enough to realize that Celebi's life was ebbing away with every passing second. Shaking with unbridled wrath, he felt his facial features tighten in fury. Teeth gritting so hard his jaws were beginning to tire, he squeezed every last ounce of strength from his weary muscles. Thanks to the pleasant feelings Celebi's aura was giving him, he was able to ignore the pain caused by his own aura carelessly moving through his left arm. The mitochondria were just barely under his control, as if they all have developed a will of their own. Millions of tiny organism, rushing through his arm towards certain demise, all willing to give their lives for one single cause: Killing Silver.

"Lead… The… Way…!" Lucario growled as he opened up his palm and pointed it towards the tall, blurry figure to his left, letting Aura Sphere fly out of him with a pained shout. Silver choked on his laughter as the blue ball of fire flew past him, not even a full decimeter away from his right arm. It crashed into the wall and exploded, Silver finally realizing what had happened as the startling sound threw him off his feet.

"When… When did you learn to…" Silver stammered, beads of sweat forming all over his body. Clutching his right arm, he realized the sphere had been just close enough to give him a taste of the blue fire, the crippling pain coursing through him and almost making him drop the revolver. Internally he planned on shooting with only one hand, but something stopped him dead in his tracks. The gaze Lucario was giving was not one he had ever seen before. It was of murderous, feral rage, every trace of the Ethan he knew long gone from his face.

"… Damn!" Silver shouted as he ran for the door. He now knew that the Aura Sphere had not been meant to disarm him or simply incapacitate him, but rather to outright kill him. He swallowed loudly, realizing that it had almost worked. In a million years, he could never have predicted that the goody two-shoes Ethan would ever actually want to kill someone. Wondering what had changed his rival, and even if he actually had been eating dinner with a mindless beast all this time, Silver quickly disappeared beyond the doorway.

Lucario fell limp, now so out of things that he was not even sure if he had missed. All he knew was that it did not matter anymore. His final Aura Sphere had drained every last resemblance of effort left in him as the room began swirling around. He felt his senses weaken as his body started shutting down. Biting down on his lower lip to the point where blood was coming out, he fought with all his might to stay awake, well aware the only thing awaiting him at the end of this naptime was death.

Suddenly, there was a quiet clinging noise on the ground next to him. Looking to the side, he saw a very small metallic item, something that was even smaller than a button and a coin. To his utter surprise, the object suddenly lifted off the ground and actually fell upwards. There, a hazy green figure took hold of it, and reached out towards him as well.

"You can sleep now," Celebi said quietly, a patch of red on her torso visible even to Lucario's blurred eyesight, "I will handle the rest."

"S… Sleep…?" Lucario grunted weakly while involuntarily shivering, "D… Die…!?"

"No. You will be alright," Celebi explained as she placed her hand over where Lucario was biting down, "But if this operation is to be half as painful for you as it was for me… I highly suggest you sleep through it."

Lucario felt his jaws relax at Celebi's gentle touch, his teeth withdrawing from his bloodied lips. With no more immediate stimuli for his brain to register, he felt it finally give in. In the back of his mind he felt a twinge of his earlier mistrust of Celebi, but gave up when he realized there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He faintly recognized his body soaring out the window before finally fainting.

When he woke up, he was outside. It was night, yet his vision had returned to the point where he could easily see Celebi sitting to the side and watching over him. She smiled as he looked at her, trying to get up as an unfamiliar ache lingered in his shoulder.

"Urgh…" Lucario groaned groggily, "Feels like… My shoulder has a stomachache…"

"Could have been worse," Celebi pointed out with a voice that sounded more relieved than concerned, "Those metallic objects simply passed through you. I was forced to extract mine!"

"That 'metallic object' is called a 'bullet'…" Lucario mumbled as he looked down at his leg, seeing a new scar where there had been a hole not long ago, "… And you should know to keep a barrier up at all times, especially when I'm lying half dead on the floor!"

"… But I did," Celebi replied while slowly shaking her head, "I can stop a punch or a kick with ease, but that… 'Bullet'… It was ten times as fast, a hundred times smaller and a thousand times less predictable!"

Trying to move his leg, Lucario realized something felt a bit off. While he could use it unlike right after getting shot, it was not quite the same as it had been before. It felt similar to when Celebi had patched up his throat, a strange sensation of unfamiliarity that had yet to leave him.

"If these 'bullets' had struck our heads and penetrated our skulls…" Celebi said while closing her eyes and lowering her head, "… Not even I would have been able to do anything. We would most certainly have…"

Celebi said nothing after that, but Lucario could tell that she was even more shaken than he was. He remembered that she had been captured last year, and getting close to dying so soon after was probably not something a legendary like her was used to. He was actually rather amazed that she had managed to remain calm enough to extract a bullet from herself, wondering just how much experience she had with handling pain.

"Lucario…" Celebi asked quietly as she suddenly turned her head up and stared him, "Why did that man call you Ethan?"

"Huh? Ah, I thought Mew had told you," Lucario exclaimed, trying to recall just how much Celebi knew. From what he remembered, telling her that he was human was the reason he was able to find Mew in the first place, so he assumed there was but one detail left to fill her in on.

"That's the human I used to be before turning into a Pokémon," Lucario explained with pride while pointing his thumb at his chest, "That's right! I'm the greatest trainer of all time, Ethan!"

"Wh-What!?" Celebi exclaimed almost immediately, "But… Are… You must be joking!"

Lucario looked at her curiously, Celebi clearly surprised and trying to make sense out of what she had just heard.

"But that time in Ilex Forest, when we…" Celebi asked, before stopping herself and thinking a little longer, "… You… You don't remember, do you…?"

"Nothing about Pokémon like you, I'm afraid," Lucario replied, now his turn to be surprised, "What? Did we meet, or something?"

"Well… Not exactly…" Celebi whispered while wondering if their peculiar encounter would actually qualify as a meeting. The fact that Lucario was once the famous trainer Ethan did not bother her, but the idea that Ethan had lost his memory and become a Pokémon was an entirely different story. During her battle with Pikablu, to prove her selflessness she had told him about a human she helped out, which he claimed was not worth of mention. Apparently he had been right, seeing how not even the human remembered it happening.

"It was a few years ago… Nothing important…" Celebi said with a low sigh, realizing her good deed had gone completely unnoticed and beginning to revaluing her past. Lucario had no idea why she suddenly became quiet, trying to think of a way to break the awkward silence and stop Celebi from letting her thoughts drift away any further.

"By the way, thanks for healing me," Lucario said, taking special care not to use the word 'helping' as he felt that he had handled Silver on his own, "Wouldn't have minded you coming a few minutes sooner, but… Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"… Your pants still have my aura in them. I was able to sense them all the way from Viridian Forest…" Celebi explained as suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place. Between finding Lucario dying, Zerobi lost, getting shot and realizing the Ethan she had met was no more, she had somehow forgotten.

"Truth is, I came to speak with my sister," Celebi said while increasing her mental fortitude for what was to come, "… How is she…?"

"Hopefully doing better than we are," Lucario mumbled while wondering if Zerobi had even made it out of No Man's Land successfully, "What? Is something wrong?"

"Probably not…" Celebi whispered with a slightly disgusted expression, akin to if she had just bit down on something sour, "Most likely just Pikablu trying to rile me up over nothing. He is rather good at that…"

"Uh… Yeah…" Lucario muttered, vividly remembering the yellow rat's flurry of curse words back when they thought Celebi had been brainwashed, "Come on, try to pick up Mew's aura and I'll explain what happened to us."

Celebi nodded as the two of them began moving. She could feel that Mew was fairly close, so there was no need for her to hide under a cloak for now. Not only that, but Lucario seemed to have a bit of trouble walking on his currently healing leg, so she figured the added weight of her body would not be appreciated. Floating next to Lucario, she listened to him explaining what had happened and kept quiet, not willing to burden him with what she herself had heard before coming here. She had no arguments over moving at Lucario's slow pace, constantly fretting over what they would find when they finally reached Zerobi.

[Azurus]

Well breaking the gun counts as running out of bullets right? Atleast I was close.

And how could Silver not understand why Ethan would be angry, he just intended to murder the 2 of them, of course his opponent would want him dead.

I kinda chuckled for obvious reasons when I read "My aura is in your pants"

Keep em coming, I look forward to another chapter.

[Trufflesbaby]

I actually thought Lucario was going to die this time. Good thing I was wrong.

[ShadedSkies]

Chapter 64

Unforgiven Killer Zerobi

http://imageshack.us/a/img824/417/unfor.png

Despite relishing in the newly discovered feelings of a long sleep and a big healthy meal, Lucario was exhausted. He had traveled with a hurt body before, but normally his legs would have escaped grave damage in what he assumed was a simple stroke of luck. Such was not the case with the gunshot wound currently adorning the spot right above his kneecap, which even after Celebi's efficient healing required some time on its own to be fully restored. If not for the fact that Mew's aura grew clearer with each mile he forced himself through, he would be taking breaks far more frequently. However, even with a clear goal in mind, he was not sure of how long he could keep up with the eager Celebi, who seemed to be speeding up ever so slightly when he wasn't looking.

Lucario gasped hard, drawing in the humid air around him. A dense fog had fallen, turning the once colorful plains into a grey, dull and ominous landscape. Celebi seemed unusually pleased with it, claiming that it would make it more difficult for her to be seen by anyone, all while giving the plant life enough moisture to last them until the end of the season. Not certain of the extent of her powers, Lucario guessed that she was the one responsible for the mist and was simply boasting about her creation.

Suddenly, an imposing figure appeared in the fog. Thinking that Lugia, Rayquaza or someone of equal stature had come to ruin his day once more, Lucario eventually realized that he was looking at a simple bluff, a large rock clashing very poorly with the otherwise unremarkable fields. Even in his clouded vision, he felt like it reminded him of somewhere he had been before, not sure of exactly when. What grabbed his attention the most was the rock shelter, hidden in the mist.

"Haah… That cave seems like… A good resting place…" Lucario panted, looking back at Celebi. Unlike Mew who was positively glowing against nearly every backdrop, she had blended in perfectly with the haze and grass, appearing to be a hovering plant rather than a legendary Pokémon. However, by now he had become rather good at recognizing her, and had no problem picking up the annoyed expression she took on at his request.

"Again!?" Celebi burst out with stress apparent both in her voice and across her features, "This is the fourth time! Nightfall is still hours away, and we are nowhere near sis and Mew!"

"Excuse ME for only wandering a few miles after getting shot in the leg!" Lucario snapped back while pointing his finger accusingly, "In fact, you're the one who told me I needed rest!"

"Indeed - Which is why I once again urge you to stay behind!" Celebi pleaded and put her hands together, "Please, it is of vital importance that I speak with sis as quickly as possible!"

"Same as with Mew and I, then," Lucario insisted stubbornly, "Do you know how far I went just to talk to her? Plus, I'm not letting you hog any of the glory for defeating Giovanni."

"Who?" Celebi asked as she calmed down, trying to remember how she had been coerced into moving at such a slow pace in the first place.

"Precisely," Lucario replied with a quick nod, "And if anyone asks, you ONLY healed me afterwards and played no part in fighting him!"

"… What difference does that make?" Celebi asked curiously. She often had trouble understanding Lucario's way of thinking, and found it ironic that she was the one asking the amnesiac all the questions.

"Let's just say, my track record's not looking too good right now," Lucario mumbled as he closed his eyes and scratched the side of his head in annoyance, "I keep getting my hide pulled out of the fire by someone… Or something. I mean, I'm grateful… It beats dying… But this victory's mine. I rightfully earned it!"

"I see…" Celebi sighed, realizing that the Gallade was not the only one she knew who had a prominent ego, "… The sad truth is, I doubt anyone will be impressed with your feats of defeating a human who was not even using any Pokémon."

Lucario shrugged as he lowered his head, silently walking towards the cave with a gaunt expression. Celebi suddenly felt ashamed. Just because personal glory was not important to her, did it give her the right to belittle those who sought it? What she cared about might not interest him at all, but that still did not make it worthless in her eyes.

"But still… You protected me," Celebi said confidently as she slowly followed him, "That must count for something, no?"

"Hmpf…" Lucario huffed as he walked into the cave, trying to convince himself that his efforts had not been in vain. Relieved to see that the cave was empty, he was about to lie down and immediately go to sleep when he suddenly noticed a subtle smell in the air. It was something familiar, something like putting on an old jacket that had not been washed for decades.

"… You!?" a voice suddenly sounded above. Looking up in surprise, he saw a black figure let go of the ceiling as it gracefully landed right in front of him. Some of the mist had seeped into the dark insides of the cave, but Lucario had no problem recognizing the fiery red top of the creature, reflecting slightly upon the dull silver of its sharp claws.

"Lucario! You're alright!" Zerobi shouted happily, "Man, I had you taken for dead after I saw Raikou running by!"

"Really?" Lucario responded cooly, a big smile creeping up on his face, "Why're you here, then? Mounting a rescue operation, or were you just planning on retrieving my body?"

She moved to hug him, before suddenly hesitating and stopping herself.

"You…" Zerobi said as her eyes drifted upwards and her expression darkened, "… Have a hole in your ear?"

Instinctively grabbing his ears, Lucario suddenly realized the hole left from one of Silver's bullets was still there. He had not been feeling any pain from it, and thus had completely neglected to check up on it.

"C-Celebi…?" Lucario stuttered with a scared tone to his voice as he turned around, "I-It'll grow back, right…?"

"Of course it will!" Celebi assured him, the small legendary coming up from behind and into Zerobi's vision. At the sight of her smiling sister, all of her mental preparations broke as she found herself completely speechless.

"… Sis!" Zerobi exclaimed while taking a step forward, "You're here, too?"

"Yeah, she's the one who saved…" Lucario started, cutting himself off as he crossed his arms, "… I mean, she ran into me while I was busy beating up an old rival."

"Nice," Zerobi said with a nod, still looking at Celebi, "How'd you know he had been captured?"

"I… I did not," Celebi forced a response out of herself, "I simply followed his aura to find… You."

"Well, looks like it worked… Somehow!" Zerobi exclaimed cheerfully, turning to the side and beckoning them to follow, "Come on, let's go deeper inside, wouldn't do to have someone come in and crash the party!"

"Wait… Where's Mew?" Lucario asked as he looked around, a hint of disappointment crossing his face.

"Training," Zerobi responded with a smile, overjoyed to finally have company other than the pink legendary, "She's started to regain her powers, and is practicing flying and all that. She said she'd be back by night."

The three of them went deeper inside, Zerobi's smile never fading. She had expected to go through hell to get Lucario back, but had instead found both him and her sister alright. As bad as things had seemed after No Man's Land, she finally felt that things were turning alright once more.

They sat down, Lucario telling Zerobi about what had happened. Celebi remained completely silent and did not seem to be listening, presumably thinking about something else since he had already told her everything. He decided to leave out the parts regarding Zoroark's true gender, not because it was secret but mostly because he did not want to admit to groping someone next to two women fully capable of making mincemeat out of him.

"… And then, I suggested we rest here in this cave…" Lucario explained as he exhaled, "… Well, you know the rest. What happened to you two after you got out of No Man's Land?"

"Well, uh…" Zerobi mumbled as she fidgeted a bit, "We couldn't actually leave the forest right away."

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, not even having thought of the possibility until now, "After all I went thought to stay behind and let you escape!?"

"I thought you said you just weren't fast enough to outrun Zoroark," Zerobi responded while shrugging, "Anyway, moving around in the open with a seemingly dead legendary's not as subtle as you'd think… I need less reasons for the police to hunt me, not more!"

"Personally, I'd take the police over Raikou any day of the week…" Lucario muttered, twitching at the mere thought of electricity while wishing all his enemies were as weak as the four Mienfoo he trashed.

"Great minds think alike," Zerobi snickered, "I, uh, froze together a bunch of leaves and branches to cover her up, and told Pokémon passing by not to disturb my baby."

"Hahaha!" Lucario started laughing, Celebi suddenly snapping out of her trance and giving him a startled look, "No way! That actually worked!?"

"Almost," Zerobi answered with a confident smile, "Covering up her enormous tail was impossible, so one guy I ran into got curious as to how I was able to carrying around a Ditto like this."

"A Ditto?" Lucario repeated, surprised to hear there was another Pokémon with a tail like Mew's, "What happened?"

"Heheh…" Zerobi snickered as she thought back, "Let's just say, right now his headache's probably worse than mine."

"Argh, I'd kill for a nothing but a headache right about now…" Lucario muttered as the pain in his shoulder flared up once more, "You should've seen it! I was bleeding from my shoulder, which I couldn't move… And my leg, which I couldn't stand on! I swear, the blood was flowing out of me like a river! A miracle I didn't faint immediately!"

"Nah, you can actually lose tons of blood and still keep going for a while," Zerobi explained, trying to dismiss the thought of Lucario nearly dying again. She had promised herself to try and not worry so much about things any longer, and simply enjoy life for once.

"… Man, how do you know all this stuff?" Lucario asked, Zerobi clamming up as she realized she had accidentally drawn experience from her sordid past. She could not help but notice that Celebi was staring at her very intently, and she tried to think of a way to shift the subject.

"Well, uh…" Zerobi mumbled, "I went to school and got an education, you know. Battle Training… Type Recognition…"

"… Evolution's Gate…?" Celebi whispered quietly, her eyes slowly turning towards Zerobi.

A waft rushed through the small cavern as Zerobi inhaled, the frightening words ringing in her ears. She could not help but stare, completely frozen in shock. Celebi forced herself to look back, even though she was witnessing the absolutely last thing she wanted to see at that moment. She silently begged Zerobi, pleaded with her to look confused or shake her head in denial… To do anything but stare at her with quiet, horrified understanding.