…
Warning this contains death and dismemberment, and is a work in progress that may also include Lemons or similar content nothing decided yet. I do not own Pokémon or associated media. If you do not like the described content do not read.
…
Understanding

The female Lucario stood in the break of the curtain, tears streaming down her face. Arthur watched as she slumped down to her knees, visibly shaking from greif.

“Aura,” was all he could say as he moved to comfort his first Pokémon. The little Victini gently released her trainers head knowing that the Lucario could communicate without needing translation. The trainer felt a spell of dizziness pass over him as Nicole’s power retreated from his mind. Arthur pushed past the sensation, kneeling in front of the distraught Lucario placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Aura, I… I’m sorry,” he finally choked out, his eyes burning with tears.

“No, no, Noooooo!” she screamed jumping to her feet. Aura towered over her trainer as she shook with rage. Arthur remained silent, a pained expression clear on his face, he knew that she blamed him for her mate’s death.

~ Say something Arthur, ~ the trainer heard in his head, his Victini communicating via telepathy. He hung his head, fighting with the grief of hurting his starter. Aura fought with her rage wanting to lash out at her trainer, but she couldn’t hurt Arthur no matter how hard she tried. The Lucario relaxed for a brief moment before vanishing using Extreme Speed to put as much distance between her and her trainer. Arthur rose to give pursuit but a Gardevoir moved to cut him off.

“L… Lily,” he blurted out as he recognized his mother’s Gardevoir

~ Arthur stop, right now more than anything else she needs time, just as you do, ~ she transmitted, ~ Don’t worry, she’ll come back. ~

The trainer tried to push past the Gardevoir he knew she was right however, but he hated waiting, he hated being powerless to help.

“It’s… it’s my fault Captain’s dead, I have to do something,” Arthur said as he still tried to push past Lily.

~ Arceus help me, Time give her Time! ~ She shouted into his mind sending him reeling from the mental assault.

“Lily please don’t shout into my head, it hurts… a lot,” Arthur managed to say past the headache and ringing ears. The Gardevoir glared at the trainer as she tried to communicate again. Arthur merely clutched his head concentrating on shutting out the noise, preventing the psychic Pokémon from transmitting into his head. Lily knew that she couldn’t overpower Arthur’s mental defense, Nicole helped him to train his mind to guard his thoughts and to shut out external influences. The barricade had an unfortunate side effect however, it blocked out all the psychics from communicating with him much to the dismay of Nicole who was trying to get his attention. She squeaked into his ear as she tugged on his collar getting him to turn towards her.

“Sorry for shutting you out Nicole,” Arthur said as the headache subsided. The Victini gestured to herself pointing at the door that was still open from Aura’s departure.

“Yeah you can go after her, talk to her or something,” Arthur replied understanding her. Nicole smiled weakly before darting in the direction of the distraught Lucario.

“Lily go home, tell mom that I’m taking the long way back,” he continued, turning to the still glaring Gardevoir, “take care of Dart and Morgan okay,”
Lily’s gaze softened when Arthur mentioned Aura’s kids. She stepped back with a gentle nod before vanishing with a soft pop. The trainer gave the Glaceon on the bed a gentle pet before returning to his room in the center.

Nicole found herself just outside Striaton City on the edge of a familiar lake. Aura was sitting under a willow tree her knees drawn up to her chest. She caught sight of a black piece of cloth clutched in the Lucario’s paw recognizing it as Captain’s belt.

“Captain sacrificed himself to save Arthur,” Aura stated, her voice hollow and broken. Nicole sat next to her friend and teammate staring across the lake in the morning light.

“I’m sorry Aura, Arthur blames himself for what happened but…” the Victini faltered as the Lucario started to cry again.

“Why…why… why does it hurt so much,” she cried, “Nicole your immortal right, why does it hurt?”
“I’m not immortal, nor am I really that old,” the fairy responded.

“But you lost your old trainer,” Aura said looking to her friend forgetting the pain of her grief for a moment.

“Yes, but I never really knew him that well, he cared for me, kept me safe, but he was… distant,”

“What do you mean?”

“He kept me in my room most of the time he would visit briefly but even then he was… cold, like I reminded him of something.”

“Couldn’t you just read his mind? Find out why he was so distant,”

“No I couldn’t, he kept his thoughts guarded, like how I taught Arthur,”

“What do you remember before he put you in that room?”

“Just brief glimpses of what I assume to be my mother, a blond haired man and then… my room,” Nicole’s eyes began to tear as she remembered the loneliness she experienced in that room. Aura looked across the lake absorbing all that the Victini had told her.

“Arthur is the only person I have ever gotten close to,” she said trembling, “when he got hit, I… I thought I lost him, and… and when I set his shoulder he… I… I couldn’t take seeing him get hurt like that.”

“I think I understand,” Aura responded.

“But when we got to the center he came down with a fever, and during his bouts of consciousness he would ramble on about unusual things,”

“Like what?”

“He said to never to leave him, like he had hurt me or something,” she explained worrying her hands, “I thought he was just delirious, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Why, he’s had a fever before and during that he kept talking on about a six hundred pound Magikarp in the room,” Aura said inciting a giggle from Nicole. The Victini quickly regained herself from the moment of levity however.

“Well I suppose your right but he did something after his fever broke,” she continued

“What did he do?”

“Well…,” Nicole hesitated, “he… he kissed me,”

“What!” Aura snapped looking to the Victini in disbelief.

“It… It was just a peck on my forehead I swear, but…”

“But you wanted him to really kiss you,”

“Yeah,” Nicole admitted weakly. Aura sighed, looking back across the lake, her thoughts now on Arthur. He had started to drift away from her ever since he resigned from the championship, and all the while he grew closer to Nicole.

“Did he say why he did it,” she asked after a pause.

“He said that he did it to cheer me up,” the little fairy replied before sighing, “look Aura I know that you don’t approve of how close I’ve gotten to Arthur, but I can’t help it. I know that I can’t be with him but I still care for him.”

“He would hurt you Nicole, and after that he couldn’t live with himself, it’s his greatest fear,” the Lucario added solemnly, “Don’t pursue him, you’ll only hurt each other, he’ll settle down with a nice human girl in time,”

“I wish I was human,” Nicole sobbed hoping that one day her wish could be granted.

Aura stood catching the attention of the Victini, “Listen you find another like yourself and then you could be happy with him,”

“What if I never find another Victini, what if I’m the last one, what then huh? Do I grow old and die bitter and alone,” she said though her tears, “Oh god, I don’t want to be alone again, I never want to be alone again, it hurts too much. All the time I’ve spent with Arthur I can’t let him go, I’ll find a way to be with him.”

Aura sighed again, “I still don’t approve, but I can’t stop you. Come on let’s get back to the center, I think I can face Arthur now,”

“He still won’t listen to you about settling down,” Nicole responded hovering up to the Lucario’s shoulder wiping away her tears.

“I know but I have to try,” she replied turning away from the lake, “You’re not the only one who cares for him.”

Arthur arrived at his room after negotiating with Nurse Joy to stay in one of the trainer rooms on the second floor; since he no longer needed to stay in the ward. He splayed out his coat on one of the beds in the room, getting to work on removing the items from its many pockets. His coat was essentially a second pack with the amount of supplies he removed from it; potions, pokeballs, countless pens, and various food items made their way into his messenger bag. The piece of clothing was almost empty save for one final zippered pouch. The trainer gingerly opened the pocket and fished out a small gold and silver coin strung on a tarnished chain, a large “V” engraved on the surface. The ornament was his Victory charm; it was given to him by his mother when he first started his journey with Aura and Nicole, as was his coat. Arthur slipped the chain over his head not wanting to be separate from it much longer. He removed the weathered coat and examined it. At one time it had been white, but now it was stained well beyond the original color. The coat its self was much too short barely dropping below the trainer’s thighs. It was even miraculous that it still held together with nothing more that haphazard stiches and countless patches. However the most noticeable damage was from the Bisharp’s slash, had it been any closer Arthur would have a lot more to worry about than a broken shoulder.

“Nicole was right this thing is beyond repair,” he said to himself, “maybe I’ll get a new one that’s made from Mareep wool, then it would be warm and resistant to electricity.”

Arthur hated to let go of the coat but to incur the wrath of Nicole was a dangerous thing. He made his way back down to the lobby wanting to catch Aura and Nicole before they returned.

“How long will Link have to stay here Nurse Joy,” he asked idly wanting to pass the time until his two Pokémon returned.

“He will have to remain here for a few more days before he can be safely place in a ball,” she replied. Not long after the nurse replied however, a Lucario and Victini enter the Pokecenter. They silently made their way through the lobby up to reception counter.

“Ah girls, we’re going to be staying for a while until Link recovers,” Arthur informed, drawing the attention of the two Pokémon

“Where’s Lily?” Aura asked

“I sent her home to keep an eye on your kids,” Arthur replied, “I’m planning on taking long way home, it will give us time to…”

“You conned me into traveling with you again,” the Lucario said bitterly folding her arms.

“Aura please, I see the shocking wisdom of our poor trainer here as much as it is hard to believe,” Nicole pleaded trying to placate the Lucario.

“Fine,” she huffed, “how long will it take?”

“As long as it takes, we’re going to have a long road ahead of us; Pinwheel Forest, Skyarrow Bridge, Desert Resort, they all stand in the way of our home, Nimbasa City. Oh and we’ll be making a short pit stop in Castelia City where I’ll be getting a new coat.”

Aura had a look of shock when Arthur mentioned getting a new coat.

“You got him to give up that ratty thing up,” she asked the Victini.

“I… I guess so,” Nicole responded just as shocked that Arthur had willing given up his trademark coat.

“What, why are you two looking at me like that,”

…
Okay that’s a short chapter next stop the Pinwheel forest and the rest of the journey. As always leave reviews and no flames.