Story Notes:
Blahblah Obligatory Legal Disclaimer blahblahDisclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.If you're the type of person that cries when you see something sad on TV, then you probably don't wanna read this. Not that I want you to cry or anything...but it is kinda sad, if you're emo like that.
New Beginnings
A Lucario's Trainer
Kat was walking through the forest at the base of the volcano. It was thick, and lush, due to the rich volcanic ash and mud that had been deposited by the eruption almost a hundred years previously. An eruption that had wiped out all life on the island, except for the tiny fishing village she called home, saved by the efforts of Pokémons that were legend to her people. It was her sixteenth birthday in a few days, and, as tradition stated, she was to find a Pokémon as her partner, and best friend, for the long years ahead of her.
She was dressed in the trainers outfit already, the skimpy blue skirt, short blue shirt with barely any sleeves, and a red bow in her long brown hair, holding her ponytail in place.
With a soft sigh, she started towards the caldera of the Volcano. It wasn't really that the eruption had killed all the Pokémon. It has just scared them all away, and being on an island, the only Pokémon that would come back were water types, and she really wasn't interested in water types overly much.
The hike was hard, and long, but it was a nice day, and she wasn't lazy, so she was moderately fit. At the top of the Volcano, the caldera became visible. It was at least a mile across, filled with sparkling blue water, and, notably, water Pokémon. She could see the red gleam of Magikarp scales under the waters surface, and Shellder, huddled against the silt on the side of the caldera lake, feeding on the little animals that lives in the rich volcanic mud.
Shaking her head a little, her shoulders slumped, she started around the edge of the Caldera, looking for any kind of Pokémon that wasn't a water type. But even the flying types didn't come here. It had been far too long since she'd even seen a Spearow, or a Pidgey, or even a Ratatta, for all that they were pests on the mainland.
She wasn't really paying attention to much, just walking, staring down at her feet, when she paused, frowning, leaning down to the ground and peering at the odd tracks there...
Those...definitely were not tracks of any Pokémon she had ever seen before!
Immediately, she picked up her speed, jogging a little, following the odd Pokémon tracks, eyes narrowed down at them, before she slowed right down, and began to sneak. She was approaching the old Pokémon shrine, one of the few things to survive the eruption. It has to be several hundred years old, and it was of a Pokémon that the adults of the village called 'Darkrai'.
At first, she didn't notice anything amiss...but then she saw the blue and black Pokémon kneeling in front of the ancient alter, reciting something that she couldn't understand. His words were muffled by the acoustics of the area, but when the alter began to glow, she didn't need to know what he was saying!
"Hey!? What are you doing!?" she asked, moving out from around the rock, her hands at her sides, feeling stupid, blushing a little.
Stay out of this, human! A male voice said in her mind, with a force that sent her reeling backwards, onto her ass, blinking about a few times.
"Leave the altar alone! You're not supposed to touch it! The elders say so!" she said with a firm nod, climbing to her feet and advancing on the Pokémon.
Its head turned towards her, and the red eyes seemed to glow, and she blinked a few times, falling to her knees, and then forwards, onto her stomach, unable to move her arms or legs at all...or any part of her body! I said, stay out! the Pokémon said, his tone malicious, almost a snarl.
She tried to balk back away from this angry, mean Pokémon, but her body was immobilised, from whatever the Pokémon had done to her.
"Stop it! It's wrong!" she said, struggling to move, managing to get an arm under her and heave herself into a sitting position, panting with the exertion. "You'll make the gods angry!"
The alter stopped glowing, and the Pokémon slowly, slowly turned to face her, his eyes a dark, angry red colour, and for all of his diminutive size, his presence seemed to make him ten feet tall as he rounded on her. Who are you to talk to me about god?! his snarling tone came into her head, like being hit with a massive hangover and a migraine at the same time.
I did nothing wrong! She did nothing wrong! And she was still taken from me! God is a lie! he growled, drawing his arm back, a blue ball coalescing at the point, which he then tossed at her almost carelessly.
It hit her square in the chest, with no chance for her to block or dodge it, and she felt herself thrown backwards against the rock she had hid behind a few moments previously, sprawling out over it, her head hitting it rather hard, sending stars shooting through her vision. She could feel herself sliding down the rock, falling flat on her butt, lifting a shaking hand to touch the back of her head, her fingers coming away red. Trying to move, she found she couldn't again, for a different reason this time, shock, and the concussive force of the blow that had hit her.
In front of her, she was dimly aware of the Pokémon murmuring something, and the altar glowing brightly, the amount of light it was emitting increasing as time went by. But then, she saw something she never expected to see on her island...a Scyther!
It seemed to just flicker into existence behind the blue and black Pokémon, who was oblivious to its presence. It raises a long, wicked scythe, and drew it back for a strike at the unprotected back of the Pokémon.
Without even being aware of it, Kat launched herself at the Scyther, tackling it around the midsection, crashing them both to the ground. The blue Pokémon whirled around to face them, and gave a growl of anger, even as Kat scrambled backwards on her ass and hands, trying to get away from the flailing scythes, even as one of them flailed and caught her leg, slicing easily through her flesh and leaving a shallow gash that smarted and stung.
"Oooow!" she whimpered, clasping both of her hands over the wound and rolling onto her side, continuing to try and back away.
This time, the Scyther turned on her, lifting its arm high, the long, wicked scythe gleaming, red, bug-like eyes gleaming down at her, like giant, many-faceted jewels.
The scythe began to come down, and she whimpered, trying to move and just slumping with a cry of pain from her leg, clasping the wound and staring up, helplessly, at the descending scythe.
A ball of blue energy slammed into the Scyther, from the side, and it was blasted off its feet in a glimmering ball of flying shrapnel like a bursting glass globe being thrown at a wall.
Kat shielded her face as best she could with her forearm, her free hand clasped firmly to her wound, wincing and peering up at the blue Pokémon...it was standing right above her!
The odd, canine form of the Pokémon was super-imposed upon the sun, his shadow falling over her, obscuring his features, except for his eyes, those glowing red coals that peered down at her, narrowed.
She couldn't be sure, but the look in his eyes as he peered down upon her, it was almost as if...as if he saw something in her, but then the darkness gathering at the edges of her vision began to creep further towards the centre, and she made a faint noise of distress as she saw the shadowy figure of the Pokémon lean in towards her...but then the darkness became complete and she was aware no more.
* * *
Kat groaned faintly and opened her eyes, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, her head swimming, her entire body seeming to ache and throb faintly. There was movement next to her, and she blinked sideways, shying away from the blue and black Pokémon that was reaching for her.
Stay still. the gentle voice ordered, and though she gave a slight whimper, she didn't move.
A moist cloth was laid on her forehead, and she gave a long, happy groan at the coolness.
Are you okay? it asked of her, and she opened her eyes, peering at him blankly.
"I...I guess." she managed.
....I'm sorry for hitting you... he murmured faintly through his telepathy, and she stared at him a few moments.
"W-why did you attack me in the first place?" she asked cautiously, a little nervously.
Why...Why did you put your life on the line for me? Even after I attacked you? he asked, without answering her question.
"I guess...because I couldn't just let it attack you..." she seemed to suddenly find the blanket she was under intensely interesting, fidgeting with a stray thread.
But...I had shown nothing but animosity towards you... he murmured faintly.
"...and that's no real reason to leave you to get struck from behind." she said, turning her head and looking at the opposite wall, blushing faintly. "W-why were you doing that thing with the altar anyways?...it must be important to you..."
More than you could ever know... came the bitter reply, and the Pokémon shook his head slowly.
"...What are you?" she asked curiously, tilting her a little.
I'm a Lucario...we're not common. he murmured in return, tilting his head at her and perking his ears.
"I've never heard of anything like you before...your trainer must miss you." she said with a firm nod.
The Lucario paused a moment, and his eyes became dark, narrowing a little, making her wince backwards away from him and give another faint whimper.
My trainer is dead. he said bitterly.
"Oh. Sorry..." she murmured, looking away, hoping not to spark the Lucario's anger.
She was about your age too...she was even my parents trainer as well. But then she got killed by a rampaging Rhydon at a Pokémon show. the Lucario's tone was bitter, and sad.
"I'm sorry..." she murmured in return, unsure what to say.
She was nice...and I just want one day with her. One. More. Day. the Lucario's tone broke and she sneaked a quick glance back, blushing as she realised what he was doing. There was a silent tear coursing through down the Pokémons downturned muzzle, dripping off his nose and onto the floor next to the bed.
"Is that...is that what you were doing at Darkrai's altar?" Kat asked of him, not turning towards him, trying to let him retain his dignity.
Darkrai is a master of time...he could let me see her again! And I can summon him with the altar and enough Aura power! The Lucario's tone had become dark again, his teeth bared, sounding quite cold and angry. And you interrupted me! So now I don't have enough Aura power to summon Darkrai! And I need enough left over to bargain with! the blue canid Pokémon punched the bed with his right fist, shaking with anger. But...you helped me...when the altars power angered the Pokémon, you helped me...that was something Mistress would have done... he murmured softly.
kat tilted her head to one side curiously, and risked a glance at the Lucario, frowning. She had heard about the Aura power. It was apparently something that surrounded them, infused them all, was in all living creatures. But if you didn't have any left...
"You'd...give up all your Aura just to be with your mistress for one more day?" she asked with wonder. It was what amounted to suicide, death, after a single day with his mistress.
I would. the Lucario replied with a single nod, his ears laying back against his skull.
She nodded slowly in reply, and toyed with the blankets once more. "Where am I?" she asked, peering at the Pokémon.
A building on the opposite side of the island to your village, I think...Stay here. Rest...find your way back when you are strong enough. Farewell, kind trainer. I'm going to see my Mistress. the Lucario said, standing and heading for the door.
"Wait!" she said, holding out a hand in placation, frowning deeply, unsure what she even wanted to say. The Lucario paused on the threshold of the door, and peered back at her over a shoulder, waiting.
"Just...your mistress. She sounds like an awesome person. A person that would be worth all of your admiration and respect, and your love and servitude as well. But is she worth dying over?" she frowned and shook her head, holding out her hand again. "No! I didn't mean that! I meant...would she want you to do this? Or keep living? One more day with her will give you more memories of her...but you can't enjoy those memories if you're gone, can you?" she asked, raising a brow at him, helplessly, "Why not just keep the memories you already have? And remember her, every day? If you go and sacrifice all of your tomorrows for a single yesterday, isn't that being selfish? Are all of your tomorrows worth a single yesterday? Who will remember her if you're gone? She might only be a memory to you now, but that's all everything is in the end, isn't it? Memories. And you can't make more memories if you trade all of your chances to make more just so you can experience something you already remember. Why not make more memories?" she continued, pausing to take a breath, and frowning slightly to herself.
"...F-forget it. I probably don't even understand." she murmured softly to herself, peering down at her hands, playing with the blanket again.
The Lucario stayed staring at her again for a few more moments, his eyes narrowed, red eyes dark and cold. You know...You're right.
Kat looked up hopefully, her eyes widening a little. "I-I am?"
You really don't understand. he said firmly, and then turned back to face forwards, squaring his shoulders and walking out the door, leaving Kat frowning down at the blankets covering her legs.
* * *
The Lucario frowned at the altar, his eyes narrowing, ears laying back as he lifted his paws and started to drain his Aura into the stone, focusing as hard as he could upon the cool stone, and the likeness of Darkrai atop it, concentrating on summoning the Pokémon to him, to let him make a deal with it, and see his mistress again!
But it was hard to concentrate properly...the female trainers voice kept intruding, as if an echo within his mind, her own special telepathy or so it seemed.
Frowning, he redoubled his efforts, starting to feel weak, blue balls of aura coalesced at his fingertips and slowly siphoning into the stone, which was glowing once more.
Are all of your tomorrows worth a single yesterday?
He frowned a little deeper, and shook his head to clear it. He wasn't going back for the time, he was going back for her.
Who will remember her if you're gone?
She was gone. That was all that mattered, and he could get her back, even if it was only for one day...
She might only be a memory to you now, but that's all everything is in the end, isn't it? Memories.
That was all she was now. A memory in the mind of a Lucario. And he had the power to bring her back, make her more than just a memory.
Why not just keep the memories you already have? And remember her, every day?
It was impossible not to remember her every day. The whisper of her hair against her skin, the sound of her laugh, training with her in a Field of flowers, winning Pokémon competitions with her...easily the happiest days of his life. He could remember it, remember it all. As crisply and as fresh as if they had just happened. But all memories fade. she would fade. It was only a matter of time before he forget what her face looked like, or what her voice sounded like. Only a matter of time before she became a barely-remembered hurt in his past, and that was the last thing he wanted for her to be.
He shook his head vigorously to clear it, and then growled faintly, his eyes narrowing on the altar, which had begun to radiate light, falling to one knee and then rising back to both feet once more, determined.
"If you live in the past, you become part of it..." the female trainers voice echoed within his head again, and he growled once more, trying to get rid of it, before pausing, distractedly...she had never said that to him...
Peering back over his shoulder, he blinked at her, red eyes dimmed, the Lucario panting hard, sweat dripping from his body. G-go away! he growled, baring his teeth at her weakly. I have to do this!
Kat stood on one leg, leaning against the rock and peering at him sadly, shaking her head. "No...you really don't. You don't have to to trade your future for a day with your mistress. Because then you'll be gone too, and it'll be pointless."
A long, vicious snarl escaped the Lucario's muzzle, and he turned a ball of blue energy towards her. You know how much I need this! And you keep trying to stop me! You don't even know me! why?!"
"Because it's what I believe in." she said stubbornly, and then crossed her arms, setting her stance and pouting at him slightly.
The altar began to lose its glow behind him, and the Lucario began to laugh, just softly, peering down at his paws as the aura began to fade. You remind me so much of her... he murmured softly, watching as his paws stopped glowing, and he slumped down to his knees. And it hurts, you know...? Everything reminds me of her, and every memory hurts, and it doesn't get any better. And it just keeps hurting, and hurting. And I just want her back, and I don't care what happens after that. his tone had changed during his little speech, from a almost-laugh, to an almost-sobbing, tears falling off the forwards edge of his muzzle again. You don't understand! You try and convince me not to do it when you. Don't. Understand. he sighed and shook his head slowly.
"Of course I don't understand. But I know you shouldn't just go throwing everything away for a single day...why can't you find someone else to be happy with?" she asked calmly, raising a brow at him.
I was happy with her! he shouted, hitting the ground with his fist in anger, and then just slumping downwards, putting his muzzle in his paws. You don't understand...and I don't understand either! he said, pawing at his ears and then tugging at them like a person losing control and pulling their hair. I was told that everything happens for a reason! That we're all here for a reason! Well what's the reasoning behind her dying?! he asked of her, staring up at her with red eyes, and not only from their natural colouration. he waved a hand dismissively. You can't explain that. No one can. It doesn't make sense.
"...It doesn't make sense now..." she murmured a little, shifting closer to him, gingerly lowering herself down onto one knee. "But f you give it time, it might..."
The Lucario stared at her for a long moment, and shook his head, taking a deep, shuddering breath, looking like he was trying his very hardest not to break down. N-no. It can't make sense! Her dying is the ultimate irony on any belief! She never did anything wrong, and a Rhyhorn killed her because its stupid trainer didn't discipline it properly! he spat on the ground in complete and utter fury, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
Shifting closer to him, she shook her head a little. "I never said it would make sense right now...and trying to is going to make you angry..." she murmured soothingly, sitting besides him, brushing herself off a little and gingerly extending her sore leg. "But if you go making rash decisions while you're grieving, then you're going to bad decisions." she murmured to him gently.
The Lucario went to open his mouth, to say something, but before he could, Kat had leaned sideways and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, like his old mistress had done, during times of happiness.
The Pokémon was stiff in her arms, rigid, his arms at his side, eyes wide. This was not a time for celebrating! This was a time of mourning, of anger, of doing everything in his power to bring her back, not a time for her to hug him as if he had won something!
His mind cast back to the last time he had been hugged, by his mistress, after winning a grueling competition, how happy she had been, how ecstatic she was that he was good enough to win that ribbon! it had swelled his heart with joy, made it so big that it seemed to want to escape out of his mouth...and now that same place was a empty pit of howling darkness and pain...
Slowly, he gave himself to that hug, and didn't even flinch when her arms wrapped around him properly, and began to gently rock him from side to side, along with a soft patting of his back, and he felt as odd sensation rushing throughout his body.
S-stop it! Stop making me w-weak! he sniffled, tears bursting out of his muzzle and rolling down through his fur. Stop making me remember these things! I don't want to remember any more! he gave a faint wail into her arms and then wrapped his own around her, tightly, almost a vice-grip, burying his muzzle in that comforting warmth and sense of closeness.
"let it all out..." she murmured, stroking the back of his head gently, and he did, howling into her embrace, a sound of pain and anguish and loss, that seemed to echo around the Caldera, until he was a veritable puddle of Lucario, limp and honestly, quite moist in her arms.
She let him exhaust himself in her arms, until he was hoarse, red-eyed, and listless, confused, seemingly unable to process what was happening. "Lucario?" she asked of him, peering down at him and stroking at his back gently.
W-what? he asked after a pause, as if he was trying to remember his manners.
Kat gently disentangled his arms from around her, and then drew back, climbing slowly to her feet and holding her hand out to the Pokémon. "Come with me...come make new memories..."
The blue and black Pokémon peered up at her, and then looked from her outstretched hand, to the alter...from a possible future, to a definite past. A tangible memory of her, a possible reunion with Her.
He shook his head slowly, and gave a hoarse whine, sprawling out on the ground and clasping onto it as if it were a lifeline and he were drowning. I don't want to leave!
Kat gave a slight sigh and held her her hand for him, frowning, "You have to let go, Lucario..." she murmured, gently.
If you live in the past, you become part of it.
Her voice echoed in his head, and he covered his eras, trying to block it out, shaking his head repeatedly. He wanted to be part of the past, to be with Her.
"She isn't here any more, Lucario." Kat murmured to him, and he gave another long whine, trying to block out the painful words. "Living in the past won't bring her back...and until you let go, you can't do her memory justice, can you?"
The Lucario shook his head again, and then beat at the ground with his fists. I don't want to move on! he shouted, fresh tears streaming down his muzzle.
"Nobody ever wants to..." she murmured sadly to him, and then lightly touched his muzzle with her hand, pulling it up to face her. "Come with me, move on, make new memories. Find your place in the world. Live in the present, remember the past, look forwards to the future. Anything else is pointless." she murmured.
He frowned up at her hand, like a petulant child refusing to leave his favorite place, only so much desperate, so much more needy, and even though she didn't even know him, it broke her heart to try and make him choose like that.
With a look of grim determination, the Lucario took her hand, climbing to his feet and peering down at the ground, sniffling once and rubbing at his eyes. I have to be strong for her. I have to honour her memory. he said defiantly, staring up at her with a tear-streaked muzzle and sore red eyes. She thought she had never seen a more determined person in her life.
She might just be a memory now...but she's my memory...any new memories are nothing compared to the ones I have of her..."
Kat was walking through the forest at the base of the volcano. It was thick, and lush, due to the rich volcanic ash and mud that had been deposited by the eruption almost a hundred years previously. An eruption that had wiped out all life on the island, except for the tiny fishing village she called home, saved by the efforts of Pokémons that were legend to her people. It was her sixteenth birthday in a few days, and, as tradition stated, she was to find a Pokémon as her partner, and best friend, for the long years ahead of her.
She was dressed in the trainers outfit already, the skimpy blue skirt, short blue shirt with barely any sleeves, and a red bow in her long brown hair, holding her ponytail in place.
With a soft sigh, she started towards the caldera of the Volcano. It wasn't really that the eruption had killed all the Pokémon. It has just scared them all away, and being on an island, the only Pokémon that would come back were water types, and she really wasn't interested in water types overly much.
The hike was hard, and long, but it was a nice day, and she wasn't lazy, so she was moderately fit. At the top of the Volcano, the caldera became visible. It was at least a mile across, filled with sparkling blue water, and, notably, water Pokémon. She could see the red gleam of Magikarp scales under the waters surface, and Shellder, huddled against the silt on the side of the caldera lake, feeding on the little animals that lives in the rich volcanic mud.
Shaking her head a little, her shoulders slumped, she started around the edge of the Caldera, looking for any kind of Pokémon that wasn't a water type. But even the flying types didn't come here. It had been far too long since she'd even seen a Spearow, or a Pidgey, or even a Ratatta, for all that they were pests on the mainland.
She wasn't really paying attention to much, just walking, staring down at her feet, when she paused, frowning, leaning down to the ground and peering at the odd tracks there...
Those...definitely were not tracks of any Pokémon she had ever seen before!
Immediately, she picked up her speed, jogging a little, following the odd Pokémon tracks, eyes narrowed down at them, before she slowed right down, and began to sneak. She was approaching the old Pokémon shrine, one of the few things to survive the eruption. It has to be several hundred years old, and it was of a Pokémon that the adults of the village called 'Darkrai'.
At first, she didn't notice anything amiss...but then she saw the blue and black Pokémon kneeling in front of the ancient alter, reciting something that she couldn't understand. His words were muffled by the acoustics of the area, but when the alter began to glow, she didn't need to know what he was saying!
"Hey!? What are you doing!?" she asked, moving out from around the rock, her hands at her sides, feeling stupid, blushing a little.
Stay out of this, human! A male voice said in her mind, with a force that sent her reeling backwards, onto her ass, blinking about a few times.
"Leave the altar alone! You're not supposed to touch it! The elders say so!" she said with a firm nod, climbing to her feet and advancing on the Pokémon.
Its head turned towards her, and the red eyes seemed to glow, and she blinked a few times, falling to her knees, and then forwards, onto her stomach, unable to move her arms or legs at all...or any part of her body! I said, stay out! the Pokémon said, his tone malicious, almost a snarl.
She tried to balk back away from this angry, mean Pokémon, but her body was immobilised, from whatever the Pokémon had done to her.
"Stop it! It's wrong!" she said, struggling to move, managing to get an arm under her and heave herself into a sitting position, panting with the exertion. "You'll make the gods angry!"
The alter stopped glowing, and the Pokémon slowly, slowly turned to face her, his eyes a dark, angry red colour, and for all of his diminutive size, his presence seemed to make him ten feet tall as he rounded on her. Who are you to talk to me about god?! his snarling tone came into her head, like being hit with a massive hangover and a migraine at the same time.
I did nothing wrong! She did nothing wrong! And she was still taken from me! God is a lie! he growled, drawing his arm back, a blue ball coalescing at the point, which he then tossed at her almost carelessly.
It hit her square in the chest, with no chance for her to block or dodge it, and she felt herself thrown backwards against the rock she had hid behind a few moments previously, sprawling out over it, her head hitting it rather hard, sending stars shooting through her vision. She could feel herself sliding down the rock, falling flat on her butt, lifting a shaking hand to touch the back of her head, her fingers coming away red. Trying to move, she found she couldn't again, for a different reason this time, shock, and the concussive force of the blow that had hit her.
In front of her, she was dimly aware of the Pokémon murmuring something, and the altar glowing brightly, the amount of light it was emitting increasing as time went by. But then, she saw something she never expected to see on her island...a Scyther!
It seemed to just flicker into existence behind the blue and black Pokémon, who was oblivious to its presence. It raises a long, wicked scythe, and drew it back for a strike at the unprotected back of the Pokémon.
Without even being aware of it, Kat launched herself at the Scyther, tackling it around the midsection, crashing them both to the ground. The blue Pokémon whirled around to face them, and gave a growl of anger, even as Kat scrambled backwards on her ass and hands, trying to get away from the flailing scythes, even as one of them flailed and caught her leg, slicing easily through her flesh and leaving a shallow gash that smarted and stung.
"Oooow!" she whimpered, clasping both of her hands over the wound and rolling onto her side, continuing to try and back away.
This time, the Scyther turned on her, lifting its arm high, the long, wicked scythe gleaming, red, bug-like eyes gleaming down at her, like giant, many-faceted jewels.
The scythe began to come down, and she whimpered, trying to move and just slumping with a cry of pain from her leg, clasping the wound and staring up, helplessly, at the descending scythe.
A ball of blue energy slammed into the Scyther, from the side, and it was blasted off its feet in a glimmering ball of flying shrapnel like a bursting glass globe being thrown at a wall.
Kat shielded her face as best she could with her forearm, her free hand clasped firmly to her wound, wincing and peering up at the blue Pokémon...it was standing right above her!
The odd, canine form of the Pokémon was super-imposed upon the sun, his shadow falling over her, obscuring his features, except for his eyes, those glowing red coals that peered down at her, narrowed.
She couldn't be sure, but the look in his eyes as he peered down upon her, it was almost as if...as if he saw something in her, but then the darkness gathering at the edges of her vision began to creep further towards the centre, and she made a faint noise of distress as she saw the shadowy figure of the Pokémon lean in towards her...but then the darkness became complete and she was aware no more.
* * *
Kat groaned faintly and opened her eyes, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, her head swimming, her entire body seeming to ache and throb faintly. There was movement next to her, and she blinked sideways, shying away from the blue and black Pokémon that was reaching for her.
Stay still. the gentle voice ordered, and though she gave a slight whimper, she didn't move.
A moist cloth was laid on her forehead, and she gave a long, happy groan at the coolness.
Are you okay? it asked of her, and she opened her eyes, peering at him blankly.
"I...I guess." she managed.
....I'm sorry for hitting you... he murmured faintly through his telepathy, and she stared at him a few moments.
"W-why did you attack me in the first place?" she asked cautiously, a little nervously.
Why...Why did you put your life on the line for me? Even after I attacked you? he asked, without answering her question.
"I guess...because I couldn't just let it attack you..." she seemed to suddenly find the blanket she was under intensely interesting, fidgeting with a stray thread.
But...I had shown nothing but animosity towards you... he murmured faintly.
"...and that's no real reason to leave you to get struck from behind." she said, turning her head and looking at the opposite wall, blushing faintly. "W-why were you doing that thing with the altar anyways?...it must be important to you..."
More than you could ever know... came the bitter reply, and the Pokémon shook his head slowly.
"...What are you?" she asked curiously, tilting her a little.
I'm a Lucario...we're not common. he murmured in return, tilting his head at her and perking his ears.
"I've never heard of anything like you before...your trainer must miss you." she said with a firm nod.
The Lucario paused a moment, and his eyes became dark, narrowing a little, making her wince backwards away from him and give another faint whimper.
My trainer is dead. he said bitterly.
"Oh. Sorry..." she murmured, looking away, hoping not to spark the Lucario's anger.
She was about your age too...she was even my parents trainer as well. But then she got killed by a rampaging Rhydon at a Pokémon show. the Lucario's tone was bitter, and sad.
"I'm sorry..." she murmured in return, unsure what to say.
She was nice...and I just want one day with her. One. More. Day. the Lucario's tone broke and she sneaked a quick glance back, blushing as she realised what he was doing. There was a silent tear coursing through down the Pokémons downturned muzzle, dripping off his nose and onto the floor next to the bed.
"Is that...is that what you were doing at Darkrai's altar?" Kat asked of him, not turning towards him, trying to let him retain his dignity.
Darkrai is a master of time...he could let me see her again! And I can summon him with the altar and enough Aura power! The Lucario's tone had become dark again, his teeth bared, sounding quite cold and angry. And you interrupted me! So now I don't have enough Aura power to summon Darkrai! And I need enough left over to bargain with! the blue canid Pokémon punched the bed with his right fist, shaking with anger. But...you helped me...when the altars power angered the Pokémon, you helped me...that was something Mistress would have done... he murmured softly.
kat tilted her head to one side curiously, and risked a glance at the Lucario, frowning. She had heard about the Aura power. It was apparently something that surrounded them, infused them all, was in all living creatures. But if you didn't have any left...
"You'd...give up all your Aura just to be with your mistress for one more day?" she asked with wonder. It was what amounted to suicide, death, after a single day with his mistress.
I would. the Lucario replied with a single nod, his ears laying back against his skull.
She nodded slowly in reply, and toyed with the blankets once more. "Where am I?" she asked, peering at the Pokémon.
A building on the opposite side of the island to your village, I think...Stay here. Rest...find your way back when you are strong enough. Farewell, kind trainer. I'm going to see my Mistress. the Lucario said, standing and heading for the door.
"Wait!" she said, holding out a hand in placation, frowning deeply, unsure what she even wanted to say. The Lucario paused on the threshold of the door, and peered back at her over a shoulder, waiting.
"Just...your mistress. She sounds like an awesome person. A person that would be worth all of your admiration and respect, and your love and servitude as well. But is she worth dying over?" she frowned and shook her head, holding out her hand again. "No! I didn't mean that! I meant...would she want you to do this? Or keep living? One more day with her will give you more memories of her...but you can't enjoy those memories if you're gone, can you?" she asked, raising a brow at him, helplessly, "Why not just keep the memories you already have? And remember her, every day? If you go and sacrifice all of your tomorrows for a single yesterday, isn't that being selfish? Are all of your tomorrows worth a single yesterday? Who will remember her if you're gone? She might only be a memory to you now, but that's all everything is in the end, isn't it? Memories. And you can't make more memories if you trade all of your chances to make more just so you can experience something you already remember. Why not make more memories?" she continued, pausing to take a breath, and frowning slightly to herself.
"...F-forget it. I probably don't even understand." she murmured softly to herself, peering down at her hands, playing with the blanket again.
The Lucario stayed staring at her again for a few more moments, his eyes narrowed, red eyes dark and cold. You know...You're right.
Kat looked up hopefully, her eyes widening a little. "I-I am?"
You really don't understand. he said firmly, and then turned back to face forwards, squaring his shoulders and walking out the door, leaving Kat frowning down at the blankets covering her legs.
* * *
The Lucario frowned at the altar, his eyes narrowing, ears laying back as he lifted his paws and started to drain his Aura into the stone, focusing as hard as he could upon the cool stone, and the likeness of Darkrai atop it, concentrating on summoning the Pokémon to him, to let him make a deal with it, and see his mistress again!
But it was hard to concentrate properly...the female trainers voice kept intruding, as if an echo within his mind, her own special telepathy or so it seemed.
Frowning, he redoubled his efforts, starting to feel weak, blue balls of aura coalesced at his fingertips and slowly siphoning into the stone, which was glowing once more.
Are all of your tomorrows worth a single yesterday?
He frowned a little deeper, and shook his head to clear it. He wasn't going back for the time, he was going back for her.
Who will remember her if you're gone?
She was gone. That was all that mattered, and he could get her back, even if it was only for one day...
She might only be a memory to you now, but that's all everything is in the end, isn't it? Memories.
That was all she was now. A memory in the mind of a Lucario. And he had the power to bring her back, make her more than just a memory.
Why not just keep the memories you already have? And remember her, every day?
It was impossible not to remember her every day. The whisper of her hair against her skin, the sound of her laugh, training with her in a Field of flowers, winning Pokémon competitions with her...easily the happiest days of his life. He could remember it, remember it all. As crisply and as fresh as if they had just happened. But all memories fade. she would fade. It was only a matter of time before he forget what her face looked like, or what her voice sounded like. Only a matter of time before she became a barely-remembered hurt in his past, and that was the last thing he wanted for her to be.
He shook his head vigorously to clear it, and then growled faintly, his eyes narrowing on the altar, which had begun to radiate light, falling to one knee and then rising back to both feet once more, determined.
"If you live in the past, you become part of it..." the female trainers voice echoed within his head again, and he growled once more, trying to get rid of it, before pausing, distractedly...she had never said that to him...
Peering back over his shoulder, he blinked at her, red eyes dimmed, the Lucario panting hard, sweat dripping from his body. G-go away! he growled, baring his teeth at her weakly. I have to do this!
Kat stood on one leg, leaning against the rock and peering at him sadly, shaking her head. "No...you really don't. You don't have to to trade your future for a day with your mistress. Because then you'll be gone too, and it'll be pointless."
A long, vicious snarl escaped the Lucario's muzzle, and he turned a ball of blue energy towards her. You know how much I need this! And you keep trying to stop me! You don't even know me! why?!"
"Because it's what I believe in." she said stubbornly, and then crossed her arms, setting her stance and pouting at him slightly.
The altar began to lose its glow behind him, and the Lucario began to laugh, just softly, peering down at his paws as the aura began to fade. You remind me so much of her... he murmured softly, watching as his paws stopped glowing, and he slumped down to his knees. And it hurts, you know...? Everything reminds me of her, and every memory hurts, and it doesn't get any better. And it just keeps hurting, and hurting. And I just want her back, and I don't care what happens after that. his tone had changed during his little speech, from a almost-laugh, to an almost-sobbing, tears falling off the forwards edge of his muzzle again. You don't understand! You try and convince me not to do it when you. Don't. Understand. he sighed and shook his head slowly.
"Of course I don't understand. But I know you shouldn't just go throwing everything away for a single day...why can't you find someone else to be happy with?" she asked calmly, raising a brow at him.
I was happy with her! he shouted, hitting the ground with his fist in anger, and then just slumping downwards, putting his muzzle in his paws. You don't understand...and I don't understand either! he said, pawing at his ears and then tugging at them like a person losing control and pulling their hair. I was told that everything happens for a reason! That we're all here for a reason! Well what's the reasoning behind her dying?! he asked of her, staring up at her with red eyes, and not only from their natural colouration. he waved a hand dismissively. You can't explain that. No one can. It doesn't make sense.
"...It doesn't make sense now..." she murmured a little, shifting closer to him, gingerly lowering herself down onto one knee. "But f you give it time, it might..."
The Lucario stared at her for a long moment, and shook his head, taking a deep, shuddering breath, looking like he was trying his very hardest not to break down. N-no. It can't make sense! Her dying is the ultimate irony on any belief! She never did anything wrong, and a Rhyhorn killed her because its stupid trainer didn't discipline it properly! he spat on the ground in complete and utter fury, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
Shifting closer to him, she shook her head a little. "I never said it would make sense right now...and trying to is going to make you angry..." she murmured soothingly, sitting besides him, brushing herself off a little and gingerly extending her sore leg. "But if you go making rash decisions while you're grieving, then you're going to bad decisions." she murmured to him gently.
The Lucario went to open his mouth, to say something, but before he could, Kat had leaned sideways and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, like his old mistress had done, during times of happiness.
The Pokémon was stiff in her arms, rigid, his arms at his side, eyes wide. This was not a time for celebrating! This was a time of mourning, of anger, of doing everything in his power to bring her back, not a time for her to hug him as if he had won something!
His mind cast back to the last time he had been hugged, by his mistress, after winning a grueling competition, how happy she had been, how ecstatic she was that he was good enough to win that ribbon! it had swelled his heart with joy, made it so big that it seemed to want to escape out of his mouth...and now that same place was a empty pit of howling darkness and pain...
Slowly, he gave himself to that hug, and didn't even flinch when her arms wrapped around him properly, and began to gently rock him from side to side, along with a soft patting of his back, and he felt as odd sensation rushing throughout his body.
S-stop it! Stop making me w-weak! he sniffled, tears bursting out of his muzzle and rolling down through his fur. Stop making me remember these things! I don't want to remember any more! he gave a faint wail into her arms and then wrapped his own around her, tightly, almost a vice-grip, burying his muzzle in that comforting warmth and sense of closeness.
"let it all out..." she murmured, stroking the back of his head gently, and he did, howling into her embrace, a sound of pain and anguish and loss, that seemed to echo around the Caldera, until he was a veritable puddle of Lucario, limp and honestly, quite moist in her arms.
She let him exhaust himself in her arms, until he was hoarse, red-eyed, and listless, confused, seemingly unable to process what was happening. "Lucario?" she asked of him, peering down at him and stroking at his back gently.
W-what? he asked after a pause, as if he was trying to remember his manners.
Kat gently disentangled his arms from around her, and then drew back, climbing slowly to her feet and holding her hand out to the Pokémon. "Come with me...come make new memories..."
The blue and black Pokémon peered up at her, and then looked from her outstretched hand, to the alter...from a possible future, to a definite past. A tangible memory of her, a possible reunion with Her.
He shook his head slowly, and gave a hoarse whine, sprawling out on the ground and clasping onto it as if it were a lifeline and he were drowning. I don't want to leave!
Kat gave a slight sigh and held her her hand for him, frowning, "You have to let go, Lucario..." she murmured, gently.
If you live in the past, you become part of it.
Her voice echoed in his head, and he covered his eras, trying to block it out, shaking his head repeatedly. He wanted to be part of the past, to be with Her.
"She isn't here any more, Lucario." Kat murmured to him, and he gave another long whine, trying to block out the painful words. "Living in the past won't bring her back...and until you let go, you can't do her memory justice, can you?"
The Lucario shook his head again, and then beat at the ground with his fists. I don't want to move on! he shouted, fresh tears streaming down his muzzle.
"Nobody ever wants to..." she murmured sadly to him, and then lightly touched his muzzle with her hand, pulling it up to face her. "Come with me, move on, make new memories. Find your place in the world. Live in the present, remember the past, look forwards to the future. Anything else is pointless." she murmured.
He frowned up at her hand, like a petulant child refusing to leave his favorite place, only so much desperate, so much more needy, and even though she didn't even know him, it broke her heart to try and make him choose like that.
With a look of grim determination, the Lucario took her hand, climbing to his feet and peering down at the ground, sniffling once and rubbing at his eyes. I have to be strong for her. I have to honour her memory. he said defiantly, staring up at her with a tear-streaked muzzle and sore red eyes. She thought she had never seen a more determined person in her life.
She might just be a memory now...but she's my memory...any new memories are nothing compared to the ones I have of her..."