Prologue - Reforging
"No! Please! Let me go!"
"Shut it bitch. I've waited this long for you to evolve, but I'm not waiting anymore!"
Chimchar winced as she was slammed into the tree, the Infernape's much larger hand keeping her pinned to the bark. She struggled to break free, but his grip was far too tight. She managed to twist her head around to look at him, eyes widening in fear as she saw his erection. Was he really planning to do what she thought he was?
"You can't!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she redoubled her efforts to escape. "I'm your sister!" His only response was to press her harder into the tree. He smirked, reaching down to hold himself with one hand. He stroked himself a few times, relishing the imminent deflowering of his sister. Just before he could guide himself in, an aura sphere violently smashed into his back, throwing both of them away from the tree.
"Hey jerk, do you have any shame? Leave her alone."
The voice was commanding, the words sounding like the speaker expected to be obeyed instantly. Infernape looked around, naked anger on his face at the interruption. Chimchar slowly backed away until she hit another tree, too afraid to run away. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he found the mystery speaker, a blue and brown furred Lucario standing in a more open section of the forest. He had no spikes on his body, although the glare coming from his deep green eyes more than made up for the lack of sharp physical points.
"What, you think you're some kind of hero?" Infernape snarled at him, breaking into a headlong dash at the Lucario. "You're dead meat!" Fists blazing with superheated fire, he swung ferociously at the Lucario, who almost contemptuously dodged each punch. After the fourth one aimed at breaking his muzzle, he ducked and brought his own paw to bear on Infernape's mid section, the energies of the force palm causing the ape to fly across the clearing and into a tree, landing heavily at its base.
"If I were you, I'd stay down." The Lucario snapped, his glare not letting up for a second. Infernape scowled back at him for a minute before deciding to withdraw, swearing revenge under his breath. Lucario watched him go, turning to find Chimchar cowering at the base of the tree she'd backed into with her eyes screwed shut, one arm in bad shape. He walked over slowly, kneeling down next to her so that he didn't look so threatening now.
"It's alright, he's gone now." He offered, laying a comforting paw on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact, curling into a tighter ball.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she whimpered, not daring to open her eyes. He smiled gently, hoping that she could feel his good intentions even though her eyes were shut.
"No. I want to help you." He responded, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Slowly she opened her eyes, finding Lucario's soft expression looking down at her. Seeing his eyes, she felt any mistrust of him fading away.
"Let me take you to the human settlement." He said. "They can heal you there." She remained silent for a moment, before finally nodding and allowing him to carry her to the centre.
*
Chimchar looked around her in amazement. The pokemon centre was like nothing she had ever seen before, filled with humans and their pokemon friends. It came as something of a shock to her, as before now she had not believed that humans and pokemon could be so close. Lucario had kept a firm grip on her to keep her from getting any more injuries, careful to keep his paws away from her backside. It wouldn't help her if she felt she was saved from one bad pokemon to be in the clutches of another.
As she took in her surroundings, her saviour carried her towards the counter where a Floatzel was busying herself with the computer. She was wearing a cute little nurses outfit along with a hat to match, and when they approached she glanced at them and shook her head.
"Wolf," she began. "One of these days you'll pick a fight with a pokemon stronger than you and get your tail handed to you. How are we supposed to help if you're knocked out in who knows where because you're playing hero?" Wolf smirked at her, taking the comment with good humour.
"Well since today isn't that day Princess, how 'bout helping my little friend here?" he replied, holding Chimchar where Princess could see her. Princess looked softly at her, holding her arms out so that Wolf could lay Chimchar there comfortably. She was distressed for a few seconds, keeping her eyes shut and trying to make herself seem as small as possible.
"Don't worry Chimchar." He said, stroking her head with one paw. "Princess will take good care of you. You'll be better in no time." She whimpered a response, feeling that anyone Wolf trusted can't be all bad.
*
Feeling much better, Chimchar wandered out of the pokemon centre in search of Wolf. She didn't need to walk far, as he was seated on top of a table about six metres away, arms stretched out behind him and eyes scanning the sky. Chimchar followed his gaze, trying to see what he was looking at. The sky was a clear blue, with only a few clouds drifting along. He seemed to be looking at the largest of them, a fluffy white mass that almost looked like his own head.
"All better?"
She jumped at his remark, not having expected him to know she was there. She looked back at him, although he was still looking at the clouds. As she approached, he sighed at the cloud. He sounded lonely, she thought to herself.
"Princess said that I'll be okay." She said, climbing up over the attached bench and sitting down next to him. They stayed silent for a few minutes, until Chimchar worked up the courage to ask him something she'd thought of earlier. "How come you're not worried about walking into a human settlement?" He smiled wistfully, and then looked around to see if anyone was nearby. The nearest humans were still quite some distance away, easily out of earshot.
"I live here." He replied. "I'm actually a human."
Whatever Chimchar was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. She stared at him in wide eyed shock, her mouth gaping open in a near perfect circle. It was simply the most farfetched thing she had ever heard. How could he be a human? He was a Lucario!
"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." He added hastily, not wanting her to think he was insane. "I met this pokemon called Jirachi, and he heard our wish that I could turn into a Lucario." Chimchar looked at him, stunned. The whole thing sounded ludicrous, but the more she took in his appearance the more she believed it. She had seen Lucario before, and none of them had been even remotely the same colour. His eyes, a deep green, were also nothing like the vivid red of a normal Lucario.
"I guess..." she murmured, nodding to show that she thought he was making sense. "But who's 'our?'" Wolf didn't respond, instead looking back at the cloud with a sad smile.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked suddenly. She stared at him before dropping her gaze to the ground. She looked sad as well.
"I don't know." She said. "I don't have anywhere to go." Wolf studied the cloud for a few more seconds before turning to her.
"Well, why don't you stay with me?" he asked. "We could be friends. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's up to you." He let her think about his proposal for a few minutes. For a little while she thought that his suggestion was meant to make staying with him seem much nicer than returning to the wild, but the longer she thought about it she realised that he was giving her a honest choice. She could stay in the wild, perhaps finding a colony to live with. It would be difficult, since she was young and on her own. She thought about what life with Wolf might be like. Try as she might, she couldn't see anything that might be bad about living with her hero and new found friend. She nodded quietly at him, happiness welling up inside and preventing her from speaking. Wolf beamed at her, putting one paw on her back.
"I hope I can make you happy." He said, running his paw up and down her back comfortingly. "Do you have a name?"
"Yes." She replied, almost shyly. "It's Eve."
"Eve. That's a nice name."
***
Even with his new found friend, a week later the pangs of loneliness had settled back in. Wolf couldn't help but miss Lucky and Caelas, as though his heart were missing along with them. Distractions were only a fleeting respite from the hurt, and though he knew that her raising their son back on Mt Coronet was for the best in the long run, he still wished that they were with him now.
He sighed, rolling onto his side on his bed. Wolf's room somehow contrived to look both messy and neat at the same time, with a great deal of things all cluttered into a few spaces. In the middle of the room was a double bed, a bed that felt so much larger to him without Lucky to share it with. Even before they had become a couple Lucky had slept alongside him, and he placed a hand in the space her waist would have occupied.
A faint glimmer caught his eye, and he looked up to see the new picture frame he had bought with some of his league winnings. Normally he saved the whole lot and spent only what he needed to on journeys, but this one was for good reason. The frame itself was simple, but the picture inside was of a moment he knew he would never forget. The picture was of their team, all of them grinning broadly at the camera. He looked at each of them in turn, a faint smile crossing his face when he looked at Princess. Serenity had put two fingers up behind her head in the time honoured tradition of messing with photos. Serenity of course, still managed to look innocent throughout the process. He looked at the three in the middle of the photo, the smile turning sad as he studied their features. He and Lucky were smiling more sedately than the rest, although there was no mistaking the sheer joy in their expression. Between them, nestled in both of their arms was Caelas. Their son was looking at the camera with the level of innocence that only a child was capable of getting, his bright green eyes showing nothing other than pure happiness. He had been less than an hour old when the photo had been taken.
Wolf shifted, his room becoming inexplicably uncomfortable in that moment. Whatever it was that had caused it he didn't know. What he did know was that he needed to get out of the house for a while. Sliding on his sneakers, Wolf hurriedly left his room and headed for the forest.
*
The clearing he had always come to in the past when he wanted to get away from everything had changed. It wasn't the appearance, but the atmosphere. It was coming to this clearing that had led him to meet Lucky, and they had also shared time here between then and now. It held a sentimental meaning to him, one that wasn't helping to ease his pain.
Flying overhead was a flock of Altaria, the fluffy bird pokemon crossing the gap in the canopy effortlessly in a matter of seconds. He smiled, remembering the day when he and Lucky had met. An Altaria and her young had flown overhead that day, the mother calling out encouragement to her chicks. The ground felt nice under his back, almost succeeding in easing his sadness. He remembered this exact feeling from all those years ago, followed by the sight of Mew's face hovering over him. It took him a couple of seconds to realise that a furry face was indeed hovering over his head, although this one wasn't Mew. This one had black fur, the colour broken up by a bright yellow circle in its forehead and two big red eyes. It was frowning down at him in a manner that suggested that the pokemon was trying to remember something. Finally, it smiled.
"I remember you!" the Umbreon barked excitedly, the voice marking it out as female. Now it was Wolf's turn to frown.
"You do?" he asked, casting his own mind around to see if he had met this pokemon before. She nodded energetically, poking at him with her muzzle in an effort to get him to follow her. Confused he sat up, watching as she bounded a short distance away and faced him again, tail wagging frantically.
"Sure!" she replied. "I was here, and you were there. You looked sad, and I wanted to help you, but then you saw that floating pink pokemon."
"Floating pink pokemon?" he wondered. He looked down at Umbreon in amazement. "But that was four years ago. You remember that?" She trotted back and nuzzled him again.
"I sure do." She said. She looked at him again, a mournful look replacing the happy one. "Are you still sad?" He thought for a minute, and then looked back at her.
"I miss my love and our son." He said quietly. She tilted her head quizzically.
"Are they gone?" she asked.
"Yeah." He said. "She's raising him in the wild, where he can learn what he needs to survive. It will be a long time before I see them again."
"So, what's sad about that?" she said. A look of anger flashed across his face and he was about to say something before Umbreon kept talking. "I mean, seeing them again is something to look forward to, right?" Wolf looked at her for a few seconds, stunned at her logic, before letting out a short laugh.
"I suppose you're right." He admitted.
"'course I am!" she beamed. "I'm gonna stay with you too, just so you remember!" Wolf grinned, all traces of sadness banished in the face of Umbreon's infectious mirth.
"In that case, I'm gonna call you Happy!" he retorted, before a sudden weird feeling flashed through his mind.
"Whoa, déj� vu." He muttered, getting up and following Happy back to Fortree City.
***
"Wolf! Wake up! It's time to go fishing!"
Wolf stirred in his bed, turning sleep deprived eyes towards his clock. He looked at the clock for a moment, convinced that it couldn't possibly be the time it was telling him.
"Uncle Derek?" he replied, thinking the man was crazy. "It's two thirty in the morning! What the hell?!" Derek had come to stay with them for a week on his way around the Hoenn region, touring each of the most recommended fishing spots. Unfortunately for Wolf, his uncle was convinced that everyone shared his obsession with the sport. He poked his head into Wolf's room, his shaven and bright face suggesting that he was ready to go and that Wolf had better be too.
"Come on, come on!" he said, walking in and throwing the sheets off his nephew. He stood there and watched Wolf resentfully put on the fishing gear he had brought with him. When Wolf had agreed to go fishing with him, he hadn't expected his uncle to drag him out of bed at some unholy hour of the morning.
"What's going on?" came a sleepy voice from the door, Wolf and Derek turning to find Serenity slumped in the doorway, one hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. Derek took his fishing hat off, revealing his thinning brown hair, and plonked in on Serenity, the thing and its vast array of fishing hooks looking ridiculous on her.
"You're coming with us to go fishing!" Derek said proudly, before leaving the room and giving her no chance to object. She shot a disbelieving look at Wolf.
"Do I have to?" she asked. Wolf grimaced.
"Unfortunately, yes." He said. "Last time I tried going back to sleep after he told me we were going fishing, he dragged me out by one foot." Serenity shrugged, waiting for Wolf to finish getting the overalls on before following him outside. Waiting with Derek was Ivysaur, who also looked less than happy.
"The man's insane." He muttered, giving Wolf a look that suggested he wanted to throttle someone.
"Found another one eager to join us!" Derek roared in pride, slapping the back of Ivysaur's rose bud. The pokemon shot him a withering look, the only thing stopping him from responding in kind being a quick shake of Wolf's head. With the mad fisherman in the lead, they all trooped down towards the river.
*
Wolf yawned again, still not having felt one bite. They had been out in the middle of the river in his uncles tinny for an hour with their lines in the water, and nothing had even nibbled at their bait. Derek had been almost constantly giving out pointers on everything from the most effective way to reel in a fish to how the water current was perfect for attracting fish. Serenity and Ivysaur hadn't been able to get back to sleep because Derek had kept shaking them awake, lest they 'miss the excitement'.
"I love fishing!" he whispered excitedly. "More than I love anything else!" Ivysaur looked at him balefully, the mischievous look he usually had in his eyes appearing for the first time that morning.
"Does that mean you're fishing for a date?" he asked, quietly so that only Wolf and Serenity could hear him. Wolf snorted, trying desperately not to laugh, while Serenity had to stuff her fingers in her mouth to stop from bursting out in a fit of giggles. Derek scowled at them.
"Hush!" he muttered angrily. "You'll scare the fish away!" The Gardevoir rolled her eyes.
"I'd be scared too if you were after me." She murmured, making Wolf and Ivysaur break out into quiet laughter. Derek shushed them again, the trio looking much like scolded children as he did so. Wolf was spared thinking up his own joke when something splashed out of the water and landed heavily on him. Shaking his head to try and get some of the water out of his face, he opened his eyes to find a Feebas lying on his chest.
"Hi!" she said, as though she had just done something extraordinary. "I'm Squishy! What's your name?" Wolf glanced back at Ivysaur and Serenity, finding both of them just as confused as he was at this turn of events.
"Uh, I'm Wolf." He replied. He felt pretty weird talking to a fish, although he had to admit it was no less strange than talking to any other pokemon. Suddenly, he felt an oar being thrust into the gap between his arm and his body.
"Nice work boy!" his uncle roared. "Now club it and we've got breakfast!"
"Who's that weirdo?" Squishy asked, looking at Wolf. Wolf shrugged.
"That's my uncle, Derek."
"He's a weirdo." Ivysaur and Serenity burst out into loud, uncontrollable laughter.
"Hasn't known him more than a minute and she's already got the measure of him!" Ivysaur snorted, before dissolving back into laughter. Derek didn't bother to reprimand them, instead looking expectantly at the trainer.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked eagerly. Wolf shook his head at the man.
"No." he said firmly. "We're not eating Squishy. She's a part of the family." His uncle looked at him as though he couldn't believe what Wolf had said.
"You can't name your catches Wolf." He said, the speed of his speech implying that he thought Wolf was being stupid. Wolf rolled his eyes at him.
"I didn't name her. She named herself." He said defensively. Derek looked at the still dark sky while Wolf and Squishy talked some more. He couldn't believe this kid.
"Shut it bitch. I've waited this long for you to evolve, but I'm not waiting anymore!"
Chimchar winced as she was slammed into the tree, the Infernape's much larger hand keeping her pinned to the bark. She struggled to break free, but his grip was far too tight. She managed to twist her head around to look at him, eyes widening in fear as she saw his erection. Was he really planning to do what she thought he was?
"You can't!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she redoubled her efforts to escape. "I'm your sister!" His only response was to press her harder into the tree. He smirked, reaching down to hold himself with one hand. He stroked himself a few times, relishing the imminent deflowering of his sister. Just before he could guide himself in, an aura sphere violently smashed into his back, throwing both of them away from the tree.
"Hey jerk, do you have any shame? Leave her alone."
The voice was commanding, the words sounding like the speaker expected to be obeyed instantly. Infernape looked around, naked anger on his face at the interruption. Chimchar slowly backed away until she hit another tree, too afraid to run away. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he found the mystery speaker, a blue and brown furred Lucario standing in a more open section of the forest. He had no spikes on his body, although the glare coming from his deep green eyes more than made up for the lack of sharp physical points.
"What, you think you're some kind of hero?" Infernape snarled at him, breaking into a headlong dash at the Lucario. "You're dead meat!" Fists blazing with superheated fire, he swung ferociously at the Lucario, who almost contemptuously dodged each punch. After the fourth one aimed at breaking his muzzle, he ducked and brought his own paw to bear on Infernape's mid section, the energies of the force palm causing the ape to fly across the clearing and into a tree, landing heavily at its base.
"If I were you, I'd stay down." The Lucario snapped, his glare not letting up for a second. Infernape scowled back at him for a minute before deciding to withdraw, swearing revenge under his breath. Lucario watched him go, turning to find Chimchar cowering at the base of the tree she'd backed into with her eyes screwed shut, one arm in bad shape. He walked over slowly, kneeling down next to her so that he didn't look so threatening now.
"It's alright, he's gone now." He offered, laying a comforting paw on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact, curling into a tighter ball.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she whimpered, not daring to open her eyes. He smiled gently, hoping that she could feel his good intentions even though her eyes were shut.
"No. I want to help you." He responded, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Slowly she opened her eyes, finding Lucario's soft expression looking down at her. Seeing his eyes, she felt any mistrust of him fading away.
"Let me take you to the human settlement." He said. "They can heal you there." She remained silent for a moment, before finally nodding and allowing him to carry her to the centre.
*
Chimchar looked around her in amazement. The pokemon centre was like nothing she had ever seen before, filled with humans and their pokemon friends. It came as something of a shock to her, as before now she had not believed that humans and pokemon could be so close. Lucario had kept a firm grip on her to keep her from getting any more injuries, careful to keep his paws away from her backside. It wouldn't help her if she felt she was saved from one bad pokemon to be in the clutches of another.
As she took in her surroundings, her saviour carried her towards the counter where a Floatzel was busying herself with the computer. She was wearing a cute little nurses outfit along with a hat to match, and when they approached she glanced at them and shook her head.
"Wolf," she began. "One of these days you'll pick a fight with a pokemon stronger than you and get your tail handed to you. How are we supposed to help if you're knocked out in who knows where because you're playing hero?" Wolf smirked at her, taking the comment with good humour.
"Well since today isn't that day Princess, how 'bout helping my little friend here?" he replied, holding Chimchar where Princess could see her. Princess looked softly at her, holding her arms out so that Wolf could lay Chimchar there comfortably. She was distressed for a few seconds, keeping her eyes shut and trying to make herself seem as small as possible.
"Don't worry Chimchar." He said, stroking her head with one paw. "Princess will take good care of you. You'll be better in no time." She whimpered a response, feeling that anyone Wolf trusted can't be all bad.
*
Feeling much better, Chimchar wandered out of the pokemon centre in search of Wolf. She didn't need to walk far, as he was seated on top of a table about six metres away, arms stretched out behind him and eyes scanning the sky. Chimchar followed his gaze, trying to see what he was looking at. The sky was a clear blue, with only a few clouds drifting along. He seemed to be looking at the largest of them, a fluffy white mass that almost looked like his own head.
"All better?"
She jumped at his remark, not having expected him to know she was there. She looked back at him, although he was still looking at the clouds. As she approached, he sighed at the cloud. He sounded lonely, she thought to herself.
"Princess said that I'll be okay." She said, climbing up over the attached bench and sitting down next to him. They stayed silent for a few minutes, until Chimchar worked up the courage to ask him something she'd thought of earlier. "How come you're not worried about walking into a human settlement?" He smiled wistfully, and then looked around to see if anyone was nearby. The nearest humans were still quite some distance away, easily out of earshot.
"I live here." He replied. "I'm actually a human."
Whatever Chimchar was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. She stared at him in wide eyed shock, her mouth gaping open in a near perfect circle. It was simply the most farfetched thing she had ever heard. How could he be a human? He was a Lucario!
"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." He added hastily, not wanting her to think he was insane. "I met this pokemon called Jirachi, and he heard our wish that I could turn into a Lucario." Chimchar looked at him, stunned. The whole thing sounded ludicrous, but the more she took in his appearance the more she believed it. She had seen Lucario before, and none of them had been even remotely the same colour. His eyes, a deep green, were also nothing like the vivid red of a normal Lucario.
"I guess..." she murmured, nodding to show that she thought he was making sense. "But who's 'our?'" Wolf didn't respond, instead looking back at the cloud with a sad smile.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked suddenly. She stared at him before dropping her gaze to the ground. She looked sad as well.
"I don't know." She said. "I don't have anywhere to go." Wolf studied the cloud for a few more seconds before turning to her.
"Well, why don't you stay with me?" he asked. "We could be friends. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's up to you." He let her think about his proposal for a few minutes. For a little while she thought that his suggestion was meant to make staying with him seem much nicer than returning to the wild, but the longer she thought about it she realised that he was giving her a honest choice. She could stay in the wild, perhaps finding a colony to live with. It would be difficult, since she was young and on her own. She thought about what life with Wolf might be like. Try as she might, she couldn't see anything that might be bad about living with her hero and new found friend. She nodded quietly at him, happiness welling up inside and preventing her from speaking. Wolf beamed at her, putting one paw on her back.
"I hope I can make you happy." He said, running his paw up and down her back comfortingly. "Do you have a name?"
"Yes." She replied, almost shyly. "It's Eve."
"Eve. That's a nice name."
***
Even with his new found friend, a week later the pangs of loneliness had settled back in. Wolf couldn't help but miss Lucky and Caelas, as though his heart were missing along with them. Distractions were only a fleeting respite from the hurt, and though he knew that her raising their son back on Mt Coronet was for the best in the long run, he still wished that they were with him now.
He sighed, rolling onto his side on his bed. Wolf's room somehow contrived to look both messy and neat at the same time, with a great deal of things all cluttered into a few spaces. In the middle of the room was a double bed, a bed that felt so much larger to him without Lucky to share it with. Even before they had become a couple Lucky had slept alongside him, and he placed a hand in the space her waist would have occupied.
A faint glimmer caught his eye, and he looked up to see the new picture frame he had bought with some of his league winnings. Normally he saved the whole lot and spent only what he needed to on journeys, but this one was for good reason. The frame itself was simple, but the picture inside was of a moment he knew he would never forget. The picture was of their team, all of them grinning broadly at the camera. He looked at each of them in turn, a faint smile crossing his face when he looked at Princess. Serenity had put two fingers up behind her head in the time honoured tradition of messing with photos. Serenity of course, still managed to look innocent throughout the process. He looked at the three in the middle of the photo, the smile turning sad as he studied their features. He and Lucky were smiling more sedately than the rest, although there was no mistaking the sheer joy in their expression. Between them, nestled in both of their arms was Caelas. Their son was looking at the camera with the level of innocence that only a child was capable of getting, his bright green eyes showing nothing other than pure happiness. He had been less than an hour old when the photo had been taken.
Wolf shifted, his room becoming inexplicably uncomfortable in that moment. Whatever it was that had caused it he didn't know. What he did know was that he needed to get out of the house for a while. Sliding on his sneakers, Wolf hurriedly left his room and headed for the forest.
*
The clearing he had always come to in the past when he wanted to get away from everything had changed. It wasn't the appearance, but the atmosphere. It was coming to this clearing that had led him to meet Lucky, and they had also shared time here between then and now. It held a sentimental meaning to him, one that wasn't helping to ease his pain.
Flying overhead was a flock of Altaria, the fluffy bird pokemon crossing the gap in the canopy effortlessly in a matter of seconds. He smiled, remembering the day when he and Lucky had met. An Altaria and her young had flown overhead that day, the mother calling out encouragement to her chicks. The ground felt nice under his back, almost succeeding in easing his sadness. He remembered this exact feeling from all those years ago, followed by the sight of Mew's face hovering over him. It took him a couple of seconds to realise that a furry face was indeed hovering over his head, although this one wasn't Mew. This one had black fur, the colour broken up by a bright yellow circle in its forehead and two big red eyes. It was frowning down at him in a manner that suggested that the pokemon was trying to remember something. Finally, it smiled.
"I remember you!" the Umbreon barked excitedly, the voice marking it out as female. Now it was Wolf's turn to frown.
"You do?" he asked, casting his own mind around to see if he had met this pokemon before. She nodded energetically, poking at him with her muzzle in an effort to get him to follow her. Confused he sat up, watching as she bounded a short distance away and faced him again, tail wagging frantically.
"Sure!" she replied. "I was here, and you were there. You looked sad, and I wanted to help you, but then you saw that floating pink pokemon."
"Floating pink pokemon?" he wondered. He looked down at Umbreon in amazement. "But that was four years ago. You remember that?" She trotted back and nuzzled him again.
"I sure do." She said. She looked at him again, a mournful look replacing the happy one. "Are you still sad?" He thought for a minute, and then looked back at her.
"I miss my love and our son." He said quietly. She tilted her head quizzically.
"Are they gone?" she asked.
"Yeah." He said. "She's raising him in the wild, where he can learn what he needs to survive. It will be a long time before I see them again."
"So, what's sad about that?" she said. A look of anger flashed across his face and he was about to say something before Umbreon kept talking. "I mean, seeing them again is something to look forward to, right?" Wolf looked at her for a few seconds, stunned at her logic, before letting out a short laugh.
"I suppose you're right." He admitted.
"'course I am!" she beamed. "I'm gonna stay with you too, just so you remember!" Wolf grinned, all traces of sadness banished in the face of Umbreon's infectious mirth.
"In that case, I'm gonna call you Happy!" he retorted, before a sudden weird feeling flashed through his mind.
"Whoa, déj� vu." He muttered, getting up and following Happy back to Fortree City.
***
"Wolf! Wake up! It's time to go fishing!"
Wolf stirred in his bed, turning sleep deprived eyes towards his clock. He looked at the clock for a moment, convinced that it couldn't possibly be the time it was telling him.
"Uncle Derek?" he replied, thinking the man was crazy. "It's two thirty in the morning! What the hell?!" Derek had come to stay with them for a week on his way around the Hoenn region, touring each of the most recommended fishing spots. Unfortunately for Wolf, his uncle was convinced that everyone shared his obsession with the sport. He poked his head into Wolf's room, his shaven and bright face suggesting that he was ready to go and that Wolf had better be too.
"Come on, come on!" he said, walking in and throwing the sheets off his nephew. He stood there and watched Wolf resentfully put on the fishing gear he had brought with him. When Wolf had agreed to go fishing with him, he hadn't expected his uncle to drag him out of bed at some unholy hour of the morning.
"What's going on?" came a sleepy voice from the door, Wolf and Derek turning to find Serenity slumped in the doorway, one hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. Derek took his fishing hat off, revealing his thinning brown hair, and plonked in on Serenity, the thing and its vast array of fishing hooks looking ridiculous on her.
"You're coming with us to go fishing!" Derek said proudly, before leaving the room and giving her no chance to object. She shot a disbelieving look at Wolf.
"Do I have to?" she asked. Wolf grimaced.
"Unfortunately, yes." He said. "Last time I tried going back to sleep after he told me we were going fishing, he dragged me out by one foot." Serenity shrugged, waiting for Wolf to finish getting the overalls on before following him outside. Waiting with Derek was Ivysaur, who also looked less than happy.
"The man's insane." He muttered, giving Wolf a look that suggested he wanted to throttle someone.
"Found another one eager to join us!" Derek roared in pride, slapping the back of Ivysaur's rose bud. The pokemon shot him a withering look, the only thing stopping him from responding in kind being a quick shake of Wolf's head. With the mad fisherman in the lead, they all trooped down towards the river.
*
Wolf yawned again, still not having felt one bite. They had been out in the middle of the river in his uncles tinny for an hour with their lines in the water, and nothing had even nibbled at their bait. Derek had been almost constantly giving out pointers on everything from the most effective way to reel in a fish to how the water current was perfect for attracting fish. Serenity and Ivysaur hadn't been able to get back to sleep because Derek had kept shaking them awake, lest they 'miss the excitement'.
"I love fishing!" he whispered excitedly. "More than I love anything else!" Ivysaur looked at him balefully, the mischievous look he usually had in his eyes appearing for the first time that morning.
"Does that mean you're fishing for a date?" he asked, quietly so that only Wolf and Serenity could hear him. Wolf snorted, trying desperately not to laugh, while Serenity had to stuff her fingers in her mouth to stop from bursting out in a fit of giggles. Derek scowled at them.
"Hush!" he muttered angrily. "You'll scare the fish away!" The Gardevoir rolled her eyes.
"I'd be scared too if you were after me." She murmured, making Wolf and Ivysaur break out into quiet laughter. Derek shushed them again, the trio looking much like scolded children as he did so. Wolf was spared thinking up his own joke when something splashed out of the water and landed heavily on him. Shaking his head to try and get some of the water out of his face, he opened his eyes to find a Feebas lying on his chest.
"Hi!" she said, as though she had just done something extraordinary. "I'm Squishy! What's your name?" Wolf glanced back at Ivysaur and Serenity, finding both of them just as confused as he was at this turn of events.
"Uh, I'm Wolf." He replied. He felt pretty weird talking to a fish, although he had to admit it was no less strange than talking to any other pokemon. Suddenly, he felt an oar being thrust into the gap between his arm and his body.
"Nice work boy!" his uncle roared. "Now club it and we've got breakfast!"
"Who's that weirdo?" Squishy asked, looking at Wolf. Wolf shrugged.
"That's my uncle, Derek."
"He's a weirdo." Ivysaur and Serenity burst out into loud, uncontrollable laughter.
"Hasn't known him more than a minute and she's already got the measure of him!" Ivysaur snorted, before dissolving back into laughter. Derek didn't bother to reprimand them, instead looking expectantly at the trainer.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked eagerly. Wolf shook his head at the man.
"No." he said firmly. "We're not eating Squishy. She's a part of the family." His uncle looked at him as though he couldn't believe what Wolf had said.
"You can't name your catches Wolf." He said, the speed of his speech implying that he thought Wolf was being stupid. Wolf rolled his eyes at him.
"I didn't name her. She named herself." He said defensively. Derek looked at the still dark sky while Wolf and Squishy talked some more. He couldn't believe this kid.
Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: 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, and is applicable for all consecutive chapters that follow