Battling didn't start until the next day, giving Wolf a chance to assess his opponent Drake. Once he was free of the opening ceremony, he had darted to his assigned room and pulled up as much information as he could on the Elite he would be facing the very next day. Looking at each webpage almost hopelessly, he hadn't been able to get his mind past the first phrase that had stuck. Dragon master.

No matter how he looked at it, he had always found dragon types to be incredibly stubborn and powerful opponents, and from what he could find Drake exclusively trained them. On top of that, dragons had only a single weakness, one that Wolf wasn't going to be able to exploit with Princess and Serenity not part of the team. Lucky had spent all of the time he was researching with him, murmuring soothing words and sound assurances into his ear.

"Ugh, this is going to be an uphill struggle." Wolf moaned, slumping back in his chair while Lucky rubbed his temples to try and help ease out the stress he'd worked up with a full hour of reading. "I have very little chance of teaching Squishy how to use ice beam by tomorrow, and I've already put through the team list." Lucky kept her hold on his forehead firm but gentle, running the tips of her paws in circles along his skin.

"We'll manage, Wolf." She said. "It's not like we haven't beaten dragons before without ice type moves. We all have faith in your commands, and you should too." Wolf merely sighed, closing his eyes and letting her massage his temples.

"I know, I know." He murmured, trying to relax. Worrying wouldn't help him think clearly, and that in turn would give his chances of making it past the first round an unnecessary shot in the foot. "I just need to focus, and find something about his battling style that I can counter." Lucky glanced at the screen again, skimming through the text until she found something.

"It says that his pokemon aren't all that fast." She read aloud, thinking. "They can take a hit really well though. Kinda the opposite of what we do." Wolf pulled his head up, reading the part she indicated.

"It's like that story about the Buneary and the Torkoal." He mused, frowning. "Slow and steady wins the race. I suppose that means the key to beating him is not to let him hole up too deeply. If we hit too fast and hard for him, we can wear his pokemon down pretty quickly."

"See Wolf?" Lucky said, a smile on her face. "We're not finished before we begin. We're just getting started." He grinned at her, one hand bringing her face closer to his to give her a loving kiss.

"Thanks for your help, Lucky." He said, and the Lucario looked happy as she heard his tone become relaxed again.

***

"Welcome to the Jagged Pass, field thirteen of the Star Tournament!"

Wolf kept his mind focussed on the battlefield rather than the cheering of the crowd, studying each of the rock stalagmites jutting out of the ground around the field. He was standing on a platform elevated roughly three metres above the field, his opponent standing on an identical one on the opposite side. Drake kept his gaze on Wolf, though whether this was to intimidate him or simple curiosity was beyond Wolf. Lucky stood next to him, squeezing one hand between her paws to comfort him.

"Battle thirteen of the Star Tournament will be between Drake, the highest ranking member of Hoenn's Elite Four!" The announcer indicated the grey haired dragon tamer, giving his supporters time to roar their appreciation of him before continuing. "And newcomer to the Star Tournament, also from Hoenn, Wolf O'kai!" He paused again as the crowd cheered, though not quite as loud as they had for Drake. Wolf put on a brave face and waved for the benefit of those who were cheering for him, glad that he had some supporters out there.

"The match will be a six on six pokemon battle." He continued, more for the crowd's benefit than the trainers. "The first pokemon will be revealed at the same time. Trainers may not substitute pokemon during the battle. The battle ends when one team's pokemon are unable to continue. Good luck to you both, and now battle!" Both of them reached to their belts, grabbing a poke ball and throwing it into the arena.

"Shelgon, on deck!" Drake yelled, the armoured pokemon appearing in a flash of white light, looking as unyielding as the rocks that surrounded it.

"Squishy, you're up!" Wolf cried, calling out the Milotic to battle first. She appeared just below him, opposite her opponent and ready to fight. Both pokemon stared across at one another, the gap in the rocks allowing them this much from their starting positions.

"Shelgon, use dragonbreath!" the sea captain ordered, the shell pokemon complying by breathing a burst of draconic flames at Squishy.

"Squishy, move!" Wolf cried out, the Milotic slithering through the rocks and away from the attack. He saw that even though Shelgon seemed to notice the movement, it couldn't adjust in time to keep aiming at her while she moved. "Now use water pulse!" She stopped when she was out of his field of vision, rearing up over the rocks to fire a water ball at the slow moving pokemon. Her attack was on target, though Shelgon was only just shifted under the impact of Squishy's water pulse. Wolf growled to himself, seeing that the hard outer shell had absorbed the worst of the hit.

"Shelgon, use dragon claw!" he ordered, the pokemon turning to face the Milotic before it began to move towards her. Wolf looked confused, since it began to run directly in her direction instead of moving to avoid the stalagmites. His jaw dropped when Shelgon ran directly through the first one, barely slowing down under the impact as the rock collapsed.

"Squishy, hydro pump!" he cried, realising that if he didn't stop it that he would lose one of his bigger advantages in this battle - the terrain. Squishy reared up again, firing a high pressure stream of water into the path of the onrushing dragon. It hit the pokemon head on, though it still struggled through the water, intent on following its master's command. Squishy added more power to the attack, forcing Shelgon to gain ground a single step at a time. Eventually the Milotic faltered, unable to keep up the attack for such a long duration. Shelgon's momentum built up as the flow of water stopped, the dragon barrelling into her and knocking her flying with a glowing claw. She crashed into another of the rock pillars, the formation shattering under the power of her impact.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as Squishy struggled to rise, the attack having inflicted a great deal of damage. She glared at her opponent, but still managed to stay steady. "Use aqua ring now!" Squishy concentrated, her body shedding water in order to repair the damage. Drake moved to counter immediately, seeing Squishy was on the ropes.

"Shelgon, use take down!" he ordered, the dragon once more turning to face her before charging. Squishy was too focussed on restoring herself to notice the danger, Wolf calling out to her even as Shelgon's attack hit home. She flew through the air to land in a heap in front of Wolf, droplets of water flying everywhere as she was knocked unconscious. The trainer looked on in shock, only dimly aware that he was raising the poke ball to call her back.

"Whoa..." he uttered, too shaken to hear what the announcer was saying. Lucky gripped his spare hand tighter, trying to get him to focus.

"We can make a comeback." She whispered urgently, seeing him nod as her words sank in. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the poke ball that held Jazz. Soaked, Shelgon would start to feel some damage from the Raichu's electric attacks. He smiled grimly. This wasn't over yet.

***

Wolf was gripping the rail of his platform tightly, his knuckles turning white under the pressure as he watched Lucky dart through what remained of the rocks. She closed in on Dragonair quickly, the pokemon still tired out after using hyper beam and unable to avoid her advance. She launched herself from a shattered pile of rocks, bringing her paw around to impact on the dragon's lower jaw and unleash the energies of her force palm. Dragonair was sent reeling, the constant hammering of attacks on it chipping away at its stamina in preparation for Lucky's final blow. It had been a tense fight so far, and Wolf was certain it would have been over much quicker if Ninetales hadn't been so adamant on training to her limit when the fire type he was taking was still undecided.

Ninetales had single handedly accounted for two of Drake's pokemon and worn Dragonair out quite a bit, his newly acquired Gabite having taken an extraordinary amount of effort from the team to finally best. Now Wolf was down to just Lucky, while Drake still had another pokemon after Dragonair. As he watched, Dragonair finally slumped to the ground under the strain. Wordlessly Drake called the unconscious pokemon back, though Wolf was sure that he was pleased with his pokemon's performance. Wolf looked at Lucky as she strode back to her starting position, seeing that even her part steel constitution wasn't enough to stop the worst of the damage. She could still fight, but it would be difficult for her to win.

Lucky saw him staring, giving him a weary smile and waving. He waved back, and though he could hide his emotions from his physical appearance his aura was betraying his concerns. She knew he was worried about her, the Lucario resolving that she would make his fears unfounded. She reached her destination and turned around, seeing that the dragon master had been patiently waiting for her to do so. He smiled at Wolf, nodding in respect.

"You've been quite an opponent, Wolf." He called out, his smile taking a confident turn. "But I'm afraid I will have to end this battle now. Salamence, on deck!" In a flash of white light, Drake's final pokemon appeared on the field, hovering just above the ground and staring at Lucky. Even as she braced herself for the fight, Wolf's grip on the rail slackened as he realised that there could be no victory here. He smiled sadly, though his defeat didn't really bother him as those during other pokemon league challenges had. He had pitted his pokemon against that of an Elite, and they had hung in until the very end of the match. Shrugging, he vaulted over the rail of the platform to land behind Lucky, his love turning to see him moving towards her. Her jaw dropped slightly, the pokemon unable to comprehend why he would be on the field.

"You've done well, Lucky." He said, scooping her up in his arms. She stared at him in horror, understanding what he was doing.

"Wolf, put me down!" she protested weakly even while she looped her arms around his neck to steady herself. "I can still fight!"

"You know as well as I do that you can't beat that Salamence in the condition you're in." He replied softly. "I'm not going to make you fight a battle you can't win. I care about you too much." She struggled in his grip, unable to escape.

"Don't do this Wolf." She whimpered. He didn't respond, instead turning to face the dragon master and incline his head in a bow of acknowledgement before leaving the stadium to find Nurse Joy.

***

"She's really upset about this, you know." Serenity said, on the final day of the tournament. Wolf nodded as they kept eating, his own expression sombre. The whole team had taken their loss pretty hard, but a few encouraging words from Wolf had assured all but Lucky that he wasn't disappointed that they had lost. In fact, he praised their efforts highly as a great first try at the Star Tournament.

"Wolf's right!" Ivysaur had said, backing the trainer up. "We can't let this get us down! Drake was a really strong opponent, and there's no shame in being beaten by someone as powerful as him." After that they had cheered up, resolving that next time they competed they would do much better.

"I know she's hurt." Wolf said, swallowing the last mouthful. Lucky had barely spoken to anyone, not even Wolf or Caelas, shutting herself in their room and spending all day staring out the window and dwelling on their loss. She came out only to eat, getting through the meal as quickly as possible before retreating back to her refuge. "I've tried everything I can think of to help her, but all she says is 'I don't want to talk about it.'" The Gardevoir nodded, casting a quick glance to where Lucky's food bowl still laid. They were eating in the pokemon centre of the stadium, Scott having insisted that all of the trainers stay regardless of whether or not they lost early on. One thing that consoled Wolf was that Ivan had been matched up against Cynthia in the first round, the Sinnoh champion thoroughly beating his team whilst taking few knock outs themselves. It may have been petty, but it still put a smile on his face.

"With all due respect Wolf, I think you've said all you can to her." Serenity offered, popping the last piece of food in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "Let me speak to her. I might be able to snap her out of her rut."

"I hope so." He replied, staring at the hallway she had vanished into a few minutes ago. "I hate seeing her like this." Serenity smiled lightly, swallowing her mouthful and heading off to their room to talk to the depressed Lucario. It didn't take her long to reach the door, turning the handle and letting herself in only to find Lucky climbing out the window.

"Where are you going?" she asked, the Lucario's head snapping around in surprise. Instead of answering, Lucky simply bolted out the window and headed off for the forest at a quick pace. Serenity grimaced, teleporting out a short distance ahead of the fleeing pokemon's path.

***

Lucky ran as fast as she could, tears beginning to stream down her face. Why? Why did Wolf choose to forfeit? Did he have no confidence in her abilities? Did he stop respecting her decisions? She kept running, hoping that the pounding of her heart and rush of blood would at least distract her from her dark mood.

She kept going, blurring past people and pokemon alike in her headlong rush to be away from the confining stadium and the bitter defeat. Eyes closed, the first she knew of anyone interfering was when her feet suddenly left the ground, an invisible force holding her still and afloat. She wanted to scream, wanted to resist, but the power was too strong for her. She knew it for what it was, the attack of a psychic pokemon. She couldn't fight it as it guided her closer to the trees, pressing her against one on the edge of the path. What did the mystery psychic pokemon want with her?

Seconds later, Serenity walked into her field of vision with one arm pointed at her and eyes glowing blue. Lucky was at her eye level, trying to twist her head to avoid her gaze but finding any movement impossible.

"Any particular reason you're running away?" Serenity asked, fixing her glowing stare into Lucky's terrified one. The Lucario was still crying, helpless and pinned down.

"Leave me alone!" she cried, struggling harder to no avail.

"I can't do that." Serenity answered firmly, her eyes never leaving Lucky's. "What I want to know is how come you can't cheer up like everyone else."

"He just gave up!" she sobbed. "Why didn't he let me keep fighting? Does he think I'm weak?" The Gardevoir's hand cracked hard against the Lucario's cheek, her stare becoming harder than before.

"That is not the problem, and you bloody well know it." She snarled, Lucky's eyes widening in fear. "I heard everything he said. You both knew that you couldn't beat Salamence in your weakened state, and he chose to forfeit instead of let you be hurt anymore. It's a damn sign of love and respect that he did that! He loves you too much to see you get needlessly hurt! When are you going to get that through your thick skull?" Taken aback by the psychic pokemon's outburst, Lucky gasped. As much as she felt terrible for the outcome of the battle, Serenity was right. Wolf had only forfeited because he loved her, and she cursed herself for not realising this earlier. Serenity's expression softened, and she slowly loosened her mental grip on Lucky.

"I know you're upset." She said gently, moving forward to hold the Lucario in a comforting hug. "But you've really been acting stupid. You weren't listening to anyone." Lucky nodded into her shoulder, tears still streaming down her face.

"Is he mad at me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"He's a little sad, but he still loves you and he's only worried about you." She murmured into her ear. "You should probably make it up to him."

***

Wolf and Cynthia sat at one of the tables around the presentation hall, chatting calmly about their experiences with the Star Tournament. Cynthia had consoled him over his early defeat with the fact that only a very minute fraction of people have ever managed even one win at their first Star Tournament while he congratulated her on her very narrow win over the Hoenn champion Wallace to take the cup. It had come down to Garchomp against Milotic, the dragon's superior speed and power carrying the match.

The pair of them were dressed formally for the night as per Scott's request for the presentation ceremony. Only the trainers and some of their pokemon were present for the night, the full results being made public the next day. Wolf was wearing a plain black tuxedo with a blood red silken formal shirt on, though he had left it unbuttoned at the top. Cynthia wore a white sleeveless evening gown that wouldn't have looked out of place at a horse racing meet, the low cut top reaching to reveal almost her entire cleavage. Wolf had a difficult time keeping his eyes off that particular feature of the dress, though if the Sinnoh champion noticed she didn't say anything.

"I wonder where Lucky and Serenity are." Wolf said, a hint of worry in his voice. "They've been gone all afternoon."

"She's still upset?" Cynthia asked, her expression becoming mournful.

"Serenity went to talk to her." He replied, nodding. "I hope she's had more success than I have." He glanced over to where a few of the trainers were dancing with each other to the band's music, a pang of guilt rushing through him. If he had hurt her... he didn't want to think of the possibility of Lucky leaving him. It would be too much for him to bear.

"Wolf?" a voice asked gently from behind him, the trainer turning in his chair to see Lucky standing behind him, Serenity at her shoulder. The Lucario was wearing a dress as well, one that covered her entire chest up to the collar while leaving her back bare, a slit running from her right hip all the way to the hem that dangled just above the floor. Wolf looked at her in awe for a moment before he stood up, bowing before her and holding out one hand.

"Lucky, would you like to dance?" he asked, his eyes showing that he just wanted to be with her. She nodded, placing one paw in his hand even as she felt her face heat up at the suggestion. Silently he led her out onto the dance floor as the band began to play a slow song, prompting Wolf to take one paw in his hand and guide her onto his feet. Soon enough they were swaying gently to the music, silently waiting for the words to come.

"Wolf..." she began. "I... I'm sorry for the way I've been acting this week." He made to wave her apology away but she stopped him. "I was so wrapped up in making you happy that I didn't think that you cared about me. I thought you were unhappy that we couldn't win. Serenity told me why you did what you did. She had to. I was too stupid to see it myself."

"You're never stupid." He replied, his arm around her waist holding her closer. "You just forgot that I love you so much more than I could ever care about a tournament victory." She hiccoughed quietly, resting her head against his chest.

"I'm glad that you still love me." She whispered, tears beginning to form on the edges of her eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you." He held her, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her head. He didn't care if anyone was looking. All that mattered to him was her.

"If I could have your attention please." The band quietened down and the conversations became nonexistent as Scott's voice carried over the speakers, all eyes drawn to the podium where he stood. Wolf and Lucky stepped away from each other, though he kept one arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"First off, a big thank you to you all for participating in this year's Star Tournament." He continued, to a smattering of self applause. "The judges have just finished putting together the official results, which you'll hear now." The room seemed to descend further into an expectant silence as he took out a piece of paper and unfolded it.

"First off are the results for Kanto." He began. "The new champion for Kanto is Bruno!" Applause sounded out as the big man got up from his seat, looking awkward in a tuxedo, and waved around the room. Scott gave him a nod and a smile before continuing. "In descending order, the Elites for Kanto are Agatha, Lorelei, Blaine and Janet!" More applause broke the silence as the two returning Elites, Cinnibar's former gym leader and the fourteen year old trainer all followed Bruno's lead. Scott was the first to stop clapping, eager to continue announcing the results.

"Johto's line up changed very little," he said. "Lance has retained his champion status, while the Elite Four for Johto are Karen, Koga, Will and Falkner!" Lance stood up to bow, while the three returning Elites welcomed the flying pokemon trainer to their ranks.

"Sinnoh hasn't changed in the least, with Cynthia remaining as champion and Lucian, Flint, Bertha and Aaron retaining their Elite positions!" Some laughter intermingled with the applause this time as the strongest trainers in Sinnoh acknowledged the crowd.

"Finally, Hoenn." There was an expectant hush over the crowd now, since only four of Hoenn's trainers had made it past the first round. The remaining position in the Elite Four would be awarded to the trainer who displayed the greatest prowess in their battle. Scott let his gaze wander across the room for a moment before he came to the announcement. "Wallace is still the champion, while the first three Elites keep their positions as well. That means Drake, Glacia and Phoebe also remain Elites." The atmosphere was almost smothering everyone as they waited for the identity of the final Elite.

"The final Elite showed a great deal of poise in his match, demonstrating not only great skill but also compassion." Scott said, his gaze coming to rest on the person he was talking about. "The final Elite for Hoenn is Wolf." Wolf stood rooted to the spot as Scott called out his name, unable to believe his ears. It took three attempts from Lucky before he snapped out of his stupefaction, staring at the Lucario in wonder as he heard the applause. Finally an idiotic grin appeared on his face as he reacted, waving sheepishly at the crowd of trainers.

"Congratulations, Wolf." Lucky whispered as she held him, staring up into his face with pride. He barely heard anything for the rest of the ceremony, still not over his shock.

***

The moon was still out as Wolf and Lucky strolled around the quiet park area surrounding the stadium, happy just to spend some time alone after all the excitement of that evening. Paw in hand, they had no particular destination in mind as they wandered, no quickness to their pace either. They simply walked, trying to work the adrenaline out of themselves.

Soon enough Wolf judged they had come far enough, guiding Lucky to sit on a nearby park bench and collapsing next to her. He stared up into the sky, admiring the stars shining back down.

"I still can't believe it." He murmured, Lucky sliding over to press herself into him, her head coming to rest on his chest.

"It's true, Wolf." She replied, nuzzling him a little. "You're a member of the Elite Four." He didn't say anything, instead reaching over to grab her and put her on his lap, her legs straddling his. Moving the dress so she was comfortable, he cast a quick glance over each of his shoulders before leaning in and giving her a deep, passionate kiss. Lucky jerked back once they broke apart, looking around in alarm.

"Wolf, we can't do this here!" she whispered urgently. "What if someone sees us?" He pulled her closer again, kissing her deeply again. He licked along her lips, looking for entrance. After a few tense seconds she allowed it, her mouth opening to let his tongue inside as her body relaxed. Their tongues mingled for a few more seconds before they broke apart again, the Lucario gasping for air.

"I don't care if anyone sees us." He said softly, pressing her close to himself while one arm slipped under the fabric of her dress to rest between her legs, fingers caressing her dampening slit. She closed her eyes tight at the contact, trying desperately not to moan aloud. It didn't take him long to unzip his trousers, one hand freeing his stiffening shaft while the other rubbed along her wet underwear. He didn't waste time, the part of his mind that was still thinking rationally telling him that it would be best to finish this before anyone came along. The hand caressing her lifted her up and slid the damp cloth of her underwear to one side, his free hand guiding himself into her welcoming body. He exhaled loudly as her heat enveloped him, the Lucario helping by easing herself fully onto him. Soon after she drew her hips back, using small movements to begin with in case someone walked by. Wolf drew in a hissing breath as she ground her hips against his, his lips planting lustful kisses on her neck. She whimpered, trying to keep her mouth closed so that she didn't cry out in pleasure.

Neither of them wasted time, scared of being caught but excited by the possibility. The thrusts became quicker, Lucky drawing back as far as she dared while Wolf guided her down so that his tip brushed her as deep as possible. Lucky bit down on her lip to try and keep her mouth closed, bringing up one of Wolf's hands to grip it instead. He understood, wrapping his fingers around her muzzle and cutting down on the escaping noise. It worked, Lucky bucking wildly on him and coiling her arms around his neck.

Their rapid movements, combined with the possibility of getting caught having sex in such a public place, meant that neither of them could last too long. Lucky moaned into her clenched teeth, feeling her body convulse onto him as she reached her climax. Scant seconds later he followed suit, shooting his load into her as he brushed the deepest part of her he could. She humped him a few more times before she collapsed onto him, breathing heavily onto his ear. His skin tingled at her hot breath, his hands now wrapped around her back and holding her to him as close as he could. They only stayed like that for a short period, the fear of getting caught no longer holding any excitement for them as they returned to their senses. Quickly Wolf held her up again, letting her dress hide the movements of him pushing his penis back into his pants and sliding the fragrant scrap of her underwear back to cover her. Shakily they got to their feet and headed back to their room, unable to keep silly grins off their faces.

***

"Cynthia, can I talk to you for a second?"

The blonde haired champion looked up from her breakfast to find Wolf walking towards her. She indicated the seat opposite her, flashing him a quick smile.

"What can I do for you, Wolf?" she asked, placing her cutlery on the side of her plate so that she could give him her full attention. He looked at her for a couple of seconds before speaking, his face worried.

"What is it that I'm supposed to do, exactly?" he asked, getting a chuckle from the Sinnoh champion.

"As an Elite?" she asked, getting a nod in reply. "Pretty much whatever you want. To be honest though, you only managed to scrape through this time, so maybe mounting another league challenge would be a good idea. Scott managed to get Unova to integrate its own league into the national group, so I would suggest heading there. Leagues are always helpful for training, and it would probably help you to stick with something familiar until you're more comfortable being an Elite." He nodded thoughtfully, smiling at her.

"Sounds like a good idea." He agreed, getting up. "Thanks, Cynthia."Chapter End Notes:So end's Wolf's Journey, and Wolf has yet another plan already in place. Apparently I've written a pretty good story, and while I've got a rough idea of what's going to happen with Wolf's Hunt (working title, but it might very well be permanent), I don't plan on writing anything about Unova until I've got a solid idea of what Unova is like with English names and such.

If I hear enough interest for it, I might start working on a prequel for when Wolf first started his journey as a trainer. I don't have any ideas for other stuff at the moment, and to be honest I like Wolf and his team.

To all who did, thanks for reading. Thanks to all who commented as well, I enjoy hearing what people thought of my writing