Chapter 8 - Bonding
Wolf lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling despondently. It had only been a week since they'd won the Orange League championship match and taken their place in the Palace of Victory there, and while his pokemon were still riding the exhilarating wave of victory he had once more slipped into melancholy. Once more, he missed Lucky and Caelas.
He was nowhere near as far gone as he was before they had visited them, but it didn't stop him from feeling down. Rolling onto his side, he looked at the two photos of his most recent league victories, the one for the Orange League still placed behind the Sinnoh one, keeping his view of the three of them unobstructed. Smiling sadly, he flopped onto his back again and glanced at his watch. 11:53am. He'd been lying there for nearly three hours, completely unmotivated to do anything. His pokemon hadn't been stopped by his mood though, busying themselves with training.
Normally they would be taking the opportunity to relax as well, but when they had arrived home from the Orange Islands Rose had given the trainer a letter that had arrived while he was away. Curious at the blank envelope, the only decoration being a single star in the top left corner, he had opened it to find an invitation to attend the Star Tournament that was to be held near the end of the year. Serenity had taken it upon herself to get all of the pokemon training hard, knowing that the competition was bound to be unlike anything they had ever faced before now.
Finally, deciding that he was wasting the day just lying in bed, Wolf sat up and slipped his shoes on. It was a nice day out, and his room was beginning to feel like a prison. Heading out, stopping only to tell Rose that he was going for a walk, Wolf left his home and descended the spiral stairs that lead from the front door to the ground. He gave only a passing notice to his pokemon, even while they watched him walk off along the path towards the clearing he knew so well. Ivysaur watched him go before turning to Serenity, identical expressions of worry on their faces.
"Is he gonna be alright?" he asked, hoping the psychic pokemon could shed some light on the trainer's mood. She sighed, watching him depart with sad eyes.
"He's dwelling on Lucky and Caelas again." She said, folding her arms under her breast. "Poor kid." Any further talk was cut short when Byron appeared at the door, leaning over the rail to look at the pokemon.
"Serenity!" he called out, waiting until the Gardevoir acknowledged him before continuing. "Telephone for you." Serenity looked at Wolf's father with faint incomprehension, not feeling like reading his mind. He seemed excited about something, only saying more once she'd joined him at the top of the stairs.
"It's from Hearthome City." He said, grinning widely. "Sinnoh."
***
The ground felt soft under his back, wispy blades of grass caressing the bare skin of his arms and cheeks, urged on by a gentle breeze. He tried to direct his thoughts away from Lucky and Caelas, trying to focus on the Star Tournament instead so that he didn't feel so depressed.
This was the tournament that Cynthia had told him about after their victory in Sinnoh. According to the letter, the attendants would be the champions from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, along with the elites from those regions. A further twelve spots were given to three trainers from each region that had proven themselves talented enough to the organiser, a mysterious man named Scott. According to what he'd heard, Scott also ran a tournament known as the Battle Frontier that functioned in much the same was as any league, with the exception that there was no actual league meeting after a challenger had earned each of the eight frontier symbols.
The highest ranking member of each region once the Star Tournament concluded went on to become the champion for that region. The next four would make up the elites for the region, and any after that were simply made trainers again. If the lowest ranked were champions, they were ineligible to participate in further Star Tournaments. As such, those who held those posts were truly the most skilled of trainers. Wolf wondered whether or not they stood a chance, unable to banish such thoughts while he was still feeling blue.
"Wolf! Wolf!"
He frowned, hearing his name only dimly, thinking that it was just his imagination. As he lay there, the voice became more persistent as well as louder. He sat up, recognising Squishy's voice as she called out his name again. Figuring that it must be time for lunch, he stood up and began to walk towards the Milotic, who had just come into view. She seemed completely over the moon for some reason, slithering at him at an incredible pace until Wolf realised that she wasn't going to be able to stop. She collided with him as that thought flashed in his mind, knocking him to the ground while she bounced around, still singing his name.
"Wolf, I found you!" she yelled happily, not realising that she was bouncing on top of him. "You've gotta come home, something amazing has happened and..." she trailed off, realising that he wasn't standing in front of her. "Wolf?" she asked, looking around in confusion until she felt him twitch feebly underneath her. She grabbed him by the collar, placing the disordered trainer on his feet. When she drew back, she had a disapproving look on her face as they regarded each other.
"Wolf, this is no time to take a nap!" she scolded him, grabbing him by the collar and plonking him on her back. "You've gotta come home and see this! You'll be so happy!" Doing little more than making an indistinct sound, he let the thrilled Milotic carry him back home.
The trip was much quicker than he could have made on foot, and soon enough they were in view of the house, Wolf noting that his parents and Serenity were waiting out front in a line, and that Flannery was there too. Once Squishy stopped and let him off, she turned to Rose and beamed happily.
"I found him!" she declared proudly. "Now can I have a poffin?" Rose nodded her thanks to the Milotic, offering her a large blue poffin which she ate eagerly, content to receive her prize. The four of them smiled at Wolf, who looked between them in confusion.
"I seem to have stumbled into some kind of private joke." He said, unable to affect much emotion into his voice. Silently they drew to the sides, revealing what they had been hiding from him. Standing there, looking just as they had when he had left Eyllisithek, were Lucky and Caelas. They smiled warmly up at his staggered look, in high spirits to see him again.
"We're back, Wolf." She said, watching his face change from shock to ecstasy. He covered the few metres between them in two bounds, grabbing Lucky by the waist and twirling her around, laughing as Caelas leapt onto his shoulder to be with his father. He grinned up at her, and before anyone knew what he was doing, before Byron, Rose, Flannery, Serenity, Lucky or even himself could react, he brought her as close as he could, one arm holding her around her waist while one snaked up around her head, bringing her muzzle to his mouth and giving her the most passionate kiss he ever had, licking along her lips to gain passage into her mouth. She accepted readily, her arms entwining around his neck as they simply stood there, oblivious to the dumbfounded expressions worn by all except Serenity.
The Gardevoir watched their reunion with a happy smile, turning to see the looks of shock that Wolf's parents and Flannery wore as they watched him kiss her. Quietly she began to chuckle, turning to full bellied laughter as they continued to gawk. Flannery was the first to recover, seeing the humour in the situation as she watched her best friend kiss a pokemon. She giggled in hilarity, followed shortly by Byron, hilarity descending over all but Rose, whose stunned face only increased the volume of their mirth.
Finally, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, the lovers broke apart for no reason other than a need for air. Lucky placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek in pure happiness to see him again.
"I missed you both so much." Wolf murmured gently into her ear, the words meant only for the three of them. She drew back, staring deep into his dark green eyes with a mischievous glint in her own.
"We missed you too," she whispered, before adding. "But if that's the way you're going to greet me I might leave more often." He gripped her closer, kissing her cheek.
"Don't even joke about that." He replied, his tone convincing her that it was indeed in bad taste. "It hurt to be away from you both." She nodded gently, conceding his point. She knew what he meant, having felt much the same in her time with the clan. It was only then that they registered the laughing, turning to see their family and friends roaring with laughter. Wolf watched them, only just now realising what they had done.
"I guess I got a little excited..." he muttered, Lucky and Caelas joining in the giggling even as he grinned sheepishly. It didn't really matter to him. All that mattered was that his love and their son were home again.
***
"Wolf, it's time to wake up."
The trainer blinked his eyes open, finding a beautiful pair of bright red eyes staring lovingly into his own. He smiled at Lucky, drawing her close and kissing her before feeling around for his watch. When he got it to where he could see, he noticed that he'd been asleep for just over ten hours. He wasn't sure whether or not the extra sleep was due to the strenuous love making the night before or simply her presence, but he felt completely refreshed and ready for the world.
"I want to talk to you about something." Lucky added, staying in the bed while Wolf searched for his boxers. "It's about Caelas." Pulling his boxers on he laid back down next to her, holding her close to him while she continued to talk.
"It's important that you spend some time raising him as well." She continued, resting her head on his chest. She traced one paw along his torso lightly, smiling. "A Lucario has to take his son on a trek, so that he can grow up to be strong as well as kind hearted."
"A trek?" Wolf echoed, grasping her paw and squeezing gently. "Lucky, I don't even know what that is. Are you sure you want me to try this? What if I get it wrong?" She tilted her head back to gaze at his own troubled face.
"Wolf, this is something that Lucario have been doing since the dawn of time." She countered. "Thanks to Jirachi, you're part Lucario. That part of you will know exactly what to do. Besides, it's really not that different to when we began on our journey." Wolf frowned at the ceiling, one hand absently rubbing her side while the other ran his thumb along the side of her paw. He let the Lucario instincts buried in his mind surface, telling him exactly what he needed to do. Slowly, a broad smile appeared on his face as he realised that he could still play an important part in raising Caelas.
"Thanks Lucky." He breathed, pulling her up and kissing her again. "I hope I can get this right."
***
Spurred on by Lucky's belief in him, Wolf demolished his breakfast and had the shortest shower in his life, wanting to spend as much of the day with his son as he could. Once he was dressed, he wandered into the gym where Byron and his pokemon were running through their exercises. Opening the door, his eyes were immediately drawn to the weights station where Eve was busying herself selecting a couple of medium sized dumbbells, Caelas next to her. The Infernape was recounting tales of the Orange Islands to him, the Riolu listening attentively. Wolf strode over, picking Caelas up from behind and seating him on his shoulder.
"'Morning dad!" he barked happily, nuzzling the trainer affectionately. Wolf grinned at him, ruffling the fur on his head.
"Good morning guys." He replied, addressing them both. Eve gave him a friendly smile, though she kept silent. He suspected she wasn't quite over the awkwardness of the victory night on Pummelo Island. "Eve, I hope you don't mind me taking your audience." Caelas looked at him in wonder.
"Where are we going, dad?" he asked, confused. Wolf smiled at him, casting a quick glance around the gym. Everyone seemed preoccupied with their exercises, so they most likely wouldn't be overheard.
"You and I are going on a trek." Wolf murmured, wanting to take no chances. At the mention of the trek, the Riolu's eyes lit up and he immediately held himself as upright as possible.
"Really?" he asked excitedly, hugging Wolf as best as he could from where he was sitting. "We are? That's so cool!" Eve stopped working with the dumbbells, looking up at Wolf with almost as much enthusiasm.
"I'm glad that you are." She said. "The poor little guy's been worried that he might never get to because you were human."
"He's not the only one." Wolf replied, exiting the gym with Caelas on his shoulder.
***
Wolf and Caelas stood in the forest on Route 120, the Riolu unable to stand still in his excitement. Wolf had transformed, allowing his Lucario instincts to surface more readily so that he knew what he was doing. Looking down at Caelas, Wolf sifted through his mind to find out what the first thing to do was.
"Right," he started. "First off I need to see how strong you are already." Caelas wagged his tail, beaming up at his father.
"Okay!" he replied happily. Running over to where a fairly large rock sat, Caelas drew back a paw and struck it, the impact sending cracks speeding over its surface. Caelas turned to Wolf, finding the Lucario looking at him with a grimace.
"Rocks don't fight back." He said, scanning the surroundings until he saw what he was looking for. "How about that for a start?" Gesturing with his paw, Wolf indicated a pair of Marill who seemed to be fighting over a berry. The larger one was holding the smaller one at bay with his tail, ignoring the crying of the small one.
"That was my berry!" he bawled. "I found it first!"
"Tough luck." The larger one replied, taking a bite. Caelas looked at the scene, turning to Wolf.
"Which one should I fight?" he asked curiously. Wolf smiled down at him.
"Which one do you think is the bad one here?" he asked, watching as Caelas approached the squabbling Marill.
"That was his berry first." The Riolu declared, pointing at the larger Marill. "You stole it." Facing him, the large Marill scowled at him.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, his tone indicating he didn't appreciate the interruption. The small Marill crawled away, scared that he might get hurt. "What are you gonna do about it?" Caelas dropped into a fighting crouch, his intent plain as day. Marill didn't waste time, tucking in his limbs and rolling at full speed towards the Riolu. He didn't flinch, meeting the rollout attack head on with a force palm that sent the water mouse flying back into a tree. He uncurled, glaring at Caelas before letting loose a burst of water gun. He dodged, closing with a quick attack and crushing his foe against the tree again. Groaning, Marill slumped down unconscious. Picking up the berry, Caelas offered it to the cringing Marill, who accepted it readily with a broad smile.
"Thank you!" he said, clutching his prize. "That was very nice of you." He quietened down when Wolf emerged behind Caelas, the Lucario crouching behind his son.
"Well done." He said, congratulating the Riolu for his choices as much as his skill in battle. "I'm glad to see that you have strong morals." Caelas beamed, enjoying the praise. Marill stepped forward, wondering if they were still going to be helpful.
"Hey, are you two going to take on that bad Mightyena?" he asked, drawing stares from both father and son. "He's been stealing things from others, and lots of other pokemon have been helping him." The Lucario regarded the Marill for a second longer before turning to his son.
"Looks like we are." He answered.
***
The pair had followed Marill's directions, catching the scent he had described with little difficulty. Such a journey took the better part of the day, seeing them stop for a lunch break before continuing on their way. They had even been forced to fend off an opportunistic trainer, the human adamant about catching a Lucario until Wolf had dropped his own name as someone they were already living with.
"I still can't believe I can provoke that sort of reaction in other people." Wolf muttered, shaking his head. "Oh well. I suppose it teaches you that not every situation needs to be resolved by fighting."
They continued on, following the scent until the sun began to set, stopping every so often to settle disputes between other pokemon. Wolf allowed Caelas to do so on his own, feeling proud as he watched the Riolu settle as many with words as he did with paws. It wasn't until the sky began to turn orange that they came upon their quarry, a cave that was nestled in the depths of the forest. The scent of the Mightyena was strong here, and they stopped outside the cave and simply waited for the dark wolf to acknowledge them. It didn't take long, the wolf pokemon stalking out of his cave when he picked up on their own scent.
"You two've got a lotta nerve, jus' coming up to my place like this." He growled, licking his lips. "Or maybe it's jus' a death wish." Caelas gulped nervously, taking a deep breath and assuring himself that Wolf would never let anything bad happen to him.
"Why are you taking the belongings of other pokemon?" he asked, trying his best to keep the fear out of his voice. Mightyena was much more intimidating than any of the pokemon that they had come across on the trek, even though Wolf had made sure to increase the difficulty gradually.
"Because I can!" Mightyena barked harshly. "I guess dad mustn't be too good at it if he hasn't taught you that." Wolf tilted his head, smirking.
"What a load of crap." He replied, looking down at Caelas. "I think it might be time to teach you a lesson of your own." Caelas stepped forward, dropping into his fighting stance. Mightyena let out a cruel laugh.
"Yeah, some parent." He said. "Lettin' his kid take all the risks!" Caelas looked at Wolf, worry etched in his face.
"I'll be right here." Wolf assured him, the Riolu feeling much better with the promise of Wolf ready to back him up. He didn't have much time to dwell on that happy thought as his foe lunged at him, fangs snapping at the spot which he had occupied scant seconds before. He rolled to his feet, turning the movement into a quick attack that took Mightyena in the side and shoved him a few feet. The dark type recovered quickly, launching himself recklessly at the Riolu and knocking him a few metres. Caelas managed to roll to the side quick enough to avoid the follow up attack, flashing teeth missing him by inches. He retreated a couple of metres, both circling and waiting for an opportunity. It was Mightyena who broke the deadlock, rushing headlong at his opponent again. This time Caelas dropped under his teeth, swinging one paw around and landing a force palm on the underside of his muzzle that threw his head back, the wolf giving ground this time.
"Not bad, kid." He snarled, letting a loose tooth fall from his mouth. "Guess I'll have to kick it up a notch!" Barely breathing between, he let out a blast of shadow that sped towards Caelas. The Riolu nimbly dodged again, almost taken completely unaware as Mightyena rushed him again. He cried out as the wolf tackled him again, landing heavily and seemingly oblivious to his foe charging yet again. Even as Mightyena's jaws closed around the Riolu he shimmered and disappeared, only to be replaced by a ring of Riolu staring down his foe. He lunged at the closest, his teeth slicing through air again. Frustrated, he didn't notice one of the images behind him detach itself from the ring and silently dash up to him, landing another force palm on his stomach and forcing the wolf to the ground, gasping for air. Wolf moved to stand over the fallen pokemon alongside his son, staring sternly down into Mightyena's defiant gaze.
"Yeah, whatever." He gasped defiantly. "Jus' kill me an' get it over with." Caelas looked up at Wolf, wondering what was going to happen as Wolf crouched down to be closer.
"Has anyone ever done what you have before?" he asked, the question taking Mightyena off guard.
"Uh... yeah." He replied. "Used to be a Flygon what ran these parts. He got it from a couple of Altaria." Wolf smiled, tilting his head again.
"Ever notice how people who lord it over others get their tails handed to them?" he asked, standing up and beckoning for Caelas to follow. "Maybe you'll think about that next time you want to be the boss." With that, the father and son withdrew and left Mightyena to slip into unconsciousness.
***
"I'll get it." Serenity called out, walking over to the phone and picking it up. The screen winked into life as the Gardevoir held the receiver to her ear, revealing the grinning faces of Wolf and Caelas.
"Oh, Wolf." She said, frowning at the screen. "I was wondering where you two had gone."
"Yeah, about that." Wolf replied, one hand resting on his neck. "We went on a trek, and we somehow ended up in Lilycove City. Would you mind picking us up?"
He was nowhere near as far gone as he was before they had visited them, but it didn't stop him from feeling down. Rolling onto his side, he looked at the two photos of his most recent league victories, the one for the Orange League still placed behind the Sinnoh one, keeping his view of the three of them unobstructed. Smiling sadly, he flopped onto his back again and glanced at his watch. 11:53am. He'd been lying there for nearly three hours, completely unmotivated to do anything. His pokemon hadn't been stopped by his mood though, busying themselves with training.
Normally they would be taking the opportunity to relax as well, but when they had arrived home from the Orange Islands Rose had given the trainer a letter that had arrived while he was away. Curious at the blank envelope, the only decoration being a single star in the top left corner, he had opened it to find an invitation to attend the Star Tournament that was to be held near the end of the year. Serenity had taken it upon herself to get all of the pokemon training hard, knowing that the competition was bound to be unlike anything they had ever faced before now.
Finally, deciding that he was wasting the day just lying in bed, Wolf sat up and slipped his shoes on. It was a nice day out, and his room was beginning to feel like a prison. Heading out, stopping only to tell Rose that he was going for a walk, Wolf left his home and descended the spiral stairs that lead from the front door to the ground. He gave only a passing notice to his pokemon, even while they watched him walk off along the path towards the clearing he knew so well. Ivysaur watched him go before turning to Serenity, identical expressions of worry on their faces.
"Is he gonna be alright?" he asked, hoping the psychic pokemon could shed some light on the trainer's mood. She sighed, watching him depart with sad eyes.
"He's dwelling on Lucky and Caelas again." She said, folding her arms under her breast. "Poor kid." Any further talk was cut short when Byron appeared at the door, leaning over the rail to look at the pokemon.
"Serenity!" he called out, waiting until the Gardevoir acknowledged him before continuing. "Telephone for you." Serenity looked at Wolf's father with faint incomprehension, not feeling like reading his mind. He seemed excited about something, only saying more once she'd joined him at the top of the stairs.
"It's from Hearthome City." He said, grinning widely. "Sinnoh."
***
The ground felt soft under his back, wispy blades of grass caressing the bare skin of his arms and cheeks, urged on by a gentle breeze. He tried to direct his thoughts away from Lucky and Caelas, trying to focus on the Star Tournament instead so that he didn't feel so depressed.
This was the tournament that Cynthia had told him about after their victory in Sinnoh. According to the letter, the attendants would be the champions from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, along with the elites from those regions. A further twelve spots were given to three trainers from each region that had proven themselves talented enough to the organiser, a mysterious man named Scott. According to what he'd heard, Scott also ran a tournament known as the Battle Frontier that functioned in much the same was as any league, with the exception that there was no actual league meeting after a challenger had earned each of the eight frontier symbols.
The highest ranking member of each region once the Star Tournament concluded went on to become the champion for that region. The next four would make up the elites for the region, and any after that were simply made trainers again. If the lowest ranked were champions, they were ineligible to participate in further Star Tournaments. As such, those who held those posts were truly the most skilled of trainers. Wolf wondered whether or not they stood a chance, unable to banish such thoughts while he was still feeling blue.
"Wolf! Wolf!"
He frowned, hearing his name only dimly, thinking that it was just his imagination. As he lay there, the voice became more persistent as well as louder. He sat up, recognising Squishy's voice as she called out his name again. Figuring that it must be time for lunch, he stood up and began to walk towards the Milotic, who had just come into view. She seemed completely over the moon for some reason, slithering at him at an incredible pace until Wolf realised that she wasn't going to be able to stop. She collided with him as that thought flashed in his mind, knocking him to the ground while she bounced around, still singing his name.
"Wolf, I found you!" she yelled happily, not realising that she was bouncing on top of him. "You've gotta come home, something amazing has happened and..." she trailed off, realising that he wasn't standing in front of her. "Wolf?" she asked, looking around in confusion until she felt him twitch feebly underneath her. She grabbed him by the collar, placing the disordered trainer on his feet. When she drew back, she had a disapproving look on her face as they regarded each other.
"Wolf, this is no time to take a nap!" she scolded him, grabbing him by the collar and plonking him on her back. "You've gotta come home and see this! You'll be so happy!" Doing little more than making an indistinct sound, he let the thrilled Milotic carry him back home.
The trip was much quicker than he could have made on foot, and soon enough they were in view of the house, Wolf noting that his parents and Serenity were waiting out front in a line, and that Flannery was there too. Once Squishy stopped and let him off, she turned to Rose and beamed happily.
"I found him!" she declared proudly. "Now can I have a poffin?" Rose nodded her thanks to the Milotic, offering her a large blue poffin which she ate eagerly, content to receive her prize. The four of them smiled at Wolf, who looked between them in confusion.
"I seem to have stumbled into some kind of private joke." He said, unable to affect much emotion into his voice. Silently they drew to the sides, revealing what they had been hiding from him. Standing there, looking just as they had when he had left Eyllisithek, were Lucky and Caelas. They smiled warmly up at his staggered look, in high spirits to see him again.
"We're back, Wolf." She said, watching his face change from shock to ecstasy. He covered the few metres between them in two bounds, grabbing Lucky by the waist and twirling her around, laughing as Caelas leapt onto his shoulder to be with his father. He grinned up at her, and before anyone knew what he was doing, before Byron, Rose, Flannery, Serenity, Lucky or even himself could react, he brought her as close as he could, one arm holding her around her waist while one snaked up around her head, bringing her muzzle to his mouth and giving her the most passionate kiss he ever had, licking along her lips to gain passage into her mouth. She accepted readily, her arms entwining around his neck as they simply stood there, oblivious to the dumbfounded expressions worn by all except Serenity.
The Gardevoir watched their reunion with a happy smile, turning to see the looks of shock that Wolf's parents and Flannery wore as they watched him kiss her. Quietly she began to chuckle, turning to full bellied laughter as they continued to gawk. Flannery was the first to recover, seeing the humour in the situation as she watched her best friend kiss a pokemon. She giggled in hilarity, followed shortly by Byron, hilarity descending over all but Rose, whose stunned face only increased the volume of their mirth.
Finally, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, the lovers broke apart for no reason other than a need for air. Lucky placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek in pure happiness to see him again.
"I missed you both so much." Wolf murmured gently into her ear, the words meant only for the three of them. She drew back, staring deep into his dark green eyes with a mischievous glint in her own.
"We missed you too," she whispered, before adding. "But if that's the way you're going to greet me I might leave more often." He gripped her closer, kissing her cheek.
"Don't even joke about that." He replied, his tone convincing her that it was indeed in bad taste. "It hurt to be away from you both." She nodded gently, conceding his point. She knew what he meant, having felt much the same in her time with the clan. It was only then that they registered the laughing, turning to see their family and friends roaring with laughter. Wolf watched them, only just now realising what they had done.
"I guess I got a little excited..." he muttered, Lucky and Caelas joining in the giggling even as he grinned sheepishly. It didn't really matter to him. All that mattered was that his love and their son were home again.
***
"Wolf, it's time to wake up."
The trainer blinked his eyes open, finding a beautiful pair of bright red eyes staring lovingly into his own. He smiled at Lucky, drawing her close and kissing her before feeling around for his watch. When he got it to where he could see, he noticed that he'd been asleep for just over ten hours. He wasn't sure whether or not the extra sleep was due to the strenuous love making the night before or simply her presence, but he felt completely refreshed and ready for the world.
"I want to talk to you about something." Lucky added, staying in the bed while Wolf searched for his boxers. "It's about Caelas." Pulling his boxers on he laid back down next to her, holding her close to him while she continued to talk.
"It's important that you spend some time raising him as well." She continued, resting her head on his chest. She traced one paw along his torso lightly, smiling. "A Lucario has to take his son on a trek, so that he can grow up to be strong as well as kind hearted."
"A trek?" Wolf echoed, grasping her paw and squeezing gently. "Lucky, I don't even know what that is. Are you sure you want me to try this? What if I get it wrong?" She tilted her head back to gaze at his own troubled face.
"Wolf, this is something that Lucario have been doing since the dawn of time." She countered. "Thanks to Jirachi, you're part Lucario. That part of you will know exactly what to do. Besides, it's really not that different to when we began on our journey." Wolf frowned at the ceiling, one hand absently rubbing her side while the other ran his thumb along the side of her paw. He let the Lucario instincts buried in his mind surface, telling him exactly what he needed to do. Slowly, a broad smile appeared on his face as he realised that he could still play an important part in raising Caelas.
"Thanks Lucky." He breathed, pulling her up and kissing her again. "I hope I can get this right."
***
Spurred on by Lucky's belief in him, Wolf demolished his breakfast and had the shortest shower in his life, wanting to spend as much of the day with his son as he could. Once he was dressed, he wandered into the gym where Byron and his pokemon were running through their exercises. Opening the door, his eyes were immediately drawn to the weights station where Eve was busying herself selecting a couple of medium sized dumbbells, Caelas next to her. The Infernape was recounting tales of the Orange Islands to him, the Riolu listening attentively. Wolf strode over, picking Caelas up from behind and seating him on his shoulder.
"'Morning dad!" he barked happily, nuzzling the trainer affectionately. Wolf grinned at him, ruffling the fur on his head.
"Good morning guys." He replied, addressing them both. Eve gave him a friendly smile, though she kept silent. He suspected she wasn't quite over the awkwardness of the victory night on Pummelo Island. "Eve, I hope you don't mind me taking your audience." Caelas looked at him in wonder.
"Where are we going, dad?" he asked, confused. Wolf smiled at him, casting a quick glance around the gym. Everyone seemed preoccupied with their exercises, so they most likely wouldn't be overheard.
"You and I are going on a trek." Wolf murmured, wanting to take no chances. At the mention of the trek, the Riolu's eyes lit up and he immediately held himself as upright as possible.
"Really?" he asked excitedly, hugging Wolf as best as he could from where he was sitting. "We are? That's so cool!" Eve stopped working with the dumbbells, looking up at Wolf with almost as much enthusiasm.
"I'm glad that you are." She said. "The poor little guy's been worried that he might never get to because you were human."
"He's not the only one." Wolf replied, exiting the gym with Caelas on his shoulder.
***
Wolf and Caelas stood in the forest on Route 120, the Riolu unable to stand still in his excitement. Wolf had transformed, allowing his Lucario instincts to surface more readily so that he knew what he was doing. Looking down at Caelas, Wolf sifted through his mind to find out what the first thing to do was.
"Right," he started. "First off I need to see how strong you are already." Caelas wagged his tail, beaming up at his father.
"Okay!" he replied happily. Running over to where a fairly large rock sat, Caelas drew back a paw and struck it, the impact sending cracks speeding over its surface. Caelas turned to Wolf, finding the Lucario looking at him with a grimace.
"Rocks don't fight back." He said, scanning the surroundings until he saw what he was looking for. "How about that for a start?" Gesturing with his paw, Wolf indicated a pair of Marill who seemed to be fighting over a berry. The larger one was holding the smaller one at bay with his tail, ignoring the crying of the small one.
"That was my berry!" he bawled. "I found it first!"
"Tough luck." The larger one replied, taking a bite. Caelas looked at the scene, turning to Wolf.
"Which one should I fight?" he asked curiously. Wolf smiled down at him.
"Which one do you think is the bad one here?" he asked, watching as Caelas approached the squabbling Marill.
"That was his berry first." The Riolu declared, pointing at the larger Marill. "You stole it." Facing him, the large Marill scowled at him.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, his tone indicating he didn't appreciate the interruption. The small Marill crawled away, scared that he might get hurt. "What are you gonna do about it?" Caelas dropped into a fighting crouch, his intent plain as day. Marill didn't waste time, tucking in his limbs and rolling at full speed towards the Riolu. He didn't flinch, meeting the rollout attack head on with a force palm that sent the water mouse flying back into a tree. He uncurled, glaring at Caelas before letting loose a burst of water gun. He dodged, closing with a quick attack and crushing his foe against the tree again. Groaning, Marill slumped down unconscious. Picking up the berry, Caelas offered it to the cringing Marill, who accepted it readily with a broad smile.
"Thank you!" he said, clutching his prize. "That was very nice of you." He quietened down when Wolf emerged behind Caelas, the Lucario crouching behind his son.
"Well done." He said, congratulating the Riolu for his choices as much as his skill in battle. "I'm glad to see that you have strong morals." Caelas beamed, enjoying the praise. Marill stepped forward, wondering if they were still going to be helpful.
"Hey, are you two going to take on that bad Mightyena?" he asked, drawing stares from both father and son. "He's been stealing things from others, and lots of other pokemon have been helping him." The Lucario regarded the Marill for a second longer before turning to his son.
"Looks like we are." He answered.
***
The pair had followed Marill's directions, catching the scent he had described with little difficulty. Such a journey took the better part of the day, seeing them stop for a lunch break before continuing on their way. They had even been forced to fend off an opportunistic trainer, the human adamant about catching a Lucario until Wolf had dropped his own name as someone they were already living with.
"I still can't believe I can provoke that sort of reaction in other people." Wolf muttered, shaking his head. "Oh well. I suppose it teaches you that not every situation needs to be resolved by fighting."
They continued on, following the scent until the sun began to set, stopping every so often to settle disputes between other pokemon. Wolf allowed Caelas to do so on his own, feeling proud as he watched the Riolu settle as many with words as he did with paws. It wasn't until the sky began to turn orange that they came upon their quarry, a cave that was nestled in the depths of the forest. The scent of the Mightyena was strong here, and they stopped outside the cave and simply waited for the dark wolf to acknowledge them. It didn't take long, the wolf pokemon stalking out of his cave when he picked up on their own scent.
"You two've got a lotta nerve, jus' coming up to my place like this." He growled, licking his lips. "Or maybe it's jus' a death wish." Caelas gulped nervously, taking a deep breath and assuring himself that Wolf would never let anything bad happen to him.
"Why are you taking the belongings of other pokemon?" he asked, trying his best to keep the fear out of his voice. Mightyena was much more intimidating than any of the pokemon that they had come across on the trek, even though Wolf had made sure to increase the difficulty gradually.
"Because I can!" Mightyena barked harshly. "I guess dad mustn't be too good at it if he hasn't taught you that." Wolf tilted his head, smirking.
"What a load of crap." He replied, looking down at Caelas. "I think it might be time to teach you a lesson of your own." Caelas stepped forward, dropping into his fighting stance. Mightyena let out a cruel laugh.
"Yeah, some parent." He said. "Lettin' his kid take all the risks!" Caelas looked at Wolf, worry etched in his face.
"I'll be right here." Wolf assured him, the Riolu feeling much better with the promise of Wolf ready to back him up. He didn't have much time to dwell on that happy thought as his foe lunged at him, fangs snapping at the spot which he had occupied scant seconds before. He rolled to his feet, turning the movement into a quick attack that took Mightyena in the side and shoved him a few feet. The dark type recovered quickly, launching himself recklessly at the Riolu and knocking him a few metres. Caelas managed to roll to the side quick enough to avoid the follow up attack, flashing teeth missing him by inches. He retreated a couple of metres, both circling and waiting for an opportunity. It was Mightyena who broke the deadlock, rushing headlong at his opponent again. This time Caelas dropped under his teeth, swinging one paw around and landing a force palm on the underside of his muzzle that threw his head back, the wolf giving ground this time.
"Not bad, kid." He snarled, letting a loose tooth fall from his mouth. "Guess I'll have to kick it up a notch!" Barely breathing between, he let out a blast of shadow that sped towards Caelas. The Riolu nimbly dodged again, almost taken completely unaware as Mightyena rushed him again. He cried out as the wolf tackled him again, landing heavily and seemingly oblivious to his foe charging yet again. Even as Mightyena's jaws closed around the Riolu he shimmered and disappeared, only to be replaced by a ring of Riolu staring down his foe. He lunged at the closest, his teeth slicing through air again. Frustrated, he didn't notice one of the images behind him detach itself from the ring and silently dash up to him, landing another force palm on his stomach and forcing the wolf to the ground, gasping for air. Wolf moved to stand over the fallen pokemon alongside his son, staring sternly down into Mightyena's defiant gaze.
"Yeah, whatever." He gasped defiantly. "Jus' kill me an' get it over with." Caelas looked up at Wolf, wondering what was going to happen as Wolf crouched down to be closer.
"Has anyone ever done what you have before?" he asked, the question taking Mightyena off guard.
"Uh... yeah." He replied. "Used to be a Flygon what ran these parts. He got it from a couple of Altaria." Wolf smiled, tilting his head again.
"Ever notice how people who lord it over others get their tails handed to them?" he asked, standing up and beckoning for Caelas to follow. "Maybe you'll think about that next time you want to be the boss." With that, the father and son withdrew and left Mightyena to slip into unconsciousness.
***
"I'll get it." Serenity called out, walking over to the phone and picking it up. The screen winked into life as the Gardevoir held the receiver to her ear, revealing the grinning faces of Wolf and Caelas.
"Oh, Wolf." She said, frowning at the screen. "I was wondering where you two had gone."
"Yeah, about that." Wolf replied, one hand resting on his neck. "We went on a trek, and we somehow ended up in Lilycove City. Would you mind picking us up?"