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Lucario fanfic – Quest for Power (Team Ruki Origins)
【 Chapter 12: Lucarionite 】
The storm showed no signs of letting up, getting heavier instead. Dark clouds blocked out the sun completely. No one could tell what time of day it was. Ruki trudged along deeper into Mega Island, ignoring the cold rain and the harsh environment.
Several Sableye scuttled along around the caves, digging, picking up rocks to look under them, and then disappearing back into the shadows. A Camerupt sniffed the ground as if looking for something, only to be rammed roughly by another Camerupt. The two roared loudly at each other, starting a territorial fight. Some Garchomp flew in the skies to survey the ground, unafraid of the thunder striking around them as they were Ground-type Pokémon immune to electricity.
They were all obviously searching for their own Mega Stones, Ruki thought. Everyone seemed to be on edge, a lot more aggressive than usual. The Lucario kicked away a wild Pinsir who tried to attack him, finishing him off with an Aura Sphere. The moment that Pinsir fell to the ground, other Pinsir nearby attacked him. For them, it was a good chance to reduce competition. Ruki sighed and walked on.
This island was the epitome of barbarism. The strong preyed on the weak. It was the survival of the fittest and nature had no mercy. But perhaps that was the type of place that suited him best. He was used to it by now. The Lucario stopped at the top of a cliff, scanning the wide expanse of Mega Island’s landscape.
The gales howled wildly, blowing against him and sending cold rain into his face. He wondered where to start searching for the Lucarionite. If Alina was here, maybe she’d have suggested something. Or maybe Filio would have some clues since he’d been here before.
Ruki shook his head. Why was he thinking about them and depending on them again? He should be looking for his Mega Stone with his own abilities.
Closing his eyes, he calmed his mind and concentrated on his surroundings. He focused on the Aura of the living beings around him, becoming one with life and nature. He felt the shiver of leaves as the cold raindrops pattered on them, the pulse of bubbling magma in the veins of the distant volcano, the energy of new life in seedlings that freshly sprouted in the ground…
Eventually, he could feel the breath of Mega Island itself, its powerful energy flow displaying itself as magnificent rainbow threads around him. The energy of Mega Stones wasn’t hard to spot, appearing as purple masses of concentrated power. There were many of them scattered around, so the Lucario tried to find the one that resonated with him the most. The one that called and beckoned to all Lucario.
“…Got you.”
In his mind’s eye, one stone located northeast of where he stood shone much brighter than the others. He could tell instinctively that it was a Lucarionite. But then, he also felt the Aura of a powerful Pokémon holding the stone.
Ruki opened his eyes. That Pokémon’s Aura didn’t feel like a Lucario. It was something he didn’t recognize. He found it strange, but decided to go and give it a look. Ready for anything, he headed northeast at full speed.
In the meantime, Alina and Filio sifted carefully through the rocks and debris in the dark, searching for the star jewel that had been knocked off Alina’s crown stalk during Ruki’s outrage. The rain made the rocks slippery. Alina gasped as she stumbled. Luckily, Filio caught her, helping her regain her balance.
“Ugh, let’s give it up! We’ve been at this for hours!” Filio complained in annoyance, further bothered by how uncomfortable it felt with his thick winter fur all wet and heavy. “There’s no way we can find such a tiny thing among all these rocks. It might even have been washed away by this damn rain!”
“Filio, please,” Alina pleaded, “Can we… look for it for just a little longer? It’s something we got as ‘Team Ruki’…”
“……” The Absol watched her silently for awhile. Although she looked tired and her hands and white cloak were completely soiled, the Tsareena kept looking. She seemed intent on finding the object no matter what. He sighed in surrender.
“Argh, fine!” He grumbled, walking away. “It’s a guy’s job to help a damsel in distress, after all. I’ll check those rocks over there.”
“……” Alina knelt down, continuing to search between the cracks and fissures beneath her.
“Oh, Filio, what’ll you do after this?” She asked. “Will you just return home to Mount Attuna, after all?”
“Dunno. Too pissed off to think right now,” Filio said as he kicked some stones over to look under them. “And you? Gonna leave this cursed island? Or will you look for Ruki?”
Alina looked up at the dark skies above her, feeling the rain pour onto her face. “I can’t leave him alone over here. What if something happens to him?”
“Tch, you’re quite attached to him, huh?” Filio replied, “The idiot doesn’t deserve you. How could he just hit you and ditch you after everything you did for him?”
Alina looked to the ground sadly, pulling her cape closer.
“He… That’s not how he really is. I know it,” she said, remembering her days with the Lucario. “You don’t know Filio, but when he first came to challenge me, he had such a stern-looking face and dark eyes, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. But after travelling with me for awhile, he started cheering up a little. After you joined, I noticed him smiling even more often… Maybe Ruki never realized it himself, but I know it–he had fun when he travelled with us. He forgot about his past and about wanting to get stronger, and just lived in the present.”
Filio looked at her sadly, feeling sorry for Ruki. Alina continued.
“I think Ruki’s just… lost. He needs us the most right now. I want to help him like he had helped me.”
“……” Filio sighed. “Argh, fine! I get it! Filia wouldn’t have liked to see Ruki like that either, since he’d helped us and all. So let’s go find him and kick his butt until he comes back to his senses.”
“Thanks, Filio,” Alina said, content.
“By the way, look what I found, sis.”
“Huh?”
Filio walked over to Alina and dropped their missing star jewel in her hands. The Tsareena gasped in surprise and happiness.
“Filio! You found it!”
“Haha, wouldn’t have if you didn’t tell us to stay here for a while longer.” Filio grinned. “Now let’s go and look for our boss, shall we? Before he starts doing something stupid. We’re Team Ruki, right?”
Alina teared up, happy that the Absol also wanted their team back together. She pounced at him and hugged him tightly.
“Oh, thanks, Filio! You can be my knight in Roza!”
“Yeah! I got my promotion! Hahaha!” Filio laughed. “Alright then, let’s go!”
Alina nodded. She got up, proudly attaching the star jewel back to the top of her crown stalk. The Absol and the Tsareena headed inland together to search for their companion.
Lightning flashed as Ruki walked through a narrow corridor of rocks, completely drenched and miserable. He winced every time there was a thunderstrike, hating the island even more. Why did it have such a violent thunderstorm? Even worse, it became even more thunderous the closer he got to the Lucarionite. There was enough static electricity in the air that it crackled and fizzed in his wet fur as he walked.
A giant thunderbolt suddenly struck the rocks above him, blasting it into little pieces. He jumped forward reflexively, avoiding the rocks that fell and blocked the path behind him. The thunderbolt was so destructive that it looked unnatural. Cursing, the Lucario made a turn and exited the narrow corridor, finding himself in a large, open rocky field. What greeted him there surprised him greatly.
A bipedal feline Pokémon that he had never seen before stood proudly in the center of the field. An incredible amount of whitish blue electricity coursed through the yellow and black fur that covered his slender body, collecting in his long claws and the single blue horn on his forehead. Contrary to his delicate features and relatively petite form, his Aura was powerful enough to make any mortal bow before him.
The mysterious Pokémon was surrounded by three wild Lucario, all fighting their instinct to run away, prowling around him like a hungry pack of wolves instead. It was then that Ruki realized–the feline Pokémon was holding the Lucarionite whose energy he had been following so far. He stayed hidden and watched as one of the wild Lucario spoke up menacingly.
“That Lucarionite’s the Mega Stone for us Lucario. It’s of no use to your kind, so hand it over… Zeraora!”
Ruki’s eyes widened. A Zeraora? He remembered what Céline told him back in Kiloude City. Zeraora, the Mythical Pokémon born of thunder… Could he have been the cause of all this island’s persistent and violent thunderstorms? From Céline’s description, he had expected a Zeraora to be a larger, more menacing Pokémon, like a Raikou or something. It was surprising to see that the cat was around his own size. Still, from the Aura he felt, he must be hiding a lot of power in that little body. Ruki watched as Zeraora conversed with the other Lucario.
“Sorry, I can’t give you this stone,” the cat said, shaking his head. “I’m waiting for a certain someone who’d come for it.”
The three wild Lucario growled angrily, not happy with Zeraora’s excuse. One of them snapped at him impatiently.
“We don’t care! It’s the strong against the weak on this island. If you won’t hand it over quietly, we’ll just take it by force!”
With that, the three Lucario lunged at Zeraora. The cat didn’t seem scared. He zipped across the field, literally at lightning speed, evading all their attacks. Dancing with the thunderbolts that struck around him, he absorbed all the electricity into his glowing blue paw pads. Zeraora closed his eyes, focusing all his energy. High voltage currents began to crackle dangerously out of his fur.
“Discharge!” He exclaimed, releasing a giant shockwave of electricity from his body, striking all three Lucario. They gritted their teeth in pain, stunned in place. Unfortunately for them, their wet fur amplified the power of the electricity that coursed through them even further.
“Spark!” Charging his electricity once again, Zeraora lunged at his foes, finishing them with three powerful kicks. He landed gracefully in the center of the rocky fields, his foes falling unconscious around him.
“Hmph, good try, but guess this is my win,” Zeraora said, stretching. He began to lick his paw and tidy his fur as though the battle was nothing.
Ruki gulped a little nervously, having seen what the Mythical Pokémon was capable of. The weather wasn’t on his side either–he just saw how catastrophic it would be to get electrocuted while he was wet. Ruki frowned, but he’d have to confront Zeraora if he wants his Lucarionite. He walked out from behind the rocks, revealing himself.
“You,” he called out, surprising the cat and getting straight down to business. “I’ve come to take that Lucarionite. Now hand it over.”
“Hm? Oh!” The moment Zeraora laid his eyes on Ruki, he was suddenly overcome with excitement.
“That black cloak and that cut in your left ear, you must be Ruki, Reaper of the Battlefield!” the cat said, recognizing him immediately. “You’re the Lucario I’ve been waiting for!”
“Huh?” Ruki looked at him in confusion.
“I’m the apprentice of Thundersnow, the guardian of Mount Frost. My name’s Kitt– Uhh… No, just call me ‘Zeraora’. I’ve come to Mega Island to look for powerful opponents to train with,” the Thunderclap Pokémon said, bowing lightly as he introduced himself. He then held up his Lucarionite in his claws, showing it to Ruki.
“A Pokémon in a hooded cloak gave this to me. He told me that if I hold on to it, a worthy opponent would show up. And then he gave me your description.”
“What?” Ruki glared at Zeraora. His story was too much information to process in one go. The fact that the hooded Pokémon was still setting him up even now made the Lucario’s blood boil. Otherwise, this Zeraora being the apprentice of Thundersnow, the cat that Céline mentioned, piqued his interest. Zeraora placed the Lucarionite on a rock between them, smiling at him challengingly.
“So Ruki, would you accept a duel with me? This Lucarionite’s the prize if you win.”
“Hmph, just what I was thinking,” Ruki muttered, removing his black cloak and throwing it to the side. Gathering Aura in his hand, he summoned his bone scythe, pointing its sharp blade at Zeraora. “Heard that this Thundersnow’s a strong Pokémon. Show me what his apprentice can do!”
“With pleasure,” the cat said, his horn and paw pads glowing as he drew out his sharp claws.
A blinding flash and the loud crack of thunder marked the start of their ferocious duel.
Trivia
- The pictures are fanarts of Zephyr that I drew in the past: first picture, second picture.
- Northeast was the direction Céline told Ruki to go to if he wanted to challenge Zeraora’s mentor Thundersnow (Chapter 10).
- Zeraora is Kitten (Zephyr) from my comic ‘Twin Thunders‘, a few years after he left Mount Frost.
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