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Lucario fanfic – Quest for Power (Team Ruki Origins)
【 Chapter 5: Queen of Thorns 】
The sun was high up in the sky. Ruki had arrived in a new region, his black cloak billowing in the wind as he continued walking westward through fields of chamomiles.
Like before, he travelled while defeating troublemakers on the way in exchange for food and shelter. His winning streak earned him fear, respect and many names–the Headhunter, the Black Wolf, the Dark Hero… Eventually, his black cloak, bone scythe and ruthless fighting style gave him a name that stuck–the Reaper of the Battlefield. Just hearing it would send his enemies running, and like that, he gained even more fame and notoriety among the Pokémon guilds.
Ruki walked on, stopping in front of a road sign at a crossroad, opening his map to find his bearings. The journey had been very smooth. Since this was his first time traveling alone so far away from home, he had expected it to be much more difficult. But he supposed that he could pass through anything as long as he was strong enough to muscle through them. He frowned, disappointed that no enemy so far had managed to put up much of a fight. He couldn’t put his strength to the test or become any stronger like this. Battles started to feel like a chore and it irritated him. Suddenly, a voice called out to him.
“Why, if it isn’t Ruki, Reaper of the Battlefield.”
Ruki turned to look. A tall, slim figure wearing a hooded white cloak was standing there, leaning against a large tree. Since he wasn’t speaking the human language, the Lucario knew that it was a Pokémon, but the cloak covering his entire body and the hood being deep enough to hide his face hid his identity. Not that Ruki cared much about a random passer-by anyway. He didn’t sense any malice from the stranger’s Aura, so he knew that the Pokémon meant him no harm. Ruki ignored him and turned his attention back to his map.
“Not taking any quests right now. Got enough food and water,” he said off-handedly.
“Ooh, I see, I see. But my, you do look quite frustrated. Is it perhaps… because you’re winning too much? Everyone knows that you never lost.”
“…And?” Ruki asked with an exasperated sigh. He was starting to get annoyed with this stranger. The cloaked figure chuckled.
“What if I tell you that there’s a Pokémon around here who might actually beat you? Care for some exercise?”
Ruki’s ears and tail perked. He’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t interested in finally having a decent battle. Even so, he really needed to get going to Kalos.
“Too bad. Don’t have time for detours.” He said, trying to be logical.
“Hm? Suit yourself. But if you want to, head to Roza Forest. It’s just right around the corner. I know that you don’t want to rust your scythe fighting only little insects, so give it a thought, won’t you?”
Ruki turned to glare at the stranger. “Why are you telling me this? Who are you and what do you want, anyway?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. Just a fan who’s fascinated by tales of the Reaper that the guilds around here are so proud of. I’d love to see you flourish and defeat stronger opponents. Hehehe…”
With that, the mysterious figure walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees and bushes. Strange guy, Ruki thought. The Lucario didn’t sense any lies from the stranger’s Aura, so maybe he meant what he said. No matter. If the guy appeared again and tried anything funny, Ruki would just need to beat him into a pulp.
He turned around to continue his journey, but the conversation got him really curious about Roza Forest. After much consideration, Ruki decided to go and give it a look, after all. Just one extra battle shouldn’t take too much time if he could finish it quickly.
When Ruki got to Roza Forest, he was surprised at the state of the place. The forest was thick and dark, an inexplicable tension hanging in the air. Although it was still daylight, there wasn’t a single birdsong or signs of Pokémon activity in the forest. There were many bunches of wilted chamomiles and various other plants that had been uprooted from the ground, replaced by thorny roses. The many rose bushes that surrounded him looked fresh and beautiful, but rather eerie, the roses deep red like they had sucked up blood from the soil.
“NO! We will NOT surrender! This is our home, Romashka Forest!!”
The sudden cries of distress attracted Ruki’s attention. He looked there, seeing a Bellossom and a Hoppip in a clearing surrounded by four Roselia. One of the Roselia spoke up, holding out her thorny vine whip threateningly at Bellossom.
“Give it up, Bellossom! Romashka Forest is no more. This is Her Majesty Queen Alina’s Roza Forest now!” She said boldly. “You’ve been a thorn in our side. Come quietly so we can hand you over to Her Majesty!”
“No! Roselia, how COULD you?!” Bellossom retorted, “Romashka’s your home too. Would you just hand it over to Alina?!”
Roselia gasped, wavering for a moment. But then she shook her head, replying aggressively.
“Stop it, Bellossom! Alina’s too strong and there’s no way to win against her. You rebelling like this is just going to put us all in danger!” She yelled, holding back tears. “Please, disband your guild. We must accept that Romashka’s gone!”
“Roselia…”
Bellossom shook her head. “No! I’ll keep looking for a way to free us! And get our home back!”
“If you won’t listen, then we’ll make you do it by force!” Roselia said. At her command, all four Roselia swung their thorny whips at Bellossom and Hoppip. The two little Pokémon hugged each other and screamed in fear.
CLANG!
The four Roselia’s whips made contact against Ruki’s bone scythe, wrapping around it. They gasped, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion. Ruki grabbed the whips firmly and swung his scythe, slamming all four of them onto the ground. He then charged a large Aura Sphere in his hands, blasting the Roselia with it to finish them off. Bellossom and Hoppip watched in wonder as all four Roselia fainted so easily in Ruki’s hands. After making sure that they were safe, Bellossom called out to the Lucario.
“A Lucario with a black cloak! Could… Could you be Ruki the Lucario? Reaper of the Battlefield? We were just looking for you!”
“Got the right guy. You were expecting me?”
“Yes. A Pokémon in a white cloak told us that you’d come to take a quest from us, so we went to find you, but these Roselia caught us,” Bellossom explained, “We’re from the Romashka Guild. If it isn’t too much to ask, will you hear us out?”
“Hmph, from your talk with these Roselia, I’m guessing you want me to beat this Queen Alina? Tell me more.”
At Ruki’s reply, Bellossom and Hoppip seemed to cheer up a little, a light of hope and relief shining in their eyes.
“Yes, you’re right. Thank you, Mr. Ruki!” She said, before quickly ushering him into the bushes. “Hush! Let’s talk somewhere else. It’s not safe out here!”
Ruki followed Bellossom and Hoppip through narrow pathways and across little streams. There were uprooted plants everywhere, beautiful roses replacing them, like the entire forest was having a makeover. They eventually reached a hidden clearing in the thickets. A crowd of worried Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon waited for them there. They seemed quite happy to see Bellossom and Hoppip back.
“Guys! Mr. Ruki really came!” Bellossom announced, “We might just have a fighting chance!”
“Wow, he’s here! Welcome to Romashka Guild!”
“Yeah! About time. Let’s defeat Alina and take back Romashka Forest!”
The tension and worry seemed to have lifted from the group, replaced by hopeful cheers. Bellossom took Ruki to a tree with many papers nailed onto it. It was the quest board that guilds tend to have, covered in posters showing the faces of outlaws and the rewards for defeating them. Bellossom pointed out a large poster of a Tsareena.
“Thanks for being interested, Mr. Ruki. We’d be happy if you can defeat Alina, the Queen of Thorns.”
“……” Ruki took the poster off the tree, giving Alina’s picture a look.
The Tsareena looked young, with a small, pretty face and a regal air about her. A crown of roses adorned her head, accentuating her beauty. She seemed to be a quiet girl, not mean and menacing like the other ruffian outlaws and brutes he had run into so far. But one thing Ruki knew for sure, was that despite her charming looks, a Tsareena can be pretty deadly in battle with her powerful kicks. The poster also said that she had a thorn pattern on her right leg as an identifying feature. He made note of it and looked at Bellossom, asking for further information.
“So, what’s the story. From your conversation earlier, this Tsareena took over your forest?”
“……” Bellossom’s expression saddened at the question.
“Alina used to be a good leader, loved by everyone in her original forest, Roza. Roza was large and prosperous because she always protected it and cared for it. The Pokémon there treated her like their queen,” the flower Pokémon explained, “But one hot summer day, there was a large forest fire and Roza Forest burned to the ground. Alina was the only survivor.”
“And her solution was to conquer nearby forests to create a new Roza?” Ruki asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Bellossom said, “She single-handedly took over three of the surrounding forests. Many of us weren’t happy that she took over Romashka and started changing our home to look like Roza. Some of us tried to fight back, but she was too strong. She’d punish anyone who tried to rebel severely and turn them into her slaves, so some Pokémon like Roselia decided to switch over to her side in fear.”
“I see…”
(Pages below are from my comic ‘Things Lost Things Gained‘ ↓)
Another case of the strong shoving the weak around, Ruki thought. He rolled Alina’s poster up, keeping it with him.
“This Tsareena certainly has a strong willpower, if she really managed to do all that. A worthy opponent. I’ll take this quest.”
Bellossom looked glad. “Thanks, Mr. Ruki! You’ll always be welcome in Romashka and can have all the berries you want if you defeat her for us.”
Hoppip bounced happily. “Come with us. We’ll take you to her! Thanks again for earlier!”.
Ruki walked through the darkness of Roza Forest, led by Bellossom, Hoppip and several other guild members. The canopy was thick, so only a little sunlight filtered through. It would’ve been a comfortable place on a hot day if it weren’t for the tension in the air. Bellossom stopped walking when they neared a large clearing. She ran to hide behind a tree, peeking into the open space.
“There she is,” the plant Pokémon whispered, shivering in fear. Ruki looked into the clearing.
There, seated on an alabaster throne atop a mound surrounded by white roses, was the Queen of Thorns, Alina herself. She sat there neatly with her eyes closed, probably resting after the day’s work. The sunlight that filtered down from the trees shone on her bright skin lightly, giving her an angelic glow. Her crown of white roses, long eyelashes and calm expression gave her a feminine look.
She looked much more lovely and more delicate than the painting in her wanted poster. As she had conquered and taken these areas by force, Ruki had expected her to have a twisted, dark Aura, so he was greatly surprised when he sensed no evil in her. It was strange for him. One would mistake her for a soft and gentle girl if they hadn’t known her story. The Lucario shook his head, reminding himself to focus on his mission. He stepped out of the shadows into the clearing, addressing Alina.
“That thorn pattern on your leg. Alina, right?” Ruki said. He held out her wanted poster for her to see. “You have a bounty on your head.”
Awakened from her reverie, Alina opened her eyes and looked at the intruder curiously. Ruki stopped before her throne, summoning his bone scythe and pointing it at her.
“Heard that you’re a strong opponent. I’ve come to challenge you.”
Alina chuckled, leaning forward to study Ruki more closely.
“That black cloak, that scythe… You’re the rumored bounty hunter, Ruki? My Roselia guards told me that you’re coming. An honor to meet someone so famous,” the Tsareena said.
Alerted by Ruki’s presence, several Roselia guards appeared to protect Alina, but the Tsareena held up her hand, halting them.
“He’s a special guest and he’s too powerful for you. Let me handle this.”
She stood up gracefully, introducing herself. “I’m Alina, Queen of Roza Forest. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“……” With her politeness and softness, Ruki wondered if she was really the mean bully Bellossom talked about. But then, a sudden burst of threatening, furious Aura coming from Alina confirmed it for him.
“To think that those puny rebels would call you to fight me. Have they no pride in their own strength?” Alina said disdainfully, her soft gaze turning into a cold, menacing one. She glared at Ruki.
“But I won’t let anyone or anything take Roza Forest from me again. Say, you have a nice face, Lucario–Let me turn you into my slave!”
With that, she jumped up from her throne, flipping in mid-air and swinging her leg at Ruki with full force. Ruki dashed backwards, barely evading Alina’s powerful kick that destroyed the ground and sent a powerful shockwave through the clearing. The Lucario landed some distance away, narrowing his eyes at Alina. He felt a powerful Aura and a strong force of will coming from her. She shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Preparing to fight back, Ruki closed in on Alina with Extreme Speed, landing a blow on her with his scythe. Unperturbed, she tackled him hard with Trop Kick. Ruki rolled onto the grass but regained his balance easily. Alina lifted up her leg and attacked Ruki again with a Rapid Spin, not giving him a chance to fight back. Ruki blocked it. They traded several more relentless blows. Ruki jumped back and increased their distance to catch his breath and to analyze the situation.
The Tsareena seemed to match him, but as she was a Grass-type Pokémon, they didn’t have any type advantage against each other. All the blows dealt were relatively light. This was going to be a long, drawn out battle. Even so, the fact that Alina managed to keep up with him excited Ruki.
“Hmph, you’re really much better than those rebels,” Alina muttered, “All the more exciting!”
“Thought that you’re just a princess, but seems that you enjoy battles too. Glad that I don’t have to hold back.” Ruki smirked. It wasn’t going to be an easy fight, but for the first time since he left Sinnoh, he felt his adrenaline pumping and the need to fight seriously. He was having fun. “Then let’s dance!”
Putting his paws together in front of him, Ruki gathered his Aura into an energy orb.
“Aura Sphere!” He shouted, sending the large blue-black orb at Alina.
The Tsareena jumped into the air to avoid it, but the Aura Sphere impacting the ground whipped up a thick cloud of sand and dust, obstructing her vision. While Alina was blinded, Ruki appeared from within the smoke, catching her by surprise.
“Close Combat!”
Before Alina could react, the Lucario landed a flurry of powerful blows on her. He finished with a spin, kicking her to the ground. She crashed with a loud bang, the impact whipping up a giant cloud of dust. Ruki landed nearby, straightening himself.
He expected it to weaken her considerably, but to his surprise, he suddenly felt Alina’s Aura flare up with increased intensity. The Tsareena immediately shot out from within the cloud of dust, appearing right in front of him. Ruki gasped in disbelief as their eyes met. Although Alina was full of wounds, he clearly saw the undying fighting spirit in her eyes. She made a quick spin and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying upwards into the air. Kicking the ground under her, she followed suit.
Ruki summoned his bone scythe to block Alina’s incoming attack, but didn’t make it in time. He could only endure her flurry of kicks as she hit him mercilessly.
“High Jump Kick!” Alina shouted, finally kicking Ruki in the stomach downwards.
The Lucario felt all the air leave his lungs. He didn’t know that she had a Fighting-type move, something he was weak against as a Steel-type. He crash-landed onto the ground. Alina landed onto his back with a Stomp, before kicking him towards the trees.
Ruki broke the tree he crashed onto, landing on the ground. He grunted painfully, struggling to get up. Across him, Alina fell down to one knee where she stood. She panted heavily, exhausted from pushing herself too hard. Bellossom and the other Pokémon who were watching the fight ran to Ruki worriedly, standing between him and Alina to protect the Lucario.
“A-Alina is weakened!” Bellossom exclaimed, inviting the Pokémon around her, “If we help Ruki, we can defeat her!”
“Yeah!!”
“NO!” Ruki barked menacingly at them, scaring everyone. The wounded Lucario pulled himself back to his feet with the help of his scythe. He felt as though some of his ribs were crushed, but he couldn’t stop here. He had challenged Alina because he wanted to test his own skills, so letting someone else walk in would be like admitting his defeat. “This is MY fight. Don’t you DARE disturb me!”
Afraid of Ruki, Bellossom and the other Pokémon listened to him, nervously stepping back into the shadows of the trees. Ruki glared at Alina. The Tsareena was heavily wounded by his attacks and exhausted from her own reckless fighting style. Other Pokémon would’ve fainted by now, but her Aura was still burning powerfully. How was she still standing?
Ruki gripped his scythe, the black Aura engulfing its blade reminding him of the time he was trying to escape from Team Hope’s labs himself. He had been cornered like Alina before, but what drove him to keep fighting had been hatred, fear and despair. He could sense none of that from Alina’s Aura. Hers remained clear and pure despite her ruthlessness, confusing him.
“You, how are you so strong?” He asked her.
“Anyone would be when they’re fighting for something important to them,” she said, closing her eyes sadly, “I want to protect my home. Don’t you have something important to you too, Ruki?”
“…I’ve lost everything that mattered to me.”
“Is that so…? What a pity,” Alina opened her eyes, glaring at Ruki, “Then there’s no way that you can win against me!”
The Tsareena dashed and slid at Ruki with a Trop Kick. Ruki evaded her, wincing from the pain of his crushed ribs. Alina ran after him to attack him again.
“Roza Forest’s my home! The only place I belong!” Alina exclaimed, remembering the fires that devoured her original home and her fellow Pokémon, “I worked so hard to revive it from the ashes and you’re not going to take it away from me again. Not you! Not anyone!!”
Her kicks turned more desperate but weaker, and she was starting to miss. Ruki could feel that the Tsareena was exhausted and reaching her physical limits, although she had a much stronger drive to fight than him. Alina would’ve won if she had more stamina, but this time, endurance was in Ruki’s favour. He waited patiently until she was out of breath, before grabbing her by the shoulder with one hand and shoving her to make her lose her balance.
“…!” Alina’s eyes widened in surprise. Ruki slid behind her.
“This is it, Alina.” Bone scythe ready, Ruki swung a powerful slash at her, dealing the final blow and destroying her rose crown.
Alina screamed, falling to the ground. The white rose petals of her crown scattered about her, marking the fall of the Queen of Thorns. Ruki landed near her, supporting himself with his scythe. He could barely stand, his breathing ragged, his entire body in pain.
“Not yet… I can still… fight… ” Alina insisted, her body shaking from all her wounds as she forced herself up to her knees. “Roza…”
Her tired body wouldn’t listen to her though, crumbling back onto the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Ruki frowned. There was something sad about watching her, like watching a little flame desperately trying to survive on a burnt out candle. Still, he walked up to her firmly.
“Your subjugation was ordered by the Pokémon of the forests you’ve conquered,” Ruki told her, “Wake up, Alina. Roza Forest doesn’t exist anymore. Look around you. Is this really Roza? With blood red roses that flourished by uprooting other flowers? A forest where all its inhabitants are scared of you?”
His words seemed to have opened up the wound in Alina’s heart which she had desperately tried to close. He was showing her the truth that she had denied for so long. The truth that she didn’t have the courage to accept. Her vision blurred as her eyes began to water.
“I know. But Roza Forest… Everyone…!” Unable to hold her tears back any longer, Alina cried full force, hiding her face in her hands.
“The Pokémon of Roza, they all gave their life for me so that I could survive. I-I loved them so much,” she confessed between sobs, “I recreated Roza because I wanted memories of them to survive. What will I have left if I let go of this forest?!”
“Alina…” Bellossom said, coming out of hiding with her other guild members. They walked closer and gathered around Ruki and Alina. Remembering that the Tsareena used to be a nice girl, they began to feel sorry for her.
“……” Ruki watched her quietly. Although Alina had been a cold and tough queen so far, once you peeled away her Queen of Thorns persona, she was really just a pure and gentle girl inside. He felt a connection to her as a fellow survivor who had lost all his friends, and he finally understood what drove her to have such a powerful fighting spirit.
It was love.
While Ruki had been fueled by fury and despair at the loss of his friends, Alina kept going so she could always remember hers–because she truly loved them. Feeling the kindness of Alina’s Aura flowing into him, Ruki knelt down in front of her, pulling her into a gentle hug.
“I’ve lost my best friend too in the past. It must be difficult,” Ruki said comfortingly, “But even if you’ve lost everything, you still have yourself. The least you can do is to not pull your own leg and keep moving forward. I don’t think your friends want to see you sad like this.”
The Lucario held her for awhile. Alina sobbed, wiping her tears away and trying to come to terms with her loss. Ruki pulled away once she had calmed down, helping her back to her feet.
“Say, if you’ll free this forest, I don’t have a reason to turn you in,” Ruki suggested, “My client just wants her home back, not your punishment. What do you say?”
Alina thought for a moment, but then shook her head. “…That’s okay. It’s not like I have a home to return to, or anywhere to go. I don’t care even if I’m turned in.”
“……”
Ruki shifted his weight to his other leg uncomfortably, unsure of what to say or how to comfort her. Alina’s eyes started to water again. He quickly thought up an idea.
“Well, how about traveling with me?” The Lucario offered. Alina looked up at him, both surprised and confused at the unexpected invitation.
“You’re strong, so I’m sure you’ll be reliable,” Ruki elaborated, “Feel free to leave me anytime if you find a new place you like on the way.”
It wasn’t like the Lucario needed an extra hand on his journey, but considering how strong Alina was, he doubted that she’d get in his way either. Might as well let her tag along since she knew the areas around here well. That way, they could both benefit from the trip.
“Bellossom told me that you used to be a good leader,” Ruki added, “You’re quite likely to make more friends as you travel.”
He looked at her reassuringly.
“And one day, maybe the true Roza Forest that your heart desired will come to exist again naturally.”
Ruki’s words seemed to have convinced Alina, giving her a new confidence and a new hope. She cheered up a little.
“You’re… right,” she agreed, “Then take me with you! I’ll do my best to be useful while we’re together.”
Ruki nodded. Things certainly took an unexpected an interesting turn for him. He might’ve come here to just test his strength, but he saw and experienced so much more. Perhaps it had been a good idea to take this detour, after all.
(Pages below are from my comic ‘Things Lost Things Gained‘ ↓)
Trivia
- Pictures are from my comic ‘Things Lost Things Gained‘.
- The region Ruki was now in is the Pokémon world’s equivalent of Russia. (A region based on Russia hasn’t existed in the game at the time this fic was written).
- ‘Roza’ means ‘rose’ in Russian. I named it that to keep it in the theme of Alina’s thorn motif.
- ‘Romashka’ means ‘chamomile’ in Russian. Chamomiles are Russia’s national flowers.
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