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Lucario fanfic – Quest for Power (Team Ruki Origins)
【 Chapter 7: The Fallen Angel 】
Ruki and Alina continued traveling westward through the regions of the great continent, following their map to Kalos. With experience, they got better at working together, becoming an unstoppable pair. Many Pokémon came to ask for their help when there was trouble. Still, Ruki had his own agenda, so he would refuse most of the requests if they wouldn’t help him progress his own journey.
As they travelled, autumn became winter. Despite the cooling weather, the pair pushed forward valiantly, until eventually, they arrived in the region just beside Kalos. Ruki helped Alina down a ledge as they travelled through a beach.
“We’re so close now! We’ve certainly come a long way,” Alina said, looking back at the endless trail of footsteps that they had left in the sand. “Hard to imagine that we’ve come this far.”
“Yeah,” Ruki said, turning around to look at the path they had travelled together, “Despite everything that happened, we really managed, huh?”
The Lucario looked far into the distance, where their footprints disappeared into the horizon. His expression saddened.
“Ruki…?” Alina leaned in closer to get a good look at her partner’s face, curious.
“It’s nothing. Just thought that our past are like these footprints,” Ruki replied, “They’re far behind us and some of them, you can’t even see them anymore because they’re so far away in the distance.”
The Lucario looked to the ground solemnly, his ears and tail drooping. “But somehow, we still remember them and cling on to them. They make it hard to move forward.”
“……” Alina seemed worried, but she turned around and lifted her head proudly, walking ahead of him.
“Come, Ruki. You’re supposed to be my knight, right? What’ll I do if you can’t even keep up with a girl? Did I get myself a third-rate warrior?”
“Hey! Don’t call me that,” Ruki said. He caught up to Alina and scooped her up into a princess carry. Alina squeaked in surprise and laughed, clinging to his neck as the Lucario ran down the stretch of the beach. Ruki smiled a little, happy that his partner’s providing a distraction for him to not look back.
Eventually, the sun began to set. Ruki and Alina found a group of Torterra to huddle with on the coast for the night. The large tortoises settled down on the ground, folding their legs and preparing to sleep as the last rays of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Alina stretched and yawned, feeling sleepy as she finished photosynthesizing for the day. She leaned against the tree growing on a Torterra’s back.
“Ooh, Torterra backs are just so amazing. You’re invited to come to Roza Forest when it’s back up, good sirs. I’ll make you my personal royal carriage, grow lots of pretty flowers on your shell, and feed you the tastiest Berries!” The Tsareena suggested, before closing her eyes to rest and relax.
“……” The Torterra shrugged at each other, not really sure about it, but liking the idea of tasty Berries. They settled down and closed their eyes to sleep.
Meanwhile, Ruki hung around a little away at the shoreline, looking out to the sea and trying to calculate mentally how much longer it’d take them to reach Kalos.
“Journey going smoothly, huh? I’m so happy for you, Ruki, my friend.”
Ruki jumped, surprised by the sudden voice. He turned to look, seeing a figure in a hooded white cloak sitting on a nearby rock. Recognizing the stranger, the Lucario glared at him.
“You’re the hooded Pokémon who told me to go to Roza Forest. Were you following me?” He tensed a little, wondering what the stranger wants.
“Following you? Oh no, of course not! I’m a traveller who just happened to pass this way. You’ve been doing quests, no? The guilds told me that you’re here, so as your fan, I’m obliged to come and see how you’re doing!”
“……” Ruki still looked rather suspicious of him, but the other ignored him and continued.
“Say, Ruki, did you know that in some cultures, mountains and water bodies are said to be gateways to the underworld? Rumor has it that this beach is haunted.”
“Don’t have time for your scary stories. Now get lost,” Ruki replied, looking away.
“Haha, I wish you a good evening then. Hope you won’t be scared if some apparitions show up.”
“……”
The stranger didn’t say anything else after that. When Ruki looked back at the rocks, the hooded figure was gone. Like before, he didn’t have any malevolent Aura about him, but he certainly made the Lucario feel uneasy. Then another thing caught his attention.
A lone Absol stood in the distance, the waves on the shoreline lapping at its feet. Pink petals float in the water around it although there were no flower fields around, save for the single flower adorning the Pokémon’s billowing long hair. The Absol’s fur was the whitest, softest and the most beautiful that he had ever seen. Ruki stared for awhile, mesmerized by the picturesque look, and that was when he realized.
The Absol was watching him.
“Ruki, I’ll go to sleep first! Is that okay?” Alina called out, snapping him back to reality.
“H-Huh?! Oh, go ahead,” Ruki replied in surprise, looking at her.
When he looked back again, the Absol was gone, as though it was never there, not leaving a single footprint on the sand. Ruki rubbed his eyes, wondering if h was imagining things. Maybe what the hooded stranger said about the beach being haunted was true? He shook his head. He must’ve just been tired. Ignoring what he saw, he went to join Alina.
The soil on a Torterra’s back felt warm and nice from the tortoise’s body heat. Alina was having such a comfortable sleep. Ruki himself had no problem falling asleep after the day’s long walk, but it was far from a good sleep. He frowned and grunted uncomfortably.
As always, nightmares haunted him. He walked through the burning hallways of Team Hope’s labs, the sound of his footsteps watery as he moved across the blood-covered floor. The bodies of his fellow captives and Team Hope’s members laid here and there. Machop’s body laid at the end of the corridor with a mysterious spotlight to make him stand out even more.
Ruki had seen this dream so many times by now, but even then, he never got used to it. Fear gripped him as he felt utter helplessness. His breathing and his heartbeat quickened. He wanted to run away from it all. A hand gripped his ankle and he looked down in horror. Nozomi’s face appeared from the sea of blood under him.
“There’s no escape, Ruki. You’re weak!”
“NO!” Ruki yelled, trying to resist, “I’m not a helpless Riolu anymore! Get away from me!! You’re supposed to be dead!!”
“Your girl might say that you can move forward and all, but can you? After what you did? You could’ve shielded Machop with your body if he’s that important to you, but you used him to protect yourself instead!” Nozomi laughed.
Machop and the other captives materialized from the sea of blood around Nozomi, completely red.
“Ruki, you said that we’ll escape together, right? Why did you leave us…?”
Joining Nozomi, they gripped onto his legs, dragging him into the viscous red liquid below them like it was a bottomless swamp.
“NOOO!!!” The Lucario screamed in terror.
But then, a bright white light suddenly appeared and engulfed him. Ruki shielded his eyes from the blinding flash.
“……?”
Suddenly filled with a sense of warmth and comfort, he slowly opened his eyes again. The hellish scenery of his nightmare had vanished, replaced by a field of pink flowers under a blue sky. Broken pillars and ruins of a great temple stood around him. The sudden change of scenery was quite shocking. Ruki panted heavily, looking around frantically while trying to adjust to the new environment.
He then noticed a small ball of white light floating towards him. Once it arrived in front of him, it shone brightly, transforming into a beautiful female Absol. She wore a golden bangle on her left wrist. Her long hair billowed gently in the calm winds, a single pink flower adorning it. Ruki recognized her immediately.
“You. You’re the Absol I saw at the shore earlier,” he said with a frown, “Who are you?”
“I’m Filia, an Absol from a nearby mountain,” the Absol introduced herself, bowing gracefully. “I… need your help. I have a quest for you.”
“H-Huh?” Ruki looked at her incredulously. “A quest? In a dream? You serious?”
He must be so tired from his cross country across multiple regions, that he started dreaming about his job in addition to his nightmares. Not even sure what to think, he refused it, like he did to most quests that came his way.
“Give me a break! Tonight’s dream’s particularly stupid!” he barked in irritation, walking past her in quick steps. Despite that, Filia continued with her offer.
“A Pokémon in a hooded white cloak told me to about you. You’re heading to Mega Island in Kalos to look for a Lucarionite? Mega Island’s a strange place and not many know how to get there. But I can tell you where it is if you help me.”
Ruki froze, looking back at the Absol with wide eyes.
“This is all just a dream my head made up, right? Are you even real?” Ruki asked, still doubting himself. Filia nodded.
“I’m as real as you are. Please trust me. This is the only way I can communicate with you. I hope my quest reward would be a good deal for you?”
“……” Ruki sighed. He supposed just listening to this mysterious Absol a little shouldn’t hurt.
“Fine. What do you want?” He said reluctantly.
“Thank you.” Filia smiled happily, beginning to tell Ruki her story.
“I came from the Cuore Temple Ruins of Mount Attuna. It’s on the small island nearby. My elder brother Filio lost someone important to him and wasn’t able to get over it,” Filia explained sadly.
“It maddened him and he now attacks anyone and everyone he saw on the mountain. He’s a powerful Absol, so lots of people and Pokémon got hurt. The humans think that he’s dangerous and needs to be put down, so they’re starting to send hunters and hunting dogs after him.”
Filia’s voice shook, sadness apparent in her Aura.
“He’s my beloved brother. I don’t want him to hurt the innocent and I don’t want the humans to kill him. Please… I want you to stop him.”
“……” Ruki watched her as she cried.
“Your brother, who did he lose?” He asked curiously.
Filia looked up at him and gave him a forlorn smile. At that moment, a dark shadow fell over the scenery. Filia’s appearance transformed in the darkness and Ruki gasped in surprise. The Absol’s beautiful fur melted away, revealing the bloody red flesh beneath from her head to her toe. The landscape warped into a poacher’s warehouse, many bloodied saws and blades lining the wall, the fur of various exotic Pokémon being dried on the racks. The stale air smelt of iron and death. Ruki’s breath caught in his throat, horrified and shaken to the core.
The shadow passed. Filia returned to her original form and the scenery returned to the previous peaceful flower fields. Ruki panted heavily, reeling from the experience. He glared at Filia.
“Y-You were killed. You’re a ghost!” The Lucario exclaimed, finally realizing Filia’s true identity. Filia nodded at him.
“Yeah, it happened several weeks ago. I… don’t have long in this world,” she said, before looking up at Ruki with watery eyes.
“Please, before I go, I want to make sure that my brother’s safe. Will you stop him for me? I’ve been looking for someone to help me. The hooded Pokémon told me that you’ll be strong enough to defeat him.”
“……”
Ruki considered it for a moment. He could care less about Filia’s wishes, but he wanted the quest reward. Other than that, the stranger in the hooded white cloak was starting to creep him out by appearing everywhere. Was he trying to set him up or something? Ruki made the mental note to rip off his cloak to see his face if he dared to appear again. For now, he’d handle this quest normally.
“Filio the Absol, right? Fine, I’ll stop him. Promise that you’ll tell me about Mega Island after that.”
Filia looked overjoyed, wiping her tears away. “Of course!”
The next morning, Alina thought that Ruki had gone crazy when he told her what happened.
“You sure that wasn’t all just a dream? Did you accidentally eat a strange mushroom?” She asked worriedly as they walked along the beach.
“Guess we’ll find out,” Ruki said, “The Absol mentioned Mount Attuna and the Cuore Temple Ruins–two places I’ve never heard of before, so I can’t possibly dream them up by myself. If they really exist, she’s probably real.”
Spotting a Pelipper and a Wingull sitting on the sand nearby, he called out to them. “You guys!”
The two bird Pokémon jumped in surprise, turning to look at Ruki and Alina.
“Oh! Buongiorno, Signor Lucario and Signora Tsareena! Can we help you?” Pelipper greeted cheerfully. But being blunt as he was, Ruki went straight to his question.
“Mount Attuna and the Cuore Temple Ruins. You know them? Heard that they’re close to this place.”
“Oh, they are! That huge mountain over there!” Wingull said, using her wing to point at a large island a short distance across the sea. She looked back at Ruki again.
“You don’t wanna go there right now, though. It’s dangerous!” The little bird warned.
“Hm? Why?” Ruki asked.
“Filio the scary Absol’s on the prowl. We call him the Fallen Angel because he’s pretty but dangerous. Il mostro! He might attack you and then you’ll die!” Pelipper threatened, spreading his wings to appear bigger as he made a scary face. His explanation was enough confirmation for Ruki though, so he turned to Alina.
“Heh, looks like it wasn’t a crazy fever dream, after all,” the Lucario said.
“Oh…” Alina rubbed her chin, getting a headache and still finding everything hard to believe. Another question came to mind. “And we’re supposed to stop him, right? How will we get to that island?”
“Hmm…” Ruki wondered to himself, but Pelipper interrupted their conversation.
“Mamma mia! You’re going to stop Filio?! Me and my Pelipper friends will bring you all the way to Cuore if you’ll do that. He’s a menace and we all want him gone!”
“Hmph, that’s convenient,” Ruki agreed, “If it’s a win-win, why not?”
“Come this way, then. You’re both small enough. Hope you don’t mind being carried in Pelipper beaks!”
It didn’t take long for Ruki and Alina to arrive at the Cuore Temple Ruins. Pelipper were used to transporting smaller Pokémon in their beaks, so the ride was quite comfortable. The birds landed on the temple grounds and the pair got off. Being a very tall mountain, Mount Attuna was ice-capped in winter. Light snow fell around them, creating a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
“There you go,” Pelipper said, “We have some business to attend to, so sorry that we can’t accompany you any further. Please take care out there.”
“That’s fine,” Ruki replied, “The ride was much appreciated.”
“Be careful and good luck!” Wingull wished them, before parting with her flock.
Once the birds left, Ruki and Alina looked around to study their surroundings. The Cuore Temple Ruins was a huge complex. It must have been a grand temple used to worship a great god in the past. Ruki noticed Alina shivering, remembering that Grass-types and cold places don’t go together very well.
“You okay?” He asked.
“Yeah, don’t worry,” the Tsareena said, pulling her cape closer. Ruki knew that she was just acting tough for him though, so he cheered her up.
“An Absol’s a Dark-type, so he shouldn’t be a threat if we use our Fighting-type moves. Let’s finish this quickly and go somewhere warmer.”
The pair walked along, looking for signs of their target, Filio. The snow and the temple ruins laid mostly undisturbed, but Ruki could see fresh claw marks on the ground, the trees and the rocks here and there. Filio must’ve trashed them in his rage. Ruki could tell that the Absol was quite large and violent from the trail of destruction. Treading carefully through the thick snow, Ruki froze in his tracks when he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. He immediately looked past the fallen pillars at the temple grounds.
There, standing proud in the snow was a large Absol. His beautiful and unblemished white fur was a sight to behold–the king of the snowy fields befitting his title of the Fallen Angel. A golden ring hung from his horn and left wrist, adding to his regal look. He looked skywards, deep in thought, a pensive sadness in his eyes. Ruki would’ve found the sight breath-taking, if it wasn’t for the dark and oppressive Aura he felt emanating from the Absol. The air around him felt so heavy it made the Lucario’s blood run cold.
Death… Separation… Pain… Suffering… Why…? Why…? W H Y…??
With his Aura abilities, Ruki could hear his thoughts. Upon closer inspection, the Absol’s horn and claws were stained red with fresh blood. He must’ve just returned from attacking someone. The Lucario steeled his heart and walked ahead to challenge the beast.
“You’re Filio, the Fallen Angel? You have a bounty on your head,” Ruki declared.
“……” Filio turned his head slowly to look at Ruki, lifeless red eyes peering disinterestedly though dishevelled silver hair.
“I was ordered to defeat you by your sister, Filia.”
At the mention of Filia, Ruki felt the darkness around Filio burst, engulfing the Absol in a powerful red-black Aura. It was so strong that even Alina could feel it. She took a step back, suffocated by the air around them.
“What do you know about my sister?” Filio spat coldly, his deep voice dripping with venom.
“Met her in a dream. Said that she doesn’t want to see you like this, hurting others, being hunted and all,” Ruki said.
“They deserved it,” Filio growled hatefully, “She was always nice and helpful to everyone around her, but no one… No one tried to save her when those poachers caught her. Just because they were scared. COWARDS! I’ll cut them all down, just like I cut down those poachers!”
Furious beyond reason, Filio bared his sharp teeth, pouncing at Ruki aggressively. Ruki evaded, summoning his bone scythe and swinging it at Filio. But despite his attack connecting, the Absol suddenly vanished into thin air.
“Double Team?!” Ruki exclaimed in surprise. Turning around, he saw the actual Filio right behind Alina. “Alina!!”
“High Jump Kick!” The Tsareena shouted when she saw her foe, swinging a kick towards the Absol’s stomach. But Filio was much faster than her, dodging the attack easily.
“Sucker Punch!” He countered Alina with a powerful headbutt, sending her flying across the snow.
“Alina!” Ruki shouted.
Filio might be weak to Fighting-type Pokémon, but he certainly made up for it with his fighting skills. Ruki clicked his tongue in annoyance, thinking that the battle would be tougher than expected. Not wanting to give a chance for Filio to attack his partner, he lunged at him immediately.
“Extreme Speed!”
Ruki shouldered Filio roughly, knocking him back. But without even flinching, the Absol retaliated, swinging the sharp blade of his horn at the Lucario.
“Slash!”
Ruki gasped, bringing his bone scythe in front of him to shield himself. Filio’s horn clanged against it loudly, forcing him to dig his toes into the frozen soil beneath him to avoid being thrown off. The Absol forced his horn against Ruki’s weapon stubbornly. His own furious Aura disrupting the flow of Ruki’s, the bone scythe began to crack, before shattering into tiny pieces.
“…..?!”
Ruki jumped back in disbelief, barely evading Filio’s horn. He quickly moved back to increase his distance from Filio. The Absol studied Ruki carefully, head low and ready to pounce, like a hunter looking for an opportunity to strike down his prey. He glared at Ruki.
“Lucario… You and I, we’re similar. I can feel the hatred when you fight. You want to get rid of everyone who are in your way,” Filio muttered. “But there’s a huge difference between us. Your strikes reek of fear, doubt and despair. You’re a brittle blade.”
Ruki frowned at Filio’s words, feeling somewhat insulted. But a small part of him couldn’t deny the truth and he hated it. Having recovered, Alina ran towards join Ruki.
“Ruki! Don’t let it get to you!”
“Hmph,” Filio grunted, “If you want to fight, fight like you really mean to kill me!”
Charging Dark energy around his horn, Filio charged at Ruki and Alina at full speed. The two jumped to the side, dodging him. The Absol smirked, focussing his attack on Ruki. With his strong legs and running speed, he caught up to the Lucario easily, headbutting him from the side.
“……!”
Getting knocked back, he spun in the air, righting his posture and landing perfectly near the edge of a cliff. That was when he realized that he had fallen into the Absol’s trap, but it was too late. Filio smirked.
Another hard headbutt from Filio sent Ruki flying over the cliff edge. He gasped, panicking for a moment. Still, he wasn’t just going to let Filio get away with this. Gathering a ball of bright blue energy in his palms, Ruki aimed at Filio.
“Aura Sphere!!”
Filio quickly dodged it, but the explosion destroyed the brittle ground under him, sending him plunging down the cliff with Ruki. Alina’s eyes widened in surprise and panic.
“Ruki!!”
Tumbling down the cliff wasn’t a nice experience, but luckily for Ruki, it wasn’t a high cliff and there were lots of trees, shrubs and snow to break his fall. He popped his head out from the thick snow at the base of the cliff, panting heavily. He looked around for Filio quickly, in case the Absol was to attack him again. There were a lot of trees and thick snow around him. A large river with a strong current ran nearby. Ruki finally spotted his foe a few meters away from him, also trying to recover from his fall.
“Darn you…” Filio cursed. “But heh, now it’s just the two of us. I’ll get rid of you, and then get rid of that Tsareena. You can’t stop me.”
Filio stumbled as he tried to get up. He seemed to have spraint his right wrist during the fall, making it hard for him to walk. His body was also covered in wounds from the trees and rocks he crashed against on the way down. But despite grunting in annoyance, he didn’t look like he was about to give up. Ruki glared at him.
“Heh, much talk. You can’t battle anymore with those wounds,” he pointed out, straightening his posture.
“Shut up, Lucario! You haven’t won yet!” Filio shouted back. “I’ll tear you and everyone else into bits! I’ll make the whole world suffer for abandoning Filia!”
Ruki took a step back, feeling a powerful burst of red Aura from Filio. The Absol had lost all reason, completely blinded by rage. He lunged at Ruki with his sharp claws and horn.
“Slash!”
Luckily, the wounded Filio was much slower than before, allowing Ruki to read his movements and evade. The Lucario balled his hands into fists, readying his counter.
“Close Combat!” He shouted, unleashing a flurry of blows on his foe. He finished with a spinning kick, knocking the Absol down onto the snow.
“Ugh…” Filio groaned from the pain. His body felt heavy and his wounds hurt, but he forced himself to stand up. Panting, he glared at Ruki.
“If you try to fight more than this, you might die,” Ruki warned. Filio didn’t seem to care. He chuckled darkly, before bursting out into a maniacal laughter.
“HAHAHA! It’s not like I have a reason to hang on to life either, Lucario! If I’m going to hell, I’ll drag you down with me!!”
Ruki flinched at Filio’s boldness. Nothing holding him back, the Absol charged at Ruki and slammed into him full force, throwing them both into the frozen river behind him. They fell in with a loud splash, immediately swept away by the river’s strong currents. Ruki stuck his head out above the water’s surface, trying to stay afloat and gasping for air. His eyes widened in panic when he saw the great waterfall he was being carried to. Bracing himself, he closed his eyes as he was washed off the edge and down the waterfall.
Trivia
- Picture’s from my comic ‘A Short Respite‘.
- In Japanese culture, mountains and rivers are considered gateways to the underworld. Spirits of the ancestors are said to come and go from there during the Obon Festival in summer.
- The region Ruki arrived in is the Pokémon world’s equivalent of Italy. Filio’s island is the equivalent of Sicily. (A region based on both places hasn’t existed in the game at the time this fic was written).
- Mount Attuna is a reference to Sicily’s volcano Mount Etna. ‘Attuna’ means ‘furnace’ or ‘chimney’ in Phoenician and is thought to be a possible etymology for Mount Etna’s name.
- ‘Cuore’ means ‘heart’ in Italian.
- Filio being fast is a reference to Absol being a Speedster in Pokémon Unite.
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