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When I woke back up, it felt as if it had days later. My body felt stiff as I tried to move, opening my eyes slowly and yawning. Realizing then that I was cuddling up against Zane, my trainer, my back pressed up against him and my head cupped down under his and he had the arm he was sleeping on wrapped up around me. I blushed softly and gently and slowly pushed my way out of the arms hold.

Quietly I snuck into the bathroom and took care of my business as the professors had taught me back in the labs was the "appropriate" way to handle the call of nature. I didn't get it really, but it seemed to be the way everyone did it so, go with the flow I guess.

I chuckled at that, "Go with the flow..." I left the restroom, but Zane was still asleep, I wasn't sure what to do while he was. I shrugged a bit, and walked to the closed door, jumping up to reach the knob and I opened it. I hadn't been able to look at the rest of the house yet really, just what I got to see on the way to Zane's room.

Running my paw along the wall as I walked, I took in the pictures that hung on the hallway, most showing Zane's progression through childhood about a year at a time, he seemed to be changing very rapidly right now I noticed, the last picture looked much different than what he looked like right now. I reached the end of the hallway and nearly tripped down the stairs as I had been looking up at the pictures, but stopped myself before I did when I felt my foot not meeting the floor.

Descending the stairs was slightly tricky, I had to lift up each of my legs one at a time to stay balanced down the stairs. The lights downstairs was all on, and there was a man sitting in a chair here, I had seen him before, yesturday, briefly. He was a large man, with black hair and beady eyes. He eyed me as I walked down, and for a moment, I stared back at him as he stared at me. His stare seemed...mean, I started getting the feeling that to him, I wasn't welcome here.

I backed off and started back up the stairs a bit, looking back over my shoulders at him a few times. He was still glaring at me, and it made me uncomfortable. I whined to myself a bit and he made this annoyed growling noise, and he came over to me and roughly picked me up into the air.

"Stupid little thing..." He grunted as he looked up at me, holding me in the air, "To think my son ignores me...and wants to go on an adventure with one of you..." He grimaced, and sat me back down on my feet, walking away and he opened the door to the house, "Just so you know, if you harm my son like you did me, you won't see the light of day ever again." And with that he left, leaving me standing stunned on the stairway as he closed the door a little loudly. I had never harmed him I had just met him, so I was very confused.

It wasn't soon after that when another human entered the room, a women this time, she was well dressed and she had the same colored hair as Zane, which flowed down past her shoulders. "Hon? Oh he left without saying goodbye..." She turned to go back into the other room she was leaning out of when she saw me on the stairs. "Oh! It's Zane's new pokemon!"

She seemed much more friendly, as she came at me quickly with a bright smile, "We haven't been introduced yet." She made a tuting noise as she patted my head and I smiled a bit, "Zane's been keeping you all to himself while his father was here." I tilted my head, and she continued to explain, though she was probably talking to herself.

"Ever since he was harmed a few years ago by a pokemon, Steve hasn't recovered and he looks at all pokemon with disdain. He used to enjoy them like Zane does, but now that he distrusts them, he doesn't want Zane to go on a pokemon journey." She sighed lightly and she held my paw softly in her hand, "Follow me a moment, I was just about to start breakfast and go get Zane."

She tugged my paw and I followed her down the last of the stairs and into the kitchen, the smell of waffles and eggs cooking hit my nose. I felt my belly growl again, and I blushed lightly as the tall human looked down at me.

"Hungry? I guess you can have Steve's share, since he left in such a hurry after seeing you." She lead me over to and helped me up into one of the chairs around the dining table there. I had to stand in order to really reach anything, but for the moment, it was nice to be taller.

"Now you wait right there, I'll go wake up Zane, I bet if he woke up without you there he'd get worried." I realized the truth of that and felt a little ashamed I had left his side to go explore the house, but she patted my head, "It's all right though, I'll tell him you're down here waiting already."

I sat on the chair, my eyes becoming level with the top of the table and I hummed to myself the lullaby from my memory again, my legs swinging back and forth against my chair as I waited, listening to the sounds coming from upstairs as Zane's mom woke him, followed by a loud clambering down the stairs and Zane appeared in the kitchen, wearing only a pair of shorts with his upper body bare, broad and muscled chest with just a little bit of hair on it. I couldn't help the blush that appeared on my cheeks again.

"Roilu." He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw me and he came up to me and grabbed my paw, "My dad didn't do anything to you did he?"

I shook my head and my trainer sighed again, "Good, I was hoping I could just keep you away from him, didn't think you'd go exploring or something."

I whined and leaned my head up to nuzzle my trainer's face reassuringly, wagging my tail a bit and he smiled and let go of me and sat down in the chair to my left, his mom soon following, now she was in a more formal dress, red and white that flowed around her legs.

"So what's the plan today dear? Tomorrow you leave on your journey." She glided over to the indoor grill that the eggs had been cooking on, by now more than done, but still they smelled delicious. As she started serving them up with the waffles on plates to me and Zane, he started.

"Probably more training, light training this time." He added as he looked over and saw my wide eyes. "We've got to perfect our basic moves and ability before we had out, might take Riolu out into the forest outside town and practice."

"Be careful out there, wild pokemon could pick a fight if they see you near their territory."

"We'll stay close to town, I'm more worried about other trainers wanting to pick fights." Zane chuckled as he started to dig into the waffles, and I tried to study how he was using the utensils to eat before trying myself.

_______________________

A few hours later Zane was leading me outside and toward the forest, we took a few steps inside, until the point that the town wasn't noticeable through the trees and we were standing in a nice clearing.

"All right Riolu, lets use that tree there as a target." Zane said as he pointed towards one of the trees and I nodded, "Let's practice what you learned yesterday with Lucario first. Use Quick Attack!"

Using the innate power that Lucario had helped me to unlock, I dashed at the tree, so fast that I left a blur of blue light behind myself, and struck the tree with my paw, leaving a nice looking dent in the bark and making it shake a bit.

"Yes!" Zane shouted excitedly and he grinned, pumping his fist "You'll be stronger than Lucario in no time hehe." I blushed happily and shouted in excitement with him.

We continued to practice my attacks for a while longer, going back and forth from Quick Attack and tackles and pounds, until I started to feel myself sweat from exertion and panting heavily. I had to lean over with my paws on my knees after making one last Quick Attack, huffing out heavy breaths. Barely two hours had past too, I couldn't believe my body was already feeling so weak, I had gone so long the day before with Lucario.

Zane knelt down beside me and patted my back with his hand, and I looked over at him as I panted, "All tuckered out Riolu?" I nodded and he smiled at me, "I figured that after working so hard yesterday you wouldn't go as long today. Come on," I blushed slightly as he picked me up and put me up on his shoulder, and I wrapped one paw around his neck to hold myself there, "Let's head back to town."

As Zane turned around and started to walk into the woods surrounding the clearing, a voice suddenly spoke up from the other side, "Hey! You!"

"Hmm?" Zane turned back to look behind him.

There was another young man standing at the other edge of the clearing, posing with his hands on his hips, apparently trying to look all tough. He was wearing a black outfit, and a blue jacket over that, a few of those strange red and white balls hanging on the belt around his waist.

"You should battle me!" He shouted and pointed at my trainer.

Zane blinked, and he lifted up his hands, "I'm only here for training, my pokemon's exhausted for today. Sorry, some other day."

As Zane made to leave, the other human jeered, "You trained for two hours, is your Riolu that weak, or did it just always stay a weak baby?"

I growled softly, my paw gripping the side of my trainer's neck, and Zane sensed my annoyance at the trainer's comment. He turned back around slowly, glaring at the other young man and walking back into the clearing a few steps.

The challenger grinned and he grabbed one of the balls along his waist, tapping the button in the middle of it enlarge it, "Heh, not a coward after all? Let's see what you got." He threw the ball, a flash of light bursting from it as it hit the ground and a small bird like pokemon was left in the clearing as the ball returned to the trainer.

The bird spread it's wings and sighed thankfully, "Ah stuffy little pokeballs..."

Zane murmured to me as the pokemon stretched out, "Pidove...A flying type...this won't be easy. We'll have to be careful."

"All right!" I said excitedly and jumped down from his shoulder. Despite having just got done with training and being exhausted from it, I felt pumped up staring down the bird pokemon across from me as we got ready.

"What's this?" The bird looked at me, "A puny little runt?"

I blushed brightly and barked at him, "Me puny? You're half my size!" It was true, the bird barely stood up to my waist.

"Size doesn't matter, you have little training. To me you are a runt." He lifted up a wing and it started pecking and grooming its feathers.

I growled loudly and clenched my paws into tight fists, glaring at the pokemon, "I've been trained well beyond what I need to beat you."

"We'll see." The bird grinned at me and flapped its wings to rise up into the air a bit. "Why do I need size when I can have height?" With that, the bird swooped up into the air, and its trainer shouted.

"Pidove! Use tackle!"

The Pidove turned in the air, folding its wings close to dive bomb towards me. I couldn't help the reaction I took, raising my arm up and stepping back in a fear of being hit, but Zane's voice snapped me back to action.

"Jump and dodge Riolu, then use Pound!"

I jumped to the right just as the Pidove swooped past me, barely missing my leg as he pulled back up into the air around me. I attempted to attack as the other pokemon was flying by me, but he was too fast, and I couldn't make contact.

"Ahhhhh how do we counterattack when it flies around in the air so much?" Zane thought out loud. I turned toward him and barked, and he snapped his fingers, "Right! Focus and use your ability Riolu," He smiled at me and nodded, putting faith in me.

I tried to focus on feeling the aura around me, as the trainer commanded his Pidove to attack again, this time with a wing attack. I tried as hard as I could, but I wasn't able to sense the aura with all the commotion going on around me. The pokemon's attack hit me straight on as I didn't move, suddenly striking me in the chest with a glowing wing and sending back a few feet and sliding against the ground. I yelped in pain, coming to a stop closer to Zane.

"Riolu! What's wrong?"

I shook my head as I stood up, whining softly to myself. I couldn't focus in the middle of the fight, I wasn't used to this yet. I looked back at Zane with a worried look, and he seemed to get the idea. "You can't focus huh? Well then we'll try something different."

"This is boring!" The other trainer shouted as his Pidove glided back through the air, and started coming at me again, "Wing attack again Pidove!"

"Ruli, stand your ground and defend." Zane told me and I stamped my feet into the ground and brought my arms up in defense. The Pidove's wing slammed into me, and began to push me across the ground even as I stood, my feet digging into the ground painfully and I gritted my teeth.

"Riolu, Counter!"

I opened my eyes and grinned as I took what I learned, and absorbed the pain like Lucario had taught me before, flinging out my arms and pushing the Pidove away. The Pidove faltered in the air a bit from my sudden push, which gave me time to spin and kick out with my leg, delivering a counter blow and transferring the damage from his attack back at him at even more power.

I heard the Pidove squawk as the power of my kick made him slam into the ground and skid a bit in the dirt, a few feathers being left in the grass, before he managed to flap his wings and take flight again. He was scuffed and marked up, but so was I, and the fatigue from my training was getting to me again.

Breathing heavily, I knelt onto one knee and glared up at the panting Pidove above me as he glided along in the air. The damage from his two attacks left me weaker coupled with my fatigue.

"Come on Riolu, don't give up yet! We can do this!" Zane encouraged me from behind me and I nodded, getting myself back up onto both feet. "You won't last through another hit like that though..." the other trainer sneered across the clearing.

"Pidove, finish this, use Aerial Ace!" The Pidove tucked in his wings and nose dived at me again, this time though, pointed out like an arrow, wind whistling at the insane speed.

My eye widened as the Pidove came at me quickly, and I heard Zane in the back of my head, "Riolu, use the aura, you have to use it! Focus and use Force Palm to counter!"

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, and tried to relax, but the anxiety of the battle was too much!

"Relax Riolu, remember the things Lucario taught you!"

I thought back to what Lucario told me, that aura was was more like a living embodiment of another pokemon, that I could use it then to predict their movement and actions. He didn't tell me anything about how to feel it in the middle of a fight though! All he told me was to try and stay calm!

Well then, what calmed me? I instantly thought of Zane, but it didn't work as much as I thought it would, all I could think of was how much I might let him down if I lost here.

I opened my eyes a moment, the Pidove was closing in so quickly! I panicked and jumped into the air, and the Pidove passed under me, surprised from my action. I landed back onto my feet as he circled around in the air.

"Lucky dodge!" The other trainer shouted, "Again Pidove!"

I closed my eyes again quickly, this might be my last chance, the bird wouldn't be tricked like that again. The suddenness of my thoughts came quickly, and I thought of my lullaby. I started to hum it to myself, and all the anxiety left as I imagined I was being held by my mother, the safety of being with her I felt, even though I had been with her for only a few days.

Opening my eyes again, which were now glowing in a deep red light, the Pidove's speed had been slowed for me. As I hummed the lullaby, I watched as a prediction formed in front of me and it showed me what would happen quickly in flashes of memory and visions in my head.

My song ended though, as I hummed the last note, the world sped back up and the rush of battle reentered my body, my heart rate picking back up and I took the one path that seemed the most obvious from what the aura had showed me. There was only one option that wouldn't get me hit.

As the Pidove dived, I dashed foward at it. Zane yelled out to me, and the other trainer laughed. I could see the grin on the other pokemons beak, and just before it was about to get close enough to land the hit, I ducked and fell back to slide under him.

The look of astonishment on the Pidove's face was only half as satisfying as the pained squawk he gave when I kicked my foot up into his gut as he passed over me. The Pidove was kicked up into the air, frantically flapping his wings to try and gain control, but he was unable to, and gravity brought him down to the ground with a crash.

I stood up, as the small dust cloud settled, the Pidove was laying there, groaning and its eyes dazed. It didn't seem like it was going to be getting back up.

"Yes! You did it Riolu!" Zane cheered for me and he ran up to me and picked me up.

"Yeah! I did do it!" I shouted back happily as he held me in the air.

The other trainer huffed as he lifted the pokeball and said "Return Pidove." A line of red light shot from the ball and touched the Pidove, who then seemed to be sucked back into the ball, vanishing from sight. The trainer put the ball back on his waist and turned to leave.

"Hey wait! What was all this for anyway?" Zane asked and the trainer stopped.

"It was for nothing, I was paid to beat you, but it seems I failed the task, I'll have to try again some other time..."

"What?! You were paid to battle me?" But the trainer didn't speak anymore, and stepped into the forest and out of sight.

"Hey! Wait!" But there was no more waiting it seemed now, and me and Zane were left alone in the forest now.

"How strange..." Zane thought, "Who would have hired him to battle me?"

____________________

When me and Zane returned to his home, his dad was back, and the look he gave me when we walked into the house sparked of surprise a moment, but then he looked away just as quickly.

I glared at him suspiciously, was it him who had hired the young trainer maybe? Was that why he gave the look of surprise just now, seeing me still awake and not knocked out from battle? For what reason?

I didn't get much time to think of it as Zane made his way up the stairs to his room with me quickly to get away from his dad. I knew they didn't have a very good relationship, from what Zane's mother told me earlier today, but it wasn't always like this from what it seemed too. I didn't really like the implications if it was his dad who hired that trainer either.

When we got into his room, Zane sat me down on the floor and he walked to his bed, putting his head in his hands a moment and I walked up to him and tapped him on the leg, looking up to him.

"Oh Riolu..." He sighed softly, "It was my dad wasn't it? He hired that trainer to knock you out and stop me, he usually doesn't get home this early, he was here waiting for me to get home, probably hoping I'd be carrying you while you were knocked out..." He clenched his hands into fists, "And then he'd go on another whole speel over how stupid it was to go on my journey and that pokemon are dangerous and blah blah blah."

I knew that Zane couldn't understand me, but I tried anyway, "Well, we'll have to show him otherwise huh? Like we did today."

Zane only looked at me and he smiled, "Heh, you try to cheer me up Riolu...that's nice, thanks."

I smiled up at him and wagged my tail just a bit, though I grumbled inwardly at that he couldn't understand me. I remembered how Herb and Lucario had seemed to understand each other so easily, and I made a mental note to ask Lucario how that was possible the next time I saw him if possible.

Zane interrupted my thought, "Let's rest up Riolu...tomorrow's the big day, and I'll...we'll finally be away." I nodded as my trainer picked me up and held me close to me. He didn't seem to want to bother taking off his clothes tonight, as I laid close to him and he held me with only one arm.

He quickly feel asleep, and I was left with my thoughts again. I was proud that I had won my first ever battle, but the fact that the battle was probably an attempt to injure me by Zane's dad made me angry. I couldn't rest yet.

I waited for Zane to be deep in sleep before I wiggled out from his arm and I opened the door to his room. Walking down the stairs, I saw Zane's father sitting alone in the living room at the end. He watched me as I walked down, and I glared back at him until I reached the final step, and then walked slowly closer to him until I was only a few feet away from where he sat. Both of us glared at one another for a bit

"What are you looking at?" He talked to me in an annoyed tone, "Leave me alone you rotten pokemon."

"You hired that trainer..." I growled at him and tightened my paws into fists, and for once now, the big man seemed scared of me as he heard me growl, but he kept up his bravado.

"Go ahead, do it. Attack me and you'll prove you're just like any other pokemon. In the beginning, you were all wild animals." He grinned down at me as he chuckled, "I used to think like my son does, until I saw the truth of pokemon. Once you get as strong as you think you can, you won't feel any more use for your relationship with my son, and you'll turn on him."

I shook my head, I would never do that, but as I shook my head, the big man yelled at me, "DON'T LIE TO ME!" He punched the couch, and I saw Zane's mom dash into the room quickly, and she scooped me up as Zane's dad continued to shout.

"THAT BLASTED TRAINER BETTER KEEP HIS CONTRACT! I WON'T STAND FOR THIS!!!"

Zane's mom rushed me back up the stairs, and she placed me on the floor to Zane's room, and whispered to me in a hushed voice while her husband was still shouting downstairs, "Stay here tonight Riolu...He'll be like this for awhile now...tomorrow is supposed to be a special day, but with this..." She sighed softly, "Me and Herb are probably going to be the only ones who see him off..."

"Me and Zane will prove him wrong..." I told her, but again of course she didn't understand me.

She smiled down at me as I spoke, "I know you'll prove him wrong..." I blinked. She had understood me! I was excited beyond reason, and spoke more, quickly and loudly.

"He hired a trainer to fight Zane and me! He tried to humiliate Zane! This is wrong!" I stomped the ground heavily with my foot.

"No no no, you can't hurt him, Zane wouldn't be able to go on his journey if his father had some way to prove his opinion of pokemon to his son."

I deflated. It had been a coincidence. She didn't really understand me, but the way she seemed to meant we both wanted the same thing here at least.

"You and Zane...can make some really amazing things happen, he told me so much of that day you had been training with Lucario while you were sleeping hehe. I love Zane, he wants to go on this journey, not all young people get the chance to go, it's such a grand thing to do. You keep my son safe Riolu, I know people and pokemon can get along, his dad's experience was just an unfortunate event...and someday you'll show his dad that and make him remember his own journeys with his pokemon."

I heard heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs, and the female human turned me toward the door and pushed me inside Zane's room quickly, before turning to confront her husband as they both began to argue in hushed voices.

I slowly returned to Zane's bed and hopped up, scrabbling at the sheets as I eventually made it on and I returned to my trainers side, snuggling up to him and ignoring the whispering words I could hear downstairs as I slowly drifted off to sleep.