FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Branches snapped and brambles snagged as they were pushed aside, leaves crunching to announce the racing footsteps through the forest as if the fury of the Pokemon's rush wasn't enough in the first place. The crashing of his body through the underbrush set off the wildlife in the forest around him, arousing a chorus of shrieks and howls. Each sound from the forest intermingled with his harsh breathing, the panicked footsteps as he crunched through the forest bordering the small town, and the shouting of the trainer fighting through the underbrush after him. The human sounded close, and by no means any less angry than he had been earlier.

Alongside the shouting, the Lucario could also hear the sounds of another Pokemon crashing through the undergrowth, baying and barking in response. The barking chilled the fighting Pokemon to his bone, and forced him to put more speed into his flight. A short vault over a downed tree dropped him down further than he anticipated, however, jarring his already sore legs and sending him sprawling to the detritus that littered the forest floor. Scrambling to his feet, he shot back forward with a push from his feet, closing his eyes and leaning forward as he crashed through a section of stinging brambles with a cry of pain, tripping and stumbling back forward onto his front once again. This time, the Poke-ball held in his grip slipped, and bounced away from him.

Immediately, the Lucario pushed himself onto all fours, brushing his hands back and forth while he frantically searched for the tiny sphere. Why? Why did it have to be that ball? His eyes darted back and forth, while his head swiveled about. Panic began to seep its way into the usually calm Pokemon's core the longer it took for him to find it, and he silently cursed the trainer for using the black-and-white patterned object on him. Hope faded, and he began pushing himself off of the ground to resume his flight without his ball when a mewl off to his left made him start and turn to see a small Pokemon with the Poke-ball in its mouth. The Purrloin, probably nothing more than a kitten, dropped it in front of him, earning a tender pet before a howl erupted from behind him; a howl he knew all-too-well, and one that sent a shiver of real fear through him.

Houndoom!

A glance at the now cowering feline Pokemon made him realize how far the human hunting him was willing to go, to get him back. A glance over it was enough to reveal another. And another. A family of them, with the mother sheltering her kittens under a moss-covered log.

'Stay. No sound.' He instructed, giving the kitten close to him a push and a flick of his snout toward its mother. With the crashing through the forest getting closer, he stood and did what his instinct told him otherwise: The Lucario turned on his heel, and sprinted to his right, down the bank of a small stream, deliberately making as much noise as he thought necessary. The shouting of the human increased, along with another bone-chilling howl from the hell-hound pursuing him, and he stopped for a moment, turning around in the direction he had come. His first thought was the Purrloins he had left behind, and a momentary pang of regret shot through his core, until with a thunderous crash the canine tracking him burst through the trees and into the clearing. It left a split second to react, allowing him to duck at the right moment, as the dog flew over his frame in its attempt at a tackle, before he sprinted back into the forest in the direction he had been heading before. Speed was his ally against the Houndoom, but only just.

Only days before, the Lucario had been a Riolu. Trusting in his trainer, and willing to put his body through the stress of evolution, he had shown the human his friendship by transforming into his most desired Pokemon, but his trainer was not who he had thought. Upon evolution, his trainer pit him repeatedly against his other Pokemon. Even when he had refused, he was forced to fight, or suffer consequences, until, finally he could not take it anymore. Now he fled through the forest surrounding Nuvema Town, his Poke-ball in his clutches, from the Pokemon that always scared him with its devotion to his trainer's violence. The howl of rage as he escaped the Houndoom was proof of its vicious attitude, and only by weaving through the progressively denser tree trunks was he able to eventually evade the now enraged tracking dog, even as the smell of smoke and hellfire began to tickle his nose. A few short moments later and he was dashing across a small dirt trail, passing a building filled with awe-struck humans before he slipped into a section of tall grass, heading toward a small cave he knew was nearby.

A few short steps was all he was able to make in the grass, before with a shrieking cry from above he was slammed to the ground by an impact that forced all of the air from his lungs. He struggled against claws that held him to the Earth, earning a squawk from above him as his captor hopped off, and with a gust of wind retreated. It gave him the chance to stand, cradling his Poke-ball to his belly as he gasped for air and searched until he found the Braviary climbing above the trees for a second assault. The bird Pokemon suddenly dived toward him, swooping low and folding its wings like a torpedo while using its tail to steer, a move the Lucario recognized: one the human aptly called 'Brave Bird'. One chance...

He widened his stance, narrowing his eyes while the feelers on the back of his head lifted, allowing him to see the Aura surrounding the charging avian, and at the right moment the Lucario drew back his fist. With a snarl, he closed his eyes and lunged forward, surging his own Aura through his body into a lightning-charged sucker punch. The impact told him his strike had met its mark, and the indignant, wailing squawk from the Braviary told him that his unpracticed ability had succeeded. He opened his eyes in time to see the punch sending the bird over his head where it collapsed in a paralyzed heap on the edge of the tall grass. Before he could attempt to flee once again the pursuing Houndoom scrambled from the edge of the forest and onto the trail with a triumphant howl, staring him down as they began to circle.

'Well!? What are you waiting for?' He spat at the dog, taking a tentative step backward. A rustling behind him made him spin around, however, to bring himself facing the trainer he had been evading as he emerged from the trees, breathless.

“There you are!" The human brought his fingers to his mouth, issuing a sharp whistle before waiting. After a few seconds, the human whistled again, cursing to himself before looking at the sky. “Where is that damn bird?"

Lucario chuckled, making the trainer round on him again, and he shot a red-eyed glance at the unconscious Braviary. The trainer followed his gaze, before letting out a cry of anger directed at the bird.

“It looks like you're not good for nothing, after all, Lucario." The trainer stomped over toward the fallen bird, kicking the downed Pokemon and making Lucario wince. “Unlike some creatures, now wake up, you worthless bird!" Lucario watched as the trainer gruffly threw a revive packet at the downed bird, making it cry out weakly as it came to, before being kicked again by the human. “How many times have I told you? Don't. Play. With. Your. Food. You. Stupid. Bird!" Its trainer punctuated every word with a savage kick to the Pokemon's midsection, just below its wing, ending his outburst with a particularly hard stomp that made the Braviary scream in pain. “Shut up! You can complain all you want later, because it looks like somebody else is taking your spot at the Pokemon Center, this time."

Lucario stared at his trainer, his jaw agape, at what he had said. 'No healing at a center!?' He glanced at the Houndoom behind him, who snickered as the bird Pokemon was retrieved into its ball once again.'It is paralyzed!' He took a step toward his trainer, growling with his pointed ears laying flat against his head, but a snap of the human's fingers stopped him in his tracks.

“Now, don't get too big for your britches, Lucario. You did a good job on Braviary, so..." The human held out his hand expectantly, glaring at him. “... let's give your ball back, and we'll get you all rested up for your training." He glanced toward the Poke-ball in his grip, and looked at the trainer for a moment before stamping his foot defiantly and glaring the human down.

'No.'

“What are you just standing there, for? I said give me the Poke-ball!" Again, Lucario acted in defiance, shaking his head at his trainer with a grunt.

'You should do as you are told, Lucario.' The Houndoom behind him let out a sigh, and he could feel the dog getting closer to him. 'You would not want to make Master angry, again. You know what happened last time you did that...'

'I am not yours.' Lucario tucked the ball up against his chest tightly, and glanced around him. His eyes locked on the building behind Houndoom, and to his left. If I can reach the fence...

“Give. Me. The—hey!" Lucario bolted, shoving past Houndoom as he dashed with all of his body's speed toward the white picket fence that surrounded the small yard, while a small group of humans watched on, apparently speechless. He gathered his strength to make a jump but was tackled by the dog, a heavy paw jammed into his back.

'Almost...'

“Good boy, Houndoom." A few rushed footsteps brought his trainer next to him, while the dog Pokemon kept him pinned. “What are you people looking at? Never seen a runaway Pokemon before?" They started to say something, but his trainer quickly silenced them. Suddenly, the weight was off of his back, and his trainer grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. With a yelp, he was lifted painfully while his legs were held by Houndoom, and he began fighting with the human over his Poke-ball. “Give it to me, you miserable mutt, or I swear you'll be no better than that bird you smashed." Lucario just tugged harder, growling loudly as the struggle continued. “Just give it to me, damn it!" He received a hard yank on his scruff, making him yelp again, and a crazy notion formed in his head. Pinned, unable to take one hand off of his ball, and his trainer willing to do whatever it took to get it from him, Lucario did the only thing he could think of.

With a savage snarl, unbecoming of a Lucario, he sunk his teeth into his trainer's hand. Immediately he was rewarded with a howl of pain from the human, but before he could pull it away, Lucario bit down harder. He could taste the blood from the human in his mouth, and hear the wailing from him, but he closed his eyes and hung on as tightly as he could with his jaws until he received a kick to his stomach. He rolled onto his knees, wheezing slightly but still in possession of his ball, as his trainer scrambled away holding a bleeding hand and shouting at the Houndoom.

“Teach him a lesson! No Pokemon bites me and gets away with it!" Lucario stood up, staring the hellhound down, only to be tackled in a searing blast of flames. He let out a cry and allowed his ball to go flying from his grip, clutching at his body as he tried to regain his stance. In a last-ditch attempt, he called upon all of the strength he had while glaring at the other Pokemon, but the Houndoom was faster. In a flash, the Aura he had summoned dissipated as he was staggered back and pinned to the fence he had tried to reach earlier. The air was flooded with shouting while he struggled to push the Houndoom off of him, and the dog unleashed a bite to his face. His struggling turned into pained thrashing as the burning fangs from the dog sunk into the left side of his head, his fists mindlessly beating against the Houndoom as chaos exploded around him. In seconds he was pulled away over the fence, amid a chorus of commands to Pokemon. The Houndoom was launched away from him, ripping his face open as the dog's jaws scissored shut to attempt to hold on, by a Dewott executing a dizzying water-fueled dash.

Lucario saw nothing after being hauled over the fence of the Daycare, but he heard the screams of other Pokemon in battle, the trainers shouting commands, and the howling of Houndoom in retreat before the pain in his head overwhelmed his body. The last thing he did see was a female racing toward him with a potion spray, shouting something to the other Pokemon. He felt the suddenly comfortable confines of his Poke-ball, and Lucario curled up inside the digital enclosure, cradling his face with his hands to rest as fatigue took away his consciousness.

---

Sounds. Echoes. Reverberations that filtered through the inky darkness inside the small spherical prison that contained his entire existence. His world. His Self; Ego. Id. His entire identity. Everything that made Lucario, Lucario. From the depths of this self-contained world he could sense these echoes as they resolved themselves into distinction. They formed words, sensations. Thoughts and impressions. Flashes of scenery, of other Pokemon. Of humans. They formed memories, memories that he recognized as his own as they rose from the depths below.

He remembered seeing his first human: A boy. He was ambitious. Strong. A powerful will and a heart that was convicted and proud, like the Riolu that he stood before. Poke-ball in hand, the human's body shook with desire and anxiety as the creature it commanded chased after the Riolu vehemently, but the Pokemon was small. Weak. No match for a Fighting type. The Riolu dispatched it quickly, and stood its ground, eying the human with a form of respect. It stood still as the boy threw its capsule, straightening in acceptance of the tiny human adorned with dark clothing, and the symbol of a strange faction emblazoned on its breast. When the cold tendrils of energy wrapped around him, he felt a sense of pride at having chosen a worthy friend.

New memories appeared soon after, more recent memories. He remembered standing by his trainer, his friend. Proudly cast from the capsule that contained him and given commands. To dodge. Duck. Roll. Attack. Attack. Attack! So attack he did. Over and over, fight after fight, battle after battle. When he was victorious, he shared in the revelry with his trainer, his companion, his trusted friend. They celebrated, the happiness of the human feeding into the young Riolu, energizing it. Making it stronger, better, faster. When he fell to defeat, the Riolu felt fondness and compassion. A comforting hand petting the head, a soft voice telling that it was okay. That it tried its best, and that was all that matters. They'd try again next time. He remembered the Riolu smiling up at its trainer, put at ease. Secure. Safe. Lucario remembered when the Riolu began to grow stronger, feeding on its trainer's power. The strength of its happiness, the raw force of his joy, the power in his enthusiasm. It all created a feedback loop in the Riolu. The happier its trainer was, the more powerful the Riolu became. The more powerful the Riolu became, the stronger the bond became. The stronger their bond became, the happier the Riolu was. The happier the Riolu was, the harder the Riolu trained, and so on. Companion turned to true friend. True friend became Mentor. Mentor became Teacher, Teacher to General, General... to Brother.

Lucario remembered when the brotherhood between the Riolu and the human reached its zenith. When it could do no better, try no harder, fight no more strongly, as a Riolu. Lucario remembered when the Riolu stood before its trainer, and in a display of devotion and loyalty to that brotherhood, that bond, it shed its infancy. Matured. Unleashing the powerful aura that had accumulated inside it by evolving into the one Pokemon that the human desired above all else: Lucario. Lucario recalled standing before the human, a proud stance, shaking with the exertion and excitement of precession into his ultimate state of being. He remembered the strings of aura as they wove and tangled themselves together around him and the human, but the strings were not the same. The love and devotion that had been present before was gone, replaced with desire and a lust for power.

Lucario was pit against Pokemon after Pokemon. Cast against Electric and Rock. Steel and Water. Fire and Ice. As Lucario it did what Riolu could not: it defeated them all. It stood triumphant, panting and heaving as its foe lay prostrate before it, kneeling to the power that was the bond of Loyalty. The boy grew to a teen, as Riolu had grown. The boy set upon his world, challenging others, casting Lucario to battle. Where there was victory, the boy claimed spoils. Where there was defeat… there was no defeat. Power becomes the Lucario, and Lucario embodied that power with zeal. With time Lucario learned the name his human's friends called themselves by: Plasma. This was the Lucario's family. This brotherhood, this Plasma. From them Lucario learned the ways of battle, what it meant to win, but to the Lucario were left questions.

His victories created heartbreak in his adversaries. Pain that Lucario had never experienced. New emotions: Sadness. Terror. Fear. Auras the Riolu could never pick up on. As other trainers were separated from their Pokemon, and Pokemon separated from their trainers. Their companions, humans that were their friends, when they were torn apart the Lucario questioned its own companion. The tears small humans shed made the Lucario cast doubtful glances at its trainer. The fear exuded by the claimed Pokemon made it recoil in agony, stomach twisting horribly. Still the Lucario pushed on, but the doubt had been planted, and as with all things planted in fertile soil those seeds soon sprouted. Sprouts that blossomed when the Lucario was confronted with what the concept of wrong for the first time.

The memories of his trainer transitioned to the final one before his escape. In a dark room, musty and claustrophobic. The Lucario sensed his trainer. Sensed another Pokemon. It sensed the excitement from its trainer, his anticipation, and it fueled the Lucario. Aura flooded its veins, coursed through its body, building power as its trainer held out the Poke-ball in his hand. Without a word, the ball rolled off the human's fingertips and clacked to the floor, bouncing. Once. Twice, before springing open. Lucario let out a savage growl, feelers raising, but it stalled. Eyes wide, cowering, but fists raised in defiance stood a small Riolu.

Fear. Adrenaline. The aura surged from the small Pokemon, and Lucario stumbled backward in shock, looking to its trainer. The human uttered a single command, pumping his fist in enthusiasm as he did: “Lucario, attack!", but Lucario did not. Lucario stared at the Riolu, and saw itself. Trusting, afraid, but brave. Naive.

“What are you doing, Lucario? I said attack!" Again, the Lucario defied the command. Instead it straightened, and slashed its arm through the air with a foot stamping on the cold tile.

'No.'

“What are you doing? Don't you understand what I'm saying, you stupid mutt?" Lucario's eyes widened, ears flattening. This was not a word of affection. This was not a word of praise, this was anger. Anger at it. Frustration. Discontent. The human stamped his foot like it had, mimicking the Lucario's defiant gesture of sweeping its arm. “I said attack!" When Lucario refused, the human rounded on the Riolu, pointing at it with rage emanating from him.

“Riolu, teach this stupid mutt a lesson! Go on!" The Riolu swelled at the goading, glaring at Lucario, but all it did was shake its head at the small Pokemon. It hesitated, and the trainer's hand came down on it sending it to the floor with a yipe of pain. It was beaten again. And again, crying out each time the hand came down when the young Pokemon refused to follow its instructed order. Lucario just watched, dumbfounded. Aghast at the brutality of its trainer, the cruelty, the malice, toward a Pokemon that, despite being abused, continued to rise to its feet, ready for a command that it would not follow. Could not. The human raised its hand again, preparing for another strike, but Lucario was faster, stepping between the human and the Riolu. This was not right, this is not how it had seen its trainer. This was not the kind human he had evolved for, called brother. With the abuse, the Lucario was disillusioned. It saw what Plasma was this time, not the brave family it had thought it was, but as criminals. Thieves. Abusers. These humans were something that he had no concept of until now: Evil. With this revelation, the Lucario saw the human in a different light, without respect. Its orders were poison, its words were lies. The human was no friend, it was simply a puppeteer, and the Lucario had become that puppet.

Lucario remembered the anger that flooded the space between it and the human; remembered when the human raised its hand. Lucario remembered standing firm, enduring the strike for the Riolu. It stood firmly against a second strike, fists balled and eyes closed against the pain. A third. A fourth. The Lucario lost count, but its eyes burned; not with pain, but tears. Betrayal was new to the Pokemon, but not something it did not understand, sorrow was not a new emotion, but one that it had never felt itself. Only vicariously through others, until now. The Lucario had never felt the unfathomable pit left in one's heart, never could have imagined the gaping wound of broken trust and love, but as the trainer continued a new emotion set began to boil forth. Rising up from its core through its belly, into the hole where its heart had been torn from, the Lucario began to experience righteous anger for the first time: Rage. Disdain. Disgust. Each strike added fuel to the fire swelling inside, each insult fanned the embers into a roiling bonfire that lept up from its chest and into the Lucario's eyes. When the human saw it, his fist closed, and the Pokemon buckled when it came down.

The punch sent it sprawling onto the floor with a grunt. Lucario remembered glaring up at the trainer as the human towered above, glaring, but its gaze was not focused on the human's face. Instead, it was focused intently on the human's waist, where the small metal and enamel spheres sat clustered at his hip. One stood out among the rest: black on top and white on the bottom, with a flaming stripe above the equator broken only by a solitary red line above the button in the center. The Lucario never heard the human speak. Never heard the disdain, never cared. In a burst of power, rage flashed from flames and embers to transform into the nuclear fire of hate that burned with all the intensity of the sun itself, and paws found purchase on the human. Rage and hatred turned blood into liquid ichor as adrenaline coursed. Pushing. Tugging. Clawing, kicking, biting, striking, cutting, slashing, burning.

Lucario mauled the small human, leaping forward, shoving him to the floor without restraint. The human threw his arms up, protecting himself, giving Lucario the opportunity it needed: The opportunity to seize the small orb from the human, casting a pitiful glance at the Riolu, wishing there was something it could do to help. Anything to save another from the pain it had endured. The heartbreak, the lies, and the abuse it saw in the future, but there was nothing. Not now. So the Lucario steeled itself, turning away from the pleading eyes of the young Pokemon, away from the trainer wailing in pain and into the face of shame, and the Lucario fled.

'I'm sorry…'

---

“...abused, yes. Horribly by the looks of it."

Muffled voices echoed through the walls of the Poke-ball, muted by the transition from reality to the digital enclosure but still able to reach his ears, making him curl tighter against himself. Smaller. Mixtures of emotion welled up from deep inside him. Anger, resentment, but what arose most prominently from the depths of his pride clawed at his heart, and turned his insides into a squirming mass of Caterpies: Fear. He had been rescued from his trainer, and from the Houndoom, but to what fate? These new humans were unknown to him, their motives unclear, but even as Lucario all but shivered inside his Poke-ball, they continued their conversation unaware of his attention.

“Yes, the Braviary. From what I understand it was physically abused quite severely. Why would anyone do something so brutal to it? And the Lucario… that's… well that's just heartbreaking!"

“I agree. Witnesses say the Lucario blatantly defied its trainer. Even became aggressive."

“You're kidding!"

“Nope. Furthermore, according to th'owner of the daycare it willingly turned on its fellow party members without hesitation." Pride swelled in Lucario at the mention of him standing up to the boy. Nothing would have stood between him and escape, but as he continued listening that pride shrank to shame. He had stood up against the abuse, but in doing so he had given no thought to the other Pokemon. The Braviary. Lucario even felt remorse for fighting Houndoom. He had never liked the hellhound, but they had been friends notwithstanding. He could have offered an escape as well, but he didn't. Instead Lucario only thought of himself. Selfishness, and because of his carelessness his former friend remained trapped with the human...

“I also heard he bit his trainer? Is this true?"

...now Lucario doubted he would ever regain the trust or respect of Houndoom again. He had betrayed 'master'. He had run away, and he had attacked the boy. Now, he was sure the hound had nothing but hatred for him. Even in the possibility, Lucario could not stop thinking about one thing: Even Houndoom had hesitated. Even if it were brief, the fastest of flashes in the hound's eyes, he saw it: Doubt, and there was something in what it said: 'You know what happened last time…'. At the time, it had sounded like a threat, or a warning, but the tone replayed in his mind over, and over…

You know what happened last time…

“It is, yes. S'why I'm unsure about this."

“I don't blame you. Are you sure he's… safe?"

“Only one way to find out."

His thoughts were interrupted by the turn of the conversation. His attention focused back on the humans outside his Poke-ball, listening to them as they discussed. They talked openly for a short time, then their conversation turned into hushed whispers. The sound, already muffled, was unintelligible through the walls of the Poke-ball, and it made Lucario uneasy. In his current state he could not sense the aura around his Poke-ball. He was blind thanks to the drain of the battle for his freedom, but through the whispering and mumbling, he heard something cut through. A command to a Pokemon. It was quick, catching him unaware, unprepared to pay attention. What shocked him more was that within a moment of the command, he felt the shift. His being twisted inside the sphere, and he felt the draw of the real world pulling him from his sanctuary. He had no time to react, no strength left to resist the call, no will left to do anything but prepare to fight. When the world materialized around him his fists rose in preparation, but rather than ready for combat they flung up to shield his eyes from the light around him. He stumbled, taking uneasy steps backward as he blinked the blindness out of his vision. All the while his ears swiveled like radar dishes and his feelers remained erect, hearing and sensing everything around him, helping him map his surroundings as best as his tired body could.

“Hey, hey now, s'alright!" The voice cut through his confusion and made him stall. He turned his frame toward the sound. He remembered the voice as belonging to one of the trainers from the battle, easing him slightly, but still that fear remained. “You're safe here, just calm down, buddy." During the fight her voice was filled with rage and power. It had seethed with authority and confidence as it commanded Pokemon. Now it was soft and soothing, filled with kindness and concern. He lowered his arms and stared forward toward her, his eyes blinking to clear the blur as they struggled to focus on her properly. Only able to see her vague shape, he raises his fists in defiance, prepared to fight, but the silhouette only raised its arms, and her voice lanced out through the room again.

“Whoa, there! Take it easy now, ain't nobody's gonna hurt'cha, alright?" He blinked his eyes furiously, desperately trying to get them to focus to make up for the pitiful state of his aura, panic beginning to set in. What vision he had was cast around, looking for anything, and he saw an open doorway. Without hesitating he turned on his tail and bolted, every muscle in his body straining for the portal with impossible effort. Even moving as fast as he could, his body felt heavy, his legs felt as if they were weighted down, sluggish; he managed only a handful of steps before they gave out and he sprawled to the floor. Pain seared in his head, making him cry out loudly and clutch at the left half of his face as he continued trying to crawl as far as he could, but he was barred.

As if appearing from thin-air itself, a Pokemon stepped between him and the door, the arms of its bipedal frame held to the sides to keep him where he was. This close his nose smelled brine and salt, but before he could bother himself to place the scent his body was recoiling back, struggling to his feet to flounder blindly toward a dark space holding his head before he was again denied his escape. This time by a human hand on his shoulder stopping him to gently turn him around. The same woman was on her knees, face to face, close enough that even through his blindness he could make out her face, and he jerked away onto his haunches to scoot away, growling.

“Hey, no don't take it that way, I just want to help. Here…" She held something out to him, and he squinted against the pain in his head vainly. His eyes could make nothing out, and he answered her with a snort of derision and inched further away. “I saw you protecting this earlier, this is your Poke-ball right?" He snapped his vision to her and flicked his ears upright, he had forgotten about the ball in his panic, and now proper fear started to set in. He summoned what strength he had to lunge forward at the orb, but it was pulled out of his reach by the human, earning a growl from him in response.

“Now, y'all hang on a sec'." She appeared to sit back on her feet, holding the ball by her head while he retreated, unwilling to be tricked again, but she just held the ball out to him again. “Let's make a deal, okay?" He nodded, returning his left arm to his face to cup the pain around his eye as the pain returned with enough force to push a sniffle through his nose. “Okay?" He had no choice but to accept whatever deal the human made. The more he exerted himself, the more the pain increased, every throb now sending a blinding flash across his vision that made it even harder to see than it was without it. He nodded.

“That's the spirit! Alright partner, here's my deal:" She scooted closer to him, making his body coil defensively, his mind preparing for violence as his eyes widened to see as much as he could. His heart beat furiously in his chest the closer she came, until she stopped close enough to touch him. When she continued, he could barely hear her voice over the sound of blood rushing through his ears, and the ragged breaths panting out of his mouth as he remained trapped against the wall behind him.

“You're hurt bad… I'll give ya your ball, okay? Here." She held the ball out to him, and this time when he lunged for it, she didn't pull away. His hands closed around it but she refused to let go when he tugged, and continued: “Whoa, there! Easy, I'll give ya this, and y'all let Nurse Joy take good care of you. Sound good? We just want to fix ya up nice and proper. No tricks. Promise." Immediately he felt his body relax. Nurse Joy, that meant he was at a Pokecenter. Reluctantly, he nodded to the human again. The resistance to taking his Poke-ball vanished, allowing him to bring the precious orb back to his chest where he could clutch at it as if it were an egg. In short order he allowed the human next to pet over his head toward his right ear, then pick him up and carefully bear him through the center to an examination room where Nurse Joy was waiting for him. Even with his vision useless, he could still make her out thanks to the bright-pink uniform she wore. The woman set him down on the table and gave him another stroke over his right ear, before stepping back and out of focus, allowing the nurse to step in.

“Thank you, Ranger Nelly. I'll handle things from here, you can wait in the lobby."

“Much obliged, Nurse."

“And please remind your Dewott that he should not be moving about too much. Friendly fire is bad enough, it would break my heart if anything becomes permanent..."

“I understand completely. If it's all th'same to you Nurse, I'll give him a puff ah' two and sit with'm so that he don't get none too antsy?"

“That's fine, dear."Lucario looked between the blur of the receding ranger and the nurse, squinting some more, but was distracted when the nurse spoke to him. “Now, let's take a look at you." He tightened his grip on his Poke-ball, flicking his ears back, but he only was rewarded with a giggle from the nurse.

“No, no, darling. I won't be taking that from you. I just want to look at--oh dear!" A light suddenly blinded him, making him flinch and squeeze his eyes shut against it. He could tell it was small, just a pen-light he had seen used in exams many times, but somehow the light seemed a thousand times brighter. Almost painful while the nurse stifled exclamations of woe. “You poor thing, what did that boy do to you…" The light blinked out, and he heard her feet tapping against the floor as she walked. In just a few short seconds the smell of antiseptic reached his nose, and suddenly he could hear the rustling of fabric as Nurse Joy settled next to him again, her voice cheerful and bright as she talked. “Let's get this cleaned up for starters, huh? Don't want to get an infection!"

The antiseptic-soaked gauze touched the left side of his face, and the reaction Lucario felt was instantaneous. The sudden burst of pain wiped everything from his mind until all that was left was nothing but a white haze, sending his Poke-ball from his hands to clack away against the floor while his arms flung themselves up to protect his head. Intermingled with his own howl of pain was the shout of alarm from the Joy attending him, her shoes tapping against the tile as she leapt backward. Her hands found his shoulders quickly though, steadying him as he shifted unsteadily forward and guiding him to lay back on the exam table. The metal under him felt cool through his fur, a sharp contrast to the heat radiating from his body as the pain began to ebb away and his muscled slowed their incessant twitching. All the while the Joy tenderly caressed the right side of his head, sliding her hand smoothly over the fur on his cheek and up over his ear, cooing in hushed tones to help him relax.

Eventually he was able to slow his breathing, his heartbeat settling from its furious beating down to a more even pace, but the sudden burst of pain had done the damage that it needed to his body. Lucario was left weakened, paralyzed in a sense, unable to properly move his arms or legs, or even open his eyes without titanic effort, but unable to succumb to unconsciousness thanks to the intermittent pulses of pain that continued to spread through his head while distantly he heard Nurse Joy calling for help.