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Fortune or Misfortune?

(Blaziken's POV)

I trudged behind the large canine I called trainer, with a scowl. As punishment for burning the dark type's soles I had to stand further back and watch our flank. At first it didn't even sound like a punishment but it wasn't the end of it. I knew Junior. Light punishments eventually lead to bigger ones. Like when I wasn't given dinner for nearly burning off his hair back in Johto. I didn't even understand why he was pissed. It eventually grew back!

Regardless I was stuck about ten feet away from the group. The shuffling of our feet on the dry dirt was nostalgic in a sense but the green leaved trees that layered the path got repetitive and boring. Unlike Johto's pink and yellow trees that accompanied the regular greens, these were just plain boring as all hell.

I rose my arms up behind my head and stared at the sky directly above Junior's head. I let out a soft almost inaudible sigh. When did things first go to shit? This kinda stuff never would've happened back in Johto. My thought soon turned rude and blunt. I swear if it's this blue haired son of a bitch constantly giving the assassins our location, I'm gonna shove my claws through his heart. I growled which did catch Zero's gaze. He arched a brow before turning away. It was obvious at this point I despised Zero. Him and that Lucario. I was never used to somebody like him, besides Typhlosion, I wasn't ever challenged. But he was something else entirely. Something more than just threatening. His gaze was.. deadly in a sense. Like a Beedrill's stinger or Junior's appetite. Nonetheless, I had to stay on my toes for anything they'd try to pull. Best to be cautious rather than regret not.

It was an oddly quiet four minutes before anything actually happened. Junior suddenly stopped in his tracks, making Lucario bump into his backside. He quickly backed away. Embarrassment on his muzzle and face. Zoroark looked back and chuckled at his friend's bashfulness. It always was funny to that fox whenever Lucario acted shy, embarrassed or the sort. I honestly didn't understand the reason. He was a weird one.

“Junior, why'd you stop?" Axel inquired. The large beast leaned his head down at the dirt floor. His paws inches away from each other as he sniffed the dirt. The low growl he let out scared Lucario. It was low like Akio's but with a more threatening glare. His ears were pulled back. His large silver tail flared to life.

“They passed by here." Junior declared, trying to suppress his anger as much as possible.

“Who?" I asked. Junior just growled in response.

“You picked up the assassin's scent didn't you?" The large beast shook his head at the younger trainer's guess. “Not assassins.. But Pokemon with their scent. Leads.. over there." He stopped sniffing the ground and pointed with his nose at the source of the smell. We guided our sight to the left of us. It seemed like any old invitation to getting lost in the lush forest. A simple parting in between the Oran berry trees. The leaves were mostly orange but the tips still light green. Oddly enough only the trees lining the path had different colored leaves. Even the berries a slightly darker shade than usual. It struck me as odd when Junior happily pulled one of the ripe odd colored Oran berries and chewed it in his muzzle. He released a giddy yelp once he gulped.

“Tasty!" He exclaimed. His gargantuan tail wagged ecstatically. There we go again, Junior and his sudden mood changes. He seriously should see Zoroark for a mental check. I advised although he couldn't hear my thoughts. But there was one who did. I-I'll ask Zoroark later for that mental check, thanks for telling me Blaziken. I-I-I'll make sure he gets checked out. Lucario confirmed with a side smile. He seemed content with my worrying of our trainer's mental state. Mostly due to me rarely showing that I cared outside private situations. I cared about my trainer's health greatly. I did owe him my life and service after all. Not that I minded being his Pokemon. It was better than being a slave and sold to serve multiple sick fuckers for the rest of my life. At the point, death would've been better.

“Hey Junior, can I have a berry?" Zoroark asked. “So that, you know, my feet can fucking HEAL?" I growled at the illusion fox. Just because I got annoyed and accidentally burned him didn't mean he had to be so blunt and loud about it. Nobody asked him to stand by me when it happened, it was his own damn fault.

Junior let out a sigh. Most likely tired of our constant arguing. “Zoroark, there's a few Rawst Berries in my bag, just open it and get a couple. Should ease your feet burn. Blaziken, after I become human again, we're gonna have a talk about your ignorance and lack of perception toward your teammates's well being. Understood?" Junior commanded, dominance and power for once in his voice. I was left speechless besides a fold of my arms and a grumble. The wolf beast smiled contently and made his way into the path. Akio and Zoroark snickered at my silence in the manner. I fucking hate you all.

We weren't far into the forest when Junior picked up another scent. Everybody stopped in their tracks when he sniffed around then tilted his head.

“S.. Serena? She passed by here. The scent is still fresh. Wait hold on.. She's walking with..." He paused to sniff the air. “With a Pokemon. Smells native, can't place my paw on it. But it's nothing like anything I've seen."

“Serena? Who's that?" Zero asked, raising a brow.

“I met her during the first day of setting out. She's nice but I thought it be best to experience her first adventure without me. She's doing pretty well so far, but why is she here of all places? Is she looking for The Lake of Vérité too?"

“Highly doubt a kid her age would be looking for something as dangerous as that." I commented. “Even with powerful teammates." Junior fell solemn, staring at the dirt beneath his paws. His fur on his tail bristled to life.

“We have to find her. Her scent is getting close to the assassins! Follow me!" Junior commanded. He dashed forward suddenly, Zoroark quickly grabbed his transportation's fur in fear of falling. Lucario, Tyranitar, the humans and I ran to try and catch up to the large beast. Amazingly, even when Lucario used Extremespeed, he almost matched his speed.. until the aura Pokemon tripped over himself. Everybody looked away as he fell on a mossy tree log. An ear piercing shriek as he fell off the stump, holding his groin. A couple of painful ooohs were heard as we huddled around the poor canine. Junior stopped, ran back and whimpered. He nudged Lucario.

“A-Are you ok?" Junior asked. His ears flatten in worry.

“M-My pups.. OH ARCEUS! IT HUUUUURTS!" He howled. Everybody looked horrified.

“Can you walk?" Axel asked. Lucario shook his head, holding back tears. He was so helpless. I didn't understand why I did what I did, but I picked the smaller mon up and sat him on Junior's back. Without any order or threat. His whimpers only got louder.

“Shut the fuck up already. You're gonna live, now quiet down, Junior'll carry you while we walk." I reassured. The now crying canine nodded his head. His paws tightly gripping his groin. No matter what, no man should've gone through the pain Lucario just experienced. I shuddered thinking about it.

“Is my fur comfy Lucario? There's some pillows in my bag if-"

“I-It's… fine. Just- please keep walking." Lucario croaked.

“You know, it's kinda your fault Junior." Zero stated. The beast just grumbled in response. He knew it was his fault he got his friend hurt. His tail gave away his regret as it hung low. Now he's gonna have this on his conscious, even if it WAS an accident. I thought.

The pace we went was much slower than what was previously. A bit faster than usual but not enough to worry about. Junior kept glancing behind him at the hurting canine. He whimpered apologetically.

“I-I'm so sorry Lucario. If there's anything I c-can do to repay you just n-name it."

“I-Ice pack.. pl-please?" He pleaded, gently rubbing his groin to ease his pain.

“Here dude," Zoroark began as he handed the ice pack he found in a medical kit. “Press lightly or else it'll hurt your.. Uh.. Private parts. Just don't overuse it. It'll hurt worse." The canine nodded and groaned from the cold. Everybody looked away once the hurt dog yelped.

“Um.. hey Junior, pick up any other scents?" Zero asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. Akio took notice and mimicked my action but at Junior. Neither trainer noticed.

“Yeah. We're getting closer. Wait, do you guys hear that?" Junior's ears perked up. His tail rose up with several sways.

Suddenly Akio's ears perked up. He knelt down on one leg, closing his eyes. His paw was set on the dirt floor. His black appendages rose with a mysterious red. Everybody stepped back. My suspicion grew even more. Lucarios always had blue psychic abilities, never red. It was baffling in a sense. The red traveled down his back growing brighter. Once it hit the floor, well, that's what shocked everybody.

It echoed similar to a drop of water in a sink. The red quickly swallowed the entire area. Trees, grass, rocks everything glew red. A gasp was heard.

“A-Akio? What.. Wait, what'd you do?!" Zero asked in a panic. My sight traveled to the other Cario. His veins were visible throughout his body with an odd sphere shaped color exposed. It was in the dead center of his chest and it burned a bright red. His veins pulsed lively when he started looking around. Junior yelped.

“Wh-What'd you d-do to us?" That's when I realized it. Everyone had the same effect on them. Everybody's sphere of color was brighter than Typhlosion's light red. Zoroark's dark blue seemed to fit him. He always was a serious one when he didn't have free time. Zero had an odd looking dark green. It appeared odd since his hair was blue and the two colors didn't clash well together.

Once I looked down, I had realized my own color. A deep dark red unlike Akio's brighter. Huh, cool. I thought. I tried reaching down and grabbing it but I only felt my chest. Even if it wasn't visually there.

“It's your soul dumbass. You can't physically interact with it nor change its flow." Akio grumbled out. I growled but ignored his statement. I didn't know it wasn't physical and I was curious!

Glancing around at everybody's soul I noticed one thing. Out of everybody, there were only two who shared the same colored soul. Junior and Lucario were sharing the same shade of pink. The color worked for Junior since he was shy, submissive and a tail raiser. Only one of those counted for Lucario. So them sharing the same soul color didn't seem normal.

“Wait, why is mine and Junior's the same? Does that mean anything?" Lucario inquired toward the red aura user. Akio gave the beast a glare before responding. “It means a lot actually, and since it's pink, it could mean a deep friendship or feminine traits." I chuckled at the pair who gave each other a look before turning away. Their blushes, obvious and humourous.

“Oh sh-shut up Blaziken! Th-That isn't funny." Junior stated. I gave him a smug shrug. It was funny to me whenever either of them felt embarrassed.

“I didn't do it so you idiots can laugh. Look around for anybody's soul, they won't notice what you all see unless they were within ten meters. Now go. Master, come on. We'll search East you rest search West. Regroup with any information you obtained then we'll all search North." Akio ordered. "Lucario, even with your pain you should be able to sense other beings further as the power wears out. Remember that." The younger Cario simply nodded. I patiently waited for Junior to quickly dismiss Akio's suggestion of splitting up. He never liked that concept of searching.

“Ok, be safe you two." He reluctantly said. My confusion reached a peak. Junior never liked separating. Especially in forests. It gave him anxiety that one of us will end up getting lost, hurt or attacked by poachers. When I asked him about it a long time ago, he claimed he always feared separation. More so during forests which wasn't an odd or weird thing.

“Wait, wouldn't it be better if I went along with you guys? So the two groups are somewhat equal in case someone tries to ambush us?" Axel chimed in. Akio growled but a confused and questioning look from Zero set him straight. Sighing, the darker furred jackal signaled Axel to join them. His teeth visible with each step the young trainer took.

“Be careful guys. Don't get yourselves killed out there."

“OK Mom." Zero replied sarcastically before realizing his fuck up. Junior stared at the blue man before silently walking away. His ears flattened and tail tucked in. We all followed close behind. “Oh, uh. Wait Junior I didn't-" He didn't get to finish as the beast's sniffles drowned out his voice.

(Lucario's POV)

I whimpered from the bitter cold of the ice pack. Junior had carried us for a good minute the off effects of Akio's were slowly deminishing while my lower region went numb. But I still pressed it against my groin. Cold was always an issue for me. Whether it be in battle or tracking through mountains. I never understood why even Junior was baffled when he found that out.

Zoroark glanced over at me with an annoyed look. My ears reactively fell flat. “I told you not that long at a time Lucario. Do you really want to freeze your balls off? Here," The fox slowly moved the ice pack away from my groin. He placed it on Junior's back, earning a genuine shiver that almost knocked us off. “Sorry about that." Junior just glanced back before reverted his attention back to the forest. He seemed out of it.

Zoroark rubbed his neck in response. “So just stop applying pressure and let it warm up. Your paws will speed up the warmth if you want. The stinging will vanish soon but it'll hurt if you run. Understood?" I nodded my head. I smiled once the dark furred canine turned back and held onto Junior's ears as handles. He didn't mind the playful motion. In fact that rose a chuckle from him.

“You all comfy riding the Junior express? Only the smoothest ride for all my passengers!" He yipped. His giddy demeanor made us chuckle. The beast always looked silly when he was happy. His gargantuan of a tail swayed and ears that twitched as if you were blowing air against them. It assisted with my view of his silliness.

When a low grumble arose everybody went on high alert. Junior's ears perked up. Blaziken lit his wrists aflame and growled. His eyes darted around for any sign of hostility. We all stood still, looking around cautiously. I tried to set up an aura scan but couldn't concentrate. My pain distracted me.

“Whoever you are fucking show yourself! I'll burn you down if you pose a threat to us asshole!" Blaziken bellowed. It didn't scare the hidden beast in the slightest as it growled again. “You.." It echoed. Its voice was deep and distorted which made it hard to understand him. Junior's ears flattened as did his tail. The unknown beast laughed a deep laugh. “The blood flows deep within and the blood is strong." My ears twitched from his statement. His voice was familiar. Nearly nostalgic but I couldn't place my paw on who it was.

“Stop spewing nonsense and leave! Before I get impatient." Blaziken roared. “B-Blaziken I don't think you should anger it. I..sense something out of the ordinary about it." I warned, keeping my eyes glued to the trees behind us. The unknown figure's voice wasn't louder anywhere. In fact it surrounded us, but his tone was less distorted behind us. More human-like so for sure it wasn't a Pokemon. “Y-You're behind us aren't you?" Junior turned his body toward the way we entered. He began to slowly back up, whimpering.

“Perceptive as always Lucario? I was hoping you wouldn't notice me. Oh well, I'm not here to kill him. Oh not yet, but in due time. For now, you best enjoy your time with everyone Junior. For your soul I shall reap. And remember, I am always watching you. Mwahahahah!" Junior flinched upon his saying. Blaziken apparently had heard enough before he Slashed the trees, cutting several ones in a clean half. They toppled over each other with a loud thud. The large dual type growled.

“Shut up already and leave! Nobody wants to hear your damned lies!" He shouted. A deep chuckle arose from the voice sending shivers down my spine. “You've been warned." He echoed. Slowly the area grew colder. I shivered.

“That was scary.. you alright there Lucario?" Junior asked directing his attention towards me, knowing my problem with the cold. His ears, which Zoroark still held, were on high alert.

“Yeah.. just feel cold is all."

“Y-Yeah, that sudden breeze was colder than usual. But w-we should get going. I don't think that thing was kidding about any of what it said." Junior turned back in the direction we faced previous to the encounter. “Lets just find that River. Hopefully it's here, I don't want to hurt anybody like this."

“Kinda like how you almost choked out Typhlosion?" Blaziken commented. Immediately, Junior lowered his head. His ears quickly followed suit. Zoroark, noticing his mood change, scratched under the beast's chin. Junior mumbled with a curious growl.

“Well you weren't you at the time and I'm pretty sure your boyfriend would forgive you."

“He's.. NOT my boyfriend. J-Just.. w-well.. " Junior stuttered.

“Oh yeah that's a human term isn't it? What did I overhear him call you one time? Mate right? Was it mate?" The tips of Junior's ears grew red. He growled.

“Well yeah but- wait, that isn't the point! Shut up and keep an eye out. Lucario?"

“H-Huh? What?"

“Can you hear any water? I know you have the best hearing." His statement made me smile, helping ease my pain. I liked whenever Junior complimented me. No matter how small the compliment.

Without any other action I closed my eyes and focused. Darkness consumed my plentiful sight. The crunch of leaves underneath Junior's feet slowly drowned out leaving behind only still silence. For a few moments the darkness expanded until a single sound caught my attention.

Huh? What was that? I glanced ahead, far off into the distance. It was a quadruped Pokemon of sorts dipping their paw into a lake in a lazy manner. Due to the distance I couldn't see the size. I reopened my eyes, everything was back to normal but what I saw was highlighted in a bright red.

“Over there, straight ahead. But be careful there's a Pokemon by the lake." I warned, pointing forward as my regular vision returned. The wolf's ears perked up. I accidentally peaked Junior's curiosity.

“A Pokemon? Then maybe it's a normal drinking lake?"

“I suggest we check it in case it is what we're looking for. Better to be safe rather than sorry." Zoroark suggested. I nodded my head in agreement. “Yeah. The Pokemon doesn't even look interested in the lake. They were bobbing his or her, paw into it. Like it was tired or bored. Most likely wouldn't know about the lake if it is it." I added. “Or maybe a guardian of the lake we need to beat up?" Blaziken commented. “I wouldn't mind beating some water type's ass if it helps. Hell I'd do it even without a cause!"

“What makes you think it's a water type?" Zoroark replied.

“Lake guardian? L-A-K-E guardian. If there is a lake guardian I'm pretty sure it'd be a water type. If not, then it should be awful being called the lake guardian when you don't have the water typing to back you up. Just saying." Junior chuckled at Blaziken's remark. He clearly found the truth humorous.

“Well you aren't wrong Blaziken but even so, if there is a lake guardian they'd be really powerful. Best to wait until Typhlosion wakes up so we have everybody ready to fight."

“Junior just face it, you just don't want to see Typhlosion in any danger while he's out." Zoroark declared. The wolf grumbled as the tips of his ears grew a shade of red. “Maybe.. but my point still stands!" I chuckled earning an embarrassed growl from my large canine friend. Even from atop his body his deepening blush was easily seen. The large beast stayed quiet as he carried us down the road. His eyes glued to the trail.

We walked for about a couple minutes. Me guiding Junior to keep him on track toward the mysterious Pokemon's movement and hopefully the lake. Blaziken kept acting as the “bodyguard" by walking no more than a few inches from Junior. His eyes fixated ahead but the occasional noise would alert him. Even when Junior told him countless time to calm down. He, obviously, didn't listen. The dual type scowled whenever Junior told him to cool it. Although it was less threatening than his usual one towards us. Perhaps he was just really focusing on any signs of an ambush? I honestly couldn't tell from his shifting and cautious gaze. His wrists were also constantly lit ablaze, scaring Junior whenever the crackling of the fire got louder.

“The Pokemon hasn't moved from there yet. It's just laying down. It seems to be staring at the water." I informed. Junior nodded his head, allowing the info sink in.

“All I hope is that it isn't hostile. It'd be bad if we have to hurt it." Junior hoped. His voice softened mid sentence. My ears perked. Why had he spoken softer? Had he remembered what he'd done to the assassins? It'd be awful if he suddenly smelled the blood or the memory resurfaced. I secretly hoped he never found out he ate them. It was terrifying hearing the solid crunching of their bones. Although it wasn't be the first time he killed somebody. I knew that fact far too well.

“Um Lucario? Am I.. still on track?" The large beast inquired, stopping his movement. He awaited my answer so we wouldn't get lost. He never liked taking chances. I glanced around with my aura scan. The creature was still ahead but larger than I previously anticipated. It was about 6ish feet tall, still staring at the lake. It wasn't far either, likely a couple minutes left.

“Wait!" Somebody shouted out behind us. Blaziken didn't hesitate as he shot a blast of fire behind him. A yelp followed with a loud thud. The tree beside the blonde haired trainer fell directly aside him. His eyes widened.

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" Axel shouted. Tyranitar appeared soon after he did with a tilted head. His expression of sincere confusion. Blaziken only gave a smug shrugged in response.

“Not my fault kid." He nonchalantly stated, knowing Axel wouldn't understand his speech. Tyranitar, on the other hand, did only to sigh.

“Axel? Wait where's Zero?" Junior questioned the youngest trainer. Axel didn't respond for a while, holding his heart and staring at the fallen tree. His breath was rapid and unsteady.

“I.. could've died right there you know. If I was one step to the left I would've been flatter than a pancake." Axel said. Tyranitar whined.

“I would've protected you if you didn't run off by yourself Axel." He commented although he knew his trainer didn't understand him. The large rock type nuzzled against his trainer, earning a cheerful chuckle. “What is it bud?" Axel asked. Tyranitar looked at Axel's eyes before setting them on the fallen tree. I chuckled on the inside. Since Axel couldn't really comprehend Pokemon speech (is that mean of me to say?) his Pokemon had to do the traditional 'give them hints until they understand' thing. I felt a little bad but knew I had nothing to feel bad for. There weren't any inventions to understand Pokemon speech for anybody. The closest invention literally erupted in flames burning somebody's ear on live tv. Although we found out later it wasn't a major injury, only a small burn, Junior changed the channel seconds after it happened.

“He said he would've protected you if you didn't run off. You really want to keep Axel safe huh Tyranitar?" Junior inquired. The gentle rock type nodded his head. “Aww thanks buddy!" Axel hugged Tyranitar who hugged back harder.

“Junior where is Zero and Akio?" The large canine made an action similar to shrugging. “Hey so.. Axel? What about Zero? Did you see him yet?" The blonde trainer measly shook his head. “I haven't seen him yet. Have you guys found anything yet?"

“Yes actually, Lucario here found a lake with a Pokemon nearby it, which we presume is a guardian of the lake. How far is it again Lucario?" My ears perked. I didn't expect to be a part of the main conversation but with a confident smile, I replied.

“Just a minute walk, see that Cheri berry tree? Between the large oak ones? We just gotta go through there and… wait.." I closed my eyes to scan the area once again. The Pokemon's aura glew brighter. It was facing our direction on all fours. Its front paws separated with no extra movement. It snapped its head to the left than to the right before staring straight at us through the trees. A low growl reached my mind. D-Does it know we're here? I thought cautiously. “J-Junior," I stuttered.

“Yeah? What is it bud?"

“It.. I-I think it knows we're here. And it looks angry. REALLY angry!" Upon my statement, Blaziken grew a large toothy grin. “Fuck yeah! Let's fucking fight it!" He bellowed. Zoroark grumbled.

“Must you always get a hard on for fighting? Like, geezus calm down you idiot. Before somebody dies from your loud, rash behavior." Junior and I stayed silent, sharing a worried look. We both knew what would happen next and Blaziken giving Zoroark an angered gaze confirmed it.

“What did you just call me?" He growled. Zoroark hopped down from Junior's back, flinching as his feet hit the floor.

“Damn.. shouldn't have done that.. whatever, but I said 'you idiot' and can you blame me? You, without thinking, fucking yelled out for us to fight this Pokemon. Which is, or isn't, a lake guardian. But if it is and it's curious then you definitely just alerted it of our presence!" Zoroark stated. Blaziken made a throaty growl. A tiny puff of fire erupted from his beak. As Blaziken started to loudly curse at Zoroark, who retaliated with comments of his own, a shift of nearby red grasped my attention. It was cautiously approaching us, stalking to a sense. My voice froze when it was a few feet away, hidden in a bush just behind Blaziken.

“B-Blaziken behind you!" I shouted. He stopped his loud cursing and glanced behind himself. At that exact moment, a large blue creature pounced on Blaziken. He rose his arm up to shield himself from its lunge. It worked as the large beast bit down onto his arm. Blaziken impressively growled instead of yelling in pain before Flame punching the beast away. It hit a tree but immediately got back on its paws. The purple mane that flowed alongside its entire back complemented its white streamer like feelers. An odd Diamond pattern was around the beast's body.

Tyranitar pushed Axel behind his body to protect the fragile human. A low growl soon followed suit from the rock type. I jumped down from Junior's back and readied a Bone Rush. My body still felt pain but I pushed to ignore it for the time being. Blaziken, Zoroark and I all stood in front of Junior, who just growled at the Pokemon. More like snarl as he was exposing his sharp, yet still somewhat human-like, teeth. Once the blue Pokemon took notice of the large behemoth of a wolf behind us, his expression immediately went soft and confused. Its feelers even began to flow slower.

“Wolf. Walk over here." It commanded. His voice was deep and unnerved. Junior on the other hand didn't seem too thrilled to be called upon.

“Wh-Why?" He growled while still showing his fear in terms of his tail. I seriously needed to help him control his tail.

“You're the one they call.. Junior right? The shifter?" He questioned. Junior gulped but reluctantly nodded. The large blue Pokemon couldn't have had a bigger smile.

“Junior I have but a simple question. Do you remember me?"