The Tales of Ignus: Lucario's Story

Pokemon World, April, XXXX

My name is Lucario. I was born in a family of others of my own kind. Like every other Lucario, I started out as a Riolu. Like every other Lucario, right? Well... Not exactly.

While every other Riolu played amongst themselves at night, I was sitting off in the distance, mesmerized by the moon's enthralling light. I had a favorite spot, which was a fairly large boulder that rested at the top of the mountain where we lived. By day, The others would tease me for being different.

"Don't play with him. He's a weirdo." One said. "Go make some friends instead of staring at the moon all night!"

Mom and Dad were always there to comfort me. They knew I was born with Lycanthropy. It's not my fault that I'm obsessed with the moon's silver light. Dad would always say "Son, you were born with a gift. You just don't know it yet." But every full moon, they would hide me as best as they could. They said they wanted to protect me.

One day, at age ten, I was playing in the woods. I had gotten used to being a social outcast by now. I climbed the trees like I always did, and I would practice utilizing my Aura abilities. After taking a swim in the river, I began to head home.

Suddenly, I smelled it... Smoke. It smelled like fire and brimstone. In the distance, I saw smoke billowing up like a pillar in the sky... And it was coming from my home town! I rushed home and saw houses up in flames. Men with crossbows were storming the houses!

"Where's the beast?!" They screamed at a family. "One of you are hiding it!"

I made a mad dash to my house, which was now in ruins. My heart split in two as I felt a deep mournful feeling in my chest. My eyes widened as I saw a hunter point his crossbow at me.

"Found you..." He sneered.

I lunged at him. I clawed at him in a frenzy of swipes. Eventually, I brought him down with a bite to the jugular vein. I felt horrible for doing so... Until I saw my parents.

Mom and Dad lay next to each other, crossbow bolts in their chests, taking wheezing breaths... Slowly dying. I dropped to my knees and my heart crumbled to dust. I felt the burning warmth of tears streaming down my face. Mom reached out and gently put her paw on my arm.

"Baby... We're sorry..." She gasped. "So... Sorry..."

"Mom, I tried..." I croaked, trying to stop the flow of tears to no avail. "I tried..."

"We did what we could to protect you. We love you. We know you'll do what's right..." Mom breathed.

"Son..." Dad wheezed. "Don't... Lose... Even when the odds are... Against you. Don't lose."

I watched as life left their eyes. My shoulders heaved as I sobbed. Howling a long, mournful howl, I cried over their corpses.

This moment didn't last long, as hunters chased me through the forest. Evading them was easy enough, as I knew these woods better than anyone. I step into the undergrowth and vanish. Since that day, I've lived amongst the wildlife.

END ACT 1


START ACT 2

Pokemon World, April, 8 years later.

For the past few years, I've thrived in the wilderness. I'm 18 now, and I haven't slept soundly since that horrid atrocity that happened in my childhood. Day in and day out, it's constant nightmares.

As I've grown, I found it harder to hide from hunters. Evolving was both a blessing and a curse, however. Sure, I can sense Aura and use it to my advantage, but the size change... To put it simply, a 6-foot Lucario tends to stand out, since I'm nearly twice the size of an average Lucario. Enough about my changes, though.

I rested in a grove of trees that seemed like quite the comfortable place to spend the night. The black darkness enveloped me, making my still form nearly unnoticeable. The night life was simply soothing. Crickets chirped, owls hooted... Feet stumbling?

My eyes snapped open as I lifted my head to survey the area. I saw nothing but blackness. That scent, however, was hard to ignore. Invaders aren't tolerated, and by the torchlight that was just created, my suspicion was high.

Snarling, I leaped toward the light, pinning a frightened hunter to the ground. His struggles were weak, and I was enticed by the fear that gripped him.

"Let me go, you monster!" He yelped. I tauntingly scratch my chin.

"Now where have I heard that phrase before... Oh yes! Now I remember! I screamed the same thing when you snatched me up... 8 years ago..." I growl. The hunter scowls.

"Yeah! You were small enough to grab! You were a real biter back then! You killed my friend, and I'm getting revenge!" He cries.

"Did you care when your comrades SLAUGHTERED my entire village!?! Burned everything to the ground!?! My parents were killed right in front of me!!!" I roared. "Have you lost track of that?!? Who rightfully deserves vengeance!?!"

Death didn't seem like a true punishment for him, but I still had rage. I stopped his struggling by slowly choking him until he lost consciousness. Grabbing him, I hoisted him off the ground and carried him up a tree, where I hung him by his shirt. He dangled limply from the branch. Leaving him there, I fled the grove of trees.

"I bet he'll be surprised when he wakes up!" I laugh to myself. Blood pumped through each and every muscle as I ran through the forest. I needed a place to sleep... A place to be sheltered. As I planned my next place to stay, I ran head-first into an Absol, sending her sprawling. She groaned and struggled to sit up.

"Oh my Arceus... I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention! Are you okay?" I asked in a worried tone. The collision had definitely fazed her more than a little.

"Did someone get the plate number of that truck that just hit me?" She asked, trying to regain her composure.

"I apologize. I wasn't watching where I was running. Can you forgive me? I already have enough people who hate me or want me dead." I say, gently placing my paw on her forehead. She appeared fine, save for her being slightly dazed.

"It's okay... I forgive you. Why were you running so fast, anyway?" Absol asks.

"Hunters. Look, I'd rather not talk about it. Getting too into detail might be problematic." I warn. Absol nods motions me to follow her. As we trek through the forest, we chat, getting to know each other. This was the start of a great new friendship.


Thanks for reading! More coming soon!