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---

"Luro?"

Julian groggily awakens as he feels a large paw settle on his shoulder and gently shake him. With a hiss, he cracks open his eyes and looks up at the owner of the paw with bleary eyes.

Kneeling at his side and hovering over him is Lulu, who stares down at him. She blinks, her red eyes almost shining in the dark early dawn of the alpha family's hut. Behind her and through the entrance of the hut, Julian can see the dark morning just barely beginning to lighten.

As tempted as he is to lay back down and sleep, the man-turned-teen can see his steamy breath in the chilled morning air. Without Lulu lying at his side sharing her willingly-given body heat, he'll just suffer if he tries to get more shut-eye. There's not much choice but to rise.

...Not that Lulu or Lady Luca will let him sleep in anyway. God, how he wishes for some coffee. Even the fake imitation stuff with carcinogens would be a blessing. At least the cold doesn't make his joints ache like it used to. Oh, the horror of realizing that thirty is officially old territory.

"I'm up…" Julian grunts, rising to his feet. "Lemme get some water and I'll be along…"

Lulu nods and smiles, already wide awake despite the ungodly hour. The terrible things Julian would do for such a power.

After checking to make sure his dirty, too-long pants are still tied off at his ankles with the ripped-up ribbons he made from the collar of his shirt, the teen reluctantly steps out of the bed of leaves and starts the walk to the river. The cold ground and wet dew in the grass sends a shock up his bare feet. His oversized shoes proved to just be a hindrance, and his socks were swiftly shredded by the fifth day. But now after a week to become somewhat accustomed to the chill, he just shivers and walks faster.

For ten days now he's lived with the Lucario pack, and the sudden lifestyle change is still something he's getting used to. Devoid of modern conveniences, Julian has been forced to live as the pokemon do.

The first day, they forgave his exhaustion and let him rest. Lady Luca took it upon herself to care for him, bringing him food in the form of a number of large berries, wild root-looking vegetables, and a few small cuts of flaky, fire-cooked white meat. It wasn't his first choice as a meal, but his growling stomach and conscience telling him to not spit on Lady Luca's doting forced him to eat. He didn't bother asking where the fish-like meat came from, fearing the answer just a bit.

The second day, Lulu and Lady Luca tried to rouse him, but he was so lost in thought that he waved them away. Both of the Lucarios tried again several times as the day went on. Lulu became increasingly annoyed each time, but Lady Luca remained patient.

On day three, Pops had enough.

The alpha male was content to pretend Julian didn't exist for the first few days, but by the third morning, Julian had only left the hut several times to quench his thirst and relieve himself, so rather than Lulu or Lady Luca waking him, Julian woke up to a furious Pops.

When Pops grabbed his shoulders with bruising strength, Julian saw his life flash before his eyes. A second later, he was ass-over-teakettle outside. He jumped to his feet and quickly made himself scarce at the sound of the Lucario's snarl.

Lulu found him quickly afterward. He didn't need to understand her speech to understand that his lazing around was some sort of taboo to the Lucario pack, and that if he wanted to remain in everyone's good graces, he should do as the Romans do.

Or as the Lucario do in this case.

Now at the edge of the river that cuts through the Lucario camp, Julian kneels and dunks his head into the brisk waters. With his face underwater, he gasps, letting a bubble of breath out as the icy liquid bites at his skin. The remaining haziness of sleep vanishes, but before he rises, he gulps down several mouthfuls, filling his mouth with the taste of minerals and wetting his dry throat.

"Gah!" Julian jumps to his feet and shakes the freezing water from his face and hair. He shivers and rubs his arms, wishing the sun would hurry the hell up and rise already. When a rough, canid laugh comes from his left, he doesn't bother rising to the bait. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up Mister warm fur coat." Julian mutters.

On Julian's left, a young male Lucario he nicknamed "Scout" chuckles at Julian's suffering. The Lucario has a thin, wiry build, and Julian almost mistook him for a female until he began to learn the differences between males and females, like the shoulder-to-hip ratio and slightly smaller spikes the females sport.

Scout, named for being Pops' first pick on expeditions, was one of the first to approach him after Lady Luca. The young male is a natural social butterfly, having easily broken the ice when he curiously approached Julian on day three. Thankfully, the teen seemed to make a good impression, because the rest of the pack was quick to warm up after Scout made what sounded like a public endorsement of him around the nightly bonfire. Or Julian thinks it was an endorsement. It's hard to tell with the language barrier.

Scout dips his cupped paws into the river and takes a deep drink ending with a satisfied sigh. If not for the Lucario all drinking from the river without worry, Julian might have feared contracting some sort of illness.

"Rrrrio?" Scout asks, glancing back into the camp. Already, several of the Lucario and a smaller number of sleepy Riolu are awake and beginning their morning exercises, each one moving with grace and purpose. Julian stares at them, watching each one move through poses and forms that tax their phenomenal flexibility. He stops and turns back to Scout when he realizes he'd been staring for almost thirty seconds.

"Yeah, I need to quit stalling and get started," Julian sighs. "I don't think I'm going to ever get used to this. Being out here, I mean. No slight intended to you all, but..."

Scout shakes the water droplets off of one of his paws and plants it on Julian's shoulder, offering some silent comfort. A short, canine-like whine escapes his throat.

"Thanks," the blonde smiles wanely. "Do you know why Pops won't let anyone escort me to a human town? You figure with how he hates my guts, he'd be eager to be rid of me."

Scout hesitates, his ears folding back. "Cari. Lucrrrrio." He shrugs, badly hiding how he does know something.

Julian sighs. "I guess I can't realistically ask you to tell me your boss's secrets. Maybe put the idea in his head, though?"

The Lucario smiles and nods, patting Julian's shoulder once more.

Julian and Scout part ways after a short goodbye, and Julian hurries back into the camp. The sun won't be completely up for another half an hour, and then it'll take a bit longer for it to clear the treeline and actually warm the camp. If the teen wants to be warm in the meantime, it means joining the Lucario in their morning ritual of exercises. 'The religion-like dedication to their health is pretty fitting for Fighting-type ninja dogs, honestly.'

Feet now numb from the cold ground, the teen pads up to Lulu, who is standing and watching the sunrise with her back turned. One of her ears twitch, then she turns and smiles at him.

"Let's get this show on the road." Julian grumbles, rubbing his arms with his hands again. "I'd rather be sweating than shivering."

Lulu nods. With casual ease, she splits her legs out one-hundred and eighty degrees and lowers herself to the ground, then she almost lays her torso flat across her left leg, reaching for her toes in a mighty stretch.

Julian grimaces and tries to copy her. Keyword: tries. He stretches his legs as far apart as he can before falling to his rear, knowing if he doesn't give it his all, Lulu will stop her own warm-up to "help" him. His legs tremble, and he can't quite reach his toes like the Lucario can, but he pushes himself until can go no further.

Lulu glances over at him, approval in her eyes. Then she turns and reaches down her other leg.

The blonde teen grits his teeth and emulates her as best he can.

Over the next ten minutes, Julian follows Lulu's lead. Leg stretches, arm stretches, hip rotations, lunges, and a few Julian doesn't have names for. She stops a few times to correct him, but by the time she settles into a cross-legged meditation pose and gestures for him to rest, Julian can already feel his limbs beginning to burn. As he sits and takes deep breaths, Lulu shuts her eyes and meditates quietly, wisps of bright blue aura swirling around her body.

She isn't still for long, only ten minutes or so, but when she sharply inhales, Julian knows she's done and it's time for the next exercise.

Julian climbs to his feet as Lulu seamlessly rises. She takes a deep, chest-filling breath that makes the tuft of breast fur around her spike swell, then lets it out just as slowly. She moves to his right and falls into a faux fighting stance, her knees bent and arms held out palms first. Already resigned to embarrassment, Julian copies her. Then as one, they start moving through different stances like a dance.

The young female Lucario starts slow, giving Julian ample time to follow and learn.

Palm out, twirl and block with palm, forward step and punch, back step and high kick, hold.

Julian struggles to hold his leg up, his supporting leg shaking and almost over-correcting his balance. He holds it for one, two, three…!

Lulu quickly drops from her stance and slides close, taking her human dance partner's high ankle in one paw and his shoulder in the other, holding him steady.

...Four, five seconds.

She lets go, and Julian tries to bring his leg down smoothly like Lulu, but the movement is jerky and too fast.

Lulu just smiles encouragingly and takes the starting stance again. "Crarr." She says, tone lacking any accusation.

"Tch…" Julian growls.

Palm out, twirl and block with palm, forward step and punch, back step and high kick, hold.

Leg sweep, elbow strike, high block, hop forward, deflect with palm and side kick, hold.

Duck and weave, right hook, left straight, crossblock, spin and deflect from behind, scissor block, lunge and dual palm strike, hold.

The slow pace gives the teen time to watch the Riolu partners a little bit away doing the same dance, all going much faster than he and Lulu. The grown Lucarios are flowing from one stance to the next like liquid, their grace utterly supernatural. Their dances are so quick and advanced that Julian can barely discern what they're doing. Some have already begun openly sparring, and the displaced teen gets to see the spectacle that is Pops fighting off Scout and two other young males with ease. The old alpha doesn't flow like the others, he simply changes position so fast it looks as if he teleported. He dodges everything his frustrated opponents throw with a dispassionate glower.

Scout rushes in with a daring feint, legs tensed to spring away if he fails, but Pops blurs forward to meet him, making Scout's eyes bug out. Pops' fist plows into Scout's stomach with a deep thud that Julian feels in his chest, and Scout falls to his knees with a strangled cry, looking like he's a second away from vomiting.

"Ririon!"

'Oops…' Julian turns, seeing Lulu frowning at him as she stops several dance steps ahead of him. "Sorry…" He mutters.

After what feels like a hundred mistakes that Lulu corrects, Julian is panting by the end of the dance. He tries not to see her pleased expression as condescending, but it's difficult.

Next is a run followed by a cool down, then the rest of the day begins.

Julian clicks his tongue, already knowing the little Riolus are going to lap him, but he tries to steady the shaking of his arms and legs so he can say he tried his best. He and Lulu walk side by side around the edge of the camp, the pace increasing to a jog, then to a run, then to a sprint.

Arms pumping and lungs heaving, the blonde teen runs as fast as he can. By his side, Lulu keeps pace easily, almost not needing to focus on her run. Then as a team, a bunch of giggling Riolu pass by, doing the same low stanced, arm-dragging ninja run as the adults.

Julian just groans and pushes himself harder. He knows the younglings aren't laughing at him exactly, but still…

Halfway into the second of five laps around the campsite, it takes Julian everything he has to keep his sprint going. He's so focused that he doesn't see Lulu's eyes slowly narrow in annoyance until she holds an arm in front of him and urges him to slow down.

"Huh…?" The boy pants, but doesn't bother resisting when Lulu takes his hand and leads him off of the beaten path of dirt that the pack uses to run on. "W-What…" He sucks down a lungful of sweet, life-giving oxygen before continuing. "What's wrong?"

Lulu looks at the running path then back to Julian, shaking her head. Without verbally elaborating, she steps forward and presses a paw to Julian's back, urging him to bend at the waist. After that, she steps behind him and takes both of his wrists, pulling his arms behind him until they're parallel to the ground. At the same time, she gently unballs his fists until his fingers are free and straight. This stance is almost like…!

"Oh no!" Julian straightens up and feels his face burn with secondhand embarrassment, mind instantly going back to the poor nerdy kids who ran in such a stance back in high school gym class. Few people were kind to them. "That might work for you since you're fast enough that air resistance is actually a problem, but not for humans. I'm not running like that."

The high-speed, low-drag run of the Lucario is cool to watch, of that there is no doubt. It thrills a boyish part of Julian to see ninja dogs do ninja dog things, and he doubts the stunts will ever get old. It simply appeals to him on a level that cares little for practicality.

But a normal human replicating such a thing? Ha!

Lulu's frown deepens into a scowl. She steps closer once again, pushing his back to bend and pulling his arms back out before pointing back at the track. "Ririon, lua!" She says with a short, irritated growl.

"And I'm telling you," Julian straightens up again. "It doesn't work like that. Do you want me to prove it to you?" Honestly, what is she thinking?

Lulu nods resolutely, crossing her arms as she does so.

"Fine." Julian sighs and runs a hand through his sweaty hair, inwardly cringing at how gritty and rough it feels. "Let's do this."

He and Lulu walk away from the stomped-dirt track over to a shrub-flanked tree that makes up one of the natural walls around the encampment. 'Let's see, I just need something I can… aha!'

Roughly thirty or so meters away is a large boulder that the Riolu of the pack love to clamber and play on. It'll work just fine.

"Okay, here's how this is going to go," he points to the boulder in the distance. "I'm going to run as fast as I can from this tree to the rock using both my way and your way. When the way I do it inevitably gets a faster time, you'll quit bothering me about it, okay?"

Lulu nods easily, appearing completely unbothered.

"Right…" The blonde blinks at how easy her agreement is. "Here I go…"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Julian pushes off the ground as hard as he can with his lead foot and focuses everything on his run. One foot in front of the other, and arms pumping to keep him balanced in the wet grass. 'One, two, three, four, five, s- '

Just before he can begin to count the sixth second, the man-turned-teen passes the rock and slows to a stop, standing for a moment to catch his breath. 'It feels like I've been doing that a lot this morning…' He turns and slowly walks back to Lulu and the tree, placing a palm over his chest and feeling his heart beginning to settle once more.

"Just a little over five seconds," Julian comments as he reaches Lulu and leans back against the tree. A second later he decides against leaning his back into the bark as it makes his shirt stick to his sweaty back uncomfortably. "Once my heart settles, I'm going to try again with your… ninja run." He hesitates to name it. "Trust me on this, Lulu. You're going to feel a little bit silly wasting your time like this."

The Lucario just raises an eyebrow and even has the gall to smirk. She says nothing else.

After a moment of rest, the blonde teen sighs and takes the low-drag stance that Lulu insists on, trying and failing to distance himself from the embarrassment burning his cheeks. Like last time, he pushes off as hard as he can with his forward-most foot and sprints forward with all his might, arms splayed out behind him. 'One, two, three, four, fi-'

He zips past rock before he can complete five.

'-ve, six. Wait-!'

He tries to stop, but overestimates his momentum and instead tumbles to the ground in a heap when his heels slip in the grass. Julian grunts when the fall knocks the wind from his lungs.

"Ririon!"

Lulu is by his side in a flash and quickly hoists him to his feet as if he weighs nothing.

Julian, however, is too lost in thought to ward off her fretting. 'How did I do that? I used everything I had for my first run, but the second one was faster?'

Coming to terms with the supernatural powers wielded by the pokemon around him took time, but was doable. How did he do that?

That was another day that Julian spent mostly in thought. From there on out, he ran as the Lucario did without any protest.

'What was the world record for the 30 meter sprint again? Was that even an official record?'

Regardless, Julian found his time dropping a little more each day.

---

On his seventeenth day, the next clue of what might be going on revealed itself.

Julian sighs, taking deep controlled breaths as he finishes his morning stretches with Lulu. As per usual, his Lucario partner settles beside him with her legs folded in her forepaws in her lap. She glows a faint blue as wisps of aura dance around her. What exactly she's doing, Julian isn't 100% sure. Aura training? Some kind of cooldown? He's got some doubt that it's the first one as he looks around.

By now the human is more or less accepted by the entirety of the pack. Scout's endorsement, Lulu's companionship, and Lady Luca's open doting seems to have overcome the awkward public opinion caused by Pops' open dislike of Julian. Until about the two-week mark, none of the Lucario would openly train with their aura, but now the new step seems to have been added to everyone's morning exercises.

Some of the jackal pokémon meditate similar to Lulu, some with more or less aura flaring around them. Some meditate but focus a small sphere of bright, glowing blue in their paws as they sit. Fewer flow through their morning dance with aura trailing their limbs, and some take on even more esoteric exercises. Julian spies one mousy female standing far away, visibly straining as three spheres of aura slowly rotate around her form.

Julian hears Lulu take a deep breath through her muzzle and then smoothly stand once more. Julian follows, already settling into the familiar stance of the first dance.

Lulu shakes her head, confusing him. "Ririon, car ri luro," she says. She slides into a form far more aggressive than that of the morning dances, one paw drawn back and ready to punch while her other is held out spike-first towards him. It looks exactly like the beginning stance of the fighting style that all the Lucario share.

"Wait, hold on…" Julian balks. "You want me, a normal human, to spar with you, a pokemon?"

Lulu smiles and nods, not moving an inch out of her form.

'Well shit…' The blonde boy grimaces. "Here goes nothing…" He raises his fists, spreads his legs, and plants his feet. He's keenly aware of the sheer number of eyes on him

The Lucario across from him tenses, but doesn't make the first move.

Julian gulps.

Ten seconds pass, then twenty. At thirty, Julian cracks and attacks first. He rushes forward, throwing caution to the wind and winding up an uppercut aimed squarely at Lulu's chin. His fist flies, and it seems as if the blow is going to connect for just a second.

Lulu bats away his punch with her open palm. There is enough force behind the parry to throw Julian's poor guard wide open, so the Lucario steps into his arms as if invited before planting her knee squarely in his gut. A fierce cry erupts from her lips.

Julian coughs out an explosive exhale, feeling his eyes bulge behind the force of the blow. He practically bends around her knee and when she steps back, he falls hands and knees to the ground. For half a second, he thinks she's going to press the advantage like the other Lucario do for their own sparring partners and scrambles back to his feet.

Lulu, however, does no such thing and merely retakes her stance.

With a growl, Julian raises his shaking fists again. This time, he moves in slower, now realizing no amount of speed is going to help. He tenses his arms as if to punch, but instead shoots out a low kick intended to trip.

Without even needing to look, Lulu hops over the kick and snaps out her leg in her own kick, one aimed for the side of his head. Again, she let out a snarl as she attacks.

Eyes wide, Julian brings up his arms to guard his face, but Lulu's leg smashes into his guard like a truck. The bones in his arms creak dangerously and instantly ache. Before she can retreat, the blonde teen pushes away his pain and wraps one arm around his partner's leg to keep her in place. His other hand lashes out in a wild punch filled with hope that she would be unable to block while imbalanced.

Lulu's free leg lands and plants itself firmly. At the same time, she raises a single paw and stops Julian's punch dead in her palm with a thwack!

A cold feeling creeps into Julian's gut. "Uh…"

She easily rips her leg from his hold and mirroring his attack earlier, uses that same leg to launch a low kick that he can't dodge in time. The limb is little more than a blur of black fur that barrels into his legs and drops him painfully to the grass.

"Oof!" The human grunts when his clumsy recovery just lands him on his aching stomach. He dares not take any longer than a handful of seconds to rise to his feet again, raising his fists and getting ready for more.

The spar continues on heavily in Lulu's favor. The Lucario doesn't need anything more than the bare minimum amount of force or technique to keep her sparring partner occupied. As they continue on though, Julian begins to notice the corners of her eyes crinkling.

After what feels like an hour, Lulu raises a large paw up with a sigh, signaling the stop.

Panting and nursing several bruises, Julian glances behind him at the sun and notes with dismay that it's probably only been about 15 minutes. He scans around from the corner of his eyes, resentment bubbling within him as he sees that none of the other Lucario are really surprised.

"Ririon…" Lulu addresses him with her paws on her hips. "Grarrio?" She says, her tone disapproving.

"Yeah yeah, I know I suck." Julian kneads a bruise on his arm sullenly as he looks down at his feet. The sides of them have grown yellow with calluses. "No need to rub it in."

Lulu shakes her head and steps closer, raising his chin up with a paw. "Raro," she says. Watch, as he's puzzled out over the last few weeks. She shifts into her fighting stance with her right fist held back. Wordlessly, she thrusts her fist forward in an impressive punch. There's an audible sound and Julian's shirt ruffles slightly from the wind wash. Such a strike would probably spiderweb a slab of concrete like a sledgehammer by Julian's estimate.

"Raro," the jackal pokémon repeats. She pulls her fist back and takes her calming breath. Then her eyes narrow and a snarl tears from her lips as she lets loose another punch, this time with drastically different results.

This time, the spike on the back of her paw sharply whistles through the air and Julian can see the rings of force rippling across her knuckles. This time, the wind wash has enough force to almost push him back as her fist stops with a dull boom that he can feel in the center of his chest.

'What was that?' Julian blinks in astonishment. 'Her fist wasn't glowing so that wasn't a move or anything. All she did was add a yell to her punch. No, it can't be that simple. She must've done something. But what?'

Having seen more than one martial arts B-movie in his time, the blonde is well aware of what a kiai is. A short, verbal exclamation to intimidate opponents or pump the attacking martial artist up. A proper kung fu fighter or any variation of a kung fu fighter always adds a shout to their moves and techniques. The only real exceptions to the rule seem to be overwhelmingly powerful fighters flexing their might on lesser opponents, or a protagonist remaining calm and silent for an exceptionally 'badass' scene.

'That can't be it… Can it?' The boy hesitates, already recalling how he was proven wrong a week ago for doubting Lulu. "Okay…" He begins. "I think I understand what you're getting at, but I want to be a hundred percent sure. Can you, uh, gauge how hard I'm hitting?"

Lulu's smile returns. She holds out a broad paw like a boxing coach might with training pads and urges him to attack.

"Alright…" Julian draws his fist back. He flexes every muscle in his arm, silently testing them, then punches with all his might. He twists his hips, rotates his arm, and steps in slightly just as the dances taught him.

His fist hits Lulu's paw with a muted smack. She barely budges and a shock runs up his arm from the sudden stop.

Lulu nods and raises her other paw, making a 'come on' gesture with her fingers.

Withdrawing his hand and shaking his fingers to regain some of the feeling, Julian balls his fist up and draws his arm back again. 'Right. Kiai and all that. Fighting spirit up! Don't stop even if it looks silly! Prove yourself to Lulu!' He feels his face screw itself up in determination.

"Raaaah!" Julian shouts, a sudden burst of strength appearing from seemingly nowhere. A tingle like electricity jolts through his core and into his arm, and he can see the veins in the back of his hand stand up. The punch flies noticeably faster than before, and this time when it impacts Lulu's paw, it creates a much meatier thwack! Her arm even recoils a little!

'There is… absolutely no fucking way that worked.' Julian pulls back his hand and stares down at it, disbelief welling up within him.

Lulu's smile grows, as if to say do you understand now?

He does.

First the low-drag run, and now this? What in the world is going on?

In the back of his mind, dots begin to connect. There's too few to paint a picture, but a childish part of him makes a leap of logic to a place completely absurd. So absurd, that he scoffs.

…But what if?

---

On day twenty-six, Julian sighs and smiles contentedly as he and Lulu, both seated at the riverbank, simply relax together.

Today he finished his morning exercises with Lulu only a bit winded. His chest still slowly heaved when he sat down for his cooldown stretches, but it's nothing like the gasping breaths he was left with during the first few days. He stretched, danced, sparred, ran, and stretched once more all without interruption. Well… Lulu still needed to stop and correct him several times as they danced and even more as they sparred, but they never stopped because Julian tired out.

After the morning obligations were done, Julian started on the rest of his duties.

Lacking the agility and strength of the Lucario, he's not much good for foraging, wood gathering, or patrolling, but he did find a place under the instruction of Lady Luca performing light duties near the camp. The Lucario pack is rather egalitarian, with males and females flexing between roles as needed. Lulu in particular seems fond of the tasks that males take and does an admirable job hiding her disdain for more domestic ones. Scout and a few of the other males certainly had a laugh seeing Julian stuck with only 'feminine' duties.

Well, they had a laugh until Lady Luca found out.

Anyway, during a typical day, Julian would assist Lady Luca in cleaning the alpha hut, see to another Lucario named Mama Spot on Lady Luca's request, ask around camp and see if anyone else in the pack needs assistance with anything, and if nothing comes up then the rest of the day will be his to do with as he pleases. Much like any other day where he has free time and Lulu isn't taken out for foraging or patrol, he's spending the day with her.

Ha! He smirks sardonically and looks down at his feet through the clear river water they're dipped in. Beside them, Lulu's hind paws kick gently, making ripples in the river. He's known Lulu for less than a month, yet she, a bipedal jackal that doesn't even speak the same language as him, is probably the closest friend he's ever had. It feels a little pathetic, honestly. 'I guess you really do start to lose your ability to make normal friends as you get older.'

A few of the Riolu, the younger form of Lucario, frolic in the shallow end of the river. The pups giggle and splash in a water fight turned battle royale. One of the older pups proves himself to be a mighty challenge to the others with his impressive aura control.

The older pup dips his blue-glowing forepaws into the water and brings out a big lump of misshapen water held in a shell of blue aura. He draws back his arms and tosses the impromptu water balloon with a victorious bark.

Two other Riolu in the path of the water ball look on with wide eyes, both freezing in place. The giant balloon of aura smacks into the river water in front of them, throwing water everywhere when the thin shell of aura breaks. Both poor little pups get a face full of cold water when they don't scramble out of the way in time.

Beside him, Lulu snorts as she watches the antics.

"Aura must be fun." Julian idly muses. "The superpowers, empathy, and extrasensory stuff sounds useful."

Lulu turns and gives him a surprised look.

"I'm not blind." He defends. "Besides the obvious stuff, everyone is really coordinated, too coordinated for words. Your old man in particular is a great example. He takes down his sparring partners all the time with his eyes closed and without so much as a single ear twitch. Mama Spot always seems to know when her baby is hungry or upset before he cries, too."

Mama Spot, nicknamed for the blotch of black on her yellow torso fur, gave birth several days ago with the entire pack, Julian included, gathered around for the miracle. As the new and proud mother rested, the newest addition to the pack was passed around so that everyone might meet him. When the baby was passed to Pops, Julian was sure that was the first time he'd seen the alpha smile.

When Julian's turn came, he held the tiny pokemon with no small amount of awe, marveling at everything he'd just witnessed. Just as the infant left his hands into Scout's, the unnamed Riolu began to squirm and whine.

Spot, even after the rigors of labor and birth, rose to her hindpaws before her son's fuss started. Her Riolu pup is a needy little thing, but Spot is always in motion before the first whine could escape her son's lips. It went well beyond the already impressive power of a mother's intuition.

So the most likely culprit? Aura.

"I kinda wish I could learn how to use it," Julian watches the Riolu in the river struggle to recreate their older friend's feat, instead making aura-powered splashes greater than just their paws could make. "It would make fitting in a bit easier."

Lulu's ears fall, her expression faltering for a moment. "Ririon?" She asks.

"Hmm?" He looks over to her.

Lulu hesitates, then her large paws take one of his hands. The Lucario takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. On the back of her head, the dreadlocks all Lucario sport begin to float as she glows blue.

"Lulu?" Julian asks, looking down as the hand between her paws begins to grow warm. "What are you…"

She pulls her paws apart and away from his hand, which is held out as if to accept something. Then between her palms and above Julian's hand, a small pin-prick of shining blue begins to form. It's… mystifying to the boy. Beautiful is too plain a word.

With a huff, she presses a sweating paw against the back of his hand which immediately begins to tingle-no, not tingle. The sensation goes deeper than his skin. A sensation like the pink healing glow Lady Luca used on him lances up his arm, this time more violent, more primal. Then from his core and to his hand, something begins to flow.

Lulu pulls her paws away, but the tiny ball of aura hovering just an inch over his hand doesn't fade.

"Wha…?" Julian's eyes widen, but before he can comment further, the aura ball blips out of existence just as a horrid wave of exhaustion batters into the blonde teen. He gasps and sways, struggling to not fall forward into the drink until Lulu clasps his shoulder to keep him steady.

For a moment, it's all he can do to not fall asleep right there on the river bank. Lulu's worried questions go ignored.

'What did she do?' A crazier thought hits him. 'What did I do? I felt something there. It was like that healing thing Lady Luca did, but it flowed from me to the outside, not the other way around.' He looks down at this hand, the sensation now little more than a phantom-like memory. He flexes his fingers, yet nothing happens.

A growl from behind makes both Julian and Lulu stiffen. As one, they turn.

Standing mere feet away with his arms crossed, Pops glares down at both Julian and Lulu with anger simmering in his eyes. Aura crackles through his fur, and like the first day he and Julian met, an almost tangible weight settles on the teen's shoulders.

Neither he nor Lulu resist when Pops seizes them by their arms and roughly drags them to their feet. Lulu growls and tries to pull away, but her father's furious snarl cows her near instantly. She still glares at Pops, but her shiver is plain to Julian.

The alpha forces them to march along into the encampment, but with the eyes of everyone on them, it feels more akin to a walk of shame. Whatever rule was broken, the blonde human can't fathom what it was.

As they near the alpha hut, Lady Luca pokes her head out and quickly begins to walk their way, her face set in a harsh frown aimed squarely at Pops.

A low growl from him stops her dead, and a handful of words that Pops almost chews on makes her eyes widen.

Lady Luca's fury near-instantly shifts to Lulu, but it's a cold, disappointed fury that makes Lulu wince in shame.

Once everyone is inside the hut, Pops releases Julian and Lulu just long enough for he and Lady Luca to round on their daughter.

The 2-on-1 argument devolves into snarls, barks, whines, and growls that the exhausted Julian can barely keep up with. His already limited understanding of their language means nothing when all the voices are overlapping. It's difficult to not shrink away, as he's distinctly reminded of a childhood sleepover he had with a friend… only to find out said friend had a rather 'troubled' home life when an argument broke out.

Lady Luca and Lulu do most of the yelling, both almost at each other's throats, nothing like the loving mother and daughter they usually are. Standing at Luca's side, Pops is as stoic as they come. If not for the slight breeze in the hut ruffling his fur, one might mistake him for a statue of unparalleled realism. He doesn't add much to the conversation, but his few growls have so much bite to them that they always silence Luca and Lulu for a moment.

Never has Julian seen Lulu, his best friend, so close to tears. Her paws are balled up in frustration and her voice is slowly cracking. She glances at him, fear in her eyes.

Fear for him.

"Hold on!" Julian steps between the pair of alpha Lucario and Lulu. "Just what is this all about anyway? What did she do to warrant all of this?"

Lady Luca seems taken aback and Pops' eyes glow a bloody crimson in barely restrained anger.

"Was it…" The aura thing. That has to be it. "Her showing me that aura trick? Is that it?"

Lady Luca sighs, her expression easing into her usual regal, matronly look. "Ririon," she steps closer and gently sweeps his bangs aside, placing one paw on his forehead and another on his neck, feeling his pulse. "Crar, ratio re luio." She mutters, not that Julian can understand what she means, but the tender, motherly tone almost makes him fold. She takes his shoulders and tries to ease him into one of the leafy beds, but he stands firm.

"Don't…" He murmurs, taking Lady Luca's paws off his shoulders and softly squeezes them. "Please. Just please don't be upset with Lulu. I'm the one who put the idea in her head. She's been kind enough to use her time on me for a month, and with that sort of kindness I shouldn't have tempted her like that."

Pops' glare redoubles, and the air suddenly becomes almost too thick to breathe. Unnatural terror drags an icy claw down Julian's back, making him shiver, but he grits his teeth and soldiers on.

"I said I wished I knew how to use aura so I could fit in better around here," he grunts out, sweat dotting his brow. "Lulu's generosity is something else, because she broke this obvious taboo to make it happen. If you're going to punish anyone, punish me. Just know that no matter what you do…"

He raises a shaky arm, palm facing up and praying this gambit works.

'Push. Push! Push!'

'Remember the feeling. Remember what Lulu risked to show you.'

'Core, to arm, to hand, bring it out!'

Warmth flows through his arm and pools in his palm, and before the shocked eyes around him, a flicker of aura no greater than an ember hovers over his hand.

"...The damage is already done."

Pops' glare fades, replaced with bewilderment. Lady Luca raises her paws to her mouth to hide a gasp. And Lulu…

On her face is a look of undisguised awe. Her eyes rise to meet his, silently asking why?

Julian smiles. "Don't give me that look. What are friends for?"

The quivering smile that stretches across her lips is small, but so filled with emotion that she needn't say anything.

Then the ember of aura in Julian's hand extinguishes itself and he stumbles forward as his legs suddenly give out. "Oh shit…"

Both Lulu and Luca move, but someone beats them to Julian.

Rather than fall into the arms of the mother or daughter, Pops vanishes from his place and reappears at Julian's side. He's just in time to stretch a muscular arm across the boy's chest, stopping him from face planting.

Tiredly, the blonde looks up at the Lucario who caught him, seeing the impassive face of Pops staring down at him.

"Thanks…" Julian has the gall to smile. "I knew you'd come around eventually."

The alpha simply pushes the boy roughly into his bed.

---

After a hearty meal and some time to rest, Julian was allowed to leave the hut several hours later with Lulu practically glued to his hip. A number of the Lucario in the pack approached him, some with excitement and others with suspicion. Lulu was quick to jump to his defense and shoo away anyone who got too nosy. Now, night is beginning to fall, but the lack of clouds and the bright full moon overhead means there will be much light yet tonight.

Oh, how he longs to try out his newfound aura again, but Lady Luca's angry, shaking fist warned him better than any words ever could. Lulu had narrowly gotten away without a punishment, as a game of twenty questions led him to find out just what her offense was.

If his line of questioning was right, then what she did was an exercise to teach young Riolu how to begin drawing on their aura, and teaching such a thing to anyone outside of the pack means severe punishment up to and including expulsion… Even if you are the child of the alphas.

Lulu nearly gave up her home just to ease his discomfort. If that isn't friendship, Julian isn't sure what is.

The man-turned-boy is drawn from his thoughts when Lulu tugs on his arm, leading him to a small patch of fluffy clover near the edge of the tree line.

Together, they lay down on their backs and stare up at the heavens.

High above, the cosmos are so different from what he remembers. None of the constellations are the same, and the complete absence of light pollution lets every star glitter like a precious diamond sewn into a beautiful tapestry of whirling blue and purple broken by yawning voids of black. Only majestic luna breaks the pattern, but the pale light of the moon adds yet another layer of complex beauty to the night sky.

'I really am far from home…' Julian's fascination with the sky fades as he sobers up. 'I hope dad is taking it well. We never saw eye-to-eye much after mom passed, but I never even got to say goodbye… Nicholas is probably too busy with his family to have time to worry and Carson…' Julian frowns. 'Carson probably didn't care one way or the other. He's probably already forgotten…'

Probably already forgotten…

The thought of being forgotten strikes a still wounded part of Julian that refuses to heal. 'If they held a funeral for me… Who would've showed up? It's been almost a month now, and even the most determined search party would have given up this point. To them, I died a nobody.'

"Ririon?"

Julian sucks in a sharp breath through his nose and shakes his head, turning to Lulu, who eyes him with worry. "Gur, luca orio Ririon?" She asks, laying one of her broad paws across his hand.

The blonde teen smiles. "Ah, no need to worry about me. Just thinking of some things," he replies, giving her paw a squeeze before letting go. He folds his hands behind his head like a pillow in the soft clover and returns his attention to the sky. "Just… Wondering if my family was okay. By now, they've probably stopped looking for me and started to move on."

The Lucario at his side says nothing, but her warm, supportive eyes tell him to keep going. The ruby-like orbs blink in the moonlight.

Julian sits up and Lulu mirrors him. "My mom passed some years ago," he continues quietly, holding one of his legs and resting his chin on his knee. "She was never the most healthy, but she had the spirit of a woman three times her size. She lived by the rule 'do unto others' and did so much community and charity work that I personally think they should have made her a saint. She certainly had the right attitude for it. Then her health got the best of her and she… Well, died."

Lulu shuffles closer, pulling Julian into a warm, one-armed hug. The whine that comes from her throat is almost too quiet to hear.

Julian smiles, but it falls again. "When she was put to rest, almost no one showed up. It was just my father, myself, my brothers, the minister of the service, one of our lonely old neighbors, and one of my teachers who happened to have the day off. I was…" He pauses, trying to find the right word. Outraged? Furious? "Shocked to see how few people came. It was about a year after that that I looked at a picture of her, and I was disgusted with myself when the woman I looked at was different from my memories. I know the picture was correct, so that means I started to forget her. Soon… No one at all would remember, and when your name is said for the last time, then you're truly dead and gone."

The blonde shivers despite the warm, furry body pressed to his. "It scared me, Lulu. It still scares me. The realization that you can actually be gone forever. I tried my hardest to be someone worth remembering back home, but nothing really seemed to work." He stops to take a breath and turns to the shiny red eyes just a few inches away from his greens. "Something tells me that you know a little bit about wanting to stand out."

Lulu tilts her head. "Gra?"

"I've seen the way you fight Pops as hard as you can." Julian recalls the dozens of spars he's seen between the father and daughter. Every single time Lulu gives nothing less than a hundred and ten percent. "I don't know who it's for, yourself or someone else, but I do know how frustrating it is to seemingly be running in place when you've got bigger dreams you want to be chasing."

The Lucario's face creases into a scowl and a low growl rumbles in her throat. "Carro…" She says, the single word dripping with years worth of frustration.

Julian looks back up at the moon. "I've been talking with a couple of the Lucario in the pack here and there. I know I'm not supposed to be here permanently, and Pops intends to kick me out once he feels like I can survive alone."

Lulu's one-armed hug grows the slightest bit stronger.

"But I don't really want to go…" Julian begins, making Lulu look up at him with surprise. He huffs. "What's with that look? I already told you that you're my best friend, right? I don't want to leave you behind. So, I've been thinking…" He grins at her. "What if we leave together?"

"Ririon?" Lulu blinks.

"The best road to being a legend in this world is being a Pokémon Master, I think," Julian explains. He brushes some of his golden hair out of his eyes. "And while you're here, you're stagnating. You've only got the same handful of opponents to fight time after time. You'll only ever be good at fighting other Lucario, but if we go out into the world together, we'll find challenges that you can only dream of. We'll find new ways to grow. Then you can come back and awe your old man with all of your new skills and might. He'll have no choice but to take you seriously. I want to see your dreams come true as much as I do mine."

The Lucario pulls out of the one-armed hug and instead stares down at her paws, deep in reflection. Julian looks down at her paws as well. Even in the low light, he can see the little scars on her paw pads and the bumps under her fur from other scars hidden from view. She licks her lips and looks back to the blonde expectantly.

"You don't have to answer right now, and I'm not gonna be upset if you decide not to," he says, falling back into the clover. "I'd never force anything on you."

Lulu's eyes narrow, literally glowing red in determination as he says that. She then thrusts one her paws out, holding it for him to grab.

The teen sits back up and stares at the offered limb dumbly, not quite comprehending what she means for a moment. "Huh. Are you sure?" He asks, stopping his hand from reaching out and clasping the rough-padded paw. "Maybe you should think it through a little more?"

The Fighting-type growls and reaches a little closer, telling him exactly what she thinks of the offer.

Awkward smile on his face, Julian tries to hide just how pleased he is. "If you say so. It would've felt wrong without you anyway, partner."

Hand meets paw with a muffled clap and both grip tightly, sealing their fates.

A feeling unlike any other Julian has ever felt rushes from Lulu's paw into his body, filling him with a reassurance that the days of uncertainty are coming to an end.

'Wait, what? How do I know that?' He blinks and limply lets go of Lulu's paw, falling back to the clover patch in sync with her as he suddenly finds himself embroiled with yet more confusing thoughts. 'Reassurance that there's not much more uncertainty left, because I have my friend with me. I know for a fact that's exactly what I felt yet there isn't a name for such a feeling. Julian pauses and thinks of Lulu, her smiling visage filling his mind. Once again, the strange nameless emotion fills him, making him feel light and reassured.

'That's what raw friendship feels like.' He blinks. 'That shouldn't be its own standalone emotion, though. Just what the hell is going on. This is just as weird as..!'

The low-stance run.

The kiai.

His aura.

The run didn't have any strange feelings associated with it. He simply dipped his stance low, let his arms drag, and his ability to run increased noticeably.

The kiai, however, has something more observable. Whenever he lets out a yell or a grunt during his spars with Lulu or another Lucario, his limbs would jolt with a sudden burst of strength that comes seemingly from nowhere. He tested the strange phenomena one day a week ago, and found that ten regular punches and ten punches empowered by a scream tire him an equal amount despite the power difference between them

Then the aura, the one he discovered just today. It feels wholly different from the kiai, instead being a feeling of warm water running through his veins. He knows for a fact that humans do not have superpowers. Yet, when he recalled Lulu's desperation, the tiny flicker of aura was all his own and called upon just as Lulu showed him.

As he looks up at the sky, Julian ponders these strange findings. There seems to be almost no rhyme or reason to these outlandish abilities, but they vaguely resemble things from comic books or…

His eyes bug out as everything suddenly connects.

The sky above him is not the sky of earth, it's the sky of a different planet. The sky of a different planet in a different universe. The things he's seen would never, ever get away working under the harsh constraints of the physical universe he knows. Things like running faster with your arms dragging up behind you, screaming making you stronger, magical life force powers, and the sudden capacity to feel something as complex as friendship as a single emotion.

It seems so absurd, yet the more he thinks the more terrible sense it makes.

The world of Pokémon as he knows it is a video game and anime, and he sees no asinine stat boxes floating around, so with that possibility eliminated…

"This world is an anime…" He breathes. A moment later, he grins.

He's living in a world running off of anime physics, and he's cognizant of said physics.

Julian Angelo will be more than something. He'll be a name too great to ever forget.