Lucas knew the way, his feet taking him down a path he had walked every day for the past week. Statues and carvings remained in the depths of the cave, yet to be touched by the sea. The path was lined with hieroglyphs he couldn't even begin to understand. But there was on symbol he did recognize. An ancient leviathan.
Even if he was blind, he would understand it.
"Why do I have this bad feeling? Like the moment before the first bolt of lightning..."
Lucas gave a short grimace in surprised as he passed by a crystal torch that flickered to life, the power of the temple last long after its carvers had. After so long in the dark water, the sudden light irritated him.
"No, that's not it. I would have felt that."
His foot steps echoed off the hallowed walls, revealing more doors, left to hang open, or collapsed in a heap of rubble. It became clear to the man the first time he visited how quickly the place became abandoned: as if they had to flee from a terrible threat. Eventually, Lucas dove so deep into the ruins that not even time could reach, the passages becoming more well-preserved as he went. The sound of the roaring ocean had faded into a minor din in the background. If he did not know any better, he could have sworn he was back in the Glimmer Lighthouse, albeit in the basement, and at night.
"It's not as though any of them would be foolish enough to actually go-... ignore that last statement."
After minutes of walking through several passages, he came before a solid wall, causing the man to pause before it. It had taken him a week to remember how the humans of old had opened this way; the prior ocean entrance now lost to him. However, the silver glow of his hand sparkled on the wall ahead. Stone faded into air as a door appeared before the man, opening into a tremendous cavern. He sighed as the fresh, clean air brushed past his face.
"It's going to happen. All that power in one place. It would be foolhardy to assume the process was as clean cut for all."
There, sitting in the centre of the cavern was a lake of silvery water, sloshing about lazily of its own accord. It sat in the middle of a depression, gently sloping sides coming to an abrupt end at the edges of the liquid. It gave off a soft glow, illuminating the room completely, leaving no need for torches beyond the stairs. At the center, there sat a small island, two great bronze laterns tied to opposite ends of the protruding stones. Vines, mosses and plants crept into the room, coating the ceiling in a thin layer of flora. Not once did Lucas pause in his step, the water carrying his weight with a faint ripple as he strode across it as easily as the cavern floor.
"Do nothing? That would be best. Leave them to handle it."
A year here had little to show for it. The camp he had made was nothing impressive; he did want for little with the sea so close. A sleeping bag had been spread out, and a small backpack lay next to it, a couple of tables, and a desk. On top of the tables were a couple of stone tablets, their script the same as the walls above, and several wooden masks adorned with colorful feathers. The remnants of a driftwood nest, long since disused, lay in ruin near the water's edge. It took him little time to pack what few belonging he had; most of his research and keepsakes could stay, and he would need to supplies from the village for the long journey ahead.
"You're right, I admit. I could..." Lucas murmered quietly to himself as he slung the satchel over his arm, as he looked around at his ocean cave. He would miss this place. "I could... but I know I won't," he said with a sigh of weariness, before stepping into the pool around his island, being pulled under the surface once more.
Cold swept over his body, running through him like a torrent of the coldest winter breeze. He cried out in a silent scream of elation as the liquid seemed to rip something out of his very core, a piece that was no longer there, as his body shot through the water like a bullet. The darkness slowly gathered around his vision, the direness of his situation testing his resolve to follow through. The Avatar of Lugia resigned himself to his task.
Three weeks of walking, and a hefty bribe for a flight from a rather touchy Tropius, would find Lucas on the doorstep of Mauville City, staring rather impassively at the colossal structure as streams of people poured in and out like swarms of Durants.
A city within a single building. What would they think of next?
With the sun only hours away from setting behind him, Lucas walked faster, passing under the welcoming arch of the city, scarcely noticing the few curious glances sent his way. His attire had always made his rare appearances on the mainland stand out, but for the first time, the avatar could only smile in amusement as he blended into the crowd. Everywhere people dressed in garish costume, or even as pokemon themselves. He was confident he had even seen a few would-be Lugias amongst the festival attenders.
Talk of this place had made it to every corner of the globe; even to the small village on the mainland that he journeyed for supplies. It was the only thing anyone could talk about that day. And every village of city he stopped at along the way, there was always the same talk:
'The Avatars will be in the Festival in Mauville!'
They hadn't lied. Clusters of trainers and coordinator chattered how Diancie made herself known. How Giratina had almost come to blows with her. Lucas felt himself stopping in mid walk, his blood running cold as he heard that.
"Arceus... give me strength," the avatar whispered tersely as he began the visual hunt for his brethren.
The crowds were somewhat thinner than they were earlier in the day. There were costume contests going on, so many of the festival-goers crowded around a few scattered stages, watching flustered volunteers attempt to herd droves of hyperactive and colorfully dressed children.
As far as Lucas could see, there was only one child wandering around without a costume. A blonde girl, maybe twelve years old, adjusted her round silver glasses as she turned what seemed to be a map around in her hands. She wore a t-shirt with a picture of a shiny Rapidash on it, knee-length shorts, and pink light-up shoes that appeared to have half of their lights burned out. The girl sighed and gave the Pokemon standing beside her a flustered look. The Lucario shrugged and resumed carefully observing the people around his companion.
The girl looked around for a minute, as if searching for something. Occasionally she took a step toward someone, only to shy away before they noticed. Finally, she noticed Lucas strolling by and dared to walk up to him.
"Excuse me, sir," the blonde said, her forced brave tone coming out a little too strong. "Can you show us how to get to Battle Arena B? I'm not very good at maps..." Her large teal eyes scanned Lucas, and a small smile graced her face. "Nice Lugia costume, by the way," the girl added.
The Lucario stiffened and sidled closer to the blonde, crimson eyes trained on Lucas. The Aura Pokemon could sense that this man was not just a cosplayer.
A look of peaceful content was cemented on the man's face as he carefully steered his way though the throng, giving the barest of flinches as a duo of children dressed as Charmanders bumped into him, running off in delight. So it was to his surprise when the young girl marched up to him.
"Excuse me, sir? Can you show us how to get to Battle Arena B? I'm not very good at maps..."
'Well, isn't this one brave,' Lucas thought quietly to himself as he bent over over to her eye level. 'Why not? Manners maketh man, and my voice could use company.'
"That makes two of us, but I suppose misery loves her company," Lucas answered her with a quiet chuckle as he peeled the map from her fingers, looking it over intently. He would be the last person to turn down an opportunity to get his bearings, and his eyes scanned the labyrinthine map hungrily. "I thank you, little one. Have you ever seen one like that?" Lucas added with his own smile, tilting his head towards her own shirt. It had taken a few moments for her words to register with him, tilting his head in quiet confusion, before he had looked down at his attire and smiled.
If she only knew.
The avatar could feel someone's gaze burning a hole in his head, and peeked over the top of the map to find the girl's Lucario staring rather intently at him. Sapphire met crimson for a few fateful seconds till the avatar gave the slightest of nods of acquiescence to the aura master, his foot sliding back in apprehension.
'Run.' It was the briefest of thoughts, but Lucas quickly squashed it. It mattered not if the pokemon knew; they were both here for their own reasons.
"Let's see..." he murmered quietly to himself, as he thumbed the map. "The pokemart is in this direction... which puts the pageant here... wait, that's the second floor..." After a few more moments of this, and a few attempts to check the back of the map for some discerning mark, Lucas could only hand her back the folded the map a frown set into his face. He should have known better than for the festival to advertise where his brethren would be housed. Surely they would be the guests of honor at the parade, and center stage for the fight...
Lucas bit the inside of his cheek in contemplation.
'Useless,' he quietly decided at last.
"Well, it's official. I am completely and totally lost," he told her, folding his hands inside of his enormous sleeves, the shell bell around his waist jingling with every slight movement. Slow, nonthreatening motions. "You, on the other hand, are not. Go down this hallway and take a right. Look for the Square Towers, and once you see it, go straight ahead to the second intersection, and than another right. According to that, it should take you to the Battle Institute," he informed her. His eyes flicked briefly to her guard, though his kind tone continued to address her.
"I take it one of your parents, or an older sibling is participating in one of the matches, Miss...?"
"Emry," the girl answered the helpful man. "And me and Solomon are gonna compete in a tournament tomorrow." The girl nodded toward her Lucario, who finally took his gaze off Lucas for a moment to give her a nod in return. Emry took a few seconds to mentally review the directions.
"Thanks, sir," the blonde said with a slight curtsy, evidently with an imaginary skirt. "I think I can find it now. Bye!" With that, she walked away with a spring in her step. Solomon gave Lucas one last glance before following his friend.
So many cheery colors, sounds, and smells lined the street as Emry walked ahead. It was hard for a girl to stay focused with all the festivities going on! But she was determined to reach her goal, and she could not afford any distractions. Well... maybe she could allow distractions that tasted good...
'Keep walking straight ahead,' a gritty voice suddenly commanded in her mind. 'Don't look back. We have to talk in private.'
Emry's blood ran cold at the grim message. For an instant, she moved to look directly at Solomon, only to remember he told her to look ahead. The girl began to squeeze her hands into tight fists from anxiety.
'Ok' she replied. 'We'll find a quiet spot once we make this turn.'
A couple minutes later, the duo stopped by a line of booths that were closing down. Emry fiddled around with her large backpack while Solomon practiced some fighting stances. From the outside, nobody would imagine they were having a serious telepathic conversation.
'That man in the Lugia costume is the real thing,' Solomon began. 'Well, he's an avatar. I can't be certain that his representative Pokemon is Lugia.'
Emry gulped.
'Do you think he's--?'
'Hard to say,' Solomon answered. 'He didn't seem deceptive... but deceptive people rarely do... does he look anything like the way you remember?'
The blonde considered for a moment.
'I guess not,' Emry decided. 'But he could be in disguise for all we know.'
'What I did detect,' the Lucario mused, 'Was a spirit that seemed to desire swimming against the tide. He either wants to bring chaos within harmony or harmony within chaos. If he is Lugia, the latter seems more likely.' The Aura Pokemon stood on the toes of one foot and frowned. 'But looks can be deceiving.'
Emry perked up a little and gave her partner a tentative smile.
'Maybe he can help us,' the blonde suggested. 'After all, you're the one that said this was too big for me to handle by myself. We can at least try to figure out what side he's on, if any.'
Solomon considered her words for an agonizingly long time. Then he mentally sighed.
'Well, if I wanted to stop you, I should have done it long ago. I suppose it's safe to learn more about a potential friend or foe, as long as you don't let him know who you are.' The Lucario bent his knees, leaned forward, and cracked a rare smile. 'C'mon. We might be able to find him again if we're really fast.'
Emry beamed from both gratitude and excitement. Forgetting her fears for the moment, she hopped onto Solomon's back. He sprinted through the crowd, carrying the girl piggy-back-style with little effort. Emry decided to call out their target's name when they neared their meeting place, only to realize she never learned his name.
"Lugia costume guy! LUGIA COSTUME GUYYYYYY!"
Lucas offered the girl a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well then, Lady Emry, I wish you and Sir Solomon all the best of luck tommorrow!" he called out to her as she ran off with her Lucario. He gave a slight chuckle as she disappeared into the throng, before brushing a stray strand of ivory away from his eyes. "Well, that was adorabe," he murmered quietly to himself as he walked away, mentally reviewing the map he had just seen.
The building was huge, but considering it contained a living, breathing city within its walls, that was expected. While whoever was incharge of this would never advertise where the legends were staying, lips could only stay sealed for so long and-
Lucas found himself frozen in mid-step infront of a food both, his eyes glued onto rows of colorful delights nestled in ice. The avatar found himself edging towards the booth, towards one of the few pleasures he had in life; sushi.
"Arceus damn it all. When was the last time I had fresh fish? Or anything other than the fruit that insufferable Tropius?"
...
"No, I don't have any money. Stick with the plan. Find them first, fish later."
......
"Fish later," he growled quietly to himself with emphasis, legs reluctantly obeying him as he trudged off, his resolve a little less iron than a few moments ago. He gave a tired sigh and attempted to slip back into the crowd, until-
"Lugia costume guy! LUGIA COSTUME GUYYYYYY!"
Lucas's head shot back around as he heard the familiar voice, watching Emry ride atop Solomon as the aura master dodged through the moving crowds towards her. The avatar gave her a welcoming wave. "Back so soon? I hope you didn't forget the path already," he chided her playfully.
"Nah," Emry answered, her voice coming out a little strained. Perhaps she was more nervous than she thought. The blonde cleared her throat while Solomon set her down.
"We can train later. I was just thinking, you helped me find my way, so I should try to help you. What are you looking for?"
Lucas pursed his lips in thoughts, fully aware of the Lucario's ever present scrutiny. If she continued to follow him like this, questions would be asked, and while the Avatar considered him a sufficient liar, even the best of webs had their weak spots. He expected the child, least of all, to find them but the mouths of babes were the most unguarded of all.
'Nervous,' Lucas thought to himself as he looked over the child's disposition. 'If anything, a new trainer here for the first time by herself. Though the evolved pokemon makes me wonder...' he mused quietly, as he considered the girl's offer. If anything, they would appear be two siblings together in the fair. Yes, that would do nicely.
"I would actually appreciate it," Lucas said as he crouched down to her height. "You see, I'm actually looking for a place to lay my head that isn't already likely filled up. Late to the festival I'm afraid, and with all these hotels being advertised so widely, they're no doubt booked. But between you and me," he confessed with a conspiratorial whisper, "I'm not above sleeping on a bench to get front row seats to the parade tomorrow."
Emry screwed up her face in thought. Now that she thought of it, she wasn't entirely sure where she would sleep, either. The girl normally felt fine sleeping under the stars... but being out in the open with all these strangers around unnerved her.
"Maybe we can sit on all the benches and figure out which is the comfiest," Emry offered. She giggled a bit at her silly idea. "That's the best I can think of."
The avatar straightened himself, and tilted his head in thought. A myriad of emotions crossed his face: from incredulous, to ponderous, to dismissive, and then back to thought. "You know..." he wondered aloud. "That's almost crazy enough to work."
Round and round Mauville City the three went, never spending more than twenty ten minutes at any place before getting up and moving to the next one. They would make idle chatter as Emry's Lucario served as their faithful guard, and as the legend would feign resting his head back on the benches, he had eyes only for the people passing them buy. He had counted some thirty odd Groudons, a dozen Mews, some strange fellow dressed in what looked like red and green taffy, and nearly two hundred pikachus.
'Seriously, WHY pikachu?' he wondered, as one such lad walked by holding his mother's hand.
"I can't wait for the festival food! And the games! Oh, oh! And the food! Did I mention the food, mom?" the boy hopped up and down a few times, hands balled into excited fists.
As if one cue, Lucas heard a needy rumble from within the depths of the little girl's belly.
"I'll be back in a moment," Lucas told her after moment, standing up. His finger met her forehead as she rose to follow him, and and the avatar smiled warmly back down at her. "And that means stay here," he stressed, waiting for a moment for her protest. When he received none, he gave a sharp nod and slipped into the busy crowd. The only evidence of his presence nearby was the faint tingling of his bell within the dull roar of the crowd.
One of the festival booths suddenly collapsed in on itself, spilling its goods all over the ground and leaving a very mad food vendor to pick up the pieces, "Damn it! Every YEAR!"
After a few moment, the white haired man resurfaced from the depths of the constumed crowd, hands gripping his pilfered goods. He quickly tore open two of the bags and offered them to her and her pokemon. "Don't worry too much; these were overpriced anyway," he remarked, as he caught her look. "I'll try to remember to leave something for him before I leave here, though I would have preferred fish..." he remarked, staring at the strange bag.
"Heh heh heh, somebody approves!" Lucas smirked, a few crumbs already clinging to the sides of Solomon's mouth. He chuckled and took a seat on the bench. This 'hanging out' thing...was strange. The avatar pulled a bag open and tasted the treat inside, "...not bad," he commented, "But still not Stunfisk..."
Lucas trailed off for a moment, licking his lips free of the salt. It was dry here. He had seen all the world, and found it his home. And yet nothing seemed as strange as this building where there was no sky, no sun, no wind, no spray, yet humans frolicked and thrived.
"I have been many places, but my heart always returns to Johto," he admitted quietly to her, his eyes distant. "In spring, the buds of new life are numerous in the youthful air; in summer, wild flowers dot the heated terrain; and in autumn, the dying leaves shine with the brilliance of the sunset. Johto is always a vision of beauty, no matter what adversity it faces," he told her. He eyed the girl curiously, as if seeing her for the first time since they met. "Tell me Emry... where do you and Solomon come from?"
Mixed emotions flooded Emry's mind as the group tested a dozen or so benches. One minute, the girl would relax and goof off among her trusted Pokemon and this nice avatar guy. The next, she would see or hear something in the crowd that reminded her to be scared. The last thing Emry wanted to do was arouse suspicion, so she played the part of friendly playful girl as well as she could at all times.
The blonde felt surprised by a pang of nerves when Lucas told her to stay put while he got some food. Gosh... had she started trusting him already? Emry closed her eyes and refocused on her intel mission. Friendly or not, she couldn't give him any important information.
Something good came from Lucas's absence, though. It gave Emry a minute to speak with her guardian.
'What do you think?' she asked Solomon. The Lucario gazed into the distance, lost in deep thought.
'I'm thinking I hope he gets onion rings,' he communicated in his typical solemn tone.
Emry shot him a brief glare.
'You pick NOW of all times to not be serious?!'
'I am serious,' Solomon replied, chuckling lightly. Then his sober expression returned. 'As for Lucas, I'm not picking up anything new. Stick to the plan; you're doing fine. Perhaps you could tone down the flinching every time-- oh. Apparently he's a thief now.'
Thus, Emry couldn't help looking at Lucas with slight horror as he returned. Thankfully, the man seemed to interpret her suspicion as a moral qualm against stealing. The girl looked down meekly as she ate her onion rings. Solomon gobbled his much less quietly.
"Tell me Emry... where do you and Solomon come from?"
The blonde's heart fluttered. Oh great. A personal question.
"Uh..." Emry mumbled, fidgeting with her glasses. "Around."
Solomon paused and gave the girl a glance. Emry didn't need telepathy to know he was saying 'Stop blowing your cover'.
"W-We're from Kalos," the girl clarified. "It has a lot of people and cities. It's not as nature-y as your description of Johto." Intel mission... "Um... so... what are you doing here? Any events you're looking forward to?"
Lucas blinked, a snack frozen halfway to his face for the briefest of seconds as her answer registered with him.
"That's interesting," he commented offhandedly around bites of onion ring. "I didn't realize that Riolu could be found in Kalos."
'They can't,' Lucas mentally clarified to himself. Eventually every liar got caught in a web. This one would need more practice.
"Same reason as everyone else here I guess. Kanto, Johto, Kalos, Unovva. Everyone's here for the festivities and the parade. Personally, I hope Lugia makes an appearance," Lucas said with a smile as he looked down at his own 'costume' as Emry had put it earlier. "I mean, I'm a big fan of all the legends and such, but it would be fantastic for me to even just see the genuine Lugia. Or well," he said with an after thought. "Whoever Lugia chose. Slightly less impressive. My dad used to tell me stories and well... how many people can say they've seen a legendary?"
"Not in the wild," Emry responded to Lucas's remark about Riolu in Kalos. "His previous owner brought him there."
The duo munched on their food and listened to Lucas rave about Lugia.
'I'm now 99 percent certain he is Lugia's avatar,' Solomon commented to his companion. 'Eventually, every liar gets caught in a web.'
"A lot of avatars are supposed to be in the parade tomorrow," Emry suggested. "I might watch, but I have to make sure it works around the tournament..." The blonde rummaged through her canary yellow backpack and pulled out a crumpled schedule. She scanned it for a minute and nodded.
"Do you have a schedule?" Emry asked Lucas. "Wanna look at mine?"
"Oh? And who was his previous owner? Your father?" Lucas asked pleasantly, eyeing the aura user. If he found it strange that a girl of twelve, a clearly fresh trainer, would simply be her by herself with a pokemon far too advanced for her, he did not show it. "How long have you been a trainer?"
He gave a small smile, instead, as he took the scheduled from her and tried to smooth it out on his leg. "I haven't, I had literally just walked through the door when you ah... accosted me," he chided her playfully as he tried to read the damaged paper for the schedule of the days events, especially for anything regarding the avatars.
The most significant events of the festival were a parade the next morning and battling tournaments throughout that day, including the Tournament of Legends for avatars. The rest of today seemed relatively uneventful other than a private dinner for the legends.
As Emry finished her snack, she leaned her head against the back of the bench and closed her teal eyes.
"Well, I hope we both get to meet some nice avatars," the girl murmured. "...This a good bench, by the way."
Lucas could only blink at the line up of the events, shaking his head quietly at the farce these people had set up for themselves. Though he supposed the ego of man knew no bounds, his brethren should have known better. His finger paused just under where it mentioned the private dinner, a smirk stretching his lips. He knew where his targets would be. And any Legend foolish enough to come to this Festival would surely have the ego to be there. For such a private dinner, the restaurant would neither advertise the fact, nor allow people from the street.
Ergo, find the quietest restaurant, find the legends.
Next... came the hard part.
Lucas gave a small smile at his traveling companion as she curled up deeper against the bench, and quietly leaned forward to get up to leave. When he was sure she had at the very least lightly dozed, he reached deep within his robes and withdrew a strange silver feather that parted at the tip, sparkling even under the artificial lighting.
'I shouldn't be doing this...' Lucas chastised himself, as he examined the feather. A part of him disagreed. After all, what was one measly feather to him when he had an entire nest of them back home?
'There is nothing special about this girl.' There was also nothing special about him.
'She won't even know what it is.' She would know.
"I'm sure you will Emry," Lucas dared once he was sure the little girl had fallen to sleep on the bench, and he rose. He gently placed the delicate feather in her lap, the bell tinkling with almost an ephemeral chime this time around. "And I wish you all the best of luck in all of your tournaments."
Lugia gave one last smile to the little girl, before he turned to walk away. As he did, he caught the crimson gaze that watched his every moment from the second he stood up. The man simply folded his hands in his long sleeves.
"I know that you know," the avatar told the pokemon cryptically, though he seemed more apathetic to the fact than anything else. "We have that effect, afterall," he said added with a shrug. He couldn't understand the Lucario even if he wanted too, but he had a decent idea of what was going through his mind. "Which means you're also aware of what I'm capable of. If she decides to follow me, you can let her and she will see things few humans have ever seen before. But she may also get hurt..." here the avatar trailed off and glanced somewhere in the distance. "Many people may get hurt," he admitted. "Or you can take her away from this festival as far as you can as fast as you can." Lucas gave a respectful nod to the aura master and walked away.
"...and she may have a chance to see tomorrow,"
Solomon listened to Lucas with rapt attention. Now that he let some of his walls down, the Lucario could get a better glimpse of who he really was. The avatar's words, at least those spoken in that last minute, were sincere. This meant as much to Solomon as the words themselves.
If only he could take her away. If only she could stop agonizing over her 'duty' to fix past mistakes.
Solomon gingerly picked up the Silver Wing and tucked it on Emry's ear, covering most of it with her blonde locks. Now, to the public, it looked more like a sparkly accessory than a mysterious Pokemon item. The girl stirred a little, but she resumed dozing off.
The Lucario looked back at Lucas, who was walking away. Solomon gave him the faintest of smiles.
"No, I'm afraid we're booked for the evening," the hostess apologized.
Lucas waved her off, more interested the hectic and busy restaurant itself. "That's alright, I can see well enough. Have a pleasant evening," he said, with a twinkle in his eye.
As he left Le Combee, the avatar scratched another name off of his list, and could only smile. Where another would be frustrated with their lack of progress, Lucas only saw himself narrowing down the gap between him and is quarry. It had been hours, as he had traversed from one side of the city to the other, but he was close.
Lucas could feel it.
The rest of the city was exactly as Lucas had come to expect. Pokemon trainers of various age rushed about, eager to fight and frolick with their companions and secure their legacies. Some were accompanied by parents, and peals of laughter filled the air even this late at night. Looking about, Lucas spied a familiar head of long blonde hair situated near the pokecenter's entrance. Emry was looking about in the opposite direction at the moment, but appeared to be alone and keeping an eye out for something.
Lucas paused for a moment, and then turned to walk the other way.
One of the final few places was a place called the 'Ritzy Raichu', the surrounding areas having been cordoned off for 'maintenance' only half an hour ago.
They called to him from there.
Smiling to himself, he stealthily crept down the street, his feet light upon the tile, moving as a shade of white through the crowd. Each footstep closer to the restaurant brought palpations; he could practically taste the power that echoed in those walls.
"Not since the beginning have we been gathered like this..." he whispered solemnly to himself. He paused infront of the restaurant, standing in the street outside. It was quiet, and he had long since left the bustle of the crowd behind. He pulled back his hair and ran a thumb across his eyebrow, furrowed in thought in thought, before his hands fell limp to his sides, disappearing into his sleeves once more.
From here, all bets were off. Lucas knew to be careful with his demands, and with his replies. Offending any of these particular individuals could certainly be hazardous to his health, Prophecy or no.
'Come,' came the unbidden thought, his mind reaching for the inhabitants within, the words echoing in the minds of those with the gift to listen. It was not the voice of a trainer, nor that of a pokemon.
But of something older.
As Lucas neared the Ritzy Raichu, a Porygon-Z popped out from behind a column right next to him without warning. Though the Pokemon simply intended to hide from any potential angry masters that might come looking for it, its sudden appearance might scare a jumpy person.
Porygon-Z hovered all around Lucas, scanning him with its swirly eyes. Then it faced him directly.
"This dinner is for avatars only," the pink Pokemon droned. "Please prove your power by attacking me with a move."
To his credit, the avatar gave the barest of flinches and made to step back before he realized just who, or rather, what had accosted him. His hand, the fingers of which were splayed beneath his robes and ready to block, relaxed. A breathe to calm his beating heart later, Lucas his head as he examined the strange pokemon, a look of confusion on his face. He... he...
He had no idea what this pokemon was. In all of his travels, he had never seen or heard of such a creature. Let alone one that could talk the human tongue! This was not a pokemon from the beginning, it was... wrong. Where there should have been the spark of Arceus's life in its eyes, Lucas saw only emptiness.
He frowned distastefully at its request to attack it.
"I think not," Lucas said simply as he stepped around past the Porygon, walking towards the restaurant. "I have no need to prove anything... I am what I have always been."
Porygon-Z zoomed to the door of the restaurant and splayed its arms out, as if defending the entrance. Its yellow eyes stared at Lucas.
"This dinner is for avatars only," the Pokemon repeated, slightly louder. "Please prove your power by attacking me with a move."
"No," Lucas stared back impassively, standing before the door, bringing his full height before the pokemon, towering over it. The pokemon had only about a foot of room infront and back, and the avatar did not seem amused. "You will stand aside in the name of Arceus," Lucas told the Pokemon, refusing to give into its request. He would refuse such trivial displays of his power; to acquiesce would be to only encourage future displays.
If this turned violent, he would defend. But until then, all he could do was stare down the pokemon, his own sapphire eyes holding back the tide.
Porygon-Z stared down Lucas for a long moment, too. Then, bright purple beams shot from its eyes, missing the man's head by inches.
"Leave the avatars alone," the Pokemon intoned with narrowed eyes, "Or the next one shall not be a warning. It shall leave you with a rather unflattering haircut."
If Lucas was surprised, or even worried at the pokemon's actions, he did not show it. Instead, he brushed an errant strand of his ivory hair away from his face, as though he hadn't just come close to losing everything from the head up. Lucas took a sharp inhale through his nose, and tilted his head down at pokemon.
'Impressive... but only so. I have faced the birds of legends... I survived the Brass Tower,' Lucas thought silently to himself. 'Whatever these humans have created, I will survive too.'
"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Lucas apologized, as he slid a foot back and turning his body to the side, offering that much less of a target. "For it is for the legends themselves that I have come, to join their number. And I do not intend to leave here without them," he said, rising his open hands as he braced himself, the bell at his waist tinkling urgently. "Now please, either due your duty, or let me pass. Strike true, or not at all," Lucas asked, his voice as even possible. His eyes turned stormy, as he added. "But this I warn, should you choose to hold a knife to my throat, be prepared to cut deep."
An eerie hush fell over the two as Porygon-Z gears turned to figure out the optimum course of action its programming would allow. The Pokemon began to vibrate a little as a result of its mental distress.
"You have no right to inform me of the specifics of my duty, dumbass."
With that, Porygon-Z fired a Psybeam. Had Lucas stayed right where he was, the attack would've sliced through the front portion of his hair. It would cause him no real harm... probably.
Lucas dodged quickly, hair his upper body bolting under the beam as it cut dangerously close to his face, shearing off several locks of his ivory hair. In but a second, he had made his decision. He had already lost precious time and had no desire to add his head to it. He swiped at the pokemon with his fingers extending as a claw, grabbing ahold of one of the creature's 'arm' to secure it. His other hand shot forward and blasted the Porygon Z with a straight palm thrust, flattening its cylindrical nose.
No sense going for broke.
A blow to the back of the Porygon's head staggered it, allowing Lucas to slip behind it, his grip like iron on the Porygon's arm. The avatar proceeded to lift the much smaller pokemon up by its arm, and with the faintest of grunts, threw it over his shoulder.
To the diners inside the Ritzy Raichu, all that could be heard was the faintest of scuffles outsde.
Only a few seconds after the noise began, the front doors of the Ritzy Raichu exploded inwards in a wave of wood and glass fragments as a pink and baby-blue pokemon was thrown clear across the restaurant. It bounced against the floor and came to a skidding crash on the very table the avatars were having dinner, frumbling the table cloth and sending glasses and plates clattering to the floor, before finally coming to rest face first in a certain Groudon's dish.
In the remains of the door, Lucas panted from the sudden exertion, though his attention seemed more focused on the length of hair directly next to his cheek. It had been cut dangerously short, with almost surgical precision and the tips still glowed red with the power of the Porygon's blast.
"Close..." they could hear him mutter, as he fingered the burns. "Little bit slower and I would've been a head shorter."
After a moment, he glanced at the damage done to the restaurant, and seemed to actually pale at the sight of all the avatars. The pulse of power he had felt outside the restaurant was now like a wave that threatened to sweep him away.
"This... this many?!" he he cried in disbelief. "I expected two, maybe four, to go with this insanity but..."
'Pull it together.'
Lucas gave a shaky sigh and pushed back the remnants of his lock, holding up bare and exposed hands for everyone in the restaurant to see he was unarmarmed.
"I come in peace," he declared.
Just as the last shattered remnants of the door collapsed, taking some of the wall with it.
"Honestly."
Vec
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