{Saving}Gym{Lucario}

[~/Birdybot\~]

The strong beats of wings resounded through Avura Town. They were close together, as if the bearer was in a hurry. The sound grew louder as a shadow appeared on the Pokemon Center, and a black dragon descended into the town, a barely concious Lucario on her back. A girl was there also, her Espeon-ears twitching in frustration as she struggled to keep Lucario awake. To all passers-by, it was clear that if Lucario fell asleep, he would never wake up.

It would most likely looked as though Sulteron was a very tough trainer indeed, to be riding a shiny Charizard alongside a Lucario. The truth was, these Pokemon were not hers. They were noones. Their trainer dead, the boss of the Team Vex station built in Route Three killed by the Lucario the girl was making sure didn't fall off Charizard as they hurried into the Pokemon Center, they were finally free. Then the building had collapsed, and Lucario had been willing to give his life to save Sulteron, being crushed under the fallen building as he did so... tears were joining the one that had dried earlier as Sulteron saw Lucario's eyes beginning to close, his aura fade away.

The doors to the Pokemon Center flung open, another Pokemon, this one a shiny Charmeleon, at Sulteron's heel as he sensed it was all right to come out his hated Pokeball. They ran up to the counter, other trainers allowing them to get to front of the que when they saw Lucario's condition. "Nurse Joy! This Lucario's trainer recently died on Route Three, and the building collapsed! He saved me by getting in the way, and was crushed by the building. Charizard also belonged to the trainer, and she flew us here to get help. Please, do whatever you can to save him!" she cried. That should help the Nurse understand what was needed to do, and if needed, more could be explained while Lucario was healed.

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There were whispers amongst the townsfolk about the large black Charizard and what appeared to be its trainer. Along with the large black Charizard, the trainer had an obviously injured Lucario. The trainer seemed to be quite powerful, so how did she manage to get her Lucario that injured, and if that was the case, why wasn't it in its Pokeball? People watched as she rushed into the PokeCenter, curious expressions upon their faces as she disappeared behind the sliding doors, the Charizard waiting patiently outside.

People turned to stare as Sulteron rushed in and asked Nurse Joy for help, who was having a chat with an older trainer that had just had her Pokemon refreshed after a long battle. Nurse Joy bid the trainer farewell and then trained her attention to Sulteron. Not really understanding all of what the young trainer had said, she just nodded, only picking up the parts of 'building collapsed, he saved me by getting in the way and was crushed by the building'. "Chansey, bring a stretcher over here please! This is an emergency!" Nurse Joy called over her shoulder. A few seconds later, and Chansey came hurrying up, around the desk and stopped next to Sulteron, helping get Lucario on there. Nurse Joy then came around the desk herself and took the stretcher and rushed back to some double doors that said 'STAFF ONLY' in big, bold letters. "Keep an eye on things in case I don't get back to you before my help comes in?" she called over her shoulder. Before waiting for an answer, she pushed through the doors and was gone, Chansey on her heels.

Shortly after Nurse Joy disappeared, the Charizard waiting outside made her way in, having a bit of trouble getting in through the small sliding doors, but finally managing. +The others will be here shortly. Though we used to be bad, and technically still are, we always looked to Lucario for wisdom and help with anything. He was like our leader out of all of us. He had been with Garth long before any others of us were, and he knew what to manipulate him,+

[/color] she said. A few people looked curiously over at Sulteron and the black Charizard, and the little Charmeleon next to her. Some moved closer, some farther away as they awaited their Pokemon to be done healing or checked up on.

Sure enough, as the Charizard had said, the rest of the Pokemon came strolling in, literally. It was the Jolteon first, followed by the Armaldo, then the Dusknoir, and last, the Tyranitar, who had to crawl on his belly to get in. Each found a large, but open, spot somewhere in the section where visitors were allowed. Despite where they chose, they were within talking range of each other. It was quite an odd site, but nonetheless something that wouldn't escape the minds of those who were currently in the PokeCenter.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron smiled at the other Pokemon. "It was good of you to come. Lucario's in that room," she pointed to 'STAFF ONLY' door, "So he should be out soon, and then you can go wherever you want. I suppose you're free after what happened to Garth, so you'll finally be able to do something you want to. Perhaps you could find somewhere more stable to set up your home to homeless Pokemon." she smiled weekly. Not thinking of anything else to say, she merely watched the door for a sign of anything. Lucario would be fine, she knew it, he had to be! But it just might take a little time. She dropped herself onto a sofa, sighing. Fairo crawled up beside her, and the two watched the door, unsure whether to be fearfull or happy.

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About ten minutes later, Nurse Joy came out of the swinging double doors and over to Sulteron. She gave a little gasp of surprise at seeing large Pokemon scattered throughout the lounge, but didn't say anything. "Lucario is going to be fine, eventually. He was hurt pretty badly in whatever it is that happened, though. He'll need a long rest before he is even ready to walk around again. I did as much as I could with what medicine we have, and now the rest is up to him," she said. By 'the rest is up to him' meant how long the recovery state would be. If his will was strong, then it wouldn't be more than a day, but if he didn't want to get better, for some odd reason, it might take a few days. "I won't ask for the story, I'll just trust you on what happened... is Lucario yours?" she asked, not having heard or remembering everything Sulteron had said earlier.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron gave a smile at the good news, and Fairo relaxed a little by her side. She heard Nurse Joy's question, and laughed. "No, Lucario's not mine. I haven't been travelling very long. I met Lucario and his... teammates on Route Three. They belonged to the leader of the Team Vex base in the Marshlands. Their trainer... died, and they set about 'renovating' the building. It collapsed, and Lucario was the only one who didn't make it out in time." she said, not putting into detail how exactly the trainer had died in the shocking matter.

Fairo tugged on his trainer's sleeve. If Lucario was going to be in here all day, then he wanted to go to the gym to fight. He announced these thoughts. "No, Fairo. We've got to make sure Lucario is all right for when he comes out." she whispered back. If anything went wrong in the treatment, she wanted to be there to help Lucario. After all, he had saved her life.

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"Oh, well... He's lucky, then. Sorry to hear about his trainer, even though he was part of Team Vex. So, I'm guessing the other Pokemon that came in while I was in the back are his teammates, too?" Nurse Joy said, rather putting two and two together than asking. She didn't ask how the Team Vex leader had died, and didn't want to know, by the sound of it. It the girl didn't want to say how, then she wouldn't ask. "Well, since you're a trainer... I'd assume you were here for a Gym Battle?" Nurse Joy asked on a lighter note. Being around Pokemon all the time, she could kind of tell what the trainer's Charmeleon wanted when he tugged on her sleeve. "You would have time to go have the battle and come back, you know. Lucario won't just up and leave in his condition, if he happens to wake while you are battling," she suggested. "Or you could wait until tomorrow to battle and spend the night here, waiting for him to wake if you want. The choice is yours. I've got to get back to work. If you want to go see him, just go on through the doors and it's the first door on your left," Nurse Joy said, heading back to her place at the counter where a small line had begun to form.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron thought about it for a moment. If something went wrong, it would be usefull to be at Lucario's side, but then again, he already had the other five Pokemon. If she had a way to allert herself to any problem, she would go to the gym then come back here for the night. It wouldn't take that long for the battle, right? She had an idea of how to do this.

An Espeon yawned and stretched, beginning to curl up on a cushion so squashy it nearly swallowed her up when she first stepped on it, when Sulteron shook her head. "Sorry, Fiela, but I wouldn't fall asleep just yet. Lucario's being treated, and he should recover by the next 24 hours. Fairo is desperate to go the the gym, so I'll go. I'll keep a link between our minds; if anything goes wrong, let me know through the link and I'll stop the battle to come over. Okay?" the mutant nodded her silvery head, wings streching over her weaker than adverage body. She settled down, and felt her and Sulteron's minds merge. They smiled with simboltanious satisfaction, then Fairo, impatient as ever, tugged his trainer's arm again, leading her out the building.

Sulteron made her way to the gym, nervously fingering the occupied Pokeballs at her belt. She would probably use Minari first, then Denkou. If they both fainted, her next choice would be Mizu; Fairo, a Fire type, would be weak against these Pokemon. He knew this too as they entered the doors, and awaited their first ever gym battle.

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Am I still alive? Lucario asked himself, a large blackness enveloped around him. Something told him he was, but he wasn't quite sure. The last thing he remembered was being pulled off of Charizard's back before finally going unconscious. He thought he had heard a Chansey somewhere nearby, but that could just be his imagination as well. All that thinking right then made him not able to think again, and let blackness consume his thoughts again, still completely oblivious to his surroundings and a real Chansey working around him.

A large room that had three tall platforms sticking out of water that was throughout the middle of the room, and small round platforms inbetween the one closest to you and the one farthest away. "Ah, welcome to my Gym. You are here for a Gym Battle, right?" asked a mature-looking older teenager from the water. She was in a two-piece swimsuit, with a Goldeen at her side. "Last time someone came in, they somehow mistook the outside of this building for the PokeMart," the girl said, laughing a bit, her Goldeen obviously content with the way the girl was petting it as it hadn't even opened its eyes to look at the people who had entered the Gym.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron laughed at the other person's mix-up, then was glad she planned to use her type advantage until last. Minari would have no trouble with the watery battlefield; although he could not swim, the Starravia would be able to fly over the water. Presently it was this Pokeball the girl unfastened from her belt. Throwing it out, the brown bird appeared with a flash of red light. Minari had been expecting the normal short drop to ground, so gave a short gasp as he kept falling, then regained hight with one powerful downwards wingbeat. At first he was a little confused as to why there was a lot of water beneath him, but looking at the room's decor and the appearance of the girl he was battling, this must be the first gym. Minari waited his opponent to draw her first Pokemon into the battle.

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"Ah, eager to get started now, are we? Alright, then," the girl said. "I'm Tena of the Avura Town Gym, and I accept your challenge," she said, hopping out of the water as the Goldeen opened its eyes and eyed its opponent for the first time. Tena quickly put on some clothes, and a man you had not noticed before climbed up a ladder to the platform inbetween the two. Tena climbed up a small ladder to the one across from where you were, motioning for you to do the same. "This will be a one on one battle. The visitor is allowed to recall Pokemon, but Tena is not. The first person with all her Pokemon fainted wins," said the man, holding up a flag. "Let the battle begin!" he said. "Courtesy always goes to the challenger. You have first move," Tena called from across the large pool of water. Her Goldeen took its respective place at the opposite end of the pool, waiting for the brown Starravia to make its move.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Minari studied the Goldeen with interest; he had not seen a fish Pokemon before. Sulteron looked thoughtfull. She had not seen a Goldeen battle before, let alone this one, so she did not have much of an idea as to it's tactics. Well, might as well find out. "Double Team, then Wing Attack." she said simply. The shiny Starravia nodded, then gave a soft coo as another, answering coo resounded through the gym. The bird split in two, then the copies did so. Soon there were sixteen Starravia circling Goldeen. They flew lower, until they formed a tight circle in the air, wing-tips touching. Minari and his copies swooped down in the Wing Attack all at the same moment, although only one of these birds would do any actual damage. Which one was it?

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Goldeen waited patiently for orders from the trainer, not looking the least bit nervous. Tena smiled as she closed her eyes, allowing the copies of Minari and Minari himself close in. At last second, she gave her command. "Goldeen, jump out of the water and use Peck," she said. Just as Minari's Wing Attack struck the place the Goldeen had been, Goldeen leapt out of the water, a beautiful sight, though not for long. The Goldeen's mouth glowed as it turned around and began using Peck on each and every one of the Starravia at an amazing speed until it hit the right one.

A bright light greeted Lucario's eyes and he squinted. A pink form appeared in his sight, and suddenly he realized he was somewhere where he had never been before. He sat up suddenly, making the Chansey jump back. Immediately he regretted sitting up so quickly. He grunted, and lay back down. +Nurse Joy says you should just lay down for a while,+

[/color] the Chansey said in a cheerful voice. +Your friends went to go to the gym for a battle, but they'll be back shortly,+[/color] the Chansey said. Lucario grunted a bit, then closed his eyes again. Well, at least someone was looking out for him, someone actually cared for him. He felt better at that thought, and he stared blankly up at the ceiling lights, their buzzing keeping him awake. Well, the Gym Battle would be over soon enough, and he wasn't impatient, so he didn't bother trying to get up and go over to the Gym himself.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Minari gave a caw of pain as the attack hit the real Starravia, the remaining copies fading out to nothing. He glared at the fish; how had it managed to leap so high? Maybe he ought to watch out for that, and try to fly from side to side next time as he knew it is hard to control where you go when you jump.

Sulteron looked pensive for a moment; Fiela knew that Lucario was awake and fine. Sulteron grinned, then her thought came back to the gym. "Alright, Minari! Quick Attack!" she called. She knew that to use a quick attack, Minari would most likely need to go under water. The bird could swim the same way a penguin does, but the Quick Attack would most likely reduce in speed.

Minari dived to the spot where Goldeen presently watched. If it moved out the way, he would not stop moving and take the plunge.

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Tena watched as her Goldeen successfully hit. Getting the first move off was usually a good sign, she knew. Of course, she hadn't won a battle at her own Gym for some time, not because she wasn't tough, but if she did win, it was either one; the trainer's Pokemon were just not fit, or two; the trainer had insulted her and she wouldn't let the trainer defeat her. Well, at least not the first time, anyways. Being defeated once was bad enough... she knew the feeling quite well. No, she usually let the trainers that looked like they would become great trainers someday win fairly easily, usually fainting at least one of their Pokemon if she was lucky to do so.

"Goldeen, Horn Attack," Tena said calmly. The Goldeen went underwater temporarily, then came speeding upwards just as Minari was about to hit the spot where it had been, its horn glowing white as it took the impact from Minari's Quick Attack, but at the same time getting some more damage. The Goldeen was flung deep into the water, but after a few seconds resurfaced. It didn't look too damaged, but if you repetitively use Quick Attack you'd likely defeat Goldeen, saying of course you don't faint first, and Goldeen doesn't get off any attacks.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron could see Goldeen was strong, but she hoped Minari was stronger. She knew he could do it. He had to do it. If he and Denkou defeated one of Tena's Pokemon each, that would bring them both to exactly the same level as her other four Pokemon; level 16. "Come on, Minari, I know you can do this! Quick Attack, and try to use the momentum you gain to dodge any of Goldeen's attacks!" she cried.

Minari felt he could do this. Goldeen was surprisingly strong, but Tena wasn't a gym leader for nothing. All the same, he should not give up. He would defeat Goldeen; he just needed a little more confidence. Well, he knew now that he should be more confident- after all, he had a reason... he thought. Whatever, he was soon about to find out for sure. He rose higher in the air, then snapped his wings into his side and pointed his beak at Goldeen as he fell at an accellerating speed. As he neared the surface of the water, he slowly extended his wings and gently pushed air behind him to go even faster.