Author's Note: Hi everyone! This a story / comic I've been think about doing for the past 2 years, since mega evolution came out. I have a lot planned for this series but I need you're honest opinion on it, weather or not I should continue it, etc. Be brutally honest with me ok? Let me know if I had some typos too. I want this to be POPULAR so... if you could advertise me in a journal on your page (send me the link as proof) ill let your OC cameo in the comic (MY LUXIO MADE A CAMEO SO HYPE, jk) and story next chapter! It has to be a pokemon OC since this is a pokemon story. Also sorry to letcha down but no baby fur stuff in this chapter, next chapter, lots. promise!

Contains:
4,000+ words
M/F Romance
Lucario/Lopunny Romance

*ENJOY! PLEASE LIKE, WATCH, SHARE, AND COMMENT :D

***

It was a busy Friday afternoon at the Eterna Historical Museum when an exhausted Lucario walked through the museum's admission gates. An exaggerated sigh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his snout. One would think that Steel-Type Pokémon would be exempt from metal-detectors, he mused quietly as he quickly threaded his belt back through his suit's trousers, tucked his reading glasses into his blazer pocket, and slipped his ring onto his finger before adjusting the dark blue fedora on his head. It had taken three tries to explain to the security guards that he was a Steel/Fighting-Type visiting from Rota, a town in Kanto known for its own history, that the metal-detecting archway would still ring, no matter how many metal-ridden accessories he would take off.

Richter shook his head, chiding himself for not showing his Trainer identification card off first in the foreign region. Now, why don't we make the most of the rest of the day, shall we? He smiled inwardly as he watched various school organizations and families walk the halls with a piqued interest to learn of the Sinnoh Region's rare fossils, notable artworks, and other historical events. The older vulpine missed seeing the younger generations take an interest in their history. A past time he used to enjoy back in his days as a librarian in Kalos.

As the Lucario stopped to admire an aging scroll on display, he heard a soft, feminine voice coming from the opposite end of the museum's lobby. This should be nothing out of the ordinary, being as there were many mothers taking their children out for a tour of the museum, but this voice was... different. His ears twitched when the hushed voice suddenly took on a darker tone, then paused, then roared like a monster! A burst of child-like laughter echoed off the walls and heads turned to see what all the commotion was about. His eyes widened but he refused to turn.

A story was being told. He could tell.

Memories of years past working at the Anistar City Library flooded his thoughts as he remembered taking on his own expressions and tones when telling stories to the children. He was intrigued. It had been ages since he had heard such passion in one voice, so innocent and carefree. It was a voice that reminded him of simpler times. Like… his childhood. Well, before his parents ruined it. It was only for a few years, but Richter did live in Sinnoh once. After he evolved, Richter’s parents decided they should move back to Kanto and begin his training as the next Guardian of Aura. It was in Sinnoh that his fondest memories had grown. There was a girl. Ha! There’s always a girl, isn’t there? He smiled to himself again. She was a just a little Buneary then, but he remembered the day they had met as if it were yesterday.

Richter had just moved to Sinnoh and was exploring what lied within the new region. He had spotted a sign that read, “Eterna Forest”, not far from his new home and decided to take a walk in the woods. Sketch pad in tow, he was off. As long as he was home before dinner time, his parents would be none the wiser.

The young Riolu saw many different Bug-Type Pokémon that day and took every opportunity he could to draw them. But they always seemed to sense him, and fled on the spot. Exasperated, the young boy walked until he found a soft bed of flowers and fell onto his back, throwing his back pack to the side.

“It doesn’t matter anyway; it’s too dark to draw in here.” He conceded.

Richter looked up and saw a group of… whatever those Butterfree-things were, glide above him through the trees. They were pretty, and left a trail of fairy dust in their wake that made all the leaves sparkle like morning dew. It was hypnotic almost. He started to doze off… but then, a sweet smell wafted past his nose! The Riolu sat up, suddenly revived.

“What is that smell?” He wondered, shouldering his bag and walking in the direction of the delicious sent.

A couple minutes later he saw it. About ten feet away there was a tree with honey lathered on its bark. Interested, he walked closer…

“Psst! Hey! Don’t touch that!”

The Riolu spun around shocked, guiltily drawing his sticky paw away from the tree. He scanned the forest around him and saw no one.

“Over here!”

Ear twitching, his gaze veered to the right toward the sound of the voice. A small, brown paw popped out of the bushes and beckoned at him, before disappearing again in to the leaves. With a raised eyebrow, Richter cautiously walked to the bush and yelped when his arm was suddenly yanked, pulling him into the leaves as well.

“Shhh! You gotta be quite or you’ll scare em’ off!”

“Scare what off-mmph!”

A finger pressed against his lips to silence him as the girl tossed a thumb back in the direction of the honey-covered tree. Girl? As Richter’s vision settled in the darkness of the brush, he noticed that it was a girl, but not a Pokémon he recognized. She had long brown ears with little, yellow tuffs of cotton on the top of each one. And her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponyta-tail with a pink bow. But that was where her girlishness ended. With her baggy t-shirt, shorts and worn-out sandals, anyone else would have mistaken her as a boy.

“That!” She exclaimed. The Riolu looked over her shoulder and spotted what she was pointing at. In the time it took him to walk to the hiding place the girl had made in the bushes, a Pokémon had already been attracted to the honeyed tree.

“What’s that Pokémon?” He asked, marveling at it.

“It’s a Combee, duh. How have you not seen a Combee before?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “Whatever, just stay here and watch me catch it. If I can catch the thing, I’ll have enough honey to go bug catching for the rest of my life!”

And with that, the girl grabbed her bug-catching net and leapt out of the bushes.

“Hey, wait a minute-!” But she was already too far to hear. Richter watched her sneak up on the Combee with stealth he was not expecting her to have. She was cautious with her footwork, making sure not to crunch on leaves or even snap a twig. This wasn’t her first time catching a Bug-Pokémon. He could tell by all the bandages she had on her face and hands from various bug bites and stings. Holding her breath, she started to raise her net above her head, ready to pounce on the Combee at any moment. It was then that he noticed the feral Ursaring stalking her down.

“GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!” He yelled, launching himself out of the bushes towards her.

The Combee, startled by the noise, fled into the sky abandoning its nectar just as the girl brought her net down on the tree. She missed! Agitated, the girl turned around.

“HEY! What’s the big…” Her voice died in her throat, ears flattening on her head seeing the giant Ursaring slowly lift itself onto its hind legs. Its paws reached out, unleashing sharp claws. Its jaw opened wide revealing rows of menacing teeth. And it roared. She screamed.

“FORCE PALM!”

The Riolu rushed the Ursaring’s side and the creature toppled, howling in pain. The attack was super effective, but not much damage was dealt. The girl looked through her paws in fright and fell to her knees sobbing. Richter quickly ran to her side.

“Are you alright? Can you stand?” He asked, hurriedly. She nodded slowly, her tears wracking her body.

“Good, then we need to keep moving. He won’t be down for much longer.”

The Ursaring moaned, weakly standing on his four paws before collapsing again. His strength was coming back.

“Hurry!” The Riolu took the girl’s hand, and they ran, as fast as they could. She lost balance for a moment, losing her right sandal under a tree root, but didn’t stop running. All the while Richter’s head was racing even faster. I will protect her. I’ll save us both! He looked behind him and saw her brush off the last of her tears, that determined face of her’s back again. Letting go of her hand, he smiled, making light of the situation to spur her on. She looked up startled, falling back for a moment before catching up again.

“Last one out of the forest is a rotten Exeggcute!” He shouted, and sprinted ahead.

“Oh, you’re on!” She countered, right on his heels.

But someone was there waiting for their arrival.

“Look! I can see the entrance from here!” The girl called, waving behind her. Richter had tripped on a rock and was two seconds behind her. “See you at the finish line!” She taunted, and ran full speed ahead.

“Hey, wait for me!” He laughed… then skidded to a halt. His hair stood on end. Something wasn’t right. It was too quiet. Suddenly the sounds of trees crashing and cracking and breaking hit his ears. It was back.

“LOOK OUT!” He shouted. But it was too late. The Ursaring loped in from the side, crashing through the foliage and hit the girl with a Hammer Arm attack. The super effective blow threw the girl across the woods, her back slamming into the trunk of a tree with a sickening thud. She fell to the ground lifelessly. She didn’t move.

“NOOOO!” He screamed. Richter ran to the girl and held her lightly, so not to wound her further. Tears in his eyes, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Hey… talk to me… please…” He choked out, shaking his head to get rid of his tears. The girl moaned, just barely cracking her eyes open to smile. Richter barked out a laugh. She was okay. Thank Arceus.
“Told ya I’d win.” She murmured, before going into a fit of coughs. Flecks of blood landed on her shirt. Richter’s eyes went cold. “Hey…” She whispered back, her paw resting on his cheek. “Kick that thing’s… butt for me, will ya?” Then she went limp in his arms, her paw falling off his check to land on her chest. The Riolu laid the girl slowly on the ground. A shadow cast upon his face. And he stood to face the monster. It had been watching them, pacing back and forth with a toothy grin on its stupid face. It wanted round two. It was about to get it.

“I’ll kill you…” Richter muttered to himself, shakily walking forward, as if in a trace. Then came to rest his deadly gaze on his opponent. The Ursaring stepped back uneasily, growling. “YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

A power from within suddenly filled the Riolu. It was enormous, something he had never felt in his life before. Feelings of anger and hatred overwhelmed him. But feelings of love and friendship were there too. All for this one girl. The only person in the world who treated him as an equal. Not the prince of a dying race. She didn’t know who he was, or what he would be. And that made her so much more beautiful.

A white light engulfed the Riolu and it shone through the forest, even Pokémon miles away knew something powerful was emerging, evolving. The Ursaring, blinded by the light, brought his paw to his face to block the light. But when he lowered it, a new Pokémon stood before him. Lucario.

Gone was the emotionally unstable boy. Now, a man full of murderous intent. Richter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel the aura of all the Pokémon around him. The Ursaring’s aura was red, blinded with rage, all because two harmless kids walked into his territory. The girl’s, yellow and warm, but fading quickly. She didn’t have much time left.
“Aura is with me…” The Lucario chanted, his paws together, forming a spear of blue light between them. The Ursaring looked on, confused for a moment, but shook it off charging straight forward. The Ursaring took a breath of its own; it was loading for an attack. Hyper Beam.

“LET THE AURA PREVAIL!” Richter let loose the ball of aura at the same moment the Ursaring let loose his own attack.

“ROOOOAR!”

The attacks collided in a massive clash of power. The forest again was blinded by light. The trees bent at the attacks recoil, leaves being stripped of their branches. The earth became scorched and infertile from the blast. The forest was in ruin.

When the Buneary came to, she was told a mysterious man had dropped her off at the Pokémon Center to heal. That she had been attacked by an Ursaring for accidently stepping into its territory. She asked of the boy that had saved her in the forest but they said they didn’t know anything. The girl wept at the loss of her new friend.

It was the first and last day he would see the girl again. Until now.

And her voice made him want to turn like the rest of the spectators and go see and hear and feel what she was so artfully illustrating with just words. Many moments passed before he realized he was already pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

A Lopunny in her early twenties stood in front of a fading tapestry of medieval Kanto. She had light brown fur, with the exception of her yellow ears and paws, as if they were dipped in honey. Richter swallowed slightly as he watched her push a lock of golden hair behind her ear. It was… her. His throat dried as his gaze wandered. She was wearing a dress now, a far improvement for the tom-boyish style she had when they were just children. He admired the light blue dress that accentuated her curves before settling at her feet where at least twenty children sat. Their laughter had died down, but was not completely gone. Suddenly, they began to elbow each other silent after catching the expectant look of their storyteller. She cleared her throat and smiled, gesturing towards the tapestry behind her.

Two armies were depicted in the art, heavily armored and clashing against each other. The armies however, caught in mid-battle, froze to look at a giant rock formation with a green, luminescent glow behind them. The Lucario was quite familiar with this tapestry and was ecstatic. She was telling the story of his ancestor, Sir Aaron, Knight of Lady Rin, Guardian of Aura.

"And then the queen understood what Sir Aaron had done." The Lopunny spoke mournfully to the children, their own eyes tearing slightly. "The wise knight, realizing that there was only one hope for the kingdom, had gone to the Tree of Beginning, the dwelling place of Mew." She then gestured to the glowing rock formation that did, in fact, resemble the shape of a tree on the tapestry. "The terrible forces that threatened her kingdom were suddenly transformed!" Her voice was hushed, but suddenly got louder and more passionate as she continued on. "All at once, anger and hatred were changed into understanding and hope!" The children were on the edge of their seats, eating up the expressions she portrayed for anger and hatred, understanding and hope. "Pokemon on both sides returned to their homes and peace was restored to the land!" The children cheered! As if they themselves fought to protect the Cameran Palace and Queen Rin. The Lopunny, slightly out of breath, knelt down to get at eye-level with the children. They all looked at her expectantly as she took one. last. breath. "And that is why..."

"Sir Aaron will forever be remembered as the true Guardian of Aura." A strong, yet gentle voice whispered.

The children's heads whipped around to see who had spoken the end to their storyteller's tale. A few seconds passed before one of the children, a young Bidoof, raised his paw, pointing at the Lucario who had spoken and hollered at the top of his lungs, "I-IT'S... SIIIIR AAAAARON!!!"

"Oh, no." Whispered the Loppuny, already cringing.

Richter watched in slow motion as the ten-year-old Bidoof stood up and ran at full speed towards him, with nineteen more children on his heels, following suit.

"Oh, Arceus."

The Lucario closed his eyes and opened his arms wide to accept his fate and fell, crashing to the ground as the children toppled him. The children then began to ask hundreds of questions about the Lucario and his journeys through Kanto as a Guardian of Aura, all the while pulling at his face and fur.

"OH MY GOODNESS, WILLIAM!!"

The parents, finally realizing what had just happened, swarmed in and began plucking their children off the innocent man.

"I am sooo sorry! WILLIAM! Apologize THIS INSTANT!"

Richter was brushing himself off as a Purugly extracted the last child off his person. He stood, stooping to pick up his fedora as female Bibarel pushed a shuffling Bidoof towards him.

"I'm sorry for tackling you, Mr. Sir Aaron, S-sir..." A near-tears Bidoof stuttered in a southern drawl, looking up forlornly at the Lucario.

The Lucario had to hold back a bark of laughter at the admonished boy, as he dusted off his hat. "Well my friend, I must admit that was quite a strong attack for someone your age!" Richter spoke, suddenly acting the part of the Aura Guardian. "In fact..." The Lucario held out his paws, palms towards the boy and closed his eyes. Suddenly a blue glow began to wisp around his paws and the Bidoof yipped in fright just as the glow vanished. Richter opened his eyes and had a look of mock shock upon his face, "My word!" The Bidoof looked up just as shocked and stammered, "W-what is i-it?" The Lucario suddenly got down on one knee and looked the boy square in the eye asking, "Young man, what is your name?"

"I-it's William."

"Well, William." Richter threw his arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him in close, as if telling a very valuable secret. "It just so happens, that you have the strongest aura I have ever seen for a boy your age!" The boy looked up astonished. "I-I do?"

"Why, yes indeed!" The Lucario exclaimed, dusting off his hat for the second time and placing it on the Bidoof's head. "Could it be that you too, are an Aura Guardian?!" The Bidoof pushed the oversized hat out of his eyes and debated his answer before deciding, "Yeah, I think I am!"

"Well, why didn't you say so!" Richter cried and hoisted the boy onto his shoulders. "Everyone! It seems we have another Aura Guardian among our ranks! Please welcome, Sir William! Guardian of Aura and Protector of Cameran Palace!"

The other children and parents who were watching on this entire time cheered for the two Aura Guardians and applauded. Other onlookers passing by stopped and cheered as well, believing it was a choreographed event sponsored by the museum.

All Lillian could do is stare. This had been a routine tour she had done almost every day for the past week. They had just received the new exhibit materials from the Cameran Palace itself. She had a simple routine. Show the visitors the fossils and gem stones Roark had excavated on his various explorations. Look over the framed artworks of the Contest and Pokémon League Champions. And finally, tell the story of Sir Aaron and his heroic adventure. That’ it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Now, all of that was ruined. Lillian ran a tight schedule for the tour group giving thirty minutes to discuss the displays on the first floor and another thirty minutes to tour the lower floor of the museum. And she was on schedule. Until that Lucario screwed it all up! Of course he would be attracted to the legend of Sir Aaron, the Guardian of Aura. He was a direct descendant of Aaron after all. But he had to go and open his big mouth.

Lillian was watching the Bidoof, William, the whole time during her tour. He and his mother were regulars to the museum and out of all the different tours he choose from at the museum, he always picked hers. And that was fine. On the days he'd come, she'd always have new facts to throw at him, and he'd always be guessing what would be different next time, but today... He thought the Lucario was a guest star. She saw him push through the crowd a mile away and her heart sank. How long would it take him to give his two cents on the story?

Richter placed the Bidoof on his feet and released an exaggerated sigh. “But, Alas… This Guardian of Aura has other business to attend to the evening… with…” The Lucario gave the Lopunny an expectant look. “Lillian.” She said through gritted teeth. “Ah, yes, Lady Lillian!” He announced. She rolled her eyes. Do the theatrics ever end with this guy? Thankfully, the tour actually ended twelve minutes ago, and it will be closing time in another eighteen. She couldn’t wait for this night to be over. A warm bubble bath was already calling her name.

“Lillian… Lillian, darling. I’m still talking to you.” The Lucario said patronizingly, snapping his fingers in front of her face as if breaking her out of her trance. Her face turned red. That’s it. No more Mister Nice Girl. She made sure to look around and see that none of the museum patrons were still around before grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him to the side.

“Hey, Buster, I don’t know who you think you are,” She said pointing a finger in his chest. A smirk grew across his face and his eyebrow quirked upward, impressed that she had the gall to challenge him so openly. “But, one: I am NOT your DARLING.” She spat. “And two: Don’t EVER interrupt me when I’m in the middle of talking. Do I make myself clear?” She glared at him.

“Crystal.” He said, paws up defensively. He looked shocked as if he did nothing wrong. What a wise guy.

“Now,” Lillian said, brushing her hair behind her ear and crossing her arms. “You said you wanted to talk about something?” She couldn’t fathom what this guy had on his mind. Worst case scenario, he was probably some avid cosplayer complaining that one of the Palace displays was crooked.

“I want to recall your whole Cameran Palace exhibit.” The Lucario said stoically.

She coughed. “E-excuse me?”

“You have until tomorrow morning to pack everything back into their crates. Machoke Movers and Company will be here at 7:00 A.M. to help you do any heavy lifting you can’t accomplish on your own. Because we both know Margret won’t be showing up to work anytime soon with her track record. So it looks like you’re on your own tonight. Your boss… Mr. Blackwell, was it? Has given me written documentation that all of his associates, including you, are to follow my every command until the turn over is complete. He won’t be back from vacation for another week or so anyway so there is no need to try and contact him.”

Lillian looked up mid-text from her PokéGear and glowered before pocketing it. She was livid. Was this guy really as powerful as he was coming across as?

“Well, Mister…” She paused. “You may call me Sir Richter.” He informed her, nobly. She could have sworn he stood a little straighter when saying his title. She grimaced at the formality. “Okay…” She smiled, coyly. “Ricky.” He grimaced back. “Where is all this paperwork you’ve been talking high and might about this whole time?” He produced his own PokéGear and scrolled through until he found the email he was looking for and handed her the device. It was legitimate. She scowled. She was running out of options. “W-well!” She stammered. “What about…” He rolled his eyes at her desperate attempt to find a reason to keep the exhibit.

“Look,” He said, pinching his snout. “Why are you so desperately holding on to this exhibit? Your contract for the display ends at the end of the month. That’s only a week from now. Does it really matter to let it go week early?” He looked up and saw the woman brush her wrist across her eye. Wait. His eyes widened. Was she… crying?

A broken laugh escaped her lips, and she rubbed her eyes again. She shook her head. This was ridiculous. Why was she getting so torn up over a stupid display? He would laugh if she told him the reason why she was so attached to it. It was… a gut feeling. There was something about that exhibit that seemed so… familiar.

Richter’s heart reached out to the woman. Just like it did ten years ago. He may not have known her name then but he saw her aura. He was always looking for it. And no one had the same golden glow that she did. He thought she had become a different person. Seeing her in a dress, dropping the boyish façade she had as a child. But she was still the same spitfire she was before. Even now.

“You haven’t changed a bit.” He smiled.

“W-what?” She asked, confused. “How can you say I haven’t changed when this was the first time we’ve met?”