• The 5th day of the tournament. Surprisingly, it was early evening already, and no new Pokemon had showed up. I was sitting on the banks of the stream, dipping my furry white little feet into the clear refreshing water, and watching some Magikarp languidly drift past, and a few Corphish scuttling along the pebbled floor.
    No new enemies... No worries... and most of all... No change of life, I thought delightedly to myself, and I gave a small smile, a soft expression that I rarely show, unless I am contentedly happy.
    "Excuse me..."
    I looked up from the stream. Standing a few feet away was a bipedal canine-like Pokemon, the owner of the voice I had heard. He was mostly blue, with the exception of a cream colored torso, and some black body parts, which were his paws, the ring around his waist, his legs, shoulders, and the stripe that ran around his eyes and through his ears. He had three spikes, two on the back of his paws, and one on his chest, and four strange attachments on the back of his head. His red eyes were staring at me, waiting patiently for me to reply.
    I felt my mood darken immediately. Another suitor... This has to have been the worst time for him to show up.
    "What are you expecting?" I asked, not hiding my hostility at his arrival.
    I looked for some sign of irritation or bewilderment at my reply; narrowing of his black slitted eyes, a twitch of his blue tail, paws curling into fists, or any other outward sign. But he showed none. Instead, he politely said, "I came for your tournament. The winner takes the female Zangoose as a mate. I believe you are she?" He pulled out my poster from a woven backpack.
    I gave him a fierce glare, then turned back to the stream, resentful of his arrival. Surely my refusal of a conversation to him would ignite his anger.
    Yet again he astonished me by nodding and saying, "I see, perhaps it is better to speak to one of your family members. I cannot blame you for your silence, since you are only the fighter."
    He placed a paw to his chest and said, "Goodbye for now, and I wish you peace."
    He then turned and walked away.
    I could only stare at his retreating figure in bafflement. Everything about him stuck in my head: his rough, deep voice, his chivalrous demeanor, and even his appearance. But before I could collect my thoughts, he turned, and said, "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Lucario!"
    And then he truly left, leaving me even more mystified.

    It wasn't long before Aunt Fury came down to the stream. "Niece," she said to me, "I regret to inform you..."
    "There is another competitor, who goes by the name Lucario," I finished.
    She looked surprised. "Did you meet him?"
    "He attempted a conversation, but I did not approve of his presence, and ignored him."
    "I expect once your mother hears this, she will reprimand you."
    "That still won't persuade me to forgive this stranger," I said stubbornly.
    "Yes, well, we must head back to our domain."
    Oh how reluctant I was to arise from my comfortable seat in the warm sun.

    When Aunt Fury brought me back to the clan territory, there was a cluster of our relatives around the newcomer named Lucario. My mother was eagerly talking to him, and he was responding back to every question and conversing back with her. That caught me off guard.
    Upon seeing me, Mother, as Aunt Fury predicted, scolded me, "Daughter, how is it possible for you to be so rude to a suitor? Shame!"
    "It wasn't her fault," Lucario said to her. "I needed to see someone who knew the rules of this competition, and I would doubt she would have much interest in them."
    "Very well, I shall take your word for it," my mother replied. "For now, shall we prepare for the battle? I shall fetch my mate to be the arbiter of the match."
    "Actually sister, I shall judge this matter," Aunt Fury said, "After all, I have taught my niece, and you rarely give me the privilege to judge these fights."
    "If you insist, Fury," Mother said, not truly paying attention. "Let us make our way to the arena."

    I stood as I had for the past five days. An enemy who I had never met, but I strongly disliked stood across from me. But this new suitor... Lucario... He seemed different somehow. Unlike the other failed suitors, he was willing to be friendly, and viewed me as an individual, rather than a prize. He... respected me.
    I shook this notion from my head. No, they're all the same: interested in nothing but self gain.
    I tensed my legs, and waited for the starting signal from Aunt Fury. On the other side of the arena, Lucario appeared to be relaxed, unworried, and loose.
    "This match shall take place in this area only. The first to faint loses, and the one who remains standing is the one who is victorious!"
    We locked eyes. Now his eyes gained some sense of determination.
    "Ready? Let the battle COMMENCE!"
    I dashed forward to attack. Lucario was partly Steel, so I raised my paw above my head to use Brick Break. But when I was right in front of him, Lucario vanished.
    I was shocked. Where did he disappear to?!
    I whipped around, and when I did, there he was, right behind me. He spun and hit me straight in the chest with Iron Tail. The sheer force of it pushed me back a couple of meters, but I still remained on my feet. He remained where he was, as though to let the thought of his full power sink in. It did.
    He moves so fast, it's like he evaporates into the air! And the power behind his Iron Tail was possibly just a warning! I had to collect myself; I merely underestimated him, that was all.
    "Very well then," I said under my breath, "It shall be harsher here on out."
    I rushed him again. Instead of fleeing, Lucario ran towards me, drawing his paw back in a move called Force Palm. Anticipating the move, I dodged, and used Low Kick. It looked as though he would hit the ground, but he stuck his paws out and flipped himself onto his feet. I could see that my attack had done some damage to him at least.
    Now it was Lucario's turn to rush, and his paws started to glisten as though they were wet: a Poison Jab attack. It hit me in the shoulder and the arm, then Lucario leaped back so as to not leave himself vulnerable. I fell to one knee, then the other, bent over, quivering, and twitching as one would from poison. Lucario saw his chance, and ran in to finish it up. I kept my paws over my chest as he neared. When he finally came near enough as I wanted, I raised my head with a wicked grin. Before he could stop himself, I released my Focus Blast. It hit him only as an effective attack could. He didn't go down, but he was pretty beat.
    I stood up, as fine as I could be. "You let your guard down," I said. "We Zangoose are not affected by poison; in fact, we are immune to it, just as you Steel Pokemon are."
    Yet he only smiled through his pain. "I did not expect you to be an easy opponent; I prefer surprises!"
    "That may be so," I said, "but it shall be no surprise if I win!" Even as I said the words, I knew they were the words of an overconfident fool. I didn't expect to win, but I did not expect to lose, either.
    "It would not surprise me either!"
    "Enough words, let us fight!"
    Fight he did, for when we both came at each other, he summoned a staff of bone, and struck me several times. I struck him swiftly with Aerial Ace. Then he fired a shadowy energy, a Dark Pulse attack, and after, I delivered a blitz of Close Combat moves.
    We stood apart, both of us seeming to be on the brink of fainting. Then-
    "That is enough!" Aunt Fury shouted.
    "What?" Both Lucario and I turned our heads towards her in surprise.
    "We cannot continue to fight right now! Look to the sky!"
    We both looked up, and we saw the pink, gold, and lavender colors of the sky.
    It was beginning to turn to night.
    Had we truly fought for that long?
    "There is no way we can battle at nighttime. The battle must continue tomorrow! Both of you shall rest, and you can continue where you left off the next day!"
    Without complaint, I dragged my feet, which seemed to weigh as much as stone, out of the arena. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lucario limping out as well. We had inflicted equal damage upon each other.
    "You fought well, niece," Aunt Fury said encouragingly. "Weaker fighters would have lost."
    I only nodded to her comment, being too tired to speak.

    Despite my weariness, I sat upon one of the cliffs at nighttime. Night was when the Illumise flitted across the sky with a large crowd of Volbeat at their heels. They would draw dazzling shapes in the sky with their lights, a spectacular show. The Ledian would also spread a unique sparkling powder that would decorate the trees of the forest, giving the appearance of stars within the trees as well.
    Despite this beautiful scene, I was slightly distressed. I had never had a battle with a foe that lasted another day. This only gave Lucario a chance to win. What would I do?
    "There you are."
    The voice was not Aunt Fury's, nor Stubby's or Grandfather Patriot's. The owner of the voice was Lucario.
    "Why do you come here?" I hissed at him, with poison in my voice. "I wished to be alone, and yet here you are, violating my sanctuary."
    Lucario looked genuinely apologetic, with slightly laid back ears. "I'm sorry... I know you loathe me for my presence here."
    I still resented his presence, but I decided to tolerate it... barely. "Nothing can be done about your presence. Sit, if you wish, or stand."
    He sat down at a respectful yet small distance, about three feet away.
    I asked him, "Why?"
    "Pardon?"
    "Why have you come here?"
    "I was trying to find you after the match, but-"
    "No... I mean, why have you come to this tournament?"
    He was silent for a moment. Then he turned his head to me, and said, "For the opposite reason your other competitors have come."
    I was bemused for a moment, then his meaning sunk in. "Because they were interested in me as a trophy..."
    "Their interests are not mine," Lucario said. "When the messenger Pelipper first brought your painting to the village I lived in... I shall be honest, and say that I truly fell in love."
    I glared at him. "You lie."
    "I speak the truth," he said. There was a soft look in his eyes. "Never could I lie about such a matter."
    Hearing those words almost made me sick. "Why do you not find a female of your own species?"
    "A female Lucario is rare to find," Lucario said. "We usually mate with other Pokemon."
    "Is that how you came to be?" I said, noting the rudeness of the question, and caring very little.
    "No. I am one of the few who have true Lucario parents," he replied, oblivious at my attempt to cut him with words.
    "Hmph," I grumbled. There was silence.
    "...What will you do?" Lucario asked me, breaking the silence. "I had never expected to end our battle short. But tomorrow is the final battle; I am sure of it."
    I was quiet. What would I do?
    "I'll battle as hard as I can," I finally answered. "And despite my strong disliking of you... I don't want you to hinder your power. It should be a fair fight."
    "I promise you, I shall not hold any of my strength back," Lucario said. "I have a drive as strong as yours... perhaps even stronger."
    "Then, we shall see who's perseverance pays off tomorrow." I answered in somewhat good sportsmanship.