The Champion's Protégé

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

    Cynthia's Lucario emerged from her pokeball in a brilliant flash of white light. She surveyed the battlefield, looking for anything she might be able to use to her advantage, before noticing who her opponent was. Her eyes widened in shock.

    "Luca, is that you?" she asked in disbelief.

    Ash's Lucario (Luca) smiled. "It is indeed. It's good to see you again mother," he said formally, bowing his head in respect.

    "Oh, stop with the formalities Luca, and give your mother a hug!" said Cynthia's Lucario before rushing over to her son and giving him a bone crushing hug.

    "Ow! Mom, stop, you're hurting me!" cried Luca as he struggled to escape his mother's hug of death. His mother let go of him, before looking up at him and smiling.

    "I just can't get over how much my baby boy has grown!" she exclaimed. "The last time I saw you, you were still just a little Riolu. Now you're a Lucario! I'm just so proud of you Luca! You've grown up so much!"

    Luca scratched the back of his head with his paw out of embarrassment from all his mother's praise. "Well thanks mom," he said with a smile. "But the credit goes to my master. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be half the pokemon I am today."

    Cynthia's Lucario raised an eyebrow at her son's claim, before she turned to look at Ash and said with a smile, "In that case, thank you Ash. It does my heart good to know my son has such a kind trainer. I really appreciate all that you've done for my little Luca. It means more to me than you know."

    "Mom! I'm not little anymore! I'm taller than you now!" exclaimed Luca in indignation, his face beet red from embarrassment.

    Ash laughed. "You're welcome ma'am," he said with a smile. "But it's Lucario here who deserves the credit. He's the one who put in all the effort to get stronger, not me. All I did was merely point him in the right direction." Luca scratched the back of his head again, but this time out of embarrassment from Ash's praise.

    "Thank you for the kind words master," said Luca with a grin.

    Ash sighed. "Lucario, how many times-" he began.

    "Have you asked me not to call you master?" interrupted Luca. "One more than last time master- whoops, make that two."

    Ash facepalmed, while Cynthia's Lucario merely smiled. "You'll have to forgive him master Ash, it's a genetic problem. Isn't that right mistress?" she said turning to Cynthia. Cynthia facepalmed, Ash looked horrified, while Luca was rolling on the ground, cracking up from his mother's comment.

    Cynthia sighed. She should've expected this. "If you two are done with the mother-son reunion," she said. "We were in the middle of a battle, right Ash?"

    This brought Ash out of his moment of self-pity. He had been silently crying to himself, now that he knew Lucario's attitude would never change. However, at the mention of the battle, his thoughts suddenly snapped back to reality. "Oh yeah, that's right!" he said excitedly. "Lucario, ready to show your mother just how strong you've become?"

    "You bet I am!" said Luca, before turning to his mother with a grin. "I'm just letting you know mom, the two of us will not hold back! We're coming at you with everything we've got, and we'll show you just how strong we've become!" he proudly declared, slapping his paw to his chest.

    "Of course! I would expect nothing less Luca, and I will do the same. Remember what I taught you about a Lucario's pride? Holding nothing back is the ultimate sign of respect for your opponent." she told her son.