Smell the Roses
To: UmbramaticLucario landed deftly at the crest of the hill, dirt and grass underpaw warm from the midday sun shining brightly overhead. He inhaled a deep breath, slowing his heart after his uphill run, noting the westward breeze as it ruffled his readers. His gaze roamed constantly, absorbing everything he needed to know from his surroundings. He kept his aura senses to occupying only a small part of his mind, and knew the nearby Graveler and Sneasel and Ursaring meant them no harm. There remained no imminent threats, but it was wise to remain vigilant.
Lucario looked on ahead to see the dirt path continue to snake down the mountainside, then up and down and around again through the cliffs. This was the route Sir Aaron had insisted on, but it seemed needlessly complex and long. At their current pace, they would arrive only just in time. Lucario did not like that.
As he surveyed his surroundings, he kept an eye out for an alternate way to their destination. The city was located just beyond the tall mountain pass in the distance, and while he could trace their winding route there, he could also see-
“Master, I have assessed our options, and I have found a faster route to our destination,” Lucario barked just as Sir Aaron arrived, feet dragging, at the top of the hill behind him.
“Thank you, Lucario,” Sir Aaron managed between pants, his head bowed and a gloved hand steadying him against a rocky outcropping. The Pokémon waited while his trainer caught his breath, removing his wide-brimmed hat and wiping sweat from his brow. Lucario waited, flexing his fists and popping his knuckles the way he had seen humans do.
When the Aura Guardian was finally able to look up, his breath caught in his throat; before them, against the bright blue sky the mountain range stretched out in a sea of auburn and gold, broken by lakes and snaking, branching rivers in the valley below. Grey-green mountains spiked in the distance with sheer, rocky cliffs, and snow dotted some of the distant peaks.
“On our current route, we will arrive only just on time,” Lucario continued, eyes on Sir Aaron. “However, I have found an alternate route that will get us there much faster, with at least a day to spare before the festival, so we would have time to settle and prepare for the ceremony.”
“I see,” Sir Aaron said, though his voice seemed to be coming from far away. His eyes remained on the spectacular view before them. He attempted to hang his hat on a nearby tree branch, but his hand kept missing.
“Sir Aaron,” Lucario said intently as the man finally managed to rest his hat somewhere. The Pokemon took a step towards his master. “I do not wish to question your judgement. You know these lands better than I. If we are on such a less expedient path, you must have a reason."
It took a moment for Sir Aaron to seem to even register what his companion had said. "I do," He said simply.
Lucario stared at his master, but the man did not elaborate.
"And?"
"I like this route."
Lucario’s eyes narrowed. He could not tell if this was another one of Sir Aaron's human jokes, but he had never cared for them. Sir Aaron's aura betrayed nothing, as always, so Lucario had to find another clue. He examined his master’s posture, his expression. That was when he noticed the small smile on Sir Aaron's face.
Lucario’s temper flared. "This is not a time for one of your jokes, Master. This is an important ceremony. We must take this seriously.” His snout was turned in an exasperated frown.
Sit Aaron turned away, placing a hand behind his head. “Have you seen this view?” Sir Aaron asked casually, as if he hadn’t even heard his companion. He placed a gloved hand on Lucario’s paw.
“We should get going,” the Pokemon tried to protest, but the man held firm.
“I mean really seen it?” Sir Aaron insisted, a glint in his eye. “Come, take a look, and tell me what you see.”
Lucario knew that expression, and knew better than to try and fight it. His master had much to teach, but sometimes he seemed to get so caught up in things that didn’t matter. Still, he had to obey. He followed his master to the edge, to see the grand view before them. It was nice as far as views go.
“Aura is with me,” Sir Aaron declared, closing his eyes and bowing his head.
“Aura is with me,” Lucario repeated, and did the same, blocking out the light, the sounds, the smells, the feeling of grass underpaw and wind on his skin. He pushed his senses from his mind, and focused on reaching out, extending a sixth sense beyond his body and out into the world.
In response, the forest lit up before him in his mind's eye. He could sense the living beings all around them. The Pokemon whose auras he had scanned briefly in passing, he could now see with far more clarity. The Geodude and Graveler rolled down a rocky hill; a pack of Seasel stalked through the underbrush; an Ursaring sat on its rump licking its paws; All seemed relatively calm and normal.
“I see an ordinary mountain, with ordinary Pokémon,” Lucario said, ready to open his eyes.
“Yes,” Sir Aaron agreed. “Now look deeper. I know you are still practicing expanding your vision, but continue to focus.”
“Yes, Master,” Lucario said, ever the obedient student. Eyes still closed, he focused on expanding outwards. He could see a flock of Spearow in the trees; a couple of Makuhita sparred in a flurry of fists; a Grovyle flitted through the treetops with a young Treecko on its back; even a human accompanied by an Arcanine somewhere in the valley. Nothing worth noting.
“It is more of the same further out,” Lucario said, not quite seeing the point.
“Look deeper, not further, Lucario,” Sir Aaron encouraged. “Focus on the individual creatures, as we’ve practiced.”
Lucario resisted the urge to crack his knuckles again. He nodded. He had to trust his master. So instead of keeping his focus so wide, he narrowed it down to the Ursaring, since the other Pokemon had given it a wide enough berth that their others auras wouldn’t be distracting.
Lucario exhaled a long, deep breath, and focused on the bear Pokemon’s aura. He examined the shape, the texture of it, and easily felt the raw satisfaction radiating from it. A simple pleasure came from every lick and suck on its forepaws as it tried to gobble everything up. Digging a little deeper, there was also joy and pride - likely from having successfully obtained some rare honey from a Combee hive, which it was lapping up from between its claws. It wasn’t every day even a creature as formidable as an Ursaring could take on a swarm of furious Combree, after all! And it made the honey taste all the sweeter.
Lucario’s eyes fluttered beneath his lids as he grounded himself within his own aura and mind. He focused on the wind in his fur and smell of pine in his nose until the taste of honey had left his tongue, though he kept his eyes shut. He had started to get so lost in the Ursaring’s victory he had nearly forgotten himself. He considered saying something to Sir Aaron, but then his master had surely noticed, and hadn’t said anything yet, so he was probably meant to continue.
Steeling himself, Lucario inhaled and held it, reaching out to the rolling Geodude and Graveler. They weren’t far, but they were constantly moving, which made it a bit harder to focus in on them, but Lucario appreciated the challenge. He felt a combination of emotions from the creatures as they walked up and then rolled down the hillside, so he focused first on the Geodude. They were slower, and their fear was almost palpable; they didn’t like being out in the open and exposed like this, and they saw danger everywhere. But in spite of that, many were eager and giddy, especially after rolling down for the first time. By contrast, the Graveler radiated patience and a desire to help strengthen the Geodude for harsher conditions ahead. Rolling down the mountain caused minor discomfort for some of them, but it was clearly a way to train the mind and body, and they were insistent on ensuring every Geodude could ball up and follow the training their kind had been using for generations. With each Geodude that took the plunge, their pride swelled.
Lucario had to fight off the giddiness as he returned to himself, but it was infectious. He took long, deep breaths, curled his toes and felt the grass shift beneath him, flexed his knuckles, though only felt a couple of cracks in response. It felt good to feel the Geodude’s first rush of excitement, and the Graveller’s patience and pride. Sir Aaron said nothing still.
Lucario took another deep breath, and this time reached out to the Makuhita. They were further out, and there was a group of them, so he focused on two that had started another sparring match. He could feel their determination and excitement spike from them as they exchanged and dodges punches in an intricate dance, meant to sting but not harm. Both were also fighting back nerves, and the need to impress the other. It was then he realized that this was no practice battle - it was a mating ritual. Both had to be satisfied in the other’s prowess, and they wanted nothing more than to prove themselves, as fighters and as caregivers for their potential young, but also as creatures worthy of love. That was something they also had to prove to themselves.
Lucario’s heart was still fluttering from the rush of it all, but he wasted no time in grounding himself once again before reaching out to the other creatures before them. One by one, he tasted the Sneasel’s determination, the Grovyle’s protective instincts, the Spearow’s thrill from arguing just for the sake of it, the deep trust between human and Arcanine. It all brought the mountains to life.
Things were as they should be. And there was something lovely in that.
Lucario opened his eyes, and found himself staring down at the valley below. He knew intrinsically that it was filled to the brim with life, but it was hard to remember just how rich and wonderful that life was. And yet all it took was stopping and reaching out.
“What do you think?” Sir Aaron finally asked, breaking the silence between human and Pokemon.
Lucario looked up to see his master’s smiling face fill his vision. For just a moment, he felt the man’s joy and excitement over such an overwhelming and exciting thing, and getting to share it with someone who could experience it, too. Lucario’s experience felt newly fresh and invigorating reflected back at him like that, but in a moment it simmered down until it was nearly gone, as if it hadn’t even happened. But still, Sir Aaron’s smiling face remained.
“I see why you like this route,” Lucario growled, hiding his own smile. “Let us continue on it.”
“I am glad you agree,” Sir Aaron said, beaming. He plucked his hat off the tree branch, and gestured to the path before them, winding down the mountainside, through the trees, and beyond. “After you.”
Lucario nodded and darted off before he could break out into a full-on grin, perhaps a bit too quickly, under the auspices of scouting ahead. They still had a ceremony to get to, after all. But perhaps he would try to make an effort to make a few more stops this time.