Dungeon 21 – Hug All Your Friends

Brian and Lance had different opinions about parties. For the first, they were incredible, and the Zoroark always had fun with them, talking to everyone and drinking. His brother, on the other hand, preferred much more to stay in the comfort of his room, reading a good book, without anyone to disturb that moment. Unfortunately, for him, that was not happening.

I really hate this, Lance thought while a rain of confetti exploded on his face. With a sigh, the Lucario removed the papers from his fur.

“Cheer up!” Brian gave Lance a light slap on the shoulder, which growled for him. “Take off that grumpy face! It’s our anniversary, damn it!”

In the brothers’ apartment, a big party was happening in celebration of their seventeenth birthday. In the kitchen there was a fruit cake, half of it was already missing, and on the stove, a shiny Gardevoir was baking some cupcakes. Nick, the boys’ father, watched her carefully.

“This is a waste of time,” Lance sighed, taking more confetti out of his hair.

“You do you!” The Zoroark shouted, drinking a whole glass of beer. “Let’s fucking gooooo!”

The Lucario just went to the kitchen, sitting down and eating another slice of dessert. The Gardevoir accompanied him, smiling at him.

“Dear, congratulations. I wish you hadn’t moved, but… I think I’m fine with it now.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Lance looked at her, his face reddening. “How are things at Thornwell?”

“The usual. Missions and more missions,” Nick said, approaching his son. “But I could take some time to see you two.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Brian lifted a glass of beer, taking it in one sip.

“You shouldn’t even be drinking, Brian. You’re only 17!” the female sighed in frustration.

“Amelia, it’s their day. They deserve a rest after all the hard work they’ve done,” Nick nodded.

“I appreciate it, Dad,” Lance sighed, getting up. “Listen, I need to… work some things out, then I’ll be back.”

The Lucario left the house in silence.

---

Meggie had also attended the party but decided to stay outside, eating her piece of cake. Lance approached with a sigh. The thought of listening to Brian talking non-stop made the Lucario prefer to accompany the recruit.

“Hi, Meg. I hope you don’t mind me here.”

“Hm?” The Snorunt turned her gaze to Lance and smiled. “Ah, of course not. How are you? A year older must be a good thing for someone who knows his own age.”

“Not exactly, but whatever. How about you? Six months here must be hard for you.”

Meggie sighed, that Lucario was too direct for her taste.

“It’s very strange, but I think I understand how this body works!” She said with a smile.

“Good… Listen, I really don’t want to stay here, so what do you think about us taking a walk in the city?”

Meggie blushed, moving away from him. The Snorunt thought about what to say and moved her head as if she had hair.

“Hm, right at your birthday you ask to go out?”

“H-Huh?! Not like that!” Lance looked away, his tail swishing around. “Listen, I need to take a walk, and I don’t want to do it alone!”

“Hihihi, I was just playing with you, silly. But I accept, shall we?” Meggie walked towards the stairs, happy to have made that grumpy Lucario embarrassed.

---

Now on one of the streets of Bright Dawn, the two were walking without any concern in the world, just talking to each other.

Lance didn’t want to admit it, but he was loving the company of Snorunt, who looked at everything with her eyes shining; even after six months, she still found that place impressive, with all the valves and mechanical buildings, the only part Meggie didn’t like was the steam from the factories in the background, which made her cough from time to time.

The sun was shining in the sky, it was already afternoon and with that several Pokémon went and returned to their activities.

“Well, where do you want to go? I was thinking of buying some Slowpoke tails in the street, they can be very good when prepared properly,” Lance pointed to a tent with a Charmeleon on it.

“Wow, food, don’t you think that’s kind of cliché?” The Snorunt smiled, teasing him again.

“Meggie, stop teasing me,” he sighed, taking a deep breath.

“If you say so,” she shrugged.

“Whatever, what do you want… Meggie?”

She was already running to eat the tent, and Lance went right after her. The two of them stopped in front of the tent, and Charmeleon looked at them with a smile.

“Good morning, gentlemon. What would you like to buy? We have Slowpoke tail, Tauros steak, and even Magikarp steak if you want!”

Meggie pondered. “Tauros meat!”

“I want some Slowpoke tails,” Lance nodded, crossing his arms.

The Charmeleon smiled with his teeth out and took a stick, putting the steak pieces inside. Then he released a puff of flames, controlling the fire so it wouldn’t burn the wood. After finishing, he delivered to the two Pokémon.

“Thank you, sir,” the Lucario paid for the skewers and left with Meggie.

While they were walking, they kept talking to each other. It was a quiet day, and more important than that, a break, after some missions last week, Lance needed a rest.

“There’s something I want to know! It’s about you and your brother!” Meggie said with a smile on her face, taking a bite out of the meat.

“Feel free to ask, as long as it’s not… A very personal question.”

“If your mother is a Gardevoir, how do you and your brother—”

“She is our stepmother,” Lance shrugged. “And a psychiatrist. Dad hired her after some things that happened with me and Brian, and he thought it was necessary for our mental health. In the end, they got married.”

“I understand. I’m sorry if… It’s a delicate matter.”

“No problem, Meg. I like your company, to be honest.”

Meggie gave a big smile after hearing about Lucario. Even though he was moody, it seems that he also had a good side to him.

“It’s ok! Another thing, hmm, you and Brian are the same age? Are you twins?”

“Dad said it was a miracle. And… Before you ask, me being a Riolu was also rare. Few pregnancies result in a Pokémon of the father’s species,” Lance looked away. “Unfortunately, I never met my biological mother.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t know anything about mine either,” Meggie bent her head down, not knowing how to react properly.

“We seem to have that in common, I guess,” Lance said with a smile.

The Snorunt’s chin almost fell off. A smile, really? She couldn’t believe she’d pulled that stunt.

Lance and Meggie decided to stop in a square, one of the few places that had trees in that city, and because of that, the Lucario decided to go there with his teammate, sitting on one of the benches. The Snorunt had finished her meal, throwing the stick in the trash; Lance, on the other hand, was looking up, as if he was distracted by something.

“Lance… Is everything okay?” She looked at him, trying in vain to get him to talk.

Meggie had realized something was wrong. Although she was joking about his request, Snorunt had the impression he wanted to get away from his family. Deciding to confront him, Meggie took the courage to ask.

“LANCE!” she pushed the Lucario with all her might, screaming to get his attention.

That worked; Lance turned his gaze to her, panting. Whatever was in his head was gone now.

“S-Sorry. Got something on my mind.”

“All right, I understand. But I asked a question, are you okay?” Meggie leaned her hand on Lance’s paw, looking at him.

Lance quickly moved away, thinking about what to answer, as he didn’t want to ruin that afternoon.

“I don’t like my birthday very much for a while now,” He shrugged. “It’s complicated, but I’m trying to solve my social interaction problems.

“And you think running away from your birthday party will help that?! Lance, if you want to change, you need to act!”

“I am, I’m with you all afternoon!”

“Yes, but they are your family! They love you and care about you! Don’t you think you should stay with them instead of a human you’ve known for a short time?!”

“I…” Lance lowered his ears, trembling. “I’m sorry, there’s so much stuff going on… I had another nightmare.”

Meggie touched the Lucario’s hand again, but this time he didn’t back down. Instead, the two were gazing at each other, as the wind blew in the air.

“Thanks… for letting me vent, Meggie.”

“And I thank you for letting me into your team,” the Snorunt looked at the square, watching all the Pokémon in that place. “I’m in an unknown world, with no idea who I am, but now I have friends.”

“Friends, yes,” Lance smiled.

“And so I can tell you that… You can count on me! If you need anything, I’m here for you.”

Lance, without giving any warning, hugged the Snorunt tightly, his body was shaking from holding his feelings so much during that day. He took care not to hurt the female with the spike in his chest.

Meggie gasped, but accepted that gesture, understanding that the Lucario needed it.

After a few minutes, they separated. Lance seemed to calm down and was now blushing.

“I think… I’m ready to go home now, what do you think of that?”

“I don’t see any problems…”

The two were interrupted by a cry for help. Surprised by that, they both ran in the direction of the noise.

---

Already at the exit of the park, the two stopped to see what seemed to be a hostage situation.

On one side, an orange Lycanroc and a red one were with a Mawile, who was wearing a collar on her neck, with a small stone on it. On the other, a Dewott, next to an Arcanine, both wearing the insignia of the local police. Between them were some stones, serving as a barrier.

“Apollo!” Lance screamed, already on the detective’s side.

“Kid! By Arceus, it’s been a while since we saw each other!” The Fire-type looked at the Lucario, tail wagging slowly.

“What’s the situation?!” Meggie stopped, panting. Her small body tired easily.

“They’re taking that Mawile hostage,” the Dewott said, his body sweating.

“Jack’s right. We believe those Lycanroc are involved with a trafficking ring, we’ve managed to follow them here, but we can’t do much right now.”

“Copy that,” Lance sighed, analyzing that area.

Any movement Lucario made could call the dogs’ attention and put Mawile in danger, and that collar made him nervous, memories appearing in his mind like a waterfall of emotions.

“Let’s see if we can negotiate with them. I have a plan,” Lance crossed his arms.

Apollo nodded and approached the barrier. He shouted to call the criminals’ attention, and the red Lycanroc was the one who came closest to the rocks.

“Mr. Lunick. I would like to ask for your cooperation. What do you want in exchange for the hostage?”

“Ah, that part!” The wolf licked his lips, excited. He held a device with a button. “Okay, hehe! How about a kiss?”

“Lunick! We don’t have time for this!” The second Lycanroc shouted loudly, growling at his companion.

“Sirius, little brother, let me do things here! I’m great at negotiations…”

“No, you’re not!” Sirius approached his partner.

It was the opportunity Lance was looking for. He jumped, carrying an Aura Sphere in his hand, and shot it between the two enemy Pokémon, who reacted by crawling, so that the blow wouldn’t hit them. Now, Lance was in front of the hostage, looking directly at the other two.

“Ouch! What the fuck was that?!” Lunick stood up and, when he saw Lucario, he gave a broad smile. “Boy, our lucky day! The boss asked us to take a Lucario!”

He shuddered at the mention of being taken. That and the collar were like knives inside the boy’s body, and he vividly remembered what he had been through in his childhood; Lance wondered if those two had any connection to that Gallade.

“Lunick, you idiot! Now he’s got four against both of us! Outside that two of them have the advantage!” The Lycanroc Dusk roared, preparing to go into combat if necessary.

N-No! Shit… Easy Lance, easy! The Lucario’s head was filled with thoughts, he couldn’t do anything but shake when he remembered the past.

The Lucario’s distraction was perfect for Lunick, who punched the ground, and under Lance, a wave of brown energy appeared, colliding with him. Lance was hit, eyes bulging as he screamed in pain. The explorer stood up, panting.

“All right, it’s time for our team to act!” Meggie took the lead, putting a tiara on her head. “Mr. Detective, please, could you evacuate the area? Lance and I will take care of these two idiots.”

The Arcanine and Dewott left, leaving the hard work to the explorers. Meggie had a smile on her face, ready for the fight. However, Lance was still shaking in his panic attack.

“A Snorunt thinks she can beat us, how hilarious!” Lunick laughed, his hands shining with a blue dragonic energy. “Bring it on!”

“Hmph, we’ll see!” Meggie’s hands shone, and a Water Pulse was launched in Lunick’s direction.

The Lycanroc swerved with a jump and was getting ready to stick his claws into Snorunt when he was struck by what seemed to be another aura blow, throwing him to the ground.

“She… She’s right. I can’t just stand by. Kidnapping other Pokémon?” Lance now faced the two bandits, his hands crackling with aura.

“Lance, time to show our teamwork!” Meggie laughed.

Team Liberators was facing their enemies, and behind the explorers, Mawile was panicking, she wanted to escape, but was afraid of what would happen if she did that. Sirius noticed that; a little smile appeared on his face.

“Lunick, I think we will need our weapon,” he said to his brother, who was getting up.

“Hehe, watch this thing!” Lunick grabbed a device from his backpack by pressing a button.

Behind Lance, the Mawile screamed in pain, and he looked back. The female’s body shone and began to change shape, her mouths split in half. The glow broke apart; the now Mega Mawile was looking directly at Lance. She screamed, running towards the Lucario…