With Korrina eventually releasing Luca from her embrace, Jason watched with a mix of curiosity and concern as the Lucario sat cross-legged before Ren—ostensibly preparing to meditate. In contrast, the latter sat with her feet spread, her pink toe beans on full display, her body hunched forward, and her paws between her thighs.
'Tell me, young one...do you desire to become stronger...?' asked Luca, his telepathic tone deep, naturally husky, and patient.
"Ren become strongest..." responded Ren, her red eyes gleaming like gems and her expression uncharacteristically serious as she held Luca's gaze.
'To what end? Why do you want to become strong?' asked Luca, his fur beginning to bristle slightly as pale, cerulean-blue energy rose from him like ghostly flames.
Tilting her head, Ren gave the impression she was confused by Luca's question before turning to look at Jason.
Leaving Jason at a slight loss, Luca remarked, 'I see...so your desire to be strong is the result of another's expectations...'
With Luca glancing his way with what felt like a judgmental glower, Jason felt a wave of confusion wash over him. It was true that he encouraged Ren to become stronger, but only because she enjoyed battling, and he didn't enjoy seeing her suffer or experience defeat. He wasn't forcing her to pursue strength—he was supporting her natural impulses...
"No! Ren want strong...!" Ren exclaimed, slapping the ground between her thighs and leaning forward like she was ready to pounce if Luca continued glaring Jason's way.
'Then you will need to search within yourself to find the reason you wish to become stronger. Without understanding that, you are bound to suffer and cause suffering to others. I speak from experience...' expressed Luca, a shadow of guilt flashing across his face as he fleetingly met the gaze of Korrina, beaming back at him reassuringly.
'Something must have happened...' Jason surmised, prompting Luca, who could very clearly hear his thoughts, to confirm, 'Indeed...' before rising to his feet. Then, turning his body sideways, he placed his right paw behind his best and made a come-hither gesture at Ren with his right, instructing her to, 'Come forth, young one. Show me you have what it takes to be the strongest...'
"Ren...!" responded Ren, bouncing from her seated position to a pouncing posture. She knew from his battle with Laani that Luca was much stronger than her. But, rather than feeling even a little daunted, she felt determined to overcome him and receive Jason's praise.
Without waiting for a command, Ren used Quick Attack to try to ram the center of Luca's abdomen with her head. The latter casually sidestepped her and raised his left paw in a chopping motion. But instead of following through and smacking her to the ground, he stopped short and bounded backward to create distance—his red eyes gaining a familiar, ghostly-blue hue.
'So this is where Ren acquired her Detect from...' Jason noted, his brows creased and his expression severe as he crossed his arms and fought the urge to intervene in the battle. Detect wasn't a move most Riolu or Lucario could use naturally. It had to be inherited from one of their parents, and in Ren's case, that parent was evidently Luca.
Recognizing the glow in Luca's eyes, Ren activated her own Detect and attempted to rush him. To Jason's surprise, she then began spinning on her toes, using rotational force to chain together a series of attacks she had clearly copied from Korrina's Mienfoo. This briefly left her exposed each time she rotated, but it allowed her to generate a surprising amount of force—particularly when she landed a spinning kick against his guard.
'She's incredible...' thought Jason, his expression softening slightly and a faint smile adorning his face. He recognized the moves Ren was using as those utilized by Mienfoo and Laani. Her being able to emulate the former wasn't too surprising, as she had actively practiced alongside and learned from him. But all of Laani's movements were things she had picked up on her own, the byproduct of spectating the anthropomorphous bunny's past two battles...
"This is how Fighting-types really grow into their potential," commented Korrina, her blue eyes fixed on the match, faintly sparkling as she added, "A lot of Trainers, particularly those who've inherited a traditional martial art, make the mistake of trying to pass their techniques to their Pokémon. The end result is a rigid fighting style that usually conflicts with what feels natural to the Pokémon they're teaching..."
"Meaning the correct way to train them is to allow them to develop their own style through trial, effort, and observation..." Jason concluded calmly, prompting Korrina to direct her glistening eyes his way—a broad, radiant smile adorning her face.
"There's also an emotional component to it..." Korrina clarified, returning her gaze to Luca's and Ren's battle as she explained, "For many years, there was nothing Luca and I desired more than to become the strongest we could be, together. We challenged hundreds of Trainers, and when we finally attained Mega Evolution, we believed there was nothing that could prevent our rise to the top..."
"What happened...?" asked Jason, his gaze reluctantly parting with Ren's earnestly battling figure to focus on the usually bubbly blonde at his side. She still wore a smile, but her eyes were no longer focused on the battle that was taking place before them. Instead, she gave the impression she was observing battles long past...
"Mega Evolution is an unstable power that places a tremendous strain on the Pokémon that undergoes it. In the worst-case scenario, it could even result in crippling injury or death..." revealed Korrina, exhaling faintly from her nose before revealing, "In Luca's case, it greatly bolstered his senses and caused his Aura to surge uncontrollably. His desire to win caused him to go berserk when we were on the verge of losing. I won't go into details out of consideration for Luca, but it was a harrowing ordeal—to the extent I wouldn't wish it on my greatest enemy..."
"Then I won't press it further..." responded Jason, his words trailing off as he returned his focus to Ren, just in time to see her performing a spinning kick through the air, landing heavily against Luca's guard. Korrina's words had piqued his curiosity, but as someone with more than a few skeletons he would prefer to keep buried, it would be...hypocritical of him to compel others to expose theirs. Instead, after a moment of silent deliberation, he carefully slipped his hand around Korrina's lower back, grabbed her waist, and pulled her closer.
"Mmn...the perks of having a considerate boyfriend..." hummed Korrina, closing her eyes and leaning her head against Jason's right shoulder with a serene, appreciative smile. Recalling her and Luca's past left her feeling nostalgic and a little sad. Jason's actions were a subtle reminder that she didn't need to bear the burden of such emotions alone—a sentiment she found both novel and comforting...
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After enduring Ren's one-sided assault for the better part of ten minutes, Luca calmly informed her, 'I am about to go on the offensive. Do your best to defend yourself.'
"Ren defend...!" Ren responded, her cerulean and black fur darkened with sweat, and her breathing notably labored. Despite this, she looked more focused and determined than ever as she raised her paws in a defensive, peek-a-boo posture.
Nodding approvingly, Luca changed from a relaxed posture to a lowered stance with his left foot and paw forward and his right tucked in near his waist. At that moment, the air around him changed, emphasized by a faint ripple of Aura emanating from his position. It was like a drop of water had fallen onto a previously invisible lake, and the moment Ren sensed it, her eyes widened in shock.
Trusting her instincts, Ren dropped her guard and leaped to the side just as Luca's foot passed through where her head had been. What made this especially frightening was that, at the time of her dodge, Luca was still in front of her. She hadn't been able to see his movements at all, and it was only after his kick passed above her head that the sand erupted where he had been standing.
With Luca's movements resembling teleportation even from afar, Jason could not prevent his jaw from hanging open in shock. He knew that especially high-level Pokémon could react to lightning, but it was his first time seeing a living creature move so fast that he was unable to perceive it. Given that the human brain and eyes can process stimuli in as little as 1.5 milliseconds, Luca's movement had to have exceeded several hundred kilometers per hour, even if only for a split second.
Waiting for Ren to recover, Luca once again disappeared from her view, reappearing in her path with his left hand raised across his body, poised in the prelude to a backhand. This was highly distressing to Jason, given the tapered steel spike protruding from the backs of Luca's wrists. But as the markedly taller Pokémon struck his pre-evolution across her snout, he took care to use the side of his hand like a karate chop.
Though he didn't empower his attack with Pokémon Power, Luca's nearly 350kg of weight gave him considerable inertia, allowing him to send the comparably lighter Ren soaring several meters through the air before she righted herself and slid to a stop on all fours. At that point, she seemed to realize she couldn't defend against Luca's attacks. Instead, she emitted a cerulean haze from her body before opening her mouth and issuing a loud cry that caused just the faintest whiff of wispy orange energy to emit from her mouth.
"That's impossible..." muttered Korrina, giving voice to Jason's thoughts as they simultaneously realized that Ren had just attempted to use Hyper Beam. A Lucario could learn Hyper Beam via a TM, but it required them to be at a high level and have mastered other powerful moves. There wasn't a single case of a Riolu being able to utilize the immensely powerful move, so the fact that Ren had been able to produce even a whiff of energy from her throat implied she was either beyond exceptional or exceedingly close to evolving...
Fortunately for Jason, as he wasn't yet ready to deal with an even more humanoid version of his mischievous faux-daughter, Ren didn't suddenly start producing blinding light from her body. Instead, as the Hyper Beam attempt had drained what remained of her energy, she promptly deflated and plopped flat onto her belly, groaning, "Ren sleep..." before closing her eyes.
Not expecting Ren to collapse, Luca observed her blankly for several seconds before dematerializing the pair of bluish-white, energy-formed bone clubs he had prepared to defend against or deflect her attack. He had also been shocked by her attempt to use Hyper Beam, but instead of allowing it to show on his face, he directed his gaze to Jason and calmly asserted, 'It isn't my place to tell you how you should train, but I would highly suggest you help Ren to improve her stamina...'
"I will be sure to keep that in mind," affirmed Jason, removing his hand from Korrina's waist and making his way over to Ren. His heart melted in his chest when she began wagging her tail on his approach, but he did his best to appear stoic and proud as he rolled her over and cradled her with his right hand.
"You did very well today, Ren. Now, enjoy a nice, long rest. You have more than earned it..." muttered Jason, his every word layered with sincerity as he retrieved Ren's Poké Ball from his necklace and tapped it to the center of her chest. A flash of warm red light later, she was safely inside, leaving behind a faint ozone smell. It was generally advised that a person not be in contact with their Pokémon whilst returning them to their Poké Ball. But as the most severe injury from doing so was a mild, first-degree radiation burn, Jason bore the resultant swelling willingly...
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