FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

That morning, the boys were on the path to Saffron City. Lucario had been surprisingly quiet. John still felt very bad, but what was he to do? Celia belonged to Anissa, and they couldn't stay in the hotel forever. John was about to say something when Lucario interrupted.

"It's ok, Master. I know it's not your fault, and you're right, there's nothing you could do." He smiled "I'm just happy I got to meet her." John was relived. Then he thought.

"How did you know I was going to say that?" Lucario chuckled a little. "You were reading my mind, weren't you?" Lucario blew into laughter. John gave him a little punch on the shoulder. "Darn that aura."

Before long, they had reached Saffron City.

"Get a good look, Lucario. This is the largest city in Kanto." They walked down the busy streets with almost no room to walk. The skyscrapers were the biggest thing Lucario had ever seen, second only to Mt. Moon from what he knew. They walked and walked down the busy streets, it seemed like it would never end.

"Master, are we going to a gym?" Lucario was curious and annoyed with the lack of space.

"We're not challenging this city's gym yet if that's what you mean. The gym here uses Physic Type Pokémon, and you're a Fighting Type. No, we're not ready to take them on yet. But I have heard of a place that can truly hone a Fighting Pokémon's skill." They kept walking when the streets started to open up and the buildings seemed more traditional. There were no skyscrapers around, mostly houses and other small buildings. There were only a few people walking down the streets now, mostly elderly people carrying their newly purchased food from local vendors. John suddenly stopped, but Lucario, being distracted by the scene change, kept walking and bumped into him.

"Be careful." John warned. "We're here." Lucario looked at the building they stopped in front of. It looked like a traditional Japanese training dojo. A small path led to the door. In front of the path stood a large red Japanese arch with a symbol on it. "The symbol is Japanese for Soul." John explained.

"Master, what is all this?" Lucario had no idea what was going on.

"This is Hosokawa Fighting Dojo. Hosokawa teaches Fighting Type Pokémon and their trainers about battle, body, and mind. I thought we could come here and learn from him." Lucario seem a little skeptical, but he followed John up to the main door. John slid the door open to find a large empty room. It seemed the room took up the whole building. There were three other sliding doors, one on each wall to the sides and one in the back of the room. John and Lucario slowly walked in, closing the door behind them. Out of nowhere a large man appeared in front of them in a battle stance. Lucario prepared for battle, but John signaled for him to stand down.

"Warum bist du hierher gekommen?" The large man asked. John understood what the man said.

"My Lucario and I have come to seek training under Sensei Hosokawa. Do you understand English?" John asked. The man stayed in his battle ready position.

"Ja, ich verstehe Englisch, aber ich spreche nur Deutsch."

"I thought so." John concluded. "Might I ask what a German is doing so far away from home?" The man looked infuriated.

"Das geht dich nichts an Sorge! Also du gekommen, um unter Sensei Hosokawa trainieren?"

"Yes, I think I've already made that clear."

"Wenn Sie Sensei Hosokawa sehen wollen, müssen Sie durch mich zuerst gehen!" The man ran at John and Lucario when the door on the left side of the room slid open with great ferocity. "STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" a voice yelled. The large man froze in his path. John and Lucario looked at the door to see a small old man wearing traditional Japanese wear. He slouched a bit, holding a small wooden cane. He stroked his long white beard, looking at the large man.

"Siegfried, what is the meaning of this?" he asked in a calm hushed tone. Siegfried bowed with his head bonking the ground.

"Es tut mir leid Sensei! Diese beiden unwissentlich stolperte hier suchen für Sie!" he pleaded. The small man walked up to the three.

"Then why didn't you summon me immediately? We never turn down those seeking guidance." He looked up at John. "I'm sorry for Siegfried's behavior; he has yet to learn his place."

"It's alright; this isn't the first time someone has jumped us before." The small man nodded and stroked this beard.

"I see. Have you and your Lucario come to seek training under Sensei Hosokawa?" John nodded.

"Yes, I've heard many things about him and we wish to improve ourselves through his training." The little man gave a wrinkled smile and nodded.

"Excellent, right this way." he signaled to the door on the left. Siegfried opened the door while John and Lucario followed the man outside. There was a short path leading to a traditional pagoda about two stories high with trees lining the path. "This is Sensei Hosokawa's quarters. He is waiting for you inside." The little man explained. John and Lucario gave him a bow.

"Thank you sir." John said with his bow. Siegfried opened the sliding door but remained outside.

Inside the pagoda, there were lit bamboo candles all along the walls, a winding stairway led to a second level that only went around the wall which made the ceiling visible form the first floor. A golden Lung (Chinese) Dragon statue was mounted on the ceiling. In the middle of the floor surrounded by the candles was a small man, balancing on one foot on a wooden cane. Without turning around, the man spoke.

"I understand you have come to seek enlightenment?" he asked. John got on his knees and bowed, Lucario followed.

"Yes, we have."

"Excellent." The man pivoted on his foot, turning to face the boys. "I am Takeshi Hosokawa." Lucario gasped, it was the same little man who met them outside. A smirk grew across John's face.

"Yes, I know. I knew who you were when you greeted us in the dojo." Sensei Hosokawa let out a chuckle.

"Did you now? Well then, I think you and your Lucario will make excellent students. Now, go back outside. Siegfried will show you to your quarters." He pivoted back around to face the wall. "Your training will begin in the morning. I suggest you get to know the other students before that time comes." John and Lucario rose, giving a bow.

"Thank you, Sensei." They exited the door and followed Siegfried back to the dojo. He led them through the door in the back of the room this time. The door opened, revealing a beautiful Japanese garden. There were three traditional buildings, all on the edges of the garden. In the center was a koi pond with a small bridge that spilt into three separate directions, each leading to a different building.

"Hier entlang, bitte." Siegfried said as he walked over the bridge. The boys followed him straight across the bridge into a small house. "Dies ist wo ihr übernachtet werden. Das Training beginnt als erstes in der Früh." John responded with a light bow.

"Danke, Siegfried." Siegfried gave a smile at the word and left.

"Don't speak to him in German, it'll make him even less tolerant to learn English." A voice said. Lucario turned ready to attack, but John settled him down.

"Calm down Lucario, no one's going to hurt us." John stated. A boy walked out of the darkness in the corner.

"My name's Kyo. I'm one of Sensei Hosokawa's students. Who are you?" he asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"I'm John, and this is my friend Lucario. We're new students to Sensei Hosokawa." John extended his hand. Kyo looked at it and gradually shook it. His hand was hard and cold, almost like metal. Kyo turned around looking into the hallway behind him.

"Hey, Donal! Come meet Sensei's newest student." Kyo yelled. Loud footsteps could be heard as well as soft laughter.

"Really? A new student? This is gonna be great!" John couldn't help but chuckle a little. Around the corner appeared a small boy with bright orange hair. Trailing behind him was a Mankey. They boy ran right up to John and rapidly shook his hand.

"Nice to meet ya there, Lad! Me name is Donal! And this here is me Mankey!" Mankey gave a wave and a smile. Lucario gave a small bow, not sure what to think of this whole thing; he had been silent since they arrived earlier. Kyo reached out and grabbed Donal by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back a bit.

"Donal calm down. We can't afford for you to scare another one off." Kyo slowly released his grip and let Donal go.

"Right, sorry about that. I just get excited is all; we won't be the only ones anymore!" John was a little confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Donal looked back and blushed a bit.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Welcome aboard mate!" Donal and Mankey ran back down the hallway. John didn't know what to think.

"Don't mind him; he's just an excited little kid is all." Kyo assured.

"Right. Hey, what's up with "lad" and "mate"? And why does he talk so funny?" Kyo laughed a bit.

"Yeah, he does sound funny doesn't he? He's from Ireland, so don't be surprised if he calls you things." John nodded.

"I see. People really do come here from all over the world don't they?"

"Yeah, well, at least they used to. We're all that's left now. Sensei is from Japan, Siegfried from Germany, Donal from Ireland, and myself from the United States. So where do you come from?"

"I'm native to Kanto. Born and raised in Pallet Town, so I'm not from as far as the rest of you."

"Well you're here now. Come on, I'll show you to your room." Kyo lead John and Lucario down the hall into a large open room. A small couch and two chairs were all that were there. "This is our living room-sort of. We hope to have more in here soon." They continued down another hall. Several sliding doors covered the walls. Kyo pointed to the door closest to them. "This is Donal's room, the one next to it is mine, and the one on the end will be yours." He pointed to the opposite wall. "All the rooms on that side are empty, so don't worry about those. The bathroom is right across from my room, so we all have to share it. Well, it's getting late; I'm going to head to bed. See you in the morning." He gave a bow. John and Lucario returned bows back.

"Thank you Kyo. Sleep well." John said.

The room was somewhat small, but it would be size enough. The furniture consisted of a traditional Japanese floor bed, portraits of Japanese kanji on the wall, a small nightstand holding a bonsai tree, and a large window.

"Homey." was all John could say. He set his bag down and walked to the window. "You've been awfully silent Lucario. What do you think?" Lucario reached into the bag and got himself a candy bar.

"I think this is going to be an interesting experience Master. I look forward to training under Sensei Hosokawa, but I'm a little unsure of the others."

"Oh? How so?" Lucario took a bite of the candy bar.

"Well, Donal just seems like he'll get on my nerves, Siegfried is really intimidating, and, well, there's something about Kyo." He paused for a moment. "There's something about his aura that makes me think. It's not like most peoples, it seems like he has less than anyone I've ever seen." John turned around.

"You mean to tell me he's missing some aura?"

"That's what it seems like. I think we should keep an eye on him." John wasn't sure what Lucario meant, but he gave it some thought.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll make itself known in time. Come on, we should get to bed. Training begins first thing in the morning." John put on his nightwear and climbed into the bed. Lucario curled up at his feet.

"Good night Master." Lucario said. John reached out and scratched him behind the ear.

"Good night buddy. And don't worry; everything's going to be fine."